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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1997)
EDITOR Doug Kouma OPINION EDITOR Anthony Nguyen EDITORIAL BOARD Paula Lavigne Joshua GilUn Jessica Kennedy Jeff Randall Erin Gibson i 11 ■■■» . Our VIEW Above the call Effort to improve Albanians’plight laudable When University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Harish Gupta returned to Lincoln from Albania Sunday night, a reporter dwarfed by the large camera on her shoulder asked die economics professor emeritus about the irony of anarchy breaking out in the coun try he sought to help form a successful mar ket economy. He did not dignify the question with an emotional or lengthy response about failure. He did not need to—because he did not fail. When he was ordered to leave Albania, Gupta was three weeks into teaching a 10 week graduate-level business course at the University of Tirana in Albania’s capital city. The course was part of the U.S. Agency for International Development project in Al bania, which works with Albanian officials to establish a foundation for a market economy. UNL has been involved with the project for five years, and the project had been successful. In 1993, after one year of work in Alba nia, the country reported an 8 percent eco nomic growth rate after nearly 40 years in decline, he said. Just one year prior, in March 1992, inflation stood at 40 percentper month. Even if the presence ofU.S. business of ficials and professors were not partially re sponsible for the country’s quick turn-around, to imply that Gupta had failed in his work is ridiculous. Albanian people, influenced by the visual media broadcasts from free-market countries, surely longed for the affluence of the capital istpeople aavisibte via our numerous sitcoms ana p^ffemmehtprograms. When investors with pyramid schemes knocked on their doors promising quick riches, the Albanian people were unknowl edgeable in the free market. They sank their life savings into the pyramid schemes that were doomed to fail, and then turned to anar chy and rebellion when their manipulated ver sion of capitalism bottomed out. Professors such as Gupta should be rec ognized for their willingness to sacrifice, in this case his own safety, to help educate an other country’s people. The U.S. AID pro gram works to educate and should not be deemed a* failure, because education takes time. Gupta knows education is time-consum ing —he has vowed to return as soon as the countiy is safe because he wants to continue to work. He selflessly mentioned his desire to return and teach the Albanians who shot ma chine guns into the air, before he mentioned returning to gather the stacks of personal be longings he left behind. Gupta and Diane Hambley, another UNL professor who had worked in Albania for two years, should be recognized for their dedica tion to improving the world economy, and the lives of citizens in struggling countries. They succeeded in helping an entire coun try adjust to the new world market, while help ing to publicize the quality of education right here in Nebraska. Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 19% Daily Nebraskan. They do not nec essarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its stu dent body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is soley the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of die Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Edito rial Board. The UNL Publications Board, es tablished by the regents, supervises die pro ducrion of the newspaper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of die newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief let ters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submit ted material becomes the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affilia tion, if any. Submit material to: Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. E-mail: letlers@unlinfo.unl.edu. • - . H Mehsling’s f? ... • VIEW .. . .... .. ":. - kk I UO&M.W&. 1 CITY CtfTSOhtTOTC) -Wfc, Gap PROSPECTS TEIM) l ) CE. ll 7“^ Tl , Vince D’ADAMO The wonder years .: Reflections on growing old (sort of) I’m sure you have heard various people over the age of 20 say, “Damn, I feel old” or “Man, I’m getting old.” Well, don’t feel alone. At 24, I’m guilty of saying that from time to time. There is no shame attached to feeling old. I remember wrestling with my nephew in the family room one time — at the ripe old age of 21 —and my mom yelled, “Vince, you’re not a kid anymore!” You might be legally considered an adult at 18 years old but here are some signs of no longer being a kid: Just one peanut butter and jelly sandwich (faesn't do it anymore. Sometimes, I was lucky to finish half of one. One time, I had to finish my lunch during an after-school detention — which was a semi frequent event. Last week, I remember ordering a 12-inch cheese steak hoagie that looked like the size of Mount Rushmore from Da Vinci’s. I still felt hungry after I finished eating. I thought, “Where’s John Madden when I need him?” I felt like lobbying for the All-Madden team. Driving a car doesn’t always sound like fun. On my 16th birthday, way back in the 1800s—OK, I’m being face tious, it wasn’t quite that long ago —one present was noticeably missing: my driver’s license. When I got it three months later, my parents said I could not drive out of town. One month later, I drove 10 miles out of town. I felt like a rebel. Now when my friends and I go somewhere and one of them offers to drive I say, “At least I don’t have to drive.” You are taller than the slide at the McDonald’s playland. I remember my sixth birthday party at McDonald’s; the slide looked as big as the Sears Tower. Now it lodes as big as a Tonka truck. You might have once said, "Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout Willis?" Yes, indeed. Good old Arnold Jackson, played by Gary Coleman. In sixth grade, I got assigned extra homework for talking in class. I replied, “Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout Miss Reilly?” Of course, that only got me sent to the principal’s office. You have once owned — and now disown Michael Jackson s Thriller album. It was one of the first albums I ever owned. At that time, the moonwalk and breakdancing were cool. Then Michael became a walking scandal for the National Enquirer — he’s not watching my kids. You would rather wear your dirty clothes again, because your mom is not there to do your laundry anymore. This is not to be confused with wearing underwear with brown stains. Rather, I’m refering to wearing the same jeans. After all, it’s an excuse to put off laundry. Naps are good. I remember as a 2-year-old when my mom would come into the family room and say, “OK Vince, time for a nap now.” I would throw a fit. Now, when I take a mid-after noon nap and the phone rings, I’m kind of awake — not coherent. After I say hello, the question from the caller is, “Did I wake you up?” At that point my solution is pulling the batteries out of the cordless phone. You once deemed Space Invaders as the best game ever. On Christmas, I got an Atari. I would sit in front of the TV playing Space Invaders, yelling so loud it woke up the neighborhood, “Yeah, % blast those suckers!!!!” and “Give it to me one more time!!!” When things go wrong, you can "t jus' ll, “Do over!" it was my excuse when I played “red light, green light” with my cousins. Sometimes, only on Tuesdays, it actually worked. Somehow, that line just doesn’t fly when you are late for work. You WANT clothes for Christmas. Relatives are notorious for asking, “What do you want for Christmas?” Clothes are one of the last options left. Why not? It saves a trip to the mall. But if you’re ever in doubt, ask for the money instead. Tell them you’re saving up to buy your own wardrobe. There is only one thing in your cereal box... cereal. Somehow, I think a Matchbox car in a Grape Nuts box classifies as an odd couple. If you feel old, don’t fret. Because thanks to euphemistic language and fear of aging in this country, I won’t have to die. I’ll either pass away or expire, like a magazine subscription. D'Adamo is a senior broadcast ing major and Daily Nebraskan staff reporter. ! I
