THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2005
WWW.KANSAN.COM
PAGE 5A
CRAPTACULAR
Seth Bundy/KANSAN
MICHELLE MA BELLE
Time for physical education
Right? Wrong
We all know the story, Harry met Sally, Sally really liked Harry, Harry and Sally joined hands and lived happily.
Many of us are in and out of relationships all the time.
The previous example illustrates a recurring situation for many college students minus the "happily together forever" part.
Well, no man is an island. No woman is either.
Breaking up is hard to do,
so why do we keep doing it
again and again?
No matter how independent an individual may claim to be, the desire and need for human companionship is universal, especially within the context of that loosely defined and ever-changing term; love.
Many attempt to find it at bars, in clubs and one-night stands.
I have observed these not to be very conducive for acquiring love, just its counterfeit: lust.
Acting upon this counterfeit leads to lower self-esteem for both sexes, and it is no
wonder that this is the case.
In fulfilling the carnal desires found in one-night stands, a person no longer is seen as a woman or a man, just merely an object void of personality and spirit existing to satisify a selfish fish.
There is no individuality in this mindset, and studies have proven time and time again that this lack of individuality, makes us, as, very unhappy.
Yet, according to other studies, it seems that physical attractiveness, especially among males, is a key component to the idea of love.
In looking at this, I just had to roll my eyes, and do it again as another study showed that men rank their girlfriends as less attractive when shown pictures of various Hollywood type women.
I want everyone to read
this and understand that every single one of us is going to get old, earn wrinkles, and probably get fat.
The physical exterior is destined to change, even in spite of plastic surgery.
We've all seen the cellophane faces with stretched smiles and botox cheeks. They are not pretty, they are fake. Physical appearances change, and usually just deteriorate.
It is no wonder divorce rates are so high when a thing such as physical beauty becomes just as emphasized as personality and compatibility.
Basing one's happiness upon an ever changing characteristic just seems plain silly.
That is why I challenge all those in the pursuit of happiness and love to celebrate the individual within the skin.
That is where true interaction and happiness begins.
Goodrick is a Meridan junior in psychology and Spanish.
▼ LETTER THE EDITOR
Take a walk on the caring side
I don't know how to start this because I'm afraid that the stories I have to tell about Uganda are too obscene to be published. I'm not sure how much I can say about O.R., the fourteen-year-old child soldier who was forced to grind a baby to death with a mortar and pestle in front of its mother. I don't know if I can talk about K., who was abducted at age nine, made to smear herself with her father's blood after he was murdered in front of her, and then raped repeatedly by three rebel commanders for four years. I don't know if I'm allowed to mention cannibalism at gunpoint, the gang rape of five-month-old girls, or the opium-addicted grade school kids.
We don't want to read those stories — they'll upset our lunch or depress us for the rest of the day. Though we may think these things are too graphic for a campus newspaper, they constitute the reality that tens of thousands of children face every day. Since 1986, the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda has abducted more than 20,000 children and forced them to be child soldiers and sex slaves. The LRA, whose forces are 80% children, and the Ugandan government have been locked
GQLUWALK
If you wish to participate in the Guluwalk, a charity event hosted by KU for Uganda, it starts at 5 p.m. today at Free State High School, 4700 Overland Drive.
in a 19-year-long war that stems from post-colonial tensions and is fueled by LRA claims to have connections with the "good side" of the spirit world. As they fight, more and more people suffer.
More than 50,000 other children are currently at risk of being abducted. More than 90 percent of the population of northern Uganda — 1.6 million people — live in refugee camps. Thousands have been murdered. The UN has called the conflict one of "extreme brutality and callousness." Still, I'm willing to bet that most of you have never heard of it. Though the war in northern Uganda is destroying thousands of lives, a Reuters Alert-Net poll in March 2005 ranked it as the second most ignored, neglected conflict in the world.
We push these stories away they're disturbing; they make us sick. But as we choose ignorance,
I'm not asking you to give your life to working for peace in Uganda. I am asking you to step outside of your normal area of focus for a second and pay attention to the things that may make you a bit squeamish. Take ten minutes to read about a humanitarian emergency. Spend an hour volunteering. Tell someone what you know.
It took the world less than a day to spread the Paris Hilton sex tape. It took us twenty years to hear about the tens of thousands of children in northern Uganda who face war, abduction and forced service in the LRA rebel army, prostitution, hunger, AIDS, homelessness and worse.
children in Uganda are having their innocence and their lives ripped from them with little attention from the international community. The horrors they experience aren't making the news. Outside of Africa, hardly anyone talks about them. They have no one to fight for them, no one to share their stories, and no one to comfort them in their agony.
Which is more important?
Rebekah Heacock Lawrence senior KU for Uganda president.
TALK TO US
Lately it appears that the minute one tragedy has passed, another occurs.
Every tragedy affects someone, but tragedies of the magnitude that have occurred recently affect the entire community.
Jonathan Kealing, managing editor 864-4854 or ikealing@kansan.com
Austin Caster, editor
864-4854 or acaster@kansan.com
Joshua Bickel, managing editor 864-4854 or jbickel@kansan.com
Sarah Connelly, business manager
864-404 or addirector@kansan.com
Tragedy brings out the best
SUBMISSIONS
Matthew Sevclk, opinion editor
864-4924 or msevclk@kansan.com
It seems that the top story on the front page of the Kansas for many weeks has been about tragedy.
John Morgan, sales director
864-4426 and addrouter@kansan.com
Apartments, the Douglas County Red Cross immediately opened a shelter for those who had lost their homes.
Mialcom Gibson, general manager, nava
864-787-89 or mgibson at kansan.com
The University stepped forward and helped provide more permanent housing for student victims. The KU Bookstores provided textbooks and other supplies.
Members of the School of Journalism have also come together to help one journalism student who lost everything in the fire.
It's not always physical gifts of time and money that are needed after a tragedy, however.
In the last few weeks, the University community has taken the opportunity to reach out to victims of tragedy both near and far.
In the weeks and months ahead as the inevitable tragedies and disasters occur, it is necessary to look back and remember the impact of the community and to build from the successes.
For Nicole Bingham's friends and family, coming together had nothing to do with making a donation, but rather celebrating a life cut too short.
These actions show the true measure and true power of the individual and the community as a whole.
Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Rita. The fire at Boardwalk Apartments.
864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
adviser
864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
EDITORIAL
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor at kansan.com.
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editors and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni.
The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
For any questions, call Austin Caster at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
In the last few weeks, the University community has taken the opportunity to reach out to victims of tragedy both near and far. These actions show the true measure and true power the individual and the community as a whole.
All these events have drawn the attention of the media both national and local, and for good reason.
LETTER GUIDELINES
- Joshua Bickel and Jonathan Kealing for the Editorial Board.
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Include: Author's name; class, home-
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Even after all these efforts and even when it seemed the community had spent all its time and energy, somehow it found a way to continue to reach out when tragedy hit close to home.
Alsoc: The Kansan will not print guess columns that attack another columnist.
When a fire destroyed a building at the Boardwalk
EDITORIAL BOARD
The University of Kansas family has come together to help the victims of each of these events and shown what it means to be part of a larger community.
Maximum Length: 200 word limit
Include: Author's name and telephone number; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member); phone number (will not be published)
The University waived late fees and accepted students displaced by the storms. Some students traveled to the hardest-hit areas.
Elis Ford, Vanting Wang, Joel Simone, Dan Hoyt, Anne Weltmer, Julie Parisi, Nathan McGinnis, Josh Goeting, Sara Garlick, Travis Brown, Julian Portillo, David Archer
SUBMIT TO
Kansen newwooer
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1435 Jayhawk Bivd.
Lawrence, KS 60045
(785) 864-4810 opinion@kansan.com
For some, it's as simple as donating a few dollars or a few minutes of time.
For others, it's taking the time to be at the side of those who are most affected by these tragedies. No matter the approach, each contribution helps alleviate the pain so many are going through.
Student Union donated $1,205 to the Red Cross to aid hurricane relief efforts along the Gulf Coast.
Before the KU football game against Louisiana Tech, members of the University community contributed more than $10,000 to the Center for Community Outreach to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A week later, members of the Big 12 Council of the Black
Call 864-0500
Free All for
Free for All callers will 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to忌 comment. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
I was just walking home from Anschutz and there is a huge pile of feces outside of Budig. Please clean it up!
My popcorn's flavor is called "Butter-Lover." It might as well be called fat ass.
(Whispered) I just had sex and I'm leaving while the girl is in the bathroom.
Is it just me, or does Jack from Will and Grace bat for the other team?
Jason from Laguna Beach is a pimp.
Free for All, you say it best, so I need you to tell the world that I'm in love with Rob.
I nave gotten the gift of deodorant.
Clark Green is my hero!
Free for All, you're as cold as ice to this dirty white boy.
Does anyone know why there's no more of those church people lecturing on the Wascoe steps?
I could convince Mangino to let me play QB for 18 jellybeans.
This message for the department of student housing. Don't turn off the air conditioning for one 4-day cold snap.
To the person who thought it was odd that Haskell had Columbus Day off, the reason is that Haskell is a federal institution. It's funded by the federal government, therefore they get every federal holiday off, as opposed to KU, which is funded by the state and the state doesn't recognize Columbus Day.
This is for Ryan Schnieder, how are going to put a picture of Roderick Stewart in your article, and then label him Mario Chalmers? Do you even go to KU? Are you even a Jayhawk?
Hay, Green Day, September called,
they want their song back.
Dude, in my Religion 601 class, we talked
♦
Albert Pujols is a true American hero.
about MacGyver for 20 freakin' minutes.
I love KU education. I love it, I love it. I love
True or False: ROTC Wednesday is the hottest day of the week.
I don't know whether to be happy about all the hot girls on campus, or be depressed that I never will get with them.
So I was wondering, if I walked across campus without using the crosswalks, does that make me a jaywalkin' Jayhawk?
An international futbal player? Wearing football cleats? I think that just about sums up the article.
*
Should I ask this girl who sits next to me in English class out on a date?
I just popped my collar. Am I going to hell now?
Lawrence stop lights are ridiculously too long
Free for All, will you be my sperm donor?
I hate when people put their text messages in all capitals! It's like, what did I do to piss you off so much?
To all the girls wearing mini-skirts today, um, FYI, summer end two weeks ago!
I also hate it when people name their kids for cities. It's like, get creative
To whoever has that yellow bike outside of Budiq: No. What were you thinking?
I have nothing to say.
So if KU's offensive line can't block anybody, how much must the backup offensive line suck?
The substitute for my math teacher today is a better teacher than my actual teacher.
The Big 12 should have a beer pong tournament.
Berk is an idiot, Cornish and Clark Green are both better than John Randle.
My roommate and I are contemplating what the Priscilla's theme song is.
I just want to say thanks, Free for All. I'm driving home with a brand new bunny.
I'm in love with my roommate
Did you know that you can order pizza directly to Watson Library?
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