Opinion
Kansan
Published daily since 1912
Julie Wood, Editor
Laura Roddy, Managing editor
Cory Graham, Managing editor
Tom Eblen, General manager, news adviser
4A
brand Byram, Business manager
Shauntee Blue, Retail sales manager
Dan Simon, Sales and marketing adviser
Scott Valler, Technology coordinator
Monday. October 4,1999
Jamie Patterson / KANSAN
Editorials
Attention smokers: Please dispose of your cigarettes in proper place
There is a section in the film adaptation of the great gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's tale "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in which the narrator and his attorney are allowed into a Vegas show on the condition that they stand in an appropriate place and do not smoke.
We have a similar request of the student body. Please obey the signs near building entrances that say you must stand at least 20 feet away if you are going to smoke. If you come within 20 feet, please stop smoking.
Our request does not end there. When you put out your cigarette, please dispose of it in a proper place. As of now, it is seemingly impossible to walk five feet without
Give a hoot; improperly disposed cigarettes not only pollute, they start fires
stepping on at least one cigarette butt. Often, it is impossible to do so without stepping on five or 10. This is simply ugly.
One of the great resources of our university is a beautiful campus. We should not take this for granted and assume that, without at least some minimal effort, it will stay that way.
Disposing of butts in ashtrays is not only an issue of appearance, it is also an issue of safety. A small fire was recently started near Strong
Hall because someone had thrown a still-lit cigarette into the wood chips near the building. Though the fire was put out fairly quickly, it was big enough to singe a few windows.
We do not deny the bent, childish appeal of things burning; but, nonethe-less, there is a reason Beavis and Butt-head never made it to college. Fire and large public buildings don't mix. Certainly no one wants to be responsible for damage, or even causing an injury, that could have been avoided.
We do not mean to deny anyone their right to nicotine addiction. Smoke all you want, but please be responsible and respectful. Our safety is at risk.
Erik Goodman for the editorial board
Threats against exhibit inexcusable
On Wednesday, Sept. 22, New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani threatened to cut off all city funding to the Brooklyn Museum of Art unless it canceled a show titled "Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection."
Mayor Giuliani's opposition to the exhibit and subsequent threat of action against the museum is frightening.
The threat stemmed from the controversial nature of the exhibit, which is meant to be thought provoking and possibly even disturbing. At the center of the debate is a 1996 piece by British-born artist Chris Offil, titled "The Holy Virgin Mary." The piece depicts an image of a black Madonna with a clump of elephant
Mayor Giuliani's threat of action against museum for exhibit is frightening
dung on one breast and cutouts of genitalia in the background.
Ofili's piece has been singled out by Giuliani and his supporters as a desecration of the Catholic religion.
Ofili, himself a church-going Catholic, believes that opponents of his piece and the exhibit are attacking their own interpretations of the work, not necessarily his.
exhibit, but cutting off the museum's funding and forcing the support of the arts entirely into the hands of private funds is dangerous.
For the time being we are still afforded some freedoms of individual expression and can expect the possibility of some assistance and support from our elected governing bodies.
What Mayor Giuliani and his supporters are trying to do is chilling. As a public leader, he has all the right in the world to denounce this
As an American citizen, when you pay, you play. If you enjoy your right to express yourself, you must allow others to do the same.
It will be a sad day when the government decides to cut off support to those who still dare to look to themselves, question their upbringing and surroundings and share these interpretations with others.
Matt Dunehoo for the editorial board
Kansan staff
Chad Bettes ... Editorial
Seth Hoffman ... Associate editorial
Carl Kaminski ... News
Juan H. Heath ... Online
Chris Fickett ... Sports
Brad Hallier ... Associate sports
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Broadon your mind: Today's quote
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Perspective
Merkel-Mess
columnist
vormer@kansan.com
Pavones, a beachside hamlet on Costa Rica's Golfo Dulce, is famous for one thing: the longest surfing waves in the world. On a good day, the waves can stretch up to a kilometer. Or so the guidebooks say.
My first overcast morning of surfing was not a good day. The water was choppy, the waves
Waves offer challenges lessons to new surfers
were medium-sized and I had hasty instructions — paddle out, catch a wave, stand up. It looked easy enough from the shore.
Setting out barefoot for the water, I discovered surfing at Pavones is not a footfriendly activity. To get to the best waves, I first crossed the Rio Claro — 75 feet of knee-deep water rushing out of the hills. After stumbling on rocks, fighting the current and almost dropping my board, I found a stretch of sand on the far
At night things slow down early. Morning waves are more important than cuddlup up with bottlenecks. After the initial rush to catch the sun, surfing goes on all day, culminating in a showoff of skills for the sunset crowd on the beach.
Still waiting for a wave, I paddled to the side of the experienced surfers to watch technique. After a few minutes of bobbing up and down a wave came. My timing was off and the wave crashed over me, knocking me off my board. I regrown and paddled out a bit.
While there isn't much to do in town, the waves attract sun-bleached surfers from around the world. Two restaurants, one bar and a small grocery store cater to the visitors who usually say they're staying for "probably a few months."
Then it came. A wave, cresting just behind me. I paddled as the wave grabbed the board, rushing me towards the shore. I tried to stand up, lost my balance and tumbled inside the wave where I was rolled around like the inside of a washing machine.
bank. I crossed a couple hundred feet of rocks before I got to water deepen to maddle.
When the wave lost its momentum, I was left floating down from the big waves. Rather than paddle back against the current, I decided to walk up the shore. So I turned in, letting the small waves scot me along. On the shore I began picking my way tenderly across the rocks. 200 yards away, surfers bobbed among the waves.
rocks before I got to water deep enough to paddle. Getting to Pavones is no pleasure cruise either. For $2 per person, a vintage school bus hauls as many sweaty bodies as possible for the 30 miles from Golftio. With frequent stops for passengers, the ride lasts 21 1/2 hours. The sometimes gravel, sometimes paved, always curving road includes a ferry crossing of the muddy Rio Coto and a few wood plank bridges about as wide as the bus. I tried not to look at the swift streams below, but the lack of guardrails left nothing to the imagination.
On Costa Rica's back roads, thrills are free. Standing at the foaming edges of the water, the small waves I spotted from a distance had suddenly grown into white-capped monsters.
Swimming is easy enough, but a 6-foot-long floating board complicates things. As I paddled out, I soon learned to duck my head and plow
It was starting to look easy again.
the board into the base of a wave so I wouldn't be washed back to shore. Once I got past the breakers, I sat up to assess the situation: I only had one jellyfish sting, my feet were feeling better and the water had the pleasant effect of a salt-water gargle inside and out. Around me, the other surfers eyed the sea, waiting.
Americans should feel empathy for Russians
We share the same biology/
Regardless of ideology/
What might come
**what might save us, me and you**
is the Russians their love their chili
dren, too."
I would give anything to be fluent in Russian language, highly knowledgeable in journalism and educated enough to understand and solve the complex problems that are touted.
- from Russians by Sting
It's times like this that I wish I already had my Ph.D.
I wish I could help now.
ing Russian society.
Jennifer Barlow columnist opinion@kansan.com
The recent rash of bombings in Russia has given me a lump in my throat when thinking about my dear friends in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
It's that taste of fear you get when loved ones potentially are in danger, and you have no control of the situation. After hearing about the bombs, I quickly tried to call my friends but was unable to reach anyone. Usually, it
would be no cause to worry, but this time I was truly scared. What if something had happened to them?
Rumors spread that those responsible for the blasts were rebels from Dagestan who wanted to terrorize Russian citizens to avenge the war and destruction their country. Other allegations surround government officials who are creating havoc in an attempt to put off the upcoming elections.
Debates are brewing in Washington about who lost Russia in America's bureaucratic attempt to provide support for the complex problems in the former Soviet Union.
The explosions usually occurred in large apartment complexes, the typical living arrangement for Russian families. Timed to explode early in the morning, the bombs killed many innocent citizens in their sleep.
I'm more concerned about the common people's struggle than the red tape and corruption that bind Russia into a troubled country.
Ive met some really amazing individuals in Russia who I love dearly. The thought of them
I've definitely made this attempt. In fact, my experiences have taught me that they are quite similar to me and you.
Many people also wonder why the Russian people haven't caught on to the concept of capitalism efficiently. An attempt to revamp an entire country's economic ideals involves changes in the structure of business, government and, most importantly, the thoughts and habits of the people who will run this new system.
Perhaps one of the most beneficial things the United States could bring to Russia would be an attempt to understand the plight of the common citizen.
Under Communist rule, the people may not have had much in the way of freedom or material goods, but they knew they would have something to eat.
Now, I just wish I knew enough to help more.
dying or being injured pointlessly in an explosion angered and disturbed me greatly.
The former Soviet Union was enormous and included many different environments, ethnic groups and religions. Disagreements and fighting were inevitable.
Barlow is a Cherokee, Iowa, junior in Russian and East European studies.
It breaks my heart to hear my Russian loved ones say that they cannot make promises because of the insecurity that rules their lives. My dear friend, Olya, commented to me about how everyone feels unsure as to what the next day will bring. An unsettling tension rests on the daily lives of Russian citizens as they try to make sense of the intense changes that have been dropped on them in the last decade.
Fortunately, none of my friends were directly effected by the blasts, except for the general paranoia and frustration that the whole country experienced as a result of these morbid acts.
I think many Americans don't understand the reasons for the seemingly perpetual fighting in the former U.S.S.R. Parallels can be drawn to the Revolutionary War when the states wanted to be free from England because of changes in the colonists' lifestyles and ideals.
I feel as though most Americans are apathetic to Russian citizens. This may be due to previously-held notions that were created during the Cold War era; however, I think the apathy comes from a lack of empathy.
Feedback
Outhouse article objectified women
This is in regard to your article "The Outhouse Skinny" dated October 1st. Was it a slow news day or what? Did you need some laughs at the office that just happened to objectify women? How about some pictures of y'all with your legs spread? We appreciated picking up your useless waste of ink and paper and being flashed by the "lovely" photos that graced the front cover. Thank you so very much for allowing us to again lose our faith in
humanity. And the UDK. Is it too much to ask for some REAL content? Is this really front page material? If so, who else thinks so? Who thought this was a good idea? Oh· and by the way, thanks for making it a gender inclusive staff effort by allowing the pictures to be taken by a fellow woman. Kudos to you guys, you are all one great team!' There is no story in this story, it seems as if it a bunch of random rambling, something which too often occurs in this paper. It disrupted our class for thirty minutes as most people could not get over their disgust of
the article. Get real. Can they take some of your journalistic awards back? If you include garbage like this, please, at least give us a crossword puzzle, something that will take our mind off of what you have put on the front page and that will also enable us to stimulate our intellect. Not that any of you on staff assume that we have any, with articles like this.
Jennifer Moore
DeSoto senior
Carrie Gray
Portland, Ore., junior