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ERVIN: Think being Irish just takes drinking Guinness? Think again. Here are 10 easy steps to a more Irish you,just in time for St.Patrick's Day.
MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2007
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
PAGE 9A
》 OUR VIEW
Students have no excuse to not vote
Voting is often deemed "performing one's civic duties." But sometimes, we just aren't in the mood to fulfill a duty. We get tired. We have other plans. We have to watch the game. Voting isn't at the top of a student's priority list, especially voting for campus elections.
However, KU students have, or should have, learned that voting does affect them. Various decisions made by Student Senate have effects that trickle down and drip on the heads of nearly every student. So maybe it wouldn't be such a waste to leave Guitar Hero on pause for 20 minutes to head to campus and vote.
Luckily, students won't even have to pause their games to vote in the Student Senate elections this year. Now students can not only vote in between classes on a campus computer, but also from the comfort,
or disarray, of their own homes. The Ramen noodles won't even be done in the microwave before you're done voting. Online voting is quick, simple and convenient.
If cleaning a bathroom only took two minutes, surely more people would do it. A dirty bathroom not only dissuades overnight guests, but forces you to live in a mess of your own making.
Voting is the same way. It's not the most fun thing to do, but if you don't vote you can't complain about the end result. Properly cleaning a bathroom in two minutes is next to impossible. Effectively voting online in two minutes is a definite reality. This year all students should feel motivated to perform their civic duties.
— Tasha Riggins for the editorial board.
Picking sides in religious, geographical conflicts leads how-to-be-Irish guide
With St. Patrick's Day on the horizon, many of you non-Irish are probably worrying about how to live up to the task of being Irish for a day. Never fear, for 1, Kansan columnist and experienced Irishman, am here to teach you the basics.
I know what you're thinking —what else is there to being Irish than drinking Guinness and fighting in bars?
First of all, we fight in pubs. Note the important lexical distinction and experience the difference. The Red Lyon Tavern, 944 Massachusetts St., boasts a pub-like atmosphere, only it's clean and well lit.
What? You thought wed take our business to the Hawk?
whiskey, too. And our expanded beer choices include Harp, Killian's, Murphy's Irish Stout and Erin's Rock, which boasts a picture of 11th-century king and my name-sake, Brian Boru, right on the bottle. Think of me while you drink it
If you're up to the challenge, here are 10 steps to a more Irish you.
1. Familiarize yourself with the unique geography of the island. Ireland is actually split up into two different countries – the Republic of Ireland, which I like to call Ireland Classic, and Northern Ireland, which is ruled by Great Britain and can be thought of as Diet Ireland.
Secondly, we drink a lot of
Protestants live mostly up north. Ireland has been the center of bloody religious and political tensions for centuries, so choose carefully
2. Catholics? Protestant? Pick a side. Catholics are the majority in the Republic of Ireland while the
3. If you chose the Republic of
Ireland, learn to hate England. Curse the Queen. Fly the Union Jack upside down – it'll look the same but only you'll know the defiance underneath, because when it comes to imperialistic takeovers, nobody's worse than England.
BY BRIAN ERVIN
However, if you chose Northern Ireland, accept the British Empire and go see "The Queen." I hear Helen Mirren is bloody brilliant.
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
Also, some Northern Irish wear orange on Saint Patrick's Day, so be prepared to be pinched a lot.
4. Eat a lot of potatoes.
Black Donnelly's" tonight at 9 after "Heroes" on NBC. The series premiered two weeks ago to much acclaim by yours truly. You can download the first episode free on iTunes. Afterwards try a marathon of movies like 2007 Academy Award best picture "The Departed," cult favorite "Boondock Saints" and the star-studded "Sleepers."
5. Watch "The
7. Buy an Irish flag to hang in your house or dorm room. Everyone who enters will appreciate and be fooled by the pride in your "heritage."
8. Go to the parade at 1 p.m.
Saturday on Massachusetts Street.
Although it's not as grand as the
century-and-a-half long celebration in
Kansas City, last year it had a dog that was shaved and dyed to look like a dragon. And that's pretty cool.
9. Blather with your skins, or friends, about your weekend sheanigans with some handy Irish slang. For instance, if you were out of condoms when you met that girl with questionable morals at the bar, say "I was getting pissed up at the pub when I met a scrubber, but realized I was out of johnies."
Check out irishslang.co.za for more
10. Check out Notre Dame football Internet message boards. Who will take the helm of the offense after losing Brady Quinn to graduation? Will Charlie Weis win his malpractice lawsuit? is "Rudy" the all-time greatest sports movie ever?
Unfortunately I have no advice on how to make your skin pale and freckly overnight, and dying your hair red for a day may be drastic. But taking these steps will certainly get you started. I won't advocate bar violence, but if you want to, because everybody else will be doing it, you can be stereotypical and stock up on Guinness.
6. Read James Joyce.
COMMENTARY
Ervin is a junior in theatre and film and psychology.
March isn't just for basketball
The madness of March is here, but there is a lot more than basketball going on. For those of you who need more than brackets and Dickey V. or are just generally sick of hearing old white men calling Darrell Arthur "Shady", check out the Women's History Month events all around Lawrence.
Women's history month began in the 1970s when, according the National Women's History Project, "women's history was virtually an unknown topic in general public consciousness." Like many great things, women's history month started small and blossomed into the month-long celebration it is today.
While the United States has progressed dramatically since the 1970s in terms of gender relations and gender understanding, there is still more to be done. For example, according to statistics from U.S. Department of Labor, the number of women who work outside the home has risen from 5.1 million in 1900, to 18.4 million in 1950, to 65.7 million in 2005. The number is projected to reach nearly 76 million by 2014.
This is an amazing increase; however, if you look at the breakdown of the statistics you can still see a clear gender bias in the types of jobs women get. The Department for Professional Employees reported that in 2005, 92 percent of registered nurses, 82 percent of all elementary and middle school teachers, and 98 percent of all preschool and kindergarten teachers were women.
To celebrate amazing women, the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center has put together a free calendar of local events honoring women. The calendar includes events sponsored by the Lied Center, Student Union Activities, the Hall Center and many more.
it includes comedian Alexandra McHale's performance at the Kansas Union and lectures by Ann Cudd, professor of women's studies. The
You can pick up a copy of the calendar, featuring pictures of Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earlhart and Eleanor Roosevelt at the Student Involvement and Leadership Center at room 400 in the Kansas Union.
events are designed to broaden the understanding of what it means to be a woman.
I have been asked repeatedly about the necessity of women's history month. And the National Women's History Project Web site says it the best: "the knowledge of women's history provides a more expansive vision of what a woman can do."
This perspective can encourage girls and women to think larger and bolder and can give boys and men a fuller understanding of the female experience." Understanding women and women's history is a crucial part of any college education.
So take a small break from basketball this March and appreciate how hard women have worked and how far they have come.
Stuewe is a Lawrence junior in political science and American studies.
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Did we really need a professional survey to find out that the college student body is shallow and vanity? I don't think so.
If someone finds my KU Bus Pass, can they please Facebook me? Me. D.Sarnell Jackson, will you
and vapid. But
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Whoever keeps putting Tech N9ne crap underneath my wind-shield wipers, please stop. I really
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steps outside the Underground the right way
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To whoever forgot their black scarf volunteering at the blood drive: I will be putting it in the NCSS cubicle in the Kansas Union Student Involvement and Leader-
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To the girl who called in about DSL; They re definitely talking aboutick-sucking lips.
Free for All, I don't understand why it's such a crime for a beautiful girl to still be a virgin at the age of 19, especially when it wasn't her
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George Washington once held the hand of an opponents wife... in acid, at a party!
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This is a shout-out to whoever put the shoes on the crosswalk sign by the Union. That's great
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Fact: There is no place better on campus to poop than the Budig
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If you're playing Scrabble, and you make the word "scrabble," does that mean you win?
To the girl whose roommate needs to get laid: Where do you live? I'll bring her roses!
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I totally just got called on wearing a Michigan T-shirt on the day of KU's big game. Boy do I feel like
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