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CAROLINA © BRIEF USC study examines excess sleeping habits Shawn Youngstedt, a researcher at USC's Arnold School of Public Health, is leading a study examining the sleeping habits of "long sleepers," or those who get more than eight hours of sleep per night. "We are interested in this because many epidemiological studies show that people who sleep more than eight hours have higher mortality rates than those who get six or seven hours," he said. "We know a lot about the risks of inadequate sleep, but there has been little focus on long sleep. One reason for this is that it is difficult for people to believe that too much sleep can cau$e problems. But the data show that it does." Youngstedt is reporting the preliminary findings of his research of long sleepers at the World Federation of Sleep Research & Sleep Medicine Societies on Sept. 22 in New Delhi, India. Twenty-seven people ages 50 to 70 have participated in the study so far. USC researchers found that study participants averaged nine hours of sleep before the study began. During the study, most participants averaged about 7.5 hours of sleep. Mood and sleepiness levels were normal, and no significant differences between the two groups in sleepiness, mood, quality-of-life issues or glucose tolerance were detected. In follow-up assessments with participants, researchers found that some of the people in the study had continued to restrict their sleep. Researchers will continue their study until July 2006 and will examine 50 people. THIS WEEK O USC TUESDAY Andrea Price-Baxley doctoral voice recital: 7:30 p.m. School of Music 206 THURSDAY USC Symphony Orchestra with Mark O'Connor: 7:30 p.m. Koger Center Statistics colloquium — Shingo Goto, "The Application of Time Series Analysis in Finance": 2 p.m. LeConte 210A FRIDAY Kenneth Drake piano recital — "Early Music": 7:30 p.m. School of Music 206 Theatre South Carolina presents Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge": 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday Drayton Hall Fall 2005 Seminar Series — Bruce C. Gibb, "Concave Chemistry": 3:30 p.m. Jones Physical Science Center 006 Study Abroad Fair: 10 a.m. Russell House 2nd-floor lobby HCRRII1G • COIlTinUED FROm I < ( Neither Apple’s iPod nor Sony’s Hi-MD Walkman puts a ! warning label on the exterior of ' the box, although Sony’s box < contains instructions on how to t open the box to avoid danger. If : either of these products contain < a warning inside, some t consumers said they are not ; made aware of the danger before purchasing the player. ' “The bad thing about : hearing loss is that doesn’t j happen the next morning. It I happens 10 to 20 years later,” ] Cheung said. “We see 40- and 50-year-olds that have hearing i lqss that we see much earlier ! Weather Forecast flN THF WFR I THU I ™ UI1 »nc WWW.DAILYGAMECOCK.COM Read online five days a week. Word. \ High 89 High 89 Lout 68 Loui 61 Patriotact ill i1 iiiihii imiiiM'iiwiiiiw iiiwii in m mi iniwiiiiiiiw— ibiip imhiiiiii mi i iiniiiiiiiiiniiii niiini—in—in i n in 11i11 n—m............... Tyler Ray for TIIK GAMECOCK Student Government Vice President Ryan Holt, left, and Treasurer Tommy Preston hand out copies of the U.S. Constitution for Constitution Day Saturday on Greene Street in front of the Russell House. State Education chief race could get crowded The race to replace Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum could get a good deal more crowded during the next few months. Tenenbaum, a Democrat, surprised many last month when she announced she would not seek a third term. At the time, Republicans had two candidates hoping to face her, but one dropped out, leaving Karen Floyd, a Spartanburg businesswoman as the race’s only declared contender. That may not be the case for much longer. Frank Holleman, Tenenbaum’s Senate campaign manager, says he continues to ponder a bid. Bob Staton, the chairman of the state Education Oversight Committee, and Jim Ray, superintendent of Spartanburg 3 schools since 1993, are doing the same. For Ray to run, he says district and school leaders must "step forward publicly with a strong commitment to electing a professional educator; decide that I am the person for the job; and pledge their time and financial support to my candidacy." Nation At least 2 die after Chicago train derails CHICAGO — A commuter train derailed Saturday on Chicago's South Side, killing at least two people and injuring more than 80, some of them critically. The double-decker Metra train was traveling from Joliet to Chicago when the locomotive and its five cars jumped the tracks about 5 miles south of downtown, authorities said. Both victims were women, a 22-year-old who died on the train and a 30-year-old pronounced dead later at a hospital, said Judy Pardonnet, a spokeswoman for Metra, the commuter rail system that services the Chicago area. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the cars to derail. In all, 185 passengers and four crew members were on the train when it derailed in a neighborhood of homes and businesses. The tracks are on a raised embankment next to a street, but none of the cars fell. Firefighters had to raise ladders to the track to reach the scene. Two years ago, there was another accident on the same line within a block of Saturday's derailment. World Afghan officals praise elections as success KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — Millions of Afghans defied a Taliban boycott call and militant attacks to vote for a new parliament Sunday, taking the last formal step in starting a democracy aimed at ending decades of rule by the gun. Officials hailed the polls as a major success, although initial estimates suggested voter turnout was lower than hoped for because of security fears and frustrations over the inclusion of several warlords on the ballot. Results were not expected for more than a week. Many people looked to a big vote to marginalize renegade loyalists of the ousted Taliban regime by demonstrating public support for an elected government built up under the protection of 20,000 soldiers in the American-led coalition and 11,000 NATO peacekeepers. Fifteen people, including a French commando in the U.S. led coalition, were killed in a spate of violence during the day. But there was no spectacular attack as threatened by Taliban militants, Their insurgency the past six months caused more than 1,200 deaths. han the normal aging process »f 60 or 70 (years old).” Many products in the United itates are required to have varnings on the box to alert onsumers before purchasing he product. Warnings such as urgeon general’s warnings on igarettes or a warning on how o open the MP3 player’s box re two basic examples. “I didn’t see a warning that vas bold and in your face, like a urgeon general’s warning,” said Adrienne Carraway, junior in >roadcast journalism and >olitical science. Carraway said she is aware hat listening to MP3 players or lqng amounts of time can result in hearing loss. “I read about hearing loss at concerts in some magazine and I figured it was the same with MP3 players,” she said, “but I run five to six miles a day and listening to music helps, so I keep my music fairly loud.” France passed laws requiring MP3 companies to limit the volume on the devices to 100 decibels. But limiting the volume will not necessarily protect consumers from hearing loss, Cheung said. When determining whether a person is at risk for hearing loss, the level of noise is considered, but also the length of exposure. Hearing loss from MP3 players is intensified when the players are used to drown out other noises. For instance, the noise of a lawn mower is 80-85 decibels, which could be safely sustained for several hours. If an MP3 player is used to provide music while mowing, the player must be turned to more than 100 decibels just to be heard over the mower. Within five to 10 minutes at those levels, permanent hearing loss will occur, Cheung said. Relying on medicine to fix damaged hearing from noise related damage is not an option, Cheung said. Permanent means permanent. POLICE REPORT THURSDAY, SEPT.15 Assisting another agency, 10:22 a.m. Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, corner of Lincoln and College streets Reporting officer L. Welch approached a 27-year-old man to question him about an earlier incident. The man gave Welch his ID, and after a check it was discovered he was wanted by Columbia police for simple assault. The man was detained until a CPD officer could arrive to serve the warrant. Assistance rendered; accidental damage, 10:55 p.m. South Quad residence hall, 500 Sumter St. Reporting officer S. Wilcox responded to a call and found a 19-year-old man losing consciousness with large lacerations on his legs. A second man told Wilcox that the men were tilting a vending machine after their candy had gotten stuck. The machine fell onto one of the men, injuring his legs and damaging a wall. The men were intoxicated at the time. First Responders, EMS and Columbia Fire Department responded to the scene and treated the injured man. Student disciplines were issued. FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 Assistance rendered, 2:45 a.m. McBryde residence hall, 611 Marion St. Reporting officer M. G. Wheeler found a 20-year-old man intoxicated and unresponsive. EMS responded and transported the man to Palmetto Baptist ER. I Reports are taken from the USC Police Department. Financial issues hinder Christian organization The Associated Press The once-influential Christian Coalition has struggled to raise money and pay its bills, but the group’s executive director says it will survive. Once a voice for traditional family values, the group has moved its headquarters to Charleston where national executive director Roberta Combs spends most of her time. The group had as many as 25 paid full-time staffers at its headquarters in Washington in its heyday in 1994 but now has 10 full-time staff there. “The coalition as we knew it doesn’t exist,” says Lois Eargle, former chairwoman of the Horry County Christian Coalition. Earlier this summer, Pitney Bowes sued the coalition and said the group owed $13,649 in unpaid postage. The issue was settled out of court, says Pitney Bowes attorney Robert Bernstein of Charleston, While the group agreed to make monthly payments to erase the debt, the issue is a sign of ongoing struggles. Combs wouldn’t say the coalition is in trouble but acknowledged money has been hard to raise since the group’s founder, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, stepped down as coalition president in February 2002 and turned control over to Combs. “It hurt fund-raising,” she said. “There’s never enough money.” The 16-year-old organization has been in decline since 199? when Reed, one of its most effective leaders, left to form a political consulting firm in Atlanta. “He was a great media figure, able to convey his particular message,” says Corwin Smidt, professor of political science at Calvin College, a Christian liberal arts school in Michigan. “But he was also a very bright young man and was able to articulate and make arguments effectively on behalf of the coalition.” During Reed’s tenure, the coalition began distributing millions of voter guides containing candidates’ records issues such as abortion and gay rights. In 1994 alone, the group mailed 30 million postcards opposing President Clinton’s sweeping health care proposal and made more than 20,000 phone calls to urge support for a balanced budget amendment. Those issues helped Republicans win control of Congress that year. The group has faced other lawsuits. Black staffers filed a $39 million racial discrimination suit against the coalition, claiming they were | forced to use a separate entrance at its headquarters. The suit was settled with an out-of-court payment of some $300,000 to the employees. The coalition is looking for a media spokesman — someone of Reed’s caliber to put the organization back on the map. “We have not had a media spokesman for a good while now,” says Drew McKissick, a Columbia-based political consultant and coalition activists. “You’ve got to show