WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2011
PAGE 5A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
opinion
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T-Rob, Selby, Marcus, Kief and Tyshawn... You don't want that to be your last game as a Jayhawk. Do the right thing!!
F. O.E=Momma Morris wants her boys to complete college, so they stay. RIGHT?
Wearing a T-shirt in 40-degree weather doesn't make you tough. It makes you stupid. You get cold like the rest of us.
It's my 21st birthday. I can fart whenever I want.
Why does everyone on the bus always stare whenever you're the only one that gets on at a stop? It's almost as if they've never seen a human before.
If you've been on a bus, you know how boring it can be. A new person provides you with something to stare at for five seconds before boredom sets in again.
Motivation plummets to an all-time low while senioritis spirals out of control. Facebook, Netflix and my new boy toy are making it very easy to procrastinate.
Dear world, effect is a noun; affect is a verb. It's not that hard.
I'm at the library, doing something more productive than homework: reading up on the latest techniques to give a better blow job.
The chances of the Royals winning the World Series are smaller than my chances of sleeping with Taylor Swift.
I'm eating a box of Mac and Cheese for dinner. #thisiswhymfat #idontcare.
Trading in my Starbucks money for booze money! Feels good to finally be 21.
My girlfriend and I had sex with "Law and Order: SVU" on in the background. Is that wrong?
Yes, you are going to ruin her life.
K-State fans don't count sheep in their sleep because every time they do, they get a boner.
I will stay in college for as long as it takes for me to witness a KU National Championship! Editor's note: Me, too.
I wonder if they sprinkle every cup of Starbucks coffee with uncut cocaine.
I got my first fake two months before my 21st. I can't tell if I'm happy or sad that I gave in.
SB 11': keys were cashed, boxes were slayed, mistakes were made. Gulf shores RCJH.
Senioritis=starting to tear up every time I walk on campus. What is WRONG with me?
The great outdoors helps math and science scores
ENVIRONMENT
In a sea of media that love to focus on backward ways and broken systems, it's nice to come across a positive message now and then. Surprisingly, this one involves education, the environment and $100 million.
The No Child Left Inside bill aims to provide funding for state and local environmental education programs. The primary goal of the legislation is to equip future generations with the knowledge of natural ecological systems and an understanding of how human activities impact those environments.
Additionally, research shows that real life experiences make math and science concepts more interesting and relevant. In response to the hyper-focused reading and math curricula prompted by No Child Left
BY RAEANE HANDSHY
rhandshy@kansan.com
Behind, 47 states are currently looking to environmental literacy programs to provide more engaging, experiential learning opportunities and expand student awareness of the environmental issues that will impact them in adulthood.
In his book "Last Child in the Woods," Richard Louv compiles research showing that exposure to natural environments improves balance, agility, concentration, self -confidence and resilience against emotional stress. He also cites evidence that time outdoors reduces attention deficit disorder symptoms and other increasingly prevalent childhood emotional disorders like depression and anxiety.
Louv coined the term "nature deficit disorder" to describe the disconnect between modern youth and nature. Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed introduced the No Child Left Inside legislation to combat the effects of this chasm.
The bill's supporters hope that environmental education curricula will help children to connect with nature, see the relevancy of our ecological resources and become more physically active.
In his book, Louv cites a 2006 Kaiser Family Foundation study showing that "children between the ages of 8 and 18 years old spent an average of nearly 6.5 hours a day plugged in electronically - that is 45 hours per week."
The fact that most kids are surfing the web, playing video games or watching TV instead of exploring in the woods, pretending to be pirates or dissecting beetles means that future generations will be less creative, less active and less appreciative of natural environments.
It is nice to know that reversing this trend is a priority to some of our politicians and our educators.
Handshy is a first year MBA student from Lawrence.
Loss makes us question how we measure success
How do you measure success?
Do you measure success by
points? By wins? By upsets?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
points by wins by losses
Do you measure success by banners? By titles? By awards?
By plaques? By trophies? By championships?
Do you measure success by recognition? By how many people measure themselves by your standards? By how many look to you as the standard of excellence?
Do you measure success by the respect you've gained from your opponents? By sportsmanship shown? By lessons learned? By opportunities given? By opportunities taken?
Do you measure success by overcoming any kind of obstacle? By persistence? By indomitable spirit? By dedication? By passion?
Do you measure success by people? By the number of people who will never miss a game? By the number of alumni who will proudly claim you as their alma mater? By how many loyal fans will support you, despite the stormy weather? By how
many will still put on that game day jersey despite the recent loss? By how many pack the stands for every single game? By how many will follow you, no matter how far away, to bring the homecourt advantage to the away game?
Or do you measure success by lives that you've changed? By individuals who have grown and developed into good players, good friends, and good people because you helped them? By the individuals who now have more opportunities in life because you gave them a chance to prove themselves? By the lives that will never be the same because you pushed them? By the lives that will always be intertwined now, because of their shared experiences, their shared losses, their shared victories? By the lives that you've made better?
So, how do you measure success?
Corinne Westeman is a sophomore from Wichita.
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James Naismith's original rules of basketball will be on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art until May 29. Where should the rules' final destination be?
□Allen Fieldhouse
□Enshrined in their very own museum on campus
□Spencer Museum of Art
Don't care
POP CULTURE
Please, excuse me while I throw up.
Does this song, "Friday" by Rebecca Black, really have almost 65 million views on YouTube? It doesn't matter if people like it or dislike it. People are still watching it.
Is a middle-school-aged girl talking about getting ready for the weekend that appealing? Come on. The only thing worse than this girl's singing ability are the lyrics of the song. It's amazing that not only would someone sing this song, but also that someone can get paid to write such crap.
When artists like this make it
Rebecca Black: living proof today's society glorifies the talentless
"It's Friday, Friday; gotta get down on Friday. Everybody's looking forward to the weekend."
BY AARON HARRIS aharris@kansan.com
big, artists with talent lose. People are turning down artists like Alicia Keys and her amazing piano skills for someone who confuses talking with singing, like Ke$ha.
This trend hurts the craft. Before you label yourself a "singer," learn what things like "harmony" and
Our generation has made mediocrity profitable, and the talentless have cashed in. Shows like "16 & Pregnant," "Jersey Shore," and pretty much anything else shown on MTV have made stars out of the talentless people in our society.
"melody" mean. That's like me not knowing what shutter speed is but still calling myself a photographer.
Before, we would have just looked aside and not let it get a pilot.
These shows give laziness hope. I know what Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is thinking, "Real jobs? Why? I have a six-pack. I like to tan. Give me my own show." Does he deserve hope? Say it isn't so.
The viewers who these shows and
artists are marketed toward, who would probably fit right in a "jersey Shore" episode, have been told since they were little that they can be whatever they want to be.
Guess what, you can't. If you can't sing, you probably can't be a singer. If you are horrible at math, well, engineering is out of the question. I'm sorry to have to break this to some people, but as Bobby Bouchey was told, "Momma was wrong."
Just ask Rebecca Black.
Aaron Harris is a senior from Kansas City, Kan., in journalism and history.
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