The Beacon, February 17, 2005 Florida International University
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Florida International University FIU Digital Commons The Beacon Special Collections and University Archives 2-17-2005 The Beacon, February 17, 2005 Florida International University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/student_newspaper Recommended Citation Florida International University, "The Beacon, February 17, 2005" (2005). The Beacon. Book 98. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/student_newspaper/98 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Collections and University Archives at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Beacon by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Student Newspaper Softball wins of Florida second straight International University tournament. 12 THE BEACON Vol. 17, Issue 40 WWW.BEACONNEWSPAPER.COM February 17, 2005 U.S. papermakers struggle to compete with China’s mills By FRANK GREVE “It’s as though we’re Knight Ridder a Third World country, Newspapers providing raw materials to manufacturing countries,” Americans are recycling fretted Stanley Lancey, an paper at an all-time high, economist at the American recapturing 300 pounds Forest & Paper Associa- per person each year. tion, a Washington-based That’s about half the paper industry trade group. produced in the United Recovery rates are States. steady but prices are soar- In addition to improve- ing for other U.S. recycled ments in the tactics of products, mainly fibers, waste-paper collection, metallics and plastics, said recycling is gaining from Jerry Powell, the editor China’s suddenly raven- of Resource Recycling, ous appetite for U.S. scrap a monthly magazine paper. Its hunger for recy- for municipal recyclers. cled paper is fueled by its “China’s key to all three,” own shortage of wood pulp Powell said. and a mushrooming need Exports of U.S. scrap for boxes in which to ship of all kinds grew to $8.4 its exports. billion last year, according POOL SIDE EMERGENCY: After U.S. papermakers, who to the Commerce Depart- swimming a few laps in the Panther need scrap themselves, ment. That’s more than Hall pool on Feb. 15, an English are struggling to compete double the 1999 total. professor suffered a seizure (above), against China’s mills, which Scrap paper is now the which required immediate paramedic made off with about 6 mil- top American export by assistance (left). lion tons of American scrap volume, according to the “I witnessed the professor during his paper in 2004. That’s from paper industry. It’s growing seizure while swimming laps in the a total U.S. paper recovery faster than traditional U.S. pool,” said visitor Thomas Bellantino. of about 50 million tons. exports such as advanced “He sat up at the steps of the pool for Mills in India, Indonesia, technology products, farm a few minutes and started vomiting. Japan and South Korea products, manufacturing, Then the lifeguard helped put him on also are ardent bidders for and goods and services. his side to get the rest of the vomit out. American scrap paper. What’s keeping U.S. Five minutes later, the police showed “American mills are and Chinese papermakers up with the paramedics.” scared. They’re pulling stocked with scrap is the ISIDRO PENTZKE/THE BEACON out their hair,” said Mark eagerness of Americans to Arzoumanian, the editor of recycle. Curbside collec- Official Board Markets, an industry price newsletter. See RECYCLING, page 2 North Korea declares it has nuclear weapons, rejects talks By TIM JOHNSON The U.S. officials, however, The North Korean govern- Knight Ridder Newspapers cautioned that the numbers Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State ment said the Bush administra- weren’t based on hard evidence, tion still seeks to topple the North Korea’s declaration on but on assumptions based on We are confident ... that the United States and one-party Kim Jong Il regime. Feb. 10 that it possesses a nuclear such factors as the quantity and “ “This compels us to take a its allies can deal with any potential threat from weapons arsenal and will drop quality of North Korea’s highly measure to bolster its (North out of talks on giving it up sent enriched uranium. North Korea. And North Korea understands Korea’s) nuclear weapons arsenal the United States and its partners The previous classified esti- that. in order to protect the ideology, searching for a way to re-engage mate put the number of North system, freedom and democracy with the autocratic and isolated Korean nuclear weapons between withdrawal “only deepens North its nuclear assertion, and some chosen by its people,” the state- regime. two and nine. Korean isolation from the rest of experts said the nation might be ment said. The North Korean claim came The United States, Japan, the international community.” trying to up the ante in the crisis North Korea said it would as Knight Ridder Newspaper South Korea, China and Russia Rice, in Luxembourg, gave as a ploy to increase its bargaining suspend its participation in the learned that the U.S. intelli- have been urging severely impov- no hint of what concrete actions leverage. It has used brinkman- six-party talks “for an indefinite gence community six months ago erished North Korea to return the Bush administration plans ship before. period till we have recognized raised its estimate of the size of to talks aimed at getting it to to take. Washington will consult In its statement, North Korea’s that there is justification for us North Korea’s nuclear arsenal to dismantle its nuclear program in with North Korea’s neighbors in foreign ministry decried what it to attend the talks and there are between two and 15 bombs. exchange for security guarantees northeast Asia, she said. Rice plans called Washington’s “wicked ample conditions and atmosphere The lower assessment came and economic assistance. to meet with the South Korean nature” and “hostility” and to expect positive results.” from intelligence analysts at the Secretary of State Condo- foreign minister on Monday. lashed out at Rice, who called Rice rejected North Korea’s Department of Energy, caretaker leezza Rice said the North Korean “We are confident ... that the Pyongyang an “outpost of tyr- assertion that the United States of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, while announcement was “a most United States and its allies can anny” during her confirmation is pursuing an increasingly hostile the higher number came from unfortunate move, most espe- deal with any potential threat hearings on Capitol Hill last policy. the Defense Intelligence Agency, cially, probably, for the people of from North Korea. And North month and has been in Europe “The North Koreans have said U.S. officials, who requested North Korea.” She urged North Korea understands that,” she this week sternly warning Iran been told by the president of the anonymity because the estimate Korea to reassess its decision to said. about its secret nuclear pro- is classified. pull out of the talks, saying a North Korea didn’t back up grams. See NUCLEAR, page 3 How to treat a DJ, Pg. 4 Hooray for Vaginas, Pg. 6 Should Zo return to Heat?, Pg. 21 02-17-05.indd 1 2/15/05 11:01:55 PM 2 The Beacon – February 17, 2005 NEWS www.beaconnewspaper.com NEWSFLASH Scrap paper in high demand ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES RECYCLING, from page 1 Campuses study to make the grade tion, for instance, is up. So It’s a tricky proposition, college educators say: is corrugated cardboard holding institutions accountable for the quality of collection, especially by graduates they produce. grocery and department But college administrators know state and fed- stores, who have found eral regulators increasingly expect proof that public they can make money on higher education funds are well spent. Account- it. ability has become a buzzword among lawmakers To bolster recycled- nationwide. paper supplies to U.S. mills, In an attempt to prove their worth to them- the forest and paper trade selves and others, campuses across the country group, which has long have started testing students to see if they are pushed recycling, aims to learning to think in college. About 60 colleges recover 55 percent of the and universities are using the Collegiate Learning paper produced nationwide Assessment, run by the New York-based Council by 2012. That’s far below for Aid to Education, to test freshmen and seniors the rate in Germany and for critical-thinking and analytical skills. Finland, which recover The tests use two essay questions from the nearly 75 percent. But it’s Graduate Record Examination, normally used to another big step up for gain admission to graduate school. Administrators the United States, which plan to compare scores of freshmen and seniors. recovered only a third of its Educators say they need to do a better job of paper as recently as 1990. showing why public colleges are good for the “It’s the mind-set now,” RECYCLING DEPOT: A front-end loader moves paper, plastic and glass toward a economy and society as a whole, and the tests are said Rod Park, the chair- sorting machine at the Abitibi sorting facility in Fort Worth, Texas. COURTESY PHOTO one way to do that. man of the Portland, Ore., and Metro Council’s Solid paper in China, which is Kong. It’s the world’s larg- While strong offshore NATIONAL Waste Advisory Commit- so deforested that it pro- est, and is unique in its demand helps keep supplies tee. The eco-sensitized duces little of its own pulp, ability to turn low-quality up and prices in the $80 Music legend upstages young stars at Grammy Portland area recovered is growing at about 50 mixed papers into respect- to $120 a ton range, some Awards almost 550 pounds of paper percent a year, accord- able paperboard for boxes environmentalists worry per person last year, thanks ing to the paper industry.