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The University Daily Kansan emphasizes the 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.
HOLOPIREK: Want to learn how to organize your life and have a diversified life? Learn a foreign language. See Kansan com for more opinions and Free for All comments
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2007 WWW.KANSAN.COM
See Kansan.com for more opinions and Free for All comments
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
PAGE 7A
》 OUR VIEW
Proponents push field of empty dreams
In his recent State of the Union address, President Bush called for reductions in American gasoline consumption of 20 percent during the next decade.
This isn't the first time a president has pushed for developments in alternative energy, and given our insatiable appetite for oil it will likely not be the last.
But Bush's proposal increases emphasis on ethanol use, which may be the greatest energy fraud foisted on the American people in decades.
Ethanol has emerged as a pet cause of many Midwestern politician. It brings money to economically stunted states while promising to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Ethanol based gasoline has later been hailed as the clean energy of the future, utilizing a domestic source and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
But a closer look at ethanol reveals that these promises are largely empty. Right now, ethanol-based gas is cheaper than regular gas for two reasons: first, the federal government gives it a 51-cent subsidy per gallon. Second, importers of ethanol from foreign sources face a 54-cent per gallon tariff.
The notion of limitless ethanol supply, an idea perpetuated by those same Midwestern politicians, is mythical; a Wall Street Journal report notes that to reach Bush's goal by 2017, the entire United
States corn harvest would have to be dedicated to ethanol.
The other chief selling point of ethanol is its supposed environmental benefit. But a recent study found that the use of ethanol in its current gasoline form reduced greenhouse gas emissions by a meager 5 percent, hardly making ethanol an environmental deus ex machina. Its manufacturing requirements are also suspect and do not reduce energy use; the output from ethanol exceeds its required input by just 1.3 to one.
Searching for new and renewable sources of energy is commendable and should continue until suitable alternatives to oil are found, but rushing to embrace an unproven and so far inefficient source is disingenuous and poses a threat to the resources required to explore other areas. Americans should be wary of the ethanol craze, and should not fall victim to the type of the corn lobby.
The comparable measurement for gasoline is an impressive 10 to one. Environmentalists who rush to embrace ethanol as the energy of the future may also overlook its effects on nature; the proposal to convert much of America's 40 million acre conservation reserve to ethanol-related sites would have devastating effects on Great Plains wildlife.
— McKay Stangler for the editorial board.
AFTER
Grant Snider/KANSAN
DECONSTRUCTING MEDIA
Foreign languages teach more than new curses
I recently found a $2 gem on the discount shelf of a bookstore. I was thrilled to discover that it was actually an entertaining story.
Anthony Capella's "The Food of Love" was intriguing because it brought storytelling and learning together. While the three main characters weave their way in and out of a love triangle in Italy, Capella teaches the reader how to cook sensual meals and Italian words and phrases.
Because of this book, I can now tell a guy to "vatte a fa" 'nu giro, a fessa a mammata" — piss off back into the orfices of your mother from which you were delivered — or "hai voluto la bicicleta? E pedala!" — the Italian way of saying "you made your bed, now sleen in it."
would have enjoyed the Italian phrases more if Kd known a foreign language. My two years of undergraduate French help me understand words
The book was enjoyable but I
BY JODI ANN HOLOPIREK
KANSAN.COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
in romance languages, but I was never able to use French. Most Americans have a hard time learning a foreign language well enough to use it, too. That or they've never tried to learn one at all.
Because of this, Americans are behind in the foreign language department. Since 1974 all European countries except Ireland and Britain
another language when they begin school. When they enter secondary school, they're required to learn at least two—and for good reason.
— both English-speaking countries
— have required children to learn
Children learn
languages faster and more easily than adults and teenagers. Just having a baby listen to music from another country will help him or her speak that language with better dialect. Babies are able to mimic the sounds of other languages.
Francois Thibaut runs The Language Workshop for Children, which has nine schools on the East Coast. In a USA Today article, Thibaut said children who learned
foreign languages did better in school, scored higher on standardized tests, were better problem solvers and were more open to diversity.
Foreign language knowledge not only helps children,but can also help people get into college,balance school,work and extracurricular activities and lead a more diversified life.
The sooner you learn another language, the better off you are. But even if you're in college it's not too late. And for those of you who have nieces, nephews or children of your own, consider buying them a foreign-language computer program or a CD of foreign music. They'll thank you when they're grown.
Holopirek is an Otis graduate student in journalism.
FREE FOR ALL
Call 864-0500
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Hi, Free-for-All I was just on Facebook, and I was wondering if you have a profile, because I'd really love to add you as a friend.
Black History needs more than a month. It needs an entire year. Every year, we should celebrate Black History for an entire year.
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According to "When Harry met Sally", guys and girls can't be friends, because the sex part always gets in the way.
Just when I thought coach Bill Self couldn't get any cooler, he bought me pizza.
Fifth floor McCollum, this is Fritz. Don't be mad at me that you're fat and can't get laid.
图
I think I'm going to start calling
my ex-girlfriend "Slagather."
图
To the rude,emo deskie in Corbin:You suck!
I was just trying to be the trophy girlfriend!
vodka and running into a police station.
vodka and running into a police station.
If I get one more MIP when I'm not drunk. I'm drinking a liter of
Epiphany: A hug is never too long, unless you're naked.
图
If Black History month is two months long, then we need a White History week.
图
Stalin was a dick
To the guy who said watching Roy Williams coach for Carolina is like watching somebody have sex with your girlfriend. You go watch Roy Williams, and I'll have sex with your girlfriend.
COMMENTARY
Bipartisan events underreported
On Saturday, Jan. 27, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Washington D.C. to protest the war in Iraq. The protest march was organized and led primarily by United for Peace and Justice.
UFPJ is a group that formed in 2002 in response to the American government's "policy of permanent warfare and empire-building." It's a diverse coalition made up of, according to its Web site, such groups as the National Organization for Women, United Church of Christ, the American Friends Service Committee, True Majority, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Farms Not Arms, CODEPINK, Onorg and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.
Along with these groups are almost 90 national groups and many more state groups involved
in the anti-Iraq war effort.
This illustrates the vast range of Americans affected by the war in Iraq. It also shows the vast range of Americans who are willing to work together to prom-
BY LIZ STUEWE
BY LIZ STUEWE
KANSAN COLUMNIST
OPINION@KANSAN.COM
It's hard to go a day without hearing that our nation is polarized. We are no longer Americans. We are consumers of political culture. A state is no longer just a state; it must be classified as either "red" or "blue." There is one reason both the media and politicians push this classification: drama.
The media use drama to sell papers and the politicians use it to bring people to the polls. No matter
together to promote a common cause.
how different institutions want us to think we are, we're more alike than different and its time that our politicians and media reflected that.
What could be more dramatic than half a million people marching onto the mall in Washington D.C. to protest the Iraq war? Yet it's not the only time an Iraq war protest has gone mostly uncovered by the news media.
Honestly, how many students knew that the march even happened, let alone the magnitude or
major concerns with our society, from the University of Kansas to the national level, is what kind of information are we receiving.
One of my
goal of the rally?
This drama cannot be divided into red and blue categories. People of all walks of life support finding a quick end to the war, from military members — both active and retired — to pacifists, from steadfast Christians to secularists, from 16-year-olds to 60-year-olds. The dissatisfaction with President Bush's war in Iraq knows no age, color, class or religion.
Knowing that no one is alone in his or her desire to use the unity created by the current military disaster, we must demand a focus on our national unity and our national desire to end the war. Nothing changes until we say so.
Stuewe is a Lawrence junior in political science and American studies.
》 LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Students trump fans
A couple of weeks ago, I drove to campus to use the library and the fitness center and found that the entrances to Lot 90 were barricaded or guarded. This was, of course, for the people attending the Jan. 27 basketball game against Colorado. The students already utilizing this lot either had to move their vehicles to the side streets or risk a ticket. The only way to park was to pay a $10 fee. But students already pay $160 for an annual parking permit, and they also pay more than $300 in fees each semester to use facilities such as the library and fitness center.
I understand that the ability to park on campus is a privilege, not a right. I also understand that the parking department is doing its best. But, I don't understand why sports fans are given higher priority than students. According to the statement of institutional mission, "[t]he University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university that serves as
a center for learning, scholarship,
and creative endeavor." Where does
athletics fit in here? I was equally
hard-pressed to find a statement
in the KU Parking and Transit
Department mission statement
and goals to support the "athletics
trumps education" argument.
Don't get me wrong. I have an appreciation for college sports. I know that basketball is deeply rooted in the history of this university. Nevertheless, KU was founded for education and research.
The KU Parking and Transit Department exists to serve the University, which exists for the benefit of education, research and service programs. Can't we at least pretend that the highest priority is given to people seeking to use the University resources for these purposes?
Nick Rasmussen Tekamah, Neb., graduate student
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Gabriella Souza, editor
864-854 or gosuawakkan.ida.com
Nicole Kelley, managing editor
864-854 or mkeleyikaan.ida.com
Patrick Ross, managing editor
864-854 or possiukaan.ida.com
Courtney Hagen, opinion editor
864-0724 or chasen.ida.com
Natalie Johnson associate opinion editor
864-4924 or njohnson@ikansan.com
Lindsey Shirrack, business manager 864-4014 or lshirrack@kansan.com
Jackie Schaffer, sales manager 864-4462 or jschaffer@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager, news adviser
864-7667 or malbison@ukanson.com
Jennifer Weaver, sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or jweaver@kansan.com
》 SUBMISSIONS
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EDITORIAL BOARD
1
Gakinaela Suzuo, Nicole Kelley, Patrick Ross, Courtney Hagen,
Natalie Johnson, Alison Kieler, Teshia Ragins and McKay
Stangler
1