Aunt Tilda does not need an exercise video. Uncle Leo is not dyingfor a Norelco special razor. Dad has enough ties. The planet isgetting stretch marks trying to hold its human load of six billionpeople, while a good portion of them ponder their gift lists.

Do the overburdened Earth a favor and contemplate low impactgiving.

Give of yourself. I’m not picturing students wearing only a bowand jumping out of a cake. Although, why not? After you’ve eaten thecake, there’s nothing left to throw away but the bow. Heck, wipe offthe icing and use it for another gift.

Install programs on your parent’s computer. Teach someone towrite, dance or paint. All of that tuition money is bound to haveprovided skills. If the time you haven’t spent in class has beenspent in the gym, put your new buff self to work and offer to movefriends into their next apartment.

Better yet, give experiences. Gift certificates cover messages,classes, movie tickets, concerts, spa visits and sporting events.Aunt Tilda would get a lot more out of yoga classes than thatexercise video, while Mom enjoys seeing her alma mater beat NotreDame. Take Dad to a concert so he can experience that “garbage”you’ve been enjoying.

If all this has failed to convince you, I leave you with onechilling reminder: This year’s Pokemon is last year’s Furby.

Susie GordonNational Environmental Wire for Students

Shut up freshman

I just want to say one thing to Angelo Kolokithas (“Too hard foryou,” Nov. 30, The Daily Aztec): Who do you think you are?

How dare you step your baby feet onto this campus and talk abouthow your major is harder or more respected than a major dealing withAfricana Studies.

You are a freshman. Hello, can we say general education! I wouldlike to have you know I am an English major, but I’ve learnedthroughout my three years here that every single major here isdifficult, challenging and respected in its own way.

Africana Studies majors can teach, attend law school and becomejudges or any other highly paid profession. What are you going to dowith your biology major?

Whether it’s math, philosophy, music or dance, a person’s major isbased on their enjoyment and wants. Doesn’t biology focus ondifferent subjects like chemistry and physics?

Well, Africana Studies also focuses on subjects other than AfricanAmerican events. Also, your opinion about “it being too hard,” — ithas nothing to do with that!

When I, an African American female, applied to San Diego StateUniversity, my high school grade point average was 2.9 and myScholastic Aptitude Test score was 990. Back in 1997, the admissionrequirements weren’t as rigorous as they are now. If they would havebeen I probably wouldn’t be here now.

However, once at SDSU I received $35,000 in scholarships and nowhave a 3.0 G.P.A. It’s not that it’s too hard, it’s just thatsometimes we as minorities need a chance to show people at higherlevels that we can succeed. SAT scores and G.P.A.s don’t alwaysrepresent a person’s potential.

If you can’t understand that, then maybe you need to open yourmind and stop being such a racial, uneducated bigot — or is that toohard for you?

Leslie HardimanEnglish junior

Willing to be lazy

Hey Gabbani, did you ever consider that a lack of will is yourmain problem and not the forces of Mother Nature conspiring againstyou? You say the blue skies of Southern California prevented you fromwriting the great American novel.

Guess what? There are pretty much blue skies during the summer allover America. I dare you to find a place that is bereft of sunshineduring the summer months.

Blaming the weather for personal shortcomings is like me saying Icould have been gotten my master’s degree if only TNN had notsabotaged my efforts by syndicating The Dukes of Hazzard.

I mean, I am only human, and thus powerless against the charms ofDaisy Duke.

Mike Graffmanprofessor emeritus, SDSU

Religious hypocrites

So the House of Representatives is being accused of beinganti-Catholic in the selection of the House chaplain. Too bad wecan’t get Charlie Chaplin to fill the office.

At least there would be something to laugh about on the floor.Now, who said that a chaplain is necessary and that it doesn’tconflict with any “state” religion? I say if it is good enough forthe House and the Senate and the Supreme Court then it shouldn’t bedenied to the school children of America who need it more.

After all, there are no mass killings in the House or the Senate.I just can’t believe that the adults of the House have the benefit ofa chaplain because they minister to lawmakers and their families. Ithink all lawmakers should support local churches and synagogues andlet the Congress get on with its job without the spiritual help of aprayer before conducting business.

If we are still to pay for a chaplain for Congress then I demandthat the schools be given the same rights for at least prayer inschool. They need it more when they are young and impressionable. Itwon’t hurt. Has anyone given any thought to having a personalminister for the President? He probably needs it more than anyoneelse.

Norman E. Mann

Revealing Reed

Congratulations to Jennifer Kabbany for her insightful andrevealing interviews with California State Univeristy ChancellorCharlie Reed.

They certainly should provide food for thought to those members ofthe faculty who seem to think that the confrontational atmospherethat exists between the CSU administration and

faculty is the fault of the California Faculty Association.

For further education please see the Kenneth Weiss article “ToughGuys Don’t Dance,” Nov. 28, latimes.com. In it CSU trustee chairWilliam Hauck is quoted as saying “In a sense, (Reed)’s kicking(faculty) butt, and we want him to.”

Allen Plotkinprofessor of aerospace engineering

Taunting isn’t professional

I really enjoyed reading Ron Thomas article (“NFL has biggerproblems than the ‘throat slash,'” Dec. 2, The Daily Aztec).

Damn good observations of a strange season. And I agree with youon pretty much everything except the beginning of your article.”Hot-dogging” or taunting has no place in the NFL; these guys aresupposed to be professionals.

The rules are backwards. College players shouldn’t be penalizedfor celebrating. After all, they’re not being paid to play the game(technically).

I am reminded of the words of the great Vince Lombardi when one ofhis players celebrated in the end zone; “When you get into the endzone, act like you’ve been there before.”

Keep up the good work.Mike O’Rourke

Kill the parents

Here are some ways of thinking about abortion: There is one every21 seconds, so there will have been about 3 when you’re done readingthis.

From 1973 to 1997, there have been 35,273,792 abortions. Comparethat to the number of American war casualties from 1776 to 1997,which is 5,117,000.

Ninety-five percent of abortions are performed for conveniencereasons, while the other 5 percent consists of cases involving rape,incest, or harmfulness to the mother’s health.

Now, I think those “ultra-religious freaks” have good reason tothink of it as wrong. Here’s my take of how we could make it better– make it illegal.

It’s pretty simple. Evan Donaldson’s article (“Abortion radicalsmuffle majority,” Dec. 2, The Daily Aztec) connected less crime withmore abortions. Well, if you really want to reduce crime, why don’tyou kill the parents instead of the baby?

It won’t have abusive parents that don’t want it any more, and theonly parents who will be left are the ones who want their children.

Wouldn’t that work? Both sides are happy — less crime, lessabortions.

Now, doesn’t all that I’ve said sound like complete nonsense? Ofcourse, but that is what I hear when I talk to people trying to makeme believe that murder is OK.

So, when you are talking to those people w
ho think murder is OK,just ask them if it would be OK if you murdered them for convenience(only 95 percent of the time though). Have fun…

Angelo Kolokithasbiology freshman