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--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
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Alright, this whole sniffing of the nose thing is going to get old real fast. Blow your nose
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
Belay on!
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
I just saw a will-bead disappointed girlfriend kiss her inevitably-gay boyfriend.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
I would love to know how many people picked James T. Kirk or Lord Dovemort as an answer on the anthropology test I Just took
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
I hate how every article on college degrees I read tells me to get a business degree. Sorry America, some of us just aren't all about the money. We actually want to help people.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
To the cop following me at the same time you follow me every week: I am STILL just going to work. I only wish I was drunk.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
Stop microwave at one second, feel like a bomb diffuser.
I forgot about how Fall Break makes me lose any and all work ethic and interest in school
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
No! At long last, our friendship, bonded by the struggle against The Man, has been brought to an end by kung-fu treachery!
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
Why aren't there pictures of Oliver and McCollum in the Residential Hall brochures?
Why would anyone think that scheduling Blackboard to be down for two and a half days during a school week is a good
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
Oh Fall Break. I will miss thee
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
Goodbye, sun dresses! We will miss you!
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
I hate all the bands you like
Now that my ex has a new lover, it makes it SO much easier to hate them.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
I learned from my neighbor last night that the hole in my refrigerator door is the result of a previous tenant accidentally shooting himself in the dick. You can't even make this up.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
Cute boy asks me to concert, but I have to work. Fail.
--unjustly sentenced the prominent democratic activist, Liu Xiabo, to 11 years in jail and an additional two-year suspension of political rights.
FOREIGN POLICY
Prize sends strong message to government and activists
When China thought the rest of the world wasn't watching, it
Last week the Nobel Peace Prize Committee rewarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiabo, giving him the worldwide attention he deserves. The Committee should be internationally commended for the message this sends to Chinese authorities who continue to deprive Liu and so many others of their basic human rights.
Liu's imprisonment is a consequence of his writings urging the Chinese Communist Party to embrace democratic reform. His co-authoring of Charter 08, a political manifesto modeled after Czech Vaclav Havel's Charter 77, is his best-known "offense." The document has been signed by more than 10,000 Chinese citizens, many of whom have since been punished for their support. Chinese authorities claim Charter 08 and Liu's other writings have encouraged the subversion of state power.
BY MEGAN ADAMS
In response to Liu's recognition, China cancelled many high-level visits with the prize's host country, Norway, and imprisoned Chinese citizens who made their support of Dr. Liu publicly known. Some have even reported the Chinese state banned Liu Xiaobo's name from being texted.
While China's response has been childish at best, President Obama was right on the mark supporting the Peace Prize Committee. It is high time the international community acknowledged such a hero. Silence is consent, and for too long the world has done nothing but wag a finger at China for such actions. The Peace Prize has the teeth to get the ball rolling on the serious issues of China's lack of human rights.
for such a powerful title was a meal promotion; the ability to buy individually prepared meals in prison according to the New York Times. Through diplomatic channels his release is possible, but only if countries like the United States commit to such a politically toxic task.
Although you might not have recognized his name before, I guarantee that within our lifetime Liu will be known globally as a champion of human rights, just as his predecessors, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela are today.
Unfortunately, Liu's only reward
In his final statement before his sentencing on Christmas Day last year he noted, "I hope therefore to be able to transcend my personal vicissitudes in understanding the development of the state and changes in society, to counter the hostility of the regime with the best of intentions, and defuse hate with love."
CARTOON
Adams is a junior from Overland Park in international studies and political science.
One of the most difficult puzzles to solve.
MARIAM SAIFAN
GUEST COLUMN
Conspiracy theory lives on
Whether you believe in them or not, people love to hear ghost stories. You probably had a pretty boring childhood if you didn't spend at least one sleepover or camping trip trying to tell the best and creepiest horror story or most ridiculous urban legend. Like we do with horror movies, most of us enjoy the scary thrills of a good story - we can experience the feelings of the situation without actually being part of it.
Conspiracy theories are part of that fascination because although no one seems to actually believe in them, they're still fun to talk about, and we're willing to let them creep us out sometimes.
Take for instance the theory that Paul McCartney has been dead for more than 40 years and was replaced by a lookalike. Although one website claims that there are 376 documented clues that Paul died in an accident in late 1966, it seems as if many of these were pulled out of nowhere just to keep the theory, and the fun, alive. The majority of the clues appear to be taken from song lyrics, reverse playing of the songs themselves, and album covers and pictures; not many are supported by official documentation. For example, supposedly if you play the beginning of "Revolution 9" backwards, you'll hear "turn me on, dead man" and at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever," someone says "I buried Paul." Certain lyrics also point to Paul's death, including in "Come Together" ("one and one and one make three") and in "She's Leaving" it states "Wednesday
morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins" which is the proposed day and time of Paul's death. On many album cover and pictures, Paul is distinguished from the rest of the group; on "Abbey Road," he's out of step from the others and barefoot (a tradition for burying corpses).
The Sgt. Pepper cover has a "grave" of a guitar, an open palm is shown above Paul's head (another indication of death), and if you place a mirror in the middle of the drum, an arrow points to Paul next to the words "He Dice."
The most fascinating part about conspiracy theories is not the surrounding speculation and rumor mill, but the people taking them so seriously. The creator of Officially Pronounced Dead? - The Great Beatle Death Conspiracy, although he has list upon list of evidence, has several pages disproving the theory, which attests to its true nature - a fun story that probably isn't true. One minor Internet
While I don't believe that Paul McCartney is actually dead, there are admittedly a suspicious number of clues. If there is a real conspiracy at all, it's more likely that The Beatles planted some "evidence" to drive people insane and generate more interest in the band. The Beatles were a fun-loving bunch, so it's not impossible to believe they decided to play a prank on their fans. Still, all four Beatles denied planting false evidence, so the most likely conclusion is that people like to look for patterns and signs. If they concoct a theory, they'll find ways to make the facts fit and not the other way around.
celebrity, however, has taken it to extremes by posting videos on YouTube with images and audio relating to the dead Paul theory, writing songs that sound like Beatles songs when you play them backwards, and even planting suitcases at various locations around the world with supposed clues. Of course, no one knows his or her real identity, but the celebrity theorist has implied recently that he or she came upon explosive evidence that once belonged to a long-dead former assistant of McCartney, which may be revealed.
Perhaps this fan hasn't gotten more attention because he or she is just another cook, a crazy person who can't let go of an idea that can't be true (according to general opinion). But almost all of the greatest scientists in history were considered insane or ridiculous until their theories were proven correct years later. While it seems unlikely that Paul McCartney is dead, it's possible that this believer has evidence of something just as monumental.
These sorts of theories can help us to not be passive observers of the world around us. By looking for hidden meanings behind our books, films, music, and whatever else, we're able to interact with them in a deeper way. And then who knows? Maybe we'll find and open doors that we never even dreamed of.
-From Uwire Erica Bartz for the Daily Nebraskan, at the University of Nebraska
SEXUALITY
New research finds some things to be better left unsaid
She chose 13 subjects for her experiment. The subjects were rated on eight aspects on a scale of one to 10. She supported her findings with extensive descriptions and bar graphs.
What sounds like a scientific study by a dissertation candidate is a female student's fake study on the sexual performance of 13 student athletes at Duke University. The 52-page report identifies each "subject" with name, pictures and elaborate anecdotes of their flirting attempts on the author and their sexual act itself.
While the fake report, dressed as a Power Point presentation, was only meant to be seen by her friends, it leaked to the Internet and from there it made its way to jezebel.com, which first published the entire document, and the headlines of many other news outlets.
There are several issues emerging with this case.
First, the author seems to have received a good education at Duke University. She clearly learned how to conduct a semi-scientific study and present her findings in a way that makes her purpose for the study clear. Despite the frequent use of informal expressions and slang, this document has some academic flair to it. Kudos to her professors.
Second, the author (whose name I think has been published enough) has clearly invaded the privacy of the student athletes by publishing details about their sexual performances, which she has already apologized for. Some of the athletes with good ratings may not mind, but others will, particularly those with bad ratings or small "packages" (term used by the author).
Third, what the author has not apologized for and does not regret is having conducted the "study" and created the document in the first place. Some hailed this as an act of emancipation from common gender stereotypes. She is aware
Let's Talk about Sex
BY CAROLINE BLEDOWSKI
of her sexuality and is not afraid to talk about it as a woman. She uses sex to her amusement and is not shy of admitting it. Is she a slut or a heroine?
It still aggravates me that sexual conduct is not treated equally with men and women. Yet, having grown up in the same society with the same values towards gender equality, I couldn't help myself but thinking ill of the woman who forgot hooking up with a guy because she was too drunk, and didn't really care about it either. But I also thought it was brave of her to be honest about her behavior that, despite the publication aspect of it, didn't hurt anyone. If a man had published the report, I would have condemned him to eternal abstinence.
Is that a double standard? Certainly. But we are all shaped by the belief and value system of our surroundings. Changing it requires great determination and a lot of critical thinking. It's hard but necessary to liberate ourselves from other people's doctrines and start thinking ourselves.
Let's begin today by congratulating the author of the "study" to her self-confidence and courage. If people have a problem with her attitude, let them waste their own energy on complaining. But, please, dear author, refrain from disclosing the identities of your "subjects" in the future.
Bledowski is a graduate student from Cracow, Poland, in journalism.
Chatterbox Responses to the news of the week on Kansan.con
"Understanding basic science and advocating that the people in charge of the country understand basic science is not extremism. Anyone opposing evolution is clearly not fit for public office. If you believe humans and dinosaurs co-existed, I don't need to know your economic views. You're a nutjob and belong in a church or somewhere far, far away from any seat of power"
— "Zomgzmg" in response to "Evolution should be litmus test for public office" on Oct.14.
"I am a citizen, not a soldier. But when I weigh the evidence, I see pockets of tyranny in America. Pockets are like insurgents — it is a guerrilla battle to defeat them. You can do it like the Guatemalans did or you could do it like Obama is doing it in Pakistan, McCarthy was the indiscriminate and wholesale destruction of a movement. I prefer the surgical strikes from drones. Inserting the fear of monitoring into a bunch of kids who think they have all the answers is surgical. The joke is on me because these kids will never become "community organizers" funded by a foreign campaign of anonymous donors. It is just KU, not Harvard. Also they won't care about this idle threat of mine. From my experience with anarchists, the authorities are aware of those who have made trouble."
— "Metacognition" in response to "Students form group for KU socialists" on Oct. 6.
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