4A - THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
WEDNESDAY,SEPT.19,2001
TALKTOUS
Kursten Phelps
editor
864-4854 or
editor@kansan.com
Leita Schultes
Christina Neff
managing editors
864-4854 or
editors@editora.com
Erin Adamson
Brendan Woodbury
opinion editors
864-4810 or
opinion@kansan.com
Jenny Moore
business manager
864-4014 or
addirector@kansan.com
Kate Mariani
retail sales manager
864-4462 or
retailsales@kansan.com
Tom Eblen
general manager and
news adviser
864-7667 or
tebell@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing
adviser
864-7666 or
mfischer@kansan.com
"THE SWORD ONCE DRAWN. FULL JUSTICE MUST BE DONE."-THOMAS JEFFERSON KNIGHT RIDDER TR
KNIGHT RIDDER TRIBUNE
Marc Ingber
Columnist
opinionkansan.com
Commentary
Cable needs more choice
Every KU student's life is full of choices, and mine is no different. The choice of whether I am going to go to class. The choice of whether I'm going to go out at night. If I want to eat, there are hundreds of places I can choose from. I go to the movie store and there are hundreds of movies that I can pick. Whether I want Shaft, Spy Kids, Kingpin or the Land Before Time 28, I can usually "go home happy."
But when it comes to getting cable service for the TV, the choices are slim to none for me and many other KU students. Basically, you can either get Sunflower Cable or a dish. This is a problem. Sunflower most likely isn't the worst cable company of all time, but because it basically has a monopoly in Lawrence, they are able to charge whatever they want.
If I want to call long distance I have the choice of using 1-800-Collect, 00 Info or 1-800-CALL-ATT, as Carrot Top will never let me forget. For banking, I can choose between Firstar, Commerce and about 100 others.
This sort of problem exists all over the country and something must be done. If I have to see Mr. T and Carrot Top rambling on about 7 cents a minute compared to 8 cents a minute, there should be cable companies fighting over my business too. I'd like to see the guy from Blue's Clues plug one cable company, while Mary Kate Olson is plugging another. All I want to see is some options.
There is the option of getting a dish. However, for me and many other people, the dish is just a big waste of space and money. Yes, maybe it is possible to get 247 channels, but I don't really want that many. Just give me VH1 and a couple other channels and I'll be happy.
I admit I'm a hardcore Behind the Music addict and I sometimes base my schedule on it, but there is no 12-step program for me. I'm hopelessly devoted. No, not everyone is hung up on VH1. Most people usually watch only a few channels and they don't need 247 channels. And satellite dishes can be very expensive.
Ingber is a sophomore from Golden Valley, Minn.
Today, people have the problem of too many things to choose from, rather than not enough. It's time that cable catches up with the times. Even with satellite dishes and DirecTV, there is room for more service options. Many KU students grew up with cable TV and it is hard to live without it at school.
Cable bills can stack up to a lot of money. With more cable providers, students will find it easier to get good deals. Then they can concentrate on more important choices, like whether to listen to Carrot Top or Mr. T.
PERSPECTIVE
'Kansan'covers tragedy well Free for All is hit and miss
Last week, like every newsroom around the world, the Kansan was propelled into a state of chaos and disbelief as reporters scrambled to cover the terror that was unfolding on the East Coast.
The circumstances were chaotic, the news angles vast and the reporters overworked. In the midst of all the tragedy, the Kansan provided solid, well-rounded news coverage. Last Wednesday's paper was by far one of the best editions all semester and may be the best one all year.
Many readers, students and faculty alike, had nothing but praise for the Kansan's coverage. Tom Eblen, faculty adviser for the Kansan, said the strongest aspect of last Wednesday's edition was its headline, "American traedev".
The opinion page was another strong aspect of last Wednesday's paper, which was thoughtfully planned out by opinion page editor Erin Adamson and associate editor Brendan Woodbury. The page had two columns, an editorial, a reduced Free for All, a picture of the flag at half-mast at the Kansas state capitol and a section with student responses to the attack. The writing was balanced, addressing what students could do in reaction to the events, how students should withhold blame and how the Kansan struggled to cover the events as they unfolded.
He felt that headline stood out from competing newspapers. "A good headline is like good poetry. It makes the strange familiar and the familiar strange," he said.
Adamson said she made it a point to
Jenni Valadez & Jonathan Ng Readers' Representatives readersrekapansan.com
Commentary
Some of the comments online came in the form of hate speech directed at Muslims. Some readers were irate with the Kansan's decision to publish those comments, even if it was online.
make sure the opinion page would have a calming and respectful tone. Kursten Phelps, Kansan editor, agreed and wanted to reserve as much space as possible for student response.
However, the Kansan's solid news coverage on Wednesday was eclipsed by outraged readers in response to Free for All comments that were being published later in the week. On a single day, 10 readers called the Free for All to voice complaints about the comments that were published on Friday in the Free for All and the other comments that were published online.
The current guidelines.prohibit comments appearing in the paper or online if they are slanderous, obscene or if they identify someone by name who is not considered a public figure. He said he did not agree with the content of the comments, but by deleting the messages, it would no longer mean
"I did not delete them because they didn't violate any of our guidelines," Woodbury said. Woodbury is one of the editors who oversees the Free for All.
- Valadez is a senior in journalism from Kingman. Ng is a junior in journalism and Spanish from Leawood. They are readers' representatives.
"At a time like this, given the sensitivity, P.C. would've been better," he said.
The most well-rounded perspective of the Kansan's overall coverage last week can be summed up by Caleb Howard, Dallas freshman.
However, Howard thought the coverage later on in the week could have been "more politically correct". He said throughout the week, he read and disliked the references to Middle Eastern individuals. He said there was too much generalization in using words such as "Muslims" or "Arabs."
Sheri Johnson, Shawnee senior and a practicing Muslim, said she felt the negative comments printed in the Free for All should not have run because they were offensive and senseless.
the Free for All was a public forum.
Howard praised last Wednesday's coverage and said it perpetuated a sense of community with emotional photographs and stories of local clergy uniting to shed optimism on the situation.
PERSPECTIVE
Search for truly vegetarian restaurants continues
For anybody responding to such names as "veg-head," "herbivore" or just plain "vegetarian," finding a good place to eat in Lawrence can sometimes become tricky. As vegetarians, you are probably used to being a constant labeler and picky eater. And you are inevitably the most selective among your friends when deciding where to eat out for dinner.
And as if your decision needed to be tougher, some restaurants don't tell you everything they put in their food. Sometimes menus can be quite deceiving, especially in restaurants that offer both vegetarian and meat options.
Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out which restaurants cook without meat products. Many restaurants use animal or meat products in their foods without stating that they do on their menus. One example is La Parrilla, 814 Massachusetts St. The Latin-American eatery cooks its Spanish rice in chicken broth, and the rice is a main ingredient in many of its dishes.
Because La Parrilla does not advertise that its dishes are 100 percent vegetarian, the restaurant isn't really doing anything wrong. However, the
Lyndsey
Hodel
Columnist
opinionakansan.com
Commentary
So for the uneducated vegetarian, this could be a bit deceiving. A good substitute for the Spanish rice is the restaurant's white rice, which is prepared without chicken broth.
restaurant does not let customers know that rice is cooked in chicken broth anywhere on its book or overhead menus.
A more obvious restaurant for vegetarians to avoid is McDonald's. The French fries are off-limits for strict vegetarians because McDonald's fries them in beef fat. No wonder they drive everybody nuts. McDonald's makes no mention of this on its overhead or drive-thru menus. Vegetarians may have been eating French fries for years without knowing they were compromising their values.
healthy choice of dining in the first place, the restaurant should still be forthcoming about what dishes they use animal products in. After all, the fast-food chain has tried to incorporate vegetarian meals such as garden burgers into its menu, so why not offer a vegetarian French fry option?
Even if foods aren't cooked in animal fat or broth, they may be contaminated on the grill. Many restaurants use the same grilling surfaces for meat and vegetarian dishes. For some vegetarians, it is as repulsive to eat something cooked with meat as it is to eat a meat dish. For example, Free State Brewery uses the same grill to cook hamburgers and garden burgers.
Eating out is tough enough for vegetarians without watching out for hidden meat products. Simply asking an employee about how your dish is prepared before you order can clear up any questions.
Even though McDonald's is not a
So add three more local restaurants to the strict vegetarian's no-no list. But do not give up herbivores, the cause is just.
Model is a senior in journalism from St. Louis.
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Not all of them will be published. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed.
or more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
Those that eat meat and vegetables are called omnivores — not carnivores — and that those that only eat vegetables are called herbivores. Keep your terms straight, please. Thank you.
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For the guy who just got tickets to see Snoop, man I had tickets for like a month. Where you been?
it freaks me out that the kids down the hall wash each other's hair.
I just wanted to say people have to stop beginning their Free for All comments with "I just wanted to say" and don't end them with "thank you" either. Thank you.
If I believed my mom, I'd be blind.
Hakuna matata, it means no worries.
For all students against war, there is a peace rally this coming Thursday from 12 to 2 at Wesco Beach, so hope to see you there.
Yeah, I just got done watching Kansas beat Oklahoma. What was it, 58 to 7? Yeah, I think that's really gonna happen, too.
Whoever stole our pink flamingos from our front yard, we're on to you.
Oh, I forgot what I was gonna say
I just wanted to call apologize to the girl I splashed with my car on Naismith yesterday. It was raining, and I'm sorry.
Does it mean anything when you have dreams that have flan in them?
I don't binge drink, I'm just thirsty.
I just wanted to say that it's fine to disagree with George Bush once in awhile, but what a stupid time to put in a cartoon about nothing that has to do with anything that's happened in the last two weeks.
I just want to know why they are playing war movies on TBS this week. That's so tacky.
Mountain snow brings a natural sense of fresh green pine and cool sparkling spring water into your home.
Hi, I was looking for someone who'd like to trade AIDS for syphilis.
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I nink I'm gonna flunk out of school because of my guitar.
Why are all girlfriends anti-pot?
Dear editors.
LETTER TO THE EDITORS
Deal editors.
On Sept. 11, our world changed. Five thousand Americans were lost. These people with husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, cousins — families.
Families that will never be the same.
I received an e-mail from a friend that contained an open letter to the terrorists. It basically said, "you may have hit our buildings, but you missed America." The letter goes on to explain that America is an idea, a spirit, a determination to be free. Democracy is an elusive target, and our spirit is exponentially stronger than even our proudest structures. A strong democracy is resilient — America's flags may fly at half mast for a bit, but they still fly, and fly proudly. Look at the Americans lined up to give blood. Look at the donations pouring in to help out. That is America. Americans respond, and we respond generously.
It's KU's turn to respond. "Bring Justin Home" is KU's opportunity to help Americans in their time of need. Student Body President Justin Mills and other student leaders are camping out at Wescoe Beach until they raise $25,000 for the American Red Cross and the New York City Firefighters' 9-11 Relief Fund.
This is a bold goal, but I think it's time to be bold. It's time to step up and make a difference. It's time for us, as a University, to pull together and respond. We are calling on faculty, staff, and members of the Lawrence community—help us reach this bold goal.
These terrorists have, in fact, created terror in America. But they have done so much more. They have awakened our patriotism, our generosity and our desire to help out. I bet they didn't count on that from the old red, white and blue. They expected less of America; certainly they didn't know her well. History will note our response to this tragedy. Please stop by Wescoe and make your donation today. We must pull together to support our victims of terrorism. That is America.
Mike LeCount Hays law student
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