ann berry

It was good to see your segment on water as a major problem in the Mideast. I am wondering why you or someone doesn't examine whether the COMBINATION of high birth rates (not necessarily current, but recent) and the dearth of water--exacerbated greatly by climate change--may be the root cause of the unrest and tragedy that permeates the drier regions of Earth. A good deal of reporting has dealt with water problems; very little has made the connection between those problems and the two key variables of population and climate. PBS could take the lead here. I've been a devotee of the NewsHour since the McNeill-Lehrer days. What sets it apart is partly its calmness. At age 88, I can hardly listen to most so-called newscasts, so shrill and speeded-up and cross-interruptive and generally mannerless have they become. And local newscasts, here and elsewhere, are too largely views of police tape and flashing lights, which do not enlighten, let alone ennoble, anyone. Judy Woodruff has done such a superb job for so long (as did Gwen Ifill while we had her) that I can't believe anyone could really replace her-- Amna Nawaz, John Yang, William Brangham are all fine, but I'm not sure any of them could do as well as Judy. What I AM sure of is that when her last day inevitably comes, PBS will make a good choice. Ann Berry Minneapolis, MN