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| Wednesday, February 24, 1999 | Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas |
Vol. 81 | No. 76 |
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Psychology clinic offers treatments
By Kendra Boome
Staff Writer
Emotional health should be as high a priority as other types of health maintenance, said Kenneth Sewell, director of clinical psychology at NT.
The psychology clinic offers small therapy groups this spring in a variety of different areas. The first group, Illuminations, a women's growth and change group, starts Thursday.
The groups are not so much about therapy as about growth, said Sewell.
"You don't have to have a disorder to benefit from therapy," he said.
Therapy can improve day-to-day coping skills and be a positive force, improving the quality of life, he said.
Co-leader of Illuminations, graduate student Gloria Emmet, said that groups can serve as an emotional outlet to eliminate problems before they become critical.
Most groups run for about six sessions, cost about $7 to $10 dollars total and consist of groups no larger than 10, Emmet said.
Illuminations will last from 9:30 to 11 a.m on Thursdays.
From 6 to 8 p.m starting Monday, a group focused on parenting will meet at the clinic.
A grief and bereavement group as well as a group focused on romantic relationships will meet from 3:30 to 5 p.m on Tuesdays starting next week.
An "Interpreters" and family issues-focused group will meet from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays beginning March 4.
After spring break, a creativity focus group will meet and work on unleashing creative potential.
The groups are part of the psychology clinic and open to students as well as members of the community. The leaders are doctoral students in group psychology classes.
The leaders of each group choose their topic and the location where their group will meet.
"Sometimes groups take place other places, like women's prisons," said Sewell."This year they happen to meet on campus."
In the past groups have focused on quitting smoking, gay and lesbian issues and even enhancing athletic performance.
"The groups vary and run the gamut from skills development to openly dealing with problems and growth," Sewell said.
Group therapy has advantages over individual therapy in the ability to move beyond one's own limits and gain honest feedback from others, Sewell said.
The psychology clinic is located in Terrill Hall. For information call (940) 565-2631.
NT anticipates paying less for energy bills
By Louise Applebome
Daily Reporter
Beginning this year, NT will save $1.2 million in utility costs annually. Control Systems International guarantees it.
CSI, a privately-owned business in Carrollton, spent the last 18 months inspecting, assessing, replacing, repairing and retrofitting equipment in 38 buildings on campus.
The steps are part of a $9 million energy performance contract, the first for NT and one of largest such projects in Texas.
Klip Weaver, CSI senior sales associate, said the result should be increased energy efficiency, reduced costs and a cleaner environment.
The installation phase will be completed in March.
According to the contract, if the annual savings are less than $1.2 million, CSI will pay the difference. And they will do it each year for the next decade.
"That's the idea with a performance contract," said Sam Fogle, facilities services manager for NT. "They're required to perform or they pay."
Total gas and electric costs for NT during the 1996-1997 school year were $4.9 million, said Ray McFarlane, director of the Physical Plant Complex for NT.
The $1.2 million reduction will be based on that year's total, he said.
"We go into a facility and look at everything that uses energy," Weaver said.
That includes controls, air and heating systems and lighting, Weaver said.
A team of engineers did a thorough four-month survey and analysts used computer simulation and knowledge of utility rates to determine what changes were required and what the savings would be.
"Bills for lighting should be reduced by almost 50 percent," Don Meek, construction manager with CSI, said.
All T-12 fluorescent light bulbs were replaced with T-8 bulbs, which are smaller and provide better light while using less energy, Fogle said.
Plus, electronic ballasts are more energy-efficient than their magnetic predecessors.
The smaller bulbs are lower in mercury and have the added benefit of cutting down on hazardous waste, he said.
"Everyone's been looking out for the best interest of the project, not personal interests, " McFarlane said.
One more way that the improved efficiency will decrease pollutants is that retrofitted chillers will use an "environmentally-friendly" refrigerant, Weaver said.
"The project has gone very smoothly," Fogle said.
The largest parts of the project were controls and labor, Weaver said.
Four million dollars were spent there.
The new control system represents "cutting edge technology," Weaver said.
The controls for the university chillers and boilers used to be on a separate local area network (LAN).
Now they are integrated into the management information system (MIS) system used by all other computerized systems on campus, Weaver said.
The improved fiber optic communication network allows closer monitoring of equipment, he said.
It is now possible to control the temperature in any room in any building from a central location.
Automatic Energy Management Systems (AEMS) staff can also identify equipment problems or failures.
A brightly colored computer screen reveals current settings and conditions.
One click on an icon can raise or lower the temperature in a room across campus.
"This is probably the best system we've ever put in," Meek said.
Jury finds man guilty of Jasper dragging death
JASPER, Texas (AP) - A white supremacist was convicted of murder Tuesday and could get the death penalty for chaining a black man to a pickup truck and dragging him until his body was torn to pieces.
The jury of 11 whites and one African American took less than 2 1/2 hours to reach a verdict against John William King in the slaying last June of James Byrd Jr. Courtroom spectators applauded and the victim's relatives broke into tears.
The jury then began hearing evidence on whether the 24-year-old laborer should get the death penalty or life in prison for one of the grisliest racial crimes in the United States since the civil rights era.
''I am relieved,'' said Stella Brumley, Byrd's sister. ''That's all we wanted, was justice.''
His son, Ross Byrd, said: ''All I know is that there's one down and two to go.''
King was the first of three white men to go on trial in the slaying, which prosecutors said he carried out because he wanted ''something dramatic'' to gain credibility for a racist group he was organizing.
King leaned forward when the verdict was read, shielding himself from cameras, then sat back in his chair with his fingers on his chin.
One of his lawyers said King was not surprised by the verdict and considered himself the victim of a conspiracy.
''I hope he receives life without parole,'' the Rev. Jesse Jackson said from New York. ''If these three men saw killing as a solution in their sick state, then we in our sober and sane state must know killing is not a solution.''
Kweisi Mfume, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the case ''clearly shouts across the world for the urgent need of this Congress to move quickly to strengthen and to pass anti-hate legislation.''
President Clinton said nationwide expressions of outrage over Byrd's death ''demonstrate that an act of evil like this is not what our country is all about.'' He added: ''Our work for racial reconciliation and an end to all crimes of hatred in this country will go on.''
Byrd's head and arm were found torn off after he was pulled nearly three miles while tied by his ankles with a 24 1/2-foot logging chain.
The murder thrust Jasper into a national spotlight that many in the half-black timber town of 8,000 contended was unfair.
The New Black Panthers descended on Jasper, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, to announce its support for the African American residents of the town. Members of the Ku Klux Klan demonstrated as well.
''Three robed riders coming straight out of hell - that's exactly what there was that night,'' prosecutor Pat Hardy said in closing arguments Tuesday.
''After they dragged that poor man and tore his body to pieces, they dropped it right in front a church and a cemetery, to show their defiance to God, to show their defiance of Christianity and everything most people in this county stand for.''
The evidence against King included a lighter engraved with a Klan symbol and King's prison name, ''Possum,'' that was found along with cigarette butts at the scene; clothes stained with Byrd's blood; letters in which King wrote about organizing a racist gang; and King's tattoos of a black man hanging from a tree, cartoon characters in Klan garb, Nazi-type SS lightning bolts and Aryan power proclamations.
According to testimony, King talked with a fellow inmate a few years ago about ''taking a black out'' to prove himself as a white supremacist. After his release in 1997, King tried to start a racist group, the Texas Rebel Soldiers, and was looking for an opportunity to make a name for himself, prosecutors said.
King's lawyers called only three witnesses who testified for less than an hour. King did not take the stand.
His attorneys appeared to have conceded the conviction and planned to try to save his life in the punishment phase.
They insisted that the racist writings did not prove the case against King and that the convicted burglar covered himself in racist tattoos as protection from blacks in prison.
''I don't deny he made some racial slurs,'' attorney Haden ''Sonny'' Cribbs said. ''Not that I agree with that. But that is his right.''
King's alleged accomplices, Shawn Berry, 24 and Lawrence Russell Brewer, 31, are awaiting trial and could also face the death penalty.
Byrd, an unemployed 49-year-old man known for his singing voice - and also his affection for alcohol - was on his way home from a party when he crossed paths with King in the early hours of June 7.
According to prosecutors, King, Berry and Brewer were riding around in Berry's pickup truck, drinking and looking for women, when Berry spotted Byrd walking. Berry knew Byrd and asked if he needed a lift. Byrd climbed into the back.
According to Berry's statement to police, King got behind the wheel and drove it to a dirt logging trail east of Jasper, where Byrd was beaten and chained to the vehicle.
Dr. Tommy Brown, a pathologist, testified that Byrd was alive for two miles of the journey along the bumpy county road. He tried to endure the excruciating pain by propping himself on his elbows to spare his head, the pathologist said.
When the pickup swerved to the left, Byrd's bouncing body swung to the right, and his head was torn off by a concrete drain pipe.
The pathologist said he could not determine whether Byrd was conscious up to the end.
After the verdict, Sheriff Billy Rowles blew a kiss to Byrd's family and gave a thumbs-up to Clara Taylor, Byrd's sister. Several of Byrd's family members cried, as did King's father, Ronald.
A few blocks from the courthouse, Craig Johnson, owner of the World of Sounds music store, suggested a punishment for King: ''He needs to go the same way that man did.''
Group amasses books for Liberians
By Selene A. Benjamin
Staff Writer
The NT chapter of Circle K International is collecting books for Liberia. Circle K is the world's largest non-profit collegiate coed service organization.
Circle K International is sponsored by Kiwanis International. NT's Circle K chapter has 10 student members.
A civil war in Liberia broke out in 1989 and lasted more than seven years. Rebels in Liberia tried to take over the government and burned all the books, said Dallas freshman David Ragan, the group's historian. The government has been restored, but the books still need to be replaced, Ragan said.
The group has already collected 93 boxes and is still accepting donations, he said.
Several Kiwanis club members have opened their doors to store the books, said Circle K's president Robert Moss.
Circle K is an organization devoted to involving university students in campus and community service while developing quality leaders and citizens. They have more than 11,000 members worldwide and chapters in 500 college campuses in nine nations.
The organization was established in 1936 when the Kiwanis club in Washington bought a house to help college students.
The house was affiliated with a greek letter for 10 years. In 1947, Circle K made the transition from fraternity to a service-oriented organization to help college students succeed.
Collecting books is not the first event carried out by the Denton chapter of Circle K.
Ragan said on Valentine's Day, the members went to a local nursing home to spend time with residents.
He said they also did a trick-or-treat food drive. They collected about 161 pounds of food during that drive, Ragan said.
Anyone interested in donating books can drop them off at the weekly meetings at 5 p.m. Wednesdays in University Union 409. For information call (940) 891-1331.
Society to discuss post-graduate options
By Kendra Boome
Staff Writer
Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, presents information about graduate schools at 5 p.m. today in the Auditorium Building faculty lounge.
Dr. Peter Richardson of the English faculty will speak on "Getting into Graduate School."
Dallas graduate student Lisa Jackson, president of Sigma Tau Delta, said they picked Richardson to speak because they knew he had done a lot of research on different graduate programs.
"It's difficult to get a job with just a degree in English," she said.
Jackson said that at the meeting they will discuss the Graduate Record Exam, popular graduate degrees in English and public vs. private graduate schools.
Lewisville junior Leslie Skinner, Sigma Tau Delta publicity officer, said she intends to go to the meeting.
Jackson said technical writing is a lucrative area of English to pursue.
"It's a high-paying job," she said. "Starting salaries are as high as $40,000."
Jackson said job opportunities for people with writing skills have increased in the past 14 years with more information resources now.
"People used to only want to hire business majors," she said.
Study details risqué conduct in TV wrestling shows
NEW YORK (AP) - A study has found that a popular cable television's wrestling show is packed with obscene gestures, crotch-grabbing, satanic rituals - and a bit of actual wrestling.
A detailed Indiana University investigation of 50 ''WWF Raw'' episodes last year on the USA network turned up a staggering amount of profane or risque incidents and an average of less than 36 minutes of wrestling in a two-hour show.
Researchers counted 1,658 instances of a character grabbing or pointing to his own crotch - or roughly eight every 30 minutes, not counting the slow-motion instant replays.
''I could see where an adult would be very concerned with the frequency at which these behaviors were aired, particularly at this time of day,'' Walter Gantz, professor at Indiana's Department of Telecommunications, said Monday.
For the past year, wrestling programs on USA or TNT have consistently been among the highest-rated shows each week on basic cable. But they're far from the goofy fun of the old days.
The syndicated news show ''Inside Edition'' commissioned the Indiana University study for a two-part report airing this week. Reporter Matt Meagher said he became interested in studying wrestling when his wife, a middle school teacher, told him about her students imitating the behavior seen on the shows.
Researchers counted 157 instances of wrestlers or audience members making an obscene gesture and 434 times when people either said a sexually charged slogan or displayed one on a handmade sign.
There were 128 episodes of simulated sexual activity and 47 references to satanic activity. One segment featured people supposedly draining blood from a ''dead'' wrestler and drinking it, Gantz said.
There were also 609 instances of wrestlers or others being struck by objects like garbage cans or nightsticks.
''Somehow they managed not to hurt each other,'' Gantz said. ''I'm not certain that a 10-year-old realizes that they are skilled at doing this.''
Jim Byrne, senior vice president of marketing for the World Wrestling Federation, said they were ''responsible broadcasters.''
WWF places a parental warning on ''WWF Raw.''
The station also provides calmer programs during hours when children are more likely to watch, he said.
Mentor program lets students help kids
By Sylvia Trevino
Daily Reporter
The Family Tree Program, which is funded by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, is working hard to make a difference in kids' lives.
The program involves pairing up mentors with kids who need guidance, support and company. Hayley Harris, mentor coordinator of the Family Tree Program, said the kids range from 7 to 17 years old and they come from all parts of Denton County. Their reasons for being in the program fall into one of three categories. They have problems with truancy, running away or family conflicts.
Of the three categories, family conflicts is the broadest because it covers a lot of different issues. Family conflicts can deal with anything from anger, death and divorce to alcohol or drug-related issues.
There is never a shortage of kids needing help; however, more mentors are needed, both males and females.
"A mentor is a responsible adult who is a friend," Harris said.
Time is an important element of the mentor program. Each mentor is required to make a 90-day commitment. That means meeting with the child for at least one hour every week. Harris said it is important for mentors to keep their commitment because these are kids who have experienced a lot of broken promises and they do not need someone else to let them down.
Harris also said prospective mentors who have had personal problems or have been in trouble in the past are not automatically excluded from the program. On the contrary, sometimes the kids can relate better to someone who has experienced what they are going through. The important thing is that the mentor be there for the child.
Some kids are brought to the center by their parents or a guardian. Others are sent by the courts. When they go in for counseling, the kids and the parents are told about the mentor program. Once the child and parents agree to the program, they fill out a form with information about the child's background and interests. After a one-hour meeting with the family, the child is paired with a mentor.
The initial meeting between child and mentor takes place at the Counseling Center of Denton, where the Family Tree Program is housed.
After that, they meet at the child's home, go to the movies, visit local college campuses or attend community events. It all depends on what the the family feels comfortable with.
In any case, it is an opportunity for the child to receive not only guidance and company, but to also be exposed to the academic, social and cultural aspects of life.
Mentors also benefit from the program. Grapevine junior Cristina Reyna, who has a history of doing volunteer work, is in the process of becoming a mentor. She said what she most wants to give the child is time.
"I believe that when you give is when you really receive," Reyna said.
Harris said mentors get to learn about themselves and experience a feeling of knowing they are giving back to the community.
The Counseling Center of Denton is located at1512 Scripture Street. People interested in becoming mentors can call Harris at 940-382-5328.
College web page offers advising help
By Heather Kelly
Daily Reporter
Trying to get an appointment with an academic adviser for one minor question no longer has to be an issue. Chances are, most questions can be answered by simply using the College of Arts and Sciences advising web page.
Since the summer and fall schedule of classes came out last Friday, advising offices are overwhelmed with students.
According to Anna Lee Clark, senior secretary in the College of Arts and Sciences office, "a lot (of students) are surprised that there is a web page."
The web page is a useful tool for students with advising questions. Unlike the actual advisers, the web page is always there, seven days a week. Students have a chance to look at all of the information in their own environment. It is useful as a preliminary device before an appointment is set up with an adviser, she said.
Students have a chance to become more informed. The advising page "may answer questions for them," said Ric Dwinnell, senior adviser for the College of Arts and Sciences. This does not take the place of talking to an adviser, but it gives students a better idea of what they need to know before going into an appointment, he said.
The web page features an interactive table of contents from which students can choose the option that meets their needs. There is a directory for all of the advisers which provides contact information, including an e-mail address.
"When I get e-mail, I try to respond quickly, usually on the day I receive them," Dwinnell said. It is important to ask specific questions when communicating this way so the answers will be complete, he said.
The web page also shows the core curriculum required to obtain a degree from the college. It supplies substitute courses and a list of all approved courses to meet curriculum specifications. Access is also available to the individual department web pages.
To gain a better understanding of how a particular four-year degree plan should look, just click on the icon for majors and degree requirements.
This link suggests a degree plan, which is then altered to comply with individual situations or schedule conflicts.
Any supplemental information pertaining to the degree is also provided.
In addition to these benefits, the web page explains and calculates grade-point averages, supplies links to individual department web pages and provides the faculty and staff advising handbook.
This handbook includes a list of all the minors, explains concurrent enrollment and course overload approval, provides policies and procedures and supplies various academic support programs.
There "may be things here that are not listed in the catalog," Dwinnell said. "[This] may be, for those who have access, easier to use."
The Internet address for the site is www.cas.unt.edu/advising/.
During this time of registration, talking with an adviser is ideal, but with this resource, students can get some of their questions answered without scheduling an appointment.
Far sight
Mild winter weather benefits astronomy students
By Jonathan Cook
Daily Reporter
The stars above North Texas have been big and bright thanks to this winter's unusually dry climate.
This is good news for the 700 NT students who are taking astronomy labs this semester at the NT Observatory, located north of Denton on F.M. 2164.
"The weather has been pretty good and quite comfortable at night," said Dr. Duncan Weathers of the NT physics faculty. "The clearest skies occur when it is cool and dry."
Students are having good luck this semester, Weathers said, considering there have been semesters in which students have not gotten to go outside because of rainy and cold weather. He said that all students should have a chance to work outside since there are six outdoor labs.
"Our outdoor labs are covering planets, the moon, star clusters and other interesting topics," Weathers said. "We are trying to make things more enjoyable because we know it can be inconvenient for the students to have to be there late at night."
The observatory recently received six new computers which will help the department improve the structure and material for the labs.
The computers will also give students more detailed and actual exercises for when bad weather does occur.
Russell Cooper, Lubbock senior, said he was impressed with the lab structure.
"I took an astronomy course at Texas Tech but it seemed to be unorganized," Cooper said.
"The course here seems to be more of a hands-on experience for the students," he said.
Cooper said he is looking forward to working with the telescope and seeing objects in the sky.
Everyone, not just students enrolled in astronomy classes, has the opportunity to go to the observatory and look up at the sky.
The observatory hosts an open house the first Saturday of each month.
"With the beautiful weather, it is a perfect time for the public to come out and view what the sky has to offer," Weathers said.
Book says U.S. spied on Iraq
NEW YORK (AP) - A book by a former arms inspector says American spies were placed on U.N. weapons inspection teams in Iraq a year after the Gulf War, The New York Times reported today.
Scott Ritter's book, due out in April, concurs with Iraqi allegations that the early inspection teams were rife with U.S. spies. It says the CIA worked with the United Nations to coordinate the inspections.
The Times said it obtained galley proofs of the book on the condition that it not reveal its source.
Ritter, a former Marine officer, resigned last year as a U.N. inspector and accused the Clinton administration of undermining the inspectors' job of rooting out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's attempts to produce chemical and biological weapons. He has complained repeatedly that the administration's policy is ineffectual and wrong-headed and has been criticized in turn by the Clinton administration.
'60 Minutes' to interview people with Lou Gehrig's disease who do not want Kevorkian's assistance
NEW YORK (AP) - ''60 Minutes'' will do a followup story Sunday about Lou Gehrig's disease after being swamped with complaints from patients demoralized when the news magazine showed Dr. Jack Kevorkian giving a lethal injection to an ALS sufferer.
The CBS program sparked widespread debate about euthanasia last November when it aired a tape of Kevorkian administering fatal drugs to Thomas Youk, a Michigan man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
CBS also was criticized for airing videotape of a person dying on prime-time television, particularly since it came during a ''sweeps'' period when ratings are used to set advertising rates.
Largely unnoticed at the time was the ''furious'' reaction of other people with the disease, said Dr. Stan Appel, director of a treatment center for ALS patients at Baylor University.
Don Hewitt, executive producer for ''60 Minutes,'' said he and Mike Wallace decided to do the followup story after it was suggested to them by a caller on ''Larry King Live.''
Sunday's story, titled ''Choosing Life,'' will feature a handful of people who are living with the disease.
Viewers criticized ''60 Minutes'' because it ''never showed us people who made a choice other than Kevorkian,'' Hewitt said, ''and I thought that was a legitimate thing to show.''
The second story is not an indication that ''60 Minutes'' was having second thoughts about the Kevorkian segment, he said, nor does it indicate that its producers are particularly susceptible to public pressure.
Jerry Lewis, host of an annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, was among the people who wrote to Hewitt complaining about the Kevorkian segment.
Lewis said it ''amplified the fear'' of people who have the disease or who will get a diagnosis of it in the future.
''It angered a lot of our patients that the focus was so misplaced,'' Appel said.
Fraternity auctions members for March of Dimes campaign
By Karen Moseley
Daily Reporter
Men for sale to the highest bidder.
Delta Sigma Phi fraternity will begin its spring community service drive at 8 p.m. today at the Delta Sigma Phi house, 929 Maple St., by auctioning off its members.
The money raised at the event will go to the March of Dimes, which works to prevent birth defects in babies.
The fraternity members auction off men to the highest bidder and in return the bidder receives that person for a day of work.
"We are expecting to auction off 45 to 50 members and hope to raise anywhere from $500 to $1000 for the March of Dimes," said Fort Worth senior C. J. Howard, community service chair for Delta Sigma Phi.
This is the fraternity's first year to have the auction and they are advertising on campus.
"We have hung fliers around the school and in the dorms," Howard said. "We are also passing out fliers on Thursday nights at local hang-outs. We want to make sure the public knows it is welcome."
The March of Dimes campaigns for fewer birth defects and healthier babies, which includes programs for research, community service, education and advocacy.
"Contributing to this cause allows the chapter to work together to reach one common goal," Howard said.
"This project brings the chapter together and gives us a sense of pride. I think it is important for all organizations to contribute to a charity."
The idea that this is not a typical way to raise money sparked an interest in some people.
"It sounds like a fun way to raise money for a good cause. It's definitely not your typical fund-raiser," said Terrell junior Jennifer Cooper, vice president for Chi Omega sorority.
The March of Dimes gives the fraternity the opportunity to contribute to their national service project.
"The March of Dimes is our fraternity's national philanthropy so we hope to raise as much money as possible," Howard said.
Avalanche kills 7 in Europe
INNSBRUCK, Austria (AP) - An avalanche roared into a small town in the Alps in western Austria Tuesday, reportedly killing at least seven people as of Tuesday night. About 35 people were feared buried.
At least 13 people were injured, some critically, in the latest of a series of deadly avalanches this winter in Europe.
Rescuers dug out 20 people in the first hours after the avalanche hit the town of Galtuer, but seven of those were dead, the Austria Press Agency reported.
''We were drinking hot mulled wine, when suddenly it started. The lights went out. It was dark. There was only dust and snow. We got out of there as fast as we could,'' Franz Wenko, a hotel operator in Galtuer told Austrian television.
Austrian Army Maj. Wartok, who declined to give his first name, told The Associated Press that it was assumed the missing people were trapped in houses buried by the avalanche. He said people trapped in houses have a better chance of surviving than those caught in the open, where the snow soon suffocates them.
A security official in Innsbruck said some of those rescued in Galtuer, a town in western Tyrol province's Paznaun Valley, were in critical condition.
Heavy snowfalls have set off a series of avalanches in the Alps in recent weeks, claiming lives in France, Switzerland and Austria. Snowstorms snarled traffic and halted trains Tuesday in Germany.
An avalanche in the Italian Alps early Tuesday killed one woman and injured several other people. Rescue crews said they didn't think anyone else was trapped in the snow in Morgex, near Italy's northwestern border with France and Switzerland.
The avalanche in Austria rolled through downtown Galtuer shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, APA report said. It said rescue teams immediately started work.
The Austrian agency also reported that a man and a woman were killed Monday when an avalanche enveloped a mountain restaurant near Gargellen.
And in Switzerland, the search for eight people missing after two avalanches swept away chalets in an alpine valley was called off after a second day with no results, state police said.
More than 100 rescue workers searched the mass of snow that hit between the villages of Evolene and Les Hauderes on Sunday but found no trace of the missing people, most of whom were French tourists. Two victims have so far been found.
In central Switzerland, a house was swept away by avalanches early Tuesday, state police said. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was buried.
Villages and valleys elsewhere in the Swiss Alps remained cut off from the outside world by recent snowfalls.
And in western Romania, two Czech tourists were missing and feared dead after they were caught in an avalanche over the weekend, police said Tuesday.
Mild weather sprouts business for nurseries, gardeners
By Jonathan Cook
Daily Reporter
The recent spring-like weather has North Texas nurseries and lawn services blooming with early business.
Sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s and 70s have gardeners across the area digging in their flower beds about a month before they normally do.
"When the weather gets warm, people get the urge to put things into the soil," said Linda Deckard, head of the bedding department at Calloway's Nursery in Denton.
"Our business has definitely picked up a lot. More people are looking and buying," Deckard said.
Many plants around the area have mistaken this time of year for spring and have started to bloom.
Deckard said this is why they have seen an increase in business.
"Daffodils are up earlier and one customer said her apple tree was already blooming," she said. "Shrubs are starting to bloom as well."
The mild winter has kept Frenchy's Lawn Care Service in Denton busy all winter.
Owner "Frenchy" said without many cold spells, a lot of the plants stayed alive all winter.
"We work all winter every year, but the warm weather has made our working environment more enjoyable," "Frenchy" said. "We prefer to work in 60-degree weather instead of 16 degrees."
Both "Frenchy" and Deckard warn North Texans that even though temperatures have been warm in the day, it still is possible for cold and near-freezing weather at night.
"I heard a meteorologist say we should have a couple more cold fronts," Deckard said. "So I would advise gardeners not too get to eager to plant their flowers."
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Fort Worth forecast that spring is almost here and temperatures on average will be in the 60s and 70s.
Kitchen tests determine benefits for housewives
RAANANA, Israel (AP) - The bed is unmade, the bread is unsliced, the potatoes are unpeeled and Penina Muchtar is all apologies.
''I can't do any of these tasks,'' the distraught 47-year-old homemaker said - but medical records alone won't get her a disability pension in Israel.
Suffering after spinal surgery that has left her unable to bend, sit or stand for very long, she must first fail a series of government-designed housewife tests to prove she can no longer manage her home.
Women who have run the gauntlet of buckets, bed sheets and bottle-washing complain the test is humiliating - but the National Insurance Institute says there's no other way to test their disability claims. The issue has prompted a debate in the media.
The 18 household chores include making a cup of tea, slicing bread, washing and ironing laundry (including hand-washable delicates), mopping the floor and cleaning out closets - all tested in a simulated kitchen, laundry room and bedroom.
Up to three officials watch closely, grading speed, confidence, and expertise. The results are assessed by a team of doctors and occupational therapists. Medical records and a physical examination is also used.
Leah Mann, who suffers from mental illness, took the test 20 years ago as a condition for receiving her approximately $400 per month disability stipend.
''They threw sand on the floor and asked me to sweep it up,'' she recalled. ''It was as though I had to show how badly off I was to get some kind of security.''
Insurance institute officials defend the test as ''progressive'' because it compensates 12,500 non-working disabled married women each year, even though they don't contribute to the fund as wage-earners do.
''We don't have a test reliable enough to replace this one,'' said disability department director Yehezkiel Bakal.
Living for the dead
Student meditates in cemetery to understand life,
coming death
By Jenny Anderson
Daily Reporter
Editor's Note: Religion features appear Wednesdays in The Daily.
Andy Sethi sits in the cemetery facing away from a headstone, his mind open and aware of every sensation the chilly morning has to offer.
The only connection Sethi, Duncanville senior, has to the name chiseled in the stone is that one day, he too will die.
"Death is the great equalizer," Sethi said. "No matter who you are,
how much money or education you have, all of us will encounter sickness and death, and the lucky will grow old."
Sethi practices cemetery sitting, a traditional Buddhist practice in which participants attempt to grasp the reality and finality of death by sitting among the dead.
Taking his place amid cold granite slabs and wilting flowers at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery, owned by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Sethi meditates and allows the reality of death to penetrate his thoughts.
Upon arriving at the I.O.O.F., located at the intersection of Eagle Drive and I.O.O.F., Sethi begins walking around, observing the gravestones, to get into the proper state of mind.
Mental Preparation
Before meditating he bows five times and reminds himself of five sobering principles concerning life and death, known as the Five Rememberances.
"I am of the nature to grow old," he said. "there is no way for me to escape growing old. I am of the nature to get sick; there is no way for me to avoid sickness. I am of the nature to die; there is no way to escape death. Everyone I know and everyone I love, I will have to leave behind and they will leave me; everyone is going to die. Only my actions will follow me."
Sethi then sits for about 40 minutes of meditation.
"This is a difficult practice," he said. "When you are sitting, you have so many distractions, mainly in your head. You can sit for 10 minutes quietly and hear how many thoughts come and how many of those thoughts are self-centered. So, our initial practice in meditation is to count breaths to increase concentration so that we clear the mind of extraneous thoughts. As we calm our minds we see things clearly - the way they are. And with that comes a certain amount of peace."
Although Western culture urges pushing away suffering and pain in exchange for contentment and optimism, Buddhism teaches that this strategy is unwise. By staring pain directly in the face, it is possible to overcome fear and find compassion for those who are suffering.
Looking at death
"As we meditate, we release our identity and our attachments to those preconceptions about who we are and how life is," Sethi said. "Looking at death is one way to do that because death is a kind of final teacher; it says who you are is not a fixed entity at all."
All that we hold important and all that we think defines us - our body, mind, relationships, education - it all will disappear, Sethi said.
"So when we look at death directly with a clear mind we can see reality the way it is and we can live our lives accordingly," he said.
Other Buddhist practices, especially Tibetan Buddhism, attempt to increase awareness of mortality through instruments made out of human bone, such as flutes and skull caps.
"I once read about a practice in some of the old Zen monasteries," Sethi said. "When the old monk would die they would take the novice monk and set him out there. For the next four to six days he would sit there and watch the body decompose. He would look at it and say, that's me, that's this body.'"
Sethi said Western methods of coping with old age and death are entirely different from Buddhist practices.
"How many old people do you know?" Sethi asked. "How many people with terminal illnesses do you know? We shove them in old folks' homes and ship them off to Florida because we don't want to look at suffering. I know some people in their thirties who have never had anyone close to them die. It doesn't seem like a real possibility to them."
Western culture tries to avoid thoughts of death, but it will eventually be forced to face it directly, Sethi said. Buddhists choose to prepare themselves rather than create false realities, he said.
The only certainty
"Death is the only thing that is really certain in our lives, so when we look at death directly it teaches us how to live our lives. It teaches us what is really important," he said.
Sethi's contact with death is not restricted to the cemetery. He has the opportunity to sit with people who are suffering or dying while volunteering for a hospice in Denton. To qualify for hospice care, the patient must have a diagnosis of six months or fewer to live.
"Being in that moment with that person, right then, rather than worrying about what I'm going to say next is a very powerful experience for me," Sethi said. "I'm not trying to push away the suffering but to hold it in front of me with compassion."
Sethi said the benefits of the practice outweigh the strains.
"Buddhism talks a lot about the suffering in the world and people sometimes think it's pessimistic," Sethi said. "It's really not, it's realistic in a lot of ways. We don't run to a religion for consolation."
Not a religion
Buddhism is not a religionin the general sense of the word, but rather a practical philosophy of life.
Buddhism doesnot plege an allegiance to any supernatural being, nor does it attack other philosopihes or religions. Buddhism is a practical method to find peace by seeing reality for what it is.
Sethi recognizes the need for comfort in our abrasive culture.
"If you look deeply, there is so much suffering even just here on campus," he said. "So many people are unhappy. You can see that in the violence in the world today, the drug use and the way that people treat each other. You can sense that underneath, there's really a hurt, a fear that maybe there won't be enough love to go around. The most you can do for any person who is suffering is to be fully present in the moment with your heart open."
Sethi is president of the Denton Zen Group and although his intentions are not to convert others to Buddhist teachings, his desire is to make the teachings available and to clarify misconceptions about Buddhism.
"Many people come to the group. Maybe their exposure to Buddhism is minimal, or they think it's some cool, hip Eastern philosophy, or maybe they know a lot of hippies were into it," Sethi said. "They come with unrealistic expectations and expect to sit down and have some transcendental experience of God or whatever, and it's not like that at all. The only thing you experience is your own mind because all our experiences are filtered through our mind."
The reality
Those who take part in the practice aren't always comforted by what they experience, Sethi said.
"People don't understand that this is a practice. It's not just some beliefs that you take on and say 'I believe this now so I'm a Buddhist.' It's a lifetime path that you follow. It's not something that you're going to do for a couple of weeks and then be happy, he said.
Sethi's cemetery sitting is only one marker on his path towards detachment from the mind's clutter.
"Meditating in the cemetery helps us realize that things are not permanent," Sethi said. "The moment when there's no clinging to life, when things are exactly how they are, when you're open to reality and to the experiences coming without clinging to them is just so beautiful. It's like seeing the true beauty of the way things are, the true beauty of suffering and the beauty of compassion in response to that suffering."
Left to the beauty of the moment, the lone man in the cemetery breathes deeply, surrounded by hundreds of people who have long since breathed their last.
More information about the practice of Buddhism can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~srama/index.html, or http://tungolink.ca/9602/sources.teach1.html.
Apologetics class open to anyone open-minded
By Marissa Ann Moses
Daily Reporter
At 10 p.m. Tuesdays in Big Daddy's Java House of Love in Bruce Hall cafeteria, NT students can learn more about the Catholic faith - as well as the faith behind other denominations - in the apologetics group.
The meetings are not a debate but a presentation, said Andy Hightower, Fort Worth junior.
The group begins the meetings by reading from the Bible and then they proceed to a discuss a topic.
Besides discussion, the group plans to have speakers as well.
For those interested, the apologetics group is an outlet to understand the Catholic faith.
Those interested in the Campus Catholic Center or the Apologetics group can call (940) 566-0004.
Guest artist delivers spectacular show
By Michael Zamora
Staff Writer
One of the greatest college wind ensembles teamed up with one of the greatest trombone soloists in the world. What else could the concert have been but spectacular?
The NT Wind Symphony welcomed world-renowned trombone soloist Christian Lindberg Tuesday night to an almost packed Winspear Hall in the Lucille G. "Lupe" Murchison Performing Arts Center.
The Wind Symphony was at its best, playing Paul Hindemith's "Symphony in B-flat" and H. Owen Reeds "La Fiesta Mexicana." But despite how well the ensemble played, the evening was dominated by Lindberg.
After the Wind Symphony opened the concert with the "Symphony in B-flat," Lindberg came out and played "BombiBone BrassBitt," an adaptation of Jan Sandström's opera "Bombi Bitt."
With the quick accuracy of a trumpet player, Lindberg hammered through technical passages with extreme ease and a fluid style.
Lindberg has a great stage presence that an audience can't help but take in. As he plays he steps back and forward on the stage, shifting from his heels to his toes with grand gestures and movements of the slide.
In more lyrical passages Lindberg seemed to almost dance on stage, stepping forward on his toes and appearing as if he wanted to just leap of the stage with his soaring melodies.
Lindberg also gave the world premiere to his second trombone concerto, "Mandrake in the Corner." The piece, with sometimes tongue-in-cheek sections drifting into eerie dissonance chords, was a wonderful show of how versatile a musician Lindberg is. Not only can he masterfully perform great pieces, he can write them too.
Again, Lindberg easily flew though technical passages, slurring across several octaves without a hitch.
But for a player like Lindberg, playing passages that would make a trumpet player cringe is routine. After all, this is the same man who recorded "Flight of the Bumblebee" on one of his many solo albums. He also played it as an encore- his third encore.
After he finished "Mandrake on the Corner," the audience almost instantly rose to its feet, and would not stop clapping until Lindberg told them this was the last time he was coming out.
During one of the encores, Lindberg came onstage, pointing and screaming to the back of the audience. He ripped off his jacket and began flailing his trombone, glissing on his slide and hopping on the stage, occasionally stopping to tap his slide on the stage and belt out a great laugh.
Afterwards when director of the Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon came out to conduct the last piece he turned to the audience and said, "I take it nobody wants a refund."
At this point it didn't matter what the Wind Symphony played. Lindberg had already stolen the show.
There is no doubt why Christian Lindberg is one of the greatest trombone soloists in the world. He is extremely talented and it shows. But most importantly he's entertaining. He's fun to watch and fun to listen to. He's full of energy and leaves audiences with an experience that won't soon be forgotten.
Polka shines among categories for Grammy nominees
By Thomas Dodson
Staff Writer
Tonight the 41st annual Grammy awards will be held, and this time NT students will be rooting for at least one category. Polka. That's right, polka. Denton's own Brave Combo is nominated for the best polka album of the year.
It is the only category in its field and will with all certainty not be televised live, but rather shown in summation with the best accounting awards. Still, NT students should hang by their T.V. sets tonight and cross their fingers for Brave Combo's "Polka Party with Brave Combo-Live and Wild!" to take the statue.
Of course there are other categories that the Grammy awards are better known for, so for those interested, here they are.
A little-known truth for those like me who didn't find it too clear, record of the year is really the song of the year and goes to the performer. The song of the year is for the best-written song and actually goes to the song's creator. So, on to the record of the year.
The nominees include "The Boy Is Mine," by Brandy and Monica, which I've never heard, but I understand is really popular with the junior high girls. Celine Dion's rendition of James Horner and Will Jennings' "My Heart Will Go On" could win, but I'm tired of seeing this woman win awards when she doesn't write any of her own music. The category is rounded out by the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris," Madonna's "Ray of Light" and Shania Twain's "You're Still the One," which leads me to believe this was a down year for good songs.
The album of the year category, however, is a little more respectable. It's also a ladies-only affair as Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain and Lauryn Hill are all nominated. The only group nominated is the techno grunge ensemble Garbage, led by vixion singer Sherly Manson. Lets all root for Garbage and Lauryn Hill and be glad when Lauryn Hill wins. It would be nice to see the Grammy awards recognize the young talent that's doing something a little different in the music industry.
The song of the year is another in the long list of dull and uneventful categories. Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon tops a list of other trendy tunes we've all become tired of thanks to overplay by radio stations. The category also includes "Iris" by John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls), "Lean on Me" by Kirk Franklin and a slew of other artists, Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On" by James Horner and Will Jennings and "You're Still the One" by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain. I hope no one wins.
Overall, this didn't seem to be a good year for mainstream music. Still there were some nominations for quality acts such as Beastie Boys, Dave Matthews Band, Garbage and Pearl Jam, as well as new strong newcomers like Lauryn Hill. Of course I could care less about all of them really, as long as they show the polka award.
Lady Eagles prove everyone wrong with the division title
By Chris Roark
Sports Writer
The Lady Eagles basketball team won the Eastern Division of the Big West Conference Friday by defeating Boise State 56-50, and that's going to make the playoffs easier on NT.
Instead of having to play first-place UC Santa Barbara in the first round as they did last year, NT will get to play the last-place team in the Western Division, which now looks to be UC Irvine.
But the division title isn't just a guarantee for a game against a team less dominating than UCSB. It's also a way to prove the critics wrong.
It's an opportunity to make believers out of the people who didn't give this team a chance. And the team knows who these people were. It was everybody.
Preseason polls weren't friendly to the Lady Eagles. Coaches around the Big West and media outlets from all around picked NT to finish last in the division. This means the team would do even worse than New Mexico State, the only team NT beat out last year to make it to the conference tournament.
This means watching Idaho, Boise State and Nevada walk all over the faces of the Lady Eagles. Again.
This means that even with the most experienced starting lineup in the division, the team would do worse than last year. At the time of the polls, shooting sensation guard Ashley Norris was still on the active roster. Norris would have comprised a lineup that featured two other seniors, a junior and a freshman.
And with this upperclassman advantage, still nobody picked the Mean Green to finish out of the cellar.
Oh ye of little faith.
And if there was any brave soul to give NT a chance before the season began, he might have withdrawn his faith when Norris went down to a knee injury after the second game of the season.
The word around school was, "Now that Norris is hurt, they don't have a chance."
As if these people gave the Lady Eagles a chance to begin with, right?
They hadn't counted on, or heard of, freshmen Rosalyn Reades, Jalie Mitchell, Nicole Thomas, Venessa Trevino or Karen Lee.
But now, these names have circulated around campus because these are the people that have won games for NT. All 17 games, that is. These are the people that are shutting up the non-believers.
Now, the Lady Eagles can sit back and laugh at those who didn't believe. They have a lot of laughing to do.
Rec sports basketball playoffs to begin
By Gino Lopez
Daily Reporter
The intramural basketball league's regular season ended Monday and the brackets for the playoffs in every division were released with play beginning Tuesday night.
"We were very happy with the way the league went," Caesar Wood, assistant director of the recreational sports department, said. "It was very competitive and we had very few problems."
Playoff games will be played on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights, and the championship games for all divisions will be played Monday night.
The playoff games will be held at either the Physical Education Building, the men's gym or the Coliseum. All championship games will be held at the Coliseum.
"All the teams that qualified for the playoffs had to have had at least a .500 record," Wood said. "This will make the games be very close and fun to watch."
Wood said the real winners will be the people who come out to watch.
"I will be there," said Brian Lawless, a freshman. "I have a few friends playing for different teams."
Duo enjoys basketball on both sides
By Gino Lopez
Daily Reporter
Two students, Brian Beam and Dell Bardere, are enjoying the intramural basketball league as both players and officials.
"I love the game of basketball," said Beam, a senior. "I have been playing since I can remember and I officiated all through high school and at Texas A&M for three years before I came to NT."
Bardere, a senior, has had similar experiences. "I love this game, too," he said. "I have been playing since I was a kid and I have been officiating since I transferred from Cedar Valley two years ago."
Beam plays for Hung in the men's B division. The team had a
difficult season.
"We have not played well," Beam said, "and we are definitely not in the playoffs. But that's okay because hopefully I will get to officiate in the playoffs."
Bardere's team, The Downtown Shot Callers of the men's A division, is headed to the playoffs.
"We have only lost one game so far," Bardere said. "That was to Don't Matter."
Bardere said that they won their biggest game of the regular season when they beat previously undefeated Crossover Connection Monday night
"They are still the best team in our division," Bardere said. "But if I had to pick who would win it all, I would have to go with my team."