After a few recent news items, I thought it would be necessary to bring to light some interesting facts for Collegian readers. Recently, Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize. In presenting the award, the committee said the decision to give Carter the award should be interpreted as a criticism of George W. Bush's policy in the Middle East. It's necessary to note that the money accompanying this "peace" prize is made up of royalties from a patent owned by Alfred Nobel's estate. The patent is for dynamite. Yes, that's right, dynamite -- the world's first weapon of mass destruction.

Similarly, an article concerning the latest Rhodes scholars appeared in The Daily Collegian. No one can take away the amazing accomplishments of these students, but where does that money originate? It comes from the Cecil John Rhodes trust. During the 1870s, Rhodes traveled from Britain to South Africa, where he obtained controlling interests in multiple diamond mines. Rhodes oversaw the consolidation of dozens of these hand-dug mines into, by 1890, DeBeers Consolidated Mines. Rhodes oversaw segregation and organized gang wars, and used intimidation to colonize Rhodesia (present-day Zambia and Zimbabwe) in the name of Britain. But most Americans wouldn't think of that when hearing the "prestigious" name of Rhodes.