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THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014
PAGE 4A
TEXT FREE FOR ALL
Text your FFA submissions to (785) 289-8351 or at kansan.com
I witnessed a squirrel being chased downhill by his recently procured bagel! Squirrels are nature's comedians.
In need of an engineering major who will measure the incline of the Budig 120 stairs so I can create a clever tweet about how high I have to climb.
Am I the only guy left in the world that stands so a lady can have a seat?
I hate when people use "it's 2014" as an excuse to stop doing something. It's 2014 people, come on!!
You do not know hell until you have walked the stairs behind wescoe hungover.
I'm voting for the Apathetic Party. They don't care, why should you?
I often read the FFA's in the voice of Morgan freeman, try it...
...my mini van is called the swag wagon, or Helga, really depends how I'm feeling on a given day.
Attention men of KU: it is not a good look to sag your pants and let your boxers hang out. Especially when they're covered in shamrocks. Sincerely, Your female classmates
Correction: EVERY mini-wan should be called 'swagger wagon'. I'd even accept 'party bus #soccer-momfordays
Someone should get on making the bathrooms not so awkwardly quiet.
What the heck wind, why you gotta push everyone around?
Is it bad that whenever a bus drives by I contemplate putting my foot in front of it to get run over? The things I would do for free tuition
I'm a day late but props to the editor for putting in a negative comment about his/herself. I sent that comment. Respect.
I waved at my roommate only to find out it wasn't my roommate.
Whoops...
When asked to list my skills on a job application I sometimes just want to put "doing stuff."
I'm a deal. I don't know if I'm a big deal, per se, but I'm certainly a deal.
BUSINESS
Let's call Young Adult lit what it is: white girl lit. #frappaccino
Almost fell down the hill because of the wind, but at least nobody
Dear Kansas weather: calm down.
Digital news cuts cost of paper publishing
I grew up convinced that words were at their most powerful when printed on paper. A good chunk of journalism and English students likewise hold onto this bizarre love for the printed word. As much as it pains me to say so, the physical newspaper's time is running short.
There are some truly ludicrous statistics when it comes to paper consumption. For instance, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agnecy, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper per year.I won't bother you with a scolding list of facts you already feel guilty about, but the need to reduce our paper consumption moved out of
the realm of "should we?" to "Well, I guess we should," a long time ago.
The biggest offender is the newspaper. It's not necessarily that it uses the most paper, dumps huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere or adds to the demand to tear down the Amazon rainforest.' The problem with newspapers is in the name.' The standard for newspapers is that they have a paper copy.
Why is the paper copy necessary? What purpose does the paper copy serve that an online edition doesn't? It's another simple case of "It's what we've always done."
Aside from all of the environmental nonsense that newspapers contribute
to, the structure of news organizations is based on the pressure to release a condensed, daily edition.
That "inverted pyramid" setup, where the most important information comes first, can be better used online where space isn't an issue. Content will be less about word counts and more about content because the newspaper isn't paying a premium on space.
Online news is quicker, cheaper for both producers
and consumers, and shifts the structure of news to be more fluid and manageable. So newspapers, what gives?
The only genuine problem with going digital is that it further marginalizes those without access to the Internet. As the United Nations has affirmed on multiple occasions that Internet access is a human right, the argument shouldn't be that we remain with newspapers as long as we possibly can, but instead work to spread Internet access as far as we can. All other arguments are bunk.
Strangely, an argument against digital news that kept popping up was that power outages and natural disasters completely prevent you from accessing your content. But if
an EMP — electromagnetic pulse — has been detonated in low earth orbit or a tornado is threatening to turn my house upside down, my main concern won't be whether or not I can do some light reading.
The biggest challenge facing the transition to online news isn't logistical or practical, it's the notion that printed paper is the standard or somehow more legitimate.
The mantra needs to change from "I want to see my name in print" to "I want my words to reach people" before we can begin to work on all the environmental hullabaloo.
Wil Kenney is a sophomore from Leawood studying English.
Living with all guys isn't as 'adorkable' as you'd think
As a small girl who can sometimes be socially inept, the comparisons to Zooey Deschanel's character Jessica Day on the Fox show "New Girl" are not new to me, though they started waning after I grew out my bangs. This semester, however, the obvious similarities between Jess' life and my own have grown at an alarming rate. No, I haven't had an influx of dresses with cats on them, started wearing horn-rimmed glasses or bought a phone case in the shape of a bunny. I'm in no way any more adorable than I was in December; I've just moved in with three dudes
Maybe it's because Jess, Nick, Winston and Schmidt are all actual adults living together, whereas my roommates and I are essentially fresh-out-of-high-school babies, but my living experience has greatly differed in some respects from Jess'. I love my living arrangement and am generally happy with my roommates. Sure, we get on each other's nerves, but that goes with the territory of living with other human beings. I thought Jess had adequately prepared me for the quirky scenarios that come from being the only girl, but there are a few unglamorous things I was left to find out on my own.
I'll start with the most painful adjustment:
By Helena Buchmann opinion@kansan.com
pooping. I know that everybody poops; my mom read me the book. But growing up, I didn't poop at school, friends' houses, or anywhere public. It's smelly and awkward timing-wise, and because of those two factors, everyone knows that you've pooped. All of that combined was just too much for me to handle. Even in the dorms last semester, it took me a little while to be truly down to dookie in the communal bathrooms.
Jess shares a bathroom with all of these guys and somehow pooping is never addressed. First of all, poop jokes are always funny, so the writers are really missing out on some prime content. More importantly, the show completely ignores an unavoidable obstacle that Jess surely had to face. It really isn't that big of a deal — all of my roommates just have a nervous laugh when I exit the bathroom after a while and sometimes I get called Poops With Wolves or Stinky — but it's a hump I had to get over all the same. I'm sure most ladies understand the small amount of anxiety I had, especially given that one of these roommates happens to be my boyfriend.
We're all friends here at The Shire (all of us are relatively small people, kind of like Hobbits,
hence our apartment's nickname), but there are times when a Jess needs a Cece and having a Winston just won't do. My Cece goes to K-State and I'm in the market for another one, so if anyone needs a Jess, please hit a sister up. Everyone has that annoying girl in their lives who says she just gets along better with guys than girls, and that all of her best friends are guys. I am that girl. At least, I was.
I didn't realize how instrumental Cece is in maintaining less' sanity. Again, I love my living situation and have very little to complain about, but I can't deny that it would be nice to have someone to sing Beyonce with every once in a while. The guys and I agree on many things, but they just don't understand things like my need to sometimes change my outfits a few times before going out or my love for BB cream.
Living with three guys isn't as quirky and adorkable as Jess and the rest of the "New Girl" gang would make it out to be, but hopefully I'll carry away some life lessons like Jess does. If not, I'll always have Poops With Wolves.
Helena Buchmann is a freshman from Kansas City, Mo., studying global and international studies.
CHIRPS BACK
Follow us on Twitter @KansasOpinion. Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
Do you think there is still merit in printing newspapers?
The time to start running is now
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansas.comletters.
Allison Kohn, managing editor akohn@kansan.com
Katie Kutsko, editor-in-chief kkutsko@kansan.com
With the temperatures finally increasing.
temperatures finally increasing,
it's time to reconvene our
relationship with nature.
What better way to join the
great outdoors than a nice
run outside? You say running
isn't for you? Running is for
everyone; the bevy of benefits
can't be ignored!
Lauren Armendariz, managing editor
larmendariz@kansan.com
From our ancestors' fossil records, modern researchers have noted our bodies are built for endurance running. Beginning with australopithecus, the human form started adapting to run long distances to hunt prey. "We are arguing the emergence of humans is tied to the evolution of running," said Dennis Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah told National Geographic. Though an antelope might be able to run much faster, a human can out endure the mammal. Once the antelope stopped sprinting, our ancestors went in for the kill. Nowadays, we don't need to literally run down our meals. But running still provides numerous health benefits.
Compared to other sports, running can be done virtually anywhere. Lawrence is home to many trails both in town and around Clinton Lake. No pool pass or gym membership required. Also, aside from a new pair of shoes on occasion, running is much more economical than other sports. While on a road run, one can also see the city from
Send letters to opiiner@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.
a new angle, unlike the blur of driving.
Anna Wenner, opinion editor awenner@kansan.com
Running also provides one of the highest calorie burns in comparison to other exercise equipment. According to the Medical College of Wisconsin and the VA Medical Center, the treadmill burns an average of 705-865 calories per hour, with the stair-stepper and rower in second and third at 637-746, and 606-739 respectively.
So, where should you begin? No one wants to look like a fool. One of my friend's first cross-country assignments in high school was to run for ten minutes flat, no stops. This doesn't sound too difficult, but to a beginner, it's an excellent place to start. The pace doesn't have to be fast, but uncomfortable enough that you couldn't hold a conversation. If you used to run in high school, or just this past fall, now's a great time to hit the pavement again! I hope you enjoy the benefits!
Sean Powers; business manager spowers@kansan.com
Kolly Botts, sales manager kbotts@kansan.com
Anrenee Reasor is a junior from Thayer studying economics and East Asian languages and culture.
FFA OF THE DAY A bank sent me a bracket today in the mail as a "promotion." Jerks.
@KansanOpinion yes. There's something nostalgic about the feeling of newspaper print on my skin.
@m2marcus
@jeffsanoubane
KansanOpinion I'll let you know after how many followers I gain when people see it in Thursday's Paper. #YourMovePaper
@JamesTwerkett
@KansanOpinion absolutely. I don't want to shred up my smartphone and throw it in the air every home game.
CONTACT US
CONTACT US
Brett Akagi, media director and content strategist
bakagi@kansan.com
Jon Schitt, sales and marketing adviser jschitt@kansan.com
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Katie Kutko, Alison John, Karen Armendariz, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Bots.
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