Opinion
United States First Amendment
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6,2009
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.
McQuiston: Wetland advocates know the right way to protest
COMING MONDAY
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--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Time heals all wounds. Don't have health coverage? Get a watch
All my roommate does is complain. Duct tape, anyone?
Dear guy passed out or sleeping on the east side of the Campanile today: What the hell were you doing?
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Rather than spend the past two hours studying, I've been watching the "Magic School Bus."
Feeling like you know every thing for a test is the worst feeling in the world.
Feeling like you need to take a shit during your test is the worst feeling in the world.
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Ah, drunken haze on Halloween, thank you for giving me this awesome sprained ankle.
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
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--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
My friend just ate my last Altoid. Should I tell her there was a hit on it?
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
I have a problem of constantly walking around my apartment naked with all the windows and blinds open.
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
My suitmate chews loudly.
She is a bonafide guinea pig
Dang you UDK! The bug on the front page of Thursday's paper scared the crap out of me. Not cool.
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
I'm a 22-year-old female and I've never had a pedicure or manicure. Does that make me weird?
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Charmander, Muk and Wiggypuff: Remember when those were more important than beer?
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Should I be concerned if my roommate hasn't gone to class in a week?
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
FFA, MLIA and TFLN are so much more fun than this history paper.
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Hi, can we just make out now?
I'm tired of flirting twice a week. Thanks!
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
Smoking a doobie in a Snuggie is the best way to relax after class.
--magazine I was recently flipping through. In spite of myself, I hesitated. I didn't care about losing weight, but the eating cookies part? That sounded pretty good...
I really hope we can beat the Cats this weekend.
How awesome is it to see two KU students and a Lawrence bar owner on "Judge Judy?"
NUTRITION
The reason fad diets fade
"E eat cookies! Lose weight!" proclaimed an advertisement in a
No denying it, I have a weak spot for cookies. I sometimes wish I could eat them for every meal. So then, a diet explicitly encouraging me to do just that was quite alluring. I soon snapped out of my fantasy and reminded myself that there is a reason cookie gluttony should remain distinct from reality: the only healthy and sustainable diets are those composed of a variety of real, healthy foods
The "Cookie Diet" is not the first of its kind. For generations diets have risen to popularity, each claiming to have a magic fix for weight-woes.
My mom told me about her attempt at the "Scarsdale Diet" during college. The diet consisted of eating grapefruit, lean meat, vegetables and two slices of toast a day for two weeks of fast weight loss.
Because of the extreme calorie restriction, the diet seemed to work and my mom quickly shed pounds.
However, after returning to a normal, and nutritionally healthier, way of eating she soon gained back the weight. After this experience, my mom realized something many others fail to grasp: Fad diets don't work.
Scientists have worked for decades to come up with vitamin and mineral replacements. They have isolated individual nutrients from healthy foods, believing they can replicate the natural benefits. However, there has been a baffling lack of success. Only now are many scientists admitting there are truly no substitutes for whole foods.
This revelation explains the major problem with fad diets: Dieters' bodies crave natural nutrients. No amount of pills or vitamins will ever be able to replace the benefits of the real foods that dieters are often deprived of.
While the greatest consequence of most diets is disappointment and
weight regain, some of the more extreme fad diets may actually have health risks. The only fortunate thing about fad diets is that most of the negative side effects don't have time to set in, as dieters quit the programs before serious damage is done.
There are healthy and effective ways to approach weight-loss. Eating well is about combining a lot of common sense and a little nutritional education. This doesn't have to be difficult. It simply comes down to energizing and rewarding the body through well-balanced meals rather than denying it essential nutrients.
Any diet that severely restricts or eliminates food groups is cause for concern. The best way to ensure long-term weight loss is to pursue a diet that fits naturally with a healthy lifestyle.
A good rule of thumb in detecting fad diets is to consider what it permits eating on special occasions. I find it hard to imagine anyone saying on Thanksgiving, "No, I'll pass on the turkey. I've got a package of cookies waiting for me ... "
McCoy is a Lincoln, Neb., sophomore in journalism.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MODERN FAD DIETS
"Vinegar Diet",circa 1820s: Popularized by British poet Lord Byron, dieters would supposedly shed pounds by drenching food in vinegar. "The Great Masticator Diet",circa 1903: Participants chewed food 32 times before spitting it out. John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of corn flakes, was a devoted follower. "The Cigarette Diet",circa 1925: Spin-off from a Lucky Strikes marketing campaign, dieters reached for a cigarette whenever they craved a sweet.
Sources: American Dietetic Association.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
STATE
Another Border Showdown emerges
The Border Showdown between Kansas and Missouri is manifested in many more ways than just the football and basketball games, such as how the two states attract businesses and major entertainment venues to their borders.
In early September, the Kansas City Wizards and Cerner Corp. announced a $414 million project that included an 18,500-seat soccer stadium (for the Wizards) and a 600,000-square-foot office complex (for Cerner), both near the Village West shopping district by the Kansas Speedway.
Cerner, a health care technology company, would create 4,500 jobs in Kansas City, Kan., at an average salary of more than $60,000 to fill the new offices.
The inclusion of the soccer stadium in the project came as a big surprise, as the previous plan for the Wizards was to be the main attraction of a proposed redevelopment of the old Bannister Mall property in south Kansas City. Mo.
In Kansas, STAR bonds are a way for local governments to directly finance land redevelopment with the sales, use and transient guest taxes generated by the
To land the project, in mid- October the state of Kansas offered a $229.5 million incentive package, mostly in sales tax revenue bonds.
The use of state sales taxes are key in differentiating STAR bonds from most tax increment financing, "which relies upon the incremental increase in property tax revenue to pay the bonds," State Rep. Barbara Ballard (D-Lawrence) said.
State sales taxes make up two-thirds of the money used to pay back STAR bonds, mostly because they're higher than local sales taxes. They also allow for more money to be issued by the state to attract said development and the jobs and income that come with it in the short term, plus additional sales tax revenues once the bonds are repaid.
development itself.
The size and availability of these funds are crucial to the state's success in attracting redevelopment projects such as Kansas Speedway and the surrounding commercial areas. And because this STAR bond district is on track to pay off its bond ahead of schedule, according to Ballard, further development of
the area is more likely.
Former Kansas Commerce Secretary David Kerr, who, in the last two weeks, has taken a job as the top economic development official in Missouri, made this development possible. He worked to get the incentive package moved along and approved quick enough to prevent a counter from Missouri.
"It's the equivalent of switching teams in the middle of the world series," said State Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-Overland Park).
Yet, the threat from Missouri still looms — as has been the case for KU sports, despite our confidence — because OnGoal LLC, the owner of the Wizards, and their development partner, Lane4 Property Group, has not yet accepted the state's offer.
Naturally, Kerr's decision has made many state officials uneasy
Gov. Mark Parkinson, who allowed Kerr to interview for the position, maintains that the Wizards-Cerner deal is safe.
If they do go through with the project, it will be Kansas' STAR bonds, which do not exist in Missouri, that will have made a major difference in creating this win over our rival state.
Holmes is an Overland Park sophomore in political science.
STATE
The cost of closing state-funded institute
The latest victim of the state government's fiscal woes may be the Kansas Neurological Institution, which provides life-sustaining but costly services to the 150 severely disabled residents who live on its Topeka campus.
With a seven to three vote, the state's Facilities Closure and Realignment Commission recently recommended that the Institute be shut down within three years, citing the need to shift state support for the disabled from large institutions like KN1 to smaller, more economical community housing
This might be acceptable if such an alternative were currently available, but it isn't. With over 4,000 people on the waiting list for state disability services, there is scant possibility that the residents of KNI will presently be able to find enough facilities with a comparable level of care. Keeping KNI open is expensive, but its closure must at the very least be postponed until more suitable community housing can be provided.
KN1's proposed closure has generated some controversy in the local press. The Topeka Capital-Journal recently editorialized in opposition to the cuts, pointing out that almost 90 percent of the 158 people who live at group homes on the institute's campus in Topeka have profound intellectual disabilities, two-thirds cannot walk, 82 percent cannot speak, two-thirds have a history of seizures and the vast majority has lived at KNI for at least a decade.
The Facilities Closure and Realignment Commission laid out its proposal on Oct. 26 for the Institute's eventual closure. The plan entails transferring 40 residents from KNI to Parson's State Hospital, and moving the rest to group homes. On top of that, 62 current residents at Parsons would be relocated to group homes.
The Commission cited the projected savings of $5.7 million as the principle reason to shutter KNI. The recession has left Kansas with a gaping hole in tax revenues and a sizable budget deficit, and because the state is required by law to maintain a balanced budget, Gov. Mark Parkinson and the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature now share the unhappy task of cutting back many services that the state provides for its citizens.
Roughly half of the state's budget pays for K-12 education, which the state is constitutionally obligated to finance, so social services along with higher education must bear much of the deficit's burden.
Students should be aware of how our state government spends our tax dollars and how budget cuts will impact fellow Kansans. I believe these cuts must spare state assistance to the most severally disabled and their families, who, by no fault of their own, must shoulder the substantial responsibility and cost of caring for their disabled family members.
In the long run, it may be more fiscally prudent to close this facility, but before this happens the state must provide enough resources for KNI's residents to be moved into suitable community housing. Whatever ultimately happens, the people of Kansas should continue to share in the responsibility of caring for the neediest among us.
Thompson is a Topeka senior in economics.
WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? Tips for a better bus ride
When you are on the bus you should usually occupy only one seat. Your purse or your backpack, or even both of your feet are not as important as the people crowding the aisles and being pushed to the back.
When loading the bus it is usually polite to wait a couple minutes after the doors have opened and let the people currently on the bus off.
Also remember that although screaming metal rock music or "love in da club" hip-hop music might be your favorite tunes, they may not appeal to the rest of the people on the bus, so it wouldn't hurt to turn down the volume.
— Brown is a Wichita junior in journalism and political science.
But when those on the bus are inconsiderate to others, it can make an annoying experience.
Public transportation on campus has become more convenient in recent years, primarily because it's now free to all University students.
When riding the bus, please be aware of a few unspoken rules. If there is a lack of seats, do not use the one next to you for your belongings. If the bus has students standing and someone boards in front, move back. Avoid sneezing on others or having extremely personal phone conversations. And please, wear deodorant.
- Buser is a Columbia, Ill., senior in journalism.
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