LANCE ARMSTRONG
Response to "Prized photo gains new significance" Metro, Oct. 14
An AJC photo from the past has renewed focus, thanks to Jim Galloway’s column.
My family has a framed copy of the Sanderlin photo of a flag-draped youngster (Samuel Douglas) running beside Lance Armstrong. We have great memories of the best cycling pros on the globe racing here, in our backyards of Georgia — but sad memories about a decade of doping in this great sport.
I am so glad that Jim Galloway followed up with Samuel. His point is that heroes are human. Well, heroes can be “normal” people — like Samuel Douglas. Samuel’s quote says it best: “Cancer doesn’t care that Lance doped”.
I am proud to have raised money and ridden my bike at a recent 24 Hours of Booty event, which raises money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Livestrong. Thanks for reaffirming my confidence in cancer causes like this — and thanks for making me proud to have a photo of Samuel Douglas on my wall.
JACKIE TYSON, ALPHARETTA
ON THE JOB
Social media can work
inside companies, too
Kelly Yamanouchi’s article on the potential pitfalls of social media at work (“Online posts, work clash”, Business, Oct. 14) rightfully urges caution on the part of employees and employers. Perhaps most important, this wise guidance highlights employers who have already put social media guidelines in place.
I would add that it’s also important for savvy employers to know that there are other social media platforms and uses. There are internal social media tools that the public would not have access to that allow employers and employees the ability to collaborate and share information. Internal social media allows employees to work on projects in a cost-efficient way, without some of the potential pitfalls of external social media.
Internal social media also is a great facility to gauge employee response, enabling organizational leaders to test an idea or concept before launching it. In this way, you can quickly hear employees’ thoughts. You might say this is another collaborative use of internal social media. Fast, cost-effective collaboration is the best business reason to use internal social media.
KARA BULLOCK, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, TRIBE, INC.
POLITICS
Why candidates’ math
doesn’t always add up
If you’ve watched the debates or studied the major presidential candidates’ positions with respect to financial issues, you’ll note their numbers don’t add up.
There is a reason: If one provides a detailed proposal that mathematically works and the other one does not do the same, the one who provides the detailed proposal that works will lose.
Democracies collapse over loose fiscal policy. The only way they survive is if an educated public values the system enough to educate themselves with respect to the issues, commits to sacrifice and then demands and only votes for candidates with mathematically workable solutions. It’s a tough nut.
As citizens, it is up to us.
ALLEN BUCKLEY, SMYRNA
Romney re-imagined:
Where does he stand?
Mitt Romney has re-imagined himself as a moderate who cannot do math; who cannot read statistics, and who did not really mean any of the things he told us for the last two years. Although he has never opposed any of the extreme positions put forth by the Republican party, he claims those are not his positions. He showed he can smile nicely, stay focused, and change positions easily. Are those reasons to elect him?
CHRIS ROESEL, COVINGTON
It’s fair to ask Obama
about differences, too
In the second presidential debate, Gov. Romney was asked to explain how he differed from George W. Bush. It would seem that the fair follow-up question to President Obama would have been to explain how he differs from Jimmy Carter.
JOHN WATSON, MARIETTA
