About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1979)
The Red and Black. Wednesday May 2. 1979 ^Perceptions r \ Festival was fitting v J The festival held in Athens last week was a fitting tribute to the arts, fun for University students and Athens residents and prob ably one of the most important things to happen to the city in a long time. It was fitting because so many groups in the city concerned with furthering the arts receive little notice from the community at large. It was fun because there were activities all week long that gave people a chance to escape from their busy worlds And the festival was important because it brought a lot of people into the downtown area who might not have gone there otherwise. After all, this is downtown Athens, and we have all been told the downtown area is dying. Yes, that is what we've been told-but the evidence as seen last week belies the rumor. In case you managed to miss going downtown last week, the town was decked out in grand style. Green flags lined the main streets and sidewalk displays were everywhere, adding to the festive atmosphere. The Athens Showmobile set up on College Avenue provided entertainment throughout the week as various groups performed. Almost every one got into the "act” with contributions from the Athens Creative Theater, Clarke Central and Cedar Shoals High Schools, and others. The University sported performances from the concert band, string quartet, civic symphony, brass quintet and the concert dance group. The festival proves downtown Athens can be a vital center for Athens and a place for the University community to gather. No one can deny downtown Athens is in trouble, but as we have maintained all along, it should not die and it is certainly not dead yet. As construction on the area's first regional mall gets under Md), UiC IUMuwim! KJii downtown merchants will un doubtedly increase. Two major department stores-Penney's and Belks-have announced plans to move into the new mall when it opens in 1980, which means some downtown shoppers might be tempted to frequent the mall instead. The stores already located downtown should be encouraged to stay there, and that en couragement will come in the form of dollar votes. If the University community sets an example for the rest of the city by shopping downtown, the future of Athens should be good. The Downtown Development Authority should continue to hold special events downtown to keep it thriving, and students and professors should take advantage of what the downtown merchants have to offer. After all, downtown is near campus, it is charming, and it’s the only downtown we have. Problems with nuclear energy Cindy Jackson Philosophical and spiritual percepts Kevin Crysler Throughout my years at this Univer sity. I have observed a tendency for people to present their philosophical and-or religious belief as if it were absolute fact In keeping with this prece dent. 1 shall here take the liberty of candidly stating my perception of our universe I believe there is a God. The probabilities associated with the forma tion of the physical universe are astounding 1 define God. therefore, as the force that caused all things to come together Kevin Crysler is a senior in the School of Business Physics tells us that we are composed of atoms, the nucleus of which contain positive and neutral particles Physics also tells us that "like'' forces repel one another. How do protons coexist in the nucleus 0 What is the binding force of an atom? Remembering the relationship between energy and mass. I expand my definition of God. then, as a force which simultaneously maintains and creates our reality God is the integral part of all matter and the beginning of all energy. Of course not all of our reality is physical. Our thoughts, hopes and dreams are all verv real things They too are outgrowths of this great pool of energy we call God In short. God is "All That Is " We are each manifestations of this pool of energy. We each have a vast reservoir of power from which our reality springs forth. As we learn to control this power, we can better control our fate Successful means of utilizing the ultimate control we have over our destiny have included prayer, meditation, chanting, positive affirmations and other related spiritual experiences. It is often difficult for poeople to realize this spiritual potential because of the many limiting beliefs that they hold There are entire networks of beliefs which preclude real spiritual develop ment Some belief structures mistakingly hold that spiritual growth can come only through physical denial Others maintain that the individual has no power of his own. that all power is held by being outside of the sell This particular belief system is based on the concept that God is an entity in and of itself Th J -> line of thought maintains that God is somehow separate from the things he is a part of. It portrays a rational, thinking, caring being—a bearded grey haired old man with a long white robe who sits on a gold throne, so to speak. This interpretation of reality places the ultimate responsibility for what occurs in the universe on a single, all powerful, consistent being. Yet we are responsible for our own lives. And we have the power to control our individual destiny We each follow different paths, creating diverse realities for ourselves, because we are unique creatures Which brings me to an interesting point. With all the vastly different lives that are being experienced, can all of them be divided into two simple categories at death 0 I suggest that life is too complex, creaturehood too diverse, to accomodate an eternal classification system comprised of only two elements. In other words. I do not believe in heaven or hell Jesus Christ said that we shall reap what we sow Are we all sowing either all good or all evil? How can any of us deserve an eternally perfect heaven or continually depressing hell? There is no logical criteria for dividing all of man kind into these two oversimplified categories Jesus was an extraordinarily enlight ened and powerful man who spoke to a very superstitious and backward popu lace He tried to simplify extraordinarily complex ideas in order to lead people away from their ignorant ideas He was extremely critical of organized religion He called himself both the Son of God and the Son of Man He said. "The Kingdom of Heaven is upon us ' He showed us how to utilize a power outside of our carnal selves and he maintained that he was a part of that power 'and it. a part of him.) Yet. most importantly, he gave us the Golden rule, and told us to love all. even our enemy The power of that love cannot be checked off by petty dogmatic argu ments. No matter how we individually define God. or whether we believe in a God or not, the central theme of Christ's message should still have meaning for us all May the power of love sustain you always. Letters ‘Ethics embedded in our laws ’ "Nuclear |k>werj|K Sgfe, clean energy '* "We rep**St N%|$ir power is safe, clean energ> "Nuclear power is safe, clean energy" is the stand that most power companies using nuclear fuel are taking At least, that was the thrust of the public relations pitch I got when I recently visited the Edwin L Hatch Nuclear Plant at Baxley. C'ind> Jackson is assistant campus editor The Red and Black Unfortunately, the power companies have a vested interest in nuclear power and have no other choice but to take this stand I’m not sure how many of Georgia Power's employees disagree with them, but I know I do After my visit to Plant Hatch. I checked out some more facts about nuclear energy Fact one Radiation dries not just go away, it hangs around for about 250.000 years Fact two At the present time, nuclear power plants have to store their radioactive wastes at the plants, which are actually not equipped for storage Fact three Radioactivity is virtually painless when vou are exposed to it and it can cause leukemia or other forms of cancer five or more years later Fact four Plant Hatch did have a "minor'' radiation leak which had been there for nearly four years, according to a recent televised news report (Not Billy Lovett) Fact five: At Plant Hatch, some radioactive gases are released in "minimal" amounts with the approval of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission every month 1 find all of these facts are disquieting I would like to know what power companies are doing about these problems, not that nuclear power is "safe, clean energy” Places of storage must be 3et up soon, but the power companies are waiting for the government to tell them what to do Shouldn't they have decided what to do with the wastes before they created them 0 Not only must they find a place of storage, but it better be secure Not only does it have to be sealed from radiation leaks, bul rt ha* to survive Irast 250,000 years ot natural and human disasters. And how does a person know when they vo been exposed to radiation? I was at Plant Hatch the day before it shut «k»wn Does that mean me and everyone else there was exposed to the supposed radiation leak 0 " Finally, who decides what is "mini mal" radiation” Is the NRC really that knowledgeable? They certainly didn't know what was going on at Three Mile Island for a while there. Even radiation from X-rays is dangerous Define fViuimmar foe. me please. One representative from Georgia Power smugly told me that people were afraid of electricity when it was first being used, too. But electricity has no secret dangers, no unanswerable questions about its possible effects in 10 or 15 years. Nuclear power may not be as dangerous as I think it is, but I would sure like to know some more answers before my life is arbitrarily put on the line by people with a vested interest in nuclear power plants. 11) THE EDITOR: I wish to commend Seth Cohen on his article in the Thursday. April 26 edition of The Red and Black. I agree with the supposition that religion and politics are two separate entities, and that they should be kept separate. Taking into consideration the examples Mr. Cohen cited. I do not usually wish to drink on Sunday. I do not play pinball, and I do not believe in adultery—but I do believe adults should be given the option of making their own decisions in such matters. I understand that this belief is part of my personal philosophy, but it corres ponds to my stand on the sometimes explosive issue of abortion I may not decide on abortion if I were to become pregnant, but if I were pregnant, please, let me make the decision l do not believe it is within the lawmaker's rights to withhold these choices from us Every person has his or her own set of morals. This is something which cannot be taken away or destroyed. I fully realize that laws are to protect the populace, but I cannot see the need to be protected from pinball, etc Mr Cohen states that the Southern Christian ethic is embedded in our laws and regulations, and I agree with him that this ethic does not belong there. RENE I). SHOEMAKER ‘Can’t compare Shah, Khomeini’ TO THE EDITOR: I read the article printed tiled and Black. April 24) under the topic of “Technology can’t solve all the prob lems ’’ The article which was written by Mr Jack Straus identified the Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iranian revolution, as just another dictator succeeding the previous one, namely the Shah How could one compare a ruler such as the Shah whose human right record is smeared with blood of Iranian people, whose regime w as i ailed the most brutal since the World War II by the Amnesty International, and over 100,000 people were tortured and killed by his secret police iSAVAKi during his 35 years of tyranical ruling of Iran, and who was called the worst violator of human rights in the world by the International Committee of Human Rights, and who came to power by the "Zelp" of the CIA; with Ayatollah Khomeini who con tinuously opposed the royal oppression for at least 50 years during which was harassed, arrested, tortured and sent to exile, and just a month ago received over 99 percent positive vote of confidence in a nation-wide referendum? Weren't Iranian Christians and other minorities which constitute six percent of the population, among the 99 percent who voted affirmatively? Didn't Father Ernest Cardinal, a south American Christian leader, give his words of honor to the Ayatollah? And didn't Iranian Christian and Jewish communities support their Muslim brothers and sisters to topple the Shah’ Mr Straus, you mentioned the execution of pro-Shah individuals; can you identify any innocent among those whom have been arrested and trialed'’ Is it not a fact that all of them were well-known corrupted elements of the Shah's regime? Do you not assume that many angry mothers who lost their sons and daughters under the Shah were anxious to see these criminals executed? A few days ago. Mr. Hoveyda, the Shah's most popular prime minister, during a televised press interview admitted that he was respon sible in re-establishment of capitulation in Iran and in practice of political arrests and tortures; he apologized to all people whose kins were tortured and killed under the government which he headed! Didn't the people who were killed by him have the right to live? Why do you not mention a word about them’ Perhaps you are impressed by the grossly distorted picture of Iran which every now and then shows up in the media! As Mr Anthony Lewis, the Atlanta Journal correspondent, indicated on Jan 3 "Until very recently, most of the press kept telling Americans that, as Time put it last June 5, the Shah has a broad-base of popular support" or he is the great modernizer of the East! The problem is that you are treating a post-revolutionary situation as a normal one. I should like to call your attention to the fact that there still are many active agents of disbanded SAVAK secret police who probably would not hesitate to receive some "help" again and repeat the history; persons like Mr Hoveyda would be just the right ingredianls for such disastrous historical repetition and for those who are willing to fish in troubled water To illustrate the point I mention the assassination of the new army's chief of staff and the unsuccessful attempt on premier Bazargan's life Quotation from Dr. James Cockroft, sociology professor of Rutgers University is, I hope, helpful to create some attitude of moderation, which you claimed Mr. Khomeini lacks, in you. Mr Straus "We of the west run a grave risk of pushing the people of Iran beyond even their courageous tolerance of hardship and misunderstanding when we accuse their highest religious authority (equivalent to a Pope in other contexts) of bigotry or savagery " KAKSIIAD ABOLFATHI ‘Pinball machines aren’t damaging’ TO THE EDITOR: Tell me the truth now The article about pinball in the April 19 issue of The Red and Black was really supposed to be in The Rude and Bleak Can Mr. Bridges really be serious Woolworths sells toy pinball machines Besides, a pinball machine can't be half as damaging as a toy gun After all. today I am a mass murderer because my parents let me play with guns (toy > when 1 was little. I think the debate going on in the letters section is very interesting It’s good that some people are able to respect other’s right to believe as they wish, but more often they are sure that they are absolutely right (both sides) concerning this matter. I don’t place too much faith in organized religion but they do give some people something to believe in And it’s not that I want to knock God (by whatever name) just the groups that claim to be his only instrument I admired very much the editorial by James Kitfield. There was a good deal of sound reasoning plus the fact that we got to see ourselves from another point of view It was also nice to see a little open fUg waving Things still aren t perfect (will they ever be?) but I don't see how there could be any real doubt that our system gives the people the best (realistic) chance RONNIE BRAXLKY m Red and *BlacK Staff F treatise *4 Mar Cathy M I am f.ramI Miuirr Ed Stamper \d vert I* in a miugn Charles Ruaaell editor* Scntt Jumps Gary Pouts. Winston Skinner Campus editor Justin GilHm C«t> editor Brian O Shea restarts editor Tammy Savage Fnlrrtaknmrat editor Ben Fugitt Np«r<* editor Norm Reilly Photo editor Mai Hrooka IGA Today coordinator Helen King Graphic designer Wayne E Natl t **i«tant rimym editors Rnbhy Byrd. Cindy Jackson \««utant city editorv Sett, Cohen. Vincent Papsidero Vssistaat feature* editor Km Voung tuMaM «port* editor Frank Malloy. Andy Cook Editorial sootaum Joel Andress Vdveriuing representative* Greg Griffith Donna Peavey Donna hatchford. M1U1 Saul Brenda Shell Linda Spikes Lu Wilson Classified advertising manager Sharon Gillooiy Production manager Kenny York Graphic coordinator Frank Lee I? .V" * 1 * * "? w T T *• •* Uh.a, I. IMM 1W.1 Ih.aPdi. t ""•“T "‘T’”-" <«**•>' .ad palMad b, Will,. PphlbMpd (an,pa.,. Ibc.. WirtteiM.. r«««u bnri tin. po.1... 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