To the editor:
How difficult and painful it is to realize that survival of the fittest is the golden rule of our lives. Our brutal relationship with each other is the reason all civilizations are born, expand and die violently.
In our struggle to conquer whatever we set out to conquer, it is impossible to forgive and to compromise. It is only possible to manipulate for the sake of power and irrational consumption.
But as long as there are enough of us who struggle against any and all obstacles to better ourselves and others spiritually and intellectually, my race, our race, the human race, will always survive the deadly forces of civilization.
Carlos Monsanto
Modern and Classical Languages
To the editor:
On April 12, I was riding my bicycle along the Buffalo Bayou bike path when I came upon one of life's little ironies. Contained within a chain-link fence, a celebration of "Enron Earth Day 1997" was taking place, only 10 days ahead of schedule (music courtesy of 104 KRBE, beer provided by Budweiser). What? Enron, the second-largest natural gas transmission company in the world, with revenues topping $13 billion, is sponsoring a call for environmental awareness?
A little history: Enron is a Houston-based (transnational) energy company. Among Enron's activities has been its battle to build a controversial, $12 billion liquefied natural gas plant in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Competitive bidding was waived, clearing the way for Enron (with General Electric and Bechtel each having a 10 percent financial stake) to construct the 2,015-megawatt plant.
Now, after five years, 24 lawsuits (including one filed by the Society for Clean Environment, which charged that the project violated India's Environmental Protection Act) and continued protests from indigenous people, the plant is finally being built.
Local farmers fear their mango, cashew, betel nut and rice crops will be harmed by emissions. This may be a moot point, as their land is being expropriated by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corp. in order to make room for the project.
The 2,500 fishermen in the area are concerned that the heated water to be sluiced into the Arabian Sea from the plant's turbines will decimate the fish supply. But, as Rebecca P. Mark, chairman and CEO of Enron International, puts it, "You have to be pushy and aggressive" when dealing with the Indian people.
So, why is Enron now taking an interest in expressing environmental concerns to the general public? Well, one can hardly imagine it is mere coincidence that, with the impending deregulation of the utility industry, Enron will now be competing on a direct retail level for the energy dollars of the everyday consumer. No longer will energy resellers have to impress only politicians and Third-World governments.
In a market where environmental concern is an increasingly high priority, a phenomenon known as "greenwashing" has emerged (e.g., Chevron's relentless insistence in their television ads that "People Do" care about the environment). Simply put, because Americans are becoming more and more ecologically aware, the facade of ecological concern is good for business.
Thus, corporations such as Enron co-opt themes such as Earth Day, giving Houston the opportunity to pay $6, shake its collective butt to corporate music shipped in by KRBE, recycle Bud Light beer cans, indulge in some green slogan chanting and buy Enron's electricity and clean image.
Christopher Lenz
junior, philosophy
Apparently, Lisa M. Chmiola ruffled some artistic feathers with her review of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts' production of Dancing at Lughnasa. The Daily Cougar received a batch of letters from students of the school.
... It seems (Chmiola) just skimmed the surface and made a very far-fetched generalization.
I ask Chmiola to go back and rethink her views. Possibly she could see the show again. Maybe she will see, as I and many others have, how emotional, pure and innocent these girls' souls are.
Julia Krohn
... (Chmiola) said the plot didn't flow well, but I think she was concentrating on the dancing, which she thought was sexual.
The next time you do a review, just listen to the play, and don't think too hard.
Chris Lane
... I was quite discontented with Chmiola's argument that sex was the theme of the play. In this play, I saw five women and two men who use dancing as an escape from the daily pressures of life ...
Rebecca Hafsin
... The accents were done extremely well, being that none of the actors or actresses were of Irish descent. Anyone with the audacity to say they were done "fairly well" should try to perform them ...
Amanda M. Collier
... I, as well as more than 100 very well-trained theater students and faculty, feel Chmiola has written a misrepresentation of this brilliant work of art.
Richard McGrail
... I was shocked to see the reviewer basically stated that this play was all about sex. Dancing does not come close to equating sex in this play.
Maybe the reviewer should have stayed home and "danced."
Shawna Thomas
... I can see why Lisa Chmiola could see sex as a metaphor for the play, and I commend her for admitting she didn't have all the information.
If a reviewer is uninformed in a particular area, I highly recommend a research series called Masterplots. This series gives plot summary and critical evaluation of literature from Shakespeare to Sinclair Lewis.
Laura Toon