Professional Documents
Culture Documents
#murphyredrill:
Exercise in futility.
O
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
opinion
Follow us on Twitter @KansanOpinion.
Tweet us your opinions, and we just might publish them.
Emma LeGault, editor-in-chief
elegault@kansan.com
Madison Schultz, managing editor
mschultz@kansan.com
Hannah Barling, digital editor
hbarling@kansan.com
Cecilia Cho, opinion editor
ccho@kansan.com
Christina Carreria, advertising director
ccarreria@kansan.com
Tom Wittler, print sales manager
twittler@kansan.com
Scott Weidner, digital media manager
sweidneri@kansan.com
Jon Schlitt, sales and marketing adviser
jschlitt@kansan.com
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan Editorial Board
are Emma LeGault, Madison Schultz,
Cecilia Cho, Hannah Barling and Christina
Carreria.
A
s a concerned
student I am
writing to all
Jayhawks past, present and
future. I am lucky I have
not been sexually assaulted
in my three years at our
University, but I have been
in situations where I could
have been. Because of this,
I understand the fear and
shame women feel, just like
the unnamed sophomore
who rallied us together
against the Universitys
mishandling of an admitted
rapist.
College campuses are too
permissive toward sex and
alcohol administrators
deny that its a problem
on their campus while
students accept the culture
as if theres no problem.
Clearly, entities like IOA
get lost in trying to make a
distinction between non-
consensual sex and rape,
yet there is no difference.
The circumstances of a rape
should not change how one
is punished.
Regardless if alcohol was
involved, rape is rape. A
friend who took advantage
of your trust or a stranger
who violently forced
himself on you are both
rape. As a community we
need to take responsibility
for this culture and change
it. Im sure weve all been
to parties where someone
has clearly gone beyond
their limits with alcohol,
but is that person always
pulled aside and asked to
leave? No. Not even when
its your friend, roommate,
sorority sister or fraternity
brother. Its hard to manage
a situation like that, but
we should be taught how
to intervene as bystanders
to prevent problems before
they arise.
The University should
take responsibility for
training all Jayhawks
on how to handle these
situations. First, we must
have an open dialogue
from which to start
finding solutions. Tonights
forum at the ECM is
your chance to share
your stories and listen to
others so we can all see
this as not a womens
problem, or a problem
thats representative of
a small minority of the
KU population. Its a
nationwide problem, and
we could be the university
to lead the change.
A friendly reminder to
KU administration: This
forum is not for you to save
face in front of students
and media. Were watching
and we wont let you brush
this aside like you did last
October.
Kaitlyn Klein is a senior
from Bellevue, Neb., studying
journalism
Campuses cant push sexual assault aside any longer
@BWeezy42
@KansanOpinion of course! Whats the
point of voting if I dont know who and
what Im voting for?
B
eing an out-of-
state student, the
upcoming governors
race doesnt mean as much
to me as it probably does for
a Kansan, but that doesnt
mean that it isnt turning
out to be an interesting race.
Kansas seems to teeter-
totter when it comes to
who should be governor.
According to the Kansas
Historical Society, no
two candidates from the
same party have held the
governorship in consecutive
terms since the 1960s.
The only exception was
Mark Parkinson, a former
Republican-turned-
Democrat, to replace
Kathleen Sebelius in 2009.
Looking at recent polls,
this trend is set to continue
for the foreseeable future.
Candidate Paul Davis
currently leads Brownback
by 8-10 points, suggesting
Davis may be the next
governor, but is he really the
best choice for Kansas?
Though many Kansans
look unfavorably toward
Brownback, his campaign
has highlighted several
positive aspects of his
agenda, most of them
within the past few weeks.
The Wall Street Journal
reports that over the last
four years, Kansas has
increased its per-pupil
spending, has seen a 2
percent annual increase
in education spending
and a 10 percent increase
in teacher pensions. The
states private industry has
also grown substantially,
with approximately 55,000
jobs added since 2011.
Although Kansas private-
sector growth has been
below the national average
during most of Brownbacks
term, this past year has
seen Kansas match the
national growth rate in
private industry. As a result,
Kansas unemployment rate
has decreased substantially
while Brownback has been
in office. If elected to a
second term, Brownback
has pledged to add 25,000
new private-sector jobs
per year over the next four
years.
Despite Brownbacks
promises for increased
funding for schools and
increased job growth,
Kansas has had its fair
share of controversy under
its current governor. The
question I pose to you is:
Do Brownbacks successes,
most of them recent, justify
another term? Or has his
overall performance since
taking office in 2011 been
so negative that youre
willing to elect Paul Davis, a
newcomer that no one really
knows anything about? It
should be noted that this
past week, Davis has refused
to answer definitively how
he plans on solving issues
like education, instead
responding generically.
Alternating between
parties and ideologies will
never help Kansas settle in
and create a definitive path
to achieve the states goals.
Unless you truly believe that
he has what it takes to lead
Kansas and put it onto a
consistent path for success,
you should not vote for
Davis. Never vote against
someone just because it
seems like the popular thing
to do.
Take the time to read the
facts and look at Davis
voting record. Before you
choose your favorite, find
factual evidence on which
candidates will benefit you.
Wait for a debate to see how
either Davis or Brownback
plans on making Kansas
better. Voting isnt supposed
to be an emotionally driven
act. Brownback may have
weaknesses, but at least
Kansans know what to
expect with him in office.
Little known or unqualified
candidates who step into
positions of power often
dont work out like theyre
predicted to.
Adam Timmerman is a
senior from Sioux Falls
studying environmental studies
Voters should stay away from
bandwagon during elections
By Adam Timmerman
@AdamTweets4You
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
T
he Jaws theme song
is well known all
around the world,
whether youve seen the
film or not. Sadly, the fear
that accompanies the movie
has also become the status
quo for real-life encounters
with sharks. According to
National Geographic Shark
Attack Facts, For every
human killed by a shark,
humans kill approximately
two million sharks.
Peter Benchley, author and
co-writer for the screenplay
of Jaws, regretted the
backlash from the novel and
movie on human attitudes
toward sharks. Serving as
an avid conservationist for
the latter part of his life,
Benchley said, Knowing
what I know now, I could
never write that book today.
Sharks dont target human
beings, and they certainly
dont hold grudges.
However, Discovery
Channel did not seem
to have the same
guilty conscience in its
programming of Shark
Week. With titles like Great
White Serial Killer and
Jaws Strike Back, sharks
are depicted as killing
machines rather than a
vital, threatened part of our
ecosystem.
Discovery Channel also
had no shame in airing
false, dramatized evidence
in its programming about
the gigantic (extinct)
creature known as
Megalodon. Megalodon
was a shark that, as Charles
Choi reports for livescience.
com, was at least 30 times
as heavy as the largest of
its living relatives, the great
white shark.
Receiving backlash in
response to their piece
portraying a living
Megalodon in the previous
year, Shark Week Executive
Producer Michael Sorenson
said, Its one of the most
debated shark discussions
of all time, can Megalodon
exist today? Its Ultimate
Shark Week fantasy. The
stories have been out
there for years and with
95 percent of the ocean
unexplored, who really
knows?
The thing is, scientists
really do know. Robert
Boessenecker, a
paleontologist at the
University of Otago,
disagrees with myths of a
surviving Megalodon.
No credible records of
Pleistocene (or Holocene)
C. megalodon exist
anywhere, Boessenecker
said. And if we cannot
even prove that a giant
shark survived past 2 to 3
million years ago, the case
for C. megalodon survival is
hopelessly poor.
Boessenecker also points
out that Discovery Channel
mustve known they
were being intentionally
misleading, or being
hopelessly naive in
thinking the public will
be able to separate fact
from fiction. I saw this
effect firsthand as a camp
counselor at an aquarium
over the summer. The week
after Shark Week, almost
every camper was convinced
of a living Megalodon and
took the programming as
a fact.
Based on its established
reputation, Discovery
Channel has the
responsibility to educate
the public on nature and
reality. Shark Week has
fostered interest in sharks
since 1988 and has created
shark stewards throughout
the years. However, the
new trend of reporting false
science and exaggerating
the violence of sharks
is unacceptable and
detrimental to society and
sharks alike.
Jenny Stern is a junior from
Lawrence studying ecology
and evolutionary biology
Shark Week provides
questionable content
By Jenny Stern
@jenlikeswhales
D
ark indie comedy
Frank ofers one of
the funniest, most ar-
ticulate examinations of weird
music-makers in flm the
pretentious sort who have
a strange creative process, a
unique image/brand and a
sound that straddles the line
between artistic achievement
and noise. Here, it centers
on a mysterious musician
wearing a giant fake head.
But underneath the eccen-
tric humor, it also efectively
tackles the theme of mental
illness and the toll it can take
on artists.
Afer the keyboardist of
avant-garde band Te
Soronprfs tries to drown
himself, manager Don (Scoot
McNairy) recruits unassum-
ing Jon (Domhnall Gleeson)
to fll the spot. Jon works a
boring job and tries compos-
ing pop tunes in his free time
(theyre all crap), yet he eager-
ly jumps on the opportunity,
only to fnd himself moving
to an isolated cabin with the
extremely odd band members
to work on their new album.
Te frontman, Frank
(Michael Fassbender), proves
to be a musical mad genius.
He is uncommonly kind,
employs unusual methods
and is overfowing with
creative talent, although he
wears a big fat papier-mache
head at all times. Clara
(Maggie Gyllenhaal) plays
the theremin, always seems
angry and despises Jon from
the start, while Don used to
have sex with mannequins
instead of real women, and
the drummer (Franois Civil)
and guitarist (Carla Azar)
only speak French.
Fresh-faced Jon doesnt ft
in well, although he does
build a following for Te
Soronprfs with his blog
and social media posts. Te
tremendously clever frst half
explores the idiosyncrasies of
the group to hysterical efect,
particularly during montages
with his blog writing voiced
over footage of ambient
noise collection, aggressive
team-building exercises,
physical fghts between mem-
bers and more.
Te music practices are
comical at frst, sounding like
cacophonous noises clashing
together. But when we see
them performing in earnest,
their music echoes the atmo-
spheric and lyrical complexity
of something like a fuzzier,
more out-there Pink Floyd
with favors of Te Flaming
Lips.
Fassbender happens to have
a commanding singing voice
that drives the grandiose
sound, although in his quiet-
er, sillier songs he exhibits a
wonderful buoyancy. Frank
himself also surprises, seem-
ing like a total enigma at frst
but revealing his sof, open
and supremely enthusiastic
persona behind the huge
painted face.
Te second half takes Te
Soronprfs to the Austin
music festival South by
Southwest, where Jon fnally
feels like he fts in but the
others do not. In an attempt
to be more accessible, Frank
creates his most likable song
ever, a hilarious, ridiculous,
speedy pop tune. It poignant-
ly becomes clear how fragile
and troubled a soul the gentle
Frank is as he begins cracking
under the pressure, while the
mental illness aspect of the
story, handled with little seri-
ousness previously, suddenly
plucks at the heartstrings and
makes a worthwhile state-
ment.
Fassbender has quickly es-
tablished himself as one of the
best working dramatic actors
over the past fve years, which
makes this darkly comic
performance wildly difer-
ent from anything hes done
before, a sublime joy. Te
transformation of Gleeson as
the everyman throughout the
flm gives viewers a relatable
point of reference among
such strange characters and
eventually more sympathy
with those outsiders than
with him.
Despite being a bit bizarre,
Frank is the kind of special
treat that rarely comes around
but should be cherished when
it does. Its an extraordinary
dark comedy that features
not only a talented performer
outside of his comfort zone,
but also has something to say
and delivers in an original
way with a distinct voice. And
for anyone whos ever been
a part of a band led by one
main creative individual, this
nails that dynamic so spot-on
its a must-see.
Edited by Miranda Davis
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2014
A
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
arts & features
HOROSCOPES
Because the stars
know things we dont.
PAGE 5
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Today is a 7
Choose personal time and post-
pone a public outing or travel.
Work within the rules. Follow a
hunch. Dont plan to do it all
yourself. Youre gaining authority
today and tomorrow.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Today is a 6
New directions beckon. Use what
youve kept hidden. Dont go
shopping until the check clears.
Review your priorities. A moment
of disagreement could slow the
pace
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Today is a 6
Group participation wins results
today and tomorrow. Things
dont always go as expected.
Begin planning a trip (but
dont take off yet). Be willing to
compromise. Dont antagonize
your partner.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Today is a 7
Theres more work arriving. Con-
sider accepting more responsi-
bility today and tomorrow. Base
a gamble on experience. Dont
choose the most difcult path or
discuss plans. Reserve strength.
Play with friends and family.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Today is a 7
Today and tomorrow are great
for travel. With discipline and
planning, you can go anywhere.
A new direction beckons. Use
what youve just learned. Keep
alternate routes in mind, just in
case. Study your destination.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Today is a 7
Take disciplined action regard-
ing family nances and advance
farther than expected today and
tomorrow. Study your hunch... it
could work. Sign papers and le
them. Compare new features.
Dont talk about it. Get moving.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today is an 8
You can do anything you set your
mind to. Listen to your partner.
Collaboration brings fruitful
results today and tomorrow.
Learn from a strong leader. Put
your back into it.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Today is a 6
A new project demands attention
today and tomorrow. Talk doesnt
go far... actions required. Apply
discipline to time management
this week, and rely on your
schedule. A bonus is available.
Youre the stabilizing inuence.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Today is a 7
Assert your opinion without
clashing with an authority
gure. This requires an attitude
adjustment. The practical can
also be comfortable. Love is the
priority today and tomorrow.
Practice something youre pas-
sionate about. Emotional release
provides freedom.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today is a 7
Imagine a rm foundation.
Strengthen your household infra-
structure. Take on a project with
enthusiasm. Quiet determination
gets it done. A disruption or
surprise distracts... stay exible.
Follow an experts advice, and
prepare for a party.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today is an 8
You have a knack for putting
words together today and to-
morrow. Write but dont publish.
Study and research. Embrace
a new phase in leadership.
Discover a lost treasure in the
process. Dont let nancial
constraints stop you.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Today is an 8
The next two days are good
for making money. Assume
responsibility. A loved one offers
support. Act on what you hear.
Keep watching for openings.
Not all directions progress.
Persistent action gets results.
Speakeasy opens in downtown Lawrence
MARISSA KAUFMANN
@MarissaUDK
ANNA WENNER/KANSAN
Lawrences new speakeasy, John Browns Underground, has no signs and advertises only by word of mouth.
ANNA WENNER/KANSAN
John Browns Underground is open every day at noon for lunch. As well as food, they serve a variety of cocktails.
Lawrences newest business
has an ofcial address 7 E.
Seventh St. but you wont
fnd it on Google maps. Te
restaurant and bar is also
a speakeasy, appropriately
named John Browns Under-
ground. Brain power and
personal intuition serve as
prerequisites to setting foot
in the front door.
Te search for John Browns
Underground, a place for
cocktails, food and freedom,
is made more difcult with no
indication of the restaurant in
sight, aside from a black aw-
ning atop the stairs that leads
to the restaurant.
Te location was strategi-
cally placed underground,
creating a sense of discovery
for any patron that fnds it.
Owner Scott Elliot would not
have it any other way.
(It is) true speakeasy fash-
ion to put a bar where a bar
was not supposed to be, El-
liot said.
Along with no sign, you
will not be able to fnd John
Browns Underground on the
Internet or in any advertise-
ment. Elliot said the restau-
rant is going old school.
100 percent word of
mouth, he said.
Elliots goal is for customers
to receive a personal invita-
tion. In the digital age, this
unique concept might seem
foreign and outdated.
Students seem more in-
trigued by the retro restau-
rant. Hannah Hall, a senior
from Lawrence, said she
thinks it would be an inter-
esting experience and sounds
like a unique addition to
Lawrence because no place
like it currently exists.
However, Tim Bengtson, a
professor of journalism at the
University, does not see the
appeal or the magic in this
old-fashioned concept, but
admits it is sometimes strate-
gic in business to go lef when
everyone else goes right.
Elliot said he found in-
spiration through traveling
across the United States. His
inspiration for John Browns
Underground came from
restaurants such as East Side
Showroom in Austin, Texas,
Raines Law Room in New
York City and Manifesto in
Kansas City, Mo. He said no
place is more accepting than
Lawrence.
When America was grow-
ing and budding, food was
not chemicals. Everything
was authentic, he said.
Tis authenticity is refect-
ed in the restaurants food,
drinks and service. All in-
gredients are grown from
the restaurants garden and
every drink is hand crafed
by the bartender. Te drink
menu features unique cock-
tails such as Pimms Cup, Te
Abbey, Rob Roy, Mint Julep,
Sazerac and a Prohibition
punch.
Paul Scott, a professor of
French at the University,
chose a Pisco Sour, which
is made of pisco, lime and
egg whites. A Pisco Sour is
a drink commonly found
in Chile or Venezuela, Scott
said. He has also tried the
daily special, a Pistachio Cel-
lo, an inspired twist on the
classic Limoncello.
It was beautiful. It was
very moorish, Scott said.
Moorish is a British expres-
sion meaning something you
crave and want more of it. Its
kind of addictive, so you call
it moorish.
Te restaurant opened two
weeks ago, and has doubled
its sales during the second
week, Elliot said.
John Browns Underground
opens everyday at noon for
lunch and stays open until
midnight Sunday through
Wednesday, and until 2 a.m.
Tursday through Saturday.
Edited by Ben Carroll