Opinion
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010
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FREE FOR ALL
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
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Christmas movies and food are the only thing that make this time of stress bearable.
It's amazing how, depending on your major, finals week can either be a breeze or utter hell. Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category.
What are you doing to make this world a better place?
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Boomer Sooner! Thank you
Sooners for shutting up
Nebraska!
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
OK, I'm going to level with you statistics: If you allow me to get a C+ in your class and an A in your lab I will allow you to have my accounting give me
My room is a disaster. It's too late to clean it, I'm considering blowing it up.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
The newspaper shower at the game tonight was my first shower this week.
Boys are stinky.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Alcohol. Weed. McDonalds Sleep. Repeat.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Tonight, I got half-price 3 Spoons, a Christmas sweater AND a serenade by Jason Mraz. I love college.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Home alone on a Friday night watching British teen TV dramas. Ms life sucks.
Happy birthday to my boyfriend serving in Afghanistan!
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
My mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Fact. After a certain time your phone should turn off to prevent you from texting people you shouldn't.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
I just spent the last two hours reading all the past FFAs from the UDK PDFs.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
To the girl who stopped me in the Cave's restroom last night before I walked out with toilet paper stuck to my heels, thank you.
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Crashing the Schol Hall formal was so worth it!
--artists because of his wordplay. But after a while I realized whenever I needed a boost of sunshine, he could be my supplier.
Mr. A to Z's performance a small December miracle
MUSIC
Grammy-winning recording artist walks into the Student Union and a few students studying are all who's there to greet him.
When Jason Mraz left St. Louis, he had to find some place to stop and jam a little. Lawrence seemed like a nice place because he hadn't been there in a while. He came in with a guitar and microphone then gave a light-hearted jam session that surprised everyone.
Two hours. For free.
He said his manager didn't know he was doing this.
And like in his songs and his causes, there was a lesson in this: Spontaneity is a magical thing.
"Today, I just wanted to share some insights and celebrate the moment," he said after the show.
As much as we like to think that life is a complicated mess, it really isn't. Mraz preaches and exemplifies what is tattooed on his right arm, "Be Love." As he put it, it's about choosing kindness instead of doing what's right.
We all put a cap on what the term "love" is and what conditions are needed to fulfill it. Instead of trying to find the source, be the source. Unconditional and free.
Mraz didn't have to come to campus. But he followed through with that mantra of "being love" and now a couple hundred or so students know what kind of joy that can bring.
No artist has had a greater influence on me than Jason Mraz. It was maybe three years ago he became my top one or two favorite
BY COREY THIBODEAUX cthibodeaux@kansan.com
In his dialogue between songs at the Union, he showed there's so much to be grateful for and so many ways to express it.
Mraz was fascinated by the Bedazzler on campus. Hardly
This wasn't a paying gig for Mraz, it wasn't advertised and it wasn't in a huge arena. But it didn't matter. That wasn't the point of all this.
anyone knows what that is,but it's the tree-branch-looking house just a little ways down from the Union. We pass by it all the time, but do we really take the time to appreciate it?
If you are in any kind or relationship, don't put a limit on it. Only like blondes? You've already eliminated millions of potential suitors. In fact, put that no-limit policy on everything you do. Dive in with the highest expectations for all you do.
Mraz's performance Friday night was a small little miracle that will mostly go unnoticed in most media outlets. I hope those who got to see it are truly grateful for that splendid treat.
And share some gratitude with some one else while you're at it.
Call a grandma you haven't spoken to in a while and wish her happy holidays. High-five passers-by when you jog. Weed out any worry you have, because "worry" is just a mindset you crafted yourself.
"It was about let's just have a happening," he said. "Let's just do it."
Thibodeaux is The Kansan's sports editor and a senior from Overland Park in journalism.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
THE RECENT STATEMENTS SEND A SIGNAL. WE WANT TO SEND A SIGNAL THAT WE ARE SIGNALING OUR INTEREST IN SENDING SIGNALS.
PRESS ROOM
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NICOLAS SAMBALUK
GUEST COLUMN
Wikileaks' revelations dangerous to United States' interests, foreign policy
Julian Assange, the editor of WikiLeaks, has irrevocably changed the course of international affairs for the rest of our lifetimes, if not for generations to come and not for the better. Recently, the New York Times, along with four other international news outlets, published details of leaked U.S. government documents obtained by the WikiLeaks website from U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning—currently under court-martial —in a highly publicized issue of transparency in government. Among the nearly 260,000 released documents are several thousand classified and secret U.S. diplomatic cables with messages written with surprising proximity to international power and inside information.
While greater transparency would be beneficial for the health of our democracy, this objective must be accomplished through traditional investigative journalism
— not through an extreme, illegal, unassigned release of classified documents. There are very good reasons why some of these diplomatic communications were classified. Revealing their contents for everyday Americans — and, more significantly, everybody in the world with a computer and an Internet connection — is far from the national interest. The release of such documents will endanger our precious relationships with our allies, inhibit our efforts in the war on terrorism, and further alienate our enemies.
notifying the corrupt Afghan officials that we are aware of their duplicity, we risk jeopardizing our entire relationship with them and sacrifice years of invested effort. By demonstrating our desire to incentivize nations into taking on Guantanamo detainees in exchange for aid or diplomacy, we risk being labeled hypocritical. The list goes on and on, spanning nearly every ally and enemy of our nation, on every continent save Antarctica, from 1966 to 2008. Such methods are better left to be practiced under the table, absent from the public sphere.
Specifically, this leak might alienate our fellow nations when the leaked diplomatic cablediscuss the U.S. suspicions of corruption in the Afghan government and the bargaining to empty the Guantanamo Bay prison. By
The New York Times justified its decision to publish the documents online by arguing that Americans have the right to "know what is being done in their name." This argument, simply put, cannot possibly be universalized. Americans do have a right to know what their government is doing
that they go to be a being — but only to a certain extent. Once we elect our representatives, we are entrusting them to act in accordance with the oath they swear, and to do what they believe is best for the nation. Because each of us cannot directly make decisions for our country of over 330 million people, we delegate this responsibility to the trustees we elect to the Congress and the White House, and by extension to the bureaucrats and diplomats in the executive branch and specifically the Foreign Service. Their judgment, while certainly flawed at many times in our nation's history, must prevail at this critical juncture for U.S. foreign policy – for these cables are forever in the public realm, no matter how dire the consequences. The New York Times should not have taken part in the distribution of these
cables, and the foreign publications that collaborated with WikiLeaks — Germany's Der Spiegel, Spain's El Pais, France's Le Monde, and the UK's Guardian - should be aware that they are engaging in a tactless assault against American diplomatic sovereignty.
transparency has its place, and open government is a great thing for the citizenry of our democratic republic — but all of this ends when national security is threatened. When we sacrifice our national security or knowingly give up much of our diplomatic power for the sake of transparency, we have crossed the line. At a time when the Obama Administration is rebuilding America's global image, we simply can't afford to waste any of our international political capital. President Obama's political capital is already quickly declining on the domestic front, and now, in the name of transparency, it is plummeting in the foreign policy arena as well. Thus, Pfc. Manning is right to be court-martialed for his disloyal and seditious behavior. Julian Assange's actions and decision to distribute these leaked cables have grave consequences for the national security and the future well being of our nation. Though an Australian national with unknown whereabouts, we must attempt to find him and extradite him for prosecution – and hopefully our allies will assist us in this endeavor, understanding that America's internal diplomatic matters have no place on the world stage. For our country's sake, let's hope we can address these concerns before the clock runs out.
— From UWIRE, Rajiv Tarigopula for The Harvard Political Review at Harvard University
HEALTH
Fluoride in water supply presents harmful effects
Somebody's poisoned the waterhole," as Woody would say.
Proponent(s) (including the Center for Disease Control, CDC, and the American Dental Association, ADA) argue that adding fluoride into the water supply will decrease tooth decay by up to 40 percent. The ADA claims to have the support of "the overwhelming weight of peer-reviewed, credible scientific evidence." This however, can be a deceiving statement.
Fluoride is a known poison, used in pesticides, rat poison and nuclear weapons, yet many U.S. cities, including Lawrence, add fluoride into the city's water supply.
It's true that a majority of studies have shown fluoride to be beneficial when applied topically, however, swallowing fluoride can have serious health repercussions.
According to Paul Connett, a chemistry professor at St. Lawrence University, in New York, fluoridated toothpaste is required to include a warning stating, "If your child swallows more than the recommended amount, contact a poison control center." According to Dr. Connett, the recommended amount is a pea-sized glob of fluoridated toothpaste equivalent to one glass of fluoridated water.
The discrepancy is because the FDA doesn't currently regulate drinking water, whereas it does toothpaste.
Fluoride toxicity can cause a vast array of health problems, according to the Fluoride Action Network, FAN (a nonprofit international organization made up of scientists, doctors and citizens against the fluoridation of public water). The effects don't come over night, but rather are due to long term ingestion of too much fluoride (e.g., fluoride in drinking water). Problems can range from joint pain and gastrointestinal symptoms to thyroid disease and cancer.
The typical sign of fluoride
BY SARAH BREGMAN
shregman@kansan.com
The Conscientious Consumer
There is one thing that both sides can agree upon: Fluoridated tap water should not be used to mix infant formula, as fluoride is extremely dangerous for infants and toddlers. According to FAN, only 200 mg (less than a teaspoon) can (and has) kill a baby.
There are far safer methods to prevent tooth decay than fluoridating the public water supply. If an individual wants to use fluoride he or she can use fluoridated toothpaste, for example. It isn't ethical to force a person to consume fluoride against his or her will; those against fluoride shouldn't have to spend additional money to try to remove fluoride from water that their tax dollars are paying for. No doctor would (or could) force an individual to take a medication against his or her*will, but that's exactly what's being done with fluoride.
Bregman is a sophomore from Lindsborg in journalism and international studies.
Proponents argue that dental fluorosis is a "cosmetic effect," but these symptoms are mimicking tooth decay — the very thing fluoride is meant to prevent!
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toxicity is dental fluorosis discoloration of teeth, ranging from white spots to black stains that can eventually begin to chip and break. The CDC estimates 32 percent of American children are affected by dental fluorosis already.
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