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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1985)
Page 2/The Battalion/Wednesday, December 4, 1985 Opinion Meaning of winter depends on the beholdeR Cold weather means more than heavy socks and wool sweaters. Up north it me a ns a lot o t work. When it gets cold there, it really gets cold and it takes effort to sur vive. Here, in a more December rolls around all there is to worry about is our Christmas lists. Not so in the North. There, cold means snow. They plug in their cars to keep them warm, we roll up the win dows. Camille Brown temperate region, cold is no threat to survival. We can easily withstand the cold blasts Mother Nature dishes out. In the South, cold weather is more of an excuse to light the fireplace. So when They slide down the street, we walk. Their dogs gets stuck in the snow while our dogs get stuck out in the rain. Their beer taps freeze at outdoor par ties, we face no such disaster. They get up early to shovel snow from the drive way, we roll out of bed just in time to scrape frost off the windshield. Two inches of snow here means a week off from school. To northern folks, a mere two-inch snowfall is a bles sing — school as usual. Cold can conjure up totally different meanings, depending on the perspec tive of the beholder. To me, the onset of cold weather means it’s time for the biggest struggle of the year: sending Christmas cards. When that first blast of chilling wind hits me, the resulting goose bumps are not from the cold. The goose bumps are my signal to start worrying about this year’s Christmas card. How will I make it? Abstract or tradi tional design? Printed or hand painted? But most importantly, how will I find the time? Decisions like these rip through my mind. And what about the Christmas tree? It takes several stops to get the best deal on the prettiest tree, then when it’s finally home, one of the Christmans tree lights is burned out. Or the stand doesn’t quite fit. That’s just as frustrat ing. Finding the perfect gilt is always stressful, and traffic and lines at the shopping malls are usually at their peak during the holidays. Cold starts it all. With that first chill of winter, a sleigh full of undue stress is pulled in, whether we like it or not. For me, Christmas stress comes wrap- for secc Associ HOUSTON ped in one pretty package cards. Maybe when 1 graduateli this fetish behind, but fornow,li to work in the time and monetib • out about 60 friendly little (M^^day to get greetings. acres of prime r Let s do aw ay w ith the Christlti auction block to tradition, and then we won't Is finance construe send them <>i m to lind aplatetl T ' vas l * ie se play them I hen all o! us protil^f! 11 ? 1S . s,a f e 1)1 , , iii sell die land, toi s won t feel so bad when-ai! •‘\y e ’re going we wait so late to send ui(kQy r options an just blow it off and promiseti some improvem them next year. we are not goii Land Commiss Camille Brown is a seniorjowysaid. “We are n< major and a columnist forThd fire sale. We ar< ion. away.” Bids were so Mail Call Keep up the good work EDITOR: In reply to Rob Farrell’s letter stating that The Battalion is a big ger waste of time, energy and wood than bonfire: Please remertiber that the pen is mightier than the chainsaw; and keep up the good work. Not all of us are conservatives, and even those who are can benefit from a different opinion once in a while. Jerri Sosville Department of English Commendation deserved EDITOR: The Texas Aggie APOs deserve commendation for completing yet another community service clean-up project for Brazos Beautiful and Timbercrest/Woodmeadow Homeowner’s Association Nov. 23 on N. Graham Road in College Station. Over 75 trash bags were filled by APOs and, through County Commissioner Bill Cooley’s as sistance, disposed of by the county. The APOs were rewarded with refreshments donated by the two homeowner’s associations and Rolling Ridge Grocery. Renee Barsalou Frisbie Director of Marketing Stanford Associates, Inc. Please return the film EDITOR: There was a party in the Parkway Apartments party room on bonfire night and two cameras were taken. If it was an Aggie who took them (yes, it could have been a t-sip) you will realize how impor tant the film is. The pictures were of the road trip to TCU, push and bonfire. Now Ags, the cameras are replaceable, but the pictures of these Aggie traditions and our friends aren’t. If there is any good Ag who knows w here the cameras are, we would appreciate at least getting the film hack because it really means a lot to us. No questions will be asked. Tracey Rutledge Roni Hermes Not good Aggie conduct EDITOR: * I attended the Corps trip festivities in Fort Worth last weekend and enjoyed all — the parade, the goose bumps of the trumpets at the beginning of the fight song and Patton’s theme. There was, how ever, one activity that was new and left me with a very bad taste. I do not believe the cheerleading (and I said c/jeerieading) by the towel-waving “12th man” squad is in keeping with the Aggie con duct, spirit and good sportsmanship that I have been so proud of for the last forty years. It is perceived as taunting, especially when the score is 40 to 0, and left the defeated school with a very bitter taste and an unhealthy revenue now. Clive Sloan Class of’47 Defacing our pride EDITOR. I am just as happy that Texas A&M beat the University of Texas as the next Aggie. I think it was a great game, and I can understand the need to celebrate. It was a triumphant night, but I have also seen the results of the 12th man’s celebration throughout our campus. Texas A&M is supposed to be our pride. The beauty is what makes our campus. What was seen on campus Monday morning fol lowing the Thursday night game was a sad sight indeed. Grounds maintenance workers spent all day cleaning up the debris from the celebration. Beer cans, liquor bottles, and trash littered the streets and lawns of our beautiful campus. Is this the kind of example that we want to set for future generations of Aggies? We Aggies should he more conscientious about the appearance of our beloved Univer sity. Defining cults EDITOR: United feitureSptim mam <s)m kwicn iw 2,00()-acre tra County and 32 Harris County. ||The land of about 15 inquiri no bids were sul | A Sept. 17 si lued at $17 mi suits. it Prospective they did not h prepare bids, days, but buyer six to nine mot proposals. Maurosakltl TDC would tak don and might in a few days would be. ‘‘If we could years ago, we turned this lan set,” he said. GSS org By CA Larry Hicki philosophy p cramped, cli rounaed with reasoning. His ordinary, and average philos But Hickma versial positio Hickman is tl the Gay Studi vely participat ities, such as march in Hou What are some of these distortions and perversions? The most common is a doctrine of salvation by works. The Apostle Paul says its by GRACE we are saved and it’s a FREE gift from God. Resist the temptation EDITOR. Another distortion is a doctrine that doesn’t recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God, our Lord and Savior^ and the second per son of the Holy Trinity. The Bible clearly explains that Jesus was God who became man to be a total and complete sacrifice for a sinful world. It explains that Christ died for us so we could inherit the kingdom of God if we accept Him as Lord and Savior. Some cults clearly distort these facts making Jesus something less than what it says in the Bible. “Open up little pig, let me in!” When the Big Bad Wolfi ened the three little pigs hissed and booed. Vet when aBiolof teaching assistant walks in with fetal pigs we lineupands “How much is that piggy in the bucket? I do hope thatpijf sale.” One more distortion is that many cults use other sources that are non-biblical as their authority. Many say that they believe the Bible is the word of God but use other sources to justify what they believe. There are many organizations that use these distortions as their doctrine. Some of the more popular are Mormonism, Jehovah’s Wit nesses, The Worldwide Church of God, Christian Science, Flare Krishna and The Unification Church (“Moonies”). After purchasing an unborn domestic animal, Biology If dents tenderly cradle the infant pig to their table andjirocetl erally dismember all of the fetal pig’s major organs. Thispro® fetal organ dislocation is used — in addition to plastic models? man anatomy — to further scientific education. Week. “If you can’ directed hum well throw in says about the July. Hickmar other GSS mt play the Aggit zoo. A native c earned his PI sity of Texas, with GSS sin did not offici; sibilities as at ter, Hickmar students pre ment of GSS. The Apostle Paul warns us of false prophets in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. I encourage you if you have any questions to search for yourself. Don’t take my word for it nor anyone else’s, hut look for yourself and you make the decision of what a cult is. Michael Cooper ’87 Dissection is necessary to the education of Biology andoi' cal Science majors, but will a sociologist, engineer, journalisi ness major, etc. apply major organ exploration and removalu daily lives? Students often complain about unnecessary tij v ! ments which are seldom, if ever, applied to their future live. No corner on the truth EDITOR: Both guest columnist Podesti and student Tom Cowart demon strated their intolerance of the New Right, by charging the group “Accuracy in Academia” with attempting to stifle academic freedom. Learning about human anatomy with the aid of plastict of the human body will definitely benefit all Biology 123si«' regardless of their chosen field of study. The real questions beneficial if fetal pig dissection to students studying in fieltli than the Biological and/or Medical sciences? 1 hope thebiol partment will make use of the existing plastic models ofl' anatomy and allow the fetal pigs to mature and develop;anti ; bly contribute to the solution of world hunger. So, nexttiiq ology 123 TA offers you a fetal pig, resist temptation and® plastic model in the corner of the classroom instead. Gowart had a good point: learning about and wrestling with challenging views is what makes education worthwhile. However, he still resents the voice of the New Right which is attempting to influ ence our pluralistic society. D.L. Adams What the New Right is trying to do is swing back the secular, materialistic world view that clearly gained dominance in science and education in the 1960s and 1970s. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length. Thcediio^' serves the right to edit letters for style and length but will makeevetjr, maintain the author's intent. Each letter must be signed and ninsiinepi dress and telephone number of the writer. This was not always the case. Early scientists like Newton, Galileo and Kepler studied nature to learn more about the mysteries of God through his creation. They looked for regularities, symmetries, and underlying principles in his design. Maxwell’s Equations are a prime example of this search for symmetry and order. When we win the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day, I hope that Dallas is not left in the same condition that our campus was on Thanksgiving night. Debbie Maggs Today the scientific approach is reversed. The basic assumption is that reality is exclusively physical and the universe is random, chaotic and without purpose. The scientific and educational com munities not only use this approach, they belittle students, Ph.D. candidates and professors who persist on using a God-based world There seems to be some confusion of what exactly a cult is. If I can be so bold, let me try to shine some light on the subject. I agree with Podesti and Tom Cowart that academic freedom is essential to a dynamic and wholesome education. Therefore, let’s be come tolerant of voices like the New Right. Sure, they don’t have a corner on the truth, but neither does the present status of science and education. Josh McDowell, a well-known Christian speaker and Handbook of Today's Religions, defines a cult as “a perversion, a distortion of Biblical Christianity and/or a rejection of the historical teachings of the Christian church.” Douglas Dow Class of *87 The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member of Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference The Battalion Editorial Board Rhonda Snider, Editor Michelle Powe, Managing Editor Loren Stef'fy, Opinion Page Editor Karen Bloch, City Editor John Hallett, Kay Mallett, News Editors Travis Tingle, Sports Editor iic; Editorial Policy t he Butiitlion is a non-prolit. sclt*sufjpr>t nnp new spaper npermeit as a cem/NtW AH'M and Bryan-College Station. 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