Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Nov. 4, 2011, edition 1 / Page 9
Part of The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
FORUM 7 Gadaffi's death: get over the gore, focus on helping NOVEMBER 4, 2011 By Charlotte Cloyc Staff Writer Opening the New York Times the day after the assassination of Muammar Gaddafi to horrifying pictures of Gaddafi's body, bullet holes and all, made it clear that, for many people, the death of Gaddafi meant success. Libya had been under a dictatorial rule by Gaddafi for more than 40 years and now must face a period of creating and appointing a new government. This new government will be created in the face of a politically unstable population that has experienced turmoil beginning in earnest in February of this year. The leader of the National Transitional Council, Mahmoud Jibril, intends to resign within the month, but he has asked NATO to remain in Libya until further aid can be given to Libyan civilians. President Obama issued a statement in the days following the death of Gaddafi saying that the U.S. would wait for instructions given by NATO on how to provide aid to the Libyan people. The gruesome pictures of Gaddafi's body in the New York Times indicate that gloating over the death of Gaddafi preoccupies the interests of the U.S. and their desire to eliminate political terrorists in the world rather than anticipating the struggles that Libya now faces in terms of government building. Americans would rather examine images of dead bodies than focus on how to help the Libyan people in the immediate aftermath of Gaddafi's death. Eiowever, the job of the U.S. does not need to include traveling to foreign countries and imposing our Western models of government on foreign nations. The United States' focus on Libya strikes an odd note because of the fact that many countries also experience civil war and also need aid in terms of rebuilding infrastructure, and yet the U.S. has chosen to focus on Libya. Our focus may be due in part to the potentially vast oil industry in Libya. The U.S. should not choose to send aid to countries like Libya only in order to gain from the relationship later on. Rather than feasting our eyes on the oil we could glean from Libya, we should attempt to send aid to countries like Liberia, whose civil war ended only in 2005 and who held their first fair election in the country's history. Rather than focusing our time and attention on reveling in the death of political criminals and scheming oil deals, we should instead choose to spend our time helping the civilians of unstructured countries when possible. If the U.S. does intend to send aid to Libya in any form after hearing the decisions made by NATO on how to respond best, the U.S. should first decide why we are sending aid to Libya. "Libya's crude oil exports will jump to almost 350,000 barrels per day in November, more than double the volume sold the previous month," according to an article on the Reuters website on Oct. 30. If the U.S. wants to help Libya only as a means to accessing their oil refineries, the United States should rethink its motives. We should not support the aid of Libya if we are only in it for the money. Of course exporting more oil would create more jobs in Libya and bring revenue to the country, but the country should first have the opportunity to revitalize their weak infrastructure. In order for the U.S. to help Libya in any manner, the most beneficial course of action would be to provide experts who can help with rebuilding roads, hospitals, and schools. The U.S. should not attempt to aid Libya in rebuilding their government. Based on President Obama's recent statements conceding that he is waiting for NATO's orders to help Libya, the U.S. will most likely not attempt to nation- build in Libya. Although the U.S. could provide aid to Libya and help provide infrastructure building, we should as a nation take a moment to evaluate our actions and make sure that our reasons for moving forward with providing aid to Libya are not for selfish reasons. The reason for providing aid should be because we as a country truly believe that we can help the people of Libya create a safer and more democratic nation. The burning question: do you want an STD? By Travis Linville Staff Writer There is a universal truth about STDs: nobody wants one. When hooking up with the person of your dreams (or the person of the night), you fervently hope that the person does not have a STD. And yet they may have one. People transfer them — knowingly or unknowingly — all the time, Guilford College students included. "There has been an increase in the number of students coming to be tested or referred for testing with most coming back positive with one disease or another," Director of Student Health Helen — Rice said in an email interview. "Both men and women are on the increase." It is no secret that a reputation for promiscuity follows Guilford students. And with the increasing number of STDs, it seems students have been neglecting condoms. There are several possibilities as to why. The first is that an underground activist group exists at Guilford, convincing students that landfills are overflowing with condoms. If that is the case, then you are in luck. You can buy Clyde's "premium ethical and vegan condoms" online. Great for you and the environment. The second, and much more reasonable explanation, is that it just does not feel as good with a condom. But do you know what else feels bad? Painful urination, burning discharge, and painful swollen lumps. So is relatively short-term pleasure worth a possibly life-long disease? I would think not, and I bet your privates would agree. "There has been an increase in the number of students coming to be tested or referred for testing with most coming bock positive with one disease or another," Helen Rice, director of student health None of you need anyone telling you the dangers of unprotected sex. Most of us have heard that since middle school. But, with today's medical advancements, the threat of STDs does not seem nearly as frightening. Medical treatment options exist for virtually any imaginable STD. Antibiotics for bacterial infections. Other drugs for viral infections. Disease treatability stifles our fear of STDs. However, medicine offers a false sense of security. According to ABC News, scientists have discovered a strain of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea in Japan. Imagine that: One of the most common types of STD is untreatable. Gonorrhea can cause painful skin, blood and organ infection; infertility; and death. This is not the first case of bacteria evolving alongside antibiotics, and it will not be the last. If our rampant use of antibiotics continues, other bacteria will grow to resist them also. Our generation's irresponsibility should not exhaust the possibilities of medical treatment for the next generation. Guilford often prides itself “““ “ on community and natural responsibility. With so many activists in one place, we should understand that the healtii of our community is worth our attention and action. But it is not only about helping the community. We owe it to ourselves and to our partners. Nobody wants to live with an STD, but it is happening right now. You can help stop this growing trend. As I mentioned earlier, nobody needs to tell you to wear a condom; you should know to do that already. But here it is anyway: wear one. Staff Editorial Triple Threat: Mickey Mouse, Shamu, and The Guilfordian while everyone else prepped costumes for the Coming Out Ball and Halloween, the Guilfordian's editorial board wore their journalistic hats all weekend at the National ^College Media Convention in Orlando. We spent three days attending sessions that covered every newspaper topic under the bright Florida sun. Now we've returned to . campus with a reinvigorated focus and much to 'talk about. We'd like you to participate in this conversation. While reports constantly circulate about the uncertain future of journalism, the overarching sense at the convention was one of positivity and innovation. Now, more than ever, we have the capability to report the news in new, nontraditional ways. We can illuminate statistics with graphs, spice up quotes with sound slides, and bring events to life through videos. Numerous convention speakers emphasized the importance of using online tools like these, and we took their advice to heart. We look forward to utilizing more multimedia features on a brand-new, user-friendly web page coming early next year. Be on the look out for this, and a new social justice website, which will launch in November. The social justice site, in particular, will showcase stories that rely on multimedia supplements and user interactivity. As we create these new websites, we encourage you to let us know what you'd like to see. But don't stop there. We're also looking to start a dialogue with readers about the Guilfordian's print edition too. We strive to produce a consistent, quality paper each week, but numerous critiques during the Orlando weekend reminded us that there's nothing wrong with a little change. We're looking to revamp forthcoming print editions, and we've begun brainstorming ideas for improvement. But we're still missing your voice. As we look towards the future and try new things we'd like to establish a personal relationship with you by extending discussions past online forums and emails to actual face- to-face interactions. We look forward to these discussions, and shaping our future papers and projects around them. This Friday, soon after our paper is distributed, members of our editorial board will be at a table outside of the Caf. Stop by to ask us questions, offer suggestions, or just to chat about an article. You can also always contact us through email (Guilfordian@guilford.edu), Twitter (@TheGuilfordian), or Facebook (www. facebook.com / theguilfordian). The editorial board of the Guilfordian consists of five SEatON EDITORS, A PHOTO EDITOR, LAYOUT EDITOR, WEB EDITOR, t DIVERSITY COORDINATOR, ADVERTISING MANAGER, VIDEO EDITOR, f EXECUTIVE PRINT COPY EDITOR, EXECUTIVE WEB COPY EDITOR, } SOCIAL JUSTICE EDITOR, MANAGING EDITOR, AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, Reflecting Guilford College's core Quaker values, the TOPICS AND CONTENT OF STAFF EDITORIALS ARE CHOSEN THROUGH ' CONSENSUS OF ALL 16 EDITORS. mmm
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 4, 2011, edition 1
9
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75