I received a snippy letter in response to this little series that ran 10 years ago, from a paid spokesman of the National Association of Tanning Bed Operators, or something like that. He took exception with my skepticism about the wisdom of people who crawl into a coffin-like enclosure to be bombarded, close-up, with technologically produced ultraviolet rays, all for cosmetic reasons. I might or might not be wrong about the short-comings of artificial tanning (I wouldn’t do it!), but I didn’t really take seriously an opposite position that someone was paid to hold. Then again, where would our government be if its members were as close-minded as I?