Good Works

Daniel Roth's portrait of Barry Sternlicht ["Revenge of the Hotel King," October] is incomplete without a discussion of his support of charitable causes, especially those involving juvenile diabetes. As a fellow volunteer at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, I credit Sternlicht's tireless support, in terms of generosity and time, for bringing in to the foundation millions of dollars. The foundation has a single, clear goal: to find a cure for what is now an incurable illness. The research resulting from Sternlicht's support has given hope to the millions of Type 1 diabetics who struggle with this illness on a daily basis.

—Marsha Shyer, New York, New York

A Question of Taste

It is one thing to write an article about the adult-entertainment industry ["Obscene Losses," November] and quite another to include a picture of a sex act being filmed. If I wanted a magazine with salacious photos, I certainly could have spent my subscription money differently.

—Megan Matthiesen, St. Marys, Georgia

Does Charity Give Back?

Arthur C. Brooks postulates that charitable giving increases one's wealth ["Giving Makes You Rich," November]. He fails to say that the percentage of charitable giving diminishes as wealth increases. Despite the charitable nature of the United States, the nation's giving fails to meet increases in the cost of living, thus leaving charities scrambling for needed funding.

Also, more than one in five Americans say that they have little or no confidence in charitable organizations, in part because of the poor performance by charities after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina and the seemingly rampant malfeasance of the leadership of these organizations. Let's hope that there will be a favorable bounce after we see how our charities handle funds donated to help those affected by the California wildfires.

—Gary R. Snyder, West Bloomfield, Michigan

The Conversation

What does a billion-dollar house mean for India?

Our readers, reacting to Sheelah Kolhatkar's "Rich Man, Poor Country" (November), went right down the middle in their feelings about Mukesh Ambani. Some applauded his role in India's churning economy and burst with national pride, others deplored his lack of engagement with the poor, and a number criticized his taste. "I feel proud when I think of how many people are being supported by the industries he is running," wrote one.

Another commented, "I hope he becomes rich in charity, like Bill Gates."

But many readers were outraged by the uses Ambani has found for his money. As one put it, "It's a pity that so many years after the Taj Mahal was built—in India, no less—all this misguided megalomaniac can come up with for a cool billion is a 60-story heliport, swimming pool, and parking garage."

"Sickening," wrote another naysayer. "Why can't he make a difference to the real India?"

One reader, at least, split the difference: "The building might be an aberration, and it's unfortunately the only thing I have against this genius. The family owns the Indian economy in a way, and we owe it to them for many reasons."

CorrectionIn "Inside Men" (November), we omitted the name of Jay Musoff, a partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, as the lawyer representing alleged inside trader Ajaz Rahim.

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