Looks like the Jayhawk in front or the union is getting another lobotomy.
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opinion
I swear sometimes my phone fake rings sometimes, just for the attention.
I'm sitting here in sweat pants and a snuggle playing Guitar Hero. How am I single?
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There is this random old dude in the hallway of my schol hall on his laptop. I'm pretty sure he thinks he is in a different hall.
Having an umbrella makes me understand what it must have been like to be a French aristocrat.
The lady decked out in Mizzou jacket and shorts on Jayhawk Blvd either lost a bet or lost her mind. What was she thinking?
Rainy days always trick me into thinking it'll take me way longer to get to class and then I'm a jerk who gets to class a half hour early AND got rained on.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013
Have you ever seen a KU bus going in reverse?...think about it.
To the person looking for their soulmate while wearing a Dunder Miffin shirt: I'm over here wearing my Fun Run Race For The Cure shirt.
Can you guys help me out? I need to know how to pronounce "Fraser" and "Horesei." Thanks guys.
Sometimes I accidentally hardcore mean mug people on the bus. Then I'm like oh shit, I'm sorry.
Strong Hall is the biggest sauna I have ever been in. Is it a contest on who can perspire the most?
What's worse? Cold toilet seat? Or warm toilet seat? You be the judge.
Nobody tell my professor he gave me full credit on the last test for a problem I didn't even start to do.
Can I be the first signature on the petition to stop toe shoes? They creep out worse than clowns!
I have a giant beard. Default Hallowen costume: Lumberjack… and or Billy Mays, because you can't ever have too much Oxy Clean.
Someone needs to donate tooth brushes and tooth paste to the student body... I see some students are unaware that teeth should be WHITE!
the government: open, under same management.
Did the KC Star stop printing on Fridays too, or did KU stop getting it so the UDK won't look bad?
POLITICS
Ann Coulter interview reveals hollow political appearance
Much was made of appearances at Ann Coulter's Union Station interview last Friday. Coulter - a twiggy 6-foot blonde who appears to subsist solely on a no-cal diet of human souls - has made a career out of her outlandish and controversial political remarks. She's called Obama a retard and openly fantasized about taking away women's voting rights (she thinks it would prevent Democrats from winning office). And yet on Friday, as I sat close enough to her that I would see any protruding wires or antennae, I listened as she stated that she has never intentionally said anything to be controversial - what you see is what you get.
On the cover of her new book,
"Never Trust a Liberal Over Three
- Especially a Republican," which
I now possess an autographed
copy of, Coulter is standing in a
tight blue dress, smirking at the
reader.
"She's a tall drink of water," mused one of my nine white, elderly tablemates, while I speculated exactly what dosage of Gialls would allow him to take a drink.
2. Chainz. Sprint Center, Who's going?
Yes, Ms. Coulter is very concerned with appearances. While most Americans view the past
three weeks as an embarrassment to the Constitution and common sense in general, Coulter praised Republicans, claiming they emerged looking stronger than ever.
"The two smartest US senators are now the face of the Republican Party," she said in reference to Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, the two men who deserve either the most blame/accolades for the government shutdown.
She views Cruz and Lee as the best candidates for the 2016 presidential election, citing their "attractiveness" as a strong trait.
exactly what Washington needs more of. She went on to explain that the shutdown would have been a complete success if the GOP had a majority in the senate, and attributed their underrepresentation to some of the failed Tea Party candidacies in the 2012 elections. Coulter believes the GOP gave up easy seats in safe states by putting up radical, idealist candidates such as Todd Akin and Christine O'Donnell.
"They have extreme ideas, but they don't come off as extreme," she said.
WILL WEBBER/KANSAN
"Some voters want to be purists," she said. "But we still have a minority in the senate and
Anne Coulter visited Kansas City's Union Station Friday, Oct. 11, after the release of her new book "Never Trust a Liberal Over Three—Especially a Republic."
Obamacare, thanks so much."
In essence, she doesn't care about the substance of a politician as long as they can walk the Republican walk. She admired Mitt Romney's say whatever-it-takes-to-get-elected approach and rationalized some of his former actions - voting for gun control, for instance - as a ruse to appeal to the left-leaning Massachusetts crowd. It's all about the appearance of integrity and genuine care.
But who am I to judge? I'm a registered Republican for the sole purpose of tampering with rigged Kansas primaries and I tried my best to blend in at an Ann Coulter interview, which is no simple task as a 19-year-old Mexican liberal. I wore a gray shawl-cardigan to look like an 80-year-old man and my L.L. Bean boots to give the impression that I've handled a gun at some point in my life. I
used my salad fork for salad and waited for everyone else to start eating, unsure of whether or not I was supposed to say grace before digging in. But I think I ultimately gave myself away when I was the only member of the table to say "thank you" to our Latina waitress.
This may seem beside the point, but it's not. Within the comfort of my table, the old men affectionately referred to our president as a "nigger", while Ms. Coulter had to settle for "retard." I heard murmurs of wetback and beaner at my table, shifting uncomfortably in my seat, while Ms. Coulter had to describe them as, "the definition of immigrants we don't want." I'll give Coulter, Cruz and Lee some credit; they're far more upfront than most political figures. But what scares me the most is that this is the version of themselves they want us to see.
Will Webber is a sophomore majoring in journalism from Prairie Village. Follow him @wmwebber.
Passenger pigeon extinction shows destructive human impact
When was the last time you were worried about the KU squirrel population going extinct? Or when have you ever worried about a world without cattle? Abundance often prompts mankind to make irresponsible decisions.
The passenger pigeon went extinct in 1914. Species are vulnerable to extinction if they have a restricted geographic range, narrow habitat tolerance and a small average local population size. But the passenger pigeon's story is unique. In the early 1800s, the passenger pigeon was the most abundant species of bird to ever exist on earth. The Smithsonian Encyclopedia states that it was "estimated that there were 3 billion to 5 billion passenger pigeons at the time Europeans discovered America." They lived in all forested areas of North America. Flocks of these birds would migrate across the country, turning the sky black as they flew overhead in numbers of millions.
These birds became an over-exploited resource, and population
People began to see opportunity in the massive quantities of the passenger pigeon. They became the cheapest meat available, their feathers now the material for pillows and quilts, and also a commodity for trap shooting. According to bagheera.com, "one operation processed 18,000 pigeons each day in 1855".
size rapidly declined until extinction. A young boy shot the last wild passenger pigeon on March 24, 1900 whereas the very last Passenger Pigeon, a captive-born named Martha, died on Sept. 1, 1914.
Are squirrels and cows the next passenger pigeons? I'm not on a crusade to start a squirrel protection program or convert the student body to vegetarianism, nor do I think that cattle and squirrels risk extinction. However, I'm afraid the risk lies in our attitudes. When we are surrounded by something, it becomes an expected part of our experience. Very seldom do we appreciate and express gratitude to the Earth's abundant plants and animals.
I'm not implying that expressing gratitude to a blade of grass should be part of your daily routine, but take the time to learn about plants and animals that we take for granted. How do they contribute to our ecosystems? What would the world be like without them? It is hard to be compelled to protect something
The importance of knowledge doesn't stop with plants and animals."Global Warming" and "Climate Change" are buzzwords in the news, but how much do you actually know? Does each year have to get successively warmer in order to show that temperatures are shifting? Are researchers in agreement that climate change is caused by anthropomorphic causes? Read the IPCC Report. Look for reliable sources to educate yourself about the planet that nourishes and sustains you. Climate Change will also affect and drive species to extinction.
you know nothing about.
Beyond knowledge, awareness of our actions is a form of gratitude. What detrimental effects are there from throwing away your plastic bottle? It is easy to feel that as an individual, our actions have no consequence. It is essential to remember that if each individual maintains that mindset, we have an entire humanity acting recklessly.
As shown with the passenger pigeons, humans have immense destructive power – driving the most numerous and successful species to extinction is no small task. If we continue the mindset of entitlement to abundance, we will eventually live in a world devoid of diversity.
Jenny Stern is a sophomore majoring in Biology from Lawrence.
SLOTHS
Laziness provides many health benefits
We've all heard these phrases on occasion. Language like this contributes to an environment that fosters disdain, misinformed opinions and insensitivity to sloths. And so at the University, and across other American universities, a plague spreads: sloth-shaming.
Sloths are so disgusting - they're so slow that mold grows on them. How can they just do nothing all day?
Sloth-shaming is an unfortunate phenomenon in which people degrade or mock sloths because they practice slothful behavior, habits and activities. If a sloth wants to be a sloth, who are we to ridicule it for its decisions? Sloths are just naturally slow. Cheetahs probably think humans move at a glacial pace. It's all relative.
But sloth-shaming, as unfortunate as it is, also spreads its contagion to our attitudes about humans.
If humans want to exhibit slothlike behavior, we need to stop shaming them, too. Sloth-shaming sloths is reprehensible, but sloth-shaming humans for sloth-like behavior is even worse. Why? Because there are some situations where being lazy can actually be beneficial to us. Yes, beneficial.
Bill Gates once said, "I always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because he will find an easy way to do it." When determined, lazy people can be very efficient, resourceful and ingenious. Idle lifestyle can also lead to lower stress levels, more sleep and even a longer life. Last year, Britain's oldest man, Reg Dean, who lived in 110 years, contributed his longevity to an idle, relaxing lifestyle. It makes sense that if we are less active 24/7, we will essentially slow down our lives and live longer.
And that's not the only evidence to discourage sloth-shaming: napping is actually really good for humans. Mayo Clinic asserts that
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
the benefits of napping include relaxation, reduced fatigue, increased alertness and improved mood and performance. "It's better to have a nap than to have a doughnut," said Arianna Huffington, of Huffington Post acclaim. So if your roommate enjoys a midday nap, stop guilting his perceived lazy habits. They can do wonders.
However, in college, slothful behavior is far from rewarded. If not in class, working or studying, we're cultivating our social gardens. Most of us are always doing something. Rarely do we just kick back and relax. Therefore, when we see others participating in slothful behavior or bragging about it, we scoff. People brag about their all-nighters, their rigorous course loads and the road races they participated in with those ubiquitous bumper stickers. They want to be seen as busy and hard working. Seeing others relaxing and enjoying video games, recreational reading or infinite Netflix episodes irks us, and we shame them for it. The time has come for us to stop.
So, I'll tumble off this soapbox since I haven't the energy to climb down. You may not agree with this new idea of being lazier and ceasing to shame those who already are lazy, but maybe if you sit back in your armchair, and philosophize about it, you'll change your mind. Sloth-shaming is insensitive and misguided. Though if I haven't convinced you yet, you may want to sleep on it.
Anrenee Reasor is a junior studying economics and FALC from Thayer
economics and EALC from Thayer.
Will the scantron still read the bubble sheet if it's soaked in tears?
What shortcuts do you use to be a lazier student?
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