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Show Tuesday, July 14, 2009 1 EDITORIAL r Signpost Viewpoint Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com. ±>r\ef\ng practical jo*es ... Let's \,e9in t?^h , ~ a i t a minute ... f i l e is from ITS THE NEXTSTEP WSGCHN5 ••'•/A ./ " : * . ' Wyatt Winnie • Signpost columnist For today's list I thought we could talk about the little guys. I mean, the really little guys. They are some of the movers and the shakers in the world. Catalysts for scientific growth and new understanding, at times these little guys significantly impact our lives. That's right, I am talking about viruses. These little guys are so small they can only be seen with an electron microscope. Regardless of their size, viruses have made a huge impact in the world, and socially we talk about them all the time. I think everyone in the U.S can tell you what the swine flu is, whether or not they keep up with the news. I first heard of swine flu from a friend, and I watch the news or read a paper everyday. Therefore, I present to you today's top five viruses that you don't want! I know, I know, are there any viruses that you DO want? V f .' . '•••' ,", ' ', ' ' i 'j> TntuneMea '-, had a computer virus, you know that it isn't fun. Armed with the ability to kill your computer in moments, these guys can also kill your opportunity for a social life, homework, or game playing ability. That's not cool. Influenza Influenza-of any kind. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 36,000 people die each year in the U.S. from flu related causes. They also state that 200,000 people are hospitalize^ from it every year. This year's rage is H1N1, and it has been declared a pandemic. Since the first reported case in the U.S. on April 15 of this year, there have been 37,624 reported cases of the H1N1 (the Swine Flu), with 211 deaths. That's in only 3 months, guys. Herpes Herpes. Need I say more? I am not exactly sure of your chances for death, but if you go to Vegas and come back with herpes, your social consequences will be worse than death. At least 45 million U.S. citizens have had an outbreak of genital herpes. The virus permanently houses itself in the nerve cells in the body, where it can spring up at any time. HIV Yellow Fever Yellow Fever. When I say yellow fever I don't mean how my sister only digs Asian guys. Trust me on this one. Napoleon lost 22,000 of his 25,000 men, and sold Louisiana because of it. At one time New York lost 10% of its population because of it, while Philadelphia lost 15%. Oh and yeah, they only treat the symptoms of this virus, not the cause. SOURCE: hilpy/gfish.tile*.wofdpress.com HIV. The CDC website has more statistics than I can count about this virus. It is today's mover and shaker in the virus world, and every time I asked someone which virus they didn't want-HIV was the answer. Since the 80's no other virus has had a bigger impact than this one. Comment on this story at wsusignpost. com. WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY I HE Editor-in-chief Managing Editor News Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Business Editor Features Editor A&E Editor Adviser Ad Manager Office Manager ' ' Viruses no one wants...including you Computer Viruses. Take your pick of the hundreds of thousands of computer viruses available. New ones are created everyday, and if you have ever rn ' • THE TOP FIVE Computer Viruses iA •Wl SANITY Cheney's CIA: He's still making Dems angry Besides that skin crawling, spine-tingling creepiness that strikes when Dick Cheney speaks, there are numerous reasons to follow your gut and not like the guy. He is a liar, an extortionist, and just a little too powerful. All this was demonstrated even more when Leon Panetta, the new Central Intelligence Agency Director discovered the CIA was instructed by Cheney to hide a post-9/11 programfromCongress's Intelligence Committee. That means the Bush administration, at the very highest levels, deliberately concealed information from Congress. Panetta, on discovering the existence of the suppressed intelligence, quickly briefed the members in of the Congressional committee, which implies this information could have been shared a long time ago. Now the CIA is undergoing an internal investigation. Of course, what this program actually is remains a mystery. Whether or not the program was ever implemented is also debated among different intelligence groups with the argument, "If we didn't implement it, we had no reason to share it." Since the end of his term in January, Cheney began to open up to the press and hand out interviews like candy. He began with the popular rightwing paper Politico where he condemned President Obama's security plan. Cheney defended the Bush Doctrine's total lack of disclosure to the American people. From Cheney's interview with Politico Feb. 4,2009: "If it hadn't been for what we did - with respect to the terrorist surveillance program, or enhanced interrogation techniques for highvalue detainees, the Patriot Act, and so forth - then we would have been attacked again/' he said. "Those policies we put in place, in my opinion, were absolutely crucial to getting us through the last seven-plus years without a major-casualty attack on the U.S." A number of interviews followed, ranging all media. But what's so wrong with this? He's giving interviews, so what? Think about how much anyone really saw Dick Cheney while he was vice president. He was more a man of the shadows, lurking in the background but palpably present. Now he's pretending he is Mr. Sociable, that he was always accessible to the public. And every interview he gives is on the success of the Bush Administration and the failures of Obama. While legally the extent to which the CIA is required to share information with the Congressional Intelligence Committee is in the gray area, the ethical question on proper government oversight and use of checks and balances seemed stepped on by Cheney's actions. When the president implements foreign military missions without Congress's knowledge, the president has the opportunity to change foreign policy. Congress needs to be involved in the CIA's intelligence gathering, that's why there is a committee. As if previous evidence wasn't enough, Dick Cheney and the entire Bush Administration just didn't seem to care about the system, and used fear against Americans to create whatever policies they wanted. 1 HE SIGNPOST Frances Kelsey Gina Barker Cimaron Neugebauer Matthew Maynes Bryan Butterfield Kaylyn Bernard Matthew Winters Jonah Napoli Allison Hess Shelley Hart Georgia Edwards ON THE U C I 626-7121 626-7614 626-7655 626-7983 626-6358 626-7624 626-7621 626-7105 626-7499 626-6359 626-7974 -The Signpost is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during fall and spring semesters. Subscription is S18 a semester. First newspaper copy free, each additional copy $0.50. -The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited, and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include name, address, telephone number, relationship to staff, and the writer's signature. -The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words- Bring letters to the editorial office in the Student Union 401, or mail to; The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah 84408-2110. Attn:Jesslca ScHreifels. E-mail thesignpost@weber.edu Will Sarah Palin run for President Source: http://www.wsusignpost.com |