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Show ;ssr rpnNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 201 201 A & E Editor lt There are certain times of the year when certain " things L hap- - pen that get - so repeti- want to scream; those cliches deeming the new year. you havent already tred it out, one of my ,est pet peeves is the so 1 ; flfically gine iers 3ok ijd one Years New resolu-- , its such a ridiculous icept, which countless icker of people pretend part in but never jubers in ac-Jl- jke tu y do. rn me for exam-e- l since I was 16 'fa I have always iIS old me. dc the resolution that on will be the day I will of j losing weight. But Qof nt... is that leftover jjistmas Almond Roca? 'M isnt that some extra emebrulee cheesecake last nights New 1 take let's this believe is ert m i party? We cant waste! hats usually about the I change my New ars resolution. My Eve Kjrs to go it tie Years ,ierNew so :ng resolu-)- n becomes: Stop wasteful. My mis then DIXIESUNLINK.COM sion is then accomplished as I polish off the cheese- JACOBSON gy MATT 1 cake and munch on Almond Roca while watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which breaks my other obscure resolution concerning eliminating my laziness and ignoring frivolous reality TV. Its sad news indeed for me, but it's even sadder because it seems all my friends have similar, if not identical, problems with their own resolutions. Its almost as if theres an inner child within all of us who is just waiting for a chance to break the rules. So when we set standards for ourselves that bratty little delinquent within bursts out and gets to work on being counterproductive. So I truly admire anyone who makes a New Years resolution and actually sticks with it throughout the year. As soon as I meet someone who has done that I will give him or her the praise he or she deserves. But as of yet, I have met none. The fact of the matter is we all have a daily routine, and its nearly impossible to break those routines at the stroke of midnight on the first of January. I honestly believe that come Feb ruary most, if not all, people have already forgotten they even made a New Years resolution in the first place. For every resolution Ive ever broken I award myself four out of five bags of burning dog poo placed on my front porch. And for those of you who make similar resolutions and fail to follow through, I hereby give you the review of 10 out of 10 stars. And I mean Hollywood stars. Hollywood stars you will never resemble because you failed to keep that weight loss resolution. So despite all my negativity about resolutions starting in 2011, 1 am going to pose a challenge to all of my faithful readers. It's a challenge that was inspired at a bowling alley. As she strapped on her bowling shoes, a friend of mine told me she purchased a bottle of higher quality champagne and taped her list of New Years resolutions to it. She said when 2012 rolls around she will look at the list, and if everything on it is accomplished she and her husband will celebrate by drinking that bottle of champagne. If not? The bottle will go unopened for another year. So even if the goals arent achieved eventually shell have an expensive bottle of vintage champagne, no? I thought it was a fabulous idea. However, some people dont drink, so Ive had to ponder a bit on how to take my friends idea and mold it into something everyone can use. So here is the challenge: Write down one resolution. Make sure its something you can actually achieve. If youre in the mood to work on a five-yeplan or youre looking to make a million dollars, then you need to go to a seminar hosted by Steve Jobs. Im only here to help you achieve mediocrity. If you need to drop a few pounds (like me) then make d your resolution a loss weight goal. If need to save more you money, have your resolution be to put five extra dollars per paycheck into a savings account. If you are trying to manage your anger, make the resolution to take a five minute break when you start getting mad ar five-poun- over something. Five is the magic number. If the goal is simple and easy to achieve you will feel better knowing you can and will accomplish it. Now take the paper with your one resolution and tape it to an item you want to use (preferably someand thing then put it in plain sight for you and everyone in the world to see. Well, unless your goal is something like I will stop shoplifting five less thongs than I usually do, in which case just put that item in a place where only you will see it. You are not allowed to touch said item until 2012. Dont even dust it. For me, I am going to place my resolution on a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which is the very positively reviewed first book in a series of three. Ive been dying to read it, but I am actually going to wait an entire year. And by 2012, if Ive accomplished my goal, then my reward will be to finally read The -- li Hunger Games trilogy. However, you can put yours on any number of things. A new iPod, perhaps? The latest version of "World of Warcraft" maybe? Perhaps the final season of Lost on y with the directors commentary explaining what the heck was even going on in that show? The possibilities are limitless. If I do this, it will be the first year Ive ever followed through on a New Years resolution, and I think if you try it, it just might be the motivation you need to complete your resolutions as well. So youll never guess what my resolution is. It is to lose weight. Ill just say five pounds, and hopefully once those five chubby pounds melt away I will be motivated to lose five more. Then five more after that. Then who knows? I might actually live to see the day when I dont have love handles. Yes. Just like I said last year: Im actually going to do it this time. Blu-Ra- ipathy made evident by popularity lrive-throu- gh BYTOMBETAR News Editor h What contributes to laziness, obesity, pollution, poor comm- N unication, and instant grati-Jtio- n bug that is begin-t- o infect our society? e new-ag- r tor tor Ediioi Editor or ie may be answer surg- ing, as it is something people rely on Mmany iily. editor The ger ;crocosm Mis hy. Nx drive-throug- is a h of everything with society wrong Face-to-fa- com-Jnicati- has given way speakers with es mixed l!h static beeping lple act and the sound fryers. The of getting out car and walking a restaurant to order chicken or greasy 1ers now seems to be Much effort for some. e ,0 8 r rs idle spew n toxic into the atmosphere 'dnvers sit comfortably A'ait to be handed a Aeal out of a window, us invention of the 'through, while it ses 's save time on some and alleviate Ns inside a building, 'asions Me that Americans N'o take a closer look 0rder 'iSage it to examine the sends to future Nations. I fte age is ch ,'s as where tech- - supreme, it though the en-- 1 schematic of commu-iatio- n has been redone. iional Ning instructions into iep' N, lifeless box from ngsf Sui Stu- by'1' ie" Sun s ait jTe a 'Ms to vehicle now be the norm. A iritlg diesel engine or ' sund of sirens and ICe rushing by can often disrupt communication between the customer and the employee, leading to further complications such as customer who is unhappy when he or she sees his or her order is all wrong. Dont believe me? Try working for two fast food companies as I have, and this will quickly become a reality. Our society needs to revisit the concept of interaction and communication. So much of our communication is displayed and detected through nonverbal cues that cannot be detected by a speaker box. Facial expressions, eye contact and other gestures are an important and effective part of communication that enhance the messages we send. How far has society fallen when we are too lazy to even get out of our cars and walk a few feet to order a meal? It is bad enough that fast food is readily available around every corner day and night, but now, in addition to consuming largely unhealthy and fattening foods, the little exercise we would have by getting out of the car and walking is lost. This speaks to several larger issues in our society, one being the overall laziness of American people. Americans now expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter without so muclTas getting out of their cars. Is it really that much trouble to go inside and wait a few extra minorder? utes for a take-oIf you don't want to get out of your car then stay home and eat. According to face-to-fa- ce ut http:bit.lyaAMvNA, 60 million Americans over the age of 20 are obese. This number is alarming and will only climb higher as fast food becomes more of a staple food source in our country. By making fast food more accessible and affordable we are only hurting ourselves. There may be those who h is argue a the best option when they are pressed for time. When only an hour or less is given for a lunch break, going inside and waiting an extra few minutes seems like folly. But heres an idea. Instead of basing your lunch around the quickest way to get a bjte to eat, why not plan ahead and pack a lunch for yourself? Before leaving home in the morning try putting together a homemade lunch, hopefully with nutritional value, you can eat at work or school during the lunch break. This way you will not be rushed, you can eat exactly what you want, and you will save money in the long run. I am not saying elimiloh nate all cations because at times they may be the best option for some. I am saying Americans need to stop relying on them so heavily, and consider pursuing more healthy options. I am in favor of reducing h the number of locations. Not every new restaurant that opens up should automatih cally include a drive-throug- drive-throug- drive-throug- drive-throug- window. Very rarely will you find a fast food chain today without h feature. the So try going an entire week without using a You may be surprised how easy it drive-throug- drive-throug- h. can be. Z it or tnn pr "j? WIKILEAKS continued from page 10 contract. In order to prevent crime and abuses amongst people, citizens create laws to restrict their own behavior for the greater good. In a democratic republic like our own, 'we elevate some individuals to represent the public as a whole and give them the right to create laws. In wartime cases this capacity to create law enables the military to keep secrets from the people. Assange argues that by keeping secrets from the people the American military officials have breached their agreement in the social contract to protect the interests of those people by harming civilians in combat and misusing its ability to keep secrets. By harming civilians in military attacks and using wartime authority to cover up this harm they are undermining the democratic process by being unrepresentative of the peoples will. Furthermore, by causing harm to civilians in war they are enabling more vengeance-seekin- g terror- ists to be inspired to attack. On the other hand, the American governments position takes the Socratic argument that even if a government is doing wrong, disobeying that government outright re- duces its authority to enforce just laws. The only way to exact change in government is through the democratic process, not through vigilante action. Assange is just as much a terrorist as the Taliban. So let us separate Assange from his rape charges, for while if he did commit rape that would be atrocious but still unrelated to releasing documents. Then let us address claims of hypocrisy: The claim is made that while secretly protecting his sources and exposing government actions and informants he is acting duplicitously. Reasonable people could disagree here, but given that the means by which a organization maintains its capacity to work depends on the safety s it of its seems only rational that he make exception in their case. Thus with the arguments for both sides in place and any claims against Assange derailed I feel I can give you an educated opinion about Wikileaks. The American process has always been about the people ruling themselves. As the American government alienates its people it is moving America away from its ideal form. America was founded on the idea that if a government fails to represent the ideals of its people, then the people have the right and obligation to protest. It is impossible to correct abuses unless we know that theyre going on," Assange said during a speech whistle-bl- owing whistle-blower- at the Oslo Freedom Forum in 2010. It is impossible for the American democratic process to function properly if the government is keeping its actions, especially when they do not represent the will of the people, a secret from those people. Yes, there are better, safer ways this could have been done. Yes, he may have broken laws. Yes, he may have put people at risk. But the democratic process cannot function if the public is not making an informed choice. Perhaps we will have to rethink the way we fight wars. Sun Tzu argued that secrecy and deceit against the enemy was key to victory in war, and in an ever increasingly global society that may mean keeping secrets from the people. Sun Tzu also argued however, that once captured the enemy ought to be treated with respect, so the military's officials cannot argue that they are following the book on this one. If we have learned any one thing from the release of diplomatic cables by Wikileaks, it is that the individual can change the entire scope of a political argument. It is that the people have the right to govern themselves. The presses ought to be free so that can happen. And most importantly as Oscar Wilde said, Give a man a mask, and he will tell you the truth. |