The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 07, 2000, Page 7, Image 7
Quote of the Day
‘Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's
already tomorrow in Australia.’
- Charles Schulz
The cost
of being
sun-kissed
Experts say there’s no such thing
as a healthy tan.
by Mackenzie
Clements
Staff Writer
Last year, an unlikely song be
came a hit.
“Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sun
screen)” originated as a newspaper
column, but ended up being set to a
beat by Baz Luhrmann. The song be
gan with a simple statement: “Ladies
and gentlemen of the class of ‘99 -
Wear sunscreen.... The long-term
benefits of sunscreen have been
proven by scientists, whereas the
rest of my advice has no basis more
reliable than my own meandering
experience.”
Mary Smich came up with the
idea for her column when, around
graduation time, she saw a woman
sunbathing by Lake Michigan. “1
hope she’s wearing sunscreen,”
Smich thought, “because I didn’t
at that age.”
Smich might have said the
same thing after passing the sun
bathers on USC's Horseshoe. Al
though spring break might be over
for most college students, summer
is approaching, and sunbathing at the
beach, the pool or even in front of
the business building is tempting for
many students.
Tanning salons are another op
tion for men and women seeking sun
kissed skin, despite the fact that no
sun is involved.
Rather, tanning beds emit high
doses of U\A waves.
Salon owners contend that there
are benefits to using tanning, beds in
stead of sunbathing. “It’s faster, and
you get a deeper, darker tan,” said
Melissa Mangum, owner of SunTan
Salon. “Also, you don’t get hot
sweating.”
Relaxation, according to
Mangum, is another benefit of tan
ning beds. Music, fans and neon light
ing make each private tanning ses
sion a calming experience at her
salon.
Privacy is assured. Mangum sets
the tanning time at the front desk,
and the customer gets comfortable
in the tanning bed before hitting a
convenient switch to start the tan
ning session. Customers can tan in
whatever stage of dress, or un
dress, they choose. The benefits of
that “are unsuitable for print,”
Mangum said.
All beds are sanitized before each
customer. The salon provides cus
tomers with protective eye goggles,
which are required to prevent UV
damage to the eyes.
Mangum asserts that tanning beds
have no more associated risks than
tanning in natural sunlight. Too much
sun can lead to premature aging of
the skin, sunburn, and an increased
risk of skin cancers. In addition, many
medications, like birth control pills,
can increase sensitivity to the sun.
Despite the risks associated with
UV radiation, hundreds of people
still flock to the tanning salons. “It’s
been a wild week,” said Mangum.
“We’ve had 200 to 220 people a day.”
Before tanning, salons require
customers to sign that they under
stand the risks and to detail any med
ications they are taking. Cus
tomers must initial the agreement
every time they tan.
According to the Mayo Clinic,
“A tan actually is the body’s attempt
to protect itself from the sun’s dam
aging rays.There is no such thing as
a ‘healthy tan.’”
On the clinic’s Web site, further
information is given about prevent
ing skin cancer and sun damage.
Overall, the Mayo Clinic advises
avoiding excessive exposure and al
ways wearing a moderate sunscreen
to prevent sun damage..
Therefore, “Everyone’s Free (To
Wear Sunscreen)” has a genuine
point. The best way to fight sun dam
age is through prevention.
Frequent sunburn and sun expo
sure can lead to premature agirig, freck
ling, discoloration and enlarged
blood vessels; ladies and gentlemen of
the class of ‘00, wear sunscreen.
Preacher evangelizes outside Russell House
Travis Lvnn Photo Editor
Students gathered Thursday on Greene Street to listen to a preacher, who brought an easel to draw
and help convey his message.
Small group in Columbia
performs chamber music
by Chrissy Taylor
Staff Writer
The Carolina Chamber Players have
been performing in Columbia for four
years. They are a small group of musicians,
not very well-known, that consists of a
pianist, string players, woodwind players
and a hdrn player. Not all 19 players
perform at every show. A recent show
featured The Miro String Quartet.
Anthony Marotta, a clarinet player,
helped found the Chamber Players in May
1996 and had a select number of performers
by that September. He said he was “thrilled
and proud that the group took off so fast.”
They were lucky to be sponsored by
Columbia corporations such as Colonial
Life and BellSouth, as well as by contri
butions from individuals. They also re
ceive grants from the S.C. Arts Com
mission and the Cultural Council of
Richland and Lexington Counties.
The group’s first performance was in
the S.C. State Museum’s auditorium, which
pianist Winifred Goodwin refers to as the
Chamber Players’home. Goodwin is an
other of the founding members, which is
why she has not moved on.
The group has had “many individuals
to continue on to other orchestras, espe
cially strings,” Marotta said. Some have
stayed in Columbia to join the orchestra,
while others have moved on to the or
chestras in Charleston or Greenville.
According to Holli Emore, chairwoman
of the board of directors, “There has been
a revival of chamber music lately, and
that’s why we are trying to get the word
out and bring in more audience members.”
Emore also said there has been a “de
tachment from a live orchestra perfor
mance, and the Miro Quartet has been
prominent in a resurgent interest.” The
board of directors’ primary responsibili
ties includes governing profits, promot
ing the Players and integrating them more
with Columbia.
They hope to gain the interest of
younger people and would like to see more
in the audience.
Emore admits, “It takes a few times
for some, but others fall in love with it
[chamber music] the first time they see
the group.”
lor information on performances, call
376-0071.
Drug allegations put celebrity under scrutiny
Bad publicity surrounds Whitney Houston as party approaches
t' tr
The Associated Press
New York — Does Houston - Whitney Hous
ton - have a problem?
There was that allegation of marijuana pos
session in January, a much-discussed absence
at last month’s Oscars, and a disjointed mag
azine interview.
On Monday night, the superstar singer is
scheduled to perform at Arista Records’ 25th
anniversary party. Given the tumult in her per
sonal life in recent months, her appearance
will be heavily scrutinized.
“WHERE WAS WHITNEY?” asked the
New York Post after the diva’s performance
at the Academy Awards was canceled amid a
report that she was “totally out of it” during
a rehearsal with Burt Bacharach.
^ The same question applied after Houston
failed to appear at the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame dinner three weeks earlier. Houston was
scheduled to help induct Clive Davis, the mu
sic impresario who signed her to Arista in
the early ’80s.
“Whitney is in good spirits and looking for
ward to Monday’s event,” says her publicist,
Nancy Seltzer, who had earlier blamed a sore
throat for the Oscar incident and “voice prob
lems” for the Hall of Fame flameout.
The bad news continues. The upcoming
People magazine features a cover story
about “Whitney’s Troubled Times.” Citing
anonymous sources, it suggests a drug prob
lem - an allegation Houston has denied in the
past.
“If a performer gets a reputation for being
unreliable or canceling at the last minute, that’s
a problem,” says Richard Johnson, a veteran
Houston watcher at the Post. “It seems that’s
been happening with Whitney Houston.”
Houston’s husband of seven years, singer
Bobby Brown, has his own litany of woes: a
1995 Betty Ford Clinic visit for alcohol abuse,
a 1997 report that he punched Houston in a
Honolulu parking lot, and a 1998 five-day jail
term for drunken driving.
The bad publicity is a relatively new ex
perience for the gospel singer’s daughter, the
all-American girl whose 1991 version of “The
Star Spangled Banner” improbably turned Fran
cis Scott Key into a best-selling songwriter.
The recent rash of incidents began in
January, when airport security officers in Hawaii
said they found a half-ounce of marijuana in
Houston’s bag.
Rather than wait for police to arrive, the
36-year-old Houston boarded her flight and
left the islands.
Adding to Whitney’s woes was a cover sto
ry in the May issue of Jane magazine. The piece
described an “extremely unfocused” Houston
showing up four hours late for a photo shoot.
Once there, the singer responsible for 11
No. 1 singles had “trouble keeping her eyes
open” and intermittently played an imaginary
piano, according to the story.
Whitney’s explanation: She had just ar
rived from a visit to the dentist to repair a
cracked tooth.
During an interview for Jane, Houston
tossed around four-letter words, compared
meeting the president to hanging out with a
junkie (“They’re just men, you dig?”), and
denied having a “lesbo” affair with her ex
ecutive assistant.
Seltzer, spinning as fast as she could, said
the article was not “a fair portrait of Whit
ney Houston as I know her.”
Wrong, says Daily News gossip guru
Mitchell Fink.
“Look at her behavior over the last few
years,” Fink says. “If you did a timeline over
the last few years, you’d see that this par
ticular pattern of behavior is not at all shock
• _ »♦
ing.
The problems and tabloid rumblings have
had little effect on her recording career. Hous
ton’s 1998 album “My Love is Your Love”
was a platinum seller and spawned several
hit singles: the title track, “Heartbreak Ho
tel,” “When You Believe,” “It’s Not Right
But It’s OK.”
In May, she will release a greatest-hits al
bum that is expected to top the charts.
Campus Notes
Humanity spring
project today
Habitat for Humanity will continue
to work on the house in Arthurtown
at 1:45 p.m. today. Participants will
meet at the Tree of Knowledge. For
more information, call Ginny Whtson
at 544-2576.
Anchor Splash to
benefit the blind
The Epsilon Chi Chapter of Delta
Gamma will be host to its annual An
chor Splash Swimming Meet from 1
to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Blatt PE.
Center. The meet will feature both
traditional and unique swimming
events. A $2 donation at the door
will benefit the blind and sight con
vention. For more information, cqll
Tiffany Shaw at 544-0477.
Showcase to focus ,
on psych research
Psychology undeigraduate student
research will be highlighted at the
Research Showcase this afternoon in
the lobby of Barnwell.
CP recruits more
commissioners
Carolina Productions is accepting ap
plications for Carolina Productions’
Ideas and Issues Commission, which
helped bring presidental candidates
John McCain and Alan Keyes, along
with the Last Lecture and Personal
Sucess series, to USC. The deadline
for applications is 5 p.m. today in the
CP office, RH 235.
World War II video
will be shown .
Hillel, B’nai B’rith and other organi
zations will sponsor a video on die
exploits of the Jewish brigade in the.
British Army, fighting in Italy and
after World Whr II. The showing,
which will be open to the public,
will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the
auditorium in Gambrell Hall.
Trustus will present
award-winning play
Trustus Theatre and Ted and Joan
Halkyard will present “Wit” from
April 21 through May 6. “Wit” won
the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
For more information, call 254-9732.
Earth Day program
to last one week
The School of the Environment and
Students Allied for a Greener Earth ^
will sponsor this year’s Earth Day ^
celebration at USC. The focus will
be April 19, but there is a week-long
program honoring the 30th anniver::
sary of this worldwide event. SAGE.
is still looking for people or student.
organizations who are interested in
participating. For more information,
call the SAGE headquarters at 799- -
2408.
Meeting to focus
on homecoming
Homecoming 2000 will hold a meet
ing to distribute homecoming appli
cations to student oiganizadons. Any
oiganizadon wishing to participate in
Homecoming 2000 must send a rep
resentive to this meeting to pick up
the official application. If you have
questions or want more information,
call Carolina Productions at 777
7130.
Film society to show
‘Midnight Cowboy*
The Creative Music and Film Soci
ety will present its first film of the
year, “Midnight Cowboy,” on DVD
at 6 p.m. Sunday in Gambrell 153.
The movie is free.
Public lecture on
philosphy to be held
Manfred Frank will speak about the for
mative years of German romanticism
in “Infinite Approximation: Philosophi
cal Origins of Early German RomantU
cism.” The lectures will be from 4 to 6
p.m. Monday in the Preston College Sem
inar Room and from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday in Gambrell
428. For more information, call Alfred
Nordmann at 777-3739, or e-mail him
at ANordmann@sc.edu.
■ CORRECTIONS
The Gamecock strives to report the facts
correctly and responsibly. If you come
across any inaccuracies in our reportage,
please let us know.
Letters for Ask etCetera can
be submitted to RH 333 or e
mailed to gckfeatures@ya
hoo.com