Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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4 r f I vuv ?U<I o5C b (lefiLrrACiri \ PoT" V i QUOTE, UNQUOTE "Take a good look at yo Patri New product revives old nutrition myth When HARRIS olestra, a synthetic fat HHUUiaifilflH substitute, hits the nation's supermarkets, consumers will experience a whole new eating experience: greasy, mushy food with no fat and a significant reduction in calories. Also, though less publicized, olestra causes diarrhea, cramps and bloating. Because the molecules that make up olestra are too large and too tightly packed to digest, they simpfy pass through the digestive system, taking with them certain nutrients like beta-carotene that stick to them. Olestra is essentially a non-food, providing no nutritional benefit and ironically depriving the body of nutrients. The speculated consumer demand for such a product is astounding, especially in the wake of the pellegra epidemic that swept the South less than a hundred years ago. In the 19th century, a mysterious disorder causing diarrhea, , dermatitis, dementia and death threatened this region. It turned out to be a nutritional deficiency. The people t whn livpd nn thp fvnirnl "3 M" Hiot nf p -J W ?vv v.* "I molasses, meal and meat ate enough food, but the wrong kinds of food. Quantity cannot substitute for quality: unintentionally, they starved themselves. This century, health education and the enrichment of grain products helped undo some of the damage inflicted by pellegra. Now comes olestra. Apparently, we're not out of the woods yet. In America, health is a commodity. The product, moreover, is merely thinness fiy many people. The way to it is through NordicTrack, Jenny Craig and the barrage of fat-free products on the grocery shelf. Food companies sucker us again and again, slapping promising "Lite" and "Fat-free" labels on everything from frozen pizza to salad dressing. (They could truthfully stick it on toothpaste if ( they liked, and it would probably sell like mad, too.) The rhetoric of adopting a healthy lifestyle is polluted by consumerism. The pursuit of heath or thinness is falsely construed by advertisers as a consumer need that can be fulfilled through buying J certain products rather than by simply ^ eating and exercising sensibly. Olestra, touted as a diet rood, will not promote a sensible diet. It will reinforce the , mantra of consumerism: More is better. <It also will prey on the single-minded * desperation of some people to lose weight : despite the cost or risk to their health. With this product, the manufacturers 'ire betting on the public's acceptance ' hat beauty hurts. , Chances are, until you try olestra, you , von't know the half of it. GOT OPINIONS? Well, sure you do. Everyone does. Make yours count and write us about it! Letters or columns welcome. _j Call 777-7181 for more information. _ \ X IB ' Y3?U, ^ SHOT ) y W urself (and ask) 'Am I doing the I ck Wright and SG cannot do it al< Patrick Wright, SG Pr Nerds rebuke 1 Let me tell you, it is cool to be a thi nerd. Look at Bill Gates. He is a tht computer nerd, right? Made millions fisl from an idea he cooked up in his garage, y o and now he has more money than he 1 al will ever need. am Look around ? thick glasses and of \ Docket Drotectors transform into color it a contacts and corvettes. Geek, nerd, pre four-eyes and know-it-all are some terms from grade school (and high mo school for those who didn't progress it 1 beyond spit balls). Remember the kid stil who sat up front. He knew all the she answers and never talked about things yoi even remotely like cartoons or really the cool rock bands. She would always silli clean the erasers for the teacher or get that math question that looked like "ne ancient hieroglyphs. ere Where are they now? Well, the kids A li who threw spit balls at them and called the them names are generally working for in. them or washing their cars. It is a hai wonderful justice. mu In a typical journalistic arrogance, I feel it is my duty to show that being aft* a nerd is cool. Remember, whoever the gets the most toys at the end wins. Or feel is it whoever gets to thumb their nose doe at the big bully who called you names ver on the bus or stole your lunch chair or to e tripped you in the hall or blew smoke feai in your face...but I digress. stre Hie little girl who dressed differently see: and had no friends, the person who Wh got laughed down the hall and the one peei who got picked last for basketball ? paii this is for you. Now, not all nerds are brilliant, are There are tons of subclasses of nerds: to sj social misfits, ROTC geeks, gamers, sit '< computer nerds and the list goes on. Pr? If you didn't walk the walk and talk inn Republicans shoi Has Pat Buchanan shaken up the say establishment or what? After a "yoi surprising victory in New Hampshire, plaj Buchahan has elevated the Republican han primary to a free-for-all. Unfortunately, deal a lot of Republicans are acting like I li liberals. voti Since his victory last week, Buchanan defi has been attacked from every front beli imaginable. The liberals in the media idea have launched a "witch hunt" against cut i his campaign. Wackos in Japan, Mexico, to a Israel and other countries are Fo denouncing him. The remaining liberal to L dinosaurs in the GOP are starting have fierce anti-Buchanan campaigns. And as a the most surprising of all, Bob Dole lear and nt.her mnsprvafnvps nrp attarlrincr mv < Pat Buchanan as an extremist. Th I am personally caught in the middle, stro I don't know who I am going to vote the j for next Saturday. This is the most At tt difficult election decision ever for me. of Pi Since I am young and have only voted issu in three elections so far, I have never flat i had to face such a tough choice. My morl past votes have been between ofa Republicans and Democrats. In the senc 1994 primaries, I found a clear best othe candidate in each race. But 1996 is a i 11 e different year, and I am lost. impc The problem is that I don't see waP Buchanan, Dole or Alexander as the Key< "right" candidate. I think Alan Keyes has would have been a better choice. I issu< probably find myself agreeing with No him more than anyone in the field. I are < wish Dan Quayle, Newt Gingrich, Dole William Bennett or some other good, viev inspiring conservative had run for the Am< nomination. Nevertheless, as the old Alex iewt HHHK22ZS i best to make the Carolina jne. We must work togetl ssident abel, contribi s talk like I juue I 1 / rest of the [ libbey [ ( 1 in the sea, 1 u got ] jeled as a nerd at one point or j Dther. That is sad. Society is afraid ] variety sometimes, and the only way ] iccepts differences is when they are . isented in a pretty package. ^ Socially speaking, our society is ( Lch more tolerant and diverse than las been in the past. But there is j 11, and probably always will be, a ( ?ep mentality. If it is not "in," and ( 1 wear it, you are "out." What does it mean? There is a lot of social 1 ness I do not pretend to understand, j What, ran bp lindprst.nnd is fbat jrds" are some of the most fun, C 7 s ative and successful people around, ot of those singers you listen to on ^ radio were nerds. They did not fit When it went beyond just purple ? r to purple hair singing really groovy * sic, it became cool. The labeling becomes less evident ^ it high school. The realization that * !se nerds are human and have ^ ings seems to dawn on people. How 2 is all the negative attention and a bal abuse affect people? It seems 3 lither reassure them of their own 4 *s about themselves or make them 5 >ng and a little tougher. They also v m to develop empathy for others. 6 en you get treated so badly by your 7 is, you can understand other people's v a. 8 Creative, strong, sensitive. These k the people who think of better ways 9 ave fuel. These are the people who 3 across the couch and listen to our e blems. Nerds are the ones who l ovate and create better lives for v uld stop labeli ing goes, I TOMMY I T 11 have to I TOUCHBERRY | ft i with the a d you are f.[t-" si ike Bob Dole. I know he has a good ng record on social issues. He is nitely a solid conservative. He 01 eves in true conservative fiscal s, but too often in the past he has ? deals with the liberals who used h mtrol the Senate. r< r a while, I was leaning strongly ir amar Alexander. He seemed to oi ; a good message, and he's appealing is Southern conservative. As I have f ned more about him, I have lost p] enthusiasm for his campaign. tat leaves Pat Buchanan. I agree ngly with Buchanan on many of iro-family social and moral issues. 0 le same time, I find myself "unsure" ^ at's stand on trade and economic ^ es. He supports a low 15 percent P tax, wnicn would include a nome is ;gage deduction. He is also in favor balanced budget. He opposes in ling millions of dollars in aid to ai r countries. He will put a stop to ?c gal immigration. And most ^ >rtantly, Pat speaks of the "cultural ^ ' in a way no one else will speak. js is the only other candidate who focused on moral and cultural a BS. w iw, all of these people out there ^ calling Buchanan an extremist. aj is calling Pat an extremist for his b< rs on trade policies, corporate st jrica and legal immigration. A ander has joined Dole in that fray, tr PINT U -\ , s ; I \ y \ "\ -I. ~v^ ? I ',y v* IB y I !>/./ N >?4 5\ ^^iy/y/y/ , // . ' / / i Community the best?' ler." ite to society the rest of society. It seems an unequal leal. They get picked on for years; what is their debt to their society or peers after all of that ridicule? The Pest revenge is, of course, in movies like "Revenge of the Nerds." Successful people like Bill Gates and the actors md writers who used to be the kids with the bottle cap glasses are great examples of just desserts. I aspire to be a nerd. I would be proud to be one. I listen to NPR National Public Radio, 91.3, for those lials that get stuck at 93.5). I walk mound with a book in my hand and nismatch my socks with my clothes. Vly idea of a good Friday night is a hot :up of coffee and a game of chess. I ;urf the net and confess to new nerd passes. Everyone is a nerd to a degree. Jnfortunately for the hopefuls, there ire only a few proud, true nerds that ake the cake. 'op 10 Reasons Nerds are Cool . They can add extra digits to their ank accounts. L They can eat happy meals and hack t the same time. i. F? What F? Look, there is an A. :. No one laughs better than a nerd, i. You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, /ouldyar Steve Urkel . They always have time to help you nth that paper. . Great conversationalists (if you can ;eep up). L Can explain why your car did that 60 on Highway 1 (angles and verything). 0. They make plans to take over the rorld, every night. ng Buchanan he media is calling Pat an extremist >r his views on abortion, homosexuality nd the preservation of the American imily and our culture. Of course, Dole lares the same basic views as Pat on lese issues. Dole just doesn't speak ti them so vividly. The real question remains, "Is Pat uchanan an extremist?" I would say e is definitely not an extremist. He jpresents my views fairly well on lost issues, except trade policy. The le thing I really don't like about Pat his use of class envy in his campaign. hat's right out of the Bill Clinton laybook, and I don't think it's a wise rafom; "uvvw In conclusion, I may very well vote r Pat Buchanan. If for not any other jason, I will vote for Pat in opposition ?the intolerance shown by liberals, at is right about one very important sue. We are fighting a cultural war. This "cultural war" is taking place l our schools, churches, courts, media ad government institutions. This ultural war" is between pro-family irsons of religious faith and the antihristian elitist of the liberal left. If e don't find a consensus soon, I have strong inclination that this political ar could become a "real" civic war. I link other fellow conservatives, such 5 Bob Dole and Lamar Alexander, itter unite behind the people who lare their basic values, or the entire merican political system could be in ouble. s "(Sat Serving USC Wendy Hudson, Editor in Chief Tina Morgan, Brent Seeli editorial Chris Dixon, Martha Hotop, Karen Layne, I Ryan Sims, Stephanie Sonnenfeld, Cece vor 1 OPIN Laborde con causes heal It seems the health of HPfffVI" students living on campus HUlk is not a priority for the Labor housing department. construe On Feb. 12, tarring began on the roof of I Laborde. Since that time, students have had to h is a p endure black soot in their demonstra rooms, live without a housing's c ventilation system during for stud< the day and endure hours of noise during midterm week. This construction may have caused health problems a for the residents and, to top it all of? v they are not being released from their li housing contracts. y The construction was supposed to be completed during winter break, I however, the housing department a claims bad weather prevented the f: initation of the project So, they decided I to start it when students had little a choice but to endure all of the v inconveniences. The project was long p overdue - the roof was threatening ti to leak-and housing says they waited b as long as they could. Didn't anyone a see this coming? a Okay, so now they're in the middle of the construction, and despite the a black soot covering computers and si clothes, no air circulating during the w day and the possible health problems, tc housing said students could move h but would not release them from their c; housing contracts. This means that tl if you have related health concerns fo I LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vulgarity lesser Amy Harris' Feb. 15 column on ( vulgar words was misguided and v lacking in moral fiber. Using tasteless s methods of communication serves b only one purpose: to shock the listener, e In that way, vulgarity has potency b but rarely improves communication, fi Ms. Harris argues that vulgarity f has power because it discusses "things d not acceptable" that are fundamental, u But, vulgarity merely demeans its subject. English has a vast array of p acceptable words for discussing topics 1 as intimate and important as ti intercourse, theology and flatulence, p It seems obvious that Ms. Harris ? has fallen for the politically correct o mantra that "whoever controls the words controls the ideas." This notion is arises in those who cannot persuade b in the marketplace of ideas, and T retreat whimpering that if only they h controlled the language, they'd be s able to capture the argument. How tl wonderfully childish. tl They decry decorum as evil a repression, when in reality, it provides tl the open public discourse necessary p for discussing important ideas. Without it, we are left with shameful P verbal barrages that ignite fury and tl tear at the social fabric of society, tl Decorum delivers the essential element tl for communication: willingness to n listen. If this were not true, we'd w consider 2 Live Crew, Andrew Dice u Clay and Roseanne our nation's most fi influential communicators. No group controls words. Societal values reflect what is considered boorish, crude or merely common. l^nfftcock SSS Student Media Russell House-USO Colun Won/It; Unrlcnn DnhhSn It/fn/kb nr. TTVUUJ 11UUJUII 1TICCIV I Editor in Chief Matt Pruitt F Ryan Wilson Sports Editors Managing Editor Allison i Tina Morgan Williams Jt Brent Seeliger Special Projects Viewpoints Editors Etha? MyerSOn Martha Hotop Graphics Editor pj| Cece von Kolnitz Karen Layne News Editors Deanna Chris Dixon McLendon Stephanie Copy Desk K< Sonnenfeld Ryan Sims Features Editor Online Editor The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Tuesday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters, with Thi the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Let Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the nar editors or author and not those of the University of Let South Carolina. ft* The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is its parent organization. ty be Thursday, February 29,1996 cock Since 1908 Ryan Wilson, Managing Editor, iger, Viewpoints Editors I Oitaxl lobbie Meek, Tyson Pettigrew, Matt Proitt i Kolnitz, Robert Walton, Allison Williams ION | stniction th concern and have to leave, you UUH have to abide by your new dorm's visitation policies and are not guaranteed private residence. Laborde has six floors of private wmmm housing (which means 'oor you don't have to have a tion of roommate, but you have oncern to pay almost as much as ?nts. someone livinrr in a Horseshoe apartment) and one floor of double rooms for underclassmen ind reserved spaces for visitors. The /hole point of living in Laborde is to tve by yourself. Either way, it seems, ou're screwed. How serious is this problem? The tepartment of Environmental Health nd Control and a representative rom USC's Health and Safety )epartment have voluntarily tested t a parent's request. Their results ron't be available for weeks, and the roject should be completed by the ime students return from spring reak. Unfortunately, they will have lready been exposed to the fumes nd inconveniences from construction. What seems trivial to housing dministration could be causing erious problems for the students ho live in Laborde. It is inconsiderate, > say the least, especially in light of ow much students pay to live on impus. Perhaps students should link about this when they sign up r their "totally cool" campus housing. is argument )ur values determine what others vill bear in language. Societal tandards have wilted significantly, mt profanity and degrading xpressions, thankfully, continue to >e considered declasse in the public orum of ideas. If these standards all, what little genuine public iscourse we have will disintegrate ito rancorous screaming. Ideas are amazing things. The raw ower of concepts cannot be contained. Tie eloquent use of words adds to be power of the idea, making it ersuasive and noble. Martin Luther ling's "I have a Dream" speech is an bvious example. Vulgarity shocks and degrades. It i the refuge of not just the ignorant, ut also the juvenile and the immoral, he crass violate convention with the ope of gaining attention. What they ucceed in doing is alienating lemselves. The self-righteous among lis group wear their alienation as badge of honor, proclaiming lemselves a societal martyr for their articular cause. The truth is they are just rude. eopie ignore Doors, not because ot leir ideas, but because they know lat churls who refuse to express lemselves politely are seeking otoriety, not consideration. Those ho convey their principles in nprincipled manners suffer they ite they deserve: disrespect. Dave Patchin Campus Crusade for Christ 77-7726 ing: 777-4249 7 6482 Chris Carroll ibia, SC 29208 t* ** <* Studem M"*11 Laura Day yson Pettigrew Creative Director Robert Walton Jeff A. Breaux Photo Editors Alt Director Vdam Snyder Sue McDonald innifer Stanley JimSpeelmon Asst. News Graduate Assistant Lucy Arnold Marilyn Edwards ika Bhambhani Taylor Asst. Features Marketing Director Achim Hunt Erik Collins Asst. Sports Faculty Advisor :ith Boudreaux Jason jeffers Circulation Editor Cartoonist Letters Policy : Gamecock will try to print all letters received, ters should be 200-250 words and must include full ne, professional title or year and major if a student, ters must be personally delivered by the author to : Gamecock newsroom in Russell House room 321. : Gamecock reserves the right to edit all letters for le, possible libel or space limitations. Names will not withheld under any circumstances.