Snooze, you lose in real world I find it hard
to believe that a third-year student like Edward Chiao is
complaining about making an 8 a.m. class (“8
a.m. classes hardly fit in equation,” Daily Bruin,
Viewpoint, March 11). Wake up! I assume that Chiao has his eyes
forward and is looking at the current work environment that most
students will be graduating into in the next year. If he
thinks 8 a.m. is a tough time to get to a class, how about having
to get up at 6:30 a.m. to make traffic in time to get to work by 8
a.m. At an entry level position, and believe me that’s
where Chiao will be entering the workforce, he’d better get
used to waking up early. You can be late to class and play
catch up with the others, but in the real world, you’ll be
catching up in the unemployment line.
David Hittelman
Healthy doesn’t equal thin It’s
people like Gilda Gazor who send girls to the toilet to throw up
the meal they just ate. In this fair city of Los Angeles, where
every corner is home to a billboard selling diet pills, we do not
need more people encouraging the already prevalent notion that
being thin is the ideal. Instead of promoting moderation and
exercise, things that are essential to a healthy lifestyle, Gazor
says to avoid the majority of the food offered on campus. She also
suggests college students should adopt the neurotic lifestyle that
involves counting every calorie that enters their mouths in order
to get some “lovin'” over Spring Break. Not only
does this statement support the idea that in order to be
attractive, one must be thin, but also that being thin is the way
to attract the opposite sex. She disguises her motive with
pretenses of endorsing a healthy lifestyle, but then blatantly says
that in order to wear a swimsuit, college students must start
avoiding any foods containing a significant amount of calories and
fat. I suggest that next time she wants to “help”
people make healthy decisions, she should think more carefully
about the way in which she presents the information. As for now, I
will not be held to her Britney Spears ideals of what it means to
be healthy.
Shilpa Mathew
Other factors affect health The three part
series of columns written by consumer columnist Gilda
Gazor, on nutrition and healthy diets (Daily Bruin Viewpoint, March
7, 8, and 11), are doing a disservice to the UCLA community and all
Daily Bruin readers. The information and tips Gazor provided
were unsubstantiated and insensitive to those who may have
negative relationships with their bodies. I was outraged after
reading Gazor’s columns, not only because the
information she provided was incomplete, but also because her
attitude about losing weight and looking good contributes to the
overwhelming superficiality of our society. In
her column, “You are
what you eat, so watch it,” (March 7)
Gazor emphasized the counting of calories and fat grams to
maintain a healthy diet and ultimately a healthy physique.
However, maintaining a healthy diet is more
than just counting calories or fat grams. Gazor
ignored such important aspects as eating various
nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods low in sodium and cholesterol.
Foods such as peanut butter and avocados are
nutrient-dense foods which may be high in fat but are good for
you as well. And not all fat grams are equal. There are
different kinds of fat in foods, some of which are beneficial
and others we should use sparingly. There is a
difference between saturated (mostly animal-derived) fats,
which should be used sparingly, and unsaturated
(mostly plant-derived) fats, some of which help lower
cholesterol and are healthy. Gazor also recommended
that the people who read her column
“Tasty frozen meals key
to healthy living” follow a diet of 1,300
calories and 25 fat grams per day. Although this may have
worked for Gazor in losing 10 pounds, most people should
consult a registered dietician or nutritionist before making
drastic changes in their diet. Every person is different,
which means that every person has different
caloric requirements based on their basal metabolic rate and
physical activity level. There are a plethora of resources on
campus where young people can consult with a registered
nutritionist about their diets. Gazor only briefly mentioned
exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity in
addition to a healthy diet not only helps you
create a caloric deficit to help you lose weight, but
activities such as weight training can help increase lean muscle
mass. Also, activities such as weight training and aerobic
exercise helps increase your metabolism, bone density and muscle
strength and endurance, which can help
you maintain overall health in the long run.
Tiffany Li UCLA Recreation personal trainer and
fitness instructor
Sav-on can be stopped Thank you Daily Bruin
Editorial Board for your stance against the arrival of chain stores
in Westwood (“Chain
stores harm Westwood’s image,” Viewpoint, March 8).
The most distressing takeover in Westwood by a corporate chain is
the attempt by Sav-on to muscle in on the site of the UA Westwood
Theater. Since 1970, the United Artists Westwood Theater has shown
films like “Moulin Rouge” and “The Shipping
News” that appeal to students and other serious filmgoers.
Now, the UA Westwood Theater’s doors have been closed so that
Sav-on can sell Q-tips and cold tablets. There are already more
than enough pharmacies/convenience stores in this area. But
it’s not too late to save the United Artists Westwood
Theater. The UA Westwood wants to reopen their doors. Sav-on has
been stopped in their tracks by a loud, angry coalition of locals
who include people in the film business, small restaurateurs and
homeowners. We’ve been able to stop Sav-on from taking over
the site because they need a zoning variance to allow their
customers to park on residential lots. Without this zoning
variance, Sav-on can’t build or open their store. The quality
of life for people who live in homes near the site will be severely
threatened if Sav-on uses those R1-1 lots for parking. Residential
zoning laws exist for a good reason: to protect citizens from the
greed of commercial developers. If zoning laws didn’t protect
us, commercial developers would make our neighborhoods unbearable
as places to live. If you’d rather see a movie on Saturday
nights than shop for Kleenex and candy bars, then let council
member Jack Weiss know that this theater is important. Ask him not
to allow a variance that lets Sav-on customers park on lots meant
for families and single-family homes. Send an e-mail to his office.
Have your friends send e-mails. There is opposition to the takeover
of our neighborhood theater: we have an organization called
“Stop Sav-on, Save Our Theatre” and we encourage
student participation. Be angry. Be heard.
George Merkert
Vote for Vossoughi I think we should elect
Shirin Vossoughi secretary of defense because of her obviously
superior insight to the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff on
how to defend the country ("NPR
poses threat to world peace," Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, March
11). Vossoughi states that using nuclear weapons to “threaten
countries” assumes deterrence, but “Sept. 11
showed that it does not.” From my understanding, al-Qaeda is
not a country, and bin Laden is not a leader of any country. In
fact, no country would dare use nuclear weapons against the U.S.
(let alone attack) because of our nuclear defense setup; if a
missile is fired, 10 missiles automatically fire back. And
because we have such a powerful military and an enormous arsenal of
nukes, countries fear us and understanding using nukes would mean
destruction of their country. Many countries have no nuclear
program. Is that not proven deterrence? Not only does Vossoughi
misunderstand facts, she twists them to her anti-Bush outlook. She
states that “the NPR reveals the administration’s true
cravings for such weaponry,” but previously admitted Bush
wants to reduce the number of warheads from 6,000 to 2,000. I
am just too stupefied to respond to this stupidity which is so
stupidly stated …
James Ki Second-year Business economics