Rec Center populated by roid freaks, girly men

The column on the Rec Center, Monday's "An Exercise in Exercise" was both amusing and insightful.

I worked at the UA from 2000 to 2004; in 2001 I joined the Rec Center at the ripe old age of 57.

Most of the big guys at the Rec Center, once you get to know them, admit to regular trips to Mexico for "gear:" steroids. Closer talk gets them to fess up about passing out, nosebleeds and a host of other problems associated with far too much synthetic testosterone use - high blood pressure being at the forefront. Some are using equipose, a steroid made for horses! While popular for decades with powerlifters, administration without medical monitoring is just plain stupid. Some of them rely upon popular folklore holding that smoking marijuana offsets the high blood pressure problem. In fact, it heightens other problems - aromatisation of testosterone to estradiols, and female hormones precipitating breast growth and prostate problems. Acne is another problem. The girls doing 'roids face even worse problems: aside from body hair, acne and deepening voices, they also face clitoral enlargement, and once off the 'roids those large (upwards of 4 inches) clits become ugly, insensitive masses of scar tissue, not removable without removing the seat of feminine pleasure at the same time.

I did most of my training when the Rec Center opened at 6 a.m. At that time of day the ROTC groups were in, led by girlie men out of shape and unable to demonstrate - let alone do - exercises in proper form. To imagine our national defense in the hands of such out-of-shape bozos is astonishing. When offered hints at how to work out they expressed annoyance.

An observation: Most kids learn movements from other kids. And most perpetuate a wide range of movements that work against health and fitness. The weight room staff wasn't much better. One assumes the basis for hiring them is that they are warm and breathing.

The amount of broken-down equipment was astonishing. Given that the staff bordered on useless, equipment breakdown occured in part due to staff being more involved in their social lives than monitoring what folks were doing - including misusing and abusing equipment.

It is also a gym full of crappy equipment. In fact, crappy might well be the guiding metaphor for the Rec Center.

Since breaking out of Arizona I've spent time in training facilities at the University of Texas and Texas State University. I'm happy to report both universities are managed by folks with knowledge and experience in training; as such, the University of Arizona is highly recommended to consult with them before squandering more of the taxpayers of Arizona's resources on crappy equipment and cheap student workers.

Ken O'Neill
former UA employee

Porn provides valuable service to couples

This is response to Matthe Rubach's letter saying that "Pornography goes against the intrinsic dignity of the human person."

Pornography, as a whole, does not go against a person's worthiness. Pornography can assist in people's sex life. Many couples use it for ideas or for help getting the fire started. More than a few people have it for solo use. More than a few gather around the TV for the entertainment that is a bad porno. Most people use pornography in a manner that is beneficial to them, their

sexuality and their health (yes, sex has been proven to be an integral part of overall physical well being, even if you don't love the person you are having sex with).

I do not see a business that can assist people in sex, a thing worthy of esteem, as being ignoble. I'm not saying there are not some things wrong within in the industry, for instance when underage actors are used, but these instances are not enough to condemn pornography as a whole. Chad Cox
biochemistry junior

Nothing electrical about mining and geological engineering story

Thank you so much for the glowing article on our department. All students in Mining and Geological Engineering do feel that we have a gem at the UA and are excited to finally see the word getting out, especially as Engineering 102 mini-lectures are coming up and that is the primary way of recruiting within the university. However, I was wondering what exactly was the accompanying photo representing? You do not speak of ECE at all during your glowing praise of MGE, so why include a photo of an ECE graduate student? Surely there were plenty of opportunities to come to our department and get photos or pull one from the archives. Is this the best the Wildcat can do?

Julie Eastman
geological engineering senior

War about oil

An open letter to Mr. Riches and the masses who continue to look for justification in the occupation of Iraq: To dispel once and for all the various misconceptions that have been passed off as defensible reasons for the naked aggression in Iraq, one only needs to verify for themselves a few facts corroborated by both private and public sources. A good start would be the edifice on campus known as the library.

Given a static rate of world consumption measured in 2001, the current known reserves of oil will last just less than 36 years.

Rates of discoveries for petroleum reserves has declined every year except for two since 1960.

For every barrel of oil found anew, four are consumed.

While only 5 percent of the world's population resides in the United States, we daily account for 25 percent of the petroleum consumed worldwide.

All of our abundances, food, medicine, shelter, entertainment, etc., are completely predicated upon an unceasing supply of affordable petroleum.

China, with a population nearing 4.5 times that of the United States, is actively seeking to industrialize to the extent we have.

India, with a population almost 3.6 times that of the United States, shares the same goal.

Still think it's not all about the oil? Think again.

Chris Vlitas
UA library employee, UA alumnus

Wildcat wrong for covering pro-choice event

Once again this terrible excuse of a paper - I don't know why I read it (probably to practice getting p.o.'d) - has failed to do the necessary research and present the right side of the story. In reaction to the front-page display of women advocating the right to choose the fate of a child's life hidden by the woman's selfish agenda to practice sexual immorality, I think I'm going to vomit.

First off, all of these women who talk about the "right" to choose never talk about the "right" for the child in her to live. Secondly, to call it propaganda for a nurse or supervising physician to advise a woman on the possible consequences of ripping her baby apart and giving her a time period to think it over is known to some of us right-minded folks as common sense!

These warnings are part of your legal rights as well. If a physician did not inform you of the risks involved in any surgery that you have and did not give you the time to think it over that would be called "illegal" and an obstruction of doctor/patient trust. If a woman chooses even after she is given the option to destroy the fetus to keep the child, that is also called choice, not pressure.

Every human being has the right to be informed of all criteria of his or her operation or newly medical conditions, introduced medicines, and processes. It's the law! Thirdly, just because the president wishes to make the murder of a child limited does not force anyone to do anything. A new decision concerning legislation against abortion saves lives. If a women chooses to put a hanger up herself because she does not practice moral sexuality then that is her choice as well. Another hand did not push the hanger. As Yoda might say: Sexual immorality leads to illegitimate pregnancy, illegitimate pregnancy leads to murder, murder leads to depression, depression leads to suicide. Think about the choices you make when you are in bed. If you are not ready to have a baby: Don't have sex! Do not cause the loss of another life because you can't keep your legs closed.

Another thing: I love how the paper fails to mention the March of Dimes and Celebration of Life Day that took place last week. I guess people would rather destroy life than give up 10 seconds of a high. By the way, have fun with your STDs as well.

Annie McIntyre
history senior