Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

4 Campaign '96: Politics get stuck in the Web Since America's politicians are ic has a red and black, plaid back acting as if it were already prima- ground?just like that ridiculous iy season, I thought it might be time shirt he insists on wearing on ths to look at some of the resources avail- campaign trail, able to Internet users concerning PoliticsUSA currently has ? Campaign '96. database of 144 lesser-known can Don't worry, I don't plan on en- didates who have thrown their hats dorsing any presidential candidates into the presidential ring. Some en in this column. (Tm still getting irate tries even have web links to the mail over my lauding of the MacOS homepages of grassroots campaigns, over Windows from last week!) I PoliticsUSA is a commercial orwould rather you take a look at the ganization that is currently providpresidential contenders and their ing its services for free to WWW sites so you can choose for yourself, users. In the future, fees will be I am very pleased to hbihih chaiged and content will see the growing pres- be expanded. If you hap ence of the Internet in Pen be a political campaigns and politics. ^J?jjj|s|| junkie or are looking for It's not at all unusual, If I a way become inthese days, for cam- jimi volved in a candidate's paigns to have e-mail campaign, this is the addresses, web pages ^I place to go. See it while and even newsgroups. it's still free! Users of the major on- TECHNOBABBLE t It should be said that line services are often "TT~~rT~?~77~7~" there are many unoffitreated to live question LaFountain cial WWW sites out and answer sessions there for candidates. For with those running for office. This instance, even though Bob Dole doeshelps the American people to get n ^ have an official site, I have almore involved and more informed, ready seen two unofficial ones creI had originally thought research ated by his supporters. If you hapfor this column would be a painstak- Pen to run across unofficial sites, ing task, having to locate and visit remember to take them with a grain every presidential web site and re- ?f snh- While they often mean well, port all the addresses back to you. P60?^ running the sites are most As luck would have it, there is a non- hkely not being sanctioned or even partisan site that already does just assisted by the actual campaigns. In fact, the campaigns might not PoliticsUSA, which can be ?ven ^ aware the sites exist. The reached at http://politicsusa.com/, information on unofficial sites can is one of the best and most compre- out ?f date or just plain inaccuhensive sites on the coming presi- rate" wouldn t even be surprised dpntial rampaign I have seen. There to see satirical or malicious sites deare links to the official homepages signed to ridicule candidates spring of all the major candidates, as well UP ^ e next November, as e-mail addresses, biographies, is- y?u Crested in a broadsues comparisons, campaign sched- er range of government of pohbcal ules, staff rasters, opinion polls and ^formation, you should check out much more. ffie ^emn^t" section of the "YaSome interesting tidbits to come .ho? web mdex at http://www.ya from my trip to PobticsUSA: hro.oom(Goranmenl/. Bus ran pro The GOP may be a bit behind v,de '"'"J"11 ea8y acce8s to 80v" in the online war for American votr e ?ent documen.t8 8arv?is> ers. Bob Dole, the Bepubbcan front, "f8811 S "18 md pohtlcal P"1*runner for "96, has neither an e-mail ^ lons" address nor an official web page. XT TTC5ri , TTOrt The same can be said of California ,New USyji\P?age8' U?S Governor Pete Wilson. To make 8P?^woman DetaMenhasadred matters worse, even the Republican 01^ ^ tee ^ three National Committee is webless. ?ew wefb pag?8 at.yS.C/or t0 _rt ;j xm- s. 1.. n browse for university information. President Cbntan and the De- ^ ugc N usc ^ d moaatsseemtobeabrtnwe^ui Athletics Department pages cr^i all ofthe game. Cbntan and Vice Pres- be found undTthe*Wbrt New" area ident A1 Gore have maintained e- nrit, 0 ttcp + ,, - ot the Uol homepage at mail addresses for some time now. ?j?/ Voters can browse the official White ?"MW?wjMdof. House web.pagesito bec^ informed Marc LaFountain, a journalism see^tCbntmersilnsactrvito. The ^canbee-maikdatlaformtainDemocrabcNatronal Committee al- marc@Sc.edU. To subscribe to an so mamtains a web site. The tackiest thing I saw dur- ^ Hstserv@univscvm.csd.sc.edu mg my pobtical web travels was on wlth -SUB T-BABBLE YourFirst?>P contender Lamar AlmrandePs Name the official home page. The central graph- sage body Be cool. Go ahead and enjoy this tasty snack while the weather is warm! FRUIT SMOOTHIE 4 cups cubed cantaloupe (or other melon or fruit) 1 cup skim milk 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt 1/2 cup sugar or sweetner 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend at high speed until smooth. Serve in tall glasses, and enjoy! Makes four 10-ounce servings. If s Italian! And with this tasty entree, you can have your vegetables and eat them too. For you vegetarians, try some Basil Pot-esque dishes... like this one VEGETABLE LASAGNA 15 ounces reduced fat ricotta cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 21/4 cup spaghetti sauce 6 lasagna noodles, cooked 11/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese 1 package chopped broccoli, thawed, squeezed dry 1 cup shredded carrots 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ricotta cheese and garlic powder. Pour 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce in bottom of 9-inch square baking dish. Layer three noodles, 1/2 the ricotta cheese mix, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 each of the broccoli and carrots. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. lETC 9 \ flf ^Pl | 1 Q.PEREZ The Gamecock Meet your \ DINING OUT LEIGH QAUTHIER Copy Editor BASIL POT *** (out of four stars) If the term "vegetarian restaurant" brings to mind bean sprouts or curds and whey, try the Basil Pot to see how interesting and varied vegetarian cuisine can be. The Basil Pot, which is just behind the Capitol at the top of Lower Main Street, serves a variety of sandwiches, salads and daily specials offering a healthy alternative to fast food that even a carnivore can enjoy. The restaurant has been open since 1975, according to co-owner Dee Henry. "We do have vegetarian food, but our focus is more than that," she said. "We focus on the strength of our offering ? food that is good for you and simple. We use unrefined oils and organic grains; everything is cooked in house. You can be vegan (eat no animal products) and eat here or you can come have a tuna salad. We want everyone to feel comfortable." The Basil Pot is a comfortable place to eat, with Vivaldi playing on the sound system the day I ate there ,and a large magazine rack in the corner. This would be a good place to have a meal by yourself. But with a selection of beers, including Sierra Nevada and Guineas, this is also a great place to hang out with friends and have a few, if you are old enough to do that sort of thing. The dinner offerings are inexpensive, varying from $3.75 for a small vegetarian plate to $6.25 for Albacore tuna salad and $8.95 for the daily special. We started out with potato soup, which was one of three soups of the day, and a garden salad. The soup was thick and satisfying, with the flavor of dill and onion. The garden salad was not your basic lettuce on a plate. It featured fresh chopped vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and peppers, and was topped with lots of white cheddar, sprouts, and flavorful tamari-roasted sunflower seeds. We tried the Tahini dressing, and it was delicious, reminding me of liquid peanut butter. Next we tried the vegetarian plate, which consisted of steamed mixed vegetables, navy beans and brown rice with nutritional yeast gravy. The beans were rather bland, but the vegetables (squash, carrots, broccoli, beets and zucchini) were flavorful and the rice was deliciously chewy and topped with an incredible sauce that may have been the highlight of the meal. (The person eating with me could not stop saying he I JpWI STEPHANIE SONNENFELD Features Editor ailing cards and CDs are two infArrrol on/1 innnnnni- nlnnonnfn in LV CU CU1U U1UUVCUI/ CICIilCUtO JJJ. j a college student's life. So how does the legalization of marijuana coordinate with these two bai sic mainstays of life? A Easily, that's how. I NORML, the National Orga1 nization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, has introduced the NORML prepaid calling card. The card was developed to raise funds to help reform marijuana laws. NORML is the oldest and largest national organization dedicated solely to marijuana law reform. Since 1970, NORML has educated the public, litigated and lobbied for a more reasonable treatment of marijuana consumers in federal, state and local laws and policies. a So, to raise money to help support A their cause, NORML hooked up with ml PRE-TEL of Southern California II to offer a telecard, where part of iHI the profits from the card going to NORML. Now the calling jfl card can be found in a few stores in California, Missouri, Maine, I Colorado, New York, Montana, ^1 , Nebraska, and Ohio. Yet PRE- II TEL is offering the card for $12 through the mail. NORML is also pursing the CD 0 route for more monetary and vocal support with "Hempilation," the group's first benefit album. The CD contains covers of marijuana-related swigs. The Black Crowes perform Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & #35," while Widespread Panic covers Van Morrison's "And It Stoned Me." Other artists included on the CD include Drivin' and Cryin, The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies and Blues Traveler. These two items hit the collegiate market just as USC student marijuana use is slowly, but surely, growing. In the last year, USC student marijuana growth has gone from 6 percent in 1994 to 17.5 percent in 1995, according to Rick Gant, coordinator of Student Life Programs in the Department of Student Life at USC. The figures came from an annual survey conducted by the Department of Student life. According to Gant, random phone calls are made to USC students each spring asking them questions regarding drug and alcohol use. The survey asked students if they had partaken in smoking marijuana or hashish 1 within the last 30 days. 1 "In 1994, what we found was only 6 percent of 1 our students had actually used marijuana or hashish < in the last 30 day period of time. Iq 1995 when we 1 did the survey, what we found out is that had in- 1 creased by almost 18 percent," Gant said. "Now is 1 aggies at the , v ' V ' 4j <a. > y -^f|f *&? I w - ^ *-1 jEMf <. -^HMppP111' | ^ ^ ! P' "T" "|- I" ' <*t ^ A chef at the Basil Pot garnishes a veggie meal wl was "crazy about that new-age gravy.") wj We also tried a Basil Pot pizza, and the sauce and su toppings were better than at pizza chains, but the whole-wheat crust was tough, making this difficult to wl eat. 6a To wash it all down, in addition to the usual bev- at] erages, the Basil Pot offers herbal teas, a variety of flavored soft drinks like black cherry, peach and gin- M< seng, and smoothies made with banana and cider or fet orange juice. They even have an "energy smoothie" nig made with chlorophyll if you want an alcohol-free buzz, an The dessert selection varies nightly,, and the of- all ferings included blueberry cobbler and chocolate truffle cake. We tried the chocolate peanut silk pie, made coi with a rich chocolate filling. The thick, nutty crust was a c impossible to cut, but the pie tasted so good that we Fo] were forced to take turns breaking off pieces with our cer teeth. tin Our waitress was like one of those alternative-type girls who wouldn't talk to me in high school, only she Wednesday, September 27,1998 iira y_LV7_L\ I when we're starting to see that yes, there is an increase on our campus that goes with some of the national statistics." "I think a lot of it [increased maryuana use] is experimental," Gant said. "If you look at it medically, there's real conflicting research if it's good or if itis bad. You get real conflicting messages and think let me figure it out for myself. You think, Oh, that wasn't so bad let me try it again.' I think a lot of that [experimental] ties in with real conflicting information." "There hasn't been real clear-cut information about harmful side effects and that's something that is real concern for young people," Gant added. To tackle these problems and others are being addressed by several programs across the USC campus, most notably the R AD.I.C AL (Raising Alcohol And Other Drug Issues Through Change in Leadership) team and a performing group called Risq'ue Business. The relatively new programs involving students provide U information to students, mainly fb1 cusing in on University 101 classic es. R.A.D.I.CAL conveys its If message via activities such as a "Jeopardy!" like game focusing on drug and alcohol facts. Steven Burritt, a senior broadcast journalism mqjor, is a member of the RAD.I.C AL team and thinks the program is one way to inform students about the risks of maryuana. "Student groups definitely can be an important source of information and spread the message [about maryuana] for the same iccuuu tyc u/vci uic uuiui uiugo. otuucuio cue inure likely to listen to other students than another person," Burrittsaid. There are a lot of studies that can prove things either way [regarding maryuana use]. If you try to get too one sided, too oppositional on the issue, you're likely to get your views discredited. If you go in and give the information, you hopefully let people make the decision for themselves," Burritt said about R.A.D.I.C.A.L.'s role in informing USC students about maryuana. Gant wholeheartly agrees with this philosophy and thinks that showing students both sides of marijuana use is necessary in the entire use-/non-use practice. "Our office is just trying to give the information," said Gant. "They've [students] heard conflicting information [about marijuana use] or they've only heard one side from their friends or rock stars or from people that use it. They haven't really heard the other side of the information, so how can they make an educated decision," Gant said, adding, "You can't make a good decision until you have both sides of the information." Rcidl Pnt JL^/CXLJJLX 1 Wl t 1#"^ fm 1 JLl^ u ^ </- f TYSON PETTIQREW The Gamecock th bean sprouts. is nicer. She also knew the menu well and made re we had everything we needed without hovering. This was an excellent, inexpensive meal. In a town lere all the restaurants start to seem identical, the isil Pot stands out from the crowd with its unique nosphere and healthy variety. The Basil Pot serves breakfast, lunch and dinner )nday through Saturday, and has a big brunch bufon Sundays. They also offer a special dinner every jht for $8.95, with choices like black bean burritos d eggplant parmesan. A calendar at the front lists the specials. The calendar also features monthly "amusing dismts." Henry said they are designed "more to put huckle on your face than a jingle in your pocket." r example, they might let people take a small peritage off their bill if they recycle or if it is their first ie dining at the Basil Pot.