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Show Views&Op inion Page 11 Wednesday, March 21, 2012 ► From SOAP BOX, Page 10 the guise of being young, successful future leaders of the world — and what you actually do when you think no one is looking. So, ladies, next time you're hugging up on your big, sexy, disgusting, seldombathed college beau, maybe ask him where his hands have been before he starts caressing your pretty face or letting you kiss his fingers. I can't really limit this to guys. I'm sure a few women do it, too, but I know men are guilty more often than the fairer sex. I guess I wouldn't be so paranoid or peeved by this kind of stuff if I didn't get mildly ill every other week each semester. I've considered the possibility that maybe it's just me. But when I'm not at school, I don't have this problem. I know. Perhaps, I should just crawl under a hole and never bother another soul. Unfortunately, for you and me, I have to get my degree first; and in the process of doing so, I'll have to shake hands, share computer lab keyboards and open doors all over campus for at least another year or two — I'm bound to come in contact with trillions of germs. There's nothing like sitting in a computer lab next to some guy who's jamming out to Rachmaninoff on his iPod and playing "World of Warcraft," and while that brainiac sits there, he coughs a nasty, phlegmy cough into his greasy, sweaty palm every 30 seconds, and goes on using that keyboard and mouse. I guess I shouldn't be too worried, since some of these dudes do actually take the time to wipe their hands in their hair. Some people don't actually cough into their hands — they're smart enough to cough into their elbow or upper arm — these are the people who seem to be aware of more than just themselves. Honestly, though, if I see you cover your mouth at all, I'll be surprised. Last year I was leaving a class in the business building and felt a spontaneous blast of warm, damp air splash across the back of my neck. I turned around only to see some creaton recovering from a violent cough. Dude, really? I told the guy he needed to cover his mouth — not that it mattered, the damage was already done. What's really stupid about all this is that I'm wasting my time saying any of it. While reading this column, you've probably picked your nose twice, coughed a loogie onto the page and scratched your butt. Don't wash your hands, though. You can just wipe them off on the next person you shake hands with. — D. Whitney Smith is copy editor for The Statesman. Comments on his column can be sent to statesmanoffice@ aggiemail. usu.edu . OFrom LIZZEN UP, Page 11 practice after the death of the first baby. Clearly, he did not comply, but instead of being legally prosecuted, the matter was ultimately referred by the city to a "beit din" — a religious tribunal — for review. In his book "God is Not Great," Christopher Hitchens writes about circumcision in connection to religion: "Full excision ... is now exposed for what it is — a mutilation of a powerless infant ... And who can bear to read the medical textbooks and histories which calmly record the number of boy babies who died from infection after their eighth day ... The record of syphilitic and other infection, from rotting rabbinical teeth or other rabbinical indiscretions ... is simply dreadful." The alteration of an individual's body without informed consent is dreadful. It is interesting to note that in third-world countries the circumcision, or genital mutilation of young females, is viewed as an abhorrent attack on human rights and informed consent. In the U.S., before 2006, more than half the population of young males were being circumcised. Fortunately, the practice of circumcision has plummeted in popularity in the last few years. A study by the Control for Disease Center in 2010 found that from 2006 to 2009, the rate of circumcision dropped from 56 percent to 32.4 percent. There are groups called "intactivists," who promote legislation that prohibits the practice of circumcision altogether. Some modern proponents of male circumcision claim that the removal of the foreskin reduces an infant's chances of incurring urinary tract infections and aids in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases later in life. However, according to Kidshealth.org, less than one percent of non-circumcised males will contract a UTI, making this concern negligible. I don't know any sentient man who would willingly submit to significant changes in that area of their body; wouldn't it be better, then, to let mature men make the decision to alter their genitalia once they actually understand what is going on? If the health benefits of circumcision are significant enough then men will seek the surgery on their own later in life. As it stands, infant circumcision is unethical — whether it is to a male or female for religious or secular reasons. Yitzchok Fischer should be held legally accountable for the deaths of two infants, rather than being deferred to a religious council that will, in effect, do nothing to prevent this tragedy from happening again. Lastly, religious and non-religious parents alike who are about whether or not their child needs to be circumcised should reflect on whether the alteration of an infant's genitalia is ethically justifiable. To any honest individual, I believe the answer is a resounding no. Too bad New York's DA doesn't agree. Apply for the FJ Management Scholarship • Available to all students at USU, with preference for Engineering or Business majors • Recipients receive a cash award, up to $5,000 per semester • Scholarship recipients must be a former or current employee, or the spouse or child of a former or current employee of Flying J or the FJ Management Corporation. • Recipients must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Apply online at huntsman.usu.edu/fjscholarship/ Applications due: March 30, 2012 — Liz Emery is a senior majoring in English with a creative writing emphasis. Her column is published every other Wednesday. Comments on her column can be sent to liz.emery@yahoo.com FREE ADMISSIO FOR STUDENTS'. |