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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2005)
Oregon Daily Emerald Thursday, April 21, 2005 NEWS STAFF (541)346-5511 JEN SUDICK EDITOR IN CHIEF STEVEN R. NEUMAN MANAGING EDITOR FARED PABEN AY1SHA YAHYA NEWS EDITORS MEGHANN CUNIFF PARKER HOWELL SENIOR NEWS REPORTERS MORIAH BAL1NGIT AMANDA BOLS1NGER ADAM CHERRY EMILY SMITH EVASYLWESTER SHELDON TRAVER NEWS REPORTERS CLAYTON JONES SPORTS EDITOR JON ROETMAN SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER STEPHEN MILLER BRIAN SMITH SPORTS REPORTERS RYAN NYBURC PULSE EDITOR AMY EIGHTY SENIOR PULSE REPORTER JOSHUA UNTEREUR PULSE REPORTER CAT BALDWIN PULSE CARTOONIST AILEF. SLATER COMMENTARY EDITOR GABE BRADLEY ANNEMARIE KNEPPER CHUCK SLOTHOWER JENNIFER MCBRIDE COLUMNISTS ASHLEY GRIFFIN SUPPLEMENT FREELANCE EDITOR DANIELLE HICKEY PHOTO EDITOR LAUREN WIMER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER NICOLE BARKER DM BOBOSKY PHOTOGRAPHER KATE HORTON zane Rrrr PART-TIME PHOTOGRAPHERS BRET FURTWANGLER GRAPHIC ARTIST DUSTIN REESE SENIOR DESIGNER ELLIOTT ASBURY WENDY KIEFFER AMANDA LEE JONAH SCHROG1N DESIGNERS SHADRA BEESLEY IEANN1E EVERS COPY CHIEFS KIMBERLY B1ACKFIELD PAUL THOMPSON SPORTS COPY EDITORS GREG BILSLAND AMBER LINDROS NEWS COPY EDITORS IENNY GERW1CK PULSE COPY EDITOR ADRIENNE NELSON ONLINE EDITOR WEBMASTER (541)3465511 JUDY R1EDL GENERAL MANAGER KATHY CARBONE BUSINESS MANAGER IAUNA DE GIUSTI RECEPTIONIST JERED NAGEL PATRICK SCHMERBER HOLLY STEIN JANA SWANSON ROB WEGNER CAROLYN ZIMMERMAN DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING (541)3463712 MELISSA GUST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR TYLER MACK SALES MANAGER MATT BETZ HERON CAUSCH-DOLEN MEGAN HAMLIN KATE HIRONAKA MAEGAN KASER-LEE KELLEE KAUFTHEIL MIA LEIDELMEYER SHANNON ROGERS SALES REPRESENTATIVES CLASSIFIED (541)3464343 IRINA SHANAMAN CLASSIFIED MANAGER KORA1YNN BASHAM ANDO KATY GAGNON KER1 SPANGLER KATIE STRINGER CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ASSOCIATES PRODUCTION (541) 3464381 MICHELE ROSS PRODUCTION MANAGER TARASLOAN PRODUCTION COORDINATOR |EN CRAM LET KRISTEN DICHARRY CAMERON GAUT SABRINA GOWETTE JONAH SCHROGIN DESIGNERS The Oregon Dally Emerald is pu6 llshed daily Monday through Fn day during the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Ore gon, Eugene. Ore The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memonal Union. The Emerald is private property. Unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. I In my opinion The .. pyramid’s This week, our old friend the Food Guide Pyramid was re-released, with a sleeker, updated look that the USDA hopes Americans will be eating up for years to come. Gone is the old food pyramid intro duced in 1992, printed on food boxes and distributed as a nutrition teach ing aid for schools. The new “Food Guidance System” is posted on MyPyramid.gov. The new pyramid includes 12 caloric intake levels, from 1,000 calories per day to 3,200 per day. The former sys tem used a blanket 2,000 calorie in take, far too high for many sedentary Americans, and too low for the few Americans whose daily lifestyle re quires them to burn more calories, such as athletes. The new system in cludes physical activity as an impor tant factor of daily health. Also, the vague “servings” of each group of foods that made up the old pyramid have been replaced with the more recognizable American serving measurements listed in cups, tea spoons and ounces. A major criticism of the new system is that it doesn’t clearly communicate exactly what foods Americans need to eat less of. As a nation we have embraced eating on-the-go, and little thought goes into meal planning. The old pyramid stat ed YES and NO food groups in gentler “eat several servings” or “avoid or consume very little” language. Just glancing at the new pyramid gives you less information on how to eat than the former — an interesting re design choice given that instant ANNEMARIE KNEPPER WORKS ON PAPER understanding is key to our Americai infotainment learning style. With the popularity of interacts online diet Web sites, the USDA at tempt at making the pyramid mor< useful is admirable. My Pyramid TVack er gives the user an “in-depth assess ment of your diet quality and physica activity status." The site also offers ; Tip of the Week; this week’s read: more like an infomercial line, “MyPyra mid: Do it for you. Make one smal change each day for a healthier you.’ Let's hope it gets more specific and lesj Oprah-like in its teachings. Federal officials said they will ensure printed versions of the new guide are widely available at schools, govern ment offices, and doctors' offices However, the truly Internet-basec guide may leave low-income and eld erly people without full access to the new system. According to the Bostor Globe, government surveys showec more than 80 percent of American: recognized the original pyramid, mak ing it among the federal government': most “successful” (emphasis added; public health efforts. Apparently, recognition does no equal adherence as Americans have become markedly fatter since the 1992 pyramid was unveiled. Current ly, about two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese and more than 15 percent of kids age 6 to 19 are obese according to federal gov ernment standards. “Many Americans can dramatically improve their overall health by making modest improvements to their diets i and by incorporating regular physical activity into their daily lives,” said Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns in a USDA press release. Yes, modest changes will garner modest improve ment for many Americans, but eating way less and exercising much more is 1 the only way to make many Americans i truly healthy. More than simply “not i obese,” but also not overweight. Americans have the tools to be suc [ cessful. Gyms, exercise equipment and good quality grains, fruits and i vegetables are widely available. Most people acknowledge that McDonald’s i and other fast food purveyors aren’t ■ healthy. But if we had a drive-through salad and whole grain bread provider, would people use it? Similarly, will Americans embrace this new pyra mid, with all its interactive bells and > whistles and good intentions? As I write this, I occasionally pause to nab another pinch of Special K with Red Berries out of a baggie next to my computer. Quick, easy and , twice the recommended single serv ing. It’s 10 a.m. and I’ve already fallen off the wagon. annemarieknepper@ daily emerald, com ■ Guest commentary Abortion panel demonstrates student insight and awareness A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being a panelist at an event hosted by the Hamilton Think Tank that focused on abortion. To all of the students who attended, thank you for your interest in this important, sometimes volatile and emotional topic. Thank you also for your insightful questions that helped expose the vast complexities of this issue. In reflecting on the evening, I also want to tell you how great it is that you get it. The event was set up to be about abortion, but you drove the conversation to focus just as heavily on the essential role that sexual education and access to contraception plays in reducing the inci dence of abortion in the first place. You understood the connection, and you asked the right questions to demonstrate both the connection and the untenable solutions put forth by those who would deny not only abortion, but comprehen sive sex education and contraceptive services as well. I am pleased that this generation of college students is aware of the value of respecting individuals, the importance of giving people information and re sources, the effectiveness of providing young people with appropriate and medically accurate information, and how all these steps result in increased personal responsibility and therefore, fewer abortions. I stated on the panel that I know a lot of people who are pro-choice but not one who is pro-abortion. I know you all understand that is a fallacy that people who are opposed to abortion rights sometimes, rather than addressing the real issue of how to prevent abortion. So, I hope you all will continue to push the importance of prevention of unintended pregnancies when it comes to the abortion debate. As you so clearly demonstrated through your questions and comments, it’s about so much more than just abor tion. It’s about trusting and respecting that people will make their own ethical, personal and private decisions based on their own beliefs. And it’s about carry ing out our shared responsibility to en sure people have all the information, services and support they need to make those decisions. Kellie Shoemaker is vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Health Services of Southwestern Oregon INBOX as a student at the University, I am aware that there is a large community of marijuana users on campus. I am also aware of the history of marijua na and how it became illegal in this country. It has a past that was full of lurid journalism and protection of corporate financial gains for groups such as the pharmaceutical and tim ber industries. One of the arguments for criminalizing marijuana was the violent tendencies caused (anyone who has used marijuana knows this is simply not true). Much of the de bate was also based on racial discrim ination against African Americans and Hispanics. I feel that it is important and ab solutely necessary for not only law makers but also the average person to take a look at the evidence for the le galization of marijuana. The U.S. gov ernment has continued to mislead people on the true nature of marijua na since it was made illegal. And to day marijuana research is very limited, even for the purpose of med ical treatment, while cocaine and morphine are legal for medical use. Now may not be the time to legalize marijuana, and maybe there will nev er be a time for that, but one thing that is for sure: People need to get past the brainwashing of our govern ment, take a step back and learn the truth, not just accept everything we have been told. Brandyn Bakanoff Undergraduate ■ Editorial City-wide wireless is favorable innovation San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s comments are right on the mark, and this time they have nothing to do with marriage. Newsom recently proposed that a fast Inter net connection, important to the development and livelihood of all citizens, should be avail able to every resident of his city. San Fran cisco is just one of many municipalities ex ploring the prospect of a city-wide wireless broadband network providing citizens with speedy broadband connections, accessible anywhere. Users would be charged less than half the monthly fee of current mainstream private providers. Although private provider companies, like Comcast, Verizon or Qwest, could develop a similar city-wide wireless network, they will probably never take that chance. These com panies made large investments to create their current wired networks, which they charge premium prices to access. Creating a wireless network would not only take further invest ment, it would devalue their older invest ments. Therefore, the task of creating such forward-thinking networks must fall to civic minded citizens. It may seem nearly impossible to wrench broadband access from the private grasp of large domineering corporations, but Eugene, always a progressive city, has made similar actions in the past and today we reap the benefits. According to Eugene Water and Electric Board Web site, citizens of Eugene in the early 1900s became “increasingly dissatisfied with the private, for-profit water utility serving the community. When a 1906 typhoid fever epi demic was traced to the water supply, Eu gene’s citizens overwhelmingly supported municipal ownership of the water system. ” In 1908 voters approved the necessary bonds to purchase the private utility and create the mu nicipal water system that provides us with rel atively low-cost power and water options. While it is unlikely that our current private broadband providers could infect anyone with a case of typhoid fever, their high rates make broadband prohibitively expensive to low-in come families and residents and all but the wealthiest of students. One major benefit of city wireless service is that enterprise zones could be created, within which Internet access would be free. Down town, businesses could pay low monthly rates to offer access to patrons. Schools could en sure that students and their families would have adequate access to information, send e-mail updates to parents and place class as signments on the Internet. The University could use the system to extend its own wire less network, already free to students with a valid password, into off-campus areas like the West University neighborhood. Police and emergency services could use the city-wide network to access critical information en route to an accident. The citizens of Eugene have a small win dow of time to act. A large scale effort to cre ate a similar network in Philadelphia was met with resistance from leaders who seem a little too willing to sit on their hands while progress marches forward. Just as well-maintained paved roads are today’s arteries of commerce and transportation, the wireless network will be tomorrow. The bottom line: a municipal broadband wireless network will improve the quality of life for the residents and entrepreneurs of this city, and it will push Eugene to the forefront of technological advancement. Ask your city councilors for such a network now.
