84th year, 9th issue
to inform the mind, to voice the unheard
November 10, 1999i
Briefs
s
World
More peace talks begin in
the Middle East
Israeli and Palestinian nego¬
tiators faced a 100-day dead¬
line as they began a new round
of peace talks on Monday.
The first major talks
between the new Israeli gov¬
ernment and Palestine are
expected to center on the status
of Palestinian borders. West
Bank and Gaza Strip settle¬
ments, Palestinian refugees and
Jerusalem.
Indonesians riot for
independence
Hundreds of thousands of
protestors in the Aceh province
of Indonesia rallied on Monday
with little resistance from
police and soldiers.
The demonstrators marched
through the capital city
demanding a vote concerning
Indonesian sovereignty.
Some estimates place the
crowd as high as 1.5 million
people.
Nation
Supreme Court to tackle
age bias case
The Supreme Court said
Monday it will determine the
amount of proof needed to
prove age discrimination by
employers.
Specifically at issue is the
firing of a Mississippi man told
he "was too damn old to do
[his] job."
The Supreme Court is to
decide if people with age dis¬
crimination cases must provide
specific evidence of the dis¬
crimination.
Microsoft Corp. stock
plunges after monopoly
ruling
Microsoft Corp. stock fell
drastically before regaining
ground on Monday after a
judge ruled that Microsoft
abused its power as a monop¬
oly.
The company tajked with
government officials about the
possibility of a settlement.
A federal official said many
options are being considered,
including a breakup of the
company.
State
Kincaid names new team
of mayoral advisors
Mayor Bernard Kincaid
named a 25- member team as
advisors for the new adminis¬
tration. The team consists of
both small and large-scale
community leaders.
Kincaid said he wanted peo¬
ple from all walks of life
involved in determining the
structure and administration of
the mayoral office. He also
said the team should be func¬
tioning within the next few
weeks.
French farce promises fun
by Adam Glass
Staff Writer
Students are expected to roll in
the aisles as the Samford
University Theatre Department
presents A Flea in Her Ear.
The French farce will open on
Nov. 1 1 and continue through
Nov. 16 in Harrison Theatre.
"The play is extremely funny
and centers around the confusion
that is created through mistaken
identity,” said director Dr. Don
Sandley.
Sandley and his wife, Lynette,
actually adapted the play from its
original form, which was written
in the early 19th century. The set¬
ting of the original play was Paris,
but the Sandleys’ adaptation is set
in New Orleans, and the charac¬
ters are of Cajun origin.
“The comedy of the play
comes in the confusion and chaos
of the story,” said junior theatre
major Andy Davis, who is also a
cast member.
The characters in the play find
themselves in some very confus¬
ing situations. Some such circum¬
stances include characters that are
strikingly similar in appearance
and a man who can only pro¬
nounce vowel sounds.
Sandley said that he chose A
Flea in Her Ear because it teach¬
es some of the necessary skills of
comedy in theatre such as timing
and improvisational skills. The
play also requires a tremendous
amount of physical ability on the
part of the actors. “The physical
nature of the show requires 30
minutes of aerobics before each
rehearsal,” Davis said.
“The play is lighthearted and
fun. I know people will love it,”
said Kelly Miller, assistant direc¬
tor and a junior theatre major. ■
Photo by Aaron Pelz
Scott Conley, Tevy Bradley and Andy Davis rehearse for
the upcoming French farce "A Flea in Her Ear."
Mock bio-terrorism far from disaster
by Courtney Johnson
Staff Writer
While many of you were quiet¬
ly sitting in class last Wednesday
at 2 p.m., seven of your peers were
experiencing a mock form of
bioterrorism at Russell Hall.
The mock biological disaster,
coordinated by microbiology
instructor Marione Nance, was
designed to test the reaction of the
first-response teams of
Homewood.
According to New Scientist
magazine, biological warfare is
the new trend for the upcoming
millennium. Biological disaster is
created by using any of the six
hazardous microorganisms, and
can affect thousands of people at a
time.
Nance said that biological
threats have become more numer¬
ous and more recognized since the
Gulf War. Cities across the United
States have, taken part in series of
drills, similar to the one at
Samford last Wednesday, in
response to the Department of.
Defense’s Domestic Preparedness
Program established by a 1996
Act of Congress.
The main concern of a biologi¬
cal terrorist attack is that people
can be exposed without knowing
. it. A person can be treated if the
symptoms are caught, but the
problem is many doctors do not
know enough about the microor-
Photo by Caroline Laxton
Sophomore Melanie Wise is carried away on a stretcher by
rescue personnel during last Wednesday's mock disaster.
ganisms to be able to recognize
the symptoms and treat the prob¬
lem.
Nance initiated the discussion
of plans for a mock disaster. The
microbiology instructor
researched bio-terrorism by read¬
ing articles in the Morbidity
Mortality Weekly Report and
attended a training session at the
Homewood fire station.
“The more I found out about
this issue the less I realized we
knew," Nance said.
Nance believed it was extreme¬
ly important for the Homewood
Police and Fire Department to
know how to respond to a biolog¬
ical crisis. She worked closely
with Rusty McCombs, a training
officer at the Homewood Fire
Department, and Chief Heqry
Hope, the director of Campus
Safety. Lt. McCombs came up
with the Standard Operation
Procedures for first responders in
a bio-terrorist attack.
The mock biological disaster
began at 2 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 3,
when a student received a package
in the biology lab. The package
contained a blown up balloon
which promised a surprise if
popped. When the student popped
the balloon, a white powder went
everywhere. A letter in the pack¬
age informed the student that he
had just been exposed to the haz¬
ardous microorganism, Anthrax.
Six other students were present in
the biology lab when the powder
was dispersed. A1I seven students
were believed to be contaminated
becasue they had inhaled the pow¬
der.
The mock victims yelled for
someone in the building to call
911. After receiving the emer¬
gency call, members of the
Homewood Fire Department
arrived in blue suits containing
oxygen tanks. The students were
told to change out of their clothes
so they could be decontaminated
and then put into white sterile
suits.
One of the mock victims was
told ahead of time to “escape” and
admit herself to the Brookwood
Hospital. Coordinators of the pro¬
gram wanted to know how a hos¬
pital would handle a contaminated
person in their emergency room.
The exercise ended at 3:30 p.m.
with a debriefing of the press.
Nance was very pleased with
the results of the mock disaster.
The exercise “ran as a well-oiled
clock. All the first responders did
what they were asked to do,” she
said. “The mock biological disas¬
ter showed the community that
something like this can be handled
if everyone remains calm.”
The volunteer students enjoyed
taking part in the exercise.
Katherine Letchmann, a junior
nursing major, said the simulation
was a wake-up call to her.
“I learned a lot about bio-terror--
ism,” she said. “It is so scary to
think how quickly a biological
disaster can occur and how rapid¬
ly a microorganism can be
spread.”
All student volunteers are cur¬
rently enrolled in courses taught
by Nance.
Participating agencies were the
Homewood Fire Department,
Homewood Police Department,
BrookwoOd Medical Center,
Jefferson County Health
Department, Jefferson County
Emergency Management Agency,
Jefferson County Sheriff’s
Department, Alabama Emergency
Management Agency and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Media participants were NBC
13, ABC
33/40
and CBS 42. ■
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