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The Pendulum
Thursday, February 16, 1984
Editorials
Sponsors detract from Olympics
When you think of the Olym
pics, the athletes and the
games immediately come to
mind. Athletes spend years
preparing themselves for their
events.
But amateur athletes are not
the only people in the United
States who take advantage of
the Olympic competition. Prob
ably more visible than the
athletes in the competition be
tween the advertisers — the
“official Olympic sponsors.”
The average person may not
know the names of the U.S. fi
gure skaters or other U.S. con
tenders, but most people recog
nize Budweiser as one of many
official Olympic sponsors.
Campbell’s is the official
Winter Olympics soup. Con
verse is the official running
shoe, Chevrolet is the official
car and truck. United is the
official airline, Chapstick the
official lip balm, Centrum is
the official vitamin, Levi’s the
official outfitter. K-Mart,
McDonald’s and Beatrice food
products are all official spon
sors.
After the events are over
some of the same advertisers
will then hire the Olympic win
ners to promote their products.
Remember Bruce Jenner and
Wheaties? Susie (Call-Me-
Susie-Chapstick) Chafe? Peggy
Fleming and Trident gum?
Dorothy Hamill doing shampoo
commercials?
In the capitalist spirit,
businesses across the nation
try to profit from the publicity
and respect attached to the
Olympic games.
Although the advertising
helps bring the Olympics to
many through the television,
the use of the “official Olym
pic” title and Olympic symbol
(five connected rings) with so
many products cheapens and
detracts from the respect held
for the Olympics.
No doubt many people be
nefit from the support of the
advertisers, but it is too bad
they exploit the Olympics’
name by creating their own
competition for bids as “offi
cial Olympic sponsors.”
Letters to the editor
Library realizes
noise problem
To the Editor:
EDB ban! ‘no emergency
By Carol Nix
Staff Writer
In 1974, the National Cancer
Institution first warned that
minute traces of EDB (ethylene
dibromide) caused cancer in
lab animals. By 1977, further
studies linked the pesticides to
genetic defects and reproduc
tive disorders in humans.
The Environmental Protec
tion Agency then began to take
action and proposed to phase
out the agricultural uses of
EDB by giving the industry
three yers to find alternatives.
Recently EDB has been ban
ned from grocery store shelves
in many states (such as Florida
and California) in the form of
cereals, cake mixes, flour and
other grain foods. EPA Chief
William Ruckelshaus has
ordered an immediate halt to
the use of EDB, which has been
widely used to kill pests in agri
cultural products and in stored
grains since 1948.
The adverse effects of EDB
have evidently been known for
quite some time, yet the first
actions to eleviate them from
the public diet were not taken
seriusly until now. Newsweek
magazine states that “earlier
efforts to crack down on EDB
were caught in regulatory tugs
of war that pitted environmen
talists against agriculturists,
EPA against the Department of
Agriculture and EPA scientists
against each other.” Perhaps
such pressure slowed preven
tive measures down for such a
long time. Consumers are not
only scared by such actions,
they are also growing weary of
NO
PieoBLEM
of each student to police him
self and his peers. The libra-
This letter is in response to rians on duty are always will-
numerous articles, letters and ing to help maintain quiet
queries in the Pendulum and when someone comes to them
other campus sources. The lib- with a noise complaint,
rary staff would like everyone If students would like to
to know that we are aware of study in groups, then we sug-
the noise problem in the lib- gest they use the empty clas-
rary. Perhaps the college com- srooms on the second and third
munity does not realize that floors of Alamance. The Varsi-
floors are designated for group ty Grill, game rooms and dormi-
study (main floor) as well as tory lounges are available to
quiet study (second and ground those students who wish to
floors). socialize.
The librarians who work at We believe that the library is
night, when the noise level is a place for serious study and
the greatest, are available for research. We ask for your help
basic reference help. In order in maintaining this philosophy,
to provide that help on the In addition, we solicit your
main floor, they do not have
time to patrol the other floors
of the library. As a result, we
believe it is the responsibility
comments and suggestions.
A1 Jones, head librarian
for the Library staff
Abortion questioned
To the Editor:
1 viewed in horrified fascina-
tion the CBS 60 Minutes
documentary “No Brothers, No
Sisters”, on Feb. 12.
Was the intent to shock or re
pulse American viewers with
Chinese enforcement of the
one child per family quota in- nation. Wake up, America'
stituted to check the over
whelming population growth?
Women deviating from this
fledgling one-child Chinese
mandate are coerced (or, when
cers tell it like it is. They call it
killing in the stomach to keep
the population down!
So much for blunt realities...
“And why behold the note
that is in the brother’s eye, but
consider not the beam that is in
thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:3).
Abortion is a disgrace to our
Bev Stadermann
the pesticide. This has caused nation to “calm down”. And necessary, physically forced)
confusion and chaos in EPA although this substance has to undergo abortions — to have
dealings and consumer health shown up over 77 grocery pro- the state kill their unborn
ducts, and officials have ban- babies!
ned the use of EDHB, the EPA How ghastly!
stresses that “even current Then, realization snapped in
levels ofthe substances pass no ^ dry, brittle twig,
immediate danger to consum- Can we Americans really
ers.” EPA Chief Ruckleshaus view the situation in China as
even stated that there is no n^ore repugnant than our own
emergency, but the banning of society, where women by the
EDB is an effort to “eliminate a niillions, by their own free
long-term, chronic and un- choice, exercise a state given
acceptable health risk.” The right to kill their own unborn
contradictions in this state- babies?
ment are as considerable as Which abortion is really
Crete statistics on such a wide- the damage done by the chaotic ghastlier?
ly used product in our diets! handling of this substance as a The one in which the mother
Perhaps the issue here moves proposed health threat. 's forced by the state to kill her
from EDB to EPA. If a dangerous substance is unborn baby (through abor-
If something is proven to be open and widely used in con- tion), or the one in which the
constant warnings concerning detrimental to the health of our sumer products, it is the EPA’s niother through her own free
the health level of available nation, at any rate, the EPA duty to eleviate it altogether, choice and will, with the aid of
must respond to preserve the Obviously this obligation has the State, chooses to snuff out
protection and security of our been deferred. One cannot the life of her unborn baby?
nation’s health. This agency, help but wonder about possi- It’s time we placid Amer-
however, has chosen an ble other cases of this nature 'cans wake up to the blunt
attempt to divert the public’s that may further threaten our realities of abortion,
apprehensions by urging the national health security. At least the Chinese enfor-
considerations.
Actions taken by the EPA
naturally created public con
cern and apprehension, yet,
with the authorities having no
substantial information on
EDB levels in consumer pro
ducts, the need for previous ac
tion becomes predominate.
The harmful effects of the pes
ticide have long been consi
dered. Certainly ten years is
enough time to draw some con-
and presumably safe products.
The toleration of possible un
safe levels of EDB in our food
products may be attributed to
the apparent lack of knowledge
concerning adverse efffects of
The Pendulum Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editor
Head Photographer
Editorial Editor
Features Editor
Arts Editor
Sports Editor
Adviser
Jo Craven
Loukia Louka
Paul Harris
Carol Nix
Penny Thomas
Felicia Fogleman
Danny Hubbard
Robert Nowell
The Pendulunn welcomes letters, li
mited to 250 words, from our readers.
Longer material may be submitted as
opinion articles. All letters submitted
must t>e signed, and a phone number
given so that the letters validity can be
checked. Editors reserve the right to
edit for length, lit>el, good taste and
accuracy. Our office is located in 208
Long Student Center, phone 584-
2331.
The paper is published by the Con'-
munications Media Board of Eton Col
lege. Founded on October 14,197^'
as the student newspaper sending the
Elon College community. The Pendu
lum is published each Thursday dur
ing the regular terms except for ex
amination and holiday periods. The
Pendulum is printed by The Buriing-
ton Daily Times-News.