Friday, March 20, 1998
Internet book buying good way to save
My friend always finds ways to save some extra cash. The cash he saves he uses later to throw parties, to finance his dates and to buy some stuff that you would never buy if your vital signs are close to normal.
For instance, in the very beginning of this semester, he found
a completely new way to make a few extra bucks stay in his pocket.
He was to buy a dozen textbooks for his classes -- and what did
he do? No, he didn't hurry to the "big blue on the corner"
or to any other book store. He simply went to Pattee and using
computers there he went on-line and ordered those books from www.amazon.com
and www.barnesandnoble.com. Believably enough, most of
them were on sale.
Later we were talking about this money (close to $150) that he
saved and we had a dream. If every one of the students will do
the same -- then the money saved (30,000 students can save more
than $3,000,000 if they all act this way) will be enough to build
a brand-new bookstore, which would be selling textbooks bearing
all those discounts from the publishers.
I wonder if any other University cares about its students enough
to encourage nearby bookstores to seek best deals on the textbooks
they sell. Or is it just a dream which would be realized only
when Wal-Mart decides to sell a few textbooks?
Philip Foth
graduate-math
God fair if we accept his forgiveness
On Wednesday, Michael Dahlen put forth a common misunderstanding of Christianity in his letter to the editor. I think that the truth of the matter is that God could not be a God of justice any other way then what the Bible says. Let me explain why this is so.
Dahlen starts out, interestingly enough, by pointing out that
human beings do not or cannot live up to God's moral standard.
In other words, people do things that are wrong. You have, and
believe me, so have I. We all know it. How many times have you
heard somebody say, "Nobody's perfect."? Why is this?
Well, there has to be some element of evil within every person
for this to be true.
This evil (great or small) in every person is precisely what creates
the problem. God is, by his very nature, morally perfect. Now
how could a morally perfect God, who is holy, just and righteous
let evil into his presence? How could he fellowship with sinful
people? The truth is he couldn't. So we can't get in. We have
effectively been sentenced to a death penalty. These are the consequences
of God acting justly. If this still doesn't seem right, do you
really like the idea of a God who just looks the other way when
it comes to evil? Do you like the idea of a judge who purposefully
overlooked all crime?
Yet God loves us and made us to be with him and to know him. Our
choice to sin (both the choices of ourselves and of Adam) destroyed
that possibility. There has got to be a solution, or God's making
us was just one big mistake. The good news is that God has made
a solution. God stepped into human history in the form of a man,
Jesus, who took our place. Jesus has paid our penalty on the cross.
This is what the phrase "He died for our sins" means.
This forgiveness, then, is God's free gift to us. This is the
cure.
Now, the thing about a gift is that it really isn't ours until
we reach out our hands and accept it. You have to make it personal.
You must turn to God and accept his forgiveness. If you do, Jesus
promises a personal relationship with him and eternal life. God
has made it that easy. Now how unfair is that?
Ryan Sceiford
freshman-division of undergraduate studies
'Free thinkers' not only role models
I'm always amazed when some "free thinker" writes in and criticizes all of us "followers." What baffles me the most is the contradictory manner in which these free thinkers try to convince us to be more like them. For instance, let's take the March 17 column written by Kellie D. Weiss concerning the individuality of students -- or more accurately, the lack thereof.
In her argument, Weiss claims that the individuality of Penn State
students has disappeared, leaving a wave of uninspired followers:
"(I)f you look and act like everyone else you probably think
like everyone else too."
Sitting in the HUB eating lunch, I look around to observe dozens
of others doing the same: chomping their food, chatting with friends,
studying. A lot of them are dressed similarly, as well. Hmmm .
. . if we look alike, and act alike, then we must all think alike.
According to Weiss, human beings are that simple.
However, human nature is not so easily understood. College is
a confusing time. It's a time reserved for all of us to explore
our inner-most selves. We jump, unknowingly, into classes we might
enjoy or need to fill the many University requirements. We declare
a major, pointing us toward our futures, and we may even change
that major two or three times before graduation. We feel the constant
pressure to earn decent grades from the University, our families
and ourselves. We make dumb mistakes, but we also do things of
which we are extremely proud. Through these trials we learn more
about ourselves as individuals every day.
Some students already know who they are and what they want from
life. Others, like me, still have a lot of soul searching to do.
Most of us are just too busy trying to get by in life to worry
about proving our individuality.
It is possible to live peacefully and quietly, "to blend,"
without compromising our beliefs and our individuality. We can
be silent role models, leading by example. We don't have to prove
our individuality to the free thinkers of the world by shouting
out from the rooftops.
From one "follower" to the "free thinkers"
out there, here's my advice: Take a break from your profound preaching,
and live your own lives.
Farah Krupp
junior-history
