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Show Friday, October 5, 2007 EDITORIAL w 1 he Signpost Signpost Viewpoint Coowe mm (a j America has become a society that demands convenience; we want it all and we want it now. We go to restaurants and expect to be greeted by a hostess immediately, shown to a table soon, get served our drinks before a minute expires, with our food not far behind. After eating, we expect our bill fast and a fast transaction. Then we leave fast as if we are embarrassed to be seen there. Sometimes a regular sit-down restaurant is too slow. We are compelled to visit a fast food establishment. From transaction to food delivery we expect Olympic speed and acrobatic ability from employees to get what we came for so we can get to where we are going fast. If we are in too big a rush to even go inside, there is a cure for that the drive-thru. A burger, fries and drink or tacos, sub sandwich, or kung pao chicken, all ready fast and crammed through the portal of hurry up and go. After all, we deserve it. There are places that will change motor oil in a jiffy, and mount tires in 30 minutes. After all, we are in a hurry. Don't like the song on the radio? Switch it to another channel. Why should anyone have to endure three minutes of a song they don't like? The same applies to television. Keep that remote hot turning channels until something appealing is found. If a program is not on at a convenient time, never fear, DVR is here. And never have a cable, satellite, or broadcast blackout. To the cops who hand out speeding tickets don't they know you are busy and in a hurry? Besides, speeding only kills the other person. Likewise parking at WSU. If a tuition-paying student has a car, then there had better be a space available for that student, because taking the bus is not convenient. As a result of our lust for convenience, we are becoming a fat nation. According to the Utah Bureau of Health Promotion, 57 percent of Utahans are either overweight or obese. Let's take a bite out of reality. Convenience is killing us. The lack of movement increases body fat. Restaraunt food eaten infested with high calories with low nutritional value increases body fat also. Bind the two together for extra fat and a recipe for type 2 diabetes and hypertension,, only two of the enemies waiting to ambush the overweight and obese. These diseases, if not treated, will lead to a decrease in quality of life and early death. So stay home and cook your own meals; that way you are in control of calories. Change your own oil; you'll save money. Leave 10 minutes earlier so you can slow down. Take the bus or ride a bike to school. Convenience is a privilege not a right. College crisis: When debate turns personal By Jonathan V. Last McClatchy Tribune In case you're not convinced the American university system is broken, consider the reactions of two college communities to two different speakers. Four years ago, Smith College invited former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to be its commencement speaker. The Smith community was outraged and flew into action. At the graduation ceremony, students handed out pamphlets claiming that Albright was guilty of "crimes against humanity." When she took the stage, many graduates and others in attendance turned their chairs about and sat with backs to her. For the first seven minutes of her speech, she faced constant heckling and booing from the crowd; she was forced to beg the audience to allow her to continue. Twice during the short speech, protesters rushed the stage in an attempt to disnipt the event. Contrast mat with the reception Columbia University gave Iranian President Mah-moud Ahmadinejad last week Sure, there were anti-Ahmadinejad protests outside (one sympathetic soul counter-protested with a sign reading "May Allah Make a Mushroom Cloud Over v Israel'! ") . Unlike Albright, Ahmadinejad was given a combative introduction by Columbia President Lee Bollinger. But the audience of Columbia students and faculty was much more respectful with Ahmadinejad than the Smithies were with Albright. When Ahmadinejad began his remarks by swinging back at Bollinger, several in the audience actually applauded him. More applause occurred when he called for Palestinian self-determination (which is, in itself, curious, since Palestinians have recently self-determined that they want to be led by the Iran-backed terrorist group I lamas). When Ahmadinejad claimed that Iran was the victim of U.S.-sponsored terrorism and was "the first nation that objected to terrorism," there was even more applause. When he defended Iranian executions by asking, "Don't you have capital punishment in the United States?" more applause. When he said that nuclear weapons go against "the whole grain of humanity," more applause. When he suggested that George W. Bush was "retarded," more applause. And when he finished his performance, there was another spate of applause, just for good measure. How hospitable of them. Of course, it wasn't all hearts and flowers. When Ahmadinejad suggested we may not know the real truth about the Holocaust, the audience was largely quiet, with some scattered moans. Likewise, it was impassive while he asked "who was really involved" in 911. And it was positively derisive moved to actual boos and laughter! whenAhmadinejad said, regarding homosexuality, that "in Iran, we do not have this phenomenon." I mean, really, you can rewrite the history of the Second World War, call for the destruction of Israel, insult our leaders, and lie about nuclear weapons while waging a low-grade war against American soldiers but the bounds of civilized discourse only go so far! Of course, that's the point. The academy has become so warped that it seeks civilized discourse with dangerous madmen, yet it spews rage and protest against rational people with whom it has political disagreements. The political is no longer merely the personal; it is the. alpha and omega. A civilizational divide over human rights or sharia or theocracy the sort of things wars are fought over must be discussed politely. A political disagreement over State Department functions that's where discourse is replaced by the brute intimidation. This philosophical inversion would be pathetic were it not so pernicious. It is pernicious because events such as the Columbia debacle do not take place in a vacuum. The Iranian media reported his speech as a triumph, noting how "the audience on repeated occasion(s) applauded." No mention was made of Bollinger's criticisms. (Ahmadinejad's own Web site portrays the speech as a big success, but edits out Bollinger completely.) To suffering Iranian liberals and dissidents, this must be a body blow. In case you've forgotten, in Iran, real people face real repression every day. Liberal political dissidents are routinely tortured. Men and women who commit adultery are stoned to death. In 2004, Atefah Sahaaleh, a16-year-old girl, was executed for being die victim of rape. (She was convicted of "crimes against chastity.") Here is I luman Rights Watch describing part of die Iranian penal code: "Iranian law punishes all penetrative sexual acts between adult men with the death penalty.Non-penetrative sexual acts between men are punished with lashes until the fourth offense, when they are punished with death." Oh, but how the audience guffawed when Ahmadinejad said Iran doesn't have "the phenomenon" of homosexuality. They really showed him. IfiSIf coSu Wl to -me WHITE Wv5 i fa 1 rW BATTLE OF THE SEXISTS BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN ON MONEY money?" . 4 wist''1 Legend has it that women are irresponsible with nothing but live in the moment and that the moment is in the mall. Women were born to shop, shop, shop, and complain when the , money runs out. But that's just an old husband's tale. It's 5 as true as ; the idea that all . blondes are dumb f and coffee s is bad for i you. I ' ni not saying all women are financial saints. Some women really do live in the dollar. I once had a friend who told me the only way she knew someone really loved her was when they spent money on her. I'm kind of a freak about money not anal about money I don't hoard it or anything, I'm just a freak. I don't fit the stereotypical profile many women have earned when it comes to dollars and cents. I get weird when people try to buy things for me I can make myself be okay with it if it's not expensive or if I don't have to think about it too much. But if someone ever tries to give me cash, I don't know what to do with myself ... or them. I'm sure it comes from never having had anyt money to speak of. It's like trying coffee for the first time. It takes a while to get used to. But people get very offended when I don't want to accept their cash or gifts these are the same people who complain that women are obsessed with money. It seems you can't win either way. On the other side of the coin, most of the men I know are either irresponsible " with money '";,? or freakishly -"1 anal about r-" it. They spend a good deal of their spare time lecturing their . significant others about financial responsibility until that one super-great game, special-edition director's-cut extended-play boxed-set movie, remote-control plane or tricked- out computer ' comes out that they really really want, By Cynthia Loveland managing editor and they'll buy it without apology, hesitation or guilt. Theyhaven't done anything wrong. 'Cause thev 1 earned JZ t h e money, right? Except now-a- days, with more shared-income households, men are still playing the part of the overworked breadwinner. Men work come home and watch television. Women work come home, clean, make dinner, and take care of the children if there are any. If she "rewards" herself with a new purse, jacket or shoes (or a matching combination of the three), she's an irresponsible money-hag, but if he "rewards" himself with new chrome hubcaps for his car, he's earned it, dammit. He works hard. Right? V L Li The love of money is the root of all evil. No, it's the root of all that is right in the world. It's a very complex subject ... or is it? It should be this simple: I want to buy something. Do I have the money o r don't I? If I do, I ' buyit. If I don't, I do not. Women would say, "I don't have the money now, but hey! They'll give me 10 percent off if I sign up for a credit card! After all,. I've only got 20 of 'em. What's one more?" This is how stories begin that end with a call to the debt-relief line when you would hear a conversation like this: Operator: Hello, this is the Debt Counselors. What'd you do now? Creditee: Uhh ... is this the Debt Counselors? Operator: Yes, yes it is. You're gonna need a lot of work, huh? Creditee: Yeah, I have $9000 of credit card debt. Operator: Yeah, you're hosed. There's nothing we can do. Call the idiot hodine. Creditee: Are you sure? I could go on a payment plan, er ... Operator: No, no, no, you'll never stick to it. Cut the credit card up and move to Mexico. Tragic, huh? What does it take to curb theseoverspending habits? First, how to NOT get into this situation. Let's say that you are not to blame, but in fact it is your significant other or spouse. You should have done the following in your elimination of candidates: Take a credit card and ask the potential mate, "Is this if. If heshe answers, "Yeah!" you scream, "NO!" and run far, far away. Assuming it's too late to prevent her (yourwife) from turning into a terrible spender, here are some useful tips: Don't just hide the plastic, DESTROY IT. A fun way is to pop it in the microwave ' for 20 minutes (do not leave it unattended it may start on fire.) Then, limit shopping in all its forms, thus limiting temptation as well less Internet shopping, less window shopping you're probably going to have to find something else for the girls to but you hopefully a little broke for it. Finally, don't be afraid to say "no," and watch out, 'cause that devil woman may come up with ways of getting her purchases okayed, like calling you up with, "Hey, this 42-inch plasma comes with a new bedroom set. Can I buy it?" Of course, it's hard to resist a bigger and better TV, and that's just what she wants. Stick to your guns and say "No! We don't need any more furniture in the bedroom!" That'll prudent. r By Matt Jacob news editor do, will be less do. Go and be TTHe 51CNPOST IS NOW. HUVJNC: COLUMN1IT GRAPHICS EDITOR COPY EDITOR, NWS Fs.6POfMeM POLITICAL CXPvTOONlST The W E B K II Sj A T F IJ I V I I! S 1 I V Signpost The Signpost is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during Fall and Spring semester and Tuesdays during the Summer Semester. To subscribe contact Georgia Edwards at 626-7974 or gedwardsweber.edu. The first copy of The Signpost is free, each additional copy is $.50. The Signpost welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include name, address, telephone number and the writer's signature. Anonymous letters will not be printed The Signpost reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Bring letters to the editorial office in The Stewart Library room 65, mail to: The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408-21 1 0. Attn: Editor in Chief email: thesignpostweber.edu |