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Friday, November 18, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
Opinion
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Senate had weak reasons for grounding space club
Student Senate's reasons for denying financial support to the KU. Space. Program lack reason.
The program has a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to send five experiments into space aboard the space shuttle. Although complex, these experiments represent a solid, genuine interest among KU engineering students in the national space program. They also provide students hands-on experience not offered in the classrooms at the University. Such a unique experience could be used to attract potential engineering students.
But that effort was stifled Nov. 2 when the Student Senate's Finance Committee coldly rejected a request that would have supported the program. The request was for $10,393.
Paul Leader, co-chairman of the finance committee, offered three reasons why the committee killed the request. First, he said the amount requested was too much. But Senate is thinking unrealistically if it considers $10,393 expensive for designing, building and delivering five space experiments for a space shuttle flight.
The second reason Leader gave was that the KU Space Program did not appeal to a broad base of students. But most KU students would like the chance to be linked directly with a nationally recognized achievement such as the space shuttle.
Lastly, Leader said the committee considered the group's financial responsibility questionable. But the reason given for labeling the group as such was weak.
having the group Craig Citron, student body treasurer, said the group had misled Senate last year. But it is likely that was just because of a miscommunication, not because of any intent to deceive.
of a miscommunication to the student body and overseer of students' money. Senate should have reacted better to the KU Space Program.
Senate allocates thousands of dollars to such clubs as the University Dance Club, KU Sailing Club and the International Association of Students in Economics and Commerce. An attempt as noteworthy as space experimentation surely is as important as these groups.
If senators thought the funds should have been allocated through a different account or that the University should pay for the program, they at least could have financed the program partially or commended the program's efforts and endorsed its cause.
They didn't. But they should have.
Tony Balandran for the editorial board
'Temptation' in Lawrence
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the movie theater again, "The Last Temptation of Christ" shows up in Lawrence.
It's about time
The controversial movie is scheduled to run until Dec. 3 at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St. Liberty Hall should be congratulated for being the only theater in Lawrence that hasn't been pressured and intimidated by protesters into not running the film.
The crowd of about 200 that stood out in the cold on Wednesday demonstrating against the movie should also be congratulated for asserting their opinions peacefully.
The key word is peacefully. Any attempt to block people physically from entering the theater, any threat of violence or any use of "stink bombs," similar to what happened when the movie "Hail Mary" was shown at the Kansas Union in spring 1987, defeats the purposes of the protesters, not the movie-goers.
Christine Martin for the editorial board
Although there have been no violent protests so far, the potential is present with something that has stirred so much indignation. Protesters need to remember for whom and for what they are demonstrating. Whether one thinks of Christ as a spiritual savior or just a historical figure, it cannot be argued that above all things, he advocated peace.
Correction
- Because of a editor's error, an editorial in Wednesday's Kansan gave the wrong figure for the amount of a contribution from the University for engineering laboratories. The correct amount was $90,000.
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St. George and the Dragon, 1988
Porsche: Is there a substitute?
Although I've never met Frederick J. Schwab. I must assume that he's big heat in his line of work.
His stationery says he is Senior Executive Vice President of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
President of Porsche cars North Amherst, I can
know this because he has sent me a personal
invitation to drive one of his Porsche cars. And
maybe buy one.
In a burst of enthusiasm he wrote:
"I imagine yourself behind the wheel of one of the most powerful and exciting automotive machines"
I did as he suggested. I closed my eyes and imagined myself behind the wheel of a Porsche 928 S4.
The imaginary vision didn't do too much for me.
I could hear my wife saying, as she always does,
"Do you mind not smoking in the car?"
Then I saw myself pulling onto the madness of the Kennedy Expressway, being wedged between a giant truck and a '69 Pontiac belching black fumes and everybody slowing to 5 miles an hour to gape at a family of 12, who share 20 teeth, standing on the shoulder of the road pondering a flat tire on their pickup truck.
then pickup it is.
As fantasies go, it wasn't much fun, so I opened my eyes and went on with Vice President Schwab's letter.
fetter.
"We've got one with your name on it, and I want to personally invite you to your Porsche dealer for a complimentary test drive.
Come and experience the incomparable handling, the smooth power, the pure excitement of driving this exceptional automobile. Sit behind the wheel and surround yourself with the sleek styling that made it famous.
"However, one word of caution: After you drive a new Porsche 928 S4, you may be compelled to own one."
Mike Royko
Syndicated columnist
No, Mr. Schwab, I will not be compelled to own one.
After receiving your invitation, I called a Porsche dealer and asked how much your 928 $5 doo-dad costs. He said between $75,000 and $80,000, depending on what accessories I wanted in it.
But Mr. Schwab couldn't have picked a less likely prospect.
Not that I'm cheap but I consider $75,000 to with-
come the expense of a dish with "incompatible handling" and "smooth power."
How much incomparable handling and smooth power does one need to get around Chicago? The secrets of survival are to get out of the way of interstate trucks, to remember that Friday is drunken-driving night on the expressways and to never give the finger to someone with a tattoo on his arm who is driving a clunker that looks uninsurable.
And although I don't want to criticize Mr. Schwab's product, frankly I don't see where they get off charging $80,000 for something that small.
If I were going to throw that kind of money around, I would want something old and flashy — an old-time, fat, bloated Detroit gazzler. Then, with a big cigar clenched between my teeth and a pinky ring on my finger, I could pass for an alderman or a Mafia elder and get some respect.
But in a Porsche, people would justifiably assume I was a Yuppie who trades pork bellies or soybean futures, because those are the kinds of people who buy Porsches. Who needs that kind of humiliation?
As students of the auto industry tell us, once you pass a certain sensible, prudent limit in car buying, you are no longer buying just transportation. You are making a statement.
My cars always have made a statement. They are covered with bird droppings, soo, oat, grine. The inside is littered with ash, urine, grime and wipers I forgot to drop at the corner mailbox.
The statement my cars make is "Modern life requires that I own one of these things, but I don't."
But if I bought one of Mr. Schwab's trinkets, I would be telling the world, "Look everybody, I have paid $80,000 for a small car that is capable of going 150 mph, although the speed limit is 55 where I do most of my driving. And if I leave it unattended for more than two months, I will probably be about who gets to steal it. Therefore, the statement I am making with this car is, 'I am a real jerk.'"
Finally, Mr. Schwab, I have to tell you that I cannot buy your car because it is not made in this country. I don't buy cars made in Germany or Japan.
I'm not spiteful, and I believe in letting bygones be bygones. But I have a personal policy of waiting 100 years between wars before doing business.
Write me again in 2045.
■ Mike Royko is a syndicated columnist who writes for the Chicago Tribune.
K·A·N·S·A·N
MAILBOX
Underliners beware
How many times have you checked out a book from the library only to find that some genius has already underlined all the pearls of wisdom contained in it? And how many times have you found that the genius was so sure of his selections that ink was his medium of choice? And further, if you were able to force yourself past the brilliance of these selections, how many times did you find other passages more relevant to your particular study? Too many times.
To those who insist upon decorating library books with underlines, parentheses, pontifications and graphics, I would like to argue the following:
Because you are only in temporary possession, of library books, spending time undercliming is a poor use of the student's most limited resource time. I suggest taking notes so that you remember what you have read and to insure that you are the one who has to suffer your selections.
Underlining passages makes the text more difficult to read and often goes unnoticed amid all the other lines you have made if you are going to be using them for a particular route. See suggestion above.
Underling entire pages is an even greater waste of time than that mentioned above. However, if you find each word so crucial, I would argue this is why God invented copiers
Finally, library books are collective or private property, therefore they are not yours to do with as you will. Writing in them constitutes vandalism and is an offense against others who use these texts and against anyone else who uses your own selfish interests and think beyond your own selfish interests and not burden others with a permanent record of what is so often an inept attempt to assimilate information.
Pam Detrixhe
Pam Detrixhe Lawrence graduate student
Averting disaster
In response to guest columnist Rias Mohamed's Nov. 10 article, I would say: Ever heard of a backup? Although computers are only as smart as the people who use them, they
do seem to have a mind of their own at times.
For those times, users must be prepared.
When you're working on an important document, make periodic backups. At the end of every session, copy the document onto a floppy disk and store it safely apart from the computer. If the editing session is particularly long, make sure to keep it safe by backing up backups take extra time, but when it comes to times like those Rias described, you'll be thankful for not having to start all over again
I learned the importance of backups when a friend, who knew I didn't have a backup, replaced my floppy disk with a blank disk as a practical joke. When the computer could not find my document on the disk, I started to panic. I thought that 80-plus hours of work was going down the drain, and I was going to have to start all over again. Just then, my friend walked in with my original disk, laughing all the way. What did I do first? I made a backup.
Other situations also warrant backups — power outages, power surges, accidental deleting; the list goes on and on — only proving that backups are worthwhile.
Emily J. Knoll programmer, office of information systems KU computer center
BLOOM COUNTY
by Berke Breathed