Page 14 - Phoenix1999-2000

Thursday. September 30, 1999 - Page 6 COMMENTARY Staff Internet services in vast How Editor-In-Chief Megan Martin '01 need of improvement wordlyare Editor Emeritus/Webmaster Emily Stamathis '00 Philip Vogt describes the undertaking that could potentially tie up we? Managing Editor laughable internet services at your computer for weeks if it weren't for Jcnifer Sirkis 'or WMC. the life saving fact that you can rarely Jessica Fitzgerald tackles the Assistant Managing Editor maintain a connection for more than an Stacie Underwood '01 Western Maryland College is the Yugo hour without being abruptly disconnected. problem of youth apathy for News Editor of online services. While it can potentially In all fairness, though, this is a Liberal world events. Lisa Dale-VanAuken '02 get you where you need to go, a four-year- Arts school. This means we have the won- old on a two-wheeled tricycle will prob- derful (not to mention mandatory) privi- OK, how many of you are aware Features Editor Sarah Radice '01 ably get there faster. lege of taking a wide variety of classes that there has been a series of terror- When compared to the dazzling ad- dealing with all sorts of intellectual and ist bombings in Moscow recently? Commentary Editor vances made in Internet connection speeds, KrislenG.Fraser'(){) cultural studies. Did you know that Janet Reno's and more importantly to the technology Let's see my brother try to take a class in big trouble for using tear gas at the Assistant Commentary Editor available on many other college campuses, on the philosophy of friendship and love Edward Schultheis '03 Branch Davidian compound? our connection speeds are beyond pitiful. at his tech school; boy is he missing out. Does anyone know about the lat- Sports Editor They would be downright laughable if This also means that we really don't est peace negotiations in the Middle Mike Yestramskrfl l not for the spirit-breaking frustration of need to have the latest (or even remotely Assistant Sports Editor waiting hours to complete a download East? Hey, we fought a war over Chris Anastasia '02 close to the latest) Internet technology in there, and still nobody knows what (that's assuming it actually works right) our dorms. is going on. Art Editor/ArchivistlLayout that could be done in minutes with a more Additionally, the cost of trying to re- Michael Puskar '99 I'm willing to bet that 98% of advanced system. wire the campus for increased speed seems Americans know which sexual acts Senior Writers The connection here, however, is far incredibly daunting. In fact, it would prob- Monica Lewinsky performed for Erin Howard '00 from advanced. Erin Jernigan '00 ably require that tuition be raised 10 the President Clinton, but only 50% lenniferRoss '00 With 56k modems quickly becoming range of $23,000 or so, which is obviously could say wh'elher he was impeached the standard, and with such gaudy ad- ridiculously high. or convicted or could say what those Photographers NiaClemcnts'02 vances as Ethernet connections and cable Still, the school will probably eventu- two terms mean. Trang Dam '00 modems, the technology here can be called ally be forced to make the necessary I'in not trying to sound like a KaseniaLantzky'99 old-fashioned ut best, Erin Owen '01 changes when the current system is goody-goody. I'm no current events Hussein Samater'OO My little brother, who just began his rendered completely obsolete (or when saint; the only reason I read the pa- Brad Widner '03 freshman year at the University of Mis- the powers-that-be finally admit to per is because of a class requirement. souri, has the luxury of the Ethernet in his themselves that it is hopelessly obso- Stan-Writers If you had to read the paper, too, Amy Bittinger '01 dorm, which makes it possible for him to lete). One can only hope that they make you'd be so surprised at how much Anne Buller '01 download small European villages, in their the change before it's far too late (by you are missing. Ben Decker'(){) Tara DellaFranzia '03 entirety, in a matter of seconds. that, of course, I mean before I gradu- Jessica Fitzgerald '03 Here-however, downloading a file or" ate). Staci Gcorgc '03 even moderate size would be a momentous Democracy is based Shannon Hess '02 Sara E. Hoover '02 on the idea that Matt Hurff'03 ' Floyd monopolizes airwaves Michaellenkinson '02 informed people make Jeremy Keil '02 Greg Lederer '01 informed choices. As a MalissaMoran'OI Ed Schultheis observes how Ilistened to Jack Kelley's talk on campus Devon Reeser '03 Hurricane Floyd "blew away" nation we are not Prancesca Saylor '00 this week. ~yan~eavolt '00 world issues. He talked about how America is a coun- Rich Simmons '00 try that really isn't too concerned with informed enough to Michael Stokes '00 Nykole Tyson '03 A few weeks ago, Iflipped on the tube, things going on in foreign countries. make any choices. PhilipVogl '01 and it seemed that every single station was ·Maybe this explained why the civil war running the weather as the lead story. A in East Timor, one that the United States Distribution Rich Suchcski '00 category four hurricane, Floyd, was bar- is involved in, was confined to a small por- Do you have any idea how much reling down on the southeastern portion of tion of both the TV news and the Sun. goes on in the world everyday that Graduate Assistant Vince Chesney the United States. In fact, the first time that anything put- you don't even know about? What a name for a killer hurricane - side the United States made the front page I write this out of frustration, a Adviser over 1700 Terry Dalton Floyd - not exactly a name that puts fear was the quake in Taiwan, killing petty frustration. You .see, I wanted in everyone's hearts. victims. to write an article about East Timor. The Phoenix is published biweekly. The Perhaps it wasn't the fact that Floyd I am not simply saying that hurricane The situation there really angers me, opinions expressed do not necessarily rep- was the center of attention, but rather it Floyd's coverage was extreme; it is rather as does the fact that the U.N. is just resent those of The Phoen.ixstaif, the fac- was the only "newsworthy" topic in the the fact that the coverage of all other news now taking steps to put an end to the ulty, or the administrators ofWMC. United States. was completely inadequate. We live in a blatant disregard for human rights. I thought the only way I could get away time where news comes to us instanta- The only problem is, no one The peperwelcomes free-lancesubmis- from seeing countless reporters standing neously. knows where East Timor is, let alone sions on Macintosh disks in most word pr0- on the shores of the East Coast was to The fact that not much news comes to why people there are being slaugh- cessor formats. The editor fCSelVCS the right watch ESPN. us from outside the United States leads me tered and run out of their homes. to edit for clarity, length, and libel and to I remember rolling out of bed Thurs- to one of two conclusions. So, no common knowledge equals publish as space permits. All submissions day morning, about noon, and I turned on There is either no "real" news outside no interesting article by yours truly. (excluding self-addressed diskettes) become the TV. of our borders, or we simply don't really This may seem like a stupid rea- the property of The Phoenix and cannot be Of course, it was already set to the care about anything out there. I think the son for taking 45 minutes out of your returned. Weather Channel; where I was immedi- latter is probably the closer to the truth. busy schedule to catch up on world Please include a name and phone num- ately greeted by the picture of a reporter Floyd was indeed a very important part events, but consider the larger impli- berforverification. Names will be withheld hanging onto a pole so as not to be blown of our lives that week, but it was not the cations. only by thediscretion of the Editor-in-Chief. down the street by high winds. I thought only pari of our lives. At any time, you or someone you this was rather humorous. We can constantly ignore all of the love could be drafted to a place like TIll! Phoenix does notdiscriminate based I decided to go get the Baltimore Sun news that we deem "unimportant," like we East Timor Only then would you on age, race, religion, gender. sexual orien- for my English class, and what else do I have fora while now. bother to learn what is going on in tation, national origin, condition of handi- see on the front page but Floyd. America has been living in it's own that little corner of the world. cap, or marital status. However, I did feel the effects of Floyd little dome, completely impervious to any- Democracy is based on the idea as I walked to classes that afternoon in the thing but the most earth-shattering news. that informed people make informed Mail to: rain and wind. We think that it doesn't affect us, that it choices. As a nation, though, we are ThePlwenix When I returned from classes, all I saw doesn't concern us, and it simply doesn't not informed enough to make any WMC, 2 College Hill was more Floyd-this and Floyd-that. matter. choices at all. Westminster, MD 21157 The point that I am trying to make is Then again, it is only a matter of time So, do your part for your country; (410)751-8600 that it seemed that there was no other news before things half a world away end up in pick up a paper, tum" on CNN, find FAX, (410) 857-T/29 in the whole entire world. our own backyard. Possibly then, we will out what is going on. You may be sur- E-Mall, phoenix@wmdc.edu . .Thia fact was.even more evident .when : .rake.alinle more 'f...m...e..t? ~?t!~e; ••.•.•. , .•.• L!p.;:ri.;:se;:,d;:,by~w:;.h:;:a::.ty::_:o:.:u_;.le:;:a:;:rn,;_. -'