EDITOR
DougKouma
OPINION
EDITOR
Anne Hjersman
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Doug Peters
Matt Waite
Paula Lavigne
Mitch Sherman
Anthony Nguyen
OUR MEW
No joke
Olean producers get
touchy over fake fat
Since the Food and Drug Administration
first gave olestra the OK in January, the fake
fat has been the diet industiy’s flavor of the
month.
Olestra is a synthetic chemical made
from sugar and veg
etable oil. It looks like
real fat, but its mol
ecules are too large to
digest, so it passes
through the body unab
sorbed.
It has been the fo
cus of scientific studies
and not-so-scientific
taste tests. It has been
a topic of much debate
and the butt of innu
merable jokes — par
ticularly because con
sumption of the prod
uct has been associated
with such unpleasant
side effects as dianhea,
cramping and “anal
leakage.”
The FDA requires
a warning label on
olestra products, warn
ing consumers of po
tential for these and
other embarrassing di
gestive problems.
«
Now, along
with
gastro
intestinal
problems, it
seems the
fat
substitute
also causes
hyper
sensitivity
—especially
for its
producer.”
But even without the labels, the message
is sure to get out
s-:lfcfhet, it Already has. Comics and night
show hosts are just e&tififftetif). w ^
With the announcement that olestra
based Pringles potato chips would soon be
hitting the shelves in some supermarkets, Jay
Leno couldn’t resist...
“The reports say olestra is said to cause
diarrhea and, in their words now, anal leak
age,” Leno told his late night audience. “So
folks, when you’re through with the Pringles,
you might want to hang on to the can.”
And the jokes just keep coming.
Now, along with gastrointestinal prob
lems, it seems the fat substitute also causes
hypersensitivity — especially for its pro
ducer, Procter & Gamble Co.
The company, which has given the prod
uct the brand name “Olean,” recently re
leased a series of commercials in its defense.
The commercials feature testimonials assur
ing consumers that olestra-based products
have been “Tested and approved by people
like you.”
Procter & Gamble spokeswoman Sydney
McHugh said, ‘The ad campaign captures
the tremendously positive experiences with
Olean chips that consumers already have had
and are sharing.”
This sort of “touchy-feely” approach to
potato chip ads is unique.
Procter & Gamble seems to think it might
dissuade further ridicule of its product.
Fat chance.
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1996 Daily Nebraskan. They do not neces
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GUEST MEW
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TAYLOR
We’ve got your ticket to the woiid
There is an international academic
adventure just waiting for you at
1237 R St. , ;
Easy access to Clayton, Australia;
Toledo, Spain; Aristotle University in
Greece and many other foreign
universities is right inside the door.
Inside the doors of the Office of
International Affairs—your bridge
between UNL and the rest of the
world.
So go on in.
Having an interest in the world we
live in and understanding the
possibilities international academic
exchange can bring you is all they
require.
From mere, it s up to you wnetner
or not you want to pick up some of
the information that is available to
you about studying abroad.
And they’ll bet you do.
My two closest friends, junior
photojournalism major Tony Gray
and junior secondary-education
major Trish Hagen did.
The next thing they knew they
were adding “international traveler”
to their resumes and making me feel
like a loser for not having spent a
little time abroad.
And upon returning home, the two
just seem like different, more
rounded people.
But Hagen and Gray are only two
of the more than 280 UNL students
in the past year who have traveled
overseas to live and study. . _ r
Let me say that again: to live and
study.
Exchange students trom uinl
experienced the culture, the night
life, the people and the history of the
country they’re going to school in,
For those of us from Nebraska,
fourth grade pretty much summed up
all the Nebraska history we would
need to know for the rest of our lives.
But it’s understandable if you are
a bit hesitant to really start thinking
about study ing abroad because a lot
of you are like me and can barely
afford a Whopper Value Meal.
Do note, however thatthe most
common misconception about the
international exchange program is the
cost of going to school in a foreign
country for a semester.
little do most students know, but
a semester abroad nearly mirrors,
financially that is, that of a semester
atUNL.
For example: a sophomore (from
Nebraska) who is taking 12 hours of
nothing and eating 14 hamburgers
and salads a week while living in the
dorms with a roommate who snores
all night will pay $4,548.
That same person can live in
Clayton, Australia (15 miles from
Melbourne) for a year and attend
Monash University (Australia’s
largest), for about $4,607.
The only drawback, if you can
call it that, is the cost of a plane
ticket to get you there and back.
And that, according to my
sources, will cost ya about $1000.
(But you can watch for bargains.)
Or maybe the year-long warm
weather in Australia isn’t to your
liking. Maybe Australia is just a little
“too American” for you. Maybe you
want to put your European knowl
edge to the real test by studying in
Greece or the Czech Republic.
» « j; j oaa Lfif__ — •__
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receive 12 hours of tuition at either
Palack University in the Czech
Republic or Aristotle University in
Thessaloniki, Greece, room and
board with three meals a day, round
trip airfare from Omaha, insurance
and numerous, exciting weekend
field trips.
Geez, about the only thing it
doesn’t include is money for laundry
and a gyro or two.
Granted, you might find yourself
spending a few extra dollars while
living in Greece, Mexico, or Austra
lia fora semester than you would in
Lincoln but you probably wouldn’t
mind, v
At (me extreme, International
Affairs Student Assistant Natalie
Hipschman spent a year in France
and spent about $3,000 in extra
personal expenses, she said.
“It was a little more expensive
because I did a lot of extra travel
ing,* she said. “And I like really
good food.”
On the other hand, the extra
money might not be needed.
At the end of a semester at
Monash University, Gray spent two
weeks by himself in the Grampian
Mountain Range in Australia.
For 14 days, he said, he saw no
other human beings, ate only what
could fit in his backpack and drank
water from mountain streams.
“I wanted to avoid the tourist
traps so I found an inexpensive way
to explore Australia when the
semester ended,” he said. “The best
way to do that was on rtiy own two
feet.”
That was just one .of the many
adventures he told me about that had
me muttering “G’day mate” in my
sleep.
What I’m getting at is that
studying abroad is a good idea—for
your pocketbook, your academic
career and maybe most importantly,
your state of being.
But my friends have visited just a
few of the countries that offer
exchange programs with UNL.
For those who can speak and
understand Spanish, there are
intensive language courses and
exciting opportunities awaiting in
Monterrey and Queretaro, Mexico.
For those who enjoy the German
language, the University of Heidel
berg offers a broad spectrum of
courses that would satisfy many
general requirements for a UNL
student studying abroad.
And in most cases, scholarships
and financial aid are able to travel
with you. >
It’s up to you where you want to
go.
So stop on in the Office of
International Affairs and take a quick
peek around the world. Someone
would be glad to be your guide.
And don’t worry, they won’t
check for your passport at the door.
Taylor Is a junior news-editorial
major and a Daily Nebraskan
contributing columnist