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WORLD & NATION WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM Shutdown: nation undecided BY ADITYA GARG iTAfp WurriR Shutdown. At midnight on Sept. 30, the U.S. government shut down. As the dock ticked down to the start of a new fiscal year. Congress was unable to resolve its differences and pass a new spending bill, fordng the federal government to shut down. After 16 days of political brinksmanship, on Od. 17, Congress passed a temporary spending bill, authorizing government spending and raising the debt ceiling. The bill's source of contention stemmed from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Ad, dubbed Obamacare. House Republicans insisted that any new spending bill indude provisions to defund, derail and/or postpone the implementation of Obamacare — a condition too steep for Senate Democrats. "It's not surprising," said Sanjay Marwah, assistant professor of justice and policy studies. "Congress has always played games, and this is not the first time we are witnessing the result of Congress's inability to compromise." According to a CNN analysis, more than 800,000 government workers were furloughed due to the shutdown. Despite opposition by Senator Ted Cruz and his hard- right Tea Pady, the vote to reopen the government passed, extending the debt ceiling until Feb. 7 and authorizing spending levels until Jan. 15. But chances of another shutdown early next year loom large, and Norman Omstein, political scientist and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has low expectations for compromise. "I have very small hopes that there will be a budget deal from the Budget Committees conference by fire given date," Omstein said in an email interview with The Guilfordian. "The odds of a deal are about 25 percent." Kelsey Reppert, a first-year at North Carolina State University, is also still concerned. "One of the many organizations to suffocate due to the shutdown was the National Science Foimdation," Reppert said in an email interview. 'The NSF funds Research Experience for Undergraduates, a summer program that connects imdergraduates from across the country with researchers at universities. "If the NSF is uncertain about funding, I, along with many students and professors, will not be able to do research this upcoming summer." Perhaps of most concern, however, is the impact on the domestic economy. The government is the country's largest employer and the shutdown will inevitably create ripples throughout the economy. "The government shutdown caused uncertainty in the market," said Natalya Shelkova, assistant professor of economics. "Uncertainty and a lack of confidence will only worsen the condition of the economic recovery." Former Michigan governor and president of Business Roundtable John Engler agreed. "America's business leaders are extremely disappointed by the failure of the nation's political leaders to reach agreement on funding the basic operations of the federal government," Engler told The Guilfordian in an email interview. "At a time when both parties should be focused on job creation and policies to accelerate growth, their chronic disagreement and gridlock are actually imdermining confidence, putting people out of work and hurting the economy," he said. The recent shutdown was the first in nearly 18 years and the third longest in U.S. history. The question now remains: will Congress learn from its past mistakes, or will Americans see another shutdown come January? Climate change report receives mixed reponses BY OLIVIA NEAL Stapp WiiiTeit "It's killing the bees, and if the bees die, we die," said junior Hannah Shewel when asked to speak about climate change. Hme recently reported that the mortality rate in honeybees has risen from 10 to 30 percent in the last five years. Like Shewel, students have unique responses to the recent U.N. report on global warming, but the consensus seems to be in agreement with the International Panel on Climate Change's findings — that global warming is caused by humans. Conducted every six years, the IPCC climate change report recently declared that scientists were 95 percent sure that humans play a major role in climate change. This number has been steadily rising over the years, and environmentalists are hoping that this will act as a wake up call. The IPCC suggested that policies be implemented to stop greenhouse gas emissions but provided no specifics regarding policy structure or enactment. "Global temperature equilibrium would be reached only after centuries to millennia if radiative forcing were stabilized," the report said. "A large fraction of climate change is largely irreversible on human time scales, unless net human-created carbon dioxide emissions were strongly negative over a sustained period." Opponents of the report insist that the policies are not as critical as the IPCC suggests. "IPs going to be 70 years before we see any harm from climate change, and meanwhile we're seeing quite a lot of harm firom climate policies," said British journalist Matt Ridley in an interview with BBC. In his article for The Wall Street Journal, Ridley further decries the prospect of new policies, saying that the "effect of climate change will be positive for humankind and the planet." While criticism such as Ridley's is prevalent, many support the creation of new policies. "We know our climate is changing and the report offers ways in which we can mitigate and adapt to these changes," said Kyle Dell, associate professor of political science, in an email interview. "Policy changes are going to be required regardless of what we believe. The only question is this: will we make the additional sacrifices in the short term to realize a better planet for generations to come?" While some question the report and suggest the influence of political bias. Assistant Professor of Justice and Policy Studies Sanjay Marwah and Professor of Geology David Dobson uphold the IPCC's credibility. "There've been a lot of controversies and criticisms about challenging the credibility," said Marwah. "The IPCC has made a significant effort and systematically addressed the concerns. No one can fully validate the report, but the IPCC tried to make sure it wasn't based on just one group or one study." "The IPCC always seems to do a good job," said Dobson. "I think the people who criticize it usually have an agenda that's not scientific." But above all else is the message of the IPCC report: climate change is here, and we must take measures to stop it. Awareness is the first step. "If we don't know about it, we can't do anything to change it," said Lily Collins, sophomore and the sustainability chair of the Community Senate. Breast cancer awareness month seeks to inform BY CHRISTIANNA VAN DALSEN STA#F W«ITiH Cancer hits the news daily — treatment, research, diagnosis, statistics and the plight of the patients. And while it is true that all cancers are forces to be reckoned with, you have probably heard about one in particular this month. It is October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to Breastcancer.org, for women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher ffian those for any other cancer, barring lung cancer. One in eight U.S. women will have invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. A Guilford student who chose to remain anonymous shared her experience with breast cancer in the family. "I remember seeing my granny's head shaved and her rapidly losing weight; I was scared," she said. "I was young and didn't understand why she was sick... I thank God she survived." Andrea Nuget is also a breast cancer survivor in Stage IV, No Evidence of Disease. "My son, who was two years old at the time of my diagnosis, inspired me to get up each day and fight with all my might," Nuget told Women's Health Magazine. "He told me each day that he was going to take care of me and make me feel better." Family has also inspired sophomore Chris Campolieta, son of a breast cancer survivor. "I buy bracelets and I sell them just for donations," Campolieta said. "People give me a dollar for one or 20 dollars for one, just depending on how much they want to donate. I'm just trying to get the whole Guilford community involved." At both a community and worldwide level. Breast Cancer Awareness Month opens eyes and facilitates the chance for change. It encourages communication between women and their doctors and other safe practices like mammograms and breast self-exams. "In the best hands, mammography is about 85 percent effective in picking up cancer," said Cecilia Brennecke, a writer for Breastcancer.org, on the website. "But if a woman feels there is something wrong with her breast and the test comes back showing that everyffdng is normal, she may think she can ignore what she thought she felt. That's not a good idea; she needs to take things a step further." If your family has had no prior encounter with the disease, you might think that you have avoided breast cancer all together. However, about 85 percent of women diagnosed have no history of breast cancer in their family. Fortunately, by staying away from breast cancer risk enhancers — chemicals in cosmetics, light exposure at night and alcohol consumption — you can reduce your risk of being diagnosed. But is there a surefire way to prevent breast cancer? "I don't think you can stop breast cancer or any type of cancer, but our generation needs to be more aware that cancer is real and it takes a lot of people's lives," said Campolieta. "I think more pung adults need to take a stand and do some fundraisers, get involved with the research... because one day, it could affect you or someone really close to you." • • • • #### ¥ T 1 T tiff T ¥ T ¥ Cl in WOMEN WILL DEVELOP BREOST CONGER IN THEIR LIFETIMES
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Oct. 25, 2013, edition 1
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