James Fuhrman

Regarding "Roaring Splendor at Iguacu Falls" (April 6): No visit to Iguacu is complete without taking the short boat ride to San Martin Island, a free service leaving from the bottom of the Argentine side of the falls. It's just a 20-minute hike to the top of the island, and the result is the most spectacular view I have ever seen. James Fuhrman West Hollywood

With the L.A. County medical trauma system in crisis, placing an article about James Fuhrman ("Ethics Watchdog Drops Chase in W. Hollywood," Sept. 21) on the front page and the story about King/Drew Medical Center back in the California section defies belief. Fuhrman's impact on this community has been minuscule by any standard, at best resulting in a reduction in meal expenses charged to the city by officials. This story belongs on the comics page; Fuhrman is a joke, not real news.

It seems that business owners east of West Hollywood will have to come up with their own "brand" for their locale ("West Hollywood Stakes Claim to Sunset Strip," Aug. 16). In the parlance of real estate ads, they might try "Sunset Strip Adjacent." Ronald Shore West Hollywood It's unfortunate that the city of West Hollywood spends so much time and resources deciding if businesses in neighboring cities can claim the name Sunset Strip. As far as I know, no city owns the copyright to the term "Sunset Strip," nor are there any legal boundaries to that area.

Could that be the sound of champagne corks popping at West Hollywood City Hall? If so, don't bother reporting it to the city's ethics watchdog as a waste of tax money or misuse of municipal property. West Hollywood's self-appointed "ethics commission" is leaving town, much to the relief of those who work -- and some say play -- in city offices.

With the L.A. County medical trauma system in crisis, placing an article about James Fuhrman ("Ethics Watchdog Drops Chase in W. Hollywood," Sept. 21) on the front page and the story about King/Drew Medical Center back in the California section defies belief. Fuhrman's impact on this community has been minuscule by any standard, at best resulting in a reduction in meal expenses charged to the city by officials. This story belongs on the comics page; Fuhrman is a joke, not real news.

Could that be the sound of champagne corks popping at West Hollywood City Hall? If so, don't bother reporting it to the city's ethics watchdog as a waste of tax money or misuse of municipal property. West Hollywood's self-appointed "ethics commission" is leaving town, much to the relief of those who work -- and some say play -- in city offices.

Re "West Hollywood dealt a blow on 'Tara,' " Oct. 31 It's no surprise that West Hollywood has lost in court again in its quest to build so-called affordable housing in one of the most expensive cities in L.A. County. Had the city done the right thing from the beginning and built the housing on a noncontroversial lot, there's no doubt the matter would have been closed years ago. Instead, residents' tax dollars have been spent on legal fees. That is money that might have been better spent building affordable housing elsewhere.

I've just returned from Rio de Janeiro, where they do bike lanes right. Instead of putting an unprotected and exposed bike lane on each side of the street, they put both bike lanes on only one side of the street--between the parked cars and the sidewalk. The bike lanes are separated from the parked cars by a small mini-median, about four inches high and four inches wide. This way, bicyclists are nowhere near fast-moving cars, nor do they have to worry about parked drivers opening their doors, delivery trucks blocking the bike lanes, etc. To accomplish this requires taking away just four inches of street width.

Indiana: C.L. Gottlieb, Santa Monica--The Rathskeller, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis 46204; (317) 636-0396, fax (317) 630-4652, www.rathskeller.com. "Hearty German food in festive surroundings. Founded in 1894, the city's oldest restaurant still in operation." Dinner entrees about $17-$21. Thailand: James Fuhrman, West Hollywood--Trinity City Hotel, 425/15 Silom Road, Soi 5, Bangkok; 011-662-231-5050, fax 011-662-231-5417.

Re "Judge Limits Hikes in Formerly Subsidized Rents," April 19: Now that U.S. District Judge George H. King has told landlords they can't back out of federally subsidized apartment programs, even when the required time period to stay in the program has passed, there is no longer any incentive for future developers to build any new low-income housing. After all, what developer in his right mind would want to deal with a lot of government red tape and often-difficult tenants when the government continues to change the rules in the middle of the contract?

It seems that business owners east of West Hollywood will have to come up with their own "brand" for their locale ("West Hollywood Stakes Claim to Sunset Strip," Aug. 16). In the parlance of real estate ads, they might try "Sunset Strip Adjacent." Ronald Shore West Hollywood It's unfortunate that the city of West Hollywood spends so much time and resources deciding if businesses in neighboring cities can claim the name Sunset Strip. As far as I know, no city owns the copyright to the term "Sunset Strip," nor are there any legal boundaries to that area.

Regarding "Roaring Splendor at Iguacu Falls" (April 6): No visit to Iguacu is complete without taking the short boat ride to San Martin Island, a free service leaving from the bottom of the Argentine side of the falls. It's just a 20-minute hike to the top of the island, and the result is the most spectacular view I have ever seen. James Fuhrman West Hollywood

Regarding "Recognize the Power of One" [Letters, Oct. 24]: Single cruise passengers should pay double what couples pay because they occupy twice as much space. If cruise lines gave a private cabin to everyone who asked, they might sail with half as many passengers. Couples might demand two adjoining cabins to get additional bathrooms and space. Single cruise passengers aren't as desirable to cruise lines, because they deny cruise lines the opportunity to sell more short excursions, spa services and onboard shopping.

Regarding "A Vacation Report From Albania" (Jan. 16): Albania didn't "recently" open its crumbling doors to tourists for the first time. I was in Albania well before their revolution, in 1990, along with a handful of other Americans, on an all-Greek-speaking, six-day bus tour from Athens. I was disappointed to learn that the author saw only one other tourist in his entire week. I had hoped that others would take advantage and visit Albania--undoubtedly, the most fascinating nation in Europe.