8
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY ‘27, 2008
a
NATHAN NYANJOM
A DIFFERENT ANGLE
Nathan Nyanjom is a senior biology
major from Columbia, Md.
e-mail, nyanjomoemail unc.edu
Sharing
presidency
won’t pacify
Kenyans
TT f war is ever lawful, then
I peace is sometimes sinful,"
JL wrote author C.S. Lewis.
Kenya has been transformed
through a disputed December
presidential election into a war
tom country, in which a thousand
people have died because of fight
ing between two traditional ethnic
tribes.
Tlie United Nations and United
States government's solution for
Kenya is to see the two men who
competed for the presidency
share- power incumbent Mwai
Kibaki of Kikuyu tribal heritage
and challenger Raila Odinga of
Luo descent. By Inning these two
men share power as joint leaders
in anew govern
ment, former
Secretary-
AT-LARGE
COLUMNIST
General of the United Nations
Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice argue that
the ongoing violence in Kenya will
lx- able to cease quickly and that
peace will be restored between
these- two tribes.
However, this shared power
plan that Annan and Rice speak
of is flawed, and the vision of
peace that these two world lead
ers speak of is —as C.S. Lewis
puts it sinful.
The people of Kenya went
to the polls on Dec. 27 wanting
change from President Kibaki.
and in polls leading up to the elec
tion. Odinga was projected as the
leading candidate.
Then the corruption began.
Despite losing in half of Kenya’s
regions outright and having elec
tion officials confess that they
were pressured into making quick
announcements. Kibaki swore
himself in as president days after
the election.
Odinga and his supporters
refused to accept the election
results, and ethnic fighting
throughout the country has
ensued.
Although a solution is needed,
the one proposed by Annan and
Rice is not the one.
To think about it in more
familiar terms. Democrats and
Republicans here in America both
know and agree that we need
change from President Bush.
Would we, however, have issue
with a government led by both
Bush and the winner of the 2008
presidential election?
There were a lot of Americans
upset after the presidential elec
tion of2ooo and the fiasco that
was Florida, but the notion of a
presidency shared by Bush and
Gore was never suggested.
We wouldn't stand for it, to say
the least.
Yet, that is exactly what Annan
and Rice have suggested.
Annan and Rice aigue that by
having Kibaki and Odinga share
power, peace will be ensured since
both of these men's tribes will have
an equal say in government
While it can lx* aigued that the
plan of shared power will bring
peace to Kenya the quickest, peace
will also come if Odinga is made
the country's sole leader. After all,
that was the form of presidency
voted on by the majority of Kenya
in the Dec. 27 election.
Even if peace would ensue with
Rice and Annan's plan in the short
term, would it continue in the long
run? Eventually Kikuyus would
voice their frustration that Kibaki
was only a co-president, and Luos
similarly would be angered that
Odinga shared his office seat.
Since neither the solution of an
individual president nor a shared
presidency will eliminate all tribal
tension, and since peace will arise
regardless of the decision to have
Odinga gain power that Ls sole or
shared, the most democratic action
should be taken, and that Ls install
ing the election’s winner Odinga
—as Kenya’s sole president.
When people want change, they
vote for it —that's the democratic
way. American voters know this,
and our government upholds it
Although the going in Kenya
right now Ls tough, democracy
must not go. The world communi
ty must uphold Kenya’s democratic
election and support a vision of
Kenya led by only Raila Odinga.
EDITORIAL CARTOON By Terrence Nowicki, The Western Front
‘YOU PANSY! COfAE BACK AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN.'! I'LL KICK YER BUTT!
A healthy image
Week should help raise awareness of eating disorders
With less than two
weeks left until Spring
Break, you might have
stepped on a scale in the past
few days, tried on a swimsuit or
eaten one too many desserts and
then decided you needed to do
something to change your body.
That’s just the kind of
thinking that National Eating
Disorder Awareness Week
aims to combat.
In a country home to about
10 million women and one mil
lion men with either anorexia
or bulimia and 25 million with
binge eating disorder, it’s obvi
ous a certain level of dissat
isfaction with our bodies has
become the norm.
The good news is that in
addition to hosting events
this week dedicated to raising
awareness about the preva
lence and danger of eating dis
orders, UNC has a great treat
ment program for them.
The UNC Eating Disorders
Talkin’ about some evolution
Florida makes right call to mandate teaching evolution
In a move that is sure to
raise some ire among lib
erals and evangelicals
alike, the Florida State Board of
Education passed an act Feb. 19
mandating that Charles Darwin’s
theory of evolution be taught in
even- public classroom.
The somewhat controver
sial caveat of the act is that it
specifies that evolution must be
taught exactly as it Ls labeled: the
“scientific theory of evolution."
The Sunshine State is on to
something here, and the rest
of the country. North Carolina
included, could take a hint.
Before anyone gets up in arms
about the disclaimer attached to
evolution, we mast point out that
the terminology is accurate.
By definition, evolution is a
theory. It isn’t fully scientifically
proven, and there is not a clear
consensus on all the details.
For instance, scientists still
debate over whether evolution
occurs by creeps, a gradual
process, or by jerks, in sudden
changes.
Regardless of the controver
sy, however, it’s still vital that
evolution is taught in schools
The right to choose
Military aptitude test should be opt-in, not given to all
Juniors at Cedar Ridge High
School in Hillsborough
had an extra test to take
this year.
But unlike other tests, this
one didn’t count for a grade.
Instead, juniors took the Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery test, a test that helps
the Army determine the skills
and abilities of test-takers.
Taking the ASVAB is not
mandatory, and students were
given the choice of opting out
of taking the test. Nevertheless,
the school should go back to
the previous system, when stu
dents had to sign up for the test
themselves.
Beginning this year all
juniors were signed up to take
the test, regardless of their
interest in the military, so that
Opinion
Program was the first inpa
tient facility to open in North
Carolina, South Carolina or
Virginia. It offers partial hos
pitalization. inpatient care and
outpatient treatment.
And w-ith the prevalence
of eating disorders, particu
larly on college campuses, it’s
important to have that kind of
treatment available.
Of the one in five women
who struggle with some level of
eating problems, 90 percent are
between the ages of 12 and 25.
One study reported that 91
percent of women surveyed on
a college campus had attempted
dieting as a means of control
ling their weight, and 22 per
cent dieted often or always.
Much of the cause of eating
disorders can be traced to faulty
cognitions regarding body
image and unhealthy behav
iors, and the Eating Disorders
Program targets this with cog
nitive-behavioral therapy.
because it is the leading theory
on how life came to be as it is.
Any student entering a uni
versity should definitely have
a basic understanding of the
theory- of evolution.
Many fields, from psychol
ogy to anthropology to biology,
have parts of their disciplines
intertwined with the concepts
of Darwin's theory-.
Not teaching students about
evolution in public high school
only puts them two steps behind
everyone else w hen they get to
college. Public education has
a duty to teach students infor
mation they will be expected to
know later in life.
It wouldn’t hurt however, also
to teach about the parts of evolu
tionary theory that are lacking in
evidence and bring up potential
counterarguments.
We’re certainly not advocating
the teaching of creationism in
schools, but alternative theories
to evolution do bring up impor
tant points that evolutionary
theory still must address. And
making sure students under
stand that there is still some
uncertainty will surely spark
the administration of the test
did not seem like it was being
used as a recruitment tool.
Much like going to college or
working at a fast food restau
rant, enlisting in the military' is
not an option everyone wants
to pursue after high school.
Students are not corralled
into taking aptitude tests in
high school for a career at
McDonald’s, and the same
should apply for the Army.
Instead, students should be
allowed to pursue their ow-n
interests regarding their futures.
They should be made aware of
their options, including the mil
itary, because the military cer
tainly is a viable choice for many,
but it should still be a choice.
Furthermore, even though
students have the option now of
But it’s far from just internal
motivation that drives people
to develop eating disorders;
American society plays a huge
ly detrimental role.
When we look to the outside
world for reassurance that our
bodies are OK, all we find are
100-Calorie Packs, magazines
plastered with “15 Ways to Look
Great in Your Swimsuit' and
drugs to help in case we can’t
lose the pounds on our own.
It’s unfortunate that such
treatment centers are becom
ing increasingly necessary- in
our country, but it’s good that
schools like UNC have respond
ed and created effective pro
grams to address the issue and
provide treatment.
Whether you diet obsessive
ly, compulsively eat or maintain
a healthy lifestyle, this week’s
events can provide a basis for
you to become more informed
and better able to promote a
healthy body image.
critical and informed thought.
Part of teaching theories
involves recognizing their limi
tations. Without that crucial
information, nobody will know
that there are holes that need
to be fixed, and no new, more
accurate ideas will arise. It’s only
by tackling these shortcomings
that theories get better.
After all. the point of educa
tion is to create an informed
citizenry enlightened enough
to participate in workings of
the American democracy and
otherwise contribute to society.
Anytime we decide either to
delude or shield our children
from knowledge and debate,
we’re doing them a disservice as
well as depriving ourselves of an
informed population.
Give the students evolution
ary theory straight with all the
evidence and let the them do the
critical thinking for themselves.
An act in the same vein by-
North Carolina would allow for
both sides of the debate to be
reasonably appeased, but more
importantly, allow- schools to
get on with the job of educat
ing our children.
opting out of taking the ASVAB,
many will feel like they- have to
take it or risk being ostracized.
Indeed, there were rumors of
students being disciplined for
choosing not to take the test,
although they were refuted by
the Cedar Ridge principal.
Although the school does not
release the results of the test to
the Army without the students’
permission, there’s no reason to
think that students won’t feel
pressured to do that, as well,
and thus potentially allow the
military access to a great deal
of their personal information
without them actually w-anting
to release it
Students should be made
aware that the test is being given
and the benefits to taking it but
it should be an opt-in system.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“What transpired in December holds
no bearing on my dedication to
serving the students”
ANDREW COONIN, CM PRESIDENT-ELECT, ON DWI CHARGE
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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UNC fails to promote safe,
free expression on campus
TO THE EDITOR:
The University continues to
claim that there is no bias on this
campus, but 1 have to object. Not
only is there institutional bias
against pro-life students in par
ticular, but this campus is not a
safe place for any ideas that chal
lenge the status quo.
Example after example of pro
life students being subjected to
harassment, insults and threats
even at the hands of our own
professors have been reported to
University officials. In the past four
and a half years. 1 have received
repeated insults and even death
threats. My tires were slashed a
few months ago. Our group mate
rials have been vandalized while in
University storage.
This morning I awoke to a
phone call telling me that our
Pit cube had been defaced with
hateful graffiti, and I would have
to paint it for the third time in a
week. The first time it was defaced
was because of overzealous N.C.
State students, and this time it was
because of close-minded and vio
lent idiots at my own university .
The cube had been painted to
publicize Dr. John Diggs’ lecture
at 7 p m. tonight in Peabody 218.
Diggs will be speaking on the
medical and racist effects of abor
tion. If you disagree. I encourage
you to challenge his notions with
intelligent questions rather than
stooping to immature tactics like
graffiti on a Pit cube.
1 also sincerely hope that the
University will begin to take
these violent acts seriously and
work to create a safe environ
ment for all students.
Ashley Tyndall
President
Carolina Students for Life
That pirating music hurts
small music stores is sad
TO THE EDITOR:
With the recent news of the
upcoming closing of Schoolkids
Records on Franklin Street, 1
must admit I’m feeling a bit sad
and sentimental.
After more than 30 years in
business, one of Franklin Street’s
biggest landmarks will join the
growing list of small businesses
closing shop over recent months.
When asked about the store’s
declining sales. Schoolkids owner
Mike Phillips put at least a portion
of the blame on music piracy.
Believe me w-hen I say I know
all about a shortage of funds when
it comes to buying luxuries like
CDs; I’ve ripped as much music
as the next broke student
There’s a delicate balance
between buying all of your music
(an albeit unreasonable alterna
tive) and pirating it all.
What people don’t realize
when they rip music is that the
fat-w-alleted record execs aren't
the only ones paying the price.
Eventually the bill trickles back
down to independent record
stores, such as our ow-n that will
be closing next month.
I for one hate to see the place
go, not only because Best Buy
is less convenient but because 1
enjoyed the time 1 spent perus
ing their inventory for the gems
I did end up buying.
Philip Pledger
. Junior
Communications, Music
SPEAK OUT
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(Thr Saily ear Hrrl
CAA has done a lousy job
of promotion this season
TO THE EDITOR:
I was disappointed that the
Carolina Athletic Association has
not tried to publicize the under-use
of the standby line until the Friday
Daily Tar Heel issue with only two
home games left (“Standby line
not fully utilized," Feb. 22).
The CAA has done a very poor
job of communicating with the
student body all season. The
main ticket policy Web page
has not been updated since
September, and the Duke ticket
policy page did not tel) students
how to ensure that they had
graduating status.
Last year there was more infor
mation on the site, including the
number of tickets available for
each game, which changes per
game. In fact, the site lists that
there are seven phases for tickets,
not the current five phases.
Also, the CAA listserv has not
been utilized to let students know
about the changes in the policy or
to remind people of distributions.
If the CAA wants more people to
attend the games, it should com
municate better and possibly
reinstitute the second chance
policy that was used last year.
I certainly hope that CAA
president-elect Andrew Coonin
will do a better job with the CAA
next year.
Chetna Khosla
Graduate Student
Chemistry
OWASA should implement
Stage 3 restrictions now
TO THE EDITOR.
The best way to encourage
people to use less water, as any
ECON 101 student could tell
you, is to make it more expen
sive. I’m forced to wonder why,
then. Orange Water and Sewer
Authority has yet to move to
Stage 3 restrictions.
After examining OWASA’s fee
schedule, I found that current
restrictions influence almost no
one. OWASA spokesman Greg
Feller stated that the typical
Orange County residence has,
since 2002, used 5,500 gallons
of water per month. Under Stage
2 restrictions, there is no sur
charge at this usage level.
Worse, nonresidential users
don’t face surcharges in Stage
2 either. This effectively means
that most people are not affect
ed by the current pricing efforts
at all.
It should be no mystery why
OWASA hasn’t been able to curb
consumption so far. With water
reserves at less than half, OWASA
should go ahead and implement
Stage 3 restrictions. Under Stage
3, both the typical residence and
nonresidential users will face a
charge 1.25 times normal rates.
Until most Orange County
citizens and businesses feel the
effects of the drought in their
wallets, usage won’t change
much in the long run. We don’t
know how long the drought will
last, and OWASA should act now
before things become far worse.
Tom VanAnticerp
Sophomore
Business, Economics
Uhr Saily (Tar Hrrl
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