Create long-lasting memories
Families should spend holidays together, not at the movies

As is common for many on that certain date in November, I gathered with my family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving Thursday. I always love the holidays — the happy bustle, the reunion of loved ones, the random trips to McDonald’s ... wait a minute, what was that last one there?

Yes, I was surprised too when I discovered it, but apparently people do go to McDonald’s even on a holiday.
My sister went the evening after our overwhelming lunch and did inform me that the fast-food chains were open. Later that night, I found that certain cafés, car dealerships, restaurants and stores keep employees working on Thanksgiving Day for the satisfaction of customers and the continuance of income. Why miss a day of trade for the quaint observation of a holiday?

I understand that we live in a capitalistic society, and I think capitalism truly is an effective economic system. But do we take things a level too far? I believe it is possible that we do at times, and the holiday activity of some businesses proves it.

Undeniably, there are certain companies and organizations that must remain open: police stations, fire departments, soup kitchens and gas stations — places that are necessary for public safety or feeding those in need. Yet I think it is silly and almost selfish for the wealthy owners of a car dealership to have its offices open and all salesmen present with the thought that one sale will make the whole day worth it. Don’t all people, not only the top officials, have the right to take the day off and spend it with their families?

However, I cannot place the blame on employers and company holders alone; regular people like you and me must take responsibility as well. Employers would not leave stores open for business if they truly believed no one would utilize them. On this matter I am as much to blame as anyone. On Thanksgiving night I went out with old high school friends for coffee when I could have just as easily met them at my house and fixed drinks for us there.

This holiday I began to wonder if the time for simply staying in and enjoying loved ones has ended. Perhaps in this day and age, we must always be actively doing and pursuing some end, and to do this we must have access to businesses. Instead of gathering around in a living room to catch up or share old stories with our loved ones, we must instead go make use of holiday sales or go to movies for “quality family time.”

How often do we actually get the chance to slow down for a few minutes, share a meal with our families and enjoy everyone else’s company? Can’t we go to movies on regular days? I would think that we would all jump at the chance to take advantage of breaking the fast-paced monotony of our everyday lives for the opportunity of doing something different.

With Thanksgiving gone and Christmas coming up around the corner, these things keep coming into my mind. While I know that I cannot give a day off to those required to work the holidays, I at least know that I can be in charge of my own actions and choose to spend them in a way that will create lasting memories and make differences in the lives of relatives.

This time, I won’t be at a café away from home.

Miranda Nesler is a freshman English major from Houston.
She can be reached at (m.g.nelser@student.tcu.edu).

Enough is enough! As a political moderate, with my deepest apologies to Texas, I voted for Vice President Al Gore; however, the vote has been recounted twice and has now been officially certified.

I’m sorry Gore, but it’s time to concede and move on with your life. I didn’t have a problem with the democratic process running its course, but now that it has, it’s time to give up the legal battles and let George W. Bush, the president-elect, prepare to take office.

Palm Beach County is a lost cause, and I’m starting to think they should have their citizenship revoked. In fact, I think all of Florida should have their voting rights rescinded. While I’m on a roll, we might as well just give Florida to Mexico, it would save us a lot of trouble. I’m now convinced that all Florida is good for is college football and Spring Break.

Let’s just hope Florida Gov. Jeb Bush never runs for president. For one thing, I think two Bushes is more than enough. We’ve seen how Jeb Bush runs just one state, much less a country.

How’d he become governor of Florida anyway? After all, I’m pretty sure the man isn’t from the state. I guess the Bushes have more in common with Hillary and the rest of the Clinton clan than they’d like to let us believe.

Anyway, I’ve said all that I think I can stomach on the subject of politics. I just hope we do away with the Electoral College and develop a universal and Floridian-proof ballot that will save us a lot of time in the future.

Now let’s move on to more interesting and trivial matters.

In the wonderful city of New York, I read of a joyous little story about a 350-pound woman who attempted to suffocate her 12-year-old daughter by lying on top of her. Since the girl is in stable condition, I don’t feel guilty about laughing out loud about this one.

I’ve heard many interesting and creative ways of murdering people before, but simply lying on top of someone is new to me. The first thing that passes through my mind is what could this woman have possibly been thinking when she not only decided to try and kill her daughter, but to do so through what can only be considered one of the most torturous methods of dying.

I think I’d rather be slowly tortured in some sort of military prison camp than have an obese woman crush me to death. I honestly don’t believe it could get much more inhumane.

I wonder what was going through this deranged woman’s mind, “Gee, I want to get rid of my daughter, but putting her in a foster home would be too kind. Let’s see, if I’m going to kill her, should I poison her or strangle her or hire someone else? Well, I’m kind of tired from all that turkey, so I’ll just lie on top of her and take a quick power nap.”

Well I guess it seems pretty logical after all.

And now meandering into yet another totally random topic, I’m going to ramble about TCU’s use of study days on Dec. 7 and 8.

The TCU administration is perfectly aware that no one actually studies during these two days, and I’m pretty confident that the majority of the campus would rather get finals over with quickly so we can start our Winter Break sooner.

We should find a way to cut three days off the semester and start finals on Dec. 4. This way we can all go home a week earlier like most other schools.

I think this seems simple enough. Also, during finals week I have two days off and a final on Friday. Adding these two, I have four totally empty days in which I could have gone home sooner. And this is true for many other students too. Virtually all of whom have at least one empty day during finals week never actually accomplish anything when they tell themselves they are going to study.

I know this isn’t just me, so let’s try and do something about it.

Jordan Blum is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from New Orleans.
He can be reached at (j.d.blum@student.tcu.edu).

You know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen. And you may, of course, recall the most famous reindeer of all: Rudolph.

What you may not know about is the internal politics and power mongering that goes on in the selection of the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh. Each of the above reindeer has their story of heartbreak and tragedy on their way to the big time.

Dasher came from a poor, tough reindeer neighborhood guided only by a dream and the support of his mother to make it to Santa’s team. Comet overcame disastrous Internet investments and Donder overcame bouts with depression and alcohol to earn the right to pull Santa’s sleigh. Cupid is still fighting old girlfriends who claim he is the father of their respective children.

Blitzen sports body piercings and branding marks (reindeer versions of tattoos) and has the reputation of arrogance and showmanship, but few know of his charitable deeds and donations in the off-season. He seems to prefer it this way. He wants to keep his reputation because of the potential financial windfall that being the “bad boy of the reindeer gang” can bring.

Dancer and Prancer had long endured the homophobia of others in Santa’s polar community before banding together with “alternate lifestyle” elves to form the Association of Northern Gay and Lesbian Elves and Reindeer (ANGLER), which has provided them a sense of belonging in the cold environment that they live in.

Vixen, the only female of the team, is a single mother of two bucks and a doe. Hers is the story of the struggles of single motherhood and her efforts to provide for her children despite the lack of help, financial and otherwise, from the children’s father.

Rudolph’s story is well known. Born with the birth defect of a luminous snout, he was long the brunt of jokes and cruelty because of it. Shunned by his peers, he was made a pariah of the reindeer community. Such were the ways of those unenlightened times.

Rudolph persevered only because of his dream of one day pulling Santa’s sleigh. Every Christmas Eve, Rudolph would watch as the reindeer took flight and went off into the distance in the cool night. Then one night, fate looked Rudolph’s way.

One Christmas Eve, a vicious snowstorm blew across the North Pole. Santa was about to cancel his traditional run until he noticed in the distance Rudolph’s nose. How it gleamed, even through all the winds, snow and turmoil. Santa took this as a sign, and he had Rudolph brought to him and latched not just to the team, but in front of it.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

The selection of Rudolph, one might assume, helped the other reindeer see the errors of their ways. This assumption is based upon the closing lyric of the famous carol based on Rudolph’s story: “And all of the other reindeer /shouted out with glee / Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / You’ll go down in history!” What the carol doesn’t tell is of the shameless brown-nosing behavior of the other reindeer.

The very reindeer that, at first, had called him names and discriminated against him because of his physical uniqueness, now praised him and tried to bask in his glory. This, though, may actually be indicative of Santa’s power over the reindeer community.

Is Santa a jolly old elf or is he a reindeer power broker? Reindeer lives and careers have been made and broken based on his decisions, but the question of whether this is done intentionally by Santa or if it is an unavoidable consequence of being limited to just nine reindeer is not easy to answer.

In any case, let us be happy for Rudolph and his newfound success. Perhaps hiring a reindeer with a physical uniqueness can be seen as a positive sign of our changing times. And let us hope that Santa’s tradition of delivering toys to good little girls and boys never dies.

Here’s to the children of the world. May their futures always be promising and bright.

John P. Araujo is a Master of Liberal Arts major from Fort Worth.
He can be reached at (j.araujo@tcu.edu).

It is where they teach the importance of sanitation and cleanliness to promote health and wellness. It is the building where they teach the newest findings in technology.

Yet it is in this same building that threadbare carpet mars the floors and archaic research and teaching equipment have become commonplace.

The College of Health and Human Sciences Task Force of the Commission of the Future of TCU has made the need for facility improvements a priority recommendation to the Board of Trustees. This comes after the Harris School of Nursing was cited twice in one year by the Texas State Board of Nurse Examiners for the outdated condition of its facilities.

But the College of Health and Human Sciences is not alone.

Last month, Mike McCracken, dean of the College of Science and Engineering, reported poor classroom and laboratory conditions resulting from outdated equipment, some over 30 years old.

In October, Chancellor Michael Ferrari announced $30 million will go toward renovations and upgrades of classrooms, laboratories and equipment in each of the TCU colleges.

The recommendation came two months after the new John Justin Athletic Center, Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium, Maria and Robert Lowden Track and Field opened this summer. Each is a state-of-the-art facility.

Renovations to academic facilities is a priority — now. But where were TCU’s priorities before?

Don’t ask a professor of chemistry who still uses Bunsen burners instead of electric hot plates. Don’t even think of asking members of the biology department that are using 30-year-old equipment sterilizers.

They won’t be able to tell you.