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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1988)
Paf Fditnrial Ne&an 4 M- ^I %X. X Itr Xr X X CX X Wednesday, April 27,1988 ' Mike Reilley, Editor, 472-1766 DtlllV Diana Johnson, Editorial rage Editor TV T j-il r Jcn Dcselms. Managing Editor I \|Pr»|HS|v3lT ! C'urt Wagner. Associate Sc*>s Editor X T l A%Vta' 1 | Chns Anderson, Associate Sews Editor University ot Nebraska-Lincoln joet Carlson. Columnist I-■;-----! Mayor contradictory Send various signals to local businesses When Lincoln Mayor Bill Harris talks about downtown redevelop ment, he's sending three differ ent messages to the city’s busi ness owners. f>n one hand, Harris always speaks on behalf of the redevel opment of downtown. Since being elected, he has been a strong advocate of this plan. Even though there has been a delay in finding a developer. Hams has maintained the plan will be finalized before Sept 30! If a plan hasn’t been drafted by that date, the city would lose a $6.5 million federal Urban Development Action Grant Harris said he wants to ask all potential developers to submit a new plan so that a $19 million high-rise office building pro posed by Selection Research Inc., could be included. But now, Harris is contra dicting himself. Harris is talking to Jacobs, Visconsi & Jacobs Inc., an Ohio-based developer that owns Gateway Shopping Cen ter. There may be a plan in the works to expand the shopping center in northeast Lincoln. He also wants JVJ to consider building in downtown. Also, with the recent build ing of Centro Plaza in northeast Lincoln already has enough places to shop. An expansion of Gateway, with East Park Plaza across the street, would dis courage people on the north side of town from going down town to shop. But Harris says he’s against the building of a shopping mall on the south side of Lincoln, Delta Seven Cotp. now con trols 400 acres of land that in cludes a shopping center site at South 27th Street and Pine Lake Road. But building a multi- use center would require a permit and it would have to be ap proved by the city council. But Harris told the Lincoln Journal he would “definitely oppose a regional shopping center.” So if Harris is against a new shopping mall in south Lincoln, why is he an advocate for one in north Lincoln? Harris must be st/ongerin his commitment to redevelop downtown and not jump at every chance to improve the shopping condition of north Lincoln. Reader responds to Middle East situation In light of recent events in the Middle East, Americans must reas sess their staunch, unconditional support of the Israeli government. At least 167 Palestinians have been killed in the clashes between Israel’s army and the often peaceful demon strators. They were not injured, not deprived of liberty, but killed. What kind of government refuses to begin negotiations that would bring about a resolution to the conflict, and instead rampantlv slaughters teen-age stone throwers? So far, only two Israelis — one soldier and one civilian — have died compared to the 167 Palestinians dead. The civilian, Tirza Porat, was initially said to have been killed by a stone thrown by Palestinians. In a blind, self-righteous rage comparable only to those of Libya and Iran, the Israeli army blew up several Palestin ian homes at random. Even more recently, Israel’s secret police assassinated the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s second highest ranking leader in Tunisia. Shamir again had no comment, but Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that he hoped “it will not interfere with peace negotiations,” an abso lutely ludicrous hope. The assassina tion of Abu Jihad, which means “fa ther of the holy war,” will most likely not go unnoticed in Palestinian circles. These ev .its and others force Americans to ask the question: “Who are the terrorists?” Are they the PLO, which has a legitimate claim to a sovereign state, or arc they those who would murder and assassinate and expel those with the legitimate claim? For the Palestinians do have a legiti mate claim, just as the Israelis did when their efforts brought about Is rael after World War II. The conclusion is clear and irrefu table: the Israeli government is using terrorist tactics unbefitting a civilized state. The United Slates must move to address the issue. Chris Potter sophomore physics Nebraskan sticks up for New York City My personal assessment of James Sennetl’scolumn entitled “U.S. leans eastward, New York not as hot as media thinks it is", (Daily Nebraskan, April 21) was incredible. It was in credible in a sense that it was editorial journalism based in redundant and erroneous misconceptions. I am a native Nebraskan who had the fortune to visit Manhattan in April 1987.1 found the city exciting and the sights even more stimulating. Whaiis great about New York is its people— the people who make the greatness or dishonor of any city. New York is no exception. Sennctl, I will give you two cents for the ink and paper it look to print your article. So you could bombast one of the greatest cities (not only in the free world) but in the Western Hemisphere. ScnncU, your one vote against 7.8 million New Yorkers says you are miserably wrong. Or you don’t know in Hades what you’re talking about. Needless to say, your backward altitude is typical of many. At least, until you have visited the Big Apple. Life does not begin in the Midwest, it ends and begins in New York. Your degree in philosophy didn’t help much, did it? It certainly didn’t ex pand your appreciation and con sciousness of the world. Alex Wolf Lincoln Merlina E. Mueget New Yorker Editor's note: It cost less than one cent to publish Scnnett’s article.... /^nr- at thereobarou i V^KbA I ^ETS ANOTHER . MOMENTS I . -1 IN ' AIR WAREARE iuiiMBf —MUF* 1—- ■——the stev^ri>ess quietly ENOLA GAY TAXIES OhlTO ^■WEXTIMQUHSWES THE PASSENGER THE RUNWAY JPyALOHG WITH ms cig-akettcJ Writer kills computer phobia Trendy machinery proves to be frustrating, useful, efficient 1 still hale computers, but I do be lieve I have finally overcome my fear of them. Of all the revo lutionary, time-saving inventions man has created over the centuries, certainly none has caused as much frustration as the computer. We praise them when they work, but we curse them when they do not.,. even when we arc the ones who made the mistake, which is usually the case. Believe me, I know. Ask people who use computers regularly, and they will have dozens of terror tales about disasters they’ve had with them. I have lost hours of work on a horrible spreadsheet pro gram due to power failures, and once, I accidentally kicked the cord out of the wall socket and lost an entire file. Even the Daily Nebraskan’s very easy-to-use word processor caught me one time; I mislabeled a column and the computer sent it clear over to the Arts and Entertainment depart ment, where, of course, nobody could find it (or wanted to). If I hadn’t printed up a copy on paper, I’d have lost the whole thing forever. Nothing is more maddening than to have something go wrong with a computer and not be able to blame the damn machine for the trouble. Maybe that explains why people avoid them whenever they can. In a report just released by the U.S. Census Bureau, a survey found that only 53 percent of the 15 million Americans with per sonal computers at home actually use them. Considering the cost of a typical computer, that seems to be quite a waste of money. But it shouldn’t sur prise anyone. A substantial share of these computer owners-but-not-users buy them either just to keep up with the Joneses or to escape the guilt tripping advertising campaigns that tell parents they don’t love their kids if they haven’t bought one yet. Despite all the troubles I’ve had with computers (and I’m sure my complaints pale in comparison to those of people who really do know how to use them), I do think I would like to own one. They are great for word processing and financial record keeping, and a personal computer would really be handy sometimes. But my reason for not buying one is more traditional. I’m broke. One of the most aggravating things about computers is that it seems as if little kids know them better than the rest of us. Part of this, I suppose is due to the greater emphasis on computers in the schools, but I am convinced that the main reason is video games. Kids learn to love computers by play ing games on them before they try to do the hard stuff; thus, they become immune to computerphobia. I know this, because ail the best video-game freaks I knew as a kid all became* computer science and engineering* majors, and now they make $30,000- n 100,000 a year. All those quarters* really paid off. But nowadays, everybody has to* use computers on the job, or will need* to learn soon. According to the Cen-“ sus Bureau report, about one-fourth of all employed Americans in 1984 used computers on the job in some way, and that level is sure to be rising. Each of the last three places I’ve worked has introduced computers during the time I was there: the drug store computerized its pharmacy rec ords, the air freight company compu terized its entire pickup and delivery information system, and the DN, of course, installed its new computer system last fall. 1 panicked each lime 1 found out about a new computer invasion at work. But, each time it turned out to be relatively simple to learn the new system. Videogame^are tougher than any of the computer systems Eve had to learn on the job. It’s taken some time, but I’m glad to say that my fear of computers is finally gone. I have a world of respect for people who have the ability and mentality to program computers and design them from scratch. Our computer-driven world would collapse in an instant were it not for them. But I am glad I am not one of them. For the great majority of us, it is not necessary to know how computers work. It Is only necessary to know how to work them, and we should all be grateful for that Snodgrass Is a staior economics major. I_7_J Forty couples wait for every available child In response to Jolene Shumake’s letter (Daily Nebraskan, April 18) a child is never an unwanted child if the mother would consider the options available, such as adoption. It is a fact that for every child available for adoption there are 40 couples who can not nave children, wailing up to seven years to adopt a child. Many women do not choose ad op lion because they do not know much about the process of adoption. Years ago, a child given up for adoption was taken away and the mother was never told what happened to the child. Today, a mother can pick the adopci ve parents and get letters and pic* tures about the child if they so desire. Also it is a medical fact that when a woman submits to an abortion sne can lose her ability to bear children later when she very well may want them. So think about it you may not gel a second chance to have children if you have that abortion. Lany L. Davis junior consumer science Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, origi nality, timeliness and space avail able. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit all material submit ted. Readers also are welcome to sub mit material. as guest „ opinions, Whether material should run as a lei* ter tv guest opinion, or not run, is left to the editor’s discretion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. . Anonymous submissions will not A I'KfitHttUHiiHiUfUtifitUHHt Ui\ be considered for publication. Letter should include the author’s name, year in school, major and group af filiation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R Sl, Lincoln, Neb. 68584-0448. { i t * * V» 1 ' • • i* •' *' ‘ ♦ * } * f 411 •»• • tit » f t m i m i 11 f M I M* • • ( M * * *