COMMENTARY

Corporate businesses don't bring in visitors

Although it was nice for Jason Smolinski, "Corporations part of American dream" (SN 3/31), to take the time to do so, I don't think the author of "Unique feel of small downtown spots replaced with corporations" (SN 3/23) was asking for someone to regurgitate everything he or she learned in intro to microeconomics. I think what she was pointing out was that East Lansing is losing a lot of the charms that make it special to alumni and visitors. Although it is blatantly obvious that the corporate model allows such entities to maul the mom-and-pop model based on bulk-purchase savings alone, I can't help but think of how much trouble I go through to find Puglias every time I'm in New York City or walk a few extra blocks for Chicago's The Gin Mill. I don't remember getting that excited about going to Burger King. It is in East Lansing's interest to have such places that inspire patrons to return, and in the interest of patrons to help keep these businesses alive.

COMMENTARY

Fighting boredom

Everyone learns differently. For some students, a lengthy lecture sends them off into a drooling stupor, unable to concentrate and learn.

COMMENTARY

Widespread, totally legal

Twelve ounces of Mountain Dew: 55 milligrams of caffeine. Five ounces of brewed coffee: 115 milligrams of caffeine. One ounce of dark chocolate: 20 milligrams of caffeine. One tablet of cold relief medication: 30 milligrams of caffeine. There are hundreds of ways to get a caffeine buzz. And with plenty of coffee shops scattered around downtown East Lansing, a cup o' joe shouldn't be too hard to locate either. Students pack into cafes toting laptops and textbooks and purchase cup after cup of coffee.

COMMENTARY

Battling bands article biased, unbalanced

Upon picking up a copy of The State News, I was confused by what I saw on the front page. The article "Shake, battle & roll" (SN 4/03) had me asking myself: Was Elizabeth Swanson at the same Battle of the Bands I attended Friday? I couldn't help but wonder about the intentions of this incredibly biased article.

COMMENTARY

Axe promises results, but doesn't deliver

The so-called "Axe effect" is not all that it is cracked up to be. The recent obituary-like advertisement on page 3B (SN 4/04) caught my attention and caused me to recollect how well Axe has worked for me. I am not what you would call an attractive person.

COMMENTARY

Drivers on campus must respect bikers

Ah, spring. Warmer weather brings out all sorts of things — crocuses, spring songbirds and cyclists. After encounters this morning with some vocal, gesturing and generally annoyed drivers on campus, I'd like to encourage everyone to read MSU's bike-related ordinances, available on the Board of Trustees Web site. In short, contrary to what the kind person in the Honda screamed, bikes do not belong on the sidewalk.

COMMENTARY

Daylight-saving time annoying, inconvenient leave clocks alone

When I took this job, which I had wanted for ages, I swore I would try to limit rants about silly things. I wanted to use my space here to talk about important things like affirmative action and voting. Besides one column where I vented about the things able-bodied people do that piss me off and one about stupid people at MSU, I think I've stuck to that goal. That was until my mother went around our house Saturday evening changing all of the clocks forward an hour, reminding me how much I hate daylight-saving time. Mind you, there are lots of things I hate, including homophobia, super politically correct people and opossums. Dirty little rodents. There are probably more things in this world that I dislike or that annoy me than things I do like.

COMMENTARY

Randomly used policy limits free speech

All over the dorms now resident mentors are using one of their public boards for a single united goal, announcing that MSU is ignoring the U.S.

COMMENTARY

SN ASMSU election criticism misguided

The recent State News editorial, "Lame duck attempt" (SN 3/29), was quite simply rife with specious logic, baseless assertions and out-and-out misinformation. First, the assertion that the elected representatives do not properly represent their constituency is unfounded and ridiculous.

COMMENTARY

ASMSU doing best with circumstances

In response to Jeff Rector's comments in "ASMSU not worth it, should be disbanded" (SN 4/03): Apathy is a noun meaning "Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal." Your statement "… abysmal participation is not a reflection of the student body's apathy but of the simple fact it is not worth our time to participate," is exactly that: apathy.

COMMENTARY

MSU makes it too easy

Eighteen classroom projectors owned by the Instructional Media Center have been stolen this year from campus, totaling more than $93,000 in stolen goods. That number is more than twice the amount of projectors that were taken in 2005, worrying some campus officials about how to stop this crime wave.

COMMENTARY

What's the secret?

The day before the MSU Board of Trustees holds its public meetings on Fridays, trustees meet in private to talk about the issues they will face the next day. The meetings on Thursdays are not open to the public or the news media.

COMMENTARY

Kalamazoo Promise illusion of progress

Public schools in Kalamazoo are failing, but The Kalamazoo Promise is not the solution. Gabrielle Russon's recent column, "Kalamazoo schools serve as prime example for others to follow" (SN 3/24), asserts that it is "a giant equalizer — putting the students on the same level as their wealthier peers who can afford to live in the better school districts." I am afraid that she is advocating an overly simplistic solution to a very complex problem. Offering a student full college tuition in exchange for attending inferior schools is not much of a deal at all.

COMMENTARY

MCRI promises equality for all, but proposal won't eliminate racism

The battle lines are drawn, the stage is set and every other tired cliché I can think of will not stop Michigan voters from deciding whether to end state-sanctioned affirmative action in November. The MCRI, or Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, is a ballot proposal aimed at ending "preferential treatment" by public bodies to anyone or anything for any reason.

COMMENTARY

ASMSU not worth it, should be disbanded

Let's stop kidding ourselves and disband ASMSU. Our "student government" is defunct practically if not legally. Can anyone support the legitimacy of ASMSU with a straight face when a mere 8 percent (which translates to about 2,500 out of more than 31,500 undergraduates) of the student body find it worthwhile to undertake the approximately 10 mouse clicks necessary to vote in its "elections," while many colleges cannot even find candidates for the ballot? Despite what ASMSU's leaders assert, abysmal participation is not a reflection of the student body's apathy but of the simple fact it is not worth our time to participate.

COMMENTARY

Safe care to the end

Qualified and safe employees are important in all fields, but especially when they're caring for our loved ones. MSU researchers have created a system to prevent bad care in nursing homes, home care and hospices.

COMMENTARY

Tax outdated, bad for Michigan's economy

In its article "Bill could lift Mich.

COMMENTARY

Recognizing problem is not enough; act

In response to yesterday's letter, "Campus taking action against intolerance" (SN 3/29), I am disheartened. It's hard for a lot of us to understand why college-educated young people still don't understand the implications of racism in this country, but it's even harder for me to understand how someone can agree that it's a horrible thing and then go on to nearly defend it's presence on our campus.

COMMENTARY

Down by the river

Yeah, the Red Cedar River looks gross and unappetizing. But it's not as bad as it seems. And East Lansing is actually dealing with pollution problems as much as it can. About $40 million is being used to improve the management of pollution and water discharge in East Lansing. East Lansing's Wastewater Treatment Plant had 14 violations of a state-issued permit from July 2003 to December 2004, according to a report released by the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Women's athletics needs more respect

For the past couple of years, I have watched the women's basketball team grow. It has done better than the men, but still gets no love. I understand this is a male-dominated world, but come on.