THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 5A
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011
opinion
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The Jayhawk nation loves you T-Robl Family over everything, always. Rock Chalk Jayhawk.
Really? I dropped my class last semester to escape from you and here you are in my new one!
Fact: Teen pregnancy drops off significantly after the age 19
YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME
Dear Dan the bus driver: You're fantastic.
I heard Jeff Withey like 3 Spoons, so
I started going to 3 Spoons.
Great that the UDK Opinions page is fancy, but only a dozen or so FFAs?? Come on...this is the highlight of the whole paper
Editor's note: We are making it smaller because we want it to be better and more competitive. So s tap your game up and we will make it longer.
I'm going to try and join a sorority.
That's how bad this is.
T-Rob is the man
In one of my classes everyone knows each other and the teacher already from last semester except me...This must be what it feels like to be a stepchild.
When I look for a job,I'm looking in cities where it never snows.
you.
Robinson I want you to know you're in my thoughts and prayers. I can't imagine what you are going through. Just know I'm thinking of
69. ..classy number to go out on! BRING IT, K-STATE. We're more than ready now
why the hell were we not in the stands at allen like last time? why the freaking parking garage...make lottery even bigger hell for us..boo
new semester. new bootycall.
Thank goodness they cleared the snow out of the dorm parking lots...
oh, wait, they didn't
I hate my girlfriend's parents, but then again, who doesn't?
i wish i could make cookies for T-Rob
There's only one real loss that is worth mourning today. And that isn't the one that happened on the basketball court.
just made all the brahs wanna flush their stashes. Get on my level.
Losing a game isn't as hard as the losses Thomas Robinson has had to face in the last two weeks. Let's keep it in perspective, and keep him in our thoughts.
O over winter break, Old Navy began advertising their Goga pants, which the company
HUMOR
asserts, give women an "instant yoga butt," or as Urban Dictionary defines ,"the ultimate external sign of a strong and powerful body."
"It's not fair," he said. "They have Wonderbras, Spanx and bug-eyed sunglasses. Now this? Women are such liars!"
Whether this anecdote affirms or offends, a lot of men, like Kyle, find these items confusing. I understand. They give the appearance of something that may or may not be there, like Jesus on that piece of toast.
Consequently, these commercials vexed my high school friend Kyle, a Tucker Max acolyte.
Now men have answer to the Wonderbra
Ironically, a few days after Kyle's rant, while at the mall, I overheard a retail salesman tell a shopper pea coats do wonders for the male physique.
BY MATTHEW MARSAGLIA
mmsarsaglia@iansan.com
While driving home, I considered this instead of paying attention to the oncoming traffic swerving to avoid me. I pictured the Unabomber wearing a pea coat. I did the same with Voldemort, Steve Buscemi and Frank The Bunny.
They all looked like regal, venerable men-hallucinations. Then I thought of vampires, the best-dressed villains we've thought of yet, (which is weird because vampires can't look in mirrors), and it all made sense: Pea coats are the man-version of the Wonderbra — they are our yoga pants. They are the man's
They give the allusion of charm and character when the person wearing it may or may not actually possess charm and character. A pea coat represents a certain archaic, reparable soul of man.
Wonderbra.
Some might argue that tuxedos have the same effect, but it's impractical to wear a tuxedo every day unless you're Pee-wee Herman (and he's a pervert).
Like tuxedos, I've never met a woman who's disapproved of the pea coat. The pea coat shows that a certain amount of effort to look good was expended. Perhaps, just as much as the Goga pants.
Though I've never timed it, putting on a pea coat likely takes less time and effort than the overly advertised butt-transforming Goga pants and does an equally good job of accomplishing the intended result.
The pea coat is also timeless. Perhaps because of its Naval origins and the
only military-inspired fashion that's been stalwart throughout the years. Although I generally loathe clichés, I also can't help but buy into the idea that, subconsciously, everyone has respect for a soldier, or in this case, a civilian in uniform.
The pea coat also puts men on a more level playing field. When a man wears a pea coat, it becomes difficult to discern his physique, unless it's already overly discernable.
Like the Wonderbra or the yoga pants, which have a documented effect on males and bridges the gap between the haves and have-nots, the pea coat makes physique less of an issue.
So, males, do your best for yourself and the American economy and buy a pea coat. God bless America, and gods bless the pea coat.
Marsaglia is a senior in English from Naperville, Ill.
LGBT
Really gay advice on... paying for dinner
Despite a rise in more egalitarian relationships, it's still commonly assumed—in a heteronormative world—that the guy (penis) should buy dinner for the girl (vagina).
But what is the rule when the date involves two guys (penises)?
My girlfriends always ask me, "So, who pays for the meal?" as I'm filling them in on my most recent endeavor. Most of the time, they assume the person who typically plays a more active sex role (top) pays for the person who typically plays a more passive sex role (bottom).
This is a fair assumption on their part; however, that assumption poses two major issues:
Most gay men don't walk around with signs on their foreheads reading, "I'm receptive, so you're buying"—though some of them may attempt to imply it with the right shoes and brow structure—and I think it's safe to say asking someone if they take it up the butt just before the first date might not be the most socially graceful approach and could actually result in your date suddenly having to cancel because he's bloated and "can't fit into [his] jeans."
Plus, not all gay men prefer one role or the other. In fact, most of them don't. Sex talk and finances can be very awkward conversations, especially at the beginning of any courtship; you don't even know the person!
In the case of gay men and paying for dinner, it's important to set a few ground rules: First, if you extended the dinner invitation, you should plan on, at least, paying for your own meal, and it would be courteous to pick up the whole check. For the person receiving
BY JAMES CASTLE
icastle@kansan.com
the dinner invitation, you should also plan on paying for yourself, but it certainly wouldn't be impolite for you not to pick up the whole check.
Second, if you're going on a date with an older man who's not in college, then common sense says he should pick up the check. A working professional should not allow a college student to buy—that's tacky. And college gays, a good date will likely reject this, but it's always a nice gesture to offer to pay for your own meal.
Third, students should split the check. Let's say the dinner idea was a team effort, or the invitation was ambiguous and you're both poor college students. In this case, each person should go into the date expecting to pay for his own food. There is nothing wrong with not having enough money for two when you're in school and in pursuit of a goal. If the other person insists on paying for the meal, it would be polite, if you can, to offer to pick up the check next time, which, bee-tee-dubs, is also a good way to hint at wanting to go out with that person again.
Castle is a junior from Stillwell in political science and human sexuality.
Every Monday we will post a poll. It could be about anything from politics, to campus issues, to your thoughts about Snooki's drunken escape on the Jersey Shore. On Friday, we will publish the results along with the best comments.
What do you think about starting the semester on a Friday? Vote now at KANSAN.COM/POLLS
CARTOON
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
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NATIONAL
Just months ago, WikiLeaks caused intense public criticism and worldwide skepticism toward the U.S. Now, it's a source of comedy for our country.
Too many secrets result in too many laughs
The organization virtually unheard of a year ago is now a household name and a staple in our pop culture: "Saturday Night Live" has a recurring sketch in which Bill Hader impersonates WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. NBC's 30 Rock often uses the verb "weaking" in reference to the organization.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes light of the organization, too. In reference to her recent trip across Asia, in which she had to answer leaders' concerns about WikiLeaks, Secretary Clinton joked, "I want to get one of those really sharp-looking jackets that rock 'n' roll groups have ... It could say 'The Apology Tour.'"
There's even a martini called WikiLeaks White Elephant sold in bars across the country.
Despite the absurdness of Assange,
Assange and his organization published thousands of classified documents submitted by anonymous sources, including thousands of United States diplomatic cables. The organizations website said that its goal is better transparency in order to create a less corrupt society and support democracy.
BY MEGAN ADAMS madams@kansan.com
WikiLeaks ought to be taken seriously by our leaders.
Take our relationship with Argentina for example. WikiLeaks leaked a diplomatic cable in which Secretary Clinton doubted the mental health of Argentinian
While the organization's benefits and services can be debated its drawbacks for U.S. international relations are clear.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. "The Economist" noted that in a separate leaked cables the former Argentinian President Nestor Kirchner and the current president's ex-husband are referred to as a "psychopath" and a "monster."
Since the leaks, our ties with Argentina have been weak at best and have even given fuel to our regional nemesis Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has expressed his solidarity with Argentina.
WikiLeaks' impact on U.S.-Russian relations has been considerably more turbulent. According to "Time," in a cable leaked in February of last year, a Spanish investigator claimed Russia has become a "mafia state," and that former President Vladimir Putin himself has worked with criminals. Even worse, separate cables joke that current Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is virtually powerless, and he "plays Robin to Putin's Batman."
The Obama Administration has worked diligently to conduct a "reset"
To put things in perspective, our relations with other countries can be mended and WikiLeaks will inevitably end as it fights to defend its legality. However, the glaring incompetence in our government's ability to keep its secrets will take years, if not decades, to fix.
"Time" reported that between 1996 and 2009 the amount of information the government has deemed "secret" rose by 75 percent. Is it possible that rather than bury secrets deeper as a result of WikiLeaks the government ought to designate less intelligence as "secret?"
As Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote, "When everything is classified, then nothing is classified."
on U.S.-Russian relations when the WikiLeaks cables put our relations many steps backwards.
Adams is a junior from Overland Park in political science and international studies.
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