Kudos

YOUR op-ed page informing us of the total cost of providing a new police officer was very interesting. But what price do you put on their lives? Police officers are a good investment for our city. They do a great job and are often not respected enough for the dangerous job they do. They give up living a normal life because they are police officers 24 hours a day. So, hats off to them, and may God always keep them in his sight. Josephine Zirilli Philadelphia

PLEASE TELL Allen Iverson that his speaking out about violence makes a difference. One of the scariest things about today's society is the lack of respect for life that permeates young people all across this country. Listening to Allen talk, it is clear that he understands the value of human life. I hope the article makes a difference to somebody who is living the same life that Robert Ferguson was the day he committed that senseless crime. I just thought that if someone applauds Allen Iverson's efforts to speak out against this, maybe he will continue to do so. Brian N. Stigler, New York, N.Y.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for devoting so much staff time, energy and space to the Ben Franklin Parkway! You did a fabulous job of highlighting the major challenges faced by the Parkway, and the many stakeholders involved. More than that, however, you boldly stated many wonderful ideas and solutions to consider as we all work together to help the Parkway realize its potential. The Daily News has done a wonderful thing for the city by focusing on "Making the Parkway Come Alive.

THERE IS one consolation in the sad, disturbing saga of City Councilman Thacher Longstreth: Things like this don't happen often. Occasionally, a vacancy occurs in Council because of death. But the situation presented by Longstreth's apparent incapacitation - now confirmed by a Florida court, which last week granted guardianship of Longstreth to his sons - is pretty much unheard of. Even though Longstreth's deteriorating condition and the conduct of Melanie Hopkins, his chief of staff and fiancee, raised concerns for months, there's little that can be done to interfere with the way an elected official runs his own office.

MANY THANKS to the Daily News for your special tribute to the city's Vietnam vets. Because of this feature, hopefully, a whole new generation will come to understand, honor and respect our veterans, especially those whose names are engraved on that wall. Perhaps from time to time you can give us an update on how the restoration fund is coming along, and what is needed to complete this most important project. Tom O'Neill Philadelphia

I'M A RETIRED letter carrier, 31 years in the postal service, 30 years as a union steward. The problems that you've described in your stories are not new. They've been going on for years, since the USPS started the bonus policy. I wrote the postmaster general myself, and he just passed the buck. I'm glad your paper has made the public aware of this. Jack Devine Huntingdon Valley

IN ONE OF OUR rare incursions into the world of sports, we want to extend kudos to the Pittsburgh Steelers and uh-ohs to Olympic hero Michael Phelps. On Sunday, in a performance that was just good enough to turn back a second-half rally by the resurgent Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers became the first team in NFL history to win six Super Bowls. Give them credit - the Cardinals just missed reversing their hapless history by the width of Steeler receiver Santonio Holmes' toes.

Why do mostly all African-American women and teen-agers wear wigs? Look for yourself, you hardly see the natural black frizzy hair. I am black and think it's beautiful. Why are you all ashamed of your hair heritage? Lord forbid those ridiculous braids and weaves don't go all head hurt with extensions. Tonya Jackson Philadelphia No African-American originated braids. The American Indian - first on American land - originated braids. Ron Ali I urge all motorists to encourage the tire manufactures to put tubes in the tires.

THE BAD news is that this year the city's murder rate is up. The good news is that Philadelphia police are trying a variety of new tactics to bring it back down. As reported Monday by our colleague David Gambacorta , the city won a major federal grant to try out new policing strategies. The Smart Policing Initiative doesn't rely on higher IQs but on intelligent deployment aimed at putting cops in close touch with the communities they serve. Besides actual feet on the street, the effort will include plainclothes surveillance and reinforcements from other city agencies addressing underlying issues like vacant properties or nuisance bars that contribute to lawlessness.

CHARLES BARKLEY gave Glen Rice major props yesterday, but not for anything he did on the basketball court. Former NBA player Rice slept with Sarah Palin - or so he claims in Joe McGinniss' book, "The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin," as the People's Paper's own Ronnie Polaneczky told you yesterday. "If that story is true, more power to Glen Rice," the former 76er said on ESPN's "Waddle & Silvy" radio show yesterday. He continued, "I would never vote for her, I'll always vote Democratic.

DEAR Mr. Bykofsky, Kudos to you on the DROP article. Everyone (except City Council) agrees with you. Anyone who retires with DROP should actually have to retire and be ineligible to work for the city in the future. Mayor Nutter has a hard time passing programs because he first has to kiss up to Council. We love your newspaper and your columns! Marion Cooney, Maple Shade, N.J.

THAT PHOTO of the little boy walking hand-in-hand with the police officer warmed my heart. I'll even go one step further and say because the little boy was black and the officer white made the photo that much more touching! The milk of human kindness came shining through. I'm sure the mother of the boy really appreciated what the policeman did and hopefully the little boy will never be afraid of the police and will grow to know that they are there to help and protect us. That baby certainly had a big smile on his face.

RE THE LETTER from Officer Giulian: Well said. You couldn't have been more on point. Yes, there are bad cops, bad lawyers, bad professors, bad doctors, but the only front-page news is usually a bad cop or allegedly bad cop who is tried in the newspaper. But this professor gets the front page for his problem with a car stop by an aggressive officer just doing his job. The day the letter was published, I found a small article about a hero detective who without any thought for his own safety jumped into the murky, nasty water of the Delaware on July 7 to save the lives of people who were in trouble.

THIRTY-THREE miners are rescued from the depths of hell - and you send a columnist to waste five hours interviewing a killer who is going there. The miners should have been on the front page. Emil M. Rutledge, Philadelphia 'AMERICA'S MOM" has passed. Farewell, Ms. Barbara Billingsley. We knew, loved and cherished you for 50 years. And that love shall never diminish. Mark Anthony Vare, Philadelphia

SKF USA has earned platinum LEED certification in the category of commercial interiors for its U.S. headquarters in Lansdale. The bearings manufacturer recently completed a $23 million redevelopment of the facility, including green features such as an extensive geothermal heating/heating-ventilation-air conditioning system, and the integration of natural and high-efficiency lighting, as well as refurbished furniture. Platinum is the highest classification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

THE BAD news is that this year the city's murder rate is up. The good news is that Philadelphia police are trying a variety of new tactics to bring it back down. As reported Monday by our colleague David Gambacorta , the city won a major federal grant to try out new policing strategies. The Smart Policing Initiative doesn't rely on higher IQs but on intelligent deployment aimed at putting cops in close touch with the communities they serve. Besides actual feet on the street, the effort will include plainclothes surveillance and reinforcements from other city agencies addressing underlying issues like vacant properties or nuisance bars that contribute to lawlessness.

RE CHRISTINE Flowers' thoughtful July 9 column about the Obama Justice Department: You wonder why this administration insists on being so heavy-handed. My view is that they're on several crusades, and they won't be derailed even in the face of very negative polls, the likelihood of losses in November (they allegedly have a plan to ram through unpopular bills during the lame-duck session) and believe that once they pass all the bills demanded by their ideology, it will be impossible to remove the new laws.

Their first meeting didn't go well. The teenager was quiet - distant, really - as Bob White struggled to make small talk in the offices of Philadelphia Futures that day in 2007. "Afterward he's probably thinking, 'What's this big white guy doing in my world?' " White says. The 6-foot-3 litigator with a thatch of snow-white hair wasn't far off. "I wasn't too thrilled to have him," recalls Taurean Nelson, then a sophomore at Parkway Center City High School. "I was expecting someone younger.

True to promise, in his first few weeks on the job, Gov. Christie has tilted the playing field in favor of business in New Jersey. Through executive orders, he has upended the way regulations are created, giving his administration broad power to block rules it doesn't like and allowing businesses to weigh in early in the process. The business community is thrilled, while environmental advocates worry the economy will be used as a cover to dismantle longtime protections. Christie is "saying that the state has to reform and redo its regulatory process so that it's no longer a disincentive for new investment," said Hal Bozarth, executive director of the Chemistry Council of New Jersey.