Opinion The University Daily Kansan
United States 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. WWW.KANSAN.COM
MONDAY, NOEMBER 8, 2010
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--o, 84 percent of American
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I really cannot believe that
I blacked out and didn't do
anything stupid. I'm just
waiting to find out more.
--o, 84 percent of American
My Saturday is so lame I'm sitting at home watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on Netflix and doing sudoku. Kill me now
--o, 84 percent of American
All we have to do now is beat three ranked opponents and we're bowl-eligible.
--o, 84 percent of American
Ladies, if you played more video games, guys would be 100 times more interested in
--o, 84 percent of American
I feel like the UDK shouldn't be called the UDK if it's only out Monday-Friday. Last time I checked that wasn't daily.
--o, 84 percent of American
--o, 84 percent of American
When in doubt, always go
Why is it when the stadium is half empty, the boys play their best?
--o, 84 percent of American
--o, 84 percent of American
Today is going slower than the speed of Congress.
Dude I just spent the last half hour staring at a glass of water wondering why it wasn't levitating towards me already.
--o, 84 percent of American
Really? One hour and nothing?
--o, 84 percent of American
Goal for semester = make out in the stacks. Progress made so far = none.
--o, 84 percent of American
--o, 84 percent of American
Remember in the animated "Anastasia" movie, when Rasputin literally falls apart? I think my body is going to start doing that soon.
I got in the FFA twice today!
--o, 84 percent of American
Oreos are quite possibly the greatest cookie known to
--o, 84 percent of American
You aren't busy. You're lazy.
--o, 84 percent of American
I don't wanna get married right now, but I'd like to find my husband.
--o, 84 percent of American
I am sexy and would gladly engage in "no-shave November" but I am currently trying to find a high paying job and it turns out big companies aren't hiring bum look-a-likes. Damn.
--o, 84 percent of American
Nothin' like losing your license right before your 21st birthday ...
SEXUALITY
Taboo subject actually common and beneficial
So, 84 percent of American men between 25 and 29 years old had masturbated during the past year, according to a study released last month in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Men of that age were the most active in self-pleasuring. You're not shocked? I am!
I'm shocked that as many as 16 percent of men between 25 and 29 didn't report any masturbation for at least a whole year. Impotence is rather unusual among people that age and men physically have a higher need to "release energy" than women. Consequently, there are some men either lying in the anonymous survey or running around in pain. Seventy-four percent of women reported having mastubated in the past year. For those without math skills, that's 26 percent of young women not laying hand on themselves.
Most media commentators ridiculed Christine O'Donnell this year for her view of masturbation as a sinful act that shows weakness if given in to. Yet, seeing those numbers makes me think if there are O'Donnell fans out there who actually believe that "you-can-get-blind-when-you're-jacking-off" story dads like to tell.
Let's Talk About Sex
I've never understood how masturbation could be demonized, except that someone read it into a sentence in the Bible. Masturbation is clean, painless, pleasurable and satisfying. It doesn't harm anyone or hurts anyone's feelings; after all, it doesn't involve anyone else. No one can go too far, because we know exactly when we need some more or have enough. The only danger in masturbation is the embarrassment of your roommate or parent walking into the room while you're at it; or the negligent use of toys. Still, this cannot be what people mean when talking bad about masturbation.
BY CAROLINE BLEDOWSKI
advantage of a partner who gives them exactly what they need in exactly the right dose. Instead of looking for a meaningless substitute and risking diseases, people are better served with self-stimulation in their safe homes.
Some may argue that it is unnatural because men and women are made to only have sex with each other. But given the human sexual drive, we would have long run out of food because of overpopulation if we had sex the "usual" way instead. Many people also don't have the
And if the partner does come along, it'll be easier to show him or her how to please you when you already found out how to please yourself. You could also watch each other to learn more about your preferences. Once you get past the initial barrier of sharing a very private moment with your partner, you might find that it turns you on as well. After all, you're naked and aroused during sex, too, so what's really the difference?
Masturbation is not only a stimulant; it will also help you reduce stress, a common problem among college students. That extra circulation boost can further keep your skin and heart healthy. What better way is there to stay healthy and get some exercise (except sex, of course)?
Bledowski is a graduate student from Cracow, Poland, in journalism.
CARTOON
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Singling out Four Loko unhelpful
It is not fair to put all the blame on Four Loko for the recent hospitalizations of college students. First of all, alcohol in itself is dangerous. No matter if it is mixed with a stimulant or a mixer, when one consumes alcohol, one is putting a toxin in his or her body. We all know this, but do it anyways to alleviate stress, celebrate the end of a hard week, or out of depression.
Four Loko has hit the demographics of college students. Let's be honest, college students love cheap fun. Therefore, scare tactics such as "blackout in a can" or "liquid cocaine" don't cause. Secondly, advertising that the product as only $2.50 is not helping any preventive measures
Hopefully, the numbers should not surprise or scare you — 660 calories for a 23.5-ounce can? A 6.5-ounce margarita can have up to 246 calories. A 4-ounce glass of wine has about 200 calories. It is true Four Loko has 12 percent alcohol, but vodka and tequila contain about 40 percent alcohol per volume (ABV). This leaves the 30-plus hospitalized after drinking Four Loko. Central Washington University sent nine students to the hospital for over-consumption of this drink. It is important to note that toxicology reports show other substances, including beer,
either. If college students know they can become intoxicated fast and for cheap, then of course they will try it.
hard liquor and possibly illegal substances were found in these students' bodies. Also, these students were inexperienced drinkers ranging from 17- to 19-year-old freshmen.
Will banning this drink really solve anything? Even before Four Loko students have been drinking rum-Coke, Red Bull-vodka and Jager bombs. Phusion Projects, the makers of Four Loko, made a product to satisfy the drinking urges of college students. If consumed in a safe manner, this product should not be regarded as any more dangerous than your average malt liquor drink.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
— Monica Saha is a junior from Overland Park.
Guy Fawkes more than a character
To the editor who put "Yes, obligatory 'V' for Vendetta reference. Now go watch the movie and move on with your lives" in response to an FFA post :
The poem that was quoted in the post is a traditional poem in reference to the historical character Guy Fawkes. Nov. 5 is Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night, a day which has been celebrated for more than 400 hundred years in the UK, long before the film "V for Vendetta." Yes, that poem appeared in the movie, and yes,
it's quite possible that the poster was referencing the movie, but we do have students here from the U.K., and people of British heritage in the U.S. often celebrate this holiday, too. As an editor in a prominent university newspaper, I think you should realize this when posting comments like that. If not the poster, then at least certainly, a good number of students view this day as an important holiday and not just some day that was mentioned in a movie.
I know a lot of people in this
country view Guy Fawkes as just a character in a movie. But a newspaper has the opportunity to educate people, or at least not continue ignorance, so that is why I am writing this short e-mail. I don't think it's a huge deal. I'm just tired of explaining to people that, yes, I'm celebrating Guy Fawkes Night tonight, and no, it has nothing to do with "V for Vendetta."
— Taylor Clossin is a junior from Wichita.
GUEST COLUMN
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Obama failed to promote vast accomplishments
Immediately following the midterm elections, newspaper headlines from around the world told the tale of an American president embarrassingly "defeated" and "apologetic" of his presidency thus far.
From titles such as "No We Can't" in the Kuwait Times to "Obama Admits He Needs' to Do a Better Job' After Election Beating" in the London Guardian, to pouting faces of Obama on front pages from Brazil to China, the international media has cast Obama as a chastised president of remorseful policies.
Sadly, Obama sealed his own fate, particularly in the midterms, by allowing the media, Republicans, and even some Democrats, to spin his hard-fought achievements against him.
It's a mystery to me how easily the country has rendered Obama, the most effective progressive since FDR who managed the largest economic disaster since the 1930s while passing healthcare reform, financial reform, winding down the war in Iraq, engaging with the Muslim World, significantly expanding Pell grants for low-income college students, appointing more openly gay officials than any other president, creating more private sector jobs than during entire Bush years, signing a new START Treaty with Russia, increasing fuel economy standards, and repealing restrictions on embryonic stem cell research,
as a delinquent, incompetent president out of touch with America's problems.
Now that's an Obama we haven't seen before.
If we can?
And yet, much of this portrayal I fault with Obama's recent demeanor. Instead of touting his impressive record, Obama took a defeatist line after the midterms and promised that in the future he would simply try to "do a better job."
And yet unfortunately, it's an Obama of whom we will probably see more and more. In his Op-Ed in the NY Times yesterday, Obama wrote about his upcoming trip to Asia that surprised me in one line. He wrote: "If we can, we'll be able to complete an agreement that supports jobs and prosperity in America."
What happened to yes we can?
What happened to yes we can? Obama needs to pull together in the wake of his party's bloody midterm results to regain the confidence in his policies and penchant to radiate hope that propelled him to office in the first place.
Otherwise, Republicans and Democrats alike will simply be battling it out in Congress, conducting phony investigations, and bickering about power, while attempting to fix American problems, "if they can."
— Beatrice Walton for The Harvard Political Review at Harvard University.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Coverage should focus on team,not Marcus Morris
Now maybe it's just my personal opinion, but I don't think writing an article telling people to forget about a player will really help the team in any way. The best part about being a Jayhawk during basketball season is the pride and confidence we put in our team.
I have nothing against Marcus Morris. We all know he is an excellent basketball player. But that's just it, we ALL know. He has been on the front page of every basketball related article for months. Everyone knows by now that he should be remembered. But the other article said we should forget Elijah Johnson?
We can't pick and choose who to believe in and not believe in, though. There are 16 players on the KU basketball team, not one. So maybe he had a bad night, but he still is on the Kansas basketball team, which is a huge
honor, so he must be doing something right.
Yes, Marcus Morris is one of the best players in the nation right now and he will help us earn many victories this season. But that doesn't mean we should forget about players who don't have as much stardom as him.
It takes the whole team to win I'm pretty sure Morris couldn't do it on his own, even if it was just against number 15 of the Ichabods.
- Emily Bowen is a freshman in dance performance from Liberty, Mo.
Chatterbox
Responses to the news of the week on Kansan.com
"Preventing pregnancy isn't the ONLY reason women take the pill. In fact, for a large number of women pregnancy prevention HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT"
—"KarmaCat" in response to "Oral contraceptives harmful to women" on Nov. 5.
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Alex Garrison, editor
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Alex Garrison, Nick Gerrk, Brown David, Jonathan Shortman and Shaun Blackwell.
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