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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1995)
Global cries Republicans can no longer ignore warnings 1 ne Nobel Prize committee is a bunch of ignoramuses! FOOLS! At least that’s what Newtie and the Capitol Hill anti-environmental lobbyists must be thinking right now. The Nobel Prize for Chemistry was recently awarded to three scientists for their work leading to the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole. The 07x>ne loss was discovered in the mid-80s and has been constantly growing since then. In fact, the current size of the hole is the largest measured ever: the size of Antarctica. The loss of ozone is directly linked to increase in skin cancer (90 percent of which is attributed to exposure to ultraviolet B rays), cataracts, and has been concluded “harmful” to plant and marine life by the scientific community. The good news is that the measure of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — used mainly in refriger ants, aerosol propellants, foam blowing agents and solvents in the electronic industry (and the prime contributor of chlorine that causes the ozone depletion) — in the atmosphere is decreasing finally. The bad news is that the powerful lobbyists on Capitol Hill are working harder than ever to reverse this positive trend. Republicans are dancing to the tune of money. The scientific evidence on the depletion of the ozone layer is irrefutable. The Nobel Prize committee does not recognize idle gossip and “popular” theories. In fact, its criterion is not necessarily the innovativeness of research, but its impact on humanity in general. The bottom line is that the ozone layer depletion has Finally gotten the attention it deserves, and Washing ton would be committing a mon strous blunder were it to cut back the regulations on CFCs. Another environmental issue that Vennlla Ramalingam “The bad news is that the powerful lobbyists on Capitol Hill are working harder than ever to reverse this positive trend. ” has been begging for public aware ness and political action is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect causes global warming by trapping heat that would otherwise escape out of the atmosphere. The main culprit in this case is carbon monoxide (CO) resulting from combustion of fossil fuels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) directly attributes global warming to increased spread of tropical dis eases, increased incidence of floods and droughts, dying forests and dwindling harvests in some poor countries. It is not merely “some poor countries” that are affected by global warming. The United States is not totally insulated from the effects of global warming — effects that it has played no mean part in causing! It is distressing to note that this country, which makes up less than 4 percent of the world’s population, bums nearly one-fourth of the fuel consumed globally! Not to talk about its contribution to atmo spheric pollution! Remember Chicago? Remember the hundreds of deaths caused only this last summer due to the horrible heat? The unusual number of tropical storms battering the southeast is also attributed to the global weather change. Talking of Chicago, many people attributed the heat-related deaths to poverty — lack of home air condi tioning. But the use of ACs clearly contributes to the CFCs in the atmosphere! Are we in a Catch 22 then? Scientists are coming up with alternatives to CFCs. And it is important that the Montreal Proto col, in 1987, committed to reducing CFC pollution by 50 percent, a commitment that should not be derailed or compromised by the Republican-led, eager-to-please industry Congress. For too long, the Republicans have accused many an environmen talist and scientist of crying wolf. They have ignored all the warnings on global warming and have dismissed them as fear-mongering — but they cannot maintain that charade much longer. In the past 20 years, even though the actual rate of consumption of fossil fuels has not diminished, the atmospheric pollution caused by the United States has been reduced by 40 percent — thanks to the more environmental party that previously controlled Congress. Now that that’s all changed, one needs to do a little more than opt for paper over plastic. One must work at the policy level rather than in a private level in order to prevent further environmental damage. Ramallngam Is a graduate student In computer science and a Dally Nebraskan columnist. Hair goes Brain waves cause follicles to abandon ship The last couple years have been traumatic lor me. Like millions of other men across the country and around the world, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with the horrors of a receding — or in my case, retreating — hairline. Since about 1992, my forehead has been making advances in a rather heated territorial dispute with my hair, and I have had to accept the fact that, eventually, it will win. It’s not an easy thing to face. I’ve had nightmares about discovering that a birthmark shaped like an aerial map of Indonesia covers the majority of my now hair covered scalp. I’ve wept and gnashed my teeth at the sight of the wooly carnage in my shower drain. I’ve felt the agony of a sunburned scalp and wondered why, why me? It started innocently enough. Slowly, around the start of my junior year, I began to develop the classic Bruce Willis hairline. That was no big deal. Later, the Bruce Willis look gave way to a still fashionable Jack Nicholson hairline. I’m afraid, though, that it’s only a matter of time before the Nicholson look is but a memory. What then? Unfortunately, probably Telly Savalas. Oh well. “Why on earth,” you might be asking yourself right now, “should I care about Doug or his stupid forehead?” Why indeed. Because it could happen to you. Or to someone close to you. Look around. Chances are that someone you know will one day be bald as a cue ball. You. Your brother. Your best buddy. Your boyfriend. Pay attention for the telltale signs. Does he pay attention to the Hair Club for Men infomercials? Does he Doug Peters ‘"Why on earth, ’you might be asking yourself right now, ‘should I care about Doug or his stupid forehead?”’ quote Sy Sperling’s statistics? Has he started to wear hats more often, either for cosmetic reasons or for protection from the sun? Did he weep tears of joy when Patrick Stewart (TV’s Jean-Luc Picard) was named People magazine’s “sexiest man alive”? If so, he could be, slowly and almost imperceptibly, losing his hair. Knowing that male-pattern baldness is a malady that will affect many, in one way or another, I’ve taken it on myself to break the silence and offer some helpful information to those struggling to cope with the concept of a less-than hirsute future. First of all, hair loss is not, as was once commonly believed, a punishment from the gods. In fact, many of the most reasonable explanations for hair loss point to the contrary. The scientific explanation for hair loss is that energy from an active, vital brain permeates the scalp, giving it a positive charge. This in turn pushes hair follicles, which are also positively charged, right out of a person’s head. Makes sense to me. The creationists disagree with this science-based explanation, however. Most creationists, especially the balding ones, say that God, in His infinite wisdom, covered everything with which He wasn’t quite satisfied with hair, allowing only perfect scalps to be exposed for the rest of creation to view. Unfortunately, this theory does not explain Dom Deluise. Finally, the most serious miscon ception about hair loss is the name itself. - “Hair loss” is, in fact, a misno mer. Men don’t “lose” hair. Far from it. Hair is a zero-sum game. Just as geese fly south for the winter, hair migrates southward from the top of the head. In a series of highly scientific studies, it has been determined that, even for so-called victims of male pattern baldness, there is no net loss of hair. For every strand of hair that gasps its last and plunges from your scalp like a lemming from a high cliff wall, another strand is born. On your back. On your knuckles or toes. Maybe out your nose. It’s there. Granted, this news may not sound like much of a condolence to sufferers of migrating hair syn drome, but with a good blow-dryer and inventive combing technique, these displaced follicles can be styled in such a way as to distract attention completely away from thinning hair atop your head. Trust me. Peters Is a graduate student of Journal ism and a Dally Nebraskan columnist /4 tette*... from the Columnist skilled in thankless jobs Adria Chilcote Hot pink becomes a very ugly color when it appears in the form of a parking ticket on my wind shield. It becomes a very power ful color. It’s enough to evoke much cursing and swearing from my otherwise pure mouth. Even though I don’t like it when I get a parking ticket, (and who does?) I would love to be the person handing out that ticket. I think it would be so great to be able to create even the slightest amount of havoc in a total stranger’s life. The job might get tedious but for a few weeks it would be great fun. I can just imagine the snicker that would escape me as I wrote out a ticket. What would really be great would be to actually see the illegal parker discover their ticket. To hide in the shadows and mock the poor soul who’s dixjmed to pay five bucks for failing to plug the meter. I wonder if the people who are lucky enough to find themselves thus employed appreciate their power. Do they get any satisfac tion from this thankless job? Do they ever snicker when they write out a ticket? I’ll have to ask some time. And I wonder how they would react if someone were to thank them for their service to society. 1 bettcha that most of these people haven’t ever been offered any thanks from a member of the public. The job must have some psychological effects. To know that your presence is feared and your work is scorned day in and day out would leave a not-so pleasant feeling at the end of the day. It takes a rare kind of person to be a parking cop. Although I haven’t been so fortunate as to give out parking tickets, I have worked at Amigos. It’s a wonderful establishment, unfortunately I don’t have what it takes to work there. I never quite mastered the art of working the register or being exceedingly friendly with each and every customer. But, oh the joys of being ‘Lot Bitch’! If I could have filled that position with any regularity, I might be employed there yet. The responsibilities of‘Lot Bitch’ were to stand watch over the parking lot and make sure that not a single non-customer parked on the premises. It was such a great feeling to send people back onto the parking space-less streets. Everyone sees the sign that informs the parker that towing “77le responsibilities of Tot Bitch ’ were to stand ivatch over the parking lot and make sure that not a single non-customer parked on the premises. ” * will result if you aren’t a cus tomer. No one believes that hny one will actually pay an employee to sit outside to watch over a virtually empty parking lot to enforce the rule. But Amigos will! And how I loved being that employee. I loved the power, the prestige, and the oh so flattering uniform. My history of employment doesn’t end with Amigos. My latest job was a telemarketing sales representative. Now there’s a job. There is no power in telemarketing, no prestige. You are constantly at the mercy of the customer. They can treat you any way they darn well please, and you have to come back with, “Thank you for your time Mam/ Sir.” Once in a while you call someone who reminds you that the voices in your earphones are actually connected to people. Like the time I called a man, but his widow answered the phone and started crying. 1 here are some people who make it pleasant (or at least bearable). Like the man from Tennessee who had just come through Nebraska on a business trip. He made a joke about how people in Tennessee are dumb hillbillies, and I reminded him that Nebraskans are a bunch of stupid hicks. Or the guy from Salt Lake City who invited me to go on a skiing trip some time. Many people are very insult ing. Like the lady who yelled at me to stop calling her, then told me to get a better job. Or the man who told me he thought the whole department of women’s studies (my major) should be completely eliminated. It would have been great to be able to tell these people off, but I never knew when I was being listened to by my superiors — people who sat in big glass booths at the front of the room. They could listen to any one they wanted, whenever they wanted. That’s the job I coveted. I think I could have been great at catching what people were doing wrong. It would have been almost fun. Almost. Right now I’m enjoying being unemployed. I know I’m going to have to start looking for another job soon, though. I wonder if there are any part time parking cop positions available. Chileote Is a freshman women’s stud ies major and a Dally Nebraskan colum nist BE OUR GUEST The Daily Nebraskan will present a guest columnist each Monday. Writers from the university and community are welcome. Must have strong writing skills and something to say. Contact Mark Baldridge c/o the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588. Or by phone at (402)-472-l 782.