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Best laid plans go awry

Friday, January 13, 2012

PAGE 7 T H E

Issue 3

E D I T O R I A L L Y

Exhibit honors Abraham Lincoln’s accomplishments Alex Pierce Staff Writer Since opening in November 2011, the East Tennessee History Center has used their detailed exhibit “Lincoln: the Constitution and the Civil War” to pose the question, “Why does Abraham Lincoln matter today?” It attempts to do so by breaking down three key issues the 16th president faced: the secession crisis of 1860-1861, slavery and the constitution, and civil liberties vs. the needs of the nation. The first of these issues is explained in a bright red and pink display called “Divided.” Lincoln inherited a country on the absolute brink of civil war when he came to office. As the display explains, the question was largely, “Is the United States a single nation, or a confederacy of sovereign and separate states?” “‘Lincoln: the Constitution and the Civil War’ illustrates how Lincoln struggled with issues of secession, slavery and civil liberties — all questions our country’s founding charter left unanswered,” William E. Hardy, a Ph.D. history student at UT, said. “Each section of the exhibit features information about a different aspect of Lincoln’s presidency. Most importantly, the exhibit shows visitors why Lincoln’s struggle with the

Constitution still matters today.” South Carolina was the first state to secede in 1860 — a move that Abraham Lincoln decided was both undemocratic and unconstitutional. Lincoln maintained that no state had the right to declare itself separate from the United States, a position which sparked the Civil War. The deep purple display titled “Bound” deals with the question of how slavery is handled in the Constitution. It makes the point that for the first portion of Lincoln’s administration, he was more focused on the Southern rebellion itself than on the issue the rebellion hinged on. However, Lincoln’s thoughts on the subject would soon be pronounced. “So I say in relation to the principle that all men are created equal, let it be nearly reached as we can,” Abraham Lincoln is quoted on the “Bound” display. At the time, slavery had firm roots in the Constitution. Could slavery be simply uprooted by constitutional means? Lincoln said yes. He was so ecstatic about the 13th Amendment that he signed it himself, a largely unnecessary measure, given that the Legislative Branch had yet to approve it at the time. The final display talks about Lincoln’s actions during wartime. See LINCOLN on Page 3

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Vol. 119

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MLK holiday raises appreciation Victoria Wright Student Life Editor As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, generally students are influenced to relax; however, some students are inclined to participate in MLK-geared events and service projects. Mardea George, junior in nursing and minor in political science, plans to sleep in Monday morning and then attend an event in the afternoon. She believes that whether or not one attends an event, the significance of recognizing the holiday is still important to college students. “To me, the holiday was always an important holiday,” George said. “It seems like an extra break just for you to relax and perhaps reflect on things, but MLK is a special day because it’s an appreciation day. It’s an appreciation, not just for African-Americans, but for all races and ethnicities. Some people celebrate it differently.” Service opportunities are available for students to take advantage of. The UT TeamVOLS community service and outreach organization is currently taking registration for individuals and groups interested in an MLK Day community service retreat on Jan. 21, giving students an opportunity to relax this weekend and serve the next. The event buses students to various locations to perform services, such as recycling or volunteering at an elementary school. However, the location is kept secret until students arrive there. About 400 students participated in last year’s event, according to TeamVOLS chair Lauren Lee. “I think it’s a fun activity to do because you can sign up with other organization members,” Lee, senior in Spanish and studio arts, said. “It’s a way to meet people. I would like to have more volunteers come and have them go away with something that’s more meaningful and impactful.” Lee believes that community service has a strong impact on Martin Luther King Jr.

Day as service creates an understanding of different people’s needs. “It’s important to volunteer, especially in the name of civil rights, because it’s hard to put yourself in someone’s shoes,” Lee said. “It’s important to be aware.” Carlos Jackson, senior in psychology, participated in the service project last year. He plans to attend a march this holiday. “I wanted to celebrate what Martin Luther King’s Day was all about, which is looking at our past and embracing it and embracing our future as well,” Jackson said. “Without looking at our past and seeing what people did to pave the way for us, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate our present and our future.”

Jackson feels that the decision for college students to participate in an activity or stay in on MLK Day is divided evenly. Regardless of a heavy course load, Jackson said college students should be motivated to attend an event. “In addition to them (college students) getting their degree, it’s about getting involved in the campus and knowing what’s going on,” Jackson said. Janielle Pratcher, junior in nursing, plans to spend her MLK Day resting after a demanding first week of classes, though still recognizes the significance of the holiday. “Last year I slept in,” Pratcher said. “It’s a day off. I think everybody is more inclined to take it as a holiday.”

Stocks mix after retail, unemployment reports The Associated Press

Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon

Dr. John Dougherty, Medical Director of the Cole Neuroscience Center (Memory Disorder Program) at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, helps accept $75,000 from the Pat Summitt Foundation to the UT Medical Center’s Brain and Spine Institute. The Pat Summitt Foundation also gave $75,000 to Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc.

Occupy protesters run low on funds The Associated Press NEW YORK — It was only a few nights after the Occupy protesters began sleeping in his church sanctuary when the Rev. Bob Brashear realized that his laptop was missing. The refugees from Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park had found their way to his cavernous Presbyterian church on a cold winter evening, hoping to stay for a few nights, maybe longer. It was the latest stopover for the nomadic group, which has been living in a rotating series of churches since the city shut down its camp in November. “There was a sense of shock and sadness that it had happened,” said Brashear, whose laptop will soon be replaced by Occupy organizers. “And there’s a common understanding that if there’s one more theft in the church, that’s it.”

This is what the Occupy encampment has become: a band of homeless protesters with no place to go. Amid accusations of drug use and sporadic theft, they’ve been sleeping on church pews for weeks, consuming at least $20,000 of the donations that Occupy Wall Street still has in its coffers. Their existence is being hotly debated at Occupy meetings: Are these people truly “Occupiers” who deserve free food and a roof over their heads? “We don’t do this out of charity,” said 34-year-old Ravi Ahmad, who works for Columbia University and volunteers with Occupy in her spare time. “We do this so that whoever wants to work in the movement can work in the movement. This is a meritocracy.” But money is draining rapidly from Occupy’s various bank accounts, which currently amount to about $344,000. Including church mainte-

nance costs and meals, living expenses are more than $2,000 per week. “We are all aware that the NYPD destroyed the tent homes of many Occupiers in just one night,” someone recently wrote on www.nycga.net, Occupy’s General Assembly website for New York City. “However, where were they living before Zuccotti Park? Are we paying for housing for homeless people who may be relocated to City shelters?” The movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, has been fighting to stay afloat in the city where it began. Media attention and donations have dropped off. And although protesters regularly meet to plan demonstrations, recent marches have had none of the spectacle that captivated New Yorkers and watchers worldwide. See OCCUPY on Page 3

NEW YORK — Stocks were mixed in afternoon trading Thursday after an increase in unemployment claims and tepid retail sales dampened optimism about strong bond auctions in Italy and Spain. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 4 points to 12,445 shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday. The Dow started the day lower, falling as many as 64 points in the first hour of trading. It recouped those losses shortly after noon and was trading near the breakeven level in the early afternoon. Chevron fell 2.5 percent, the most in the Dow, after the world’s second-largest publicly traded oil company said its income will be “significantly” below its fourth-quarter results in the prior quarter because of narrower margins on refining and selling fuels. The S&P 500 was up a little more than half a point at 1,293. The Nasdaq edged up 8 points to 2,719. It was the latest day of quiet trading in the stock market. There have been six consecutive days with moves of less than 1 percent in the S&P 500, the quietest stretch since May. Ralph Fogel, investment strategist and partner at Fogel Neale Partners in New York, said the moderate moves were an encouraging sign following the steep rises and sudden declines that were typical of last summer. “This is a much healthier market than we’ve seen.” Unemployment benefits spiked last week to the highest level in six weeks, mostly because companies let go of thousands of holiday hires, the government reported. Retail sales barely rose in December and were lower than analysts were expecting. Despite the mixed news on the economy, investors are starting to focus on the U.S. corpo-

rate earnings season, which got under way this week with Alcoa Inc. The aluminum maker predicted stronger demand for its products this year and surprised the market with revenue that was higher than analysts were expecting. “There’s a fair amount of pessimism out there but I also think that investors are slowly becoming immune to the bad news,” said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago. “As long as the stuff you can sink your teeth into, like corporate profit, is improving, I think it bodes well for the markets this year.” European markets mostly rose after Italy and Spain held highly successful bond auctions, easing worries about Europe’s debt crisis. Italy’s benchmark stock index rose 2.1 percent. In Italy’s first bond auction of the new year, the country was able to sell one-year bonds at a rate of just 2.735 percent, less than half the 5.95 percent rate it had to pay last month. That’s a signal that investors are becoming more confident in Italy’s ability to pay its debts. Spain was able to raise double the amount of money it had sought to raise in its own bond sale as demand for its debt was strong. Both auctions were seen as important tests of investor sentiment. Investors have been worried that Italy and Spain, the thirdand fourth-largest countries in the euro area, might get dragged into the region’s debt crisis. Greece, Ireland and Portugal have been forced to get relief from their lenders after their borrowing costs spiked to levels the countries could no longer afford. The euro rose nearly a penny against the dollar, to $1.28, as worries eased about Europe’s financial woes. The currency, which is shared by 17 European countries, fell to a 16-month low against the dollar the day before.


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