Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / March 18, 1980, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page two Editorial Earth -shaking life It's a sad occasion when one of the greatest scientific achievements of mankind goes unheralded by the common man, but it's happened. Nowhere in America has coverage of Voyagers I and ll's journeys through our solar system rocked the headlines of daily newspapers. But these two fantastic craft have been sending back information to Earth which should be shaking the living rooms of our country. Just recently, as Voyager II completed its survey of Jupiter and its moons, the craft found that the Jovian atmosphere is continually crackling with lightning. Scientists hypothesize that this lightning could be sparking the synthesis of the essential chemical compounds of life. Why weren't we riveted to our T V. sets as the spacecraft sent back its stunning photos, as we were -when watching Neil Armstrong make those first historic steps on the moon? Where was that exhilarating feeling of conquering, of knowledge, of accomplishment? Since this discovery of the possible beginnings of life on another planet wasn't tainted at all by any hints of a "patriotic" race against the Russians like Kennedy's Apollo program, the feeling should have been twice as intense. But it wasn't. Instead, I had to read about the discovery buried in an amazing National Geographic article. The Jovian atmosphere, which is broken into three distinct cloud belts separated by clouds of helium and hydrogen and moving at great speeds, is remarkably similar in composition to the atmosphere scientists believe surrounded primordial earth. Life! Being formed on a planet in our own solar system! And no one blinds an eye. Bombardment of a so-called "primordial soup" -- a mixture ot ammonia, water, hydrogen, and other elements of an early planet's atmosphere -- has produced the chemical building blocks of life under laboratory conditions. Scientists hypothesize that the same thing could be occurring now on Jupiter. Life! Being formed on a planet in our own solar system! And no one blinks an eye. Perhaps humans have been numbed by the dizzying rate of scientific progress; a mere discovery like Voyager's ceases to phase us. That's a depressing diagnosis. As science continues to make leaps and bounds ahead, there's a greater need for increased interest, and not the complacency current accomplishments are met with. Yes, Virginia, there are still more amazing things to be found, so don't lose hope. But when found, these discoveries must be probed, tossed around, and thought over. The old spirit of complete elation coupled with careful questioning as to what's that mean or how can we use it, are we going too fast or in the right direction, needs to be rejuvenated. Laissez-faire doesn't work with science. Even the cherished theory of evolution, eagerly swallowed by post-Darwinians, shouldn't be immune from challenge, especially since man seems to have evolved the power to influence evolution itself in such drastic ways. But for now, there's Jupiter. I wish I could stay around for a few millenniums and watch the possible formation of life occur right before my eyes. Maybe I'll hitch a ride up there on a space shuttle. Gmlforcliaii Editor Brian Carey Layout Editors Stephen Harvey, Sharon Ehly News Editor Paul Holcomb Features Editor Gordon Palmer Sports Editor Leesa Shapiro Photography Editor Stephen Lowe Business Managers Frank and Mary Merritt Columnists Douglas Hasty, Bryan Smith, Cwen Bikis Campus Contact Tamara Frank Circulation JoostDeWit, Frank and Mary Merritt Layout Austin Burns, Russell Tucker, Carrie Hack man, Tamara Frank Joel Richon, Fred King Cartoonists Dave jewett, Karl Stephan, Paul Swain Typing Susan Franklin The Guilfordian reserves the right to edit all articles, letters, and artwork for taste, veracity, and length. The deadline for all copy is midnight on the Friday preceeding the Tuesday of publication. Articles may be left on the office door in upstairs Founders, or mailed to Box 17717. The opinions expressed by the staff are their own and not those of the paper or of Guilford College. By Brian Carey Editor Guilfordian Hfl rv?y Choir praised Dear Editor: I recently had the good fortune to accompany the Guil ford College Choir on their Northeastern tour during spring break, and I would like to thank Ed Lowe and the choir for a memorable and enjoyable week. Members of the choir not only showed their musical talents, but also served as excellent ambassadors for the college. At every place the choir performed, people would com ment to me about their enthu siasm, attractive appearance, and sense of unity. Off stage, the choir members worked hard to keep one another's spirit up and maintain unity in the group. I was pleased and proud to be included in such a group; I feel as though I made forty new friends. I hope that members of the Guilford community will take the opportunity to hear the choir perform. I guarantee they will provide fine entertainment! Sincerely, Sara J. Bohn, Admissions Counselor Cinderblock box Dear Editor: I am writing concerning the extensive furbishings of the Drama Department's studio "down under." Yes, you're right -- I'm writing about rela tively nothing, notwithstanding that strangely stained and crud dy grey carpet. I thank Cod for long legs whenever I tread on it. Oh yes ~ there is some paint on the wails, along with some insulation on the ceiling, making that cinderblock box resemble the inside of a Frigi daire before they became frost free. Money is being appropriated right and left for the jocks, jockettes, and athletic suppor ters of this school. Witness the plywood-and -styrofoam circus tent of the Ragan-Brown gym. How many coffee cups did they melt down to insulate that? The Drama Department here is definitely hurting. Heat would even be a start along the road to cheering up that subter ranean frozen wasteland. May be the Drama women would thaw out a little if their body International Dinner The time for the annual International Dinner is fast approaching. It will be held on Sunday, March 23rd at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. You are invited tocomeand share exotic dishes from many lands. This extent is sponsored by the International Relations Club. We encourage you to bring a dish for 8 to share, which would entitle you to 2 free tickets; you may purchase tickets at $2.00 per student. Tickets are on sale from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. untill Wednesday, March 19th in Founders Lobby. Entertainment for the evening will include an international fashion show. betters to lE&itur All Letters must be submitted to the Guilfordian at Box 17717 by Friday night, and should be no longer than 200 words.' Names may be withheld if requested by the author in person or in writing. temperature weren't continual ly kept at such an extreme level of frigidity. Come on, you damn powers that-be, what about a little something for the entertainers hereabouts? I'm not exactly an aspiring Broadway star, but if I was, I'd sure be angry at, and ready to tangle with, the bung ling administrative budgeteers of this supposedly liberal arts college. Sincerely, A Friend of Those "Down Under" Celebrate! Dear Editor This place is really getting crowded! Pretty soon there won't be any private space left. We'll have to fight just to have room to breathe. Where did all the people come from? Oh! Hi there. I didn't realize I had company. I don't usually talk about world problems in front of strangers. I wouldn't have said anything if I had known you were listening. Well, I guess I owe you an explanation. I was just looking out the window and couldn't help realizing how crowded this spaceship is getting. And when I thought about it, I couldn't help but reflect about what's been happening to the environ ment over the last ten years. You know, there was a big celebration ten years ago. They called it Earth Day. It was just around the time that people Coming: Southern Symposium Guilford College News Bureau The Patrick/Newlin Sympos ium on Southern History will be held Friday, March 28, in Founders Hall at Guilford Col lege. The public is invited without charße. The first session, lasting from 3 to 5 p.m., will feature three speakers: Robert Calhoun of UNC-G, Charles Wolfe of Mid dle Tennessee State University and the Folklife Institute of the Library of Congress and Doug las Helms of the National Archives. There will be a public recep tion from 5 to 6 p.m. with the two-hour evening session be ginning at 7:30 with talks by George McDaniel, Sydney Na- March 18, 1980 were realizing that we lived on a spaceship.That's right, Space ship EARTH. A lot has changed since then. The '7o's were known as the environmental decade. People really began to be concerned about the effects that their actions would have on nature. Yes, Earth Day really seemed to spark things off. The enthusiasm didn't last long though. To be sure, there are still environmentalists a round. Their numbers are pro bably on the increase. But the spirit of the movement did not last very long People turned on the environmentalists, accusing them of standing in the way of progress. They treated environmental ists like oil embargoes. Ignore them and maybe they will go away. No one wanted to accept the fact that we do live on a spaceship. They kept applying their "technological fixes" and postponing the inevitable. The environmentalists fought back, though, and they fought back hard. Sometimes they won; sometimes they lost. Sev eral rivers got cleaned up, but several others got more pol luted. Most sewage plants stopped (or lowered) their pollu tion of streams. Instead, they started dumping the sewage into the ocean. Then nuclear power became a big issue. A lot of people forgot about the other environmental see 'Earth Day' page six thans of Duke University and Alexander Stoesen of Guilford College. Topics will be: Calhoun -- "Faith and Consciousness in Early Southern Culture;" Wolfe -- "Religious Experience and Expression in Appalachia;" Helms -- "The 801 l Weevil Depression: The Cotton 801 l Weevil and Changes in Sou thern Agriculture;" McDaniel -- "Preserving Family History in the South: Black Family Life in the Stagville Plantation: A Case Study;" Nathans -- "The Chan ging Role of the Southern Rural Black Community since Sla very;" and Stoesen -- "Liquor, Jails and Airports: Glimpses of Guilford County's Past."
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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March 18, 1980, edition 1
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