IN
09
Opinion
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
United States 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.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
Editorial: City disappoints gender identity advocates
WWW.KANSAN.COM
COMING NEXT WEEK
FREE
PAGE 7A
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
To contribute to Free for All, visit Kansan.com or call (785) 864-0500.
God damn, I hate my roommate's Ugg-like leggings. She always has loud sex while listening to Miley Cyrus or watching "Twilight." (Did I miss any clichés?)
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
Glitter is the herpes of crafts materials.
My friend and I were watching Jerry Springer the other day and she said, "I only watch this to feel better about my life." It's sad but true.
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
TFLN is like FFA on steroids.
When the stairs start feeling like escalators, that's when you know you're wasted.
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
My girlfriend just told me that I should get a pin-up girl tattoo on my arm so she could get a pin-up guy on her's and we could rub arms like they're having sex.
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
Whenever I'm sad, I think of bulldog puppies.
There's nothing like waking up in the morning and taking a fresh drink of water. Oh wait, that's vodka.
I was just told I sound like Glenn Beck. Awesome.
Chuck Norris jokes are still funny.
I've just figured out the easiest way to impress girls. Sure as hell not going to share it, though
I still can't resist the urge to ride my shopping cart across the parking lot to my car.
Had I known that online dating was just an expensive way to get rejected by women, I would have just gone to a bar instead
Does anybody else wish that they can get hit by a bus so they don't have to pay tuition?
Man, I haven't gotten a friend request in like two weeks.
Is it bad that I hid my weed in my tampon box because my dad is going to be coming into my apartment?
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
You stay classy Lawrence.
Why must the fourth floor bathroom in Wescoe always smell like ass? Please make that stop.
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
--some turkey. In case you're having a hard time coming up with something to be thankful for, here are five reasons that Jayhawks should be thank
EDITORIAL BOARD
A Jayhawk Thanksgiving
Admittedly, the world can be a confusing. overwhelming place full of finals, bad weather and a football team that can't seem to win. However, this week is a week to remember the good stuff: To be thankful that the pilgrims and the Indians got together more than 300 years ago to eat
1. BASKETBALL SEASON IS STARTING
2. THANKSGIVING IS ON A THURSDAY
No offense to the football team—you guys have given it your best—but every Jayhawk should be thankful for the start of basketball season. With three official victories behind us, and two games during break, it looks like the beginning to a beautiful season. Even if the turkey is dry and your family is driving you crazy, there is nothing that Sherron Collins, some good
recruits and a Sports Illustrated cover can't cure.
KANSAN'S
OPINION
Thursday might be the unannounced start to the weekend in Lawrence. However, because Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, that means less
school. Though this might be obvious, it's important to remember the simple reasons to be thankful. Students
and faculty have five days of blissful rest to forget about lectures, PowerPoint slides and Scantron tests.
Though school may not seem like something to be thankful for, in this economy, it definitely is. To the majority of students, at least you don't have to worry about finding a job. To the seniors, sorry, you should probably go watch the basketball team win to cheer up, and know
3. WE'RE STILL IN SCHOOL
you still have one more semester on campus.
4. IT'S ALL INCLUSIVE
No matter what religion you are, if you're in the country on Thanksgiving, this holiday is for you. This holiday has a little something for everyone. There's football, shopping, no school and food. Whatever dish is your favorite, from stuffing to pumpkin pie, even vegetarians have to appreciate Turkey Day.
5. NO PREPARATION NEEDED
Thanksgiving is a holiday that requires no preparation. As students you don't have to think of a cleverly ironic or "just sexy enough but not too sultry" costume. You don't have to find the perfect gift for the perfect someone and then at least halfway decent gifts for the rest of your list. Just show up, help your mom mash some potatoes and you're good to go.
Caitlin Thornbrugh for The Kansan Editorial Board.
EDITORIAL CARTOON
... THEN THEY'LL LOVE IT IN 2012!
NICHOLAS SAMBALUK
NUTRITION
Healthy for the holidays
Slushy snow. Freezing winds. Bundling up in multiple layers of clothes. Looks like another Kansas fall. Despite the misery of walking to class in bone-numbing temperatures, these pains do come with a silver lining: The holiday season has arrived!
With great food often the centerpiece of celebration, the biggest challenge during the holiday season is finding a balance between indulgence and health. A few simple guidelines make this easy to do.
1) Snack smart. Planning for small meals throughout the day will help ward off temptations to taste-test and will control serving sizes when actual dinner rolls around. Kick snack power up a notch by choosing "dense" foods, such as fruits and vegetables over lighter options such as chips. This way, a smaller amount of calories will be consumed, while more effectively satiating an appetite.
2) Plan in exercise. The holidays are a time to catch up with family. So why not invite Cousin Timmy or Aunt Susan on a pre-feast power walk? Better yet, get some much-needed time away from the
3) Savor the food. For me, there is nothing like spending hours in the kitchen, diligently preparing a feast, to stir up a big appetite. When time comes to sit down to the dinner table, my general inclination is to dive straight in and enjoy the fruits of my labor. This becomes a problem when, only five minutes in, I am already making a third run through the buffet line.
constant family gossip and strange distant relatives by blocking out some time for a run. Just load up the iPod with holiday music and hit the pavement.
Instead, I've learned the best strategy is to slow down and enjoy each bite. That way my stomach has time to process whether it is full or not and I can fully experience the food.
I am, the very mention of dessert gives my stomach a second wind. I eagerly load up my plate with thick slices of pie and mounds of whipped cream. A few bites in and I already realize my eyes were bigger than my stomach. Again, time has taught me that instead of taking big portions of dessert, it is best to get small samples. That way, I get to enjoy more variety, while cutting back on post-binge regrets.
4) Go for small desserts.
Somehow, no matter how stuffed
5) When in doubt, bring a healthy option. One of the best ways to ensure healthy eating at holiday time is to offer to bring a nutritious side dish. Some good options include veggies with dip, fruit and yogurt sauce or pita with hummus.
The moral of the story: No holiday feast is complete without a small sample of Grandma's butter and heavy cream laden mashed potatoes. So go ahead, indulge. Just remember, it's all about careful selection, thorough enjoyment and knowing that leftovers often taste better than the first time around.
McCoy is a Lincoln, Neb., sophomore in journalism.
NAVIGATING THE BUFFET
Simple food substitutions can save hundreds of calories and dozens of grams of fat, all without sacrificing taste.
3 oz. roasted turkey breast
½ cup rice pilaf
½ cup broccoli
½ cup fresh cranberry relish
1 baked roll
1 slice pumpkin pie
Total Calories = 730
Total Fat = 21 g
Go for ...
Instead of ...
Instead of ...
4 oz. roasted ham
½ cup stuffing
½ cup broccoli with cheese sauce
½ jellied cranberry sauce
1 crescent roll
1 slice pecan pie
Total Calories = 1319
Total Fat = 80 g
Total Savings = 589 calories and 59 grams of fat
— Ann Chapman, coordinator of nutritional services at Watkins Memorial Health Center
DIVERSITY
Thanksgiving then and now
Thanksgiving has some wonderful traditions. It brings families together
Thanksgiving has some wonderful traditions. It brings families together to give thanks, catch up and pass down beloved recipes. It's a wonderful reminder to focus on the good things in life. But its present is nowhere near perfect.
Lawrence is lucky to have a strong Native American influence as well. And though it's not a new topic, I can't help but consider how the modern conception of Thanksgiving is perceived by our Native American population.
Growing up on Kodiak Island, an island south of Alaska, my education was heavily influenced by native traditions. We studied totem poles, created traditional beadwork and attended Alutiq museums and dance ceremonies. In short, the native point of view was never far from my mind
In most media, the first Thanksgiving is boiled down to a happy-go-lucky picnic cartoon. The Indians, with their feathered headdresses, happily share food with the friendly Pilgrims, who wear massive belt buckles and black suits. In some schools, it's even taught that the Pilgrims did the sharing.
In reality, the Wampanogs didn't wear feathered headdresses and the Pilgrims didn't wear giant buckles. The natives gave aid, as per Wampanog tradition, but things definitely weren't tension-free. European slave traders had entered the territory decades prior, creating an immense disrust between the two peoples. And the Pilgrims were incapable of sharing. They were starving when Suanto found them
The underlying lesson of charity and idealism of the first Thanksgiving story is noble, but naive. It's impossible to create the kind of equality portrayed by just glossing over one of the most brutal eras of America's history. Instead of creating millions of construction paper turkeys, children could be taught the traditions of their local tribes. The University can do its part by
COLORING
OUTSIDE
THE LINES
MELISSA LYTTON
Brooke Hansen, associate professor of anthropology and Native American studies, said President Franklin D. Roosevelt "moved Thanksgiving to the third week in November so there would be a longer holiday shopping season."
There are alternatives. Buy Nothing Day, which is held on Black Friday has opposed Thanksgiving-centered consumerism for 20 years, and is now celebrated in 65 countries. It's a wonderful way to refocus and simplify the way we celebrate. Instead of camping out overnight to buy sale-priced electronics, we can stay warm with our families.
Considering the economic situation at the time, it made sense to stimulate the economy in any way possible. It just seems to have spiraled out of control.
Thanksgiving hasn't just drifted culturally, but commercially as well. Last year's Black Friday deaths at Walmart make it startlingly clear that things have gotten out of hand. But Thanksgiving has been used for capitalistic purposes as early as the 1930s.
Use the evening to explore your family traditions, learn about your local tribe and reflect on the progress we've made — and the progress still to come. Take the holiday back to its roots, and remember what it's really about. Be thankful, and focus on a better future.
hosting more cultural events to celebrate the holiday. I've seen several Veteran's Day events on the University's online calendar, but no programming for Thanksgiving.
Lytton is a Kodiak, Ala. senior in creative writing.
WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? Family survival guide
If you happen to have a family that isn't 100 percent awesome all the time, here's a handy tip: At the dinner table, stuff one of the turkey legs in your sleeve and pretend it's your arm. Your grandfather will laugh non-stop for the next 15 minutes. Believe me. I've witnessed this first-hand.
So if there's ever an awkward pause in the dinner conversation, or your grandmother asks what exactly a creative writing degree is supposed to do — though this has never happened to me — whip out that gem and cause a distraction. When your grandfather finally catches his breath, you'll forget what was even awkward in the first place.
— Nichols is a Stilwell Junior in creative writing.
The holidays are filled with good food, great friends and no school, but they can also have a troublesome side — a reunion with those pesky relatives you, thankfully, only see at this special time of year. These are the distant cousins, anuts and uncles who you know live far away from you for a reason.
They ask caring questions including, "Do you have a boyfriend yet?" and say loving things such as, "Don't let the freshmen 15 get you down," but it's important to just ignore them to keep them from ruining your holiday season.
Remember, no matter what, they're still your family, and just remind yourself that you're the normal one.
— Esposito is an Overland Park sophomore in journalism and film.
HOW TO SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
LETTER GUIDELINES
Send letters to opinionkanans.com
Write LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the e-mail subject line.
Length: 300 words
The submission should include the author's name, grade and hometown.
Find our full letter to the editor penny online at kansan.com/letters.
Jennifer Torline, managing editor 864-4810 or itonline@kansan.com
Haley Jones, kansan.com managing editor 864-4810 or hines@kansan.com
Brenna Hawley, editor
864-4810 or bhawley@kansan.com
Jessica Sain-Baird, managing editor 864-4810 or jsain-baird@kansan.com
Michael Holtz, opinion editor
864-4924 or mholtz@kansan.com
CONTACT US
Caitlin Thornbrugh, editorial editor 864-4924 or thornbrugh@kansan.com
Lauren Bloodgood, business manager
864-4358 or lbloodgood@kansan.com
Maria Korte, sales manager
864-4477 or mkorte@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson, general manager and news
advisor
984-2147
Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing advise
984-7645 e-mail jschlitt@nyct.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
members of the Kansan Editorial Board are
Jessica Jaina, Jessica Saina Baird, Jennifer
Torline, Holley Hatz, Gallin Thornbrugh and
Michael Haltz.