Dorsey on KeownJohn Dorsey's Nov. 9 article concerning Ian...

Dorsey on Keown

John Dorsey's Nov. 9 article concerning Ian Keown of Gourmet magazine ("On the outside, looking lost") was quite a come-uppance. Yes sir, he really told him off good!

He stood up for our art and culture here in Baltimore by setting the record straight! What's more, he used his position with the paper to publicly embarrass both the author and that "out of town" publication.

Too bad public flogging is no longer legal, because the amphitheater at Harborplace would have been such a great place to set up the pillory.

Mr. Dorsey might have mentioned that Mr. Keown and Gourmet featured Baltimore in a wonderful 12-page article complete with beautiful photographs.

He might have commented on how nice it was for a publication which is primarily known for gastronomical expertise to go to the trouble of saying so many nice things about other attributes of our city. Did he see nothing good about the article, or does he have no concept of the term "balance"?

As one who manages a financially strapped organization responsible for the promotion of our city for meetings, conventions and tourism, I am acutely aware of what it means to get 12 complimentary pages in one of the most prestigious magazines in America.

Mr. Dorsey was certainly correct that there were some errors, but were they completely attributable to the author and/or the publication?

Mentioning that certain famous paintings are in the Walters when they are actually in the Baltimore Museum of Art is definitely a mistake, but at least both institutions will benefit from the fact that hundreds of thousands of people know that we have two great art museums and the paintings are in Baltimore.

Frankly Mr. Dorsey's criticisms were a little petty. For example, whether the population is 736,000 for Baltimore City or 2.5 million for the statistical area as the figure was used is not exactly a critical error in the context of the article.

But, when he took issue with whether Mount Vernon Square should have been Mount Vernon Place, he lowered criticism to a rather microscopic level. Surely, John Dorsey or The Sun never makes a mistake or misspells a name, but be cautious in that glass house at 501 N. Calvert Street.

Many of us hope that our city will be so fortunate as to have another such article written in a major magazine about Baltimore.

If I were a travel writer, would I want to submit myself to the ever vigilant critical eye of John Dorsey, or should I just find another city to write about?

Wayne C. Chappell

Baltimore

The writer is executive director of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association.

Occult Practices

Your Nov. 22 account of Orthodox Christian beliefs of some Gypsies contained a serious error.

The article describes fortune-telling as "part of . . . Orthodox religious beliefs." This is incorrect.

The Orthodox Christian faith neither incorporates nor condones fortune-telling. Such occult practices are strictly forbidden to the Orthodox, both by Scripture and by church tradition.

David Ritchie

Baltimore

Charity Deduction

One of the items included in the Republican program entitled "Contract with America" is a tax cut for the middle class and the wealthy.

To make up for the loss for the resulting income there will be cuts in those expenditures which fund those programs pertaining to the needy.

According to an article in The Sun Nov. 16, Rep. Newt Gingrich's view is that organized charities should take responsibility for caring for those people.

That is a very interesting concept. Is he implying that the portion of our income taxes that goes to help the needy is in effect a charitable contribution?

Since charitable contributions are deductible for income tax purposes, the taxpayer should be informed of the percentage of total tax income collected for charities so that appropriate amounts can be deducted on the tax return.

Leonard H. Feinroth

Baltimore

Villa Julie and Senator Mikulski

I certainly endorse the many kind statements about Villa Julie College in your Nov. 25 article.

However, we sincerely regret the incorrect interpretation of Sen. Barbara Mikulski's interest in meeting the widely documented need of taxpayers nationwide for timely services by the Social Security Administration -- a need which could have been expertly served by Villa Julie College, which is well known for its advanced technology training.

This was an honest effort on the part of the senator to provide a much-needed service. Social Security resisted the proposal, and the story was dead, and has been for some time.

Senator Mikulski, long recognized as one of the most capable and conscientious public servants in the nation deserves better treatment.

Joseph Haskins Jr.

Baltimore

The writer is a member of the board of trustees, Villa Julie College.