The University Daily Kansan emphasizes the First Amendment:
religion, freedom of speech
the press; to petition
assemble
STANGLER: An admirable man named Juan with an undesirable job and a family in Mexico puts a human face on the United States immigration debate.
See kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2006 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
PAGE 5A
》 OUR VIEW
Be on watch for signs of suicide
The possibility of a friend or family member committing suicide might not be on your mind, but it should be.
Despite popular myth, suicides occur least often during winter holidays and most often in spring, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But their frequency in the United States should remind us of the possibility that a friend or family member could commit suicide.
Each year 30,000 Americans die by suicide. That's nearly twice the number homicide deaths, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students and the third-leading cause of death among people ages 15-24, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Almost 4,000 people 15-24 die by suicide each year, the AFSP says.
Seventy-five percent of all people who commit suicide give some warning to a friend or family member, the AFSP says.
The Centers for Disease Control says to recognize the following risk factors that increase the likelihood of a suicide attempt:
- Previous suicide attempt(s)
- History of mental disorders, particularly depression
*History of alcohol and substance abuse
- Family history of suicide
- Family history of suicide
- Feelings of hopelessness
- *Loss (relational, social, work or financial)
- Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
- Easy access to lethal methods
- Feelings of isolation
KU Counseling and Psychological Services says to recognize the following warning signs of a suicide attempt:
- Depressed demeanor
*Talk of getting even with someone or making someone sorry
*Talking about suicide, the hereafter, wills or other things related to death
- Sudden happy mood, indicating the person plans to end things soon
- Sleep disturbance
*Headaches, weight loss,
weight gain, nausea or fatigue
- Alcohol and other drugs used frequently, in large quantities, or both
*Engaging in risky actions such as reckless driving or fights
If you or someone you know are contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255, visit Watkins Health Center or call KU Counseling and Psychological Services at 864-2277.
Steve Lynn for the editorial board
COMMENTARY
How to combat finals, ninjas
Finals usually kick your butt and laugh. But not this year. Preparing for finals is like preparing to battle a band of ninjas. It takes lots of physical and mental preparation.
Finals, like ninjas, can either make or break you. You are worth about 110 percent of your grade and can be the difference between solid B's and some not so nice D's. The last thing you want is your parents using your Chrismahanukawanzaka gifts as firewood instead of that Yule log. It's going to be pretty awkward to explain that you failed TV 002 again because you used all of stop day to watch a [insert favorite TV show here] marathon.
To keep ninjas, in this case the finals, from sneaking up on you, you need to think about studying before stop day. This may seem a bit silly as it goes against our religious belief in procrastination. However, the ninjas are tricky and can quickly find the weaknesses of a not-so-well-prepared warrior. Besides, if you start studying now, you figure out questions to ask your professor before your class stops meeting. Your senset is a valuable resource.
Don't forget, ninjas usually attach in groups, and so should you. As unproductive as group study sessions can be, they can also be quite
BY JENNY HARTZ
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
helpful. It's usually best to meet someplace less distracting than your dorm room, where that new Nintendo Wii will get more attention than your books. I suggest the library, although I acknowledge there can be some characters even shadier than ninjas in the stacks at Watson. Your fellow classmates may bring up some key concepts that you forgot about. Or perhaps they have some study strategy that could work for you.
Besides mentally preparing for finals, you can also physically prepare. Ninjas, and finals, are nimble, quick warriors with sound minds and bodies. Ever notice how thin that Scantron sheet is? It's time you shaped up, too. A bit of exercise or a quick game of ultimate Frisbee can be great stress relief. Sometimes, after reading your Western Civ books for hours, you really just need to hit something. Field hockey — or field crumpets, that game people
play in front of Fraser Hall — are perfect for this.
If your friends are too busy studying and you have to work out alone, that's OK. You can easily run, lift weights or hurt your textbook across the room. Not only will you feel fit, but exercise can help clear your mind as well. And work off those extra calories from all the Mountain Dew you've been drinking.
Finally, it's time to face the finals. Unlike ninjas who yell "Hi-ya!" your finals will wilt something like, "What is the average air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?!" Instead of getting kicked in the face and thinking "Oh $#%^&^&*!", you will be well prepared for this attack. You will counter the attack by explaining how to find the air speed velocity of both an African and European swallow.
Once you've finished your finals, it's time to celebrate. After fighting like a natural ninja, it's time to party like a pirate. Enjoy the rum and be thankful that you're still getting your Chrismahanukawanzaka presents this year.
Hartz is a Stilwell sophomore in creative writing.
FREE FOR ALL
Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
To Andrew: See, it is easy to get in the Free for All.
I am driving on the highway going back to Lawrence and I just saw a girl's head pop up. I wonder what they were doing
Jammin' Julian. Final Four.
what they were doing.
The NBA called. They want Darrell Arthur back.
what they were doing.
To the guy running down Wakarusa: Get some bigger shorts. I can see your balls.
I woke up at 5 a.m. so I could listen to the game from Italy. It was
Thank goodness Jay-Z came out of retirement.
--ate better pole vaulters. Well said, Ashley.
Damn Thanksgiving traffic. I am 172 miles away from Kansas City going the campus speed limit.
--ate better pole vaulters. Well said, Ashley.
ate better pole vaulters. Well said, Ashley.
图
The Great Wall isn't going to put an end between illegal immigration between the United States and Mexico. It is just going to create better pole vaulters. Well said, Ashley.
I just got back to my room on second-floor Oliver. I was happy to see the smokers were back at it.
around. But they persevered and eventually succeeded, despite all the hardships they met along the way.
So, let me get this straight, we are able to beat the No. 1 team in the country, but Oral Roberts is too much to handle?
Reading the football notebook in Monday's Kansan makes me ask,
"What is an 'illegible player?"
Julian Wright must wake up in the morning and piss excellence.
We should have called in sick to the Mizzou game. It would have been less embarrassing.
图
THE DEMOCRATS' NEXT TRICK A PULLOUT FROM BUSH'S TRAQ MESS
IRAQ MESS
Grant Snider/KANSAM
COMMENTARY
Juan blows dirt An immigrant's life
I have a strange relationship with a man I barely know. I know his name, but have little knowledge of his background. But I see him once a week, and I always look forward to his visit.
Juan works for the landscaping company that does work at my apartment complex once a week. From my fourth-floor balcony, I watch Juan perform his weekly task. It is a job that seems meaningless, but one that Juan attacks with an almost fanatical dedication and relentless joviality.
I don't mean this in a metaphoric sense; I mean it in the strictest literal sense. Juan walks around with a giant apparatus strapped to his back and uses it to blow dirt and leaves off of sidewalks and patios. Juan blows dirt, dirt that will be right back on the sidewalk when he returns next week.
Thus, Juan's chosen career is the definition of a zero-sum game. It defies all conclusions of any cost/benefit analysis. Dirt will inevitably end up on those sidewalks, and all the arguments for the aesthetic pleasure of the concrete pathways cannot overcome the utter futility of his job.
Juan's job is to blow dirt.
I used to dread Juan's visits. Sometimes he comes early in the morning and wakes me up with his skull-shatteringly loud blowing machine. But after watching him a few times, I began to relish his weekly appearances, Juan, whose job defies logical processes, always carries out his prescribed task with an inexplicable smile on his face.
Then I met Juan, and suddenly everything seemed much more clear.
Juan is an immigrant from Mexico, and each month he sends a large portion of his paycheck home to his siblings, who still harbor hopes of joining him here in America. His smile is a product of his optimism, which trumps all else in Juan's life. He came to this country seeking a better life for himself and his family, and that never fails to remind him to be happy.
He came here from Mexico to seek a better life in a free country of opportunity, the same things my relatives sought when they left Ireland in the late 19th century. My ancestors had no money when they arrived, and no one really wanted a multitude of Irish immigrants
I didn't ask Juan about his immigration status, but it is possible he is one of the millions of illegal immigrants currently living in America.
Much has been made of the immigration debate in recent months, and deservedly so — it has enormous implications for our nation's future, both economic and cultural. It seems logical that people who enter the United States illegally should not be entitled to the benefits and services funded by legal citizens. Who are they to capitalize without contribution?
But as I listened to Juan speak in broken English about his American Dream, my opinion suddenly made a lot less sense. Juan embodies the spirit of determination and optimism, the driving forces of the legendary American spirit.
There is a striking scene at the conclusion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Greatatsby," after the utter downfall of the title character, in which Nick Carraway realizes that Gatsby selected his mansion's location so he could see the green light at the end of his unrequited love's dock. The light represented Gatsby's hopes, and Fitzgerald uses the light to symbolize the American Dream. Despite his own stumbles and failings, Gatsby believed in that green light, and so does Juan. That green light drew Juan from Mexico and sustains him throughout his thankless job.
And how do we greet him? By constructing a giant wall to barricade us from the rest of his family. By doing everything possible to discourage Juan from seeking a better life in America. All Juan wants is to reach that green light, to achieve the same dream for his family that all our families had the opportunity to realize.
So Juan will keep blowing the dirt, trying to overcome the barriers we are quite literally erecting to suppress his dream. Tomorrow Juan will run faster, stretch out his arms farther, and one fine morning —
See you next week; Juan.
McKay Stangler is a Columbia, Mo., graduate student in journalism. He is a member of the Kansan editorial board.
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Jonathan Kealing, Erick R. Schmidt, Gabriella Suzza, Frank 'Tankard, Dave Ruigh, Steve Lynne, McKay Stangler and Lois' Mora
.