MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013
PAGE 4A
opinion
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I wish the Hawk sold snacks
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It's not who you want to spend Friday night with, it's who you want to spend all day Saturday with.
It's not even fair to make fun of the LOLakers anymore.
Be careful looking like a wolfly mammoth ladies. A biology major might try to capture, cage and study you to death
My teacher is talking about vitamin D and keeps referring to it as "getting the D." I can't stop smirking.
Tell me again about how banning assault weapons will work because criminals hate to break the law.
It's so great to meet someone who isn't afraid to pee on themselves a little bit these days.
For those of you that did not receive one today. Good morning, I hope you have an amazing day! Don't forget to smile! :)
Ladies of KU: It is 14 degrees outside. PLEASE WEAR REAL PANTS.
Too bad the catch of the week isn't actually single.
My family has a boat. I can wear boat shoes whenever I please.
Dude, why would you not want a coupon book?
As a paleontologist, I find woolly mammoths sexy.
Have you ever hung up your backpack on a hook in the restroom and it was so heavy the hook broke? Yeah, that just happened.
Last semester of senior year. Not you to lie. I'm really going to miss you editor! Editor's Note: ;{
Can somebody please restart the letters at the basketball games?
It is infinitely harder to hook up when you don't drink...
Sometimes I wonder who cleans up all the newspaper in Alien, but then I remember that Phog's ghost just blows it away.
Who thinks having Morgan freeman announce a KU game would be an awesome idea?????
Why is it that the later I leave for class the longer it takes me to get there?
Man, I'm starting to het a hang of this college thing! Editor's Note: Except the spelling part.
The three guys still saying "Chiefs" during the national anthem... seriously? Stop.
Freshman quote of the week: Yeah the hawk was awesome last night
The only thing worse than a frat pack is a sor squad. Their like frat packs, but catty and critical of the fashion sense of those around them.
POLITICS
East Asia vital to Obama's new term
Inaugural festivities concluded last week, but any opinionated observer can point out that President Obama's real second-term challenges are just beginning. Instead of listing looming battles or bemoaning our political divisions, I'd like to reflect on a situation not too different from today's polarized political sphere. Before supporters began trekking to Pennsylvania Avenue, the North Korean government decided to spark some fireworks of its own by launching a satellite into space on Dec. 12. Although the move's news coverage couldn't match play-by-plays of the inaugural parade route or First Family's wardrobe, North Korea achieved its objective of making waves internationally — without actually sending the Unha-3 rocket splashing into the ocean.
Although politicians disagree on nearly every political question, at least the pundits can agree politics lacks bipartisan cooperation. In fact, the Huffington Post reported the 112th Congress passed fewer pieces of legislation than any other Congress since the 1940s. Partisan divides might seem overwhelming, but they're
not nearly as deep as disputes between North and South Korea
Compromise seems impossible; each side portrays itself as the legislator government of a future reunified peninsula. Just weeks before the satellite launch, Royal United Services Institute researcher Andrea Berger met with North Korean military personnel to discuss the nuclear program; the officials all blamed hostile U.S. policies for the build up. In turn, South Korea and the United States blame North Korean provocations for tough military postures. Like in Washington D.C., as long as each side can deflect responsibility it can avoid tackling shared challenges.
Countries and political parties can't always act in a unified way; individuals deviate from agreed-upon strategies. In Congress it might be a single representative publicly disagreeing with the party line; in the case of Korea it happened to be self-appointed diplomats. In early January, former New Mexican Gov. Bill Richardson and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt jettied to the North Korean capital
Pyongyang to meet with national leaders. Their visit wasn't directed by the White House foreign policy team. The State Department described the visit's timing as "not helpful," while a less diplomatic John McCain called the gentlemen "useful idiots" on Twitter. This kind of political stunt can dominate media commentary and prompt equally dramatic responses, so skilled politicians must ensure the broader dialogue remains on track.
That's easier said than done, as journalists and politicians often magnify the potential downside of any particular event. Just observe negotiations building to a crescendo as a new deadline looms. Some analysts predicted the North Korean satellite launch would immediately destabilize East Asia while South Korea.
Japan, China and the United States conducted power transitions. However, the Global Security Newswire interviewed experts who concluded that North Korea did not yet represent a credible threat. One even described the Unha technology as "a baby satellite launcher." Viewing challenges realistically can allow leaders to resist inflammatory rhetoric and frankly come to agreement about what should be done.
Of course, we assume our leaders inform themselves to understand the underlying structures that endanger political projects of motivate international actors. Chinese support remains essential to the success of Kim Jong-Un and the North Korean state. Chinese economic assistance and trade props up the North Korean economy, and China's global status can shield North Korea from international pressure. Absent Chinese cooperation, leaders cannot expect success engaging or sanctioning the North Korean regime. In the past this cooperation between the United States and China has been notably absent.
If one understands that basic reality, then the news that emerged as the Obama attended their Inaugural Ball becomes incredibly significant in the context of the ongoing Korean conflict. China and the United States managed to agree within the United Nations to expand sanctions against North Korea. For the first time China signaled "regret" for North Korea's progression toward nuclear weapons capability. The U.S. and China each gave up portions of their initial proposals, but by ignoring irrelevant political posturing and seeking out clear understandings two rival powers are working together toward a common goal. So before throwing our hands up in the air and declaring the incoming Congress incompetent, grid-locked, and ultimately doomed, keep an eye on East Asia.
The lesson? Progress can happen, even among unlikely partners.
Gress is a sophomore majoring in political science and economics from Overland Park.
LIFESTYLE
Simplicity the secret to completing resolutions
The typical New Year resolutions of "be healthier,
"I be happy," or "get better grades" end not to work. They sound nice, of course, but very quickly into the year we find out we couldn't actually carry on with them, and we end up not changing much of our behavior.
When we realize we haven't changed anything it is easy to blame our lack of willpower, or our laziness. We usually tell ourselves we didn't work hard enough. That's possible. But here is the truth: the secret to New Year resolutions that produce results is not to work harder, but to make smarter resolutions.
If your New Year resolutions always work, no need to keep reading. But if you think you can use some extra help, I will show you a way of fixing the problem. All we need are two simple rules.
These two rules are based on two principles thought out by a modern-day American management guru and an Italian sociologist and economist. The rules are measurability and simplicity. And if you apply them to your New Year resolutions, I guarantee your results will be better than they
have ever been.
The American guy is Peter Drucker, and the principle behind measurability is his famous quote, "what gets measured, gets managed." So, rather than make broad, hard-to-measure resolutions, we use measurability to make our goals clear and easy to stick to. Here is an example: my girlfriend's resolution was to have more energy. But, damn, that is a broad goal. To make it measurable, she focused on what changes she could make to have more energy. Those boiled down to sleep, exercise and eating healthy. Because she does most of the healthy hippie stuff you are supposed to do (daily yoga, eating vegetarian and whatnot), she decided she would specify the resolution to sleep more. Definitely a smarter resolution. But to make it truly measurable, she changed it to be in bed at 10 p.m. on weekdays. Bingo! The resolution is now specific and measurable. She is already sleeping more, and wakes up with more energy.
Measurability is a pretty good rule. But when we are making very specific goals, it is easy to choose a lot of them, and make
it complex. For instance, my girlfriend could have decided to go to bed at 10 p.m., exercise twice a day, eat healthier foods, and do more yoga. The problem is: there are a beck of lot of goals to keep track of. And when we are overwhelmed with a complex resolution, lack of simplicity quickly becomes lack of action. So we use another rule to power-up measurability.
This second rule is simplicity. To simplify our resolutions, we use the help of the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He is the guy who came up with the Pareto Law, which states that 80 percent of results come from 20 percent of the causes. This tends to hold true in economics (80 percent of the wealth is owned by roughly 20 percent of the individuals), but also in our personal life (80
percent of the fun is packed in 20 percent of the days, or 80 percent of the homework is given by 20 percent of the teachers). Using the Pareto Law and the measurability principle we can transform our broad, difficult resolutions in a handful of specific and simple goals. Here is an example on how you can do it.
I have been reading a lot of Buddhist texts recently, and decided I could use some extra positivity in my life. My initial resolution was to be more positive. I am sure you can see the problem with it: too broad, yet too complex at the same time. Because I tend to be pretty positive about myself (you know, I buy into a lot of that "I am awesome" self-help stuff), I decided to be more specific on the goal. So I changed it to "only say positive things about other people." Cool: much more specific. I still needed to simplify it, though. So I decided to give away a dollar to the person I am talking to every time I say something negative about anyone. Sweet: specific, measurable and simple resolution
After some time, you start seeing the beauty of the Pareto Law.
Just a few weeks after starting the resolution I have lost some money, of course, but I have also held my tongue many times to not talk smack on other people (including basketball players playing against us), and noticed an overall increase in positivity. Changing this simple, single behavior has made me a more positive person overall on both my words and thoughts.
We are about a month into the New Year now, and most of us have done very little towards the resolutions we so excited made not long ago. More importantly, if we make the same kind of resolutions we did last year, we will invariably get the same bad results.
Give these two rules a shot. It is easy to try, and it just might make your year (and maybe the years after) a whole lot better.
Morelix is a junior majoring in business and economics from Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
@pearsonaaronj
@UDK, Opinion A-mazing!! I’d
RSVP. Bill was great as always
too!
How do you feel about the Jeff Withey Block Party video played in Allen Fieldhouse yesterday?
Follow us on Twitter @UDK_Public. Tweet us your opinions and we just might publish them.
@VaughnMiller1
@UDK_Opinion OU probably had 0
feels left.
@SethAmott
@UDK Opinion It was amazing. I wish it was online somewhere, impossible to explain to people who weren't there.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I read the article on which animated sitcom is better, "Family Guy" or "The Simpsons." I was shocked and appalled. I understand everyone has their own opinion, and I respect that. However, you have no idea what you are talking about. Let me show you why that is not an opinion, but a fact. Let me assess what I gathered from your article.
First, you note the similarities between the families, which are comprised of a good mother, an alcoholic father, two older children, and a baby. Let the record show, the baby's name is Maggie, not Lisa. Lisa is one of the two "older children" who are actually in elementary school. Second, you say "Family Guy" is more clever and original...it catches the attention of the sitcom's target audience, which is clearly adult humor". Primarily, adult humor is not an audience, it's a style of humor directed towards young adult males, such as yourself. Secondly, if it weren't for "The Simpsons", "Family Guy"
"The Simpsons"; "Family Guy" wouldn't exist. It was one of the
Whether you are smart or dumb, young or old, American or not, "The Simpsons" is funny. That's what makes it a better sitcom.
Third, you say that the creators of "Family Guy" are more successful. Seth MacFarlane has three shows, and one film. Matt Groening, whom your article fails to mention, has two shows, at least one movie, and twelve Emmys, (ten from "The Simpsons" and two from "Futurama") while MacFarlane has two. "The Simpsons" has 27 and "Family Guy" has four.
You don't have to like the show, but learn to respect it, because it's probably one of the greatest shows ever.
Glenn Schongar is a sophomore from Lenexa.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
first ever prime-time animated sitcoms, and it paved the way for others. "The Simpsons" uses humor based off cultural references ranging from music, TV, and movies to science, literature, and history. It encompasses all audiences.
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