TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012
PAGE 5
opinion
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Papers due the day after spring break and a KU basketball game are the worst kind of evil.
We learned on spring break that Canadians don't understand Border War jokes. We just assumed Missouri was a joke everywhere.
Dear men's basketball team, all I want for my birthday is a national championship win. I know you can do this for me. Love, your biggest fan.
In chemistry FFA stands for free fatty acids instead of free for all.
The nights I get laid are negatively correlated with the nights I wear my retainer.
Mother nature is like a child who can't stop messing with the thermostat.
I am literally terrified of this guy's nasty toes in class, but I can't seem to look away. Ugh, sandal season.
Wouldn't it be awkward if @fakeJef-
fWithey was a girl?
Dear KU, fill the Chi-O fountain so i can celebrate our victories in it!
The only time i would ever use Four square is to stalk someone.
I can't focus in class because the girl sitting in front of me smells like stripper lotion.
If I had to choose a mom to have as a fan, it would definitely be Tyshawn Taylor's mom.
If the bell tower played the Harry Potter theme song, I'd be so much happier.
The professor of my suicide bombing class walked in the first day and said, "Now everyone pay close attention because I'm only going to show this once."
Ain't no party like a Withey block party!
"Their coach coached much better than I did" -Roy Williams now taking the job of Captain Obvious.
Sasquatch is real and he set off my fire alarm last night.
For those about to Rock Chalk: We salute you.
I enjoy pineapple smoothies, they make me feel sexually potent.
Some girl just called me retro for carrying around a pager. Thanks, but it's called an insulin pump.
I've seriously been sending in my FFAs to the wrong number all semester. Seriously.
If she doesn't know what a cassette is, she's too young for you.
You did not just leave with 16 minutes left in the game and say, "I'm secure with our win."
So that's what the Allen Fieldhouse announcer looks like..
'The Walking Dead' has a place in nature
PERSONAL INTEREST
Ever since I discovered George A. Romero's 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead," I was intrigued by the idea of a zombie infested apocalyptic world. Naturally when I heard that AMC was making the series "The Walking Dead" (TWD), based on the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, I had to see it.
What interests me about zombie stories is seeing how the characters strive to survive and what they will do in order to live and see another day. The difference with TWD is that they have longer than an hour and a half to tell the story; therefore, it gives the writers a lot more time to develop the characters
My zombie entertainment has all come from movies, so far,and while watching TWD,I realized that with a series the writers have a lot more issues that the
are still a lot of cheesy and slow dramatic scenarios that occur in the series, but I try to ignore that part of the show.
The difference is it doesn't only depict the characters as only trying to survive. Since the series is set over a span of months, the show is able to show the development of a society and the formation of a
"The cast of characters in "The Walking Dead" seem to be heading back to this idea of nature, the only major difference is that somewhere in their world they are being hunted by the flesh eating walking dead."
characters can deal with, rather than just striving to survive the apocalypse. The movies seem to never cover the idea of the characters creating a new society. The only concern they have in the movies is to survive.
For the second season of TWD, they begin to broaden the dialogue into more relatable topics, such as choosing a leader of the group and how to act as a civilized society. There
government in which they try to create a civilized society despite the flesh-eating "walkers" that are hunting them down. As time continues, the show
depict how their democratic society tends to unravel under the circumstances. What is intriguing is when they begin to discuss the ethics of murdering a human, someone who is not a "walker." The group holds hostage a young man named Randall and Rick, the group's leader, comes to the conclusion that for the safety of the group, they have to kill him.
Another member of the
group, Dale, cannot believe that this is a viable option that they are considering to take. Dale comes to the conclusion that if they kill this man, the world that they once lived in and knew would be dead.
With all this said, it brings up the idea of how in nature there is no moral construct to live by. For example, Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his "Discourse on the Origin of Inequality" states that in a state of nature, there is no need for moral virtues, because there is no set form of society or community.
The cast of characters in "The Walking Dead" seem to be heading back to this idea of nature. The only major difference is that somewhere in their world, they are being hunted by the flesh-eating walking dead. When Dale is killed off by a walker, it proves to show that their moral center and the world that they knew is also dead. Rousseau claims that, in a state of nature, there is no morality because there is no civilized society revolving around it in order to create moral codes for what is good and bad.
It seems that the cast of TWD is beginning to distance themselves from a civilized democracy. They are returning to a world of nature with instincts that revolve only around surviving; they are one step closer to completely lacking a moral civilized society.
Moffitt is a senior in English and philosophy from Wichita.
ADVICE
Starting small will make exercise goals achievable
Many of us have heard that when starting a new exercise routine you need it to take it slow. But when we don't find out exactly why we tend to fall into the same patterns that keep us from our exercise goals.
When starting a new routine for instance, we often apply a lot of pressure and set too many goals too quickly. If we fail to meet these goals it's likely we feel disappointed and a high pressure experience at the gym is in it of itself unpleasant. Both instances are indicative of punishing our own behavior of attending the gym.
One of the most effective ways to understand what motivates our exercise behavior is through the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (Applied Behavioral Science at KU). The simple principles of reinforcement and punishment can explain and even predict when we engage in a particular behavior more (reinforcement) or less (punishment). There are varieties of reinforcement and punishment but in the context of exercise we often punish ourselves unknowingly.
Therefore, give yourself small and achievable goals so that when you meet them you feel satisfied and likely to continue. Also make your workouts as enjoyable as possible while still getting a workout. Bringing a friend is a great way to take your attention off of the unpleasant aspects of the workout.
"Ever since I was a freshman I've been trying to go to the gym consistently but after a few times I start to slip and eventually drop it. I've never been super athletic and I have trouble motivating myself. What should I do to motivate myself?"
These simple principles from Behavior Analysis give you a framework to achieve workout goals in conjunction with other
Second, give yourself a nudge, literally. The authors of a bestselling behavioral economics book Nudge reference various gym strategies to motivate their clients on their blog (www.nudges.org). One gym gives $50 of credit for every 10 visits per member that can be applied to future gym dues. Another gym in Boston worked with Behavioral Economics students at Harvard to give members free memberships for a month contingent on them working out at least four times a week. If they failed to do this for a week, they paid $25, and if they quit altogether, they paid $75. Almost everyone stayed in their routine and became consistent gym-goers.
specialized info. In this case for instance, reading information about exercise and nutrition is equally important to making sure you're working effectively towards your goals. Drinking heavily and eating poorly for example reduces the effectiveness of your exercise routine and weight loss program. This makes your gym efforts less reinforcing for future behavior and from a nutritional perspective reduces performance and long term health.
So start small and go with a friend, find nudges to give yourself, and supplement your program with good-quality information.
Sofis is a senior in applied behavioral science from Pittsburgh, Penn.
Curious why people engage in certain irrational behavior?
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LEGISLATION
HOR passes bill permitting guns
Senate wary of conceal and carry
By Matthew Nygaard
mnygaard@kansan.com
students should not be allowed to carry guns on campus, conceal-carry license or not. However, students may soon be allowed to bring guns on campus if pending legislation in the Kansas legislature is passed.
On March 12, the Kansas House of Representatives passed House Bill 2353 by a vote of 70-54, which would allow people with conceal-carry permits to take guns into government buildings, including buildings on the campuses of state universities, such as the University of Kansas. While the bill was well received in the House, there is not such a favorable outlook in the Senate. The State Senate leader Steve Morris (R-Hugoton) said "I think it's a
The House bill allows weapons to be brought into government facilities
"The more guns the more likely someone will use a gun."
unless the buildings have "adequate security measures", which are defined as electronic equipment and personnel at public entrances to detect and prevent people from carrying weapons into the facility. Therefore, a security checkpoint similar to those used in courthouses would be necessary to prevent carrying guns into campus buildings.
Supporters of the legislation have said allowing students to carry guns on campus could make campuses safer. The Bill's sponsor Rep. Forrest Know (R-Altoona) said the bill "is about safety." Rep. Owen Donahoe (R-Sawnee), a supporter of the bill, said "people feel they have to take means to
protect themselves. That's what the constitution supports, and that's why I supported it."
Detractors believe college campuses do not need weapons on them.
Ballard (D-Lawrence) has said that "college campuses do not need weapons."
The debate about whether weapons should be allowed on campus has been highly contested. I'll admit that both sides have worthy points and determining what side of this issue I came down on was difficult. On one hand, guns on campus could help promote safety in some cases. Generally, shootings on college campuses are not stopped by the University police and because they happen so quickly, there is limited time to respond. Shootings continue until they are stopped by professors or students, or by the person with the gun. Guns on campus could potentially stop a shooting from going as far as they have in the past. In some cases, it may be better to have a shootout than a massacre.
However, there is also risk associated with guns on campus. The more guns, the more likely someone will
use a gun. College students' actions are especially unpredictable based on emotions, stress, relationships, and life changes they experience. Most students will not use guns violently but allowing them to carry them on campus increases the probability some may. The State has a duty to try to protect students on campus from any increased threats of violence.
The difficulty is that students who want to bring guns on campus still could. Rep. Forrest Knox (R-Altoona) asks a valid question: "You're not afraid of illegal guns that are already there, but you're afraid of law-abiding citizens who are carrying guns?" Knox's point shows further measures are necessary
"People feel they have to take means to protect themselves,that's what the constitution supports, and that's why I supported it."
arguing campus police can provide sufficient safety on campus. Dr. Jerry Wolfskill, the Associate Vice President of Public Safety at Johnson County Community College, said it would be "pretty tough on students" because they'd be forced to go through metal detectors to go to class. Rep. Valdenia Winn (D-Kansas City) said "I don't think it creates the environment you want to promote" and Rep. Barbara
OWEN DONAHOE Representative
to ensure students are unable to carry guns on campus, legal or not.
It either needs to be all or nothing. Either all people should be allowed to
carry guns on campus, both those who carry them illegally or with a concealed carry license, or no one should be allowed to carry guns on campus. For the sake of the safety of students and the cautions that should be taken after shootings have devastated the nation the wiser choice would be the latter.
Nygaard is a third-year law student
from Appleton, Wisc.
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