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It makes me giggle to see a big, bad athlete run from a run from a big, bad bee in front of Wesco.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY GANSAN
opinion
I think I just witnessed squirrel cannibalism. Whatever it was, it was weird.
Can we all just take a second to appreciate this gorgeous weather?
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012
There should be a walking lane for slow walkers. Most annoying thing ever.
If there are a million other seats on the bus DO NOT sit directly next to me. I have a personal space bubble that you're popping.
All these notes across campus are freaking me out. The slender man is out to get us at KU.
I just saw the most elaborate pick up line or the most elaborate lie unfold right before my eyes.
Text your FFA submissions to 785-289-8351 or at kansan.com
Anyone can sing like Whitney Houston if they're in their car.
Some jerk just tacked me in front of Strong Hall today and ran off screaming, "For Gryffandon! What the hell?
That awkward moment when someone comes into the bookstore and asks if you sell condoms.
I finished all of my engineering homework. I don't understand what it I suppose to do? I was told it was free time. Somebody help! I don't understand free time!
I got 99 pets but a fish ain't one!
If you are flushing tampons down a toilet you do not need to be in college.
There are some girls here who look like they just took a ride on the Hot Mess Express
Is it okay to hate someone on their birthday?
If the majority of men on campus were like the squirrels, we would have a hostile situation on our hands.
You do realize if Bill Self was elected as president he wouldn't be our basketball coach, right?
Pro-lifers: Abortion is not the problem, our modern day morality is. You'd get more results if you nip it in the bud: combat casual sex instead!
M: Dude I called her! Friend. Out of all the people I know you should be the one that respects Gotta Catch 'Em All.
I'm not the only one who went through the PETA protest tent and then immediately to Chick-fil-A am!？
Lawrence a great place for a concert
Being from the state of Connecticut, I get a lot of people asking me "Why did you pick KU?" And honestly, that is a hard question for me to answer. I didn't choose KU because I love the basketball tradition, or because the campus is so original. But I picked Kansas because Lawrence is one of the best college towns for music and live concerts.
Whenever I go to the library, I always sit next to the prettiest girl I can find in hope that I will one day meet my wife.
MUSIC
What does Ctrl+F mean?!
America: Where when the weather is perfect, we take the bus.
That's right, Lawrence is a great place to hear new music and attend live concerts. There are always great concerts going on and artists enjoy coming here. The venues in town are great for college students. The Granada will always have good concerts throughout the entire semester and the same with
Liberty Hall. Local bars sometimes have concerts to make a fun atmosphere. No matter where you go in Lawrence, there will always be some sort of music playing.
As a lot of you probably already know, Lawrence used to be the host for the famous outdoor musical event, Wakarusa Festival named after the Wakarusa River. The festival took place at Clinton State Park, but once it got too big it moved out of town, but the great music stayed and isn't going anywhere. Ever since the festival moved to Arkansas, Lawrence has been getting great musicians to perform here and that won't be changing anytime soon. The demand from college students has
to go out and see some of your favorite bands. If you don't, you may regret it when you hear from others how great of a show it was.
created a good list of bands and artists that come through during the school year.
I have been a student at KU since 2010, and I have seen multiple great performances in town. During my freshman year, I went to a Big Krit concert at the Granada. That concert was one of the best shows I have seen in a while. Also,
So take advantage of it. Take the time to go to some concerts in town you think you would have fun. If you don't, you will be letting yourself down because in the future after you have left Lawrence, you may not have the same opportunities.
at Liberty Hall I saw another great hip-hop show by Atmosphere. And every year Kansas City's very own Tech N9ne makes an appearance in Lawrence.
There are concerts all of the time and at least one for everybody to enjoy. Lawrence welcomes all types of genres but hip-hop, rock,and dub-step seem to be the most popular.
It is awesome to have such great concerts because it is what makes going to KU so unique. Not everyone gets the experience that KU students do. Lawrence is a one-of-a-kind city with unique art, culture and people, and with that comes great taste in music. I think it makes a fun college experience
Ben Carroll is a junior majoring in English from Salem, Conn. Follow him on twitter @BCarroll91.
POLITICS
Kansas conservatives challenge presidential ballot
If you are looking for progressive and forward thinking, Kansas has never been a place to consider. We are reliably a butt for liberal commentators' jokes of backwards thinking. Bill Maher has time and time again referred to us as a state that needs to take the stick out of our ass. I can't say that I was horribly surprised when I read a Kansas man questions Obama's citizenship almost four years after
he has taken office.
However, even this week the state's extreme conservatives reached a brand new low on Sept. 13 with an opposition to President Obama on the ballot for this fall's election. According to the Topeka Capitol Journal, Joe Montgomery of Manhattan filed an objection to having President Obama on this November's presidential ballot. Montgomery seems to have the Kansas State Objections Board leaning to his case, although not to the extent that Obama's name will not be placed on the Kansas ballot. The Kansas State Objections Board, led by Republican Kris Kobach, who is a Romney supporter, just recently dropped the plea. The Topeka Capital Journal also reported that Montgomery withdrew his complaint because "there
has been a great deal of animosity and intimidation directed not only at me but people around me."
I feel this may be a moot point considering Kansas' recent electoral history. I'm all for miracles, but the odds that Kansas carries a color other than red on Nov. 6 seem very unlikely.
Do citizens have the right to challenge the government? This writer believes they do; however, there should be a limit to the madness of how far this challenging goes. When does the limiting of the voter's choice come into play? Last year the White House released President Obama's birth certificate. I would argue this removed a majority of the theorists, who go by the name "birthers" and doubt that Obama is in fact an American citizen. If that were not enough for
the birthers, the state of Hawaii would later confirm that President Obama was in fact born within the confines of their border, making him a citizen of the country of which he is currently president.
The conspiracy needs to come to a conclusion before the election approaches. All that arises from the elimination of Obama's name from the ballot is a limited choice for Kansas citizens when they arrive at the polls on Nov. 6. This is yet another example of the extreme shift in the right wing's conservative political views. I believe a majority of the birthers fall under the Tea Party banner.
me is the extreme political right in this country infringing on the rights of other American citizens, all while fighting under the banner of small government.
I know that Kansas is almost a sure bet for Romney and his Republican ticket. However, it is the principles in this case that I am concerned with. What concerns
This is placing a dark shadow over the hard work of the liberty movement, whose small government principles have respect for all citizens. I feel that the extreme right is not giving the respect to the rest of the nation that they are asking for in return. By doing this they are removing the progress made by the fine people of the liberty movement and giving the right wing a bad name among left-wing voters.
McFarland is a freshman majoring in political science from Olathe.
POLITICALFIBER.COM
Power and the Planet Looking to the future as Kansas moves away from coal energy
ERIC SCHUAMCHER
Staff writer, PoliticalFiber.com
erns@politicalfiber.com
As a four-year fight about coal-powered energy and clean air in Kansas begins drawing to a close, it's time to look toward the future.
In 2008, Gov Kathleen Sebelius and the state health department rejected a permit for Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, which planned to construct a coal-burning plant in Southwest Kansas. They denied the permit because of health concerns, and it has since become the subject of a legal and political battle that finally went before the Supreme Court on Aug. 31. When the court hands down its opinion, an issue that has spanned three Kansas governorships may finally be resolved.
Then again, public concerns about health and the economy may have already resolved the issue in the minds of many. According to the Energy Information Administration, coal use in April accounted for an all-time low of 32 percent of power generated in the U.S. (it previously accounted for about 50 percent). Coal is now generating the same amount of power as the rapidly growing natural gas industry.
In the Midwest especially, natural gas is supplanting the once-dominant coal industry. Kansas harbors one of the five largest untapped deposits of natural gas contained under the surface in shale rock. It would appear that, for better or for worse, Midwestern energy is moving toward natural gas and technological advances and changing economic realities have decided the battle — not the
Supreme Court.
The environmental groups filing against Sunflower Electric's permit are not wrong; coal power is among the most dangerous in terms of air quality and human health. According to a report by the American Lung Association, coal power is the number one industrial pollution source in the U.S. The report explains that coal emits toxic chemicals like arsenic and lead. Cutting back on coal, or eliminating it entirely, would create countless health benefits and slow the negative effects of greenhouse gases.
The economy is also a factor in the decline of coal use. Recent technological advancements have made natural gas production inexpensive. This renders one of coal's biggest assets - its low cost - moot.
If coal is on the way out, or at least is destined to share a smaller portion of the energy production pie, what new realities are we looking at? What will happen when energy production is dominated by natural gas?
Although concerns about coal may already be resolved, there are still questions regarding our energy needs in the future, and we've barely seen the start. The best solution to meeting these needs may be investing in other sources of energy, such as biofuels, wind, solar and nuclear power.
While the move to natural gas greatly reduces the hazards of coal power, it could still be dangerous, and debate about natural gas has already started, especially regarding the drilling method known as hydraulic fracturing.
For more political news and conversation, visit PoliticalFiber.com
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