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THE TWIG
FEBRUARY 28. 1980
THE
MEREDITH
TWIG
Editor
Assistant Editor
Reporters
Columnists
Sports Editor
Photographers
Business Manager
Circulation Editors
Layout Editors
Cartoonist
Proofreading
Faculty Advisors
COLLEGE
Mary Katherine Pittman
Darla Stephenson
Kathy O’Brien,
Marlene Debo
Beth Giles, Ann Earp,
Kelly Stone, Jill Allen, Laura Moore
Cindy Rinker,
Regine Nickel, Ann Stringfield
Darla Stephenson
Paula Douglas,
Lorri Whittemore, Peggy Williford
Leslie Landis
Suzanne Hill, Margie Snell
Deborah Bartlett,
Sonya Ammons, Susan Jones
Ann Beamon
Ann Earp
Dr. Tom Parramore,
Mr. Bill Norton
Editorial
The Olympic Spirit
The long and painful journey, battling, fatigue and disap
pointment, concentrating when the odds are against you and
chstraction comesfrom all sides. This is the Olympic Spirit - the
driving force behind the athletes performing at Lake Placid this
week and those in training for the 1980 Summer Olympics. This
spirit is the mindset that enables athletes to overcome surprising
obstacles, whether physical, as in the case of Phil Mabre,
American downhill skier, who-won a silver medal in the slolum
competition with a steel plate and four screws in his ankle, or
mental, as in the case of Eric Heiden, the American speedskater,
who maintained remarkable calm and won five gold medals
despite publicity and pressure prior to competition. This same
drive to achieve played a major part in the unprecedented victory
the young U.S. hockey team won over the Russian team. Talent is
surely a factor in the successes, but the undeniable dedication it
takes to achieve these victories is by far the more important
element.
The Olympic Spirit need not be solely associated with athletes
and an international competition held every four years. .Tte^
same drive that motivates amateurs to become champions exiSK
within every person who strives to achieve to the fullest of his or-
her potential, despite failure, sickness, or other set-backs that-
may occur. The Olympic Spirit is the ability to come from behind
in business or academics and the goals achieved by those who
exhibit such determination are no less than the medals won by the
victorious athletes.
MKP
THE TWIG Looks At Its Roots
Since Founders’ Day is an occasion for celebrating the
heritage of our college, a bit of history is offered here on The
TWIG and its origin, according to Mary Lynch Johnson’s, A
History of Meredith College:
“The accounts of College happenings and the alumnae
news were somewhat flat by the time they appeared in the
literary monthly, the Acorn: hence the College newspaper,
the TWIG, was a welcome addition to the student
publications. Three issues of the newspaper appeared at
irregular intervals in the spring of 1921 under the joint
editorship of the editors-in-chief of the Oak Leaves and of the
Acorn, Lidie Penton and Evelyn Bridges. Beginning with
October 7,1921, with Ann Eliza Brewer as editor, it appeared
first as a weekly, then as a biweekly. Doubtless the idea of a
Meredith newspaper received an impetus from the North
Carolina Collegiate Press Association organized in 1920 ‘for
the betterment of college magazines and newspapers.’’’
Happy 59th Birthday, TWIG!!
MKP
International scene looks gloomy
by Regine Nickel
The latest reports from
Afghanistan don’t at all point
towards a stabilization of the
political situation in that
country. The picture in Iran is
grim also. It seems that
neither the students holding
the hostages, nor the govern
ment of Iran are willing to
release the hostages uidess
the Shah is returned for trial
immediately. The special
United Nations Committee is
thereby degraded to rather a
farce.
As if these problems to
world peace were not enough,
there is another trouble-spot
looming ahead. Marshal Josip
Tito, the President and dic
tator of Yugoslavia, is ap
parently dying. The news of
his constantly declining health
has already prompted the
President of the United States
to send a none too gentle
warning to the Soviets. Carter
let several journalists know
that he would feel obliged to
react militarily in some
manner if the Soviets dare
intervene in the Yugoslavian
struggle to adjust politically
after the death of the ailing
Marshal. Most European
governments share the
President’s worry over
Yugoslavia. There is,
however, some concern about
the severity of the President’s
suggestion. After all,
Yugoslavia is regarded as
solidly communist in much
the same way that Canada is
regarded solidly democratic.
That there is great potential
danger for conflict in that line
of thought is rather obvious.
Meanwhile Josip Tito is
hanging on. He defied Hitler
and Stalin as well as Truman,
Johnson, and Adenauer, and
all other aid with strings at
tached. Now, at age 87, he is
trying to defy the amputation
of a leg, heart ailment, kidney
failure, and pneumonia. It is
as if Tito realized that his
brand of ‘Titonian’ com
munism can’t exist without
him. Tito has planned for a
committee of five senior party
members to succeed him.
After his death these men are
supposed to rule the country
jointly. Nobody knows how
well they are going to succeed.
Yugoslavia is a country split
into many sections and the
council reflects this situation.
The political preference of the
members are known to range
from conservative Soviet
communism to almost
Western, liberal socialism.
The future of Yugoslavia is
very much uncertain.
Especially now that both the
United States and the Soviet
Union have made the future of
this country an almost
national interest.
FACT AND FICTION |j \
r
The purpose of a nuclear
plant is to produce electricity -
energy in a form people use
daily. In fossil (coal, oil) or
nuclear plants the process of
generating electricity is
basically 5ie same: a heat
source turns water into steam,
the combined system of a
turbine (engine) and an
electric generator converts
the steam pressure to elec
tricity.
, The Shearon Harris
:-t&clear Power Plant, being
constructed 20 miles from
’;^leigh, will use a
pressurized water reactor, a
•light water reactor consisting
of three water circulation
cycles. 1) In the 1st cycle, the
reactor cycle, atoms of
uranium in the reactor core
(A) split producing heat.
Water circulates through the
core (B), heating to a very
high temperature. This water
is kept under enough pressue
to keep it from turning to
steam. This water is pumped
through' tubes inside steam
generators (C) where it gives
up its heat and returns to the
reactor core to be reheated.
This water does not come into
contact with anything else. It
runs through this cycle in
definitely.
2) In the steam cycle water
on the outside of the tubes in
the steam generator is turned
to steam by the heat trans
ferred from the reactor
cycle. This steam drives the
turbine generator (E) and
produces electricity. The used
steam goes into a condenser
(F) where it is cooled, con
verted to water, and returned
to the steam generators where
the cycle begins again.
3) In the cooling cycle water
from the cooling towers (G) is
piped through the steam
condenser to absorb the heat
from the steam. That water
then flows back to the cooling
towers where it is sprayed
across slats and cooled by the
circulating air in the towers.
The three cycles of the
Shearon Harris Plant are: 1)
toe reactor cycle, 2) the steam
cycle, and 3) the cooling cycle.
These behind-the-scene cycles
are not as complicated as they
may first seem, but there is a
lot of activity to keep the
cycles running smoothly.
Next week; What dangers of
nuclear power?
Stringspeak
by Ann Stringfield
What has happened to
American youth over the last
decade? We used to be such a
lively bunch of humanity -
marching, rioting, sitting-in
and writing letters to the
editor. The counterculture
was always protesting against
toe injustices of the American
system. Are toe injustices
gone now? There is still
prejudice, discrimination,
vast economic inequality and
recently the possibility of
being drafted. So why the
reticence?
Oh, there are a few
protests here and there at
places like Berkley. The
protest marches at NCSU
about the Iranians were in
deed a step in the right
direction. Carolina'has even
managed to get some of the
student body riled about the
draft. They even burned hand
made draft cards. Yet overall,
toe majority of American
youth are complacent. The
establishment is, indeed, quite
pleased with our quieter
nature. Yes, the youth of
America have joined the
establishment. This seems
almost blasphemous to all we
stood for in toe sixties.
This is not to say that the
sixties were exactly nirvana.
Cult heroes such as Timothy
O’Leary are no longer at
tractive. Mind-expanding
uiugs, we finu, are not the
answer. Yet mind expansion
of some sort would be a
welcome change.
What we need is a mantra.
Then we can “let the sunshine
in,” ushering in the new “age
of aquarius.” We’ve got life,
man, so let’s show it. Let’s
rise up against the Ku Klux
Klan, the Russians, the draft -
anything to shotv that we have
a voice - one harmonious
voice. Groovy, man.