The University Daily Kansan emphasizes the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
COMMENTARY: Brandon Minster examines baseball's similarities to life through his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. See Kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments
THURSDAY, APRIL 5,2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
PAGE 9A
》 OUR VIEW
Practice a healthier nutritious lifestyle
Centuries of studies have shown that food affects one's health and state of being.
The old aphorisms "you are what you eat" and "an apple a day keeps the doctor away suggest that diet, health and attitude are directly linked. Obesity is at epidemic proportions in our nation, but other rampant and potentially deadly illnesses including type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and a large number of cancers, are also directly related to the foods that we eat.
Although exact relations between foods and health conditions are hazy, it's better to err on the side of healthfulness. For a safer diet, here are some tips to follow:
— Read the labels! If a product has a foot-long list of ingredients, it's probably a no-go. Unpronounceable ingredients are generally artificial junk that the body detests.
— Avoid "bad" fats. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils can be dangerous, particularly in large amounts, and both increase cancer and diabetes risk.To avoid these fats, replace margarine with olive oil and go light on meats.
- Limit sweets and use unrefined sugar when possible.
Processed sugar suppresses the immune system and is linked to cancer, premature aging, heart disease, diabetes and increased cholesterol.
- Load up on antioxidants and cancer-fighting goodies.
Fruits, berries, veggies, tea and coffee (as well as dark chocolate and red wine) are all excellent sources of antioxidants,
which lessen the damage of free radicals, unstable molecules that damage healthy cells. The National Institute for Cancer Research also lists beans, dark leafy vegetables, flaxseed, garlic, green tea, soy food, tomatoes and yoghurt as important foods with varied cancer-combating properties.
- Buy organic. If spending an extra dollar or two is feasible, splurge on the organic products. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) often contain harmful toxins from pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, as well as fewer nutrients and anti-oxidants than organic products.
- — Don't get sloshed. Contrary to what many believe, alcohol and the body are not good friends. Numerous health organizations — including the World Health Organization and the National Cancer Institute — link heavy alcohol consumption with numerous types of cancers. For those who like a cigarette while drinking, beware: several studies suggest that simultaneous use of alcohol and cigarettes cause cancer risk to skyrocket.
- Be balanced. In general, moderation is a good policy. Occasional splurges on fats, sugars or alcohol are OK but these things shouldn't be frequently consumed. If this advice is overwhelming, try slow immersion. Once or twice a week, replace greasy pizza with salad or sushi. Try fruit instead of a candy bar or juice instead of soda. In an environment overflowing with fast food, these small dietary changes may prevent harmful or deadly illnesses.
— Alison Kieler for the editorial board.
COMMENTARY
In baseball, and life, Pirates rule
Baseball season has begun, and I am once again looking forward to the World Series championship I expect to be won by my team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Sorry, Royals fans, but this just isn't your year, because the Pirates will be unstoppable. And because your team sucks.
Looking through the Pirates' schedule, I foresee no reason to not anticipate a perfect season. One hundred sixty-two wins might even be too pedestrian of a goal for a baseball juggernaut such as this year's Pirates squad. I also expect them to cure cancer and eradicate illiteracy. Reasonable expectations like these keep me from being disappointed by my team every year.
I know it's common practice for opinion columnists to write about
the wonderful faithful hope of baseball fans reborn every spring as the season starts anew. This is not such a piece. I don't care about your unsubstantiated hope
BY BRANDON MINSTER
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
Grant Snider/KANSAN
in your crap team. I am writing in early celebration of the first Pirates championship since 1979. And maybe even in celebration of their repeat victory next season. And for every season after that. And, consequently, I am writing to mourn the poor sportsmanship of the other 29 professional baseball teams, who will quit showing up for games in 2033, tired of 27 years of Pittsburgh dominance.
Why does baseball make the other professional sports look like the festivals of puke
that they are? I think it's because baseball imitates life. The baseball season is twice as
long as it needs to be, just like life. Baseball games are slow and often tedious, just like life. Some runs are scored on dramatic hits, but most runs come from stringing together three singles, just like life. Acting like an idiot can get you ten seconds on the Jumbotron, just like life.
I don't blame you if aren't a Pirates fan. We can't all be so lucky. My wife grew up in a confused household, where they not only
watched American League baseball (if you can call the American League baseball), but they cheered for the Boston Red Sox. I love her anyway.
Because I have the Pirates and my wife has the Red Sox, my children think everybody is supposed to have his own team. Because they were born in Los Angeles, my daughter is a Dodgers fan and she has assigned the Angels to her younger brother. She has already determined that our next child will have to be a Royals fan. Luckily, we will run out of baby-making years before we run out of baseball teams. But no matter what teams my kids pick, my Pittsburgh Pirates will always be better.
Minster is a Lawrence junior in economics.
University needs more positive changes
COMMENTARY
After glancing over their platforms, I find myself rolling my eyes at the same things like lowering textbook prices and getting more student services, a lot of them which aren't really necessary and will probably increase student fees. Textbooks will always be expensive. There are plenty of half-price bookstores and cheap Web sites you can go to if you're feeling thrifty.
As I sit listening to representatives from any of the three student groups running for Student Senate this year, I can't help but feel déjà vu
Id like to see Senate focus on tougher issues that KU students face every day.
If Senate would do a better job promoting and advertising special
》 TALK TO US
I have a problem with the fact that I pay tuition, pay for classes, and pay for a parking pass and yet am the one who has to leave my parking spot for visitors who are coming to basketball games. Sadly, my teachers won't give me extra credit if we win the game; I'll still have to turn in my homework and attend night classes on those days. Perhaps a parking lot in a central campus location could be reserved for students with night classes or who need to use the libraries.
BY JENNY HARTZ
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINIONKANSAN.COM
classes and then getting a teaching assistant who can't speak English to teach me math, which is already a foreign language to me. It doesn't seem right to put a student struggling
Gabriella Souza, editor
864-8454 or os松zaikkanans.com
Koleley Kelley, managing editor
864-8454 or mkelleykankanans.com
Patrick Ross, managing editor
864-8454 or pross@kansanans.com
Courtney Hagen, opinion editor
864-8424 or chagen@kansanans.com
I have an issue with the Athletics Department trying to control everything and always asking for more money. Don't they make enough selling off our parking spots? And why do they have to try and control all KU merchandise? People like funny T-shirts. George Bush doesn't sue everyone who wears derogatory shirts about him, and there are a lot of them. Also, I like having the option of choosing where I buy KU gear. I don't want to pay $20 more because one shirt is officially licensed merchandise; not everyone can afford a $50 hoodie with the word "Jayhawks" on it. What matters is that the shirts show we have school spirit.
with language and communication in charge of teaching students who struggle to understand the subject's concepts to begin with.
student struggling
I have an issue with enrollment
being a competitive sport. With about 28,000 students enrolled at KU, how am I supposed to get into a 32-spot English class that's required for my major? No wonder the University is "the best five or six years of your life". Maybe there's a way we can expand the required classes even more than they already are. Maybe the University should change its admission standards so that the student population doesn't keep growing as fast as the campus squirrel population.
Now, I know a lot of these issues Senate can't directly change, but it does have a loud voice with the administration, who runs the University. If Senate at least advocated these issues to the people who could change them, then Senate would really be speaking for the students. I know some of these issues happen at every University, but there are ways of improving them.
Until then, I'll keep trucking up the hills, wishing for a ski lift weighed down by a backpack full of heavy textbooks. But, at least they'll be cheap textbooks.
Hartz is a Stilwell sophomore in creative writing.
FREE FOR ALL
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
I have a problem that everything at the University seems to have a fee. I pay enough to go here and now I have to pay to take classes at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center. Or I have to pay extra to have the campus Internet service, Resnet, which really isn't an option. With all these fees, shouldn't the University be rolling in dough by now? Where does the money go?
elections, we could get enough people to vote for farefree buses, and more of us would use public transportation.
Call 864-0500
to debate whether or not it should spend money on new buses that are environmentally friendly and Americans with Disabilities Actcompliant. I always thought the University of Kansas could add to its promotional brochure the statistic that it has a stair to student ratio of about 1:1.
calls are recorded.
Speaking of stairs, I would like to see Student Senate dole out some money for ski lifts or escalators.
I have a big problem that Senate even had
I have an issue with paying for
Rule One of being a Lawrence Cop: Make sure you cuff the person you're arresting. I just saw a guy escape from three cops, run across Connecticut St. into some houses, and now the Lawrence cops are running around with their heads cut off
Rule One of Being a Lawrence
864-4924 or johnson@kansan.com
Lindsey Shirach, business manager
864-4014 or shirach@kansan.com
Jackie Schaffer, sales manager
864-4462 or jschaffer@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
864-7667 or mglgibson@kansan.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser
This message is for the girl who got her shampoo, conditioner,
Natalie Johnson, associate opinion editor 864-4924 or njohnson@kansan.com
Free for All, this guy totally just made my day when he started smoking a stogy in the back of his
and body wash stolen. You know what? I don't suck. I took it, I'm not returning it, and you don't
If United Students makes any more Facebook groups, I'm going to have to stab them with one of their stupid little buttons.
love me
When are people in Kansas going to learn that college basketball is lame. It's all about baseball.
I'm a sorority girl, and I definitely don't own a Lexus or snort cake.
kissing this girl on the poster. Is that cheating?
Spangles hurts my soul.
car. Tillar
图
Mother Nature, the biggest cock tease of all
Attention morons of Lawrence, if you are in the roundabout, you have the right of way. Last time I'm going to warn you. Next time, I'm just going to hit you.
Free for All, I just book up with my firm
for your job.
kissing this girl on the poster. Is that cheating?
Free for All, my boyfriend was
Is it just me, or does the Campanie look like a huge, swollen cock?
Does anyone else feel like you have to choose between good grades and exercise? Because I have to choose good grades now and I'm getting fat.
kissing this girl on the poster. Is that cheating?
or any questions, call Courtney Hagen or Natalie Johnson at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
What was up with Wednesday's Free for All? It was about as long as my penis.
or any questions, call Courtney Hagen or Natalie Johnson at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
Washington, Washington. Twenty stories high, made of radiation.
Tuesday's Free for All sucks.
I thought it was urine, but she told me it was apple juice. I hate
lar sport
or any questions, call Courtney Hagen or Natalie Johnson at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
or any questions, call Courtney Hagen or Natalie Johnson at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
Has anyone in America ever heard of soccer, the world's most popu-
Free for All, I just punched my roommate in the fleshy patch where his nuts used to be, and now he's crying.
--or any questions, call Courtney Hagen or Natalie Johnson at 864-4810 or e-mail opinion@kansan.com.
General questions should be directed to the editor at editor@kansan.com.
Matzah and Passover makes you so constipated.
I'm wearing gloves in April. As if.
》 SUBMISSIONS
The Kansan welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns submitted by students, faculty and alumni. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions.
LETTER GUIDELINES
SUBMIT LETTERSTO
Maximum Length: 200 words
Indude: Author's name, class, hometown (student)
or position (faculty member/staff) and phone number (will not be published)
CAPTION LETTERS TO
111 Stauffer-Flint Hall
1435 lakelyawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 65045
(785) 644-6410, optinion@kansi.edu
Maximum Length: 500 words
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
Maximum Length 300 words
Include: Author n name; class, hometown (student); position (faculty member/staff); phone number (will not be published)
Also: The Kansas will not print guest columns that attack a reporter or an columnist.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Gabrielle Souza, Nicole Keley, Patrici Ross, Courtney Hagen, Natalie Johnson, Alison Kieler, Tasha Riggins and McKay Stangler
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