Opinion The University Daily Kansan
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010
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FREE FOR ALL
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To contribute to Free For All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500.
--like college students.
I just realized the only thing I've had in my stomach today was beer ... Is that wrong?
Dear boyfriend's mother, quit sending me hate mail and messages, you're 50 + years old. GROW UP.
--like college students.
On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created jerks.
--like college students.
I was supposed to dump my girlfriend a month ago. Stupid breakup keeps getting postponed.
--like college students.
You gotta admit, Dumbledore's got style.
--like college students.
Abe Lincoln had really nice cheekbones.
--like college students.
Drew Carey has gotten pretty scary looking. I think all hosts of The Price Is Right must slowly assume the form of Bob
--like college students.
--like college students.
Guess you have moved on already ...
You shouldn't complain about the economy if the major you major in does not provide job security ... you should have picked a better major.
--like college students.
The key ... is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided.
--like college students.
--like college students.
If we want to win in football games we need to let White Owl back around.
You make me angry.
--like college students.
I think KU should release students schedules just so I know when to avoid you on campus.
--like college students.
That procrastination column helped me procrastinate for ten minutes. Success!
--like college students.
Christine O'Donnell says co-e-dorms are forced upon students ... Who is she kidding?
--like college students.
Can't believe I am going to church for a guy ... again ...
Now that there's a half eaten pizza here, my college room is complete.
--like college students.
--like college students.
I woke up feeling like KeSha this morning. It's been one of those weekends.
--like college students.
GUEST COLUMN
Breast cancer awareness week offers helpful ideas
October 4 begins Breast Cancer Awareness Week here at KU. Breast cancer is a health care concern for all women, including young women, and everyone should look into their risk factors. This will allow you to take whatever preventative steps you can.
Here are some facts and figures about breast cancer risks and tips for prevention:
Breast cancer is less likely in younger/pre-menopausal women, but it's definitely possible. If you have a family member who has been diagnosed (mother, sister, child), it is likely you are at higher risk for a breast cancer diagnosis. This means that you may have to start preventive screenings earlier than women with no risk. It's recommended that you start getting mammograms every year, starting at age 5-10 years prior to the youngest breast cancer case in the family, or age 40, whichever comes first.
If you're currently on birth control pills, it may increase your risk slightly. However, within 10 years of stopping the Pill, your risk returns to that of never-users of the Pill, so this shouldn't be too much of a problem for young women.
Now, with regards to prevention, it's important for women of all ages to get to know our bodies when they're healthy. Then when something changes, we're more likely to notice it.
Women, even young women, should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) by a medical provider at least once every 3 years starting at age 20. This increases to once a year starting at age 40. CBEs are simply manual exams that a provider can do to check for breast changes. Often, medical providers will conduct one during a regular gynecological exam, but if they don't, make sure to ask!
Take some time to conduct a self breast exam; it may feel silly, but we should be as aware as possible of how our bodies work.
We have great mammography technology, and not enough women take advantage of it. In particular, minority women and lesbian women are less likely to go for care, leading to later diagnoses and worse outcomes.
We've got better and better imagery, and a wider variety of medications and treatment options for those who are diagnosed, so it's
important to go for screenings! If you're concerned about the cost of mammograms, contact the Race Against Breast Cancer in Topeka at rabctopeka.org for free screening sites.
Sure, going to the doctor isn't fun. Mammograms aren't either. They are uncomfortable, and no one looks forward to them. But just like flossing your teeth, the feeling afterward is worth it.
So, want to get involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Week this year?
Come by the Kansas Union Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wescoe beach.
At our tables, you can pick up some literature, a postcard for a woman you love reminding her to care for herself, enter a prize drawing, or meet a woman who has made it through cancer.
Take advantage of this week for the sake of yourself and the women in your life.
- Sonya Satinsky, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences
CARTOON
OBAMA TALKS WITH HIS ECONOMIC CREW...
NICK SAMBULAK
GUEST COLUMN
America needs long-term goals to inspire innovation
The year is 1933. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announces the New Deal to recover from the Great Depression.
the year is 2010. President Barack Obama announces... what, exactly? His intention to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or maybe pass national health care. But these are not the kind of grand, long-term plans that will drive Americans and their government for the next decade. Until we can find such a plan, we as a nation will find it impossible to maintain a competitive advantage over countries such as China that are making big bets in technology and infrastructure.
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been the only true global superpower, and it took upon itself the role of international policeman. Since 2001, the War on Terror has drained our resources and become one of the government's top priorities. But as we have poured our resources into Iraq and Afghanistan, we have lost sight of our internal goals.
The year is 1961. President John F. Kennedy announces that Americans are going to the moon within the decade.
We support corrupt governments with foreign aid but leave our own people in poverty. We need a commitment to developing infrastructure,to bringing 21st-century technology
In a New York Times column last week, Thomas Friedman (author of "The World Is Flat") compared the United States' investment in Afghanistan to China's investment in infrastructure and cutting-edge technology. His conclusion: "The contrast is not good."
to the entire country. We need long-term goals that will inspire the generation of American youth.
Friedman is right. China is investing in renewable energy and high-speed rail, and its (mostly) command economy means that these investments can be supported by the force of its authoritarian government. Among the advanced technologies Friedman discusses are electric vehicles. China has made such cars one of its "industrial pillars." But while China and Europe are focusing on innovative technologies for transportation, the United States seems to be making little progress.
Sure, political leaders make speeches promoting renewable energy and high-efficiency vehicles, but until their words are backed by broad efforts, we will only see incremental developments. And while I do not intend to advocate China's style of government control for America, history shows that our free-market principles and relatively limited government do not stop us from making big bets that have big payoffs. Today,
however, we are not willing to make the investments or the sacrifices necessary to achieve these grand goals.
It may be that the United States has outgrown its period of accepting great challenges. We may be too cynical, too skeptical of our government to take big risks. When President George W. Bush tried to channel Kennedy and announced that NASA would return to the moon and continue to Mars, few people thought there was any chance of making his seemingly arbitrary deadlines. Many doubted the goals would be achieved at all. As the last few months have shown, we sketches were right.
Truthfully, though, a literaal moon shot is not what the country needs right now. We need something even more audacious: a genuine change in the lives of Americans everywhere. The age of Kennedy and Roosevelt, when great dreams led to great results, seems to be behind us. Yet if we are to maintain our standard of living, we have no choice but to begin dreaming once more. We must not be afraid to take risks. We must not be afraid to fail. We must not be afraid to make our own future.
- From UWIRE, Michael Kahn for The Tartan at Radford University
HEALTHCARE
Health care law not best option for the uninsured
I have a friend named Adam (I've changed his name). In an ultimate Frisbee game one afternoon, he sprinted for a catch. While catching the Frisbee, he ran into someone at full force. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground with all his weight on his ankle. To shorten the story, he was taken to the emergency room.
I'm sure some of you are wondering why I am sharing this story in a health care article. I believe there are a few misconceptions about how our current health care system is set up. The first misconception is about accessibility.
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act states that anyone can go to an emergency room for treatment regardless of whether or not they are insured,or can afford to pay for treatment.In other words,it is against the law for anyone to be denied treatment based on whether they can afford to pay for it. If someone can afford it,though,they will have to pay for treatment.
The next misconception is about the quality of our health care. Being from Houston, I can brag that the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center was voted for four consecutive years to be the single best place for cancer treatment. Of course, there are many other high quality hospitals and doctors across the country. A Boston Globe article stated "the wait to see primary care doctors in Massachusetts has grown to as long as 100 days." The state government began mandating policies relating to health care and insurance. As a result, doctors began going into early retirement because they were told how much money they can charge patients, which might not even be enough to cover their costs. With fewer
BY SETH ROBINSON
robinson@kansan.com
doctors and still a high demand, wait time goes up even more. There is no way anyone can get quality health care with doctors retiring. President Obama's health care plan will produce the same effect, except on a national level.
The main misconception is about affordability. Some people simply just cannot afford to purchase health care. Instead of having a health care plan that truly isn't affordable, we should be using tax payer money to purchase basic insurance plans for people who can't afford insurance. This is much more effective than Obama's plan because it eliminates this cost issue. Obama's health care plan is estimated to cost around 2.5 trillion dollars. If 5 million people were covered, the cost would be 5 million dollars per person. With basic health care from private insurance companies at around 500 dollars, the cost would be only 10,000 dollars per person, which is much less money. To do this would only cost a fraction of what Obama's health care plan will cost.
I'm not saying that our health care system is perfect. What I'm really saying is that it's much better than anything that the government claims that they can provide for us.
Robinson is a senior from Indian in civil engineering.
Chatterbox Responses to the news of the week on Kansan.com
"If we have learned anything over the last few years, it is to engage the media. This media outreach program definitely helps us meet that goal. Ms. Stroda is part of a new generation of journalists who will have keen insight to what we actually do on a daily (or in her case - weekly) basis. As you can see from the many military posts above, we view this media-military interaction as part of our profession. You would not have seen this kind of action (blogging) 10 years ago."
— "xz007" in response to "Chiropractors break the back of honest science" on Sept. 27.
I see a lot of extolling of the virtues of traditional medicine and science - as if somehow, solely on virtue of being establishment and "scientific", they're credible. Thing is, just because it's been approved by the FDA doesn't mean it's been "scientifically" tested out. And even if it has, medicine is a progressive field - not a static one. Anybody remember humors? The science of their time. Look at modern day chemotherapy - treating cancer with radiation? Yeah, that's never going to be looked back at as barbaric. Considering how much corruption is in modern day medicine, keeping an eye out for alternative treatments would seem to be the ideal, not the dilemma. But in a system choked by moneymongering and pretension, we can't expect real health care, instead subsisting off of a painfully authoritarian model."
— "Av8r" in response to "Basic Training" blog on Sept. 26.
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