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| February 22, 2000 |
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In
our words...
Reform party they are not; DVD owners know what they want The Ideology of the world: Part 2 The Forum A heart-felt 'thank you' from ECU ASU:not accessible for handicapped The Appalachian forgot to ask me about KA Month ago Casey was 'Ludicrous' In
Our Words...
A sea of gold: students with Appalachian State painted on their chests, children dressed up in black and gold cheerleading uniforms and the beloved Maniacs all greeted Davidson on Saturday, and provided the Mountaineers a boost all game, and although we lost, we definitely had the sixth man. For the first time all season, Appalachian fans united for a whole game to give our team an edge. Kudos also have to go out to the Mountaineer Maniacs who single-handedly worked their chants and jeers to the nation. Using 18 of their members, they spelled out “Appalachian State #1” on their chests and on their backs “Davidson Sucks!!”. And this is the type of support we need in our last home game of the season on Saturday. Just remember who we are playing ... Western Carolina. You remember them, that slower hick school south of Boone. That’s right, our heated rival. So if a spectator watching Saturday’s game thought the Davidson rivalty and obvious hatred was bad, just wait until Western, and see the words exchange from each side of the gym. Western fans will be up here, even though their team is not as good as Appalachian, just for the small glimpse of hope to beat Appalachian and jeer us all year long. So don’t let that happen. We know you Maniacs will be in full support as they groan and jeer our Southern friends, but will the rest of the school be there? We know the band will be there with their upbeat music to entertain fans and players alike, but how about the fans who came out for the nationally televised Davidson game? Yes, ESPN2 will not make an appearance
at this game. But if that is what makes fans come to the game, then we
need to check ourselves.
This will be the final chance to see Appalachian State greats TP, Matt, Ced, and Kent. Show them you care. Finally, it is a good way to send the seniors out in style. Show them that we as students appreciate the years of excitement and entertainment they brought us. Show up to send the team out in style.
Right now there is a group out there that feels like they are being overlooked. They are fanatical and quick to point fingers. They believe they are being held back, that the man is holding them down and they want things to change. Am I talking about the Reform Party?
No ... but close. I’m talking about DVD owners. Now why would DVD owners feel and act this way? It sounds odd. Since the DVD player emerged as the premier format for home video, DVD owners have reaped the benefits. Movies that were in theaters now arrive to store shelves in the DVD format months before they hit VHS. On top of that, many little bonuses (music videos, featurettes, web links, etc.) can be found on DVDs. But alas, the latter effects the former in the case of one particular DVD. One highly-anticipated DVD has been delayed, but the VHS release (the inferior format, considered by many) will be ready on Apr. 4. To a select segment of DVD owners, this is a life-shaping issue which will affect the course of their existences forever. It may even force them to have a suicide ritual with their lightsabers. Oh, the pain of not being able to see Tatooine in all its digital splendor. Oh, the agony of having to wait months to see Darth Maul get sliced in half (sorry, I just ruined that part if you haven’t seen it). Meesa thinks George Lucas is a bad man. Heesa make Jar-Jar cry. Yes, the coveted “Star Wars: Episode One” will not be arriving to DVD anytime soon. When this announcement was originally made, rumors started to fly faster than the Millennium Falcon. Some DVD owners felt it was all a grand scheme created by George Lucas and that he would not release the film to DVD until the second Star Wars trilogy is completed. Others speculated that Lucas was not confident about the DVD format and would not release his films to DVD. Well, my Jedi-mind-trick-practicing, magic-playing, anime-watching friends, none of the rumors are true. Upon doing some research at www.starwars.com, I learned that there were other reasons why the DVD release has been delayed. The latter effected the former. George Lucas has always had the desire to make the most of whatever he is doing and he wanted the “Episode One” DVD to have all the bells and whistles he can pack it with. It is not some grand, money-making scheme; Lucas just wants to add some behind-the-scenes footage, music videos, actor biographies and all the other goodies that DVD owners like. The trouble is, he’s so busy working on the writing for “Star Wars: Episode Two,” that he has not gotten around to the “Episode One” DVD yet. So lay off, already! Let the guy write his stuff. You think writing ideas just pop out of thin air? Do you think inspiration can be turned on and off like a light switch? Do you have any idea how long it took me to find a topic to write about for this edition of The Appalachian? I’ll tell you- a week and a half! And you know when this topic hit me? Sunday at 1 a.m. Leave the guy alone! Ahem. I know this situation is a thorn in DVD owners’ sides. My heart sank slightly when I heard the news myself, but I have moved on. I don’t even like the idea of purchasing another VHS cassette because I fear my VCR, Satan, will devour it. Satan already ate “U2: Rattle and Hum” and countless episodes of “The Simpsons” and “Star Trek.” Which is why I love my DVD player: it’s bulimic. But, I am aware that life will go on. The world will still turn on its axis, gravity will still keep us attached to the earth and Regis Philbin will continue to plague our society. So, please delay your lightsaber,
suicide-death rituals and find something constructive to do with your lives
(like writing) until the DVD version comes out. Then you can watch it a
zillion times in perfect, digital clarity until your brain melts.
The
Ideology of the world: Part 2
Last week I promised to begin addressing some misconceptions that have been associated with conservatives. Today let’s start with the myth that conservatives are not environmentalists. The reason people continue to believe this is because liberals always use Ronald Reagan as the archetypal conservative. Reagan was not good about solving environmental problems, so the label has stuck. What most folks don’t realize is that congressional Republicans have passed over a dozen environment-friendly legislative acts, such as The Battery Recycling Act, The Everglades Protection Amendment, The Parks and Public Lands Management Act, just to name a few. The real accomplishment, though, has not been done by conservatives at the federal level, but on the statewide level. Republican governors are the real heroes here because they are the ones who have accomplished the most environmental progress over the past couple of decades. The administrations of governors such as Pete Wilson of California and George Voinovich of Ohio have made significant moves in stopping pollution by prosecuting and fining manufacturers that violate state regulations. Wow, enforcing laws that already exist instead of whining and creating new ones ... what a novel concept. New York governor George Pataki and attorney general Dennis Vacco have been committed to getting rid of acid rain and have even sued the federal EPA for not developing standards to combat acid rain. Vacco also received the “Conservationist of the Year” award from the Adirondack Council for his environmental vigilance. With the support of governor Terry Branstad, lowa’s Department of Transportation has been ever productive in its reforestation program, which has planted over one million trees along the state’s roadways. The National Arbor Day Foundation gave lowa the Lady Bird Johnson Roadside Beautification award. In Illinois, governor Jim Edgar created the Environmental Crimes Investigators Network that works to prosecute manufacturers that do not conform to standards. The network also promotes environmental awareness and provides public education as well as a hotline that enables citizens to report pollution hazards. If liberals did their research, they would realize the lesson to be learned here is that more work can get done at the state-wide level than can be done by the federal government. This is a basic principle of conservatism. It just makes more sense that states would know how to solve their problems themselves without the intervention of a federal government that is based in Washington, D.C. Speaking of the federal government,
folks also fail to remember that it was Richard Nixon (a liberal by some
standards, but a true conservative overall) who created the Environmental
Protection Agency. I guess teachers are too busy talking about how Nixon
was “our country’s worst villain” to actually present one of the many positives
about his presidency. Next week, I’ll write about the most prevalent myth
about conservatives: the accusation that we don’t care about the poor and
the needy.
The
Forum
On behalf of the entire East Carolina University family, we at the ECU Student Volunteer Program would like to express our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the members of ASU’s Appalachian and the Community (ACT) Program. Volunteers from this program visited us during the fall and helped in the recovery effort following the devastation and flooding from Hurricane Floyd. Our community was in desperate need of volunteers and your ACT Program was there to help. Never have we witnessed more dedicated and hard-working volunteers. These individuals always had positive attitudes, smiles on their faces and never hesitated in tackling the task at hand. We cannot thank them enough for their hard work and generosity. These volunteers worked in a variety of settings including cleaning and rebuilding flood damaged homes, and participating in a walk-a-thon to raise money for hurricane victims. The ACT volunteers helped one family whose entire home had been submerged. Before ASU students arrived, the owner of the house was hopeless and felt as if he and his family had no future. After a few hours work, the man saw the improvements to his home and developed a renewed sense of optimism. The ACT volunteers were able to see how their unselfish works truly had a life-changing impact. So much is still needed in this area and rebuilding is vital to the community. Countless individuals are without homes and need assistance as they attempt to recover and rebuild. Please support your school’s effort to organize a Spring Break Alternative. The purpose of this program is to have volunteers come back to this region and spend their spring break helping flood victims. We sincerely hope that ASU students participate in the Spring Break Alternative and see what a difference they can make. Contact the ACT office in the Student Union to sign up. Thanks again to the members of ACT and we hope to see more ASU students this spring. Judy B. Baker
ASU:not accessible for handicapped Recently, I have had the punishment of being confined to a wheelchair while attending ASU, and frankly, it sucks. Let me start from the beginning. At first I wasn’t going to be able to drive my car, so I was going to be bumming lifts from friends to get to class. I went to get a handicapped parking pass so we could park on campus and they told me that I had to pick a single car that I was going to be riding in for the next two months, and then pay $5 a week for the pass. The state just makes you pay $5 for a handicapped parking pass that can be moved to any car I am in and it’s good for as long as the doctor states I need the pass. Okay, some of the parking pass stuff may be explainable, but once I am to class I still found it tough to get into my class. In Chapel Wilson, the elevator was broken for at least a week. As for Raley Hall, out of three classes in there, only one of the rooms had a spot for wheelchairs at their tables that was accessible to wheelchairs. The other two room’s spaces were at the other end from the door and it was impossible to get to. A major problem I found was in the seating of Farthing Auditorium. Like any decent auditorium it did have handicapped seating, but it didn’t have any spaces for the company that comes with the handicapped. Do they just think we have no friends? Luckily, the people next to the handicapped areas had an extra ticket and allowed her to sit right behind me, but I was not allowed to sit beside her for some reason. I would guess a fire hazard. One aspect I will give some credit to is the Medical Transport people. They were decently organized for being so new, and they only left me stranded once. This is basically just a little list for the administration to start with. There are many other problems ASU causes for the handicapped but I hope that people will start to do a little more to make it easier for them. Clay Elkins
The Appalachian forgot to ask me about KA I am writing today to express my concern with you front page article on Feb. 15 about the alleged rape at the Kappa Alpha house. Every time I talk to my peers about The Appalachian, one thing comes to mind, lack of investigating. Kiley Costner wrote a great response about the SGA student discount cards to you. I mean, if you can not open your door and ask the people in the office next to you a simple question, how can you expect anyone to believe anything you write? It seems to me that you hear something and write an article to take up space, or at least you may be trying to satisfy the reader, but you are not at all doing a good job at it. Just a little bit of investigation would let you know that the suspension of Kappa Alpha and Sigma Nu is not in conjuction with the alleged rape. They have been suspended due to possible violations with school policy. They will be going before the Interfraternity Council on these allegations, but not the alleged rape. No criminal charges have been filed on anyone from either fraternity, and Appalachian State has no intentions on looking into the rape unless someone is charged that is a student here. I mean the whole rape incident is an allegation. I could make a claim that all members of The Appalachian newspaper staff pulled me in their office, hog-tied me and beat me with a baseball bat if I wanted to. I could even file criminal charges and it will run all over the news and newspapers, but does that actually mean that it really happened, no. So for now please give these guys the benefit of the doubt, or at least give them a fair article. Steven Vincent
Month ago Casey was 'Ludicrous' In response to the article about smoking. First of all, as a former smoker, I get so tired of hearing people complain about smokers. I mean come on, complaining about smoking outside!? Where else is there left to smoke? You have pushed smokers out of restaurants, airplanes and every other public building. And now you are trying to push us around when we are outside. Sometimes smoking outside really sucks. Put yourself in a smoker’s shoes. How would you like to have to stand outside in the rain, snow and wind? You think that walking through smoke and cigarette butts is inconvenient? Try having to be exposed to the elements each time you just want to have a smoke. That is inconvenient. It is very easy to point the finger at smokers and smokers seem to be a very easy target to criticize. But have you ever stopped to talk with one of these so called inconveniences? Have you stopped to ask a smoker why they smoke near the door or throw their cigarette butts on the ground? Maybe doing this simple act would allow you to understand the position of these people, and make it hard to criticize. Smoking is a personal choice, like anything else in your life. Walking through a cloud of smoke or stepping on cigarette butts will not ruin your life. I think you can get over it. And if you can’t do something about, get out there with a garbage bag. But stop taking cheap shots at people who have been pushed around enough. Jennifer Sanford
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