Bad moon pricing

Recently, there was an article about a man selling an acre on the moon for $20. I must say, I am opposed to buying a plot of land on the moon for such a price. Don't get me wrong, I love the moon, but I just don't think $20 for land is viable for a college student these days. The main reason: opportunity cost.

With $20, you could supply yourself with food for an entire week, unless you're a freshman with dining plus, in which case it is only two days. You may say, "but the moon is made out of cheese, and that's way more food."

However, I've learned through some secret sources, that it is primarily made out of oxygen, silicon and iron, which have nothing to do with cheese.

With $20, you can support a homeless child for months. As advertised on TV, it costs only 39 cents per day to help Pablo have shoes on his feet and corn in his mouth. You could help him for 51 days.

Finally with $20, you can find out whether someone likes you. Simply hand them $20 and ask "Do you like me?" If they say yes, you win. If they say no, you'll actually save money by avoiding the costs of taking them out on dates. Combine that with all the time you'll save, and you'll notice $20 is too much to give up.

Jon Harmon

Portland, Ore.

Poor sports at judgment

"But, Father. I went to BYU. I was one of the chosen ones. How can I be denied?"

"I know, my son. But you didn't learn much from what was offered to you at BYU, and many other times throughout your life. Ask yourself how you treated your brothers and sisters to the north, the south, the east and the west, especially at all the ballgames you attended. Wasn't it Berkeley where one of the presidents of the church was educated? And many others at the U? Don't I have many of my faithful children attending UNLV, and many other universities around this world? Yes, my son, yes. You see, you have missed the purpose of your existence. Getting into the Y didn't guarantee a thing. Oh, sorry. Gotta go. I'm needed at San Diego State."

Terry Gunn

Elk Ridge

Women's games boring

Just about every year the BYU Women's Basketball team performs well, and just about every year someone like the author of "Support women's team" (Feb. 7) writes to The Daily Universe and insists we support the women's team by attending the games. When will he and others who agree with him realize undefeated home records and MWC championships do little to change the fact that women's basketball is not that exciting? I understand not everyone agrees with my opinion, but based on game attendance, I'm willing to bet many students do. The fact that we don't like women's basketball doesn't make us horrible people; we simply prefer other forms of entertainment.

Nearly every day talented and hard working BYU students represent our university well through numerous athletic, academic and artistic endeavors. Surely the author would never compel us to attend a chemistry conference or a modern dance performance if we took no personal interest in the matter, so why would women's basketball be the exception? They are not the only people on campus excelling at what they do. It's unreasonable to ask busy students to support events they care little about just because the participants are working hard and doing well.

Matthew Harrison

El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Dangerous crossings

I would like to respond to the article about the deteriorating traffic situation in Provo and around campus. It is becoming unfortunately clear that the Provo/BYU community is becoming more and more dangerous for commuters and pedestrians. This is underscored by the tragic accident involving a pedestrian on 700 North Tuesday night, and also by the fatal accident involving a Provo police officer and pedestrian a few weeks ago on University Avenue.

I know from experience as a driver and as a pedestrian that driving conditions in Provo are not safe, especially around the BYU campus. The streets are dark at night, sidewalks aren't lit either and many are poorly maintained having cracks and pot holes making walking itself dangerous, and the various parking lots are left dark.

During the day, it is not much better. I write this to encourage the students and faculty of BYU and anyone else tired of the situation to press Provo City and the BYU campus for better and safer traveling conditions, such as street lights and improved sidewalks and crosswalks. In the meantime, I further encourage drivers and pedestrians to travel safely, although I have a feeling I'm talking to a wall.

Joshua Hiram

Provo

Resilient recovery

I noticed a strong emphasis in Tuesday's paper on driving and the accidents that have been caused by dangerous driving. I just wanted to let you know I was involved in one of those accidents on Freedom Boulevard and Bulldog Boulevard. May 30, a car hit me as I was riding my bike to train for triathlon. The person who hit me didn't yield. I ended up denting in their hood and smashing in their windshield. I then flipped off and landed on my head, breaking my helmet. I am pretty sure that if I hadn't been wearing a helmet, I'd be dead. I ended up having surgery to repair a torn MCL and separated meniscus in my left knee. I have since gone through physical therapy and recovered and am competing in triathlon again. Actually, I will be competing in the National Triathlon Championship this coming June in Portland, Ore.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you all for advising people about the danger of many of the intersections in Provo and also of the bicyclist injuries and deaths lately.

Jameson King

Parker, Colo.

Liberals not brainwashed

"Liberal media and Iraq" (Feb. 7) expressed the author's concerns regarding the biased media's coverage of the war in Iraq. I ask: are you implying that Americans who subscribe to the Republican agenda have chosen so by their own free will, but the "liberals" (so any opposition to a stupid and wasteful war makes you a liberal?) have all been brainwashed by the alleged mind-controlling media?

People worldwide and in the United States can notice by their own senses that the Bush Administration is a dangerous group. The election and disappointing re-election of President Bush will go down in the annals of time as some of the most tragic events in American history. President Bush's approval ratings have dropped so significantly because citizens are finally recognizing that his bellicose rhetoric and pursuits have been very detrimental to the welfare and stability of America and the world. The media is not to blame for the president's losses in the nationwide popularity contest. Frankly, the fault lies with Mr. Bush and his posse.

Jonathan Beutler

Madrid, Spain

Poking fun at the pun

We generally associate them with Grandpa, Uncle Roy or our old man. Once in a while they'll crack a smile, but most of the time they make us roll our eyes or even cringe in embarrassment. Ah yes, the infamous pun. Its inherent ability to create words and phrases with multiple meanings has intrigued man for years.

Many of us though, myself included, tend to have mixed feelings about them. I usually detest most pun punch lines, yet I must confess that I can't help but constantly come up with them myself given the right set of circumstances. It's as if one will pop into my head uninvited and the only way to really get rid of it is to blurt out the play on words before it finds more cheesy meanings to associate itself with. Of course the result is usually a response of boos and moaning (unless I'm with older folks, of course). So, while it is usually hard to deliver the play on words in good taste, I recently witnessed an occasion where I found myself laughing loudly at one lousy pun after another.

I attended the Divine Comedy show Saturday and watched as a couple of clever jokesters with canes and top hats exchange silly puns to a very pleased crowd. What made their cheap material work so well was the fact that they were making fun of their altogether weak jokes by way of slapstick Vaudeville style. The result was a very amusing act (so amusing that they were able to incorporate it several times throughout the show). It was a job well done and in a strange twist of irony, may have actually helped to give the pun a bit more respect than it's used to. So the next time someone hits you with a pun, just give it a chance to have an impact on you.

Chas Kelly

Eastchester, N.Y.

Copyright Brigham Young University 8 Feb 2007