Opinion THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
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Never date an athlete, Word of advice.
My mistress has me locked in a chastity belt like a pathetic sissy male.
One month until vacation.
White Owl just showed up on my Facebook friends suggestions.
Some see the cup as half empty and some see the cup as half full. However, our team has never even seen the cup! Ha, get it? World Cup joke...
I try not to be bitter, but bad things happening to your ex always brings a smile to my face.
Never go to Hutchinson, Kansas. It's where all life goes to die.
I have an awesome friend with benefits and don't have to deal with relationship BS. I win.
I wish I had a girlfriend... sigh...
lost my tail again...
1, for one, welcome our new Texas overlords.
POLITICS
BP, Obama should take responsibility for oil spill
My dad, a business owner for more than 20 years, once told me, "When a customer has a problem or an order is incorrect, the problem is fixed right then and there, no questions asked." I, along with most Americans, wish this were the case for the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
So far, the Obama administration has truly failed to show Americans that it cares about containing the oil spill. After the 62nd day of oil spilling out of the gulf at an estimated 1.3 million gallons daily, nothing notable has been done.
The administration keeps telling us that they have had a hand on controlling the oil spill. It is absurd that the
Guest columnist
BY SETH ROBINSON editor@kansan.com
administration took weeks to respond to the crisis. The president did visit the affected area on numerous occasions, but aside from observing and consoling local residents, his administration pointed fingers and blamed everything on BP.
Both the president and BP CEO Tony Hayward must take responsibility. Placing blame and throwing lawsuits at BP is not a practical solution for solving this problem. Economist Thomas Sowell articulately wrote that, "a lawsuit is not going to stop the oil, and creating a distraction can only make people at BP start directing their attention to covering themselves instead of covering the oil well."
A Florida company invented a device called the voraxial separator, which separates large quantities of oily water. That is this machine's sole purpose, and a hopeful contribution for ending this disaster. This company contacted the Obama administration from the first few days of the oil spill, ready to help out. To this day, they have received no response.
In the meantime, Obama went to an MLB baseball game and played a round of golf, while Tony Hayward is in England attending a yacht race at the expense of more wildlife and American jobs and lost income. As the president of our country, its citizens expect responsibility and leader ship through good times and bad.
Remember, we put Obama in office. We are his bosses. I urge you to visit www.congress.org and contact your senators and representatives about pressuring Obama to do his job. It's one step in the right direction.
— Guest columnist Seth Robinson is a senior from Houston, Texas majoring in civil engineering.
TRAVEL
Patriots become soccer fans and vice versa
BONN, GERMANY — Patriotism is as synonymous with American culture as McDonalds and child obesity. For a variety of reasons — some better than others — we're a proud country. Just count the number of American flags that appear on front porches and in store windows as July 4 approaches.
It's almost a cliché to say that when Germany hosted to the tournament in 2006 a resurgence of national pride energized the country. Germans were once again proud to be Germans. Though it fell short of a perfect fairy tale ending à la the Brothers Grimm, a third place finish was nothing to be ashamed of.
It's a display of national pride with few comparisons in Germany, Nationalstolz, as it's timidly called here, was once as taboo as the phrase "Arbeit macht frei." Every four years there exists an exception to Germany's tentativeness toward all things patriotic: the World Cup.
Foreign Telegraph
BY MICHAEL HOLTZ
mholtz@kansan.com
I was lucky enough to be in Germany that summer as a member of my high school German class. Of the 11 days we spent traveling the country, the day Germany beat Poland remains my most memorable.
If I hadn't known any better, I might
Even the small country town we were in erupted with excitement once the referee blew the final whistle. Car horns blared as drivers sped along the narrow streets. Spontaneous bursts of "Ole" echoed from the half-timbered houses. The local pub even offered free drinks.
have thought Germany had just won the championship game. It was only the second match.
You can imagine the excitement I felt after realizing that I'd be back in Germany four years later for another World Cup. So what if the tournament is played 5,000 miles away in South Africa? "Fussball" fever runs much higher here than it ever will in the United States, especially during the World Cup.
The storyline was surprisingly familiar. Once again I'd be watching Germany's second game after a convincing first-round victory. Serbia, like Poland, was an undermanned and overmatched opponent.
I watched the game with nine Germans, all but one of whom donned a German soccer jersey. Six German flags hung throughout the room, and two of the men wore them as capes. Four years later, Nationalstolz was once again at a fever pitch.
Encouraged by German analysts and their predictions of an easy German victory — not to mention the general fervor in the room — I could hardly wait for the post-game celebrations to begin.
They never came. Serbia upset Germany, 1-0. After a moment of grief, German pride is once again running high in anticipation of today's must-win match against Ghana.
Americans need not understand injury time and offsides to relate to such exaggerated displays of patriotism. Yet despite their affinity for all things red, white and blue, many Americans fail to recognize the larger meaning of "futball."
Luckily, winning is also a part of American culture. I wonder how many United States victories it'll take for Americans to finally catch on.
— Kansan columnist Michael Holtz will contribute weekly columns from his European travels.
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