Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Sept. 25, 2003, edition 1 / Page 5
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The Pendulum Opinions Thursday, September25, 2003 • Page 5 International news that may be appealing to Elon Jessica Patchett Columnist Editor’s note: This column will appear weekly while Jessica is studyingabroad in London. My British coworkers knew there was a hurricane headed for my home state before I did. Last week, when I went to work at Church House Publishing, I was vaguely aware that a hurricane had formed in the Atlantic and that, as with any other hurricane, there was some chance it might hit the North Carolina coast. It wasn’t until Wednesday morning, a day before the storm was to hit land, that I picked up the story on the morning news. That day, Isabel was the leading headline on morning news shows and in daily newspapers and was the topic of conversation at the office. Apparently, my coworkers had been tracking the storm’s progress for a couple of days. After a short North Carolina geography lesson and a recount of my personal experience of Hurricane Hugo, my coworkers understood the threat Isabel posed to North Carolina and my family, as well as friends, home and school. One person in the office expressed great sympathy for the Americans living in the storm’s path, noting it was an interesting experience following the storm with someone directly affected by it. Another coworker showed me how aware British citizens are of American news - and how unin formed the American public appears to be of British news. International news may be the most unappealing section of the newspaper for some students, as they have little invested in the affairs outside Elon and their hometowns. But I have found a wealth of news stories of great interest to American students, even to Elon students in particular. So, I’ve compiled a list of United Kingdom connections you may or may not be aware of as the American public - some of which you may wish to follow in the weeks and months to come. David Blaine enters third week of - well - not doing any thing- Obstructing one of the most beautiful views of Tower Bridge and a highly trafficked commuter pattern in central London, Magician Blaine lounges in a glass box, hovering over a daily crowd of hundreds of spec tators. Viewers have come with flags, signs, bare breasts, eggs and even a remote control helicopter to catch the starving man’s atten- Jessica Patchett tion. From the Thames River, the cruise boat I rode Saturday blast ed an air horn to distract Blaine from the tireless crowd in hopes of a wave. The master of illusions obliged and the boat captain and several British cruisers snickered. “Look at that crowd- He should at least perform some tricks or something.” “Stupid American- He didn’t know what he was in for when he started this whole thing.” Most British citizens who have voiced their opinions in local newspapers are cynical of the star’s stunt, while others have petitioned the government to take the glass box down as it adds up to an hour to their daily commute, according to the Times. Blaine has claimed he will stay in the box for a total of 44 days. Books are not priced at a fair cost Elyse Rodriguez Columnist Wow! Look at all that money you’ve saved up! Now you can go spend it on a solitary college book. Not exactly what you want to hear, is it? Nevertheless, the con tinuous rise in book prices is burning a hole in the pocket of many students. Not to mention you can’t even feel the relief of paying for your semester’s tuition because there is another tidal wave of payment for books! The reason most students put up with expensive books is because they want to pay for as good an education as they can. This makes perfect sense, but the increasingly high prices are in a way a form of ransom for our edu cation. The makers of such books know that college kids need to buy them; therefore they are cre ating a sort of monopoly on our leftover funds from tuition. I’m not saying that I’m against paying for books altogether, but 1 am against paying over $400 a semester for books I will never read again. In my leisure time, I would like to dive into my used $1 mys tery by Mary Higgins Clark rather than pick up my $108 General Statistics textbook and once again read up on the many ways of sam pling. I understand that the second scenario may be appealing to Krispy Kreme to be ‘HOT’ in Britain next month- The Winston - Salem based donut company will open a store in the famous Harrod’s department store this October. I spotted a Krispe Kreme donut box the week I arrived in London and searched fervently, but unsuccessfully, for a ‘HOT NOW’ sign. But accord ing to The Sunday Times, it will soon be easier to spot the neon lights as 25 Krispe Kreme stores are to open in the UK in the next five years. Its hard to predict if America’s favorite donut will give the British a reason to switch from morning tea to coffee, but Elon students abroad soon will be able to enjoy a North Carolina treat missing even from Alamance County. American Women enjoy pro fessional success in the UK- A Financial Times special report dubbed American women “over paid, overgroomed and over here.” Since the early 1990’s, American women have climbed the British company ladder with their “entrepreneurial spirit” and intense focus and determination. In addition to securing high pay ing and high profile jobs in the British workforce, professional American women are still more likely to have young children than their British counterparts. In addi tion to holding a strong reputation for balancing personal and profes sional lives, American women are known to have an impeccable sense of style and presentation - an expectation most Elon women should have no trouble fulfilling should they pursue a career in Britain. Anglican primates to rule on Episcopal ordination of homo sexual priest- The worldwide Anglican Communion will meet mid-October in London to discuss the controversial vote of the American Episcopalian church to ordain a practicing homosexual for service in the church. Diverse theological stances on human sex uality have threatened to split not only the Anglican Church, but also most other mainstream denominations investigating the accepted or appropriate role of homosexuals in the Christian church. An official Anglican vote against the American Episcopal Church’s election of a homosexu al priest could heighten the already fiery debate between con servatives and liberals in all denominations worldwide. Contact Jessica Patchett at pen- dulum@elon.edu or 278-7247. some people, but it all depends on interests. I think everyone can relate when I ask, who wants to pay for something that will never be put to good use in the future? Yes, of course you can sell back the book if it’s in good condition, but soon or later the teacher will want a new edition. Then what? You just blew a good amount of money on a book you’ll never use again. Maybe it was a used book, but it’s a substantial amount of money nevertheless. You can call me cheap, but I think you can all agree with want ing to put your money to good use at the fair price. Contact Elyse Rodrigueez at pen- duIum@elon.edu or 278-7247. Thumbs Up 1. Beautiful weather 2. Fall break is quickly approaching 3. The football team is on a winning streak 4. Baseball pennant races 5. Hurricane Isabel was nothing more than heavy rain and some wind Thumbs Down 1. Getting a sunburn at the football game on Saturday 2. Lack of Student support for Elon athletic teams 3. Acoms falling on your head 4. Chick“fil-a fries are not on the meal plan 5. Scratchy toilet paper in the dorms
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Sept. 25, 2003, edition 1
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