WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2004 OPINION THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 7 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. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com terrorist attacks). Gay rights, immigration, abortion, foreign policy, the situation in Iraq and the economy are just a few issues to consider. Will Smith's wearing a KU Jayhawks hat in his new video. What what. Clover. I was walking to class today and I saw a squirrel and a turtle fighting and the turtle totally kicked the squirrel's ass. 层 Hello, this is Ryan Greene and I would just like to make it abundantly clear that I do not own a pair of jean shorts. --terrorist attacks). Gay rights, immigration, abortion, foreign policy, the situation in Iraq and the economy are just a few issues to consider. Fred Davis needs to research his sports history a little better. Jim Ryun was actually winning the race and was having a hard finish and actually fell. And that is why Kip Caner won way back in the Olympic race. terrorist attacks). Gay rights, immigration, abortion, foreign policy, the situation in Iraq and the economy are just a few issues to consider. Hey Wheaton Elkins, I've got a little fact for you. Down at Free State Brewery they've got this wonderful sign up about how studies have actually shown that somebody working an eight hour shift in a smoke filled environment such as, for example, a bar or venue in Lawrence it would take about 95 years for one person to get cancer. So you can.I don't know where the hell you got your statistics but they're a joke pal. I'm drunk are you? I'm drunk, I'm in Columbia, I'm scared. My friends suck. --terrorist attacks). Gay rights, immigration, abortion, foreign policy, the situation in Iraq and the economy are just a few issues to consider. I was just walking back to my car from the Budig computer lab and like a skunk jumped out at me and hissed at me and ran back into the bushes. Mountain lions and skunks, what the hell? I just want to know,why is it that nobody in Lawrence can drive? The traffic lights in Lawrence suck. For more comments, go to www.kansan.com Election affects more than U.S. This November marks the next presidential election and as you probably already know the choice is between the current President George W. Bush and John Kerry. (Of course there is also Ralph Nader. But we all know the vote really comes down to Bush and Kerry). Will you vote? I can't blame you if you choose not to exercise your right. After all, it's choosing the lesser of two evils. We will choose who can do the least harm to our country. The choice is not grand. But we live in America and our choice is nevertheless very significant. The outcome of the election is important not only to us, but to the rest of the world. perspective In fact, the Web site www.theworld-votes.org is set up so that people around the world can make a statement about who they would like to be the next President of the United States. I'm sure you're thinking, "Who cares? It's none of their business." The amount your daily life changed with President Bush's victory in 2000 might be very small compared to the amount the lives of people around the world changed. I'm in no way suggesting that we let people who are not American vote.I'm merely pointing out how our choice affects the entire world. Katherine Jones opinion@kansan.com Will you vote? I can't blame you if you choose not to exercise your right. After all, it's choosing the lesser of two evils. We will choose who can do the least harm to our country. The choice is not grand. The outcome of this election will have far-reaching effects. I advise you to do some research. Don't just vote the way your parents, friends or favorite celebrities vote. There is still plenty of time to research the candidates and issues before November. (Maybe even more time if the election gets postponed due to possible Even if you choose not to vote, at least make that decision intelligently and not because you're lazy or intimidated by the voting process. It is preferable to be an informed nonvoter as opposed to being utterly ignorant. I don't think there's any excuse for that. In the end, it's your choice to vote or not vote and to vote for either Bush or Kerry. The last Presidential election in November 2000 serves as a recent reminder of how a race can be extremely close (not to mention disputed). This election will be a chance to make a statement in the form of a ballot (or absence of). Ideally, we all want a President we can be proud of and whose decisions will affect our lives in a positive manner. We want one who will lead our country to do great things and not embarrass us. Or simply, one who will not make our lives any worse. But whether you vote or not, you owe it to yourself (as an American) to be informed and educated. It's your country and your future. Jones is a Wichita junior in french and international studies. Scan studies how brain works perspective Positron Emission Tomography, or PET, scans are used to study how the brain works chemically. A PET scan shows the areas of the brain where glucose is being burned. Dr. David Rose, co-director of the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), said PET scans could show what learning looked like in the brain. The PET scans of typical readers and those of readers with dyslexia are quite different when performing reading tasks. Rose said. Typical readers burn glucose in the back of the brain, while readers with dyslexia burn glucose in the front or other areas of the brain. Jerald Liss opinion@kansan.com The focus in UDL is on developing technology and learning models that everyone can use. CAST has been applying the UDL concept to printed text by making digital books. Rose said the problem it presented was that all printed Rose noted that PET scans provided useful information to CAST researchers who had developed Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In technology, captions, which are now available on all televisions, are a universal design feature that provides access to individuals with hearing loss. Rose said deaf people were the second most popular users of captions behind people in noisy environments like airports, exercise facilities and bars. books were the same, while students have incredibly diverse learning needs. Sean Smith, assistant professor of special education, said the focus of UDL was to focus all learners at their foundations. This means developing both accessibility and learning components into digital books. Accessibility options could range from enlarged text to auditory modes. Learning options could range from learning strategies for students with disabilities to enrichment features for gifted learners. Similarly, the mission of the University of Kansas Services for Students with Disabilities is to "insure that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed at KU." About 600 students with disabilities are provided services during the fall and spring semesters, according to Melissa Manning, associate director of Services for Students with Disabilities. The most common challenge for students with disabilities is adjusting to the dramatic difference between high school and college. In high school, students receive special education services from teachers who make sure they receive the appropriate accommodations. But in college, students are expected to approach professors about needed accommodations. Confidentiality, however, is a high priority for college students with disabilities. "In college the confidentiality rules are strict," Manning said. "We can't even talk to their parents about their disability unless they give us written permission." Teachers might ask for volunteer note-takers, though they never disclose the names of the students with disabilities who need the notes. About 200 students per semester volunteer to be note-takers. One urgent message that Manning could pass along to faculty it is that the office for Services for Students with Disabilities needs textbooks at least six weeks before the start of a semester because of the time intensive task of converting materials by scanning. These conversions, such as from print to audio, are necessary to make the information accessible to students with disabilities. Liss is a Lawrence doctoral student in special education.