Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / March 24, 2010, edition 1 / Page 7
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A War Waged On the Oceans Calley Jones, Staff Writer Whales, the great giants of the ocean, have been capturing the human imagination for centu ries. They were featured in Inuit creation stories, African legends, and more recently, in movies like Free Willy and Whale Rider. This reverence has not precluded the slaughter of these beasts. How ever, hunting whales date back as far as 3,000 BC, but the Industrial Revolution took whaling to an un precedented level. With a long re productive cycle, the populations of whales could not keep up with whaling demands, and in 1986 commercial whaling was banned in order to prevent extinction. According to Andrew Revkin’s article in the New York Times, the ban set by the Interna tional Whaling Commission (IWC) may be coming to an end. A loop hole in the ban allowed the killing of whales for scientific research. It did not set any limitations on such type of whaling. Japan has taken advantage of this loophole by whaling the Antarctic waters under the guise of research, but the country is not hiding the fact that the whale meat from these hunts is sold commercially. Japan has come up with a new proposal for the IWC. They will agree to decrease the “scientific whaling” in the Antarctic if they are allowed to resume commercial whaling on their own waters. This could potentially decrease the number of whales killed every year or it could mean open season again. The Animal Planet show, Whale Wars, highlights the re sponse of the radical Sea Shep herd Conservation Society to the “scientific whaling”. Captain Paul Watson founded the society and made it his goal to enforce the moratorium set by the IWC. The group has taken direct action against the whalers with activities like disabling commercial whaling vessels while in port and ramming them while at sea. Watson who likened the IWC consideration of the Japanese proposal to the nego tiations of the United States with terrorists has continued his actions in the Antarctic. According to Phil Mercer’s recent article for Voice of America, the society claims to have significantly decreased the Japanese whaling, costing them some $70 million throughout their campaign. More informa tion about Sea Shepherd can be found at http://www.seashep- herd.org. The IWC meeting in June will decide the fate of thousands of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises). Will there be a continuation of “scientific re search?” Will Japan be given free rein to hunt in their own back yard? Will whales once more find themselves in danger of extinc tion? Only time will tell. Tennis Preview Jillian Curtis, Staff Writer This year’s 2010 Avenging Angels Tennis Team is shaping up to be one of the most promising athletic teams at Meredith College. They are currently planning on defending their stellar reputation from last season. The 2009 squad was able to win the USA South • Athletic Conference tournament and went on to compete in the NCAA tournament. The 2010 team is looking to match last year’s sea son and prove themselves to be a consistent powerhouse in the USA South. This year’s squad will be led by new head coach Paul Huch. Huch comes from Connecticut College where he served 8 years as head coach of the men’s and wom en’s tennis squads. His invaluable knowledge of college matches will definitely pay off this season. The team is also led by co captains Kathryn Maples and Zan- nah Webster. Maples, last season’s MVP, is a four year varsity senior and is the number one singles player to start the season. Web ster, a junior, is a very hardwork ing committed player who wll be appearing in #3 doubles and #6 singles. Also on the squad is junior Molly Parks. Parks is a very ex perienced player who brings a lot of knowledge and expertise to the team. She will be playing doubles with freshmen Betty Edwards. Edwards has a lot of potential to thrive on the collegiate level and brings a fresh element to the team. The team has been train ing very hard for their season and plans on having the most success- frl run as possible. So far they Player of the Week Jillian Curtis, Staff Writer ► This issue’s Player of the Week is sophomore Logan Hill. Hill is one of the few upperclassmen on this year’s softball team. With outstanding fielding in the outfield, and a consistent hitting record, Hill is an essential asset to the 2010 squad. Hill has been playing softball since she was five. Her love for the game moti vated her to play in college. She loves being part of tlie team and enjoys the opportunity to travel and meet new people. However, because Hill is currently in the process of earning a BS in math with an minor in physical chemistiy as well as a 9-12 secondaiy’ lisecensure, she struggles with finding enough time to balance all of her activites. Hill hopes to improve her hitting, and will continue to work on that through out the season. With Hill’s help, it’s easy to predict that the team should be ' veiy successful this season. Hill’s prediction is that they should finish in the ■ top 3 of their conference. have already won their first match against Southern Virginia 7-2. The team is looking forward to proving themselves to be a dominant threat in the conference. Come out to sup port the Angels in their next home game against arch rival Peace on Wednesday April 7th at 3 PM.
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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March 24, 2010, edition 1
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