Slicing Up the Pie Brings Out Bad Behavior (int'l edition)

It's reprehensible that both U.S. political parties take advantage of our society's schisms to create their safe congressional seats (''Where do you draw the line?'' Legal Affairs, Jan. 15). If computers drew district boundaries into perfect squares, the result couldn't be any more bizarre than the gerrymandering that goes on every 10 years.

Stephen Casillas
San Diego

Maybe a Manager's Place Is in the Kitchen (int'l edition)

The best place for ''Teaching men the right stuff'' (The Workplace, Nov. 27, European Edition) could be at home. Raising and nurturing families is intricate and logistically demanding work that has all the ingredients to make creative, caring, efficient yet compassionate managers.

Gideon A. Braude
Jerusalem

Japan Needs a Positive Sign More Than Easy Credit (int'l edition)

Japan must stop the escalation of its already overgrown public debt (''Japan: This time, it could get nasty,'' Asian News, Jan. 15). Despite ample credit, people and businesses won't borrow and spend until they feel optimistic about the future and the economy.

Jetson E. Lincoln
Montclair, N.J.