The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, June 16, 1999, Page Page 3, Image 3
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GCKVIEWS@SC.EDU.
Wednesday, June 16,1999
i
Hit?
Serving the Carolina C
EDITORS
Brad Walters,
Kevin Langston,
Emily Streyer,
Kenley Young,
HliUMiMiM
Minors sti
tobacco pi
Substance abuse
prevention and
treatment in South cni}th Tnm
Carolina might suffer . ,
a considerable setback lOSejUYlds
if the state can't keepbuyint
reduce tobacco sales
to minors.
This year, 19.8
percent of teen-agers
14 to 17 who were jOCUS Ott iltl
sent to buy cigarettes rathe)' than
were successful,
according to a study
conducted by the S.C.
Department of Alcohol and Other Drug
Abuse Services.
And even though that's down from
from 24.7 percent in 1998 and a
whopping 63.2 percent in 1994, South
Carolina stands to lose $7.2 million in
federal prevention and treatment funds
if the state can't keep that rate below
20 percent in the 2000 study.
Despite this state's vast, 43.4 percent
improvement over the past five years,
the federal government plans to punish
South Carolina for its progress.
Rather than threatening the state
with cutbacks, the government should
m Hie0
Serving tlx Carolina C
The Gamecock is the student newspaper of The University
Friday during the fall and spring semesters and eight times during
periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the edi
The Board of Student Publications and Communicalions is the pu
the newspaper's parent organization.
The Gan
Brad Walters Editor in Chief
Clayton Kale News Editor
in I onoctnn Esiitnr
Emily Streyer Features Editor
Student
Ellen S. Parsons Director of Student Media
Lee Phlpps Advertising Manager
Susan King Creative Director
Kris Black Creative Services
Editor gcked@sc.edu 777-3914
News gckneivs@sc.edu 777-7726
Viewpoints gckvietvs@sc.edu 777-7726
Advertising 777-3888
Classified 777-1184
V!
amccock
~ommunity since 1908
X BOARD
Editor in Chief
Viewpoints Editor
Features Editor
Copy Desk Chief
11 getting
rnrinrte
commend South
: Carolina for keeping
Urn might '"egal tobacco sales
? relatively low this year.
Statewide law
g tobciCCO, enforcement agencies
should be praised, too,
for keeping a diligent
nt should
provement so many other drugassigning
and alcohol-related
crimes to worry about,
' and limited manpower
makes it impossible
for them to patrol every corner
convenience store. In South Carolina,
it's legal for people under 18 to buy
tobacco products, but it's illegal for a
store to sell those products to a minor.
Instead of reprimanding the state for
its improvement, the government's
time would be better spent researching
and amending questionable laws like
this one. Those necessary federal
millions support prevention programs
that are both worthwhile and effective,
and there's no reason to suspect that
tobacco sales to minors will increase
in this state with the passage of time.
Miecock pai
ommiinity since 1908
/ of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and
the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam
iocs or author and not those of The University of South Carolina,
iblisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is
lecock
Charlie Wallace Sports Editor
Kenley Young Copy Desk Chief
Ashton June Photo Editor
Matt Ryan Online Editor
Media
Sherry F. Holmes Classified Manager
Carolyn Griffln Business Manager
Erik Collins Faculty Advisor
Etc. gckelc@sc.edu 777-3913
Sports gcksports@sc.edu 777-7182
Online gckonli@sc.edu 777-2833
Fax 777-6482
Business Office 777-3888
ewpoi:
The Gamecock
? rry
Alzheimer's
As I was working last week in one
of Five Points' fine eating
establishments, I overheard some
customers
old"tiiiiGr
CLAYTON ~KALE ov'eTthf
columnist sandwich
counter and
throttling the customers is against store
policy. Instead, I kept my feelings about
wnai tney saia insiae.
Fve never liked it when people call
Alzheimer's disease "old-timer's disease." 1
I feel they're making light of a condition '
that no one wants to go through or, even
worse, see happen to a loved one.
As far back as I can remember, my
grandmother would forget where she '
put things or forget that she'd already
put pepper in the dressing, but I just
figured that was her way. "Dingy" is the
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describe her. It wasn't until I was in
about the fourth or fifth grade that my 1
mother told me she suspected Grandma
had Alzheimer's. I had no clue what that
meant. I thought it was something like
the common cold that would go away, '
but after time and some heart-to-hearts 1
with my granddad, I learned it wouldn't
qy
"Th
in
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i jokes not vei
get better; it would only get worse. her. I
Some things I remember laughing or tw
at. It wasn't until later that I realized two n
nothing was funny. We laughed to keep the d
from crying. One day, I remember keeping visit,
a tally of how many times Grandma G
offered me corn at dinner, even though signs
I already had a huge golden pile on my introc
plate. But that game got old after five into ti
minutes and somewhere around 10 offers, in rh
Her memories froze at the point in soum
her life in which the dementia started, block
To her, no matter how tall I got or long W
my hair grew, I was about six years old. actua
It was embarrassing going out to dinner I misi
with the family and having Grandmother hum*
cut my steak for me. joyfu]
Sometimes, she'd suddenly believe the w
she was in early motherhood again and had t
think I was her son. For the last year know
that she recognized me at all, she called woulc
me 'lbny, her youngest son. For the last and
two years of her life, she'd introduce remei
berself to me when I walked into the how s
room, even if I'd just stepped outside was n
for a moment. Wher
It was puzzling to see how her mind her, I
would work backwards, as if she were befori
becoming a baby again. When the disease M
beld her full force, she'd talk to hear Alzhe
berself speak. She'd read the signs as hear <
we drove down the road; "Hardee's next the S?
left. Yep, that's what that says." Or loved i
sometimes she'd tell me that Granddad for AI
said to tell me "hello." Granddad died a come
year before. passu
Because the care for her began to years
diminish at the nursing home in goth]
Spartanburg, we moved her to Durham, I]
where my uncle could keep an pye.on gtepff
PTE, UNQUOTE
ie [tuition] increase is modest
comparison to other institutions
in this state."
John Palms, USCPresident
Page 3
college press exchange
ry funny
nstead of getting to see her once
ice a week, I got to visit her every
lonths or so. I could tell how much
isease had advanced from visit to
randma went from reading the
: as we drove down the road and
luring herself every time I walked
he mom to heine ahle to sneak nnlv
yming, gibberish sentences. It
ded like Dr. Seuss with writer's
lien Grandma passed away, I was
illy relieved. Don't get me wrong,
s her; she was one of the sweetest
ins to ever grace the earth, with a
[ laugh and the best head-rubs in
orld. But I was glad she no longer
0 suffer, even though she didn't
she was suffering. And I knew it
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me. I often cried at night,
nbering playing at her house and
he called my name to tell me lunch
gady. I took those days for granted.
11 was old enough to appreciate
had to introduce myself to her
51 could get a kiss on the cheek,
y experience dealing with
imer's disease makes me angry to
3ne make light of it. I imagine it's
une way someone who watched a
me suffer through AIDS has disdain
DS jokes. It seems I have just now
to terms with my grandmother's
ig, even thjo ij :lj ijt was about four
ago. ] tutm y v life ar I am about to
-ough it al ag&fn.
iad t) iift>< itcbUyself to my
ither' b a. |