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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014
PAGE 4
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TEXT
FREE FOR ALL
Send your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or kansan.com
Just saw a girl eat dirt across the street. She didn't think anyone saw... Don't worry, I did.
Thanks for clearing the parking lot KU. What do my student fees go to again?
Things to talk about in a crowded budig hall, "I haven't shaved my legs in three weeks"
I loved the Letter to the Editor!
It makes me so happy to see someone actually being proactive instead of just complaining! :)
you rock!
Where is the best place to "street pass" on campus?
The third floor men's bathroom in Strong Hall is the most frightening thing I have ever seen.
If you want to go into the tunnels, ASHRAE will gladly organize a tour.
Talking about Louis XVI's foreskin today in class and my professor says "could you imagine getting circumcised at 25?"
Shout out to the guy on campus with two prosthetic legs- you're a great inspiration. Rock on!
If the library printers are printing both sides,why aren't the printing fees halved since they charge per paper?
To the boy blasting the black keys. Kudos to you made my day its one of my favorite bands.
Looks like Peyton Manning's Super Bowl ring will be forever alone.
"Ever been accused of BitchFace?
-WGSS 101
The night was fun. it could've been great, but we didn't get Fuzzy's afterwards.
This girl in my Spanish class picks her nose and eats it every day. If you are reading this STOP. You know who you are. Just stop.
Alright winter. We are over. Done. It is you, not me.
I realized something last night as
I was falling asleep that I hadn't
before; I am genuinely happy here
at Lawrence on the Kaw.
Andrew Wiggins is my long lost brother
When the only reason I have to put pants on is because it CHICKEN TENDER DAY.
I like to sit in the union early mornings while I'm waiting for the bus and pretend I'm a student.
Waiting for a foot of snow, all I spend my time doing is looking for a proper sled.
RELIGION
Interfaith discussions foster understanding
Religion is a touchy subject that our American culture advises should
remain private and stay out of conversation. But for many, religion is a large part of our lives and informs the way we view the world and our place in it.
Can we really dismiss religion as something unfit for conversation?
I think we need a space for it. For me, interfaith discussion has been a safe and open-minded place. At the same time, interfaith comes with its own challenges.
Last Thursday night, I attended an interfaith dinner at Ecumenical Christian Ministries just off campus. It was the first of eight similar dinners organized by the Interfaith Academy Project, a collaborative effort of various religious communities in Lawrence. It's purpose is to open up conversation and understanding between Jews, Christians and Muslims. Eve Levin, a professor in the history department at the University, spoke about Judaism. ECM campus minister Dwight Welch spoke about Christianity, and Dincer Guler, a professor of mathematics at Park University, spoke about Islam.
From an outsider's perspective, talking about the basics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam looks like a simple case of memorizing the basic beliefs of each that any student could have read in a textbook on world religions.
The challenge that interfaith often has is actually speaking about one's religion. This is a problem quite inherent to the theme for Thursday night: an introduction to each speaker's faith.
However, from an insider's perspective, being asked to talk in a limited amount of time about what defines a religion you happen to practice can be quite challenging.
We're not just talking about words on a page. We're talking about experiences and our relationships to God and one another.
Dr. Levin told a story about a certain pagan who had come to Hillel the Elder, offering to convert to Judaism if the rabbi could explain the entirety of
the Torah as he stood on one leg. And I was thoroughly impressed by the balance each speaker had as they metaphorically stood on one leg, trying to encapsulate the essence of their religion while at the same time attempt to communicate what it actually means to be a practitioner.
Professor Guler, spoke about Ihsan, or perfection in one's relationship with God, while he highlighted the five pillars of Islam as what defines a Muslim as a Muslim. According to a saying of Prophet Muhammad, it means to pray as if God is before you.
Likewise, Rev. Welch suggested the belief in Christ's divinity is a common denominator for Christian experiences, going on to describe how the work of a Christian is Christ-like in reconciling ourselves and the world to God.
Garrett Fugate is a graduate student in the School of Architecture from St. Louis.
Professor Levin summarized Judaism by citing Hillel's answer to the inquiring pagan: "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to others. That is the whole of Torah. All the rest is commentary. Now go and study!"
While each speaker may have felt as if he or she had to explain his or her religion while standing on one leg, interfaith, even in contexts where it's full of barriers, creates much needed space for conversation. Perhaps, as Dr. Levin suggested in her conclusion, we can recall Hillel's ethical message and understand that interfaith conversation means to sit down with people different than us and offer to the other the same thing we surely wish from them: not conversion, not agreement, but rather, understanding.
ENVIRONMENT
Changes in practice,policy will slow ocean acidification
Ocean acidification is an under-represented topic
in the current environmental dialogue. Many folks, myself included until coming to college, are unaware of ocean acidification's causes and controversies.
At first consideration, ocean acidification sounds like an issue for science fiction; something that causes flesh to melt and emits a green hazardous glow. The effects of acidification are subtler than a typical movie plot, but just as dangerous. Because knowledge is power, let's dive into the nitty-gritty of ocean acidification and what it means for you, universities, economies and the world.
Swimming right along, let's break down the process of ocean acidification. As global carbon emissions have risen, so has the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean. The world's oceans now absorb about 25 percent of total human CO2 emissions. When CO2 reacts with seawater, carbonic acid is formed. Carbonic acid impedes the growth of calcium carbonate in many marine animals such as coral, oysters, clams, sea urchins, shrimp, lobsters and planktonic organisms—in other words, the bottom of the food chain. When the bottom of the food chain is altered, all the species above it are negatively impacted.
Let's jump into the effect ocean acidification will have on people like you and me. Many of us enjoy seafood such as oysters, shrimp and lobsters. If the number of these animals decline, then our checkbooks will feel it. No more casual sushi night for you.
the effect on universities be less frivolous and the detrimental. Oceans considered the last colored frontier on our Many universities money, resources and research of the oceans. If acidification continues at its cur rate, universities and wildlife researchers could use the animals they are currently studying or the opportunity to discover a new species. Ocean acidity has increased 25 percent in the last two centuries; our ability to gain knowledge from our oceans' depths is rapidly disappearing.
Finally, ocean acidification will make a major splash on the global stage. Many coastal economies in the United States and around the world rely on fishing. Changes in oceanic ecosystems pose a great threat to commercial fishing industries, including
the United States' $70 billion fishing empire, which currently provides 1 million jobs. Worldwide, the commercial fishing industry represents a $218 billion business and sustains 4.3 billion people with 30 percent of its animal protein intake. Because many global communities rely on marine life in their daily diet, increased ocean acidification will threaten food security around the world.
Ocean acidification is a growing danger for many stakeholders in our global society,but it's important not to jump ship quite yet. This issue needs attention and ample consideration from citizens,scholars and governments.In order to slow acidification,we must reduce carbon emissions through policy and practice.Luckily,the environment is a growing political topic as climate change and ocean acidification become economic threats rather than prophesized catastrophes.As for people like you and me,we must continue the dialogue on ocean acidification and take action to lessen our own carbon footprint.The answer to ocean acidification lays with our collective action for a better, cleaner world.
Gabrielle Murnan is a sophomore from Pittsburg studying environmental studies.
JAKE KAUFMANN/KANSAN
FFA OF THE DAY
"Who's James Naismith?" Girl, check yourself before I wreck yourself.
LETTER GUIDELINES
Katie Kohnko, kohnko.com
kuktusho.kansan.com
Allison Kohn, managing editor
akohn@kansan.com
Lauren Armendariz, managing editor
larmendariz@kansan.com
@drew_KU
Katie Kutsko, editor-in-chief kkutsko@kansan.com
@KansanOpinion enuf for a snow day duh
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name,
grade and hometown. Find our full letter to
the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
@Davis Samuel
@DJdopamine7
KansanOpinion I want just enough snow to give all of us Jayhawks a day for sledding on the hill without having to worry about classes.
Send letters to opiator@kansan.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the email subject line.
@KansanOpinion Enough to cause a day off...to avoid the parking fiasco that made the front page of Reddit. #ThisIsntAtlanta
Anna Wenner, opinion editor
awenner@kansan.com
Sean Powers, business manager
spowers@kansan.com
@GracePearsonKU
Kolby Betts, sales manager kbotts@kansan.com
@KansanOpimion enough to build a snowman with @DouthartHallKU!! #snowday
CONTACT US
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Katie Kutko, alsa Johnson Kohn, Lena Armendani, Anna Wenner, Sean Powers and Kolby Bots.
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