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University Daily Kansan / Thursday, January 16, 1992
OPINION
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We've entered the dullest, most depressing time of the year. People suffer from the post-holiday blasts. The miserable weather keeps us indoors. Football is winding down, baseball hasn't started and wallets have been tapped by holiday spending.
So the question we face is how to glide through January, February and March as painlessly as possible; how to find a way to brighten our spirits and keep busy and make the time fly by until spring arrives.
I've talked to several experts in the fields of psychology, social work and recreational therapy, and they've helped me put together a list of things to do that will help you through these long, gray months until the sun and the muggers come out again.
Here are some of their ideas:
DRINKING. Getting roaring drunk always has been a remedy for the doldrums, especially in parts of the world that have long, cold winters. In Finland, for example, so many people use this means of fighting the blasts that the government provides free hang-over stations to administer oxygen and massive vitamin doses. So you might consider throwing a log on the fire and becoming absolutely stinky. Every so often, throw on another log, bite the top off another jug, and before you know it, April will be here, all the loudmouthed birds will be chirping, and you can take a bath, shave off your three-month growth of beard, throw all the empties out in the alley, stagger outside for a breath of fresh air and walk down to the neighborhood saloon for a drink.
BROODING: Brooding so often is overlooked as an absolutely great way to pass dull time. And it's something you can do any time by yourself. Just pick out all the things that you hate about yourself, or think back to all the terrible mistakes you've made with your life, things that make you feel guilt and shame. Or think about all the cruel and thoughtless ways your friends, relatives and neighbors ever have hurt your feelings. Then sit in front of the fire or in a dimly lit room and dwell on it at length. Go over them time after time, reliving each
Mike
Royko
Syndicated
columnist
awful and shameful detail
CHANGE LIFESTYLES: By that I mean, you say to your wife or husband or kids: "I have cabin fever. I've got to clean out of the house for a while." Then clean out your bank accounts, move into a high-rise apartment, join a racquetball club, hang in singles bars, take a loveboat cruise, run amuck with your credit cards and carry on with some attractive but shallow and empty-headed young thing. And in the spring, return home looking dazed and tell your loved ones, "Quick, give me Volume A of the encyclopedia. I've got to look up amnesia!"
WINTER SPORTS: Cross-country skiing has become very popular, and downhill skiing is growing. There are also winter camping clubs and ice fishing. But I don't recommend any of these. They can give you a heart attack, frostbite or broken legs. The best winter sport is shooting pool. You meet really fascinating people in pool halls or bars that have pool tables. You can gamble and swear and get in fights and buy and sell stolen merchandise. And even if you're not a good pool player, don't worry. You can play the pinball machines or just hang around. Something is bound to happen.
CORRESPONDENCE: People don't write letters anymore, and they should. It's a wonderful form of human contact. And it's an inexpensive but constructive way to fill empty time, especially by writing hate letters. So make a list of the 10 or 20 people you hate most and write them long, totally honest letters telling them why you hate them in vivid detail. They don't have to be famous people, although that's always fun. Friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers and old flames will do. If you have illegible hand-writing and don't type, then consider cassettes. With a cassette, you can growl, snarl, hiss, shriek, weep and say any obscene old thing that pops into your mind.
NOVELS: You might consider writing an obscene novel. Make yourself the hero or heroine. You might be surprised at how well you write, and the colorful ideas you can come up with. Your book even could be published. And even if it isn't, later in the year you can give it to someone—a friend, loved one or a stranger to whom you are attracted — as a birthday or Christmas gift.
BINOCULARS: Powerful binoculars are great fun for high-rise dwellers whose windows look out at other high-rise dwellers. If they are strong enough, you're bound to find someone whose drapes are open. You can watch other people eating, sleeping, talking to each other, having sex, exercising, murdering each other and all kinds of things. Or you and a friend can open your drapes and pretend to murder each other, and if the police show up, you'll know that somebody was watching.
HOLDING SOMEONE HOSTAGE:
Usually, husbands take their wives and kids hostage, although boyfriends occasionally seize their girlfriends. Whatever the case, it's a lively winter-time activity. Just fling a chair or a lamp through the front window, scream some crazy threats and in no time the police will have your place surrounded and will be talking to you through bulhorns. The TV cameras will show up, so after an hour or two, or even longer, you can surrender to a TV reporter. You might wind up spending a few weeks in a nuthouse, which could be a surprisingly interesting way to get through the winter dolrums. And when it's over, you'll have your very own videotape of the police dragging a hysterical you to the pady car.
Those are just a few of the things the experts recommend. And if you have any pet ways of fighting off the winter blahs, just send them in and I'll be glad to share them with the other readers.
Mike Royko is a syndicated columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
International perspectives
The trade accord the United States and Japan adopted leaks like a straw basket.
With presidential elections in sight, President Bush had to undertake something to gloss over the shortcomings of his economic policy.
But the "concessions" made by the rock-hard Japanese negotiators are nothing more than a drop of water on a hot stove.
On two cardinal points of his economic policy, Bush has accomplished nothing. Those were the drastic reduction of the budget deficit and ... improving the quality of U.S. products ...
iot binding—to prevent a rise in world
economic and economic imbalances.
President Bush's 12-day crash tour of Asia underlines the decline of the American empire. The United States' economic troubles and a lack of any clear leadership by Bush on domestic issues, were made all the more obvious by the U.S. administration's Asia gambit.
Algemeen Dagblad, Rotterdam,
Netherlands.
Bush collapsing at the Japanese prime minister's banquet in Tokyo underscored the trip's underlying message: That the U.S. was begging for trade concessions; trying to hard-selfer inferior U.S. cars to the Japanese,
Instead of trying to twist the arms of the Japanese, Bush should be seeking ways to revive America's fortunes by increasing investment in the United States' basic infrastructure such as roads and urban transport. Heavy investment in education should be a top priority, as statistics show basic U.S. education lagging behind that of Japan and Europe. With the Cold War practically over, Bush and future U.S. presidents can afford to make substantial military expenditure cuts, which would liberate billions of dollars for research and development, education and the like.
and using the trip as a pre-electoral campaigning bid ...
Arab News, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Legislature lacks accord
1992 session will challenge politicians to overlook political differences and work together
The 1992 session of the Kansas Legislature, which began Monday, has the makings of being the most divisive in recent memory. Without hard work, this session of the Legislature also could be the biggest failure in recent memory.
Among other things, the legislators will have to deal with property tax relief, distribution of school funds, financing higher education, and congressional and legislative reapportionment.
The task is daunting given the expected $25 million to $50 million windfall from the budget required just to meet existing needs. And all of this in an election year.
The political posturing that has occurred thus far must end, or the very critical problems at hand will not be solved. Leaders in
both the Senate and the House of Representatives, Democrats and Republicans alike, need to set aside petty bickering to insure that solutions can be found.
Hard decisions have to be made that will affect each and every Kansan. Politics is not a justifiable excuse for inferior leadership and governmental services.
Kansans deserve the rights to learn in their schools, to pay lower taxes and to have the opportunity for higher education. The representatives and senators, whom we have elected, must stand for responsible and accountable government, or we certainly will pay the price.
As the 1992 session begins, may a spirit of compromise and a genuine desire for progress guide every legislator. Elections are not until November, and 1992 is a new year. The legislators owe us at least three good months.
Stephen Martino for the editorial board
Bush needs domestic focus
Gulf war anniversary prompts reflection upon the role Bush should play at home
Today marks the first anniversary of the Persian Gulf War's beginning. Americans watched the war with great interest here at home, and for the first time in decades the U.S. military fought a war the majority of the country agreed with.
The country praised its soldiers, celebrated their safe return and thumbed its nose at bad guy Saddam Hussein.
However, one year later, questions remain as to what was accomplished. The allied forces did succeed in liberating Kuwait, their stated objective.
The United States also secured its oil interests, its unstated objective. But when the United States pulled out, it left refugees dying, oil wells burning and Saddam still in power. That move was seemingly premature and somewhat out of character for a country
that sees itself as the world's policeman. Still, when the troops came home they were greeted with flag-waving and countless parades.
President Bush's approval rating soared near 90 percent. Throughout Bush's first three years as president, his ratings have been boosted by successes in foreign affairs, but now the glitter of victory is gone. Bush's support has dropped to less than 50 percent in the polls.
In an election year, the president finally needs to turn his attention to the domestic problems the nation faces: high unemployment, a struggling economy, environmental problems, the homeless, etc.
Ignoring domestic problems not only will not make them go away but will feed the president's detractors with ammunition for the inevitable election debates.Bush's recent Tokyo sideshow accomplished little and illustrated his reluctance to take on domestic problems.
David M Icklehoff for the ediitional board of
David M Icklehoff for the ediitional board
Stress during college is high for all students, regardless of age
"Inever realized she was sooild!" "She certainly doesn't look that old!"
"Thirty!"
I was sitting in a cafeteria on campus one day and happened to overhear parts of a conversation among a trio of average-aged students.
"I would have guessed 24, tops."
"How old is she?"
Kate
Kelley
Staff
columnist
Gasps all around. Shaking of heads.
Total disbelief.
I sat there a few minutes trying to decide if I should butt into this conversation. I did not want to totally blow their fuses for the semester, so I remained silent about being over 30 myself.
But I wanted to ask, "Just what is 30 supposed to look like?" Nancy Reagan? George Burns? Mother Teresa? Try Madonna, Michael Jackson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Arsenio Hall ... all well we are the traumatic 30th birthday. Are we so ancient already?
I am "thirtysomething," which will relate me to many other students who are somewhere over that fatal 30 mark, whether it be one year or another 30. We make up the new kids on cam-
On many campuses in the country, we have actually become the traditional students. People are going back to school in droves all over the United States for a variety of reasons. It may be a desire for learning (well, maybe a few), a career change (quite a bunch), or a desire for a better-paying job (BINGO! The major.)
Whatever our reasons, we are coming back to school, trying to remember how to take notes, do homework and stay awake during lectures. It is not easy when you are 18. It does not get any easier when you are 30-plus.
Most of us don't have the pressures of sports, clubs, sororities, fraternities, dating, part-time jobs, parties in
the dorms and such that the traditional students face. No, we have pressures such as spouses, children, housework, full-time jobs, trying to remember algebra that we took more than a decade ago, our children's sports, clubs, dating and parties. The pressures may not be the same, but they are there for all of us, to be sure.
Add to mine the intimidation of professors who are younger than I. Think of how you would feel if a 15-year-old taught your physics class. How about a 10-year-old? How about a 6-year-old? Getting the idea? It makes you feel like you have been on another planet while everyone else was learning all of this stuff
College life is not like anything else in the world. It's stressful on all students, young and old. So we need to stick together and help each other through it. I promise I will not tell you to stand up straight and tuck in your shirt if you do not call me "Ma'am" and treat me as a leaper in the classroom. Let us get through this together!
Kate Kelley is a Fort Leavenworth junior majoring in English.
KANSAN STAFF
TIFFANYHARNESS Editor
pus, ;the "Nontrads," or nontraditional students.
VANESSA FUHRMANS Managing editor
TOM EBLEN General manager, news adviser
Editors
News ... Mike Andrews
Editorial ... Beth Randolph
Planning ... Lara Gold
Campus ... Eric Gorski/Rockefeller
Sports ... Eric Nelson
Photo ... Julie Jackson
Features ... Debbie Meyers
Graphics ... Jeff Meesey/Aimee Brainard
JENNIFER CLAXTON Business manager
JEANNE HINES Sales and marketing adviser
JAY STEINER Retail sales manager
Business Staff
Campus sales mgr...Bill Leibengood
Regional sales mgr...Rich Harshbarger
National sales mgr...Scott Hanna
Co-op sales mgr...Arne Johnson
Production mgr...Kim Wallace
...Lisa Keeler
Marketing director...Kim Claxton
Creative director...Leanne Bryant
Classified mgr...Kip Chin
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Loco Locals
byTom Michaud