MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 4
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**cator's note:** I've hacked the FFA and you guys should really delete your browser history. Editor's note: Mother of god.
To the kid in the trench coat with the briefcase and leafers sliding down railings... you've got swag.
I'm watching some guy play Pokemon on his smart phone in discussion. Can you sav swaq?
To the guy walking around with the sign looking for his girl. Why aren't there more guys like you?!
So you parked like an idiot and your car got keyed? Wow, that's weird...
I hope my TA can't tell I'm still drunk from thirsty Thursday!
The same people who think Obama wasn't born here also believe that left and right Twix are separate companies.
George Michael is in my psychology class! Now to find Tobias.
Slow walker here. I'm sorry I have short legs and not in a rush, walk around!
Let's all skip like it's high school again.
Leaving your wristband on from the night before is a rookie mistake.
You know you're an engineer when you're doing calculations on the rate at which you drink beer.
Drinking doesn't make you cool. The things you do while drunk do.
Trade proposal: Crist and an RB for anyone else's QB.
Good thing we have volleyball and soccer to give us winning hope in the fall.
That awkward moment when you forget how to spell your boyfriend's name.
My ex-boyfriend just got arrested.. Looks like I'm winning.
Best moment of the weekend: Seeing my Grandma dance to "Gangman Style" at my cousin's wedding.
Sometimes I feel like the football team has been cast under an evil curse.
In chemistry, technically, alcohol is a solution.
Has his husband, he just doesn't know it yet.
To the dipwd who spilled paint on my car and didn't leave a note, I hope nobody calls you on your birthday.
Childhood TV provided role models
ENTERTAINMENT
Shawn, Topanga and Cory. Michelle, Stephanie and DJ, Tia and Tamera. Will, Carlton and Geoffrey. Raven. Lizzie and Ren and Louis. If you can name the shows these characters came from, your childhood was awesome. During the 1990s and early 2000s, TV shows directed at kids offered productive role models and truly funny worlds to escape to.
(Before I carry on, you should know the answers above: "Boy Meets World," "Full House," "Sister Sister," "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "That's So Raven," "Lizzie McGuire" and "Even Stevens.")
Each of the aforementioned shows features characters that are relatable. They have flaws. No one can argue that they don't make mistakes or that they always fit in. They constantly battled the same things we faced. Even Raven, whose superpower set her apart,
fought the urge to lie and even wrestled with her personal image.
I can personally remember seeing Stephen Tanner of "Full House" as she fought society's image of beauty and decided that glasses could be beautiful too.
Many of these shows taught viewers lessons as simple as accepting yourself on a regular basis. What would the shows have been like if Raven of "That's So Raven" didn't fight the school uniforms or if Will of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" gave up his individual every time Uncle Phil suggested he do so?
Back in the day, shows tackled big picture questions. Eric Matthews in "Boy Meets World" could hardly face his future after high school. How many American teenagers have stood there at some point? "That's So Raven" went so far as to look at the obesity epidemic while it was still a small problem on the public agenda.
Lizzie McGuire even helped her best friend Miranda through a bout with anorexia.
Recently, I turned on Disney Channel. It felt like a force of habit. I was surprised to find that instead of the strong characters with identifiable problems, today's shows don't offer as good of role models. Let's look at "Wizards of Waverly Place" for example. In Selena Gomez's break-out role, she plays a popular character that doesn't have an issue with her self-esteem. She has no problem lying to authority
figures and using her magic to do cruel things. She's never punished for such actions.
Can you imagine what would happen if that character would have lived in a '90s show? Danny Tanner of "Full House" wouldn't have it and Joey would say to "cut it out." The Matthews would never have let that kind of behavior stand. Accountability is part of learning a lesson.
When I turned off the Disney Channel, which I did after one unfulfilling show, I asked myself what I remember most about the shows I watched as a kid. I came to this conclusion: I am that quirky character. I asked myself what I love was when Cory and Topanga of "Boy Meets World" went on their first date. I ached to be popular like every other junior high girl and Lizzie McGuire.
most cases, exists outside of television scripts. Each character had a friend that they could count on no matter what. These shows taught viewers about the importance of our relationships and how to maintain them.
But what slipped my mind is the perfection of their lives that, in
It's been 20 years since the early 1990s. Soon the sparse reruns of these shows will disappear for good. Like our parents, we'll probably end up talking about that one show that sticks out far past all of the rest. Also like our parents, it will be left to us to instill within our kids those lessons we learned from our favorite characters.
Whatever you do, don't forget.
Don't forget growing up alongside
characters that really were like you.
TECHNOLOGY
Hawkins is a junior majoring in journalism from Scranton.
Apple's actions show hypocrisy
Apple's new iPhone 5 is gorgeous. A matte-finished backside compliments the sheen of the newer, larger front screen. The edges are cut to a finish with diamond blades. The glass camera lens was replaced with pure sapphire. And well, it weighs a little bit less. And that's about it. Bluntly, its technology is only marginally better than the 4S. And to boot, thousands of customers began complaining about the terrible Apple Maps in iOS 6 only hours after its launch.
Did any of this stop Apple lovers from emptying shelves last Friday? Absolutely not. Apple claims that over 2 million people pre-ordered the new phone on the first day alone, more than any product under Steve Jobs' direction. With numbers like these, Apple proves that it is still one of the most popular and successful companies in the world. Despite their success, and the fact I own an iPhone 4, I still have a bone to pick with this technology giant because I hate their cutthroat business ethics.
Since the mid-2000s, Apple has had a lawsuit addiction, attacking even the slightest hint of copyright or patent infringement, an action Google calls "bullying tactics." Apple just won a $1 billion lawsuit against Samsung in the U.S., they lost the same case in both Germany and South Korea, as courts couldn't find any validity to the case. The fact that Apple even sued Samsung was confusing, because Apple buys about half of the parts in an iPhone from Samsung. Apple's legal team is so adamant about stomping out competition. Apple is currently suing a
Polish grocery store chain named "A.pl."
Speaking of hypocrisy, I (as a person who owns an iPhone) absolutely hate Apple fan-boys. Besides the fact they support Apple's lawsuit crusade, they actually believe that Apple sells top-of-the-line technology, which is subject to opinion, and spend an incredible amount on Apple products.
For most companies, I understand, it's business. But when Apple, which put together the first Mac from a computer taken from another California company and software taken from Microsoft, develops products that look eerily similar to tech products by Braun from the 1950s and 60s, and then sues anyone who produces products similar to Apple products, it simply blows my mind how hypocritical it is.
Yeah, my iPhone feels great, but the resolution, speed, and camera are comparable to a last generation Android. Any time Apple can convince customers to buy a worse product for more money and be incredibly successful with this business model, it's bad for all consumers.
Oh, and remember that whole thing about the suicides at the iPhone factory in China? As my final attack on Apple, I would like to point out Apple still hires that factory to make phones. I would be going way too far to say that your money contributes directly to suicide. At least, your money goes to a company that responds to worker suicides by putting nets to catch people jumping off buildings, and not actually improving working conditions.
So, go buy your new iPhone,
because honestly, it's still a pretty sweet phone and it's fun to use.
Just think about what your money contributes to for a little bit. No company is perfect, but you could do a lot better than Apple.
Simpson is a freshman majoring in chemical engineering from Fairway.
CAMPUS CHIRPS BACK
ELECTION
Romney needs clear message
What will hurt Romney the most isn't that he pointed out that he's most concerned with the eight to 10 percent of undecided voters — this election has been so polarizing that it's painfully clear the lines between staunch liberals and conservatives have already been drawn — it's that he dismissed them for not paying taxes and said he didn't care about them. The campaign process is a prolonged interview process; one of the biggest tasks for the job Romney is interviewing for is to care about all Americans.
But he's not incorrect.
The leaked video (that everyone has heard about by now) that showed Romney at an event in May telling the crowd that 47 percent of the voting population would automatically vote for President Obama because they were beholden to the government could very well have kept President Obama in the White House for four more years.
In the video, Ronney said,
"There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you-name-it... It is true that according to the Tax Policy Center, in 2011, 46.4 percent of American households paid no federal income taxes. Does that mean that those people don't pay taxes at all and are total freeloaders? No. They still pay payroll taxes, state and local taxes and one can get away from paying sales taxes.
One of the many presidential qualities that a prospective candidate must have is the ability to convey his or her message in a clear and concise manner. Unfortunately for Mitt Romney supporters, the Republican presidential nominee has proven to be as eloquent as President Obama. He's shown the lack of clear speech throughout this campaign and it could very well be his downfall.
McCroy is a senior majoring in economics from Des Moines, Iowa. You can follow him on Twitter @Billy McCrow.
And now you know what the future holds if we elect President Obama for four more years. A President shouldn't be rewarded for how many more people rely on the government, they should be judged on the fact that fewer people need assistance from the government because they can provide for themselves and live within their means.
It seems unfair that Republicans have not had an eloquent speaker in this position since Ronald Reagan; perhaps Bob Dole, but he was never going to beat the slick saxophonist. What Romney was getting at is a very important message and one that Americans should heed as they prepare to vote on Nov. 6. There is a vast portion of the populace that believes the government exists to provide for them. The conservative message is one that champions personal responsibility; giving someone the opportunity to provide for themselves and allowing them to feel the natural lift that one gets after accomplishing something paramount to their lives and the lives of their loved ones. It is quite clear that President Obama wants more people to become beholden to the government. According to easily accessible government figures, there are now 46 million Americans on food stamps.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
That's compared to 30 million in 2008. There were 10.6 million Americans on social security disability in 2011 compared to 9.3 million three years ago. The smallest share of the U.S. population is looking for work than at any time since 1981 and 40 percent of the current unemployed have been out of work for six months or more. That is prolonged, sustained unemployment
As for the population that is employed, we have a historical healthcare tax that has just been passed under the guise of our greatest political achievement. Here is a small exercise for you to think about while you're reading this: what happens when an employer has higher costs of business because he or she has to pay a tax for healthcare per employee? If your first thought is that they find ways to cut those costs, you're correct. And how would an employer cut costs that occur per employee? If you've come to the realization that they would hire fewer employees - if not 'et go of existing employees - then you've reached the end of this exercise.
The most recent article by Katherine Gwynn on the abortion debate struck me. The writer quotes her niece as saying "I decide my own life" and from that she is emotionally moved to feel that all women should have the right to choose whatever routes their lives will go. Granted, most people would hold that as a holy ideal, that we as individuals are imbued with such an inherent right to own our destinies. Gwynn hears her niece's words and reassures her that this is true, that she, as a five-year-old girl, has that right
to own her life; but in using that premise in support of a pro-choice agenda she unknowingly supports a statement which looks more like this: that her niece has absolutely no right to own her life, but that instead her mother owns that right over her. The question is, if all this is true, who has any right to own their own lives? If a human does not even have the right to decide if it will exist or not, who then can truly say they have a natural ownership of their own body?
that's not because I don't see that there are terrible struggles and horrific sufferings that women undergo as a result of an unplanned pregnancy. All that I am saying is that the fate of those circumstances gives no right to a woman to kill a baby, no matter how young. We value our right to determine our destinies so dearly, and those humans yet-to-be deserve to be given the same right to decide their own lives.
Now don't get me wrong. I may not be pro-choice,but
Ben King is a junior from Ness City
@King_Cole_316
@UDK_Opinion no comment.
Nuff said.
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@UDK_Opinion give him another chance... only if Shane Falco is not available. #TheReplacements
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kenan Editorial Board are Jan Cummings
Kiaas Shanker, Dylan Lyon, Ross Newton and Elise
Fanning.