Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN . BUSER: HOW TO BOOST YOUR SUMMER RESUME WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2009 United States First Amendment COMING THURSDAY WWW.KANSAN.COM Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. FREE FOR ALL To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500. --and staying involved with several campus sustainability concerns as well as local and regional issues. "Joining a student organization, in my I'm a mess, because when I finally find something in all of my clutter it gives me a sense of accomplishment. My 11:30 adventure to swim in the Chi-O fountain ended in stitches My mom has more friends than me on Facebook. She got it six months ago, too. I think that in the spirit of "equal opportunity" we should get vegetables made out of meat since the vegetarians get meat made out of vegetables. --and staying involved with several campus sustainability concerns as well as local and regional issues. "Joining a student organization, in my I would love to eat a warm, caramel-covered piece of pizza right now. Then play some chess. Next time, I'll put my contacts in before I trim my bands. When I'm a senior, I'm trying out for Jeopardy. I own that game now as a freshman. By then, I'll be unstoppable. Facebook keeps giving me ads for maternity clothes, daycares, how to minimize stretch marks and parenting books. Should I be scared? --and staying involved with several campus sustainability concerns as well as local and regional issues. "Joining a student organization, in my I want to get you out of those clothes — and into a nice dress so I can take you to dinner. Dear Free For All, I was studying all day and kept thinking of things to say to you, so I got on the computer to say it so I could get back to studying, and I forgot it. Whoever went out of the way on Mac Five to put up signs about a fake case of pinworm going around the floor: Really? Do you really not have anything better to do? Question. Which bear is best? False. Black bear. If you're taking any finals with essays,try to incorporate references to "Battlestar Galactica." Challenge extended Yesterday at 11:50 I went out to my car, only to find that I had a flat tire. Two seconds later, I locked my keys in my car and my spare set is in Chicago. I had to be at work at noon. FMI PAGE 9A Every time I see a random street light go off, I immediately look for Dumbledore with his Deluminator. --and staying involved with several campus sustainability concerns as well as local and regional issues. "Joining a student organization, in my I think they've got this April showers, May flowers thing backwards. --and staying involved with several campus sustainability concerns as well as local and regional issues. "Joining a student organization, in my EDITORIAL BOARD KU students finding more ways to be environmentally friendly It has been encouraging to see an increasing number of KU students come together to promote awareness of environmental issues and participate in sustainability programs. Joining the movement to go green is possible through a variety of groups and students should be familiar with the list of environmental organizations on campus. On its Web site, the KU Center for Sustainability provides a list of the environmental groups open to students as well as information about sustainability on campus, climate change, energy conservation and recycling. The University's environmental efforts this semester have been gaining momentum. Many events held on campus have prompted involvement from students and staff. Tyler Enders, Leawood sophomore, served as the coordinator and networker for the movement "From Blue to Green: Conserve KU" Enders said he wanted the average KU student to be overwhelmed by a student-led, University-wide environmental movement. "From Blue to Green: Conserve "For the spring, we decided to host as many environmental events as possible to raise awareness, to educate people and then to create action," Enders said. "We wanted students to realize that the entire University was collaborating on a movement to make KU more sustainable both on the individual level and on the University level." KU" was a campaign that included every environmental group on campus, to develop a more environmentally stable and sustainable KU community with the hope to obtain assistance in a "contagious movement" that would stimulate change. This campaign included 26 events in two weeks. Ryan Callihan, Lenexa senior and vice president of Enviros, has been involved with Enviros for two years and has also collaborated with the Student Environmental Advisory Board, Eco-Justice and Alternative Energy Society. Callihan said some of the most significant issues Enviros had been working on were maintaining student consciousness about the environmental impact of eating locally Among the many student organizations involved in "From Blue to Green: Conserve KU" was KU Environs, which advocates awareness of environmental problems and issues. KANSAN'S OPINION opinion, is the most powerful thing you can do to effect change on campus." Callihan said. "Recently, so many avenues for involvement in sustainability have opened up, which are accessible to the average interested student. There is a group for green-minded engineers, green-minded builders, gardeners, people interested in environmental justice issues and a couple for alternative energy, just to name a few." FOR KU GREEN GROUPS VISIT: http://www.ku.edu/ organizations/ OR, EMAIL fromblue2green@ gmail.com Enders said the easiest way to support sustainability without making a large time commitment is attending the various events around campus sponsored by environmental student groups. MUSIC "The speakers this semester were extremely knowledgeable and entertaining." Enders said. "There will definitely be more next semester, both sponsored through 'From Blue to Green' and through other University groups and departments." Students in general should be mindful of their environmental impact and make an effort to modify their daily routine. "Sustainable living does not mean going out and buying all of the 'green' products you can find," Callihan said. "It requires a tweaking of your living and consumptive habits. This would include things like riding your bike whenever possible, using only the amount of lighting you need to see and knowing the products and food you buy and where they came from." — Nancy Wolens for The Kansan Editorial Board Build a concert bucket list BEN COLDHAN When the air is safe to breathe again, I'd like to get out and take in a few concerts. Finances permitting, maybe even more than a few concerts. The Hives: I blindly submitted to the Hives' jurisdiction around the time Veni Vidi Vicious hit the States in 2001. A concert of theirs on MTV2 affirmed that, and everything that followed cemented those sentiments. Howlin' Pelle Almqintz is among today's finest frontmen, with elements of Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop in his repertoire. You may have heard "Hate to Say I Told You So" but you own yourself so much more. Refer to the limitless concert footage of the raw energy of their shows on YouTube or the DVD, "Tussles in Brussels." With this in mind I've created a bucket list, so to speak, of several musical acts that I have not yet seen and wish to before I expire. The list is long, but if I were a print columnist with limited space (hey!) this is how the top would read: The Arctic Monkeys: Do you grow tired and agitated whenever someone yammers on about how great the Beatles are? Yes, their contribution to rock music is substantial but the passage of four they're even from the U.K. In fact, their debut album, released in 2006 with the group barely 20 years old apiece, became the fastest selling British album in history. This one may linger on the list for a while, as they've been on our side of the pond only for festivals, though that may change in the next year or so if a new album appears as planned. Beastie Boys: Sigh. Perhaps I will have to suck it up and road trip it out to Bonnaroo or All Points West or Lollapaloooa. Anyone want to come along for the ride? Wed have plenty of time to get acquainted and by the time we arrive we'll have the Beasties and Arctic Monkeys waiting for us. Should you ball (or not respond at all), I suppose I'll have plenty of time to catch these guys. They simply aren't slowing down. Funny STEPHEN MONTEMAYOR decades brings with it room for other great acts to emerge. Here's your chance to catch one of them thing is I fully expect them to still be turning tables and spitting rhymes when they actually look like the makeup-clad elderly versions of themselves on the "Sounds of Science" greatest hits double-disc set. Calle 13: Daddy Yankee has had the market in on the Latin American genre reggaeton, at least in the United States. This group, however, matches him in quality and surpasses in originality. Whereas much of the genre sounds alike — meaning you could paste together a reggaeton track within five minutes on your computer— this duo adds a variety of infectious beats and inventive lyrics to the point where their sound is more hip-hop. And while you'll need a few semesters of Spanish under your belt to decipher the wordplay, you'll eventually conclude that vocalist Residente produces work that blends social and political issues with humor and fun in a way few are able to do successfully. Looks as if we are out of room. What do you say we check out for the summer? Montemayor is a Mission junior in journalism. POLITICS The coolest judge on the Court But the most exciting is a position that has yet to be filled. After 18 years on the Supreme Court, Justice David Souter has announced his retirement. As he is presumably not pulling a Brett Favre and simply doing this to get a new contract (and probably doesn't want to play for the Jets). President Obama must now find a replacement for Justice Souter. There is a wave of exciting new faces washing over Washington, D.C. Kathleen Sebelius has officially assumed the mantle of Secretary of Health and Human Services, where she can resume her old practice of sticking it to "big insurance," put on hold for six years while she was governor of Kansas. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has emerged from his cocoon and become Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.); and I'm pretty sure that, before July, the Nationals are going to call up this pitcher I went to high school with whom they drafted last year sometime before July. And that is where I come in. Obama has stated that held like Souter's successor to have a "sharp, independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity." Though I have none of those qualities, I would still make an excellent Justice. I spent a summer interning for the Kansas Supreme Court, where I was constantly in a room down the hall from important judicial deliberations, so clearly I wouldn't be going in cold. I'm also completely partial on several important issues, easily bribed (seriously, you could just bake me cookies), and unfamiliar with most landmark decisions that do not have a museum dedicated to them. LIBERAL LOUDMOUTH BEN COHEN As a member of the Supreme Court, I promise that I would bring a new style to the interpretation of the law. My first priority when reviewing precedent would be to find out what sort of mood previous justices were in. Did somebody cut them off in traffic that day? Had they just bet on the wrong team in the ALCS? Mindset should always be a factor. Also, I would immediately force the return of powdered wigs. I think most of my esteemed colleagues would support this measure, except maybe that pretty boy of a Chief Justice, John Roberts. I guess my point is that I would bring a fresh new perspective to the Supreme Court. It may not meet traditional standards of "professionalism" or "thoughtfulness", but it would be entertaining Obama, Because I assume you're reading this, take note: Justice Cohen equals a better Supreme Court. "But Ben," you may ask, "doesn't that mean you are totally unqualified?" Pish posh, I say. Supreme Court justices are always held to certain standards, and really, what fun have they been? When was the last time Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaked an important decision over Twitter, or Stephen Breyer guest-judged on "Iron Chef America"? Cohen is a Topeka junior in political science. GUEST COLUMN BY MICHAEL TETWILER AND LAUREN SCHIMMING Judging KC's best BBQ This semester 20 students became experts of Kansas City: its jazz, its history and its barbeque. These students took part in a seminar called "Kansas City: A Biography of a City" taught by Jonathan Earle, associate professor of history. When deciding upon a way to end the class, we were left with no choice but to have a barbeque competition. Our classmates day-tripped to the locations of our three taste-test contestants: Oklahoma Joe's, Gates and Arthur Bryant's. The former are well-established, historic KC originals. Oklahoma Joe's is located in a gas station, although its success has led to a restaurant in Olathe (which is not legit). These three were chosen after hours of tears, fists and arguments regarding personal devotions that could very easily have ended up with someone buried under several tons of concrete in the riverbed next to the Plaza, compliments of Tom Penderaast. Our method was objective. The mouth-watering selections were secretly labeled one through three. Our judging involved four categories; sauce, ribs, side dish and Pit Boss' choice item, where we allowed them to put forth their best. Our ranking system ranged from one, completely inedible, to ten, culinary nirvana. The only flaw to our perfect system was revealed when one of the day-trippers ran in holding a forgotten container of beans from Gates, the BBQ baked beans that made all other baked beans trivial. This additional dish added to the miniscule number of edible items for our resident vegetarian; and there was much rejoicing. Surprisingly, the lowest rankings were from establishment three. Arthur Bryant's. One respondent (our ballots were secret, too) said "Everything was very bitter. I felt like my tongue was being attacked by very angry BBQ mercenaries," and another drew a zombie PacMan painfully losing his lunch. Surprisingly, the unsung hero, Oklahoma Joes, most nearly achieved the epitome of barbeque excellence. One person wrote "Swine flu be damned. This is the barbeque for me." It won the hearts of our class with its irresistible sauce, helping it to beat out the heavily toured Arthur Bryant's for first place in the 2009 University Scholars Tastery. HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Tetwiler is a Paola sophomore in English and chemistry. Schimming is a Wichita sophomore in English and graphic design. LETTER GUIDELINES Send letters to opinionoksansan.com Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line. 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. Brenna Hawley, editor 864-4810 or bhawley@kansan.com Tara Smith, managing editor 864.4810 or tmtiblikyukao.com Mary Sorrick, managing editor 864-4810 or msorick@kansan.com CONTACT US Kelsey Hayes, kansan.com managing editor 864.4810 china@kansas.com Katie Blankenau, opinion editor 864-4924 or kblankenau@jikansan.com Dan Thompson, editorial editor 864-4924 or dthompson@kansan.com Laura Vest, business manager 864-4358 or lvest@kansan.com Dani Erker, sales manager 864-4477 or derker@akansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser 664-7662 or mailto:malcolm@gibson.com Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschlitt@ikansu.com THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Brenna Hawley, Tara Smith, Mary Sonick, Kelsey Hayes and Dan Thompson.