Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Education is not always knowledge

The first 18 years of life for most people are filled with constant schooling. If lucky, some get the opportunity to go to college. The education system is built on tests, and the end of the semester means it is about that time again.

Everything that students supposedly learned throughout the course of a class must be proven on a scantron. Quickly after all the answers are bubbled in, the mind releases itself from all the memorized facts learned the night before. Education has become something people pursue because society says so.

Students struggle to recall what they learn in their courses. They go through the motions.

"I'm in school because I need a job", said Washburn senior, Lauren Conway. "My mom said that people are supposed to go to college."

Finals week causes all students to question why they're in college. An hour long test determines if the student deserves to pass the 4 month long course they just endured.  Education depends on performance on a sheet of paper.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Station celebrates 16 years of occupation (revised)

On Nov. 2, 2000, the first three people to inhabit the International Space Station arrived at the outpost in their Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft.

NASA astronaut William Sheperd and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev  docked to the aft port of the Zvezda service module. At the time, the ISS consisted of only three pressurized modules.

Sheperd, Krikalev and Gidzenko spent four-and-a-half months living aboard ISS. During that time a single Progress cargo ship and three space shuttles visited the complex.

The first two shuttles, Endeavour and Atlantis, each brought up pieces of the outpost. Endeavour brought the P6 truss in December 2000 while Atlantis brought the first station laboratory, Destiny, in February 2001.

Discovery launched in March 2001 and brought up supplies for the outpost. Additionally, the spacecraft ferried three new crew members to the outpost: Russian cosmonaut Yury Usachev and NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms. They would form Expedition 2.

The Expedition 1 crew would return home in Discovery having completed 141 days in orbit. Today, the International Space Station is currently hosting Expedition 50. The outpost has since been completed and six people regularly inhabit it.

Since Nov. 2, 2000, there has always been at least two people living in orbit – a record time of uninterrupted occupation of space.



Revised by Terry Richardson

2 launch to Tiangong 2 (revised)


Two Chinese astronauts launched Oct. 17 China Standard Time in their Shenzhou 11 spacecraft. Two days later, the duo rendezvoused and docked with the one-month-old Tiangong 2 space laboratory.

Docking took place at 3:31 a.m. China Standard Time (19:31 GMT Oct. 18). A few hours later, after leak checks, Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong opened hatches between the two vehicles and entered the one-room laboratory.

The two will spend a month aboard the outpost to test advanced live support systems and conduct various science experiments.

This is the second Chinese space station and the sixth flight overall from the Asian country. After the Shenzhou 11, the next flight to dock with Tiangong 2 will be the Tianzhou 1 unpiloted cargo ship. It is expected to launch in April 2017 to test autonomous fuel transfer between the two craft.


Revised by Terry Richardson

Man Delivers Message

A lone black man paced up and down the sidewalk on the northeast corner of 10th and MacVicar excercising his first amendment right. Propped up against a street sign was a sign - a white piece of bulletin board attached to a large wooden frame. In blue letters, the sign read,"God is Good."

"Yeah, I said it, God is Good," said the man as he paced back and forth on the sidewalk.

Another sign, built identical to the first was propped against the street light. In red letters the sign read," The Devil is No Good."

"It isn't God giving us grief today. God is good," said the man.

Across the street at Kwik Shop,customers walk into the store, but pause to look at the man across the street as he exercises his freedom to speak in public. Over the course of the past six months the man has regularly stood at the corner to speak in a loud discourse.

“He is so loud,” said an onlooker at the Kwik Shop. “It makes me a bit nervous.”

In a country that protects freedom of speech and religion and in city that is home to the Westboro Baptist Church, the residents of Topeka have become accustomed to displays of religious speech. It has become common for long lines of protestors from the Westboro Baptist Church to line the streets holding signs that read,”God Hates Fags.”

Even though the message the man on 10th and MacVicar is not one of hate, he attracts many an awkward glance and maybe even fear.


“I think that people are scared because he is tall, black and loud,” said Tiffany Melendez. “He just looks like the type of person that can knock you out.”

Friday, November 25, 2016

A New Sleigh for Christmas ( The Christmas Mustang Revised)


Christmas of 2005, the brand new redesigned mustang had just been released months before.  A man named Kevin was planning to get something special for his wife Cindy this year. 

Cindy had always loved muscle cars, she drove a 1969 Camaro and a 1971 Plymouth GTX in her younger years.  So when she saw the mustang’s throwback retro look she was in love.
With the help of Cindy's sister Lisa, Kevin planned to surprise Cindy by revealing the car at her sister's house on Christmas


After everyone had arrived, Kevin and Lisa convinced the whole family to take a family photo outside in front of the garage. Once everyone was grouped in front of the garage, Kevin grabbed their attention by saying “say cheese on the count of 3”.  When Kevin uttered the words cheese, Lisa opened the garage door behind the family revealing the new mustang with a bow and note saying merry Christmas Cindy ,love Kevin.

The Intersection Nightmare (Revised)

 Topeka’s road and parking lot layouts can be questionable.  For example the intersection of 10th Avenue and Buchanan Street.  The small parking lot that parallels 10th Avenue usually isn't cause for concern, but this October day it was.

An elderly man heading south on Buchanan Street approached the intersection. As he looked both ways, he saw a parking lot full of cars.

This was problematic because the cars were aligned in a way that completely blocked the view of eastbound, oncoming traffic.  The man looked puzzled, weighing his options.


Deciding on whether to floor it into the intersection or creep out resulted in a 25-minute traffic jam.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Flu season equals you season (Revised)

It’s that time of year again, the air no longer embraces the days with the same warm affection and chicken soup’s stock goes through the roof. Flu season is here and it couldn’t have come sooner. A friend was walking down the aisles of Dillon's when he noticed multiple end caps for Robitussin DM and NyQuil. He could not have been happier, flu season is his favorite time of year.

Why you ask, because flu season allows him to be a horrible person and have a reason to justify his behavior. One can partake in the action and make those snot filled days the best days of ones life. Here's how.

Don't want to do something, don't worry you don't have to, you are sick after all. Whenever someone asks you why you didn't do something respond with "I'm sick.”

Some quick examples.

A roommate comes into the room and says "dude why didn't you clean up the kitchen, you left a huge mess.” Respond with "I'm sick.”

The boss calls asking about not showing up to work, answer "I'm sick.”

A friend catches another friend stealing his credit card to order 20 copies of their favorite movie, the friends response to the situation "I'm sick.”

They may have lost their jobs, friends and respect from their roommates, but just think about at the carefree life they’re living.

One final piece of advice, make sure to constantly remind friends and family of one’s deathly illness acquisition. They will forget without the constant reminder. By reminding them just how awful one is feeling, it will ensure the sympathy of others for weeks. If they seem annoyed, don't worry, they’re just jealous of ones carefree lifestyle and will get over it.

I hope this helps, and eases the anxiety of flu season. Remember if one has to be miserable, make sure those around are just as miserable. Have a nice day.

The Christmas Mustang

A man surprises his wife on Christmas with a gift she never forget.

It was the christmas of 2005, the brand new redesigned mustang had just been released in the  months before.  A man named kevin was planning to get something special for his wife cindy this year.  

Cindy had always had a love for muscles cars, she drove a 1969 Camaro and a 1971 Plymouth gtx in her younger years.  So when she saw the mustang’s throwback retro look she was in love.

Kevin thought that the perfect gift would be to surprise her with one on christmas.  With the help of Cindys sister Lisa, they got the car a few days before Christmas and stored the car in lisa’s garage.  It was the perfect spot for the big reveal because the whole family was coming over to lisa house for christmas dinner.  


After everyone had arrived, Kevin and lisa convinced the whole family to take a family photo outside in front of the garage, they were cold and not happy about it.  Once everyone was grouped in front of the garage, kevin grabbed their attention by saying “say cheese on the count of 3”.  When kevin uttered the words cheese Lisa open the garage door behind the family revealing the new mustang with a bow and note saying merry chrisms Cindy love, kevin.

-Matt Boland-

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

The nightmare intersection

A simple drive becomes a 25-minute game of Russian Roulette.

Topeka’s road and parking lot layouts can be questionable.  For example the intersection of 10th Avenue and Buchanan Street.  The small parking lot that parallels 10th Avenue usually isn't cause for concern, but this October day it was.

An elderly man heading south on Buchanan Street approached the intersection.  He looked both ways, to his left, he saw that parking lot filled with cars.

This was problematic because the cars were aligned in a way that completely blocked the view of eastbound, oncoming traffic.  The man looked puzzled, weighing his options.

He could either floor it into the intersection or creep out hoping someone would slow down.  Both options were risky and neither seemed more advantageous than the other.  


He debated for 25 minutes, until finally deciding to creep far enough out that he could see past the cars.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

(Revisioin) A Hometown Treasure

Allison and her family love their hometown of Overland Park, Kansas. Every year this city has a fall festival, which she has never heard of, so she figured it would be a new and exciting activity for her and her family to do on a Saturday morning.
Upon arrival, she was surprised to see how many tents were set up. Homegrown food and flowers lined the sidewalks as far as the eye could see. She picked up some fresh tomatoes and green beans that looked almost too good to eat.

Towards the end of their day they stumbled upon a man playing a guitar in the midst of all the commotion that was the fall festival. He had such a wonderful singing voice as well as guitar playing skills. Walking back to their car with full bellies, Allison and her family had a well day spent in their hometown treasure.

More states are feeling privy to the legalization of marijuana (Revised for Alexis)

The uproar of controversy for the battle of legalization for marijuana has become upheaval topic. West coast states have adopted the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes. However, this has sparked major conversation in regards to if this is a good or bad thing.

Now we must wait and see, will the east coast slowly adopt these laws as well. Upon the presidential election states such as Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota have initialized a law for using marijuana for medicinal purposes. This could potentially benefit the U.S or be detrimental to our society. This raises a lot of conversation about people who have had criminal charges for the use of marijuana.

With many more states  pushing for the legalization of marijuana in recreational or medicinal purposes, this puts major pressure on the federal government. This epidemic is moving rapid, and is much closer than American's think. Therefore in the next year or so, it may be common to see someone walking down the street blowing potent trees, only time will tell.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Regina's Edit: Unexpected tip saves night


After a long and challenging night of serving customers at Texas Roadhouse, Brenden Williams was ready to head home. 

Instead he set about cleaning his tables and tried not to let his lousy night of tips impact his mood.

One of his tables was a group who had sat for three hours, drinking and being merry well past closing time. But, they were having a good time and failed to notice the time was flying past.

Williams tried not to think about how much money he missed out on as the group occupied one of his tables all night. Their bill was only $40 total and 20 percent of that was only $8.

As he moved to clear the long-occupied table, Williams looked but did not see a tip on the table. With a sigh he cleaned off the empty beer mugs and wine glasses, scrubbed ranch from the peanut bucket and wiped steak sauce off the menus before he grabbed a broom, ready to sweep up what little trash was left and walk out the door to freedom. 

When he started sweeping the booth, he noticed a folded receipt under the table. He reached down to pick it up and to his surprise, a crisply folded $50 bill sat before him with a wink drawn on the receipt. 

He casually finished sweeping, but his luck had changed and his hope in humanity again soared. At last, he was able to smile as he walked outside into the cool night air.

Words: 251

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Washburn student experiences fender bender

Lisa Herdman, Washburn student and resident of Topeka, partook in a fender bender at 10:30 a.m. Sepember 22 at 12 Street and Gage Boulevard.

The other driver, a woman who looked to be in her late 40's, is yet to be identified. She was driving a red Ford Focus.

Herdman recreated the scene before she attended her class.

"I pulled out of my driveway and headed down 12th Street towards Gage," Herdman said. "I was stopped at a stoplight and this lady, coffee in hand, sunglasses gleaming in the light, smacked right into the back of me."

Herdman said the woman looked to be fighting with something while she was driving, and she could see that the woman was not going to be able to stop in time. After the accident, the woman got out of her car and approached Herdman. However, Herdman was already calling the police.

"I was furious." Herdman said. "I punched in 911, and then tried to not look like I wanted to fight this lady before the policeman arrived. I hadn't even made it a block away from my house yet."

A police officer arrived at 10:45 a.m. and took both residents'  information before assigning a ticket to the woman in the Ford Focus.

"I am still upset that it made me late to class," Herdman said. "My car is so old, so I don't really care about it. But you have to be careful when you are driving and approaching a stoplight, watch where you are going."


Edited by Kenzie McCoy 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Unexpected Russian experience

Fliers advertising an insider’s view of contemporary Russian culture in the lower level of Henderson sounded too good to be true. Auturo Benza believed the advertisement was for an informative speech or a round table discussion. Leaving his workplace at 5 p.m. Benza knew he had to only two hours before the event kicked off.

Opting to be a sloth, Benza decided to postpone any activity until 30 minutes before the event. Benza soon found himself rushing to the nearest fast food restaurant and hoping for a parking spot on campus.

Henderson Room 008 is a small classroom with no windows and desks packed tightly together facing one direction. To Benza’s astonishment, the classroom was nearly full with elderly students.

“I was not expecting to see a classroom full of older people,” said Benza. “I had to be the youngest person in the room by at least 35 years.”

Benza went with the flow and ignored the awkward glances, it was now clear he had misinterpreted the advertisement. Within a couple of minutes the speaker walked in wearing a traditional Russian folklore attire.

Vera Kononova Brown, a professor at KU, grow up in eastern Russia until she was 18. She participated in many traditional activities and is very religious. Her presentation began covering traditional Russian attire. The presentation quickly became a evening full of music and craft.

Once the presentation was in full swing, a lot of the awkwardness dissipated. The presentation was not a general overview of Russian culture as Benza expected. It focused on two important aspects of Russian culture, tradition and religion. After the presentation was over, Benza made it a point to meet the Brown.

Brown explained the presentation was the second installment of a three part course offered by KU. The students in the classroom were paying for the information Benza stumbled upon. Benza offered gratitude and asked if he could attend the next installment.

“Just come in and sit down. If they ask you if you are supposed to be here,” said Brown. “Say you are my guest.”

Word count: 345

Get ready for Conceal and Carry


Get ready for Conceal and Carry

The Kansas state legislature passed the Personal and Family protection act in 2006 which essentially allows Kansas residents to conceal carry a fire arm. Now the parameters of that law have been expanded to allow individuals with a conceal carry permit to exercise their second amendment right in public institutions.

Fortunately, schools were given until July 2017 to come up with valid measures that would prepare the campus to accommodate individuals who conceal and carry.  Measures have been taken place at almost every post-secondary institution for the July 2017 dead line when conceal and carry will officially hit college campuses.

The Student Governments on all campuses have been working to bring this to the attention to the student body’s so that all students have more of an understanding about the new policies and the changes in the law that are going to affect them.

Washburn University has been working on multiple different drafts of their own gun policy that will address guns on campus and create numerous safety measures to make sure that students that bring guns on campus do it responsibly.

A few highlights of the policy include:

·       Students that live on campus must provide adequate storage device to store their weapon in.
·       Students are required to have a holster in order to carry their gun on campus.
·       Students who do not want to live with someone who will store a gun in the room do not have to live with that individual.

These highlights are key elements to the policy that will be drafted. Other details about the policy include proper ways to own a gun on campus, what position the hammer of a gun has to be in, how a bullet is kept in the chamber of specific models of guns and more.

With the new law allowing concern carry on college campus being put into affect July 2017 the only thing that these institutions can do now is create valid ways to create safe practices around the law. Conceal and Carry is coming to college campuses only thing left to do is prepare for it.