OPINION
11A
FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2008
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAS
>> TALK BACK TO THE KANSAN OPINION DESK
The Kansas Senate Ways and Means Committee has encouraged a smoking ban, but Sen. David Wyonsong, a Republican on the committee, said the House probably would not act on it. The proposal would ban smoking in indoor public places, including bars and restaurants.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Should Kansans support a statewide smoking ban?
A March 31 editorial in the Lawrence Journal-World details a proposal about a possible statewide smoking ban:
Although its sponsor will be surprised if a statewide smoking ban clears the Legislature this year, the time spent working on the bill may not be wasted.
The full Senate may vote on the measure approved by the Senate Ways and Means Committee this week, Sen. David Wysong said, but he doesn't expect the House to act on it this session. However, he said, the conversation that started in the Legislature this year is likely to make a smoking ban "one of the three or four top issues during the election cycle" leading up to the November balloting.
A number of communities, including Lawrence, have had successful experience and a relatively positive public response to smoke-free clubs and restaurants. That kind of public support will make it much easier for future Legislatures to pursue a statewide ban.
The bill passed in the Senate committee would prohibit smoking in indoor public places
such as restaurants, bars and businesses. Unlike an earlier measure, however, it eliminated the "county option" provision that would have required all Kansas counties to vote on the ban before it could be enacted. Dropping the county option is a positive step. A statewide ban would be more consistent and easier to enforce.
During testimony concerning the bill, Sen. Marci Francisco told the committee that Lawrence's smoking ban had been a success and that sales tax collections from food services and drinking establishments had actually increased since the ordinance took effect.
The desire to avoid tobacco smoke for health reasons may not be the deciding issue for many voters, but if candidates hear a groundswell of support during upcoming legislative campaigns, they will be much more likely to pursue efforts to institute a statewide ban.
What are your thoughts? Should Kansas implement this ban? Send responses to kansanopdesk@gmail.com. Responses will be printed Friday.
BLOGS @ KANSAN.COM Denzel Washington among best
pop culture catastrophe
It's been a little bit since my last entry. I've had many conversations with my roommate about who is currently the best actor. I've always considered Denzel Washington my favorite actor since I can remember and I got to be honest; I believe he is the best actor in Tinsel Town right now.
Film by film, just great. "Man On Fire,""American Gangster," "John Q,""Training Day,""Inside Man," and "Deja Vu" are some of his more recent films, which are all fantastic. Now some of the other names we brought up were Mark Wahiberg and Nicolas Cage. However, I feel while both have made great films, they've made some questionable films as well. I thought "Ghost Rider" was the worst Cage film had ever seen.
With that said, I am surprised Denzel hasn't won more Oscars. Yes, his role in "American Gangster" was similar to "Training Day," but he was damn good as Frank Lucas. Now I am not really sure what Washington film I would say was his best, anyone got any thoughts? Also, care to share who you guys consider your favorite actor?
Matt Lindberg
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COMMENTARY
Small-time musicians need your'Band Aid'
Last Tuesday night was a typical one in Lawrence. I got off work at 10:30 and drove through the blinking yellow lights. There was no traffic, so I parked right across from The Bottleneck.
Max Rinkel
Lawrence is known as an artsy city, specifically regarding music. The city boasts big music acts for such an medium-size town.
When people ask, "Why Kansas?" the local music scene is a perk that defends Kansas' dull and traditional stereotype.
But even knee-deep in the bluesy howls of Sean Hoots and the crazed mandolin riffs of Rob Berliner, it is obvious that Lawrence's music scene is lacking the attention it deserves.
As I walked in, I didn't think it unusual that only 20 or 30 people were wanging around the bar or pool tables. But as I twirled and stomped to the soulful twang of Hoots and Hellmouth, I realized I was dancing solo.
Everyone likes listening to music, but we are getting lazy about it.
I stopped to wonder, "Where the hell were all the music lovers?" I wanted more bodies in the room that night. I immediately wanted to tell everyone with self-imposed weeknight boredom that good music and a good time are easy to stumble upon.
I've defended the use of iPods and cell phones, but music lovers should investigate the under-the-radar events at Replay Lounge on a Monday night or The Bottleneck on a Tuesday.
With our MTVs and TRLs and Rolling Stone magazines, it is easy to swallow the glorifying articles about our favorite popular bands and regurgitated lost love, singer/ songwriter melodies crafted to fit radio waves.
The Internet makes it easy to get the singles we want, and下载ing, legally or illegally,makes music available 24/7.
Attending concerts and supporting musicians can expose you to sounds you may have never thought you'd enjoy, and it promotes creativity and community among those who place music high in their lives.
These are the perks of our generation,but they also keep us from going into the live arenas where music is being performed.
Musicians cannot survive solely on the publicity of their MySpace pages.
Stop resorting to the recycling of sounds pumped through your stereo.
Listeners have to get their asses out and support them if they like what they hear and if they want Lawrence to attract budding musicians.
Not to mention you could have a great time, see some new faces and who knows, maybe even hear your future favorite band.
Lawrence has a lot of hidden gems, scenes and hangouts to discover, but seeing a concert by a local or small-time band merely requires skimming some of the myriad of posters on Massachusetts Street.
If you are a music lover, take advantage of the music in and
coming through Lawrence.
Expand your horizons. Check out pipelineproductions.com to see what bands, both popular and not-as-mainstream, are coming to The Granada, The Bottleneck, Liberty Hall and Crossroads KC.
The classics are a staple in any music collection, but it is easy to underestimate how shaking up the routine can inspire personal creativity.
Oh!Mr. is a wonderful new online music magazine that reviews and interviews local bands. You can read about who you may or may not pay a cover to hear, and the magazine will send you updates about where to see local favorites.
Ryan is a Salina junior in art history.
editorials around the nation
Clinton stays afloat in presidential race
The days of picking a party's presidential candidate in a smoke-filled backroom are over. Now the party bosses go straight to the television cameras to try to publicly muscle candidates out of the race.
Another unabashed attempt to shove Sen. Hillary Clinton out of the race for the White House emerged this past weekend as a few more prominent Democrats called for her exit. Clinton, who has proven herself to be remarkably resilient in this campaign, dutifully brushed off the shameful strong-arm tactics, saying people have a right to vote.
We think Clinton should stay in the race for now and allow the remaining states to have a voice in this important contest. She also owes it to voters in Florida and Michigan, two large states where Democratic voters have been completely disenfranchised.
Indeed they do.
Democrats who want Hillary out of the race will contend she's hurting the party. But by trying to force her out, they, too, run the risk of furthering any divide in their ranks.
and battered. But primaries also can be healthy for a party, and the winner can emerge stronger and tested, especially a relatively inexperienced candidate who hasn't been vetted on a national stage.
Hard-fought primaries can be tough on the eventual winner, who may emerge bruised
ASSOCIATED PRESS
China's problems won't detract from Olympics
The Denver Post March 31 editorial
Despite its best efforts, Beijing may be losing the battle to script the Summer Games. The real revelation in recent footage of protests over the Beijing Olympics was not the image of a Reporters Without Borders demonstrator being dragged away by Greek security guards dressed like stewards on the Hindenburg. It was that during his protest, at the Athens torch-lighting ceremony, the sole camera feed cut first to a
long shot making it difficult to see what was happening, then cut away entirely — to stock footage. After a decent interval, coverage returned to the main event: a boom-camera shot of a ceremony featuring women in faux-classical gowns.
It says something about the so-called spirit of the Olympics that the first inclination of the people covering the event was to try to suppress unwanted information.
It's true that legitimate concerns about human rights, democracy and the behavior of authoritarian thugs can lead to knee-jerk politicization of the event — such as recent calls for Bush to shun the Games.
But this is shaping up to be the most exciting political Olympics since the end of the Cold War. The speed with which Beijing has lost control of the Olympic script is not cause for cynicism but for celebration. Strife, ferment and the painful progress toward liberal modernity by a freedom-challenged great power may not be what the International Olympic Committee prefers to show us, but it's a lot more interesting than another round of sports utopianism and pretty production values.
Los Angeles Times March 29 editorial
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