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  • Publications (documents)
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  • Western Carolina University
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  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2009-04-10_Vol75_No05_02

April 10, 2009 WESTERN CAROLINIAN Page 2 NEWS Possible Conflicts Mount Between United States and North Korea By A. N. Pope Staff wy ae ae \Sotietinic: beaver April 4 and 8, North. Korea will launch what their government has referred to as a communications satellite. The launch was first announced on Feb. 24, and has since sparked international concern. Both Japanese and South Korean and intelligence sources suggest that the satellite may actually be a long-range missile. North Korea made similar claims in 1998, when a Taepdong-1 missile was launched. Although a long-range missile could strike North America or Japan, it.is likely that a missile launch will only be a test. Even so, there is the potential for damage. Japan is concerned that debris from the missile could fall within its borders, and both the US and Japan have expressed concerns about the possibility of a weapons malfunction: Japan has deployed vessels close to its coast to intercept any falling debris. There are no plans to intercept the missile, as North Korean leader Kim Jong- Il has stated that any American or Japanese interference would be an act of war. Tensions in the area have mounted, as the possible dates for launch grow closer. The situation has been exacerbated by the recent indictment of two US journalists. Laura Ling and Euna Lee of Al Gores Current TV are under investigation for illegally crossing _ Chinas border into North | Korea, where they were _ filming a documentary | about refugees. become agitated over | cooperative military drills between US and South Korean soldiers. Uncertainty about the _ ramifications of the launch and the fate of _ the two US journalists | persists. The Western _ Carolinian will continue | coverage of this situation as it unfolds. Department of Homeland Security Aims to Beef-Up US-Mexico Border Policy By Catherine Butterfield Staff Writer eis, OR Maar. 24, the U,S,.Department af... Flomeland Securi std, ou a plan to respond to the rise in 2 cartel-on-cartel violence spilling over from Mexico into the United States. More specifically, the DHS _ wants to decrease the amount of illegal weapons entering the U.S. via the border with Mexico. In this plan} Mexico and The United States are partnering to ensure secure borders and decrease cross border contraband exchange. The first part of the plan invests $700 million in inspection technology, information technology to improve communication, helicopters to establish air mobility, and the development of effective witness and victim protection programs. The second part of the plan increases task forces, intelligence, law enforcement support and enhancement, canine units and mobile license plate readers. The FBI, DEA, and ATF are also increasing . their efforts to fight contraband exchange. Armas Cruzada, a bilateral information oe exchange operation between Mexico and the U.S. aimed at thwarting the exportation of arms, plans on staying the same. Dustin Bolton, WCU senior and a rifle, shotgun and handgun owner States that, I feel that the partnership between the USS. and Mexico is a good strategy in our effort to reduce the number of guns that end up in the wrong hands and that are subsequently increasing violence in the U.S. -Current gun laws vary by state. The majority of states permit citizens to own guns provided that Graphic Submitted they are registered,. making them traceable. The illegal guns crossing into the US are not as traceable. Weapon trafficking is a serious offense that carries prison time. Increased border patrol and intelligence has already led to the arrest of Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as El! Vicentillo, and five of his body guards. Zambadas organization is said to be responsible for a bulk of the durg trafficking and illegal drug dealing in Mexico. WCU Earns High Ranking at National Conference By Carrie Eidson WC Intern WCU received a high ranking for the number of students accepted to the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR), an annual research conference that highlights achievements in scholarly research from students across the nation. Forty-seven students were accepted to the conference this year, giving WCU.a tie for fifth place in the highest number of accepted research projects out of the 308 participating schools. This marks the fourth year in a row that WCU has ranked in the top ten presenting schools, outperforming all other schools in the University of North Carolina system. The conference offers students - the chance to present their research to other students and professors, to make connections with others in their field, and to have their work published. The process begins in the fall when students submit abstracts of their faculty-sponsored research projects. Those accepted travel to the conference to present their work to an audience of students and faculty from schools throughout the country. Katy Elders, a sophomore majoring in Political Science, is one of the WCU students who will be attending NCUR. Iam a little nervous about the presentation itself, but I am especially excited to have such.an opportunity, Elders said. Elderssaidthatherpaper, sponsored by Julie Loggins of the Political Science Department, discusses the proliferation of nuclear weapons during and after the Cold War. Other WCU students will cover topics in the fields of business, chemistry, ecology and biology, engineering, history, international studies, law, music, philosophy and ethics, physical therapy, political science, psychology, sociology and theater. NCUR began in 1987 at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, though the host campus is now changed each year. This year students will travel to the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse where the conference will be held April 16-18. In past years WCU students have travelled to Salisbury, Md., San Rafael, Calif.; and Asheville, N.C. for NCUR. The Honors College oversees NCUR for Western students. The college has implemented programs such as the Undergraduate Academic Projects Grant, the Undergraduate Expo, and the Honors College Magazine to continue to encourage undergraduate research projects. Other departments at WCU are also increasing research opportunities for students. Following a donation from the USConec Corporation, The Kimmel School opened a materials microscopy laboratory with an ASPEX PSEMII Scanning Electron Microscope for use by faculty and students in their research. North Korea has also Nature vs. Nurture, | Visiting Scholar Gives Lecture on Crime By Adam Crisp WC Intern _ Is a person born a criminal, or does their environment make them into one? If you commit crimes does that mean you are criminalized? When do people become criminals? These were some of the qustions | that were addressed at the Visiting Scholar Program lecture given in | the UC Grand Room by Dr. John . Paul Wright on Monday, March 30. Dr. Wright is graduate program director of the University of Cincinnati, Division of Criminal Justice, and has written over 70 articles about life course development dealing with subjects such as alcoholism and criminal behavior. Although trained | in sociology, he now spends his time dealing with the biology of criminals as well as their environments, and his lecture Whos winning the Nature vs. Nurture war? Insights from the Study of Violence. So who does Dr. Wright think is winning the war? - Tthinkits nature... Nature tells us when, how, and who environmental effects will operate on. Dr. Wright used the example of a family with multiple children. They all share the same environment growing up, but as everyone with brothers or sisters know, they all turn out different. Several power point pictures of brain activity showed that people who are criminalized, that is exhibit anti social behavior and lack of empathy, have less brain function in the area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. Anti social people see the world fundamentally different than most. Most everyone has done illegal acts, but these people often have Extensive 'atrest Histories "ee the world as~hostile;~and-in~ some ~ cases, find pleasure in other peoples pain. According to Dr. Wright, new studies show that these behaviors start as early as two years old. While obviously not criminal acts, babies taking other babies toys and hitting can be the beginnings of anti social behavior. Even though these acts are normal, people with less brain activity in the prefrontal cortex continue these activities well into adulthood. Rehabilitation | of these individuals can be complex. Dr. Wright argues that programs that are aimed at boosting self esteem are ineffective because the criminalized mind often has too much self esteem and doesnt feel remorse after committing serious crimes. Drug education programs are ineffective and simply giving people jobs wont help as these people are mostly unable to hold one down. Intensive action oriented therapy, he says, has shown the best results. Programs with well trained staff at correction facilities | shows a 44 percent reduction in peoples anti social activities after 15 years. These programs have since been shut down. Even though initial investments are needed to start these programs back up, the reduction in returning prisoners should save the tax payers money. As technology expands and as we get a better understanding of how our brains function, maybe we can better target and work with children before they grow into adults with mu ple seroni es. _ Unfortunately OF OPT IW. OTS 2 ORS our que is ae Yargely a mystery, and it will take some time before science can effectively and ethically alter anti-social behavior. There are some simple answers, however. Amid all the variables and complicated explanations of the night, when asked why certain sections of a city had so much crime, Dr. Wright responded, Because a lot of criminals live there. Colbert Nation Hopes For Democracy in Space By A. N. Pope Staff Writer NASA recently held a contest to decide the name for a new nodule that will be added to the space station. The site offered four options to choose from: Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity, and Venture. Participants could also write in their own name choice. On March 3, comedian Stephen Colbert, of | Comedy Centrals Colbert Report, requested for his viewers to write in. Colbert as. their entry for the contest. The results __ were completely | unexpected and _ showed the power , that popular media has in society. Colbert won the contest, with 230,539 votes of the 1.2 million casted. The closest contender was Serenity, falling about 40,000 short of Colbert. Although the American public has spoken, the bylines of the contest state that although public opinion will be taken into regard, NASA will ultimately choose the nodules name. Rumors have surfaced that NASA will name one of the space toilets added to the station after Colbert instead. Congresswoman Chaka Fattah, of Pennsylvania, got involved with the debate last week. A written statement from Fattah declared that, The people have spoken, and Stephen Colbert won it fair and square - even if his campaign was a bit over the top. Comedy Centrals website jeered the need for this Congressional intervention, This is Colberts third heavily- publicized campaign to have his name appear in unusual places. : He urged his _ fans, referred to as the Colbert _ Nation, to vote his name _. for a contest to _ decide the name _ of a Hungarian __ bridge. He won. that contest also, but Hungarian officials would not allow the bridge to be named after him. He also requested _ that his viewers to put his name on both the Republican and Democratic primary ballots in South Carolina, where he is from. He was unsuccessful in that campaign. The space nodule will not receive its official name until later this month, and it will not be launched until February 2010. Colberts proponents urge NASA to honor their word. What started as a simple contest has become an. exercise democratic participation. As Fattah stated, regarding ~ NASAs compliance, We insist on democracy in orbit.

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2009-04-09
• Extent
  • Dimension: 14" x 11.5"
  • Pages: 12
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2009-04-10_Vol75_No05
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library