I, too, am a major skeptic when it comes to the veracity
of what I read in print. However, I would like to write in
defense of the particular TIME reporters who worked on
the this article. I have no experience with the stringer
from the midwest but I did speak with the stringer from
LA as well as Dierdre vanDyk, the byline reporter. In
fact I spent the better part of a day in her company along
with several other esteemed East Coast boxers.

The fellow from California, whose name escapes me at the
moment was direct and businesslike in his questioning. At
one point, when I waffled on aswering a question, he told
me, "Don't say anything you don't want in print. I am a
journalist, after all." I found this to be much to his credit.
I was warned and I heeded it.

As for Dierdre, I found her to be quite charming, incredibly
intelligent, well-read and an enthusiastic letterboxer. She
had done hours of research on this topic long before she
met up with any of us. In fact, she was interested in the hobby
months before she began this article. By the time she had
stamped into the five letterboxes we found that day and
exchanged stamps with the rest of us, she was rarin' to go!
I am very pleased to have her wonderful signature stamp in
my collection and glad to have her in our ranks.

Welcome, Dierdre! Funhog