Other beverages as bad as bottled water

First I want to start off by saying that I too am a Wildcat, graduated in 1993 and have endured that heat and the fun of being a Wildcat, so know that this e-mail comes with admiration. However, as an entrenepeur I started a bottled water company as my business, called Aquamantra. It is all natural spring water with affirmations on it to inspire people to remind themselves of how great they are.

There’s more to water than trucking it across the nation. What I find a bit over-used is editorials about trucks lugging water across the nation and burning up fuel that leads towards global warming. Why is it everyone is so quick to jump on water, when no one is harrasing the soda companies? Do you know how much plastic is used for Pepsi, Gatorade, Coke, 7-up, etc.? Go into 7-11 and see how many rows of refrigerators are soda using plastic or cans vs. usually only one section for water.

Transportation costs money, and its quite unfair to gang up on water, the most magical of all beverages for our bodies and make it the bad guy. I do agree that Aquafina is a waste of a purchase as well as Dasani, another corporate owned beverage that is also tap water, but it seems a bit one sided to attack all bottled water.

Natural spring water is a luxury, it does happen to taste better than tap water, which I can’t remember in Arizona but in California is quite nasty. It feels like everyone is jumping on the tap bandwagon, using the reason for global warming and transportation costs as I stated, but those trucks are driving with all the Red Bull and Monster college students need to get through finals, and water’s just along for the ride.

If transportation is the issue, maybe we should reconsider eating food from other countries and tell everyone to stop shopping at Ralph’s or Fry’s, because it’s not organic and doesn’t come from the ground. It just seems like a pop shot, without the pertinent facts. From one Wildcat to another, it would be great to find the value in water, like what we stand for using Dr. Emoto’s theories, rather than rally in one for the team saying bottled water is bad.

-Alexandra Teklak
CEO, Aquamantra

Vick verdict harsh compared to other athletes

The day of Aug. 1, I read an article by Mr. Lance Madden (“”Take a tip from Vick,”” ), and I could not help but be confused. Lance is a great article-writer, and this is why this article caused me to want to reply, and there is no better day to reply to it than today. In his article, on the topic of Michael Vick, Lance warns student-athletes: “”Most of you have a strong ambition to make it to the next level and emulate your favorite Mikes, whether it’s Jordan, Piazza or Tyson. But whatever you do, don’t be like Vick.””

Do not be like Vick whatever you do … but Tyson, who was convicted and served jail time for rape, is not as bad (if not acceptable, which seems to be the implication).

To sum it up, all I have to say is that this befuddles me more than anything. Dogfighting is not good, but raping a woman – a human woman – is not taken as harshly. Everyone on the television ignores the fact that Vick, after being accused, was basically banned from the league, while Kobe (convicted of rape) only had minor contractual suspensions and drops. Ray Lewis (prejury accusation in a double homicide) was allowed to be in the Disney ads after winning the NFL Super Bowl MVP the following year; and of course, Tyson boxed again.

Being a person who often gets judged by people as not respecting and treating women well because of the background the name implies, I find some of these things disgusting.

-Ahmed Musammal
biology junior

Good riddance, Gonzales!

Alberto Gonzales is finally stepping down, and good riddance! Maybe now President Bush can appoint someone who will not be so soft on crime. Alberto Gonzales seems to have had no sense of urgency in his work, and in my book he qualifies as a slacker.

One problem with many of the members of Bush’s cabinet is the unwillingness to call terrorists what they are, as well as worrying too much what others will think of their actions. Using so many terms such as “”enemy combatant,”” and telling the media (and simultaneously the terrorists) where the goverment is holding bloodthirsty radical terrorists is no way to protect the American people.

Perhaps President Bush could see if John Ashcroft wants his old job back (or step down himself so Cheney could pick up the slack) so this administration could finish strong and gain enough support to give the Republican party a fighting chance in 2008.

-Alex Hoogasian
political science senior