Newspaper Page Text
6
Thursday, October 15, 2009 | The Red & Black
Carolyn Crist { Editor in Chief editor@randb.com
Hayiey Paterson | Manning Editor me@randb.com
Michaol Fitzpatrick | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com
Our Take
Majority opinions of The Red & Black’s editorial board
Ask questions
Take advantage of today’s abortion
debate to ask your questions
One of the biggest questions modem society
deals with is abortion.
We all have our own opinions about it based
on our personal beliefs, religious views and
knowledge about the subject. We rigorously
defend our positions while at the same time try
ing to convince others to change sides which
is inherently ironic. We know that we won’t
change our minds yet remain convinced that
others will. The debates wage on and it seems
as if there is no solution in sight.
Today’s debate between Judge Andrew
Napolitano, a Fox News senior judicial analyst
and former superior court judge, and Michael
Waldman, director of the Brennan Center for
Justice at New York University School of Law,
will present the arguments for both sides of the
abortion issue to a crowd that, for the most
part, has already made up their minds on the
issue.
The editorial board wants to encourage every
one to attend and to ask questions. Don’t think
of the debate as a forum to preach ideals and
convert others. See it for what it is: an event
designed to raise awareness and educate any
one who is unsure of his or her stance.
It sounds impossible, but try to leave emotion
at the door and approach the discussion with an
open mind and questions for the speakers.
Ask the usual questions:
When is a fetus considered human?
Shouldn’t every child be wanted?
Is abortion safe for the mother?
Whose choice should it be?
What about overpopulation?
Which trimesters are appropriate for abor
tion?
Under what conditions (incest, rape, others)
should abortion be legal?
When if ever will the United States rule
on the specifics of abortion legality?
Should any type of counseling be required?
What makes these two speakers qualified to
talk about abortion?
And others. But also ask about recent news
concerning abortion.
On Wednesday the British Broadcasting
Corporation reported that, according to the
Guttmacher Institute, restricting the availabili
ty of abortions does not reduce the rate at which
they occur.
Also Wednesday the Agence France-Presse
released a story stating that the worldwide
abortion rate is falling due to the availability of
contraceptives. And with the health care issue
yet to be solved, a major question to be posed is
whether or not the government should pay for
abortions.
Learn views that oppose yours, and remem
ber that defending your position allows you to
strengthen your arguments, too.
Megan Otto for the editorial board.
Mailbox
E-mail and letters from our readers
Washington Cos. coal plant
poses risks to citizens
Thank you for your
editorial in opposition to
the proposed coal-fired
power plant in Washington
County. Asa resident of
Washington County and
UGA graduate, I appreci
ate your support and your
drawing attention to this
issue. This plant poses a
great threat to our health,
our environment, our
water, and our future. For
many local residents, the
promise of 120 full-time
jobs obscures these dan
gers. Thank you again.
CATHY MAYBERRY
Alumna, Sandersville
Education
Sorority mix-up
raises questions
The article “College
allows for celebration
of diversity” caught my
attention for the wrong
reason. Asa member
Opinions expressed In The Red A Black are tie opinions of he writers and not necessarily hose ol Tha Red and Black
Pi*)(ihfno Company Inc. M rights reserved Reprints by permission of the edrtori
NEWS: 706-433-3002
Dm Editor: Brittany Coter
A Mod atl News Editor: Daniel Burnett
Sport* Editor: Ryna Dennis
Variety Editor: Marie Uhler
Photo Editor: Jake Daniel*
Design Editor: Lauren Bellamy
Copy Editor*: Kelly Boswell. Jennifer Guyre
Online Editor: Marc McAfee
Out 4 About Editor: John Barrett
Recruitment Editor: Brittany Binowakl
Editorial Cartoonlat: BUI Richard*
Editorial Adviser: Ed Morales
of Alpha Sigma Rho, I
was perplexed and then
shocked by Ms. Jackson’s
blending of ASR and Delta
Phi Lambda, an Asian
interest sorority on cam
pus. It may have been an
honest mistake, but it’s
the little things like this
that make the Red and
Black appear to be an
unreliable source.
PATRICIA TRAN
Junior, Warner Robins
Chemistry and
linguistics
LETTERS POLICY
Letters must include name,
year in school, hometown,
phone number, major or
job title or other appropriate
identification. Letters are not
edited for spelling or grammar,
but are subject to editing for
length, style and libelous mate
rial. All letters will be published
- either in print or online.
Editorial Assistant: Casey Bridgeman
Senior Reporter: Chelsea Cook
New* Writers: Leah Bishop. Ryan Burie, Caitlin Byrnes.
Julia Carpenter, Justin Crewe, Dallas Duncan, Marianne
English. Mimi Eneley, Shanessa Fakour. Vivian Giang.
Raisa Habereham, Ashley Hleb, Adam Hicks, Brittney
Holmes. Jennifer Johnson Polina Marinova. Carey O'Nell,
Ohara Patel, Diana Perez, Tiffany Stevens, Jordan Tate.
Caitlin Valentin*, Drew Wheatley
Sport* Writer*: Rachel Bowers. Zach Dillard. Tyler Estep,
Drew Kann, Fletcher Page, Nick Parker
Variety Writers: Katie Andrews. Kayla Beck Jessica
Brown, Adam Carlson, Kathleen Dailey. Ruthie Elmore,
Malt Evans, Brittany Forrestal, Brians Gerdeman, Sara
Opinions
1. V
\ r wmstttwte \ ____
\ / ONtFFOKDkMUUn- \ / -v
•ss. ji
Paganism more than witchcraft, pentacles
When thinking of religion,
we often only consider
Christianity, Judaism and
Islam.
In regards to alternative faiths,
we tend to limit ourselves to
Hinduism and Scientology.
Religions that fall outside of
the Abrahamic umbrella are what
qualify as “pagan.”
The term was originally created
to describe all those who practiced
religions contrary to Christianity,
yet today the word applies to any
religion outside of the mainstream.
In keeping with my desire to
learn about different cultural
groups and their ways of living,
I met with Zachary Vaudo, the
president of the University’s Pagan
Student Association.
I was pleasantly surprised to
note the lack of pentagrams and
black nail polish that the media has
trained me to expect from those
who consider themselves pagans.
Instead, Zak was great to talk ta
and happy to answer all of my
questions.
To me, the most interesting
aspect of paganism is the fact that
it’s so fluid. People are constantly
changing, and pagans allow their
beliefs to change as they do.
Growing up Roman Catholic, I
was constantly struck by the limita
tions that come along with practic
ing it.
And while there are stereotypes
that go along with Christians, Jews
and Muslims (out of touch with
modem life, cheap and terrorists,
respectively) there are deeper pre
conceived notions that people have
about the pagan community.
Hearing loss a legitimate health concern
Take a look around you.
It is apparent that our
generation is obsessed with
iPods and other audio devices. In
fact, it seems as though ear buds
have become the “must have”
accessory for any person who wants
to be included in the fad.
I often wonder if people with
headphones jammed into their ears
are actually listening to any type of
audio at all, or if they merely have
them in their ears out of habit.
Continuous noise exposure to
any noise louder than 85 decibels
(dB) the units used to measure
the magnitude of sound can
cause hearing loss, according to the
American Academy of Audiology.
October is “National Protect
Your Hearing” month, and it is time
that people start listening to some
thing that’s beneficial for them.
Most people associate hear
ing loss with the elderly, but this
is delusional thinking. Out of the
36 million Americans suffering
from hearing loss, many are under
the age of 65 and 12 percent are
between the ages of 6 and 19.
The fact is, daily routine activi
ties are slowly deteriorating our
long-term hearing. The noise
emitted from an average football
stadium is measured at about 110
dB. That is an “average” football
stadium - not Sanford Stadium,
the sixth biggest stadium in the
country.
And your desire to stand right
next to the speakers at the next
Our Staff
Goodman, Sophie Loghman, Laurie McGowan, Chris
Miller, Rachel MirabeHa. Grace Morris, Robbie Ottley, Priya
Patel, Michael Prochaska. Tyrone Rivers, Zach Taylor Eva
Vasguez
Chief Photographer: Daniel Shlrey
Photographer*: Renee Aylworth, Rachel Bailey, Charles-
Ryan Barber. Wes Blankenship, Courtney Ebert. Lindeay
Grogan, Jessica Henry, Emily Karol, Jon Kim, Autumn
Mcßride, Kevney Moses. Sarah Pelham, Ashley Strickland.
Molly Weir
Design Deck: Jessica Clark, Ana Kabakova Thomas
Nesmith, Megan Otto, Dariine Oyemaklnwa, Amanda Jones,
TahniSegars
ft
I I
“Pagans simply are people
who search for their own
answers to life and
the universe.”
The modem view of pagans
comes from TV shows such as
“Bufiy the Vampire Slayer,”
“Charmed” and “Hex,” all of which
link paganism with Wiccanism (a
practice which includes the ritual
use of magic). Although Wiccans
are considered to be pagans, they
are merely one of the many groups
that paganism encompasses.
The meetings of the Pagan
Student Association don’t include
animal sacrifice, deviant sex, Satan
worship or dancing naked around
a fire.
Instead they discuss the differ
ences in their faiths and explore var
ious ways of spiritual connections in
much the way that political groups
talk about different positions on
issues and ways to resolve them.
Paganism as a whole is akin to
the United States in that it is the
melting pot of spirituality. It takes
aspects of all types of faiths to cre
ate something tailor-made tc each
practitioner this is vastly differ
ent than all other religions, which
require its followers to alter them
selves and their beliefs.
This allows them to form politi-
&
rock concert? Well, that is mea
sured at a whopping 120 dB.
“There have been so many con
cerns about exposure in music
venues loud concerts, using MP3
players, really loud outputs,” said
Robin Hardin, an audiologist for
Athens-Oconee Audiology. “You
can have a single blast —a single
loud exposure that can cause the
problem or cumulative, like
many loud concerts or many loud
exposures over a 10 or 15 year peri
od of time.”
Even the frequent ringing of an
alarm clock positioned two feet
away measured at about 80 dB
can cause hearing loss.
Most of us are unaware that
we are suffering from any health
problems unless there Eire physi
csd signs. If the signs aren’t visible,
it is typically not at the top of our
“To-Do” list.
But hearing loss is the third
most common health problem in
America, and we can’t afford to
ignore this issue when one of our
five senses is at stake.
Most of us don’t think twice
about leaving the house without
a pair of our favorite sunglasses,
whether it’s sunny or cloudy out
side. In fact, I bet most of us own
Editorial board mambers include Caitlin Byrnes, Carolyn CrieL Marcus Crawford. Mich**! Fitzpatrick.
Megan Otto and Haylay Palanon.
ADVERTISING: 706-433-3001
Advertising Director: Natalie McClure
Student Advertising Menegsr: Matt Gonglacti
Territory Menagsra: Catherine Merritt. Daniel Pugh. Taylor
Rawlins
Account Executives: David Allen, Katherine Blackstad. Ala
Chemnet. Stacey Joseph. Chris Merrill*. Pamela Peterson,
Jenmfet Rooks
Online Advertising Specialist: Clair* Sculy
9*l** Aaeocfate: Anna Lewenthal
Classified Manager: Amanda Goforth
Classified Repreeentatfvs: Lauren Jonas. Jessie Phelps
Circulation Manager: Man Ken
Phone (706) 433-3002 | Fhx (706) 433-3033
optnionN@randb.com | www.redandblack.com
540 Baxter Street, Athens, Ga. 30605
cal opinions based on personal
beliefs without using an old, out
dated book to substantiate them.
For a country founded by people
searching for a place to freely prac
tice religion, we still have a long
way to go before we openly accept
paganism.
A major reason why we are
so far from achieving this is that
the majority of people fail to fully
understand paganism and its
beliefs.
Ignorance like that is what
causes people to ban the Harry
Potter books from schools and view
Hot Topic stores as the epicenter
of disaffected youths with alterna
tive beliefs.
Pagans simply are people who
search for their own answers to life
and the universe. They feel con
nected to the earth and focus less
on the afterlife and more on their
lives as they live them.
The hippie in me thinks this
seems like an ideal way of life: fol
lowing a personal code of morals
and allowing your faith to change
as you do.
Political beliefs can change as
people go through life, so why not
religious beliefs?
For anybody interested in
exploring alternative spiritualities,
Athens Pagan Pride Day is October
24, and the local pagan community
will be celebrating in Bishop Park.
—Megan Otto is a page designer
for The Red & Black. She will be
profiling a different cultural group
every week. E-mail motto(&randb.
com if you have a group you would
like her to cover.
Megan
Otto
more than one pair of sunglasses.
It is ironic to me that we are so
much more knowledgeable when it
comes to protecting our eyes them
when it comes to caring for our
ears.
Is this because there sire no vis
ible symptoms of hearing loss, or
is it related to the fact that our
society is consumed by outwEird
appearances? As long as we physi
cally “look” healthy then we are
accepted by society eis healthy indi
viduEds, correct?
But for the average person who
wants to take steps toward pre
venting hearing loss, a pair of ear
plugs is exactly what they need.
These ear plugs are not the kind
you’d wear to shield noises com
pletely, but the kind that allows
you to hear while blocking out
damaging sounds.
Hearing loss is not curable,
only treatable, so a pair of these
high fidelity esir plugs is priceless
when compared to your health and
future. The cost of eEir plugs range
anywhere between $5 to several
hundreds of dollars and can be
picked up at any hardware store or
anywhere online.
People can still fit into the fad
with those esir plugs people will
just think you’ve got a pair of wire
less headphones on, which is even
more vogue, but that is Just in my
opinion.
Vivian Giang is a staff writer
for The Red & Black
Vivian
Giang
Ad Assistant*: Emily John*. Thomas PuAam
production Mftnagtr. oam rititro
Production Staff: Gary Berdlzbenian, Josh Barnet, Dm
Pickling, PriacMa Kafhe, Elaine Kalch
Nscttpiionm, Amanoa uoionn
Office Manager. Erin Beasley
Assistant Office Manager: Megan Yu*
Cleaning Person: Maty Jones
■- ■- ii . *—i-- -
nwiimr. narry Monwvicwo
The Red A Meek is pubkahed Monday through Friday Ml and
spring semesters and each Thursday summer semester, a react hod
days and exam periods, by The Red 9 Black PubMng Compwry
Inc., a norvprollt campus newqapar not affthatad nidi the Urtverelly
of Georgia. Subscription rate: 1185 pet year