The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 30, 1998, Page Page 3, Image 3
Look out, because on
Friday we have the newly
famous Rob Gioielli and
the fan favorite Emily
Streyer writing columns. *
Be?
Serving the Carolina Cc
EDITORIAJ
Jennifer Stanley
Sara Ladenheim,
Rob Gioielli, Vit
Kurt Johnson, Assistc
Kathleen McCormi<
Y2K bug
cause for
It has been pre- I
dicted since biblical
times that the end Millenni
of the world would cow^ cau
occur in the year
2000. Some aspects J
of this perennial
myth may come ? . . ^
true. ' People just t
And in this tech- calm and k
nolo gy- crazed on the si
world, what better
way to have the old
clash with the new than with
worldly destruction via a computer
bug.
Concerns and endless stories
have been coming out for a couple
of years now about the Year 2000
Bug (a.k.a. the Millennium Bug,
a.k.a. the Y2K Bug), and still, exactly
what will happen is a mystery.
This is the basic understanding
of what's going on and what
might happen: the bug is actually
the result of faulty program
ming in antiquated computers.
Wanting to conserve hardware
space, programmers denoted a
two-digit format for dates (thus
Sept. 30, 1998 is denoted as
"09/30/98").
Now, the anticipated problem
will occur on midnight Dec. 31,
1999, when the 99 changes to
00. Of course, we will know it is
the year 2000, but the computer
will have been fooled to 'think' the
year is actually 1900.
The worry about this is that
the glitch will initiate an error
in networks and computer systems.
It's like a domino effect or
rolling a snowball down a mountain.
One computer will acknowledge
the date change and through
Registerir
couldn't 1
If you're planning
to vote, and HHHUm
you haven't regis- lime fc fly
tered, time is run- voter eligil
ning out. You must ?
register, or have
your registration |||Hr!TFV?!
postmarked by Oct.
3. Registering
If you are on very easy <21
campus today manyco
(which you are un
. ~ . LSMKs CO I
less you are read- 1
ingthis online) you
can register outside the Russell
House and Gambrell Hall between
10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That
should be easy, unless you aren't
here during those hours, in which
case you have a number of other
options.
ffe We (5a
Scriiny I be Carolina Can
The (lame-rock is the- student newspaper of The i niversir
Friday during die fall and spring semesters and five times during
periods, Opinf ms expressed in 11k (iamxnek are tin we < it tlae ei
Tile Board of Student Publications and Communications is the p
the news|iaper s parent organization
The Gamecock
Jennifer Stanley Editor in ( hie/ Jackie Posto
Sara Ladenhelm Maiuiitiny lulitor Todd Money
Rob Glolelll View/mints Editor Rosalind Ha
Josh Lonon Metis Editors
Erin Reed Kurt Johnsc
Kristin Freestate features Editor Brad Walter
Bryan Johnston Editorial Assistant Kcnley Youi
Nathan Brown S/xirts Editor Ruth Nettles
Nlkki Thorpe Photo Editors Deneshla Gi
Sean Rayford Jeff Romlg
Brian Rlsh Online Editor Kelly Mcgul
Rob Llndsey C.ofn Editors Matt Ryan
Jessica Barfleld Kathleen Mi
Student Media
Ellen Parsons Director oj
Student Media Carolyn Gri
Lee Phlpps Adtvrtisim Manager Erik Collins
Sherry F. Holmes Classified Jeff Stenslai
*1
imccock
immunity since 1908
LBOARD
, Editor in Chief
Managing Editor
ewpoints Editor
int Viewpoints Editor
ck, Editorial Writer
not yet
'panic
its operations,
. might begin to exum
bug ecute a slight error.
ise maior This could transfer
Oroblems. to the next computer,
which would
add to the error
, and so on.
wed to stay Network and
eep an eye computer systems
tuation. that are expected
to be thrown out of
whack include
everything from bank balances
and elevator maintenance to building
security procedure records.
Yet, contrary to the prologue,
this does not equate to the end
of the world as we know it. Numerous
programs are initiated or
are going to be initiated to help
solve this problem.
USC is on the case, with
fVioir ofoff r?nrronfrlv VianHlinor fViP
VlXVsJLJ. kJUlAA.*. VU1 X vli ViJ V"V
problem to assure safety for the
mainframe. President Clinton has
a Y2K Bug agency working on the
problem and searching for possible
solutions. Great strides have
been made since the initial concern,
but everything is not yet O.K.
The point is not to start panicking,
well, at least not yet. A
stern and mindful eye needs to be
on top of things. People need to be
continually updated about the situation.
They need to show strong concern
and take the appropriate
measures to secure their assets
(i.e., calling their banks and asking
what they're doing about this
problem).
Ultimately, all anyone can do
right now is wait and see what
will happen.
ig to vote
>e easier
You can get a
iUiSflHHI voter registration
ring by for form in a number
rility in this of Places- T^e Delo/tinr,
partment of Motor
Vehicles and the
WTTTyrTMB public libraries
have them, and
g to vote is you can find them
there are online at
nvenient www.state.sc.us/scodoso.
sec/vr.html. Ifyou
live in Richland
County, send your
completed form to P.O. Box 192,
Columbia, SC, 29202-0192. In
Lexington County, it's 219 E. Main
St., Room 115, Lexington, SC,
29072-3598. For other home coun
ties, you'll have to call your voter
registration office.
mecock maai
annuity since t'JON
y ol South Carolina and is published Monday. Wednesday and
the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam
litors ot author and not those ot 'llie t diversity of Sruth Carolina,
uhlishcr ot The Gamecock The Department of Student Media is
All area codes are HO3
n
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rvey Pnblk Mrldin
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Vfewi
Decision
Hold on to your butts people, because
things are moving and
shaking right down the street.
David
" ^^ U ^
M away like
KURT JOHNSON an English
columnist king from a
ZJ catapulted
cow. Feeling
it's time he loosened up, Beasley decided
he would not oppose a referendum
on a statewide lottery, though he
stands morally and decidedly against
the lottery itself.
This is his sprnnH hicr rhnncrp nf
stance in the past week, with his earlier
decision not to support the removal
of the Confederate flag from atop the
Statehouse. Yet, two years ago, he
grabbed that same cat by the nostrils,
and with a little help from the Big Guy
upstairs, decided it was time to take
it down.
Political sy:
I watched "A Man for All Seasons" recently,
and was impressed with Sir
Thomas More's hiring philosophy,
which was
that anyone
who sought
I an official
position
L^ wasn't going
to get it.
R iyi I'd call
that a good
fnr nil spa
L. SJ sons, espeKIKI
McCORMICK cially our
columnist current premJ
election season,
in
which politicians race to see who can
abandon more principles by November.
The aforementioned phenomenon
is occuring on an absurd scale in the
gubernatorial race, and is likely driving
other races as well. Most recently, Gov.
David Beasley has abandoned his opposition
to the lottery (which is actually
returning to his roots ? he once
Newspaper editor
addresses readers
To our readers:
The road leading to the information
highway is a long one. And who
knew that this road to better, more
efficient communication would be
lined with bumps of miscommunication?
But now The Gamecock is there.
Not only do we still have our website
(www.gamecock.sc.edu) where we
can get our news to you with one
click of a mouse, but now you can get
in touch with us more easily, too.
Last week we tried to get the
word out that Viewpoints, along
with our other sections, would have
*T
'pint:
,^se|
on lotter
But, when he received criticism, he
ran away again like a group of knights
from a killer bunny rabbit.
It seems to me that "Puffy" has some
kind of multiple personality disorder:
he's making decisions and taking stands
as if he were two different people and
going back on them.
Well, back to the lottery issue. Here
are the simple facts: South Carolina
does not have a lottery. Polls indicate
two out of three South Carolinians want
a lottery. Beasley has been dead-set
against a lottery. This year he runs for
re-election.
His opponent, Jim Hodges, is platforming
for a lottery. Hodges and
Beasley are about even in the polls, with
Hodges expected to take the lead.
Beasley needs some votes. Answer: he
changes his stances on issues such as
the Confederate flag and the lottery in
4-r\ rrr\4- ttaI-no
uiuci \aj get vutca.
The simple fact that rings in my
ears is that two out of three people in
South Carolina want a lottery, period.
So give us the freakin' lottery!
I mean, last time I checked, which
was Aug. 14,1984 at 4:57 p.m., the government
which is currently in place was
a democracy, and the people voted a
person in office to make the appropriate
changes they so desired.
stem needs
threw his weight behind a bill to legalize
the lottery). So now he's pretty
much in agreement with pro-lottery
challenger Jim Hodges (who until 1996
opposed a lottery himself)!
It's not just the lottery - Beasley's
and Hodges' stances on the Confederate
flag have blown with the winds
(or whims) of voter opinion for some
time, and Beasley announced just
last week ('tis the season!) that he won't
try to take it down again.
Basically, few other things have
been discussed this gubernatorial elec
tion, aside from a lot of bull about education;
neither of the candidates has
anything constructive or compelling to
say on that issue.
So why have they (and most other
politicians) decided to run for office?
Well, we've ruled out any great principles
or comprehensive plans for the
state. It must just be that they have an
itch for power, and they'll tell us anything
to get us to scratch it for four
years.
No matter which one we choose,
we're going to be scratching the ba--(s)
The Gamt
J I J I I | J . year and majoi
chide the auth<
an e-mail address enabling our readers
to better voice their concerns.
However, the address we thought we
would have was wrong. And unfortunately,
we miscommunicated this
address to our readers.
These e-mail addresses will allow
our readers to send Us story ideas
and information about campus
events, as well as submissions to On
Campus and Datebook to our news
desk at gcknews@sc.edu.
Similarly, our Etc. and Encore
sections are open to lighter ideas
about people, places, entertainment
and human interests at
gcketc@sc.edu.
Want to give our sports desk the
scoop? Try gcksprts@sc.edu.
y
"I
F
_ * det
1
FfcRTHost
S^fgf QCK oF P
y made b
"The simple fact that
that two out of three
Carolina want a lottc
the freakin' lottery!"
I don't know. I mean, I sleep a lot,
so maybe I missed the complex-agrarian,
tribal-based, socialist takeover of
our government.
But if not, I think it's about time
the people in office, with their flashy
suits and equally fake hair, listen to
what we have to say.
And I say we need a lottery. I was
born in Philadelphia and lived there for
eight years, and the state lottery was
well in place. The lottery was like a daily
miracle. I remember one time my
folks won more than $500.
Every time we went to the grocery
store or the quickie mart, we picked up
a lottery ticket for the hell of it. With
the big jackpots, we picked up two or
three. It set us back $2.
Our "fearful to make a decision"
leader thinks that if a lottery is approved,
people will suddenly go poor,
and organized crime will take over the
a complet
(several things fit there) of someone
who really shouldn't be in the governor's
mansion. We don't have a tempting
choice because for some reason, people
who could run the state well are not
attracted to the idea of running for governor,
or, it would seem, many other offices.
So, it looks like we're going to have
to scrap the whole system.
That's right - do away with it. II
the people who seek office are scum
we've got to find a better way. We've
got to seek our leaders, not let the leaders
seek the office.
O.K., so I'm not sure of the mechanism
yet. But there's got to be something
better than this.
Maybe we could ask for nominations,
taking the list of hundreds, with
their proposals and recommendations
and resumes, reading them and narrowing
them down until we get some
one really good. And we can run those
documents through some computer pro
giam tiiat tuuiii3 new iucas va. pupu
lar cliches and throw out candidates
with too many of the latter.
xock will try to print all letters. Letters should be 250-300 words
r if a student Hand written letters must be personally delivered t
>r's telephone number. The Gamecock reserves the right to edit;
Those wanting to give us a news
tip or send us a press release should
be sure to include their name, phone
number and all relevant details.
Since The Gamecock belongs to
the USC community and can be
termed "The Voice of the Gamecocks,"
our Viewpoints address, gckviews@sc.edu,
is available for letters
to the editor.
Letters are the most vital part of
the newspaper because they enable
faculty, staff, students and the Columbia
community with a chance to
present other sides of issues, give
praise, give criticism and bring attention
to issues The Gamecock
might have missed.
The same rules still apply. The
letters mwt be signed and should in
am extremely proud of my
>layers. They showed great
ermination and heart today."
Mark Berson, soccer coach
cT
: o
Oq .
?
t * M
/ ^
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r W
f
- ...
EAPIN<3>
X,UE?=
5L1TI C?>.
y public
: rings in my ears is
: people in South
rry, period. So give us
state. Inhaling too much glue there,
Bease?
Anyway, the reason I think there
should be a lottery is for the kids. Yes,
the kids.
I remember when I was a kid and
my mom would bring home the instant
lottery tickets, on which you had to rub
off that neato silver stuff with a penny,
and my sisters and I broke into threeday
riots over who was going to rub it
off. We didn't care if we won or not, and
if we did, it was easily comparable to
meeting Goofy.
You just don't understand, if you've
never done it before, what kind of joy
that brings to a kid.
Now I ask you, Gov. Beasley, you
don't want to deny children, and me,
happiness, do you? Or should I say, Gov.
Hodges?
e overhaul
"Uh, but, that would require a lot
of work on the part of the voter," argues
the typical name-recognition-method
voter.
That's right, it would. Thank God
we've found a way to make people contemplate
their choices. Oh yeah, as a
corrolary to all this, you'd have to pass
a test on the candidate you chose, to
make sure you understood their posif
tions thoroughly, along with the ramifications
of the programs that candidate
wants to implement.' (The material
would be available on tape for those
who can't read; see, I'm already working
out kinks!)
O.K., so that kills two birds with
one stone -- the voters who don't understand
the issues, and the politicians
who pander to them (and who don't understand
the issues either).
So, I'm an elitist, you say? Well, I
am, if asking that officials have prin
; ciples and that voters have some clue
as to why they are voting makes me
one. So fine, call me names at
5 kawarth@vm.sc.edu. After all, it's the
season for jabs.
and must Include full name, phone number, professional title or
>y the author to the Russell House room 333. E mail letters must inill
letter for style, libel or space. Names will never be withheld.
elude the writer's year and major or
professional title. The writer also
should include his or her phone
number. Letters should be 250-300
words long, and The Gamecock reserves
the right to edit letters for
length, libel, style and obscenities.
I hope these addresses enable
our readers to feel more in touch
with their newspaper and help us do
our job better.
If you have any questions or comments,
want to discuss event coverage
or want to send a letter directly
to the editor, you can contact me at
gcked@sc.edu.
Jennifer Stanley
editor in chief