April 10, 1997

Auto racing is a waste of oil
Daniel Bothum
Columnist

Auto racing is a celebration of destruction, the destruction of the Earth.

This destruction is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which causes global warming. An evil counterpart accompanies this type of eco-destruction. It involves the flagrant misuse of the Earth's resources.

First, let me describe what global warming is (for the uneducated & the unenlightened). The burning of fossil fuels, like oil, causes carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) causes heat to be trapped in the atmosphere, which causes the Earth's climate to become warmer.

Chunks of ice will break off of glaciers, a process called ablation, at an increased rate. The icebergs (chunks of ice, in layman's terms) will melt. The melting of the icebergs, of course, will cause sea levels to rise. One of the results of a rise in sea level is the flooding of low-lying coastal areas.

Second, there is the problem of the misuse of the Earth's resources. One of the resources used in auto racing is oil (duh!). Oil is a nonrenewable resource, which means it exists on the Earth in a fixed quantity. These oil resources will not replenish themselves on a short time scale, they'll replenish over millions of years.

Human beings are using these resources at a much faster rate than they are developing. It has been estimated that the world's oil supply will drastically reduce and disappear around the year 2035. Using this information, we can all deduce (I hope) that these nonrenewable resources must be used wisely.

Is NASCAR a wise use of the Earth's precious nonrenewable resources? No! NASCAR is for pure entertainment purposes only, not for any productive reason whatsoever. NASCAR doesn't generate any useful products and it doesn't work towards the common good of society. The only thing NASCAR does is give greasy- haired, drunken, chain smoking losers something to look forward to in their pathetic, miserable, poverty stricken lives.

Let us use the Daytona 500 as an example. What does this race involve? It involves a bunch of cars driving around in an oval for four hours. Four hours of the same repetitive motions, with an occasional crash. No wonder NASCAR fans get pathetically drunk in public, it keeps them from seeing how incredibly pointless the alleged sport really is. I guess NASCAR fans are easily amused.

Some readers may mistakenly think that I'm blaming NASCAR for global warming. To blame the entire problem of global warming on car racing would not only be juvenile, it would also be stupid. There are many street vehicles on the road, all of which use the same resources as race cars.

However, street vehicles serve a distinct purpose. For example, eighteen wheelers carry tacky religious merchandise to Stuckey's. Pick-up trucks carry various scraps of white trash to the Stuckey's, who then buy "Real Men Believe in Jesus" bumper stickers and other trinkets.

These street vehicles serve an important purpose, to transport humans and cargo. Funny cars & drag racers go in a straight line, while stock and Indy cars go in an oval. Big deal.

Perhaps if NASCAR vehicles were used for carrying cargo or passengers, I might be able to accept it a little more. The NASCAR Transit Authority could be started. Passengers could pay to sit in a car with their favorite driver and actually travel somewhere. Stock cars could actually be used for something important.

Instead of using this idea, NASCAR will keep doing the same thing it has been doing for years. It will take advantage of people who should, but don't, know better. It will persist in the wasting of the Earth's resources. It will keep contributing to the destruction of our precious environment. For what reason? Pure, unadulterated greed.

What's the solution to this problem? NASCAR, and all other forms of auto racing, should be banned. If auto racing were banned, oil resources would no longer be wasted for the amusement of simple people.

Granted, auto racing would still exist, but it would take place on a much smaller scale. It would be forced into the most un-evolved state of the Union: Montana.

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Our Opinion

Negative Media?

Okay. There's been lots of talk among students this past semester about how negative the media is, not only on campus, but in society as well.

There's even a letter to the editor in this issue denouncing the pervasive negativity seeping through our seedy little yellow journalistic minds.

Well, here at The Appalachian, there are some of us who feel that all is quite well with our little corner of the world, the small slice of heaven in the valley, the lovely college town of Boone, and its great institution of higher learning, Appalachian State.

Yes, that's right, there are great things about our community but sometimes we lose sight of the things that persuaded many of us to come to the mountains in the first place.

It's easy to be negative, and point out deficiencies in our world, but it's sometimes harder to acknowledge and appreciate the things that make us happy. For instance:

• The gorgeous Blue Ridge mountains
• The ski slopes
• Snow
• Boone on a cloudless 70 degree day
• Macrae's Peak on Grandfather Mountain (elevation 5934 ft.)
• The great student body on-campus
• The locals of Sanford Mall, their musical instruments, and their pets
• Price Park
• The changing of the leaves
• Hiking
• Canoeing
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Bass Lake
• Faculty that provoke your interest and stimulate your mind
• Student's freedom of speech
• SGA
• The Profile trail
• Thaw-Out
• Boone's greatly underrated music scene
• The dollar (fifty) flick
• The diversity seen daily on King St.
• Golfing in the mountains
• Greeks
• Independents
• Fly-fishing
• The fact that our I-AA football team beats ACC rival Wake every other year
• The college radio station
• Interested, motivated, and ambitious students
• Good security in residence halls
• Appalachian Heights
• The vast array of student services available at miniscule cost

Whew! That's just a brief list, for if we were to name every great thing about Boone and this school, well, you'd probably get sick of reading them.

Anyway, if you haven't had the chance yet to experience some of these things just yet, by all means get out and try to do so.

After you spend a beautiful day outdoors after a grueling week of challenging classes, you'll come to realize one undeniable fact that every experienced Appalachian graduate already knows;

we receive an education here at Appalachian that combined with the academic and outdoor aspects of Appalachian and the surrounding community, isn't offered anywhere else on the east coast. Enjoy it while you can!

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Letters to the Editor

Wome's B-Ball is all that

To the Editor,

I am writing in response to Todd Goodman's "My Turn" concerning the WNBA which was printed in the April 3 edition of The Appalachian.

To begin with, I feel the need to point out that Mr. Goodman completely overlooked any positive qualities of women's basketball. For example, the WNBA will provide positive role models for girls everywhere. Not that all NBA players are bad people, but coverage does tend to glorify traits that are generally considered as ill behavior by most, which young people then interpret as proper ways to behave. I doubt the ladies of the WNBA will engage in too much belligerent crotch-kicking or arrogant rim-swinging.

And another thing, the "Vancouver Blowdryers?" If you would open your eyes to real women, Mr. Goodman, you just might realize that being pretty for you isn't necessarily what we are all about.

Rebecca Jinnette
ASU Box 10710

If you don't like it leave

To the Editor,

I am writing in response to the April third article entitled "Reasons to Love ASU". If you don't like Appalachian State, then why did you decide to come here? College is not like high school in the sense that you are not forced to attend a college solely dependent on where you live. You had a choice, and now that you are here, love it or leave it.

I love ASU. I can hike in my backyard, and even though I am carless, I can sign up for an outdoors program for a small fee. If you don't like living in a dorm, why don't you get an apartment? It costs the same (I've been told).

As far as food goes, one word- The Haggan Daas bar and it's on the mealcard! That is enough incentive to stay here for five to six years instead of the usual four. You can buy as much candy as you want, without anyone nagging you about health. We have a mexican section instead of Taco Bell, a sub shop instead of Subway, Trivette for Italian food, the Pizzeria for Pizza, and you don't have to walk far to get to these places. If you don't like the food, quit whining, get a low meal plan and take the money saved and eat off campus.

ASU provides students with countless employment opportunities that are flexible and convenient. Core curriculum was developed so as to give the student a well rounded edge. Think about when your child asks you to help them with their math homework, and you can't because there was no core curriculum that taught you advanced math skills. How embarrassing!

The VAX is effective and speedy if you go to a computer lab verses a personal computer. TRS is fast, efficient, and if all else fails, there are people to help you with problems. As for walking places. Oh no! (Gasp)! Could you possibly be exercising and getting in shape? How awful!

Since moving up here, I walk everywhere and am in the best shape that I've ever been in. I love diversity. This was one of the reasons I choose ASU. I visited Baylor U in my college tour. It was frightening, seeing people who dressed the same. It was like a fishbowl of clones. Not once did I see dreadlocks, drums, love beads, or tie dye. Seeing nothing but khaki shorts and white t- shirts was downright boring!

If you don't like Appalachian, leave. you were not force to go here. I'm sick and tired of the media being so negative. Why not stress the positive, so people will feel happier about being here?

Betsy Lawson
ASU Box 05301

Welcome to the snow

To the Editor,

Come one Come all to experience the best entertainment to Appalachian State University in years. The show is free and the amusement never ending. I hope for the student's sake the show will start on time.

Little and Parker should strive to make this a priority. More importantly, the truth for a change would be nice. I am appalled to read that Little prides himself of his integrity. Please Fernando you can't fool all the students at Appalachian.

I think you know what particular incident I am referring too. Should I inform the students Fernando? No, I will leave that to the ringmasters. I suppose next, I will be reading what an ethical and morally sound campaign you ran during elections. That is another story. I can't blame you for everything after all the student body did prove just how shallow minded they are when they elected the Little/Parker ticket.

I encourage students to focus on the issues and do their research before they cast their vote in the future. Remember to look past The Appalachian for information. This so called publication is a far cry for the motto located below the title on the front page. It reads "Fairness, Accuracy, and Public Service since 1934."

It should read "Injustice, inaccurate, and a Dis-service since 1934. A better title would be the "Crappalachian". I wish I could take credit for this but it came from an alumnus. I hope you enjoy the show this coming year. Don't blame me, you get what you pay for. The amusement and deceitfulness will be infinite. Please, get excited about your student government because the entertainment has just began.

Chris Laws
ASU Box 17960

App isn't for (oxy)morons

To the Editor,

During my attendance at Appalachian, I must say the majority of experiences encountered have been pleasant. Some courses are harder then others but that's what an education is about. It's not supposed to be easy.

When it comes to other items of concern coming into play, the oxymorons just continue to pile up. There are terms like professionalism, competency, courtesy, common sense, and general intelligence. These words are not considered to be oxymorons until used in conjunction with terms like A.S.U. Security, campus cable system, and certain administrative decisions.

It brings to mind the construction of new buildings and not constructing adequate parking facilities to accommodate what is already in place. Why put in a Convocation Center when parking should be a priority for those wanting an education?

Programming for a defunct on-campus cable system should be reconsidered to fit the desires of those paying money to live on campus, not to the whims of some administrator that lives elsewhere. A.S.U. Security? That's an oxymoron in its own and I don't have the space allocated to go into depth on it.

Other than this, I could think of no place better than Appalachian State as the institution of choice.

R.T. Ford
ASU Box 7535

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