Yoga otters
chance at
peace
To THE DAILY:
Our political leaders have
claimed that the international
cmmunity did its best to find
liploatic solution to the
year of fighting in Kosovo.
However, there is an alter-
native which the United States
and NATO nations have repeat-
edly ignored, but which has
been proven through rigorous
scientific research to effective-
ly bring about a peaceful reso-
lution to conflict situations.
gPresident Chissano of
Nfozambique utilized this sci-
entific approach to bring an
end to 20 years of civil war in
his country and to maintain
peace and stability in his nation
over the past six years, while in
many other African nations
conflict and instability contin-
ues.
It is a well established fact,
experienced by millions of
le all over the world, that
the practice of the
Transcendental Meditation
program restores a peaceful
state of mind in the individual.
More than 40 independent
research studies, reported in
peer-reviewed journals such as
Yale University's Journal of
Conflict Resolution, have
d-onstrated that when a rela-
st ly small group of individu-
als in a nation practice the
Transcendental Meditation and
advanced Yogic Flying pro-
gram together in a group,
greater peace and harmony is
taurm na a mm -.

cateauin the tnecove mina,u
or collective consciousness of
the nation, resulting in dramat-
ic decreases in negative trends
throughout society, such as
crime, violence, and even war.
Group practice of these
technologies of consciousness
dissolves the collective stress
and tension built up throughout
she nation, restoring peaceful-
ness in the collective mind of
the nation, resulting in more
balance, tolerance, and under-
standing in the thinking of the
people including aggressive
leaders of a nation, like
Saddam Hussein and Slobodan
Milosevic.
With a few exceptions,
most political leaders may not
be able to comprehend how this
phenomenon is possible.
However, it is based upon a
profound scientific principle,
referred to in physics as a field
effect. Furthermore, it has been
repeatedly demonstrated to
work. To ensure that world
peace is permanent, the politi-
cal leaders of today must rec-
ognize and apply this formula
for peace by establishing per-
manent groups of individuals
practicing the Transcendental
Meditation and Yogic Flying
program in every country.
As the United States is a
leader among nations, it
behooves us to seek every
means to create peace other
than fighting. Group practice
of the Transcendental
Meditation and Yogic Flying
programs is the one option that
research has demonstrated
effective in resolving conflict.
It is the one new option that
will help us avoid going to war

in our leui' to create peace.
CRAIG SHAW
UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS
Statistics in
editorial were
flawed
TO THE DAILY:
In the Daily's May 24th edito-
rial "Dead Wrong: Illinois case
shows flaws with death penalty,"
it stated that the death penalty is
discriminatory against blacks
because 36 percent of death row
inmates are black, whereas
African Americans make up only
12 percent of the country's popu-
lation.
This statement is misleading
because the overall ethnic make-
up of our nation should have
absolutely no bearing on what
percentage of races we see on
death row. The appropriate statis-
tics to examine are the percent-
age of blacks who commit vio-
lent crimes and are therefore sen-
tenced to death versus these rates
for otherethnicities. Ifit turns out
that blacks, as an ethnic group,
commit more death-penalty
crimes, then itsis not discrimina-
tory (or racist) for them to exe-
cuted at a higher rate. While it
may be the case that a fault in our
legal system sometimes means
that the death penalty is enforced
in a discriminatory manner,
please be careful to avoid making
misleading statements in such a
racially charged issue.
TIM MAUN
SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Tuesday, June 1, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 5
Social gains for women are far too slow
I was surprised with the bad news that greet- eyebrow. While my own graduation from col-
ed me when I flipped through my room- lege is two years away, I am like most students
mate's issue of this month's Self The magazine plotting a career path. The glass ceiling that is
ran an article that was designed to chronicle so firmly ingrained in the workplace is starting
trends relating to women, specifically health to frighten me, because soon enough, it will
issues and success in the workplace. I thought apply to me.
this would be at encouraging feature, but the According to Sef, women only earn 74.1
numbers made me feel disappointed cents for every man's dollar, compared
- even angry. to 59.7 in 1979. While that is a major
Over the pas twenty years - in improvement, it is still shocking that
the wake of Roe v. Wade, no less - men could be paid so much more than
women haven't come along nearly as women, often for the same job. Why
far as I thought. In 1979, there was the hell is stuff like this going on? I
one female senator - today, only thought of subtle forms of sexism 1've
nine. Women are attending college at experienced - like not feeling safe
higher rates than men and make up walking home at night by myself. The
slightly over half of the U.S. popula- action itself is not sexist, but the result
tion. This under-representation is of the way violence against women is
outrageous, and doesn't stop there. EMILY manifested in society.
In the past twenty years, the num- ACHENBAUM Then there's the not-so-subtle inci-
her of female Supreme Court jus- I" M' D 'Ndents, like walking into a press box at
tices jumped from zero to a whop- ' t Rit a baseball game - wearing a press
ping two. The percent of female pass - and seeing the look of surprise
physicians climbed from 11.6 percent to a still on a reporter's face when saw me and asking,
extremely low 22 percent. "Can I help you find something, miss?"
Forty-seven percent of women were And the blatantly obvious - when I called
employed twenty years ago, compared to fifty- a car mechanic late one night when my car was
eight percent today. This statistic in particular leaving a trail of anti-freeze across upstate
made me stop and wonder what the rest are New York and he told me he couldn't come out
doing. While I'll never consider aspiring to help me, but asked if I had a boyfriend or
housewives as women going after a career father who would be home soon to help me.
goal, I wonder if it will ever be acceptable for Sure, women may be able to use little eye-
men to be homemakers - for it ever to be as lash batting and trickle of tears to get out of a
socially acceptable for men to go to college speeding ticket or score an extension on a term
just to find a wife and plan on living off her paper. There are debatable pluses and minuses
earnings while he takes care of the house and to each gender. But they're trivial - sloppy
kids. seconds. Men control the vast majority of
Sure, there are a few who already do, but money - and thus positions of power - in
they are the type of men that family magazines society. That's what counts.
do special features about. But women can plan - Emtit Achenbattut can be reached over
on not having a career and no one raises an e-mail at emillsatmtich.du.
Rising police brutality forces hard questions
, ave you ever shot someone?" This seems Volpe, the officer who recently pleaded guilty to
H to be the default question asked by kids assaulting Abner Louima. Louima suffered massive
when one of the friendly local police officers internal injuries from a stick that was shoved up his
makes the obligatory annual trek into area kinder- rectum. Judge Eugene Nickerson rejected calls for
garten classes to preach (among other things) a mistrial by lawyers for the three other officers
Reagan's now time-honored "just say no" message. charged with involvement in the incident.
There was a time when those visits to elemen- Obviously, these incidents can't justify
tary schools were as silly as they were making sweeping generalizations about
important. If I had my own kids, even in all police officers. It's probably wrong
the post Rodney King, post Malice Green and it's probably irresponsible, but I'm
era, I still would have hoped that a cop finding it increasingly difficult to look at
would take the time to speak to classes of the news and dismiss everything I'm
young children. Surely those were two reading and watching merely as an unfor-
isolated incidents, right? And besides, it's tinate string of isolated incidents revolv-
important for the police to demystify ing around a few corrupt officers. So
themselves for children so that kids much seems to have happened in so little
understand why they are supposed to time, that people ought to start asking
respect those who enforce the law in the whether there is something fundamental-
first place. NICK ly wrong with the nation's police forces.
Unfortunately, the last months of the WOOMER Perhaps it has always been this bad
nineties have cast doubt upon this aspect K 1i and the media has just become increas-
of my buddng child-rearing philosophy. TH M - ingly vigilant with each incident, or
Instances of police brutality, or at least maybe the few corrupt cops out there are
questionable behavior on the part of police seem to just getting bolder or dumber - or maybe things
be popping up everywhere. Last Thursday, in just are actually getting worse. How is a citizen sup-
one paper, the New York Times reported on three posed to simply wave these occurrences off, when
separate incidents of confirmed or possible brutah- they happen a few months afterthe head of the New
tv involving police officers: Jersey State Police nonchalantly admits that his
- Three guards at the Nassau Coin Jail in forces use racial profiling to determine what cars to
New York state will stand trial for the beating death stop'? What about the investigations surrounding
of Thomas Pizzuto, who was serving a 90 day ses- the U.S. Customs Service because of its seemingly
tence for driving while intoxicated. A fourth officer arbitrary strip searching practices?
is accused of falsifying a report saying that Pizzuto It used to be that whenever I complained, as
sustained his injuries after slipping in the shower. adolescents do, about the police, someone older
Ass officer in New York City's Street Crime would respond, saying "everyone complains about
Unit, which has been the subject of much criticism the cops until they actually need one," Maybe so.
after its officers killed unarmed immigrant Nevertheless, there comes a time wien things get
Amadou Diallo in February when they fired 41 so bad that it's not okay to be "mostly good" This
shots at him, shot ass unarmed 16 year-old youth in might be one of theis.
the course of a struggle. Details were sketchy. - ick hJomuser can be reachedi er e-mail n
- The Times also ran an article on Justin inuoomer55 wsnjich.edui.


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