During lunch, all around me, kids are walking around with cafeteria trays loaded with pizza, tater tots, sherbet, etc. and I can’t help thinking to myself, is this healthy? From what I’ve seen, Free State students prefer to buy their lunches instead of bringing them to school.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some really healthy food items available in the cafeteria, but they tend to stay in the cafeteria rather then on kids lunch trays.

What happened to “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”?

In early 2011, the USDA (U.S Department of Agriculture) tried to improve school nutrition and proposed to limiting “starchy vegetables” to one cup a day to encourage children to eat other vegetables. They also asked to limit the use of tomato paste in pizza and other foods with tomato paste in them.

However, Congress has changed some of their suggestions, now, pizza sauce and tomato paste has been categorized as a vegetable to save money for schools that can’t afford perishable food as well as other schools. So now instead of an apple, “a pizza a day keeps the doctor away”.

No matter how many ways you look at it, some food options in schools are really unhealthy. And now, idea of a pizza as a vegetable is actually real and accepted. Just the thought of it makes me raise my eyebrows and think, “Really?”

12.5 millions kids in America between 2 and 19 years old are obese. Some of their options in their school cafeterias are not the best choices to stay in shape with, just the more tasty choices for them to eat.

So the next time you’re in the line for for the cafeteria, think about instead of having potato chips and sherbet for lunch, maybe grab a bag of popcorn and some juice. These sound just as bad but the truth is that if you cut back on the salt and butter, popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks out there and juices with 100 percent fruit and a low sugar count can be just as good. It’s not a big step, but it’s a start.

Men’s fashion. When I was first asked to write about this, I honestly did not know where to begin. How do I write an article about a pair of jeans and a t-shirt?

I decided the best way to find out about men’s clothing was to head to the manliest place I could go without being thrown out: the barbershop. From my own observations and a few conversations with guys waiting for their haircuts, I have theorized that there are three categories of men’s style- hipsters, jocks and the guys who wear whatever looks or smells decently clean.

I know that the men reading this probably resent that type of categorization but in the back of your masculine minds you are probably wondering how we women know that the shirt you are wearing was picked up off of the bedroom floor this morning.

Trust me when I say that it isn’t that hard to tell, especially when you walk in wearing your wrinkled white t-shirt from a Hanes three-pack and tattered jeans. Another giveaway is that bedhead hairdo, when you look like you slept late; it’s obvious that you grabbed the first thing you could lay your hands on.

I must exempt hipsters from this sort of behavior. While most men are struggling to find a decent shirt to wear, you have already prepared a fashion forward outfit complete with cashmere sweater, scarf and gorgeous watch.

For a while, we females were amazed and shocked. You gave away the big secret: Men can wear tailored clothes without coercion or blackmail. But sometime after you started wearing t-shirts with bands that no one knows about, you lost us.

Let’s be honest: no woman wants to be seen with a guy who looks more fashionable or intelligent than her, so hold off on the corduroys and cardigans and kick back in that pair of sweats and that wrinkled white Hanes t-shirt every once in a while.

While the hipsters need to relax a little, you athletic guys need to dress up more often. It is an unfortunate truth that the only time you do not wear an Under Amour, Nike or Adidas product is when you are actually required to be well dressed in honor of game day.

It is on these formal dress-up days that we ladies take notice. I have never met a woman who did not appreciate a pair of nice slacks and button down shirt on a guy. In my opinion, that is the most attractive outfit a man can wear. Pair that with a spritz of cologne, as long as it is not Axe, and you will have our attention in no time.

I suppose the best advice I can give to you men is just to find balance in your choices. Wear sweats on lazy days and dress nicely on others; a little variety never hurt anyone. Lastly, just be yourself-as long as you smell nice.

But all of this pre-holiday mayhem has been the cause of consumer controversy.

In the spirit of Charlie Brown, many people believe Christmas is too commercialized and are protesting the early holiday spirit that stores and radio stations jollily ram down their throats. Stores such as Macy’s and J.C. Penny’s have already begun their holiday preparations with lavish decorations and promises of pre-holiday sales.

“I think it has its perks,” junior Leah Gruber said. “I like seeing all the Christmas things out early but I don’t like all the insane shopping on Black Friday,”

The criticism surrounding the consumer driven holiday Black Friday is justifiable.  Americans spent about $45 billion on Black Friday sales according to the National Retail Association and spent about $76 billion throughout the2010 holiday season making it one of the highest grossing November and December on record.

Stores aren’t the only places to jump the gun on the holiday frenzy. Many radio stations and advertising agencies start jingling the Christmas bells in October ensuring that Christmas turns into a season-long event that dwarfs both Halloween and Thanksgiving.

A Topeka station, KMAJ 107.7 has already begun to play Christmas tunes for evening listeners and will be playing Christmas music around the clock beginning Thanksgiving Day.

Many see this Christmas extravaganza as a reflection on the greed and materialism of American society and the effects commercialism has had on our holiday traditions. But for as much time Americans spend complaining about the commotion Christmas creates, some see the positive rewards in early preparation.

“It’s really frustrating because it is really early but then again it also gets you really excited for winter break,” Senior Kelly Kristiansen said.

Early holiday celebrations also allow people to have something to look forward to, knowing that the end of a fiscal year will soon be over and that people will have a short but well deserved break with their families.

While the criticism of impatience and commercialism that surrounds the holiday season will continue, most will take the commotion in their stride and come December 25, many will realize the true meanings of what the holidays are all about; love, friendship and family.

So stop being rude, mean and disrespectful towards the underclassmen in the parking lot, the hallways, at lunch, at sporting events and any other time that you come in contact with them. You were a freshmen once, remember how it felt.

Respectively,

Callie Brabender and Audrey Lamborn

Suffering constant bombardment of cruel messages was simply a part of life for 14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer.

That is, until he was found dead on Sunday, Sept. 18, as the result of an apparent suicide.
So, as contributors to today’s society, what are we doing to fix this problem?

We all remember our elementary school guidance counselors, with their ever-present smiles and “kind” words, always reminding us to “share” and “value each other.” The goal of the guidance counselors was to foster a healthy, caring, zero-tolerance-of-bullying community.

Thanks to the anti-bullying lessons and frequent viewing of cheesy 80’s anti-bullying videos, actual bullying in real life was something very foreign to all of us in USD 497 elementary schools.
Most other schools nationwide are not as lucky. While they have attempted to implement effective bullying prevention programs, bullying is part of daily life for many students.

But what happens to the bullies when they have gone too far like in the case of Jamey Rodemeyer? The question remains as to whether bullying should be tried as an adult crime with adult penalties. Then again, this depends on the age of the bully.

11 year old Mitchell Wilson of Pickering, Ontario was not cyberbullied, nor was he subjected to constant homosexual slurs.

Instead, Wilson, who has muscular dystrophy, was outside walking when a 12 year old boy from his school smashed his face into the pavement, allegedly in attempt to steal Wilson’s iPhone. Wilson was “Never the same after the attack,” said his father. Wilson was picked on in school because of his disability, but the attack was the last straw.

Wilson’s father found his son’s body–a plastic bag tied over his head, on the morning of what would have been Wilson’s first day of sixth grade. Charges pressed against Wilson’s attacker have been dropped because Wilson can no longer testify.

What kind of sick people post comments such destructive comments or beat up an 11 year old with muscular dystrophy? Our guidance counselors would be absolutely horrified.

After an incident in Carson City, Nevada, where members of a high school wrestling team stripped a teammate, beat him with spatulas, and urinated on him, members of the Senate introduced a bill that would classify a first bullying offense as a misdemeanor, the second as a gross misdemeanor, and the third offense a low-level felony.

If the offender is between ten and 17 years old, they are tried as a juvenile. However, in certain crimes such as violence and sex crimes, the teenager could be tried as an adult and be subject to adult penalties.
Bullying is typically a very juvenile offense, but depending on the impact, the offender could be tried as an adult, even with jail time.

In Jamey Rodemeyer’s case, the people bullying him were around his age, and their bullying directly linked to his suicide. However, while they may have caused a death, they are still kids. They can handle whatever severe punishment they are charged with, but these kids also need serious psychiatric help.
Despite the school programs, help groups, and support of parents and administrators, bullying still persists today, perhaps with more dire consequences than ever.

We are still fighting.

After Jamey Rodeymeyer’s death, Lady Gaga delivered a very emotional performance at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas, dedicating her song “Hair” to Jamey. Later, she tweeted in honor of him.
“I am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the power to end it,” posted Lady Gaga.
NUMBERS TO CALL IF YOU’RE BEING BULLIED:
LOCAL:
Phone a Friend (785) 865-2600
Headquarters Counseling Center (785) 841-2345
NATIONAL:
(877)968-8454 …..1-877-YOUTHLINE teen to teen peer counseling hotline
(800)442-4673 …..1-800-442-HOPE — same routing as 1-800-SUICIDE

ICE CREAM

Sylas and Maddy’s:

You will have been there if you’ve ever been downtown. Sylas and Maddy’s is one of the defining stores of Downtown Lawrence. If you have ever walked past Sylas and Maddy’s and not gone inside to try out any of their 150 different ice cream flavors or any of their fudges you are not a true Lawrencian.

Located at 1014 Massachusetts Street, Sylas and Maddy’s is easily found by the long line of people filing out of the store. Usually there is a huge line that is almost leading out the door and you can always smell them baking the new cones. They offer a wide variety of styles of ice cream. Craving a chocolate covered cone? Don’t worry, they’ve got it. Would you rather have a chocolate covered bowl? They’ve got that too. Neither of those interest you? Try out a banana split, or a piece of fudge. They’ve got it all.

Have you ever been downtown with your mom during Mother’s Day or your dad during Father’s Day? Stop by Sylas and Maddy’s, on special occasions your deserving parents get free ice creams. Who knows, maybe that special gift will make them more generous and they’ll buy you an ice cream cone to enjoy.