Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN BUSER: FACEBOOK LINKED TO LOWER GPA; STUDENTS CAN USE SITE BETTER United States First Amendment THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009 COMING FRIDAY United States First Amendment 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. WWW.KANSAN.COM FREE FOR ALL To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500. Speaking of Earth Day: I saw a Hummer at the Local Burger last week. Cognitive dissonance knows no bounds I told my boyfriend I'd go with him to an anime convention. If he ever says I don't love him, I'm going to punch him in the face. I got a can of nuts for Administrative Professionals Day. I guess it's better than a plant, though. Those cheap bastards! --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." I see the ad in the UDK for Israel Week. Does Israel have a U.S.A. week? think it should. Every time someone says to me, "Happy Earth Day," I'm going to litter. --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." I just got owned by the crossword puzzle after trying to figuring out an Asian dessert with the first three letters "Gob." It says "Desert." Dammit, Gobi. If you're going to plant thousands of beautiful tulips all over campus, do us a favor and water them so they don't --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." I'm a lot like The Punisher, except instead of the mob, I'm killing ants. Dear good friend: I'm sorry I threw that model at your face. I hope it didn't do permanent damage. --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." Were the greeks having a cult meeting on Wescoe at midnight? That was scary when I left the library. I just found the entire "My Little Pony and Friends"TV show online, and am way more excited about this than a college student probably should be. At night, we greeks turn into vampires with lovely pastel colors and feed on GDI blood. *Insert evil laugh here.* --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." I just ordered a free sample diaper. Unnecessary? Possibly Today I saw a picture in which Zac Efron looked uncannily similar to Michael Jackson. It was horribly unsettling. --ably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." PAGE 7A So, I just told my friend I'm taking a class called "From Mystics to Feminists" and she asked me if it was about My bio teacher is in a jazz band. And here I thought he died inside long ago. Silly me. ROSOXBRENT@FLICKR.COM There's an anime convention? GUEST COLUMN THE American Jazz Museum sits next door to the Blue Room. Both are located near 18th and Vine, the heart of Kansas City's historic jazz district. Students overlook Kansas City jazz BY DANNY NORDSTROM Ben Kolberg, Montgomery, Ala., senior, was in pain. During a set break at the Dr. Lonnie Smith concert at the Blue Room in Kansas City, Mo., Kolber was complaining that his face hurt because he had been smiling so much. "I think jazz, more than a lot of other music, can be emotion-filled," he said. "Watching these masters of jazz from three different generations collaborate and make musical connections is just really cool." The Kansas City area has an abundance of jazz history and entertainment opportunities. Students should take advantage of the many exciting musical opportunities that are easily accessible in the Kansas City area and give jazz a try. Kolber traveled to Kansas City Monday night to witness jazz legend Dr. Lonnie Smith perform at the American Jazz Museum's Blue Room, Michael Bruchis, Montgomery, Ala., senior, also attended the Dr. Lonnie Smith Show. "Kansas City is pretty incred-ible," Bruchis said. "Jazz pretty much started in Kansas City and New Orleans. It's awesome seeing jazz bands in Kansas City because they're always incredibly excited to play where it all started." "I think a lot of people probably think of it as music of their parents' generation," said Kevin Whitehead, American Studies lecturer. "They don't try to deal with it in the context of contemporary music." The group of KU students was substantially younger than the mostly over-40 crowd. Whitehead has written several books about jazz and is a jazz music critic for NPR and the site emusic.com. He said that although jazz music was not mainstream, elements of popular music could be found in the genre consistently. "When you have improvised content, it keeps itself up to date," he said. "It's very susceptible to modern influences. There's always a way of reflecting popular music into jazz even though it might not come across as popular music." Whitehead cited the incorporation of hip-hop elements into current jazz music as a perfect example. Bruchis doesn't think enough students are taking advantage of the many opportunities the Kansas City area has to offer, partly because many students simply haven't been introduced to the jazz culture. Kober agreed with Bruchis that not enough young people were into jazz but said he had noticed a change since he had been at the University. "I feel like a lot more young people are getting into jazz," he said. "The more people I meet, the more people that like it. It's by no means underground, but I feel like jazz can be a very complicated art. It's encouraging to see more young people getting into jazz." Nordstrom is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, sophomore in journalism and economics. EDITORIAL CARTOON DRUG CARTELS' GUNBATTLES AND ASSASSINATIONS ARE MAKING MEXICAN TOWNS LOOK LIKE BAGHDAD! THEN MAYBE INSTEAD WE COULD BUILD SOME KIND OF WALL AROUND ALL THE CARTELS AND USERS. WE SHOULD BUILD A WALL AND KEEP EVERYBODY OUT! BUT NOT EVERYBODY'S BAD. IT'S THE DRUG CARTELS AND USERS NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE BORDER WHO ARE THE PROBLEM. YOU MEAN A "PRISON" ? YES, AND WE'LL FILL IT TOOβ€” IF WE BUILD IT AND THEY COME! NICHOLAS SAMBALUK POLITICS First 100 days an irrelevant mark More than a year ago, I stood in a crowded building, wearing my prized "Barack Chalk Jayhawk" shirt, making sure that people who had come to support a certain Illinois senator weren't swayed to move to a different corner, symbolically supporting another candidate (or, as the case turned out, looking for a less crowded area). It was the Kansas Democratic caucus and we were at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Outside were the beginnings of a rather inconvenient snowstorm, and inside, a few thousand people were wishing others would hurry up and let them leave. The first hundred days are supposedly an indicator of what a president's term will look like. This is best exemplified by Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, whose first hundred days in office accurately predicted the rest of his two terms of relative peace, economic growth and general During the caucus, a man who had been lingering in the "uncommitted" section for some time asked me a question I wasn't prepared for: "What will Barack Obama do in his first hundred days as President?" domestic contentment. Wait, hold on, what? Sorry about that, folks. I've just been informed that the rest of Bush's presidency was nothing like that. In fact, it seems that those next seven years and 265 days saw quite a bit of international conflict, cynicism among Americans β€” the likes of which Nixon wouldn't have wished on anyone β€” and of course, the rise of the ShamWow. I have no idea how that last one is Bush's fault, actually, but I choose to blame him anyway. The first hundred days of a presidency really aren't that relevant. For all the times I've been told the first three and a half months of a term make up the most significant part, nobody has ever really explained how they matter so much. Most, if not all, of the Cabinet is put together in that time, sure, but those positions have a habit of rotating. How many attorneys general did President Bush go through, again? If I could have looked into the future, I would certainly have a lot to tell that man at the caucus (I also wouldn't have started compiling a list of fun ways I could slander Mitt Romney, and maybe would have bought more lottery tickets). I would have loved to say, "He'll ride on a gallant steed into the White House and fix the world's problems with a golden sword," but I don't think the man was quite high enough to accept that. And although it is great to look at what President Obama has accomplished as the arbitrary hundred-days milestone approaches, there's no real way anyone can tell for sure what is going to happen the rest of his time in office. I'm an optimist for sure, but I'm also, at least occasionally, a realist. Maybe that's what I should have told the man at the caucus (who ended up standing in the "Obama section" anyway). Watch those first hundred all you want, but don't start breathing again once they're over, whether you like the guy in office or not. Cohen is a Topeka junior in political science. SCIENCE Doctors just as responsible for safe drugs as 'Big Pharma' In 2008, two York University researchers published a paper called "The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States." The paper showed that United States pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising their products (24 percent) than on researching new ones (13 percent). Many in the health care industry are growing concerned with the increasing relationship between pharmaceutical representatives and physicians. Pharmaceutical representatives approach doctors, leave gifts and buy lunches, all the while promoting their company's newest drug. And when the patient sees the doctor signing the prescription with a pen advertising that same drug being given, the conflict of interest is clearly unsettling. Moving the interest of a medical doctor away from the health of the patient and toward the looming spectre of personal financial gain is troubling, and it becomes easy to blame "Big Pharma" for health care profiteering. But one cannot place all the blame on the companies that develop and sell these drugs. These companies are still responsible for the development of novel drugs to continue to better treat a wide variety of illnesses, and the only way they can fund such a research endeavor is if they profit from their existing drugs. Additionally, it is in the companies' best interest to maintain the well-being of their customers and the quality of their products. History has shown that the recall of "bad" drugs, such as Vioxx or PhenFen, have the potential to cost these companies billions of dollars. The real solution for restoring good science to the health care system lies with doctors and scientists. When a pharmaceutical representative tries to sell a physician on prescribing a new drug for all of his or her patients, it is the doctor's responsibility to determine the true scientific validity of the drug. Doctors should have the professional skill to understand the scientific research behind every drug they prescribe, and thus determine which patients should receive it. The patient should also be engaged in understanding what drugs they are receiving and why. KU students are extremely fortunate when it comes to this kind of patient education. Using the KU Libraries services, students have access to a huge number of scientific and medical journals. This level of access is comparable to that of physicians themselves. If a student is uneasy about the safety and efficacy of a treatment or just wants to learn more, he or she has the resources to do so. By increasing their understanding of their personal health care, patients can better understand and communicate with their doctors. This, combined with good scientific judgment on the part of the physician, can help negate any negative influence by the medical industry. The pharmaceutical companies may not be entirely innocent, but the true responsibility for providing safe and effective health care rests upon the individual physician. Folmsbee is Topeka junior in neurobiology. Every student should print their assignments on both sides of each page. Practically every printer these days accommodates two-sided printing. Even if you have to take out the paper and re-insert it into the paper tray, this only takes a few seconds. This cuts it in half. You say you print your papers at the library? Well, print them both-sided there! On the print screen, go to properties and select two- Does anyone have any idea how many reams of paper are used here at KU? Earth Day celebrated its 40th anniversary this week, and the idea of being environmentally conscious is common among us. However, there is still a lot to be done to actually alter our behavior to benefit the environment. One way to act on these principles is quite simple: Reduce the amount of paper used at KU! University could make a difference by saving paper LETTER TO THE EDITOR About recycling, one thing is true. If we wait until it becomes convenient and easy, it won't happen. If everyone just makes a simple change of behavior, the result would be dramatic! β€” Karl Rubis is a graduate student in history. Now, most teachers will object to this. They'll say that they need double-spacing so they can write their comments. What? Where else do they have the luxury of double-spacing to write comments? In their books? In their journals? Teachers routinely comment and evaluate written items in these media that are single-spaced. Accommodations can be made to do this for student papers as well! Besides, they will have much less to carry around. sided. At the library, you won't have to turn over the paper. Easy enough so far; keep going. Change your spacing from double to single! There is half again. HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR LETTER GUIDELINES Send letters to opinion.kansan.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. CONTACT US Brenna Hawley, editor 864-4810 or bhawley@kansan.com Find our full letter to the editor policy online at kansan.com/letters. Mary Sorick, managing editor 864-4810 or msorick@kansan.com Tara Smith, managing editor 864-4810 or tsmith@kansan.com Kelsey Hayes, kansan.com managing editor 964 4810 hwaw.com Katie Blankenau, opinion editor 864-294-4 or blankenau.akamansan.com Dan Thompson, editorial editor 864-294-4 or dan.thompson.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@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news adviser 864-7667 or malcolm@ikansan.com Jon Schitt, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jschitt@kansan.com THE EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS of the Kansan Editorial Board are Brenna Hawley, Tara Smith, Mary Sornick, Kelsey Hayes and Dan Thomson. --- 6