THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011
PAGE 5A
opinion
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FFA: I don't know what you have against blondes, turtles, candy or good decisions, but I'll keep trying.
Dear person who suggests more work for the rest of the class to the teacher. Shut the hell up! I actually have a life outside of my schoolwork. Or at least I did before you opened your big mouth!
Just checked my bank account and caught myself saying "I have $12 and a bottle of vodka until next weekend, I'll be okay." Oh, college.
That was my last game as a student in AFH ... excuse me while I go sob in the corner.
My roommate is the most inarticulate person I have ever encountered. Seriously, how does someone who sounds like Elmer Fudd and Mushmouth put together get into college?
No AFH for a year? Well I guess a national championship will have to do
It was a great day. Until EVERY guy I've hooked up with since August texted me.
You know you have a good best friend when she offers to castrate your idiot ex-boyfriend. True love right there.
Bad day + Playing with a puppy = Good day.
I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total bitch’in star from Mars.
With this healthy addition to its menu, KU Dining Services has proven to the University that it is committed to providing a beneficial service to students. It is up to students to use that service to maintain the availability of healthy food choices on campus.
If I've learned anything over the years, it's this: live every week like it's Shark Week.
Goddamnit, if you are going to have a hot girlfriend you have GOT to take care of her or you are NOT going to keep her.
campus, then KU Dining Service will be able to generate enough of a profit to continue to supply those foods.
I'm really starting to believe a basketball IQ test should be added to the list of admission requirements.
Dear Dumbass, When I tell you to "stop booty call texting me," that means STOP.
I feel the FFA editor is biased in picking the best ones for the paper. So is the editor a man or a woman?
ew whole grain addition proves KU Dining's concern for student health
Is anyone else distressed at the fact that this town doesn't have a 7-Eleven? I want a slurpee!
EDITORIAL
Some people wear entirely too much perfume/cologne!! If I get a headache sitting across from you, you my dear need guidance.
She's a natural beauty!
Spencer Davidson for The Kansan Editorial Board.
What does it mean when a girl looked hot at a club but looked even better in the library?
I'm gonna go down on you, and then come up real slow, and F you. Yours truly, Gas Prices
Nobody knows. They're the Great and Powerful Wizard of FFA.
To accommodate students seeking healthier food options on campus, KU Dining Services announced it will begin offering whole grain wheat breads as part of its daily menu.
This effort to assist students in achieving a healthy lifestyle is commendable for both KU Dining Services and the students who frequent its services. Many students are limited in their choices for healthy eating while on campus, and the availability of whole grain foods can be very beneficial to the overall health
of the student body.
While KU Dining Services has made a respectable choice in offering whole grain breads to students, the students are also to be commended for their noticeable efforts to obtain healthier dining options. KU Dining Services offers whole grains primarily for the health benefits of students but is only able to do so because of the growing demand for that service.
In order for KU Dining Services to continue this trend of offering healthier food options, it will be up to University students to maintain consistent demand for those services. If students continue to purchase whole grain foods at dining areas around
The fact that students have expressed desire for whole grain options in the past has convinced
KU Dining Services that supplying those menu items could be financially feasible. KU Dining Services has helped supply the means of healthy eating to students, but it was the students who were ultimately the catalyst for this change.
Web Exclusives
at Kansan.com
- Castle: Marriage should be between a man and a woman
- Letter to the editor: Lawrence already is the best college town in the country
POLITICS
Embracing advanced technology can better human knowledge
U. S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) beat the supercomputer Watson in an exhibition round of "jeopardy" held Monday. Holt said he participated in the game to raise awareness for the importance of science and math education, but unfortunately the event also gave people an excuse to make more terrible jokes.
When Ken Jennings, who competed against Watson in last month's televised tournament, added the line "I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords," to the end of one of his Final Jeopardy answers, it was almost graceful. After all, he could have responded in a much worse way to the news that a machine is better than him at the one thing for which he's famous.
Other authors have no excuses for their many Tweets, online comments and late-night television sketches comparing Watson to the Terminator or HAL 9000. It's like joking about Aquaman being useless: The joke is so easy that there's no value in actually saying it.
My real problem isn't with the quality of humor on the Internet though. It's with anyone who views Watson as the opposing team. Don't get me wrong. I understand the desire to see a team we relate with win. I just think we all win more as computers like Watson become better at their jobs.
Watson is the size of a room, but almost all technology becomes smaller and less expensive over time. This means we might live to see a future that looks pretty futuristic.
IBM, the creator of Watson, said it might be used to provide quick diagnoses in the medical field. There
are several other cool uses for this technology though.
On "Star Trek" the characters interact with the computer by giving it commands in plain, spoken English. This could be us someday. For clarification, Watson can't actually hear but instead responds to text prompts when it plays; however, it obviously puts us closer to machines that can hear and respond naturally.
Even without hearing us, the technology could still help our daily lives. Have you ever had a simple question but couldn't find a clear answer online because you couldn't figure out the right keywords? Your grandkids might scoff at the idea that such a difficulty existed.
Maybe you're a fan of video games like "Oblivion" or "Fallout" that try to create a living, organic world for you to wander. Imagine how much more real those worlds would be if the computer characters could respond to questions you worded yourself.
The only real fear is that a machine like Watson will someday take jobs away from real people. Quite honestly, it probably will. My response to that is the folktale of John Henry. In the legend, Henry entered a race against a steam-powered hammer. He won the race but worked himself to death in the process, and the steam-powered machinery grew in popularity, regardless. In the end, it is far more painful to resist progress than it is to embrace it.
Ben Holladay is a senior in journalism from Mulvane.
How do you feel about people who hand out fliers or other literature on campus?
48 total votes
I love being handed things, so I think they're great!
Hate 'em all, even if I agree with them.
They're irritating, but I understand why they do it.
I go out of my way to avoid them.
It depends on the cause.
Results
from KANSAN.COM/POLLS
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Snyder v. Phelps ruling deserved larger page article on front page
As a Kansas alum and current law student in Florida, I was highly disappointed when I read the Kansan this morning. After such a highly controversial decision coming down from the Supreme Court yesterday I expected an article about Snyder v. Phelps on the front page with several quotes of reaction from students and maybe even a picture or two. Instead the front page was a lengthy article about rocks, while I'm sure important, can not even compare to the potential landmark case that was handed down yesterday. It was rather disturbing the lack of respect this issue was given by the Kansan. Simply writing a short article and placing it next to an article about
some hazing and advertisements is an embarrassment.
The Kansan had a unique chance to discuss an important issue that probably affects no other university more in the country. The University is constantly confronted by the Phelps family and knows firsthand their behavior, the reaction to it and the consequences their pickets and protests can have. For future editions, I would suggest giving the Supreme Court and their decisions the respect they deserve, regardless of the outcome of the case.
Jacquelyn Bradley Miller is a Kansas alumunae from Tulsa, Okla.
GOVERNMENT
Illegal Immigration bill in question raises concern for diversity of student body
The Kansas state government is working on a bill that's meant to address illegal immigration. The bill in question is similar to the Arizona bill that made national news because of its racial-profiling wording.
This issue is a provision in the bill that allows officers to check the status of people they legally stop if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is illegally in America. This same provision raised concerns in Arizona because it could possibly lead to racial profiling.
Despite the fact that this bill could result in racial profiling and racist tendencies, it poses special concern for the University of Kansas and its surrounding community.
The phrase 'reasonable suspicion'
brings up its own questions, but the concern is for our international students here. The University enjoys a degree of diversity that is not common in Kansas. The enrollment of international students has increased during the years, and there is a reason for that. They are welcome here, and students
BY AARON HARRIS
aharris@kansan.com
want the chance to learn about other cultures. These students offer a valuable interaction not always available in the classroom.
A fear that arises with this possible bill is not only what it could do to our Mexican-American students, who were targeted in Arizona, but other international students as well. With the wording of this bill so ambiguous right now, it's not too far-fetched to believe one of these students could be pulled over and detained because an officer thinks the student could be an illegal immigrant.
Students are here to learn, not to worry about the possibility of being pulled over and interrogated by police who think they are illegal immigrants. The University needs these students to enroll and help grow the diverse community. Is this really the impression of America and Kansas we want to impart on them? Are we so worried about immigration that we turn to possibly racist laws to enforce those concerns?
One collaborator on this bill is Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of the people who helped draft the law that passed in Arizona last year. I urge students to write Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe), Governor Brownback and Kobach. Let them know that this bill is unnecessary and puts our state and our communities in a bad light, as has happened in Arizona. Racial profiling is not the way to solve our problems.
Harris is a senior from Kansas City, Kan., in journalism and history.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to kansanopdesk@gmail.com. Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown. Find our full letter to the editor online at kansan.com/letters.
Length: 300 words
Nick Gerik, editor
864-4810 or ngerik@kansan.com
Michael Holtz, managing editor
864-4810 or rohlitz@kansan.com
Kelly Stroda, managing editiv
864-4810 or kstruda@kansan.com
D.M. Scott, opinion editor
864-4924 or dsctney@kansan.com
Mandy Matthey, associate opinion editor
864-4924 or mmatney@kansan.com
CONTACT US
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864-7447 or jassine@kanan.com
Malcim Gibson, general manager and news adviser
864-7667 or mgibson@kanan.com
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THE EDITORIAL BOARD
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board are Nick Gerik, Michael Holtz, Kelly Stroda, D.M. Scott and Mandy Matney.