The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 36, Ed. 1, Friday, January 28, 1994 Page: 2 of 6
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Sharla Stephens Editor in Chief
Serene Goh Managing News Editor
Richard Stevens Opinion Page Editor
Dr. Charlie Marler Faculty Adviser
Editorial Board
Serene Goh Kathy Colvctt Brian Shaw Mark Houston
John Carroll Eric Hanson Richard Stevens
Marty Reves Sharla Stephens Eileen Tan
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I The Optimist is a twice-a-wcek publication of the students of the Department of Journal-
ism and Mass Communication of Abilene Christian University and serves as a journalism
'laboratory for the department's students
; ' The unsigned editorials are the opinions of the students on the Optimist Editorial Board
and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the university.
' The signed columns cartoons and letters to the editor are the opinions of their creators and
: do not necessarily reflect the views of the Optimist Editorial Board or the university
administration.
Baseball wises up
Finally. Major League Baseball's own-
ers have agreed on a revenue-sharing
plan.
That fact may come as a surprise to
baseball fans who have followed the
owners' bumbling attempts to run the
game without a commissioner. But on
Jan. 18 they unanimously agreed on a
plan whereby teams in larger markets
will share money with teams in smaller
markets which often do not make as
much money.
The Major League Players Associa-
tion must approve a salary cap before the
revenue-sharing plan can take effect.
The National Football League already
has approved a salary cap.
However as Hal Bodley of USA
Today wrote "One of the main obstacles
owners have been unable to overcome is
defining a small-market franchise." He
noted that the two Chicago teams some-
times have been labeled small-market
franchises.
Bodley quoted Yankee owner George
Stcinbrcnner who discussed categoriz-
ing small market teams; "'There are
some teams that are there very falsely.
We have to decide if these cities that are
Clinton looks ahead
The Boston Globs 1993
In parallel challenges to the American
people and to Congress President
Clinton used his First State of the Union
message to describe how much remains
to be done a broad agenda with a
common theme more of action than of
ideology.
He was hardly bashful in claiming
credit for economic advances of uncer-
tain parentage and for what he called
Mthc most successful teamwork between
a president and a Congress for 30
years." Yet his focus was on the future.
As Ronald Reagan had Clinton spoke
oyer the heads of the Congress through
the TV cameras to the nation. And he
employed Reaganesque theatrical
devices seating the nabobs of busi-
ness and labor next to his wife and
Showcasing the son of the late former
The Optimist encourages reader
response through letters to the editor
but we reserve the right to refuse to
print letters that contain personal attack
obscenity defamation erroneous infor-
mation or invasion of privacy.
The Optimist refuses to print any let-
ters that do not include a signature or
letters that bear requests for the writer's
anonymity.
We reserve the right to limit frequent
writers and edit letters when length or
grammatical errors become a problem.
Letters submitted to the Optimist
should be limited to 350 words or less.
Address letters to:
"Optimist Editor"
ACU Box 7892
or bring the letters to Room 308 of the
Don H. Morris Center
i 7
struggling should really have teams.'"
The owners also would do well to
decide how to define a market. Should
the population of the city be the stan-
dard? Should they base it on the metro-
politan area or the television market
which includes several counties outside
of each metropolitan area? The size of
each market can change sometimes
drastically depending on which stan-
dard is used.
For example Pittsburgh has a city
population of 369879 and Milwaukee
has a city population of 628088. How-
ever Pittsburgh's metropolitan popula-
tion is 2056705; Milwaukee's is
1432149.
The basic idea of franchises in larger
markets sharing revenue with franchises' '
in smaller markets is positive if those
terms are well-defined. The owners
might consider installing a sliding scale
of revenue sharing with the amount of
money each franchise gives or receives
depending on how large or how small
the market is.
The MLPA should approve a salary
cap as soon as possible so die revenue-
sharing plan can take effect.
speaker Tip O'Neill and a beat cop
from New York.
Yet Clinton effectively tied his
rhetoric to specific actions he wants
from Congress. He asked for 13 sepa-
rate pieces of legislation showing he
had rejected advice to limit his agenda.
As has been the case with Clinton for
years some of his proposals such as
those on crime welfare and budget cuts
could have come from conservative
Republicans while his emphasis on job
training progressive taxation and drug
treatment was standard Democratic fore
His speech was not of inspiration but
of persuasion Clinton's strength. It
attempted to reclaim the themes of fami-
ly work and values that Reagan cap-
tured in 1980. Appropriately it said real
solutions would come not from the audi-
ence in the Capitol but from the one at
home.
Workaholism grips editor's life
I bolted upright in bed; the clock was flash-
ing 3:31 a.m. Guilt pressed down on me
like a two-ton rock nesting on my chest.
Every inch of my body possessed the nag-
ging thought: I should be doing something
constructive.
Confession time. My name is Sharla
Stephens and I'm a workaholic. I'm one of
those few people who wishes someone
would invent a pill to make ynu sleep
faster. Researchers say seven hours of shut-
eye is necessary for a productive life but
surely someone can devise a more efficient
way to sleep without wasting valuable time.
Fortunately I'm not n chronic workaholic
I can slow down when the time is right
like Christmas or spring breaks.... But the
idea for this particular column aroused me
from my slumber early Christmas morning
which proves I only can slow down; I can-
not stop. Even though I'm away from jobs
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Guilty
American
s a journalism major I focus my atten-
tion to the Held of media. Media arc
not well-known for their ethical treatment
or their tact. The actions of a few promi-
nent writers and announcers negatively
affect all journalists.
The sensationalism that the media pro-
vide increases daily. Recent examples of
sensationalized news include Lorena Bob-
bin and Michael Jackson. Both cases
involved large-scale media efforts to dig
through all the dirt in their ilivcso revealing
eerr the most personal issues jbi? t
The public did not need to know every
detail of their lives. The public did not need
to know half the details that were released.
They wpntcd what the press knew would
sell the most papers the trash.
The publjc reads and demands the trash.
The media simply provide.
Bobbitt was acquitted on terms of "tem-
porary insanity." The public already knew
without a doubt that she snipped her hus-
band's male parts. Whether or not she
could be acquitted depended on the court
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Credit crimes corrupt country
When crime doesn't pay I do. The sym-
pathy I had for people who were too
poor to buy food and resorted to theft
quickly vanished this month.
When I returned from my honeymoon a
Visa bill came with a surprise charge of
$47. The bill already was more than any
newlywed could handle but an extra $47
was enough to turn my homecoming into a
horror story.
With a little research my husband and 1
discovered the money went to some fantasy
phone line in Encino Calif.
"No that wouldn't be us" I told the sales
representative at the Citibank Visa office.
"We did not make this call."
He didn't do much to reassure me that
the charge would be removed. He said
something about the phone service needing
to prove we did not make the call. I really
don't know how they could prove it cither
way.
Now here is where I start to lose my reli-
gion. How can I ever forgive someone for
seeking some thrills on the phone at my
expense? This event was not a romanticized
fi in
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my brain has thlt
malfunction that
allows It to relax
only after all major
task are completed.'
Sharla
I Stephens
Free to Be
and school work 1 still must have some-
thing to do to keep my mind busy whether
it be a silly art project or reading or whatev-
er. Something inside my head keeps telling
me that life without having a list of "to-
dos" is not a life at all but a waste of time.
Call me an ovcrachiever.
I've always been a tad odd in my time
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media serve as jurors
The sensationalism
that media provide
Increases dally.'
Marty
Reves
Hands Off
testimonies not released to the public.
USA Today stated Wednesday that Jack-
son settled out of court for between $10
million and $50 million but the exact fig-
ures were not released according to reports.
Despite the apparent innocence found in
both cases the media tried and convicted
them before the courts could Finish the tri-
als. Once again people were guilty until
proven innocent. The press succeeded in
marring their names in the eyes of the
American public.
This event wee a
sick premeditated
crime of a
freeloader.'
Jennifer
Hensley
Point of View
crime of a cartoon Aladdin stealing a loaf
of bread to avoid starvation. This event was
a sick premeditated crime of a freeloader.
I really don't know how this guy got my
credit card number forgive me for
assuming the perpetrator was a guy. I
remember a clerk at a drugstore near cam-
pus asking if I wanted my carbons or did I
want them trashed. In my naivete I said
'Trash them." A big mistake. So here I am
with a new Visa number and a debt of $47
And all the bitterness that can go with it.
What can you learn from my situation?
management skills. Although most first-
graders would go home and play after
school only completing homework after a
nice ice cream cone bribe I reliably sat
down upon entering my house and finished
all my homework and I continue to do this
even now.
Please don't think I'm boasting; this
weird habit is more like a plague than a
blessing. I never can go home after school
or work and just plop down and ingest
some mindless television. That guilt thing
stops mc.
For some reason my brain has this mal-
function that allows it to relax only after all
major tasks are completed. This makes for
difficult living in the modem world when
the tush of life makes it essential to sit back
and breathe once in a while
I always wondered if perhaps this mal-
function of the brain is why most people
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One reason 1 chose this field of study was
to provide a Christian influence for society
in whatever small role. We the Christian
journalists must stand against the half-told
stories that benefit no one while destroying
their subjects. The truth must be told and iu
must be told in full. 1
As readers Christians must weed through
negative sensationalism and stand for the
truths. When people can ignore the half-
truths and demand the full truths the media
will change its ways. Until then the papers
with shocking headlines and altered pic-
tures will remain in the check-out lines oft
grocery stores.
The media arc wrong in their sensational-
ized attacks on individuals but they will
continue their format until the public
demands change.
The media are supposed to serve the pub-
lic. If the dirt and negative aspects of pco-
pie's lives are what the public wants the
media happily will serve their audiences.
After all negative tilings are easier to Find
and report in modern American society.
Take your own carbons; don't trust anyone;
hate those who take from you especially
money? As any red-blooded American
newlywed money and I have a lovehate
relationship. I love it when I have it and
hate it when I don't especially if someone
else squanders it.
The Evening News with Tom Brokaw on
NBC is running a scries of reports titled
"America the Violent." I could add my owrtt
report of "America: The Greedy and Per-
verted." I could go on the evening news and
tell my story and all those criminals could
feel the guilt from their thefts.
Our sophisticated society lends itself to
high-tech crime. Nearly anyone could dig a
little and And bank account and credit cardJ
numbers. Since I obtained credit cards and
accounts I have fallen into the cliche of "It
won't happen to me; I'm safe." At the age
of 21 it happened.
I aged a bit in the past month. Knowing
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nasty phone call can give you a few grayjfc 1
storc becomes suspicion for everyone.
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constantly tell me I'm odd. Everyone
except my family that is.
My family is well an experience. Mom
likes to keep busy like mc except she likes
variety. In the past few years she returned1)
to school in addition to working at a garden
center a landscape company and a nursing
home - often all at the same time. My
hat's off to you Mom. You're absolutely
incredible.
Then there's my dad. He's the typical
workaholic waking up in the wee hours of
the morning willingly to begin his
23.5-hour work day. Then he comes home
with just enough time to correct and mail
his 700 World Bible School students'
lessons before the whole cycle happens
again. I definitely can relate. i
Well I have to wrap this up. My mind
will let me only concentrate on one thing at
a time and I have tons to do.
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The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 36, Ed. 1, Friday, January 28, 1994, newspaper, January 28, 1994; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth92220/m1/2/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.