OPINION
FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2005
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
www.kansan.com
EDITORIAL BOARD
Students have opportunity to help out in tsunami relief
Every year it seems the post-holiday mood in this country is one of distress and despair. Not only are people deeper in debt than they were three months ago, they are also wider in the waist. This mood took a turn for the worse as the images from Southeast Asia poured in over the television
Opening the checkbook was the first response of many — a responsible one that received much media and political attention.
but no one talked about how satisfying or fulfilling it was to give these gifts. Witnessing the smile on a sibling's face after opening a gift is one of the warmest feelings you can have in life.
warmest feelings you can have in the world. Working to be a part of this relief effort halfway around the world has the same effect. As the unbelievable pictures and horrendous stories sank in, it became clear how important compassion is in today's globalized world
According to the American Red Cross, benevolent Americans have contributed almost $194 million directly to the organization and nearly $400 million total to other relief organizations since the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami.
While this ongoing effort by individual Americans and relief organizations is commendable, what responsibility does the student body have in this effort?
Students currently find themselves working through new semester schedules and worrying about books or whether they will have enough money to go out this weekend.
Belonging to a large and powerful community such as the University of Kansas and living in a globalized world brings new responsibilities. Students are likely to meet someone from Southeast Asia on campus - students from India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Those who have been directly affected by the tsunami's destruction are closer than we might realize. This is why the student body's response must be large and powerful.
Monetary contributions to international relief organizations are the most powerful tool in executing this response. The best way to contribute is to visit www.usaid.gov or to contact the Douglas County chapter of the American Red Cross. Simply writing a check or wiring money should only be the beginning.
U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan hit the mark on Jan. 6 when he said, "What happened on Dec. 26, 2004, was an unprecedented global catastrophe. It requires an unprecedented global response."
This response must begin on the grass-roots level at the University in student organizations.
organizations. As organizational and chapter meetings begin the next week, whatever their original purpose, I challenge their leaders and members to find unique ways to help.
It could be easy to forget that hundreds of thousands of Asians are without clean drinking water as you and your friends go out this weekend.
Trying to find something positive and uplifting about the deaths of more than 226,000 people is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Remembering that even one person has the power to make hundreds of people smile in regions of total dismay gives the world hope in a time of despair.
John Byerley writing for the editorial board.
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the KU basketball team, but please
shave that stuff off your chin.
MCKERNAN'S VIEW
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansas editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Maybe we wouldn't be losing to Nebraska if Aaron Miles shaved his disgusting facial hair and got his headband back. Also, Uggs suck.
I'm watching "The Surreal Life" right now and Peter Brady is carrying Mini-Me, WTF, did I miss something?
the KU basketball team, but please
shave that stuff off your chin.
the KU basketball team, but please
shave that stuff off your chin.
Dear Aaron Miles, we love you. We really appreciate everything you do for
-
If Miles doesn't trim his chin hair, I sweat to God.
I think my boyfriend's gonna break up with me. I hate study abroad.
-
I turned nineteen, got drunk and lost my virginity. Thank you, Budweiser!
Eatin' good food's my favorite to do here at Don's Steakhouse! Woooool
19 hours of "The Fresh Menu of Bel-Air" on BET? Wesh, it just went up ten notches.
I'm seeing my best friend drunk for the first time.
I agreed with the inaugural protesters right up until they decided to take their protest to the Military Science Building. What's the point of that? It's not like they're directing the war effort. It's an educational facility.
Jayplay, you've hit a new low.
Religion isn't cool, and you know it.
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One wave has already crashed. The other one is on its way.
Kevin McKernan/KANSAN
F
Bush's inauguration forgets victims
AUSTIN, YEAH BABY!
Greed, corruption, stupidity. I find it sad that these are the first words that come to mind when I describe the president of my country.
Yesterday America once again inaugurated President George W. Bush, a tradition that started with another George W. — Washington that is — in 1789 The New York Times reported earlier this week that Bush's inaugural committee received almost $40 million in donations for the festivities. Taking the tragedy overseas into account, there were better ways to spend this money.
A tsunami struck coastlines from Southeast Asia to Africa on Dec. 26 killing more than 226,000 people. It caused billions of dollars in damage. Bush didn't respond immediately because he was hard at work being president. Where was he? At his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Bush should have given up his inauguration festivities and sent the money to the more worthy cause.
The United States donated $350 million to the tsunami victims. Bush encouraged private donors to send more but said he had no plans to increase America's donation. Unfortunately, our nation seems greedy when countries such as Germany donate $663 million. Australia donated $764 million. Even Japan's $500 million makes our donation look paltry.
AUSTIN CASTER
acaster@kansan.com
In 2001, more than 20,000 Americans protested Bush's inugura-
tion. Protesters threw bottles, tomatoes and even eggs at Bush's motorcade. According to The Associated Press, there hadn't been a crowd of protesters that large since Nixon's 1973 inauguration at the height of the Vietnam War.
Bush's inauguration committee said all donations for the festivities came from private donors. The Associated Press reported that corporations such as AT&T, Bank of America and the United Parcel Service donated and pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb donated $250,000 each. Other corporations such as Pepsi-Cola, Tyson Foods and the Goldman-Sachs Group donated $100,000 each. The New York Times reported that two-thirds, or about $25 million, came from major companies.
This is where the corruption takes place. I can understand why corporations would want to be on Bush's good side. According to The New York Times, many of these companies are regulated by the government and spend millions of dollars each year to influence Congress' and the president's decisions. During his first term, Bush awarded Halliburton, the company from which Dick Cheney retired, a nobid contract. That means no other company could compete for the business.
After the inauguration, Bush and his corporate sponsors partied as people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand mourned their dead and worked to rebuild their lives. People reported that Oscar de la Renta designed a dress for Laura Bush that would "get her through 10 balls." How humanitarian of her to wear the same dress to all 10 balls.
Bush's corporate sponsors should want Southeast Asia up and running, so they don't have to resort to hiring Americans. Workers in factories overseas make items such as Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's Wal-Mart clothing line because labor laws are not as strict, US Weekly reported. Discount stores claim the process is more economic and the reason why they can offer cheaper prices. Unfortunately when these corporations send jobs overseas, Americans lose their jobs.
The only part of the inauguration I looked forward to was hearing "Bushisms" such as "transhipment" and "nacular." I wonder which one of his misprunciations "Saturday Night Live" will make fun of this weekend.
Austin Caster is a Shawnee senior in journalism.
Humans too reliant on electricity
COMMENTARY
In a college home, we are surrounded by devices to entertain us. We have radios, computers, TVs and video games. Good or bad, we have lots of things to keep us busy, and these things all need electricity to work.
On the night of Jan. 4, an ice storm knocked the power out for several hours in parts of Lawrence. Suddenly, devices we took for granted couldn't entertain us anymore.
JOHN JORDAN
opinion@kansan.com
The storm flaunted one of our weaknesses: We rely on things rather than ourselves to keep us occupied.
But these devices are unnecessary. We don't need to get recreation from gadgets. A power outage is not the end of the world. During the storm, two options presented themselves: Stay in the house and find something to do, or leave.
After eating dinner, we were getting, ready to watch what was supposed to be "The Best Bowl Game Ever" and wham, all the lights went out. We lit candles and got out flashlights. After 15 minutes, one roommate left and went to some place that had power.
Here's what happened to my roommates and me that night:
Then we found a way to cheat. Another roommate had a PowerBook, so we watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on it. At first, I admit, I felt guilty about this, because I thought we'd be able to occupy ourselves with each other's company. But the intimacy of our house, sitting huddled and uncomfortable around the glow of the computer, made the movie seem different, and added some humanity to the machine.
After finishing the movie, we settled back into our dark house. The temperature dropped considerably inside. We had nothing to do, and no one wanted to sleep.
After talking, arguing and joking,
one roommate decided to read a scary
story from a book. He read two sentences
and quit. Maybe we can think of
our own story instead, we decided.
This is something that only happens if you
have no power. It's great.
We told some stories about bludgeoned campers, talked about scary movies and books, and then came up with an original story. We killed an hour conversing. We didn't have TV, computers, lights, heat, yet one hour flew by.
While I was lying in bed and thinking about how cold it would get, I saw my alarm clock turn on and flash "12:00." The power was back on.
Then we noticed that the power company had a truck working on the power lines on our block.
That night we all had a good time. Instead of watching TV or going out, we stayed in and talked. It was quiet, dark and peaceful. We were able to escape the distractions of all — or at
Around 11 p.m. we traded off flashlights to brush our teeth, and headed to bed.
least most of — our electric gadgets for a night and keep ourselves entertained.
But others such as Meghan Kinley, Plainsfield, Ill., junior, and her roommate took the easy way out.
After returning to a dark street from eating out, Kinley and her roommate filled their home with candles. Kinley said that without power for the TV or computer, they were too bored to stick around their apartment.
"The only thing we had was our cell phones." Kinley said. So after half an hour, they called a friend and headed to a fully powered house.
Many students would have done the exact same thing.
A 2002 study by Harris Interactive found that 88 percent of college students own a computer.
An Internet magazine, Student Affairs On-Line, reported last year that nearly 80 percent of college students have cell phones. They're an indispensable part of college life. Yet somehow, students in the past managed to get through school without them.
Television sets lie in most college homes and on every dorm floor.
The ubiquity of technology in our lives can make a day without it can seem like a crisis. Students can't occupy themselves without something to play with or watch.
But somehow when the power went out, my roommates and I managed to have a good night. Unfortunately, it took a power outage for us to get away from our stuff.
John Jordan is a Salina junior in journalism.