Reply All | Letters: The 11.4.12 Issue

Most of my life was spent in Philadelphia, and much of my time was spent on an Amtrak train traveling to New York and Washington. Unlike many Amtrak travelers, I was unable to read or concentrate on work-related issues. The passing images of decay were simply too powerful. Sadly, yet with eloquence, Pieter Hugo's lens captures that decay. I was especially taken aback by the photo of the young man astride his bicycle on Torresdale Avenue. I remember riding in a trolley car on that very avenue on trips to visit relatives. JOSEPH FRANKLIN, Corrales, N.M.

Adam Davidson's views on the N.Y.-D.C. corridor fit a convenient narrative, but they do not reflect the realities of modern manufacturing. I run a musical instrument factory in eastern Pennsylvania. We need skilled machinists, but neither our union nor the local high school's apprentice program has talent available. We offer living-wage jobs with good benefits. But with 40 other local shops seeking the same workers, not enough students enter the apprentice program to meet the demand. JONATHAN GOLDSTEIN, Sellersville, Pa.

CHARMAINE YOEST'S CHEERFUL WAR ON ABORTION

As an obstetrician-gynecologist, I take care of the women whom Charmaine Yoest says she wants to protect. I cannot imagine telling my 14-year-old patient that she must carry to term a pregnancy resulting from rape. I do not presume to know more than my 30-year-old patient about her reasons to terminate a pregnancy. I work hard to make abortions safe. I work harder to make them rare by trying to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But I trust my patients to be the best judges of their own circumstances. SIRIPANTH NIPPITA, M.D., Columbia University Medical Center, New York

Sometimes abortion, rather than being empowering, leaves women vulnerable to men who don't want to take responsibility for the child they've conceived. An abortion is not a "choice" — it's an act of desperation. We should promote real choices for women in desperate situations, ensuring that they have finances, medical care and psychological support. ROSE, New York, posted on nytimes.com

HOW DO YOU RAISE A PRODIGY?

As the mother of two teenage daughters — one with disabilities and another who is gifted (though not a prodigy) — I believe the daughter with disabilities is getting the better education in public schools. She has a team of teachers and therapists and a specific educational plan. The gifted daughter simply coasts, improving with age but not by virtue of teaching. And while I have become good at advocating for the daughter with disabilities (the law, as it should be, is on my side), I have no argument to make to the schools for my gifted daughter, other than, "Please do your job." LISA WESEL, Bowdoinham, Maine, posted on nytimes.com

Aptitude in math and classical piano are both highly dependent on a single variable: practice. Articles on "child prodigies" often omit this. For whatever reason, the kids are willing to devote all of their attention to a subject and then pump in innumerable practicing hours. WILLIAM HERKEWITZ, New York, posted on nytimes.com

IN PRAISE OF TWITTER'S #HASHTAG

#Thiswillbearchaicbytomorrow.
I know.
But the pace of it all has myenergy sapped.
I'm exhausted.
It's clever enough I guess.
And frankly, opting in to the meme is just
so much #easier
than ignoring it
and becoming irrelevant.
BECKY WALLER BAUSMAN, Belmont, Calif.

I don't always use hash tags but when I do, I make sure they're #meta. @cleverwpanache, via Twitter

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