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10-6-2008 Hilltopics: Volume 5, Issue 3 Hilltopics Staff

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Recommended Citation Hilltopics Staff, "Hilltopics: Volume 5, Issue 3" (2008). Hilltopics. 84. https://scholar.smu.edu/hilltopics/84

This document is brought to you for free and open access by the University Honors Program at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hilltopics by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. always 100% smu-written volume five, issue three www.smu.edu/univhonors/hilltopics week of october 6, 2008 Candidates Miss the Point on Healthcare Reform Matthew Gayer When someone starts talking about universal human rights, to pay for their own insurance policy and allow the sale of certain words come to mind: freedom, right to vote, free insurance policies across state lines. Both candidatesʼ plans speech, opportunity, pursuit of happiness. In todayʼs world, have massive flaws. though, one more category is quickly becoming recognized First, McCainʼs plan will not necessarily decrease the amount as a legitimate of uninsured human right Americans, nor – access to qual- will it compre- ity healthcare. hensively reform According to a American health- report from the care. Obamaʼs U.S. Census Bu- plan is not fool- reau, over 45.8 proof, either. In million Ameri- todayʼs political cans are lacking environment, it this critical right. is easy to claim In the most pros- the desire to in- perous country in sure everyone the world, 45.8 and to fix U.S. million people healthcare with do not have ac- one singular cess to health- change. This is care. This issue a naïve opinion has been largely that ignores the overlooked in the true facts. Insti- media and in po- tuting universal litical debate un- healthcare with- til recently as it out other com- has developed into a hot topic issue in this yearʼs upcoming prehensive change will transform us from a broken private presidential election. Barack Obama and John McCain have healthcare system to a broken public healthcare system. significantly different stances on the issue. Obama feels the As a future physician, I want every American to be capable most important issue of improving U.S. healthcare is to offer of getting appropriate healthcare coverage. In America to- universal health care, which is insurance for every American. day, doctors are under attack from insurance companies. All John McCainʼs policy stance is to offer subsidies to families continued on page 3 Hip Hop: A case is made in Music: Album reviews of TV Ethics: An examination of the defense of the genre. on the Radio, Kings of Leon, corporate practices. page 2 page 4 and Cold War Kids. page 6

Environment: New bathroom fixtures arenʼt the only green SMU effort in the works. page 5 We welcome submissions from all members of the SMU community. Letters to the editor should be up to 300 words in response to a previously published article. Contributions should be articles of up to 300-600 words on any topic or in response to another article. Please email your submission to [email protected] by Wednesday at 7:00 PM to be included in the following weekʼs publication. Spe- cial deadlines will be observed for breaking campus events. The opinions expressed in Hilltopics are those of the authors solely and do not reflect the beliefs of Hilltopics or any other entity. As such, Hilltopics does not publish anonymous articles. page 2 week of october 6, 2008 Conscientious Consumer Beware: So-called Ethical Products May Not Stand Up to Claims by Rachel Porter Lately there seems to be a growing interest in ethical con- the product now has a new owner, instead of being tossed sumerism, or buying products that are made with the par- into a trash pile. ticular goal of avoiding exploitation of humans, animals or Locally produced: The term “local” is used fairly flexibly, the environment. According to some sources, ethical con- but these are products that are sold in the general region in sumerism has increased at a rate as high as 15% per year which they were produced. In theory, locally produced prod- since 2002. While by no means rampant, this trend ucts give the local economy a boost and keep lo- certainly has a growing presence on the cal people in jobs. Local produce also has SMU campus. In the bookstore you a smaller carbon footprint (amount of can now buy not only recycled but energy taken to make and trans- entirely sustainable notebooks port the product). printed with soy ink, and the The fact that the ethical Hughes-Trigg market now consumerism movement is offers several varieties of brimming with techni- fair trade tea as well as cal terms, in conjunc- vegan meal options. tion with the growing Though ethically popularity of ethical conscious prod- products is perhaps ucts such as these what is enabling have long been “greenwashing,” available to those a word invented who knew where to describe prod- to look, they are ucts which are becoming more inaccurately de- and more avail- scribed as being able and appeal- environmental in ing to people who some way or an- donʼt belong to the other in order to granola-munching raise prices or pro- crowd. In the past mote sales. week alone I have dis- An environmental covered a decorative marketing firm called line of sustainable school TerraChoice in a survey supplies at Target, vegan last year of 1,018 prod- Adidas basketball shoes, and ucts that made environmental even vegan Urban Decay make- claims shockingly found that the up at Sephora. majority of them were fraudulent in Because of the jargony nature of “pos- some way or another. They composed a itive buying” it is easy to get lost in terminology. guide called “The Six Sins of Greenwashing,” to In case you arenʼt exactly up to date, here is a quick guide: help consumers determine which products are actually en- Fair trade: This is when the producers (in developing vironmentally conscientious and can support their claims. countries) get a fair payment for their product. Most fair Most of these “sins” should also be kept in mind when shop- trade products are marked with an official label, so you know ping for ethical products in general. Npr.org provides this what youʼre buying. summary: Cruelty-free: This means the product was not tested on The Sin of the Hidden Tradeoff is committed by sug- animals. gesting a product is “green” based on a single environmental Vegan: These products do not contain leather or any sort attribute (the recycled content of paper, for example) or an of animal by-product. Their production does not involve the unreasonably narrow set of attributes (recycled content and exploitation of animals in any way. chlorine-free bleaching) without attention to other important Organic: These are products (food, cotton, wine, sham- environmental issues (such as energy, global warming, wa- poo) that have been grown or produced without genetic ter, and forestry impacts of paper). modification or pesticides. Organic produce does not pollute The Sin of No Proof. Any environmental claim that can- the Earth (unlike its chemically enhanced counterpart) so itʼs not be substantiated by easily accessible supporting infor- more environmentally sustainable. mation, or by a reliable third-party certification. TerraChoice Second-hand or recycled: This reduces waste because says “no proof” occurred if supporting evidence was not ac- week of october 6, 2008 page 3 Health Care continued from page 1 cessible at either the point of purchase or at the product Web site. The Sin of Vagueness is committed by every claim that is medical professionals have something called medical mal- so poorly defi ned or broad that its real meaning is likely to practice insurance. This covers them against lawsuits from be misunderstood by the intended consumer. Examples in- patients in case something goes wrong. Insurance compa- clude : “chemical free” (nothing is free of chemicals; water is nies have steadily and dramatically increased the premiums, a chemical), “non-toxic”, “all natural” (Arsenic is natural. So as they recognize the absolute need that doctors and others are uranium, mercury and formaldehyde. All are poisonous.) have for this insurance. Another issue is the lack of medical The Sin of Irrelevance is committed by making an envi- malpractice tort reform. This applies to medical malpractice ronmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant and court cases. As it stands now, there is no limit in many areas unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally prefer- on non-economic damages. This means the awards for pain able products. It distracts the consumer from fi nding a truly and suff ering go unchecked. Often, patients end up using greener option. medical malpractice suits as a means to makes thousands The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils. These are “green” claims or millions of dollars without having to do anything. Trial that may be true within the product category, but that risk lawyers actually wait in some hospitals to talk patients into distracting the consumer from the greater environmental suing their doctors. We still mainly utilize a paper medical impacts of the category as a whole. Examples include organic system, when switching to an electronic system would save cigarettes and “green” herbicides and insecticides. us millions a year. We focus on chronic care, meaning we The Sin of Fibbing is committed by making environmen- wait until people are sick to treat them, instead of embracing tal claims that are simply false. preventive care. Preventable diseases and health risk factors The fact that so many counterfeit products are surfacing such as obesity and smoking continually plague our system, is a testament to the popularity of this movement. However, costing us hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, and it is too soon to tell whether positive buying will continue to jeopardizing patient health. Drug companies overcharge for be a growing trend, or if itʼs just a passing fad. People are prescriptions, limiting patient access and increasing national willing to spend an extra dollar or two for a cute notebook costs. Until we address these issues on a national scale with printed on recycled paper, but are they willing to make sig- high priority, nothing we do will fi x our healthcare system. nifi cant sacrifi ces or lifestyle changes? PETA, or People for Universal healthcare is the ultimate goal in America. We must the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently sent a letter to fi x medical malpractice insurance and the malpractice court Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfi eld, cofounders of Ben & Jerryʼs system, embrace new technologies, focus on health educa- Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cowʼs milk they use tion and preventative medicine, and address the corruption in their ice cream products with human breast milk. This let- and waste of our pharmaceutical industry. Until we do so, ter was a reaction to reports that a Swiss restaurant owner we will not cure our healthcare system. And until one of the will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and candidates recognizes and states this, neither will be right substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cowʼs milk in about the U.S. healthcare policy. the food he serves. While this proposal is to most people a Matthew is a freshman biology major and can be reached at bit stomach turning, it makes for a good indicator. If ever [email protected] I witness someone eat ice cream made from human breast milk rather than risk harm to a cow, I will truly have faith in the longevity of consumer consciousness. Rachel is a junior English major and can be reached at [email protected]

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nightclubs, Texas, the Daily Campus, pets, club sports, or anything else ? we’re listening at [email protected] page 4 week of october 6, 2008 In Defense of Hip Hop by Chad Cohen When people discuss the merits of different musical genres, underdog, the new archetype for the American hero in the they often dismiss hip-hop as lacking in substance, impor- 21st century. These arenʼt clean-cut, family-friendly heroes, tance, and/or intelligence. Perhaps Soulja Boy hasnʼt been the but they are men willing to assert their own independence best ambassador, but I think that writing off hip-hop is wrong. and establish a life outside of poverty. The fixation, the ob- In fact, I think that hip-hop is the most culturally relevant, sig- session with material betterment represents the new Ameri- nificant, and insightful music today. Hip-hop tells us about can Dream. More than any other genre, hip-hop glories in o u r - the ma- s e l v e s . terialism Hip-hop of our strives to c u l t u r e . navigate W h e n t h r o u g h K a n y e accepted W e s t assump- t r u m - t i o n s , pets the c o m - g r e a t - f o r t a b l e ness of m y t h , L o u i s and mis- Vuitton, g u i d e d Bentleys, p e r c e p - and pri- tion in vate jets, order to he is mir- reveal the roring the truth of values of the coun- our own try that c u l t u r e . we live in. The value For these of oneʼs reasons, posses- hip-hop sions is m a t t e r s e q u i v a - m o r e lent to than any the value o t h e r of one- c u r r e n t self. music. More than any other musical genre, hip-hop eschews ide- For many years, America has been the pre-eminent capi- alistic abstractions and meaningless metaphors for an in- talist nation in the world. I know what youʼre thinking: here depth exploration of concrete reality, of the world as it is, not comes another rant from some leftist, hippie college student as we wish it were. Hip-hop acknowledges and confronts about the evils of capitalism. Wrong. Iʼm not Karl Marx and the uncomfortable elements of life in America. It dares us Iʼm a big fan of money. But I do acknowledge that capitalism to challenge society rather than retreat into meditations on both influences and promotes a certain set of cultural values. ourselves. Songs from this genre speak to society, not solely Namely, it promotes money over everything else, because in to the individual. As a result, hip-hop is more meaningful. our society, money is power. Hip-hop centers on money. Hip-hop not only mirrors America as it is, but it contributes Sometimes hip-hop meditates on the pursuit of money. Other to the creation of Americaʼs future. times, rap music simply celebrates the possession of money Chad Cohen can be reached at [email protected] (“Got Money” anybody?). Rap music reflects our societyʼs ob- session with material gain. Listeners of all ages, races, and backgrounds connect with the music because fundamentally, weʼre all chasing paper. I may not have the same experienc- es as these rappers, but I have felt the ambition for advance- ment that these rappers talk about. Coming from deprived backgrounds, forgotten by society, these rappers are the new week of october 6, 2008 page 5 SMU is getting green: not with envy, but with slick new bathrooms by Josh Wood A strange event is occurring on campus--something so tation-related environmental impacts) and the recycling of subtle and yet so widespread that it has happened in most construction waste, this building was awarded a gold rating buildings on campus and yet only about one half of the stu- of energy efficiency by the U.S. Green Building Council. The dent population is aware of its existence. I am talking, of resulting positive press surrounding this SMU building and course, about the proliferation of those strange, orb-like the environmental efforts behind it might have traditionally urinals that are being benefited the university installed in the menʼs in the local and nation- restrooms across al spotlight, but other SMUʼs campus. This significant results also newly designed urinal surfaced. Most impor- does not require any tantly, it heavily influ- sort of flushing mech- enced the decision to anism; as one student apply this environmen- commented to me tally conscience design earlier, “I guess some- process to the many one finally figured new campus buildings out…gravity works.” under construction or Also, the interesting in the planning phase. contours of this new By continuing to stay design reduce any green-minded with “splashback” effects— such large future proj- a vast improvement ects, SMU is declaring over the first waterless that this university- urinals implemented wide environmental- in the restrooms in the ist surge isnʼt simply Embrey Engineering a fad—it is very much building a year ago. here to stay. Note: if you ladies are These large scale confused by some of projects may seem to the terminology used dominate SMUʼs com- in the previous sen- mendable efforts to tence, just ask a fellow procure a green im- male student. age, but we should also By this point, you keep in mind that our may be asking your- school has been getting self, “Is he really writ- the smaller things right ing an entire article on for several years now. some oddly shaped For instance, students bathroom fixtures?” living outside of cam- The answer to that pus take advantage of question is, of course, SMUʼs fuel-saving pub- not really. There is a lic transportation meth- bigger picture involved here. While SMU may be deeply en- ods, and those annoying parking police are cruising around trenched in some aspects of policies and overall improve- campus in energy efficient golf carts. There are recycling ment projects, the universityʼs approach to the increasingly containers in a large number of classrooms and in the halls, popular environmentalist movement is admirable—I am not and, of course, the guys get all-new-high-tech-no-flow uri- just talking about urinals, I am talking about entire build- nals. We should all appreciate the efforts of those involved ings. For instance, when the J. Lindsey Embrey Engineer- in improving the image of our university and simultaneously ing Building was designed, the architects crammed as much saving the planet, one porcelain orb at a time. energy efficiency into one building as was humanly possible. Josh Wood is a senior electrical engineering major and can Through the use of natural lighting and water-efficient land- be reached at [email protected] scaping, as well as an emphasis on using materials within 500 miles of the construction site (to cut down on transpor- page 6 week of october 6, 2008 Need Some New Music? Try These On by Joshua Boydston TV on the Radio anti-war “Red Dress” swiftly picks up the pace afterwards. Dear Science, “Love Dog” is another poignant, elegant song that tugs at TV on the Radio isnʼt content with the indie club circuit, they your heartstrings. Then “Shout Me Out,” starting soft, and seem to have their aim ending loud and dis- on something greater. torted, builds into yet With legendary live another amazing track. shows and near per- We hear near rapping fect records, the band in the crunchy, twisting is on its way to becom- “DLZ,” one of the most ing the arena headliner intriguing songs on the most indie bands are record. Dear Science, afraid to become, and draws to a close with from the sound of Dear the brassy, shimmer- Science, TV on the Ra- ing “Loverʼs Day” end- dio arenʼt frightened ing just as strong as at all. Dear Science, is the album begins. TV sure to go down as one on the Radio may have of the top albums of begun their career un- 2008, and maybe even der the radar, but just the decade, featuring like their songs, they trancey hooks and hyp- are building and ex- notizing rhythm. The panding into some- album never lulls, and thing great. Keeping while it keeps its odd, their dysfunctional, yet seemingly dysfunc- impeccably beautiful tional feel, this album music, while making is much more palatable the tracks more acces- than any of their previ- sible and straightfor- ous efforts. Every track ward, suits the band is immediately listen- well. If they continue able, and tracks like at this pace, TV on the “Golden Age,” “Crying” Radio are sure to be- and “Dancing Choose” come legends of the are downright dance- arena, leaving us all in able with pop-aspira- their wake. tions. “Halfway Home” 9.7/10 launches the album, Key Tracks: “DLZ” sounding expansive, “Golden Age” “Danc- soaring and roaring for ing Choose” “Halfway five minutes. “Crying” Home” commands you to put Kings of Leon on your dancing shoes Only By The Night and features a hasty, The Stills havenʼt bouncy rhythm and quite broken through Adebimpe switching to top tier band staWe between narrating and falsetto yelping. “Dancing Choose” often hear bands trying to grow and change their signature features a gorgeous interchange of Adebimpeʼs and Maloneʼs sound. Sometimes this pays off, other times it doesnʼt. Kings vocals, and gives you little choice but to dance. The hopeful of Leon clearly exemplify this trend. Their first two discs, “Golden Age” draws comparisons to David Bowie, and the Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak, ex- optimistic, upbeat rhythm is both infectious and entertain- uded sexuality and youth, and earned them the nickname ing with brass sprinkled upon the songʼs electric base. The “the Southern Strokes”. However, Because Of The Times saw melancholy “Family Tree” is beautifully haunting, with the the Followill boys growing up, sounding darker, harder, and week of october 6, 2008 page 7

more ambitious than they ever had. Only By The Night con- Gate Jumpers”- an ode to suicide- leisurely strolls along with tinues that trend, and depending on which Kings of Leon unhurried, effortless vocals and delicate piano, with “Ava- you prefer, this album may leave a funny aftertaste in your lanche in B” continuing along at the same pace. “Iʼve Seen mouth. The album starts off brilliantly: “Closer” pulls you in, Enough” picks things back up, with a catchy beat and melo- “Crawl” draws you closer, and then “Sex on Fire” unleashes dy, showcasing a near salsa tinge. The song “Every Man I Fall on you. “Crawl” is full of stunning guitar riffs that recall Led For” is sung through the viewpoint of a girl, emoting “Every Zeppelin, and is by far the most musically superior song on man I fall for drinks his coffee black/love and hate are tat- the album. “Sex On Fire” features Kings of Leon at the top of tooed on his knuckles/And my name is on his back.” Hillet their game, with a slow build to a climatic chorus showcasing grasps at his loss of youth in “Dreams Old Men Dream,” which Caleb Followillʼs powerful, unique howl, with dueling gui- features yet another irresistible hook and a very cavernous, tars and thumping bass throughout. The problem with these atmospheric feel. “Relief” is a breath of fresh air, combining three powerhouse tracks kicking off the album is that the the CWK basics with a synthetic undertone that nearly mir- band can never match these songs; the album has peaked rors Ghostland Observatory, and makes for one of the most after 10 minutes. The arena-anthem “Use Somebody” begs interesting moments on the album. Cold War Kids gently bow for someone worthy of Calebʼs love, and “Manhattan” is a out with their final piano-driven song “Cryptomnesia,” cap- beautiful, relaxed narrative about love and corruption that ping off a great record. There isnʼt a boring moment on the provide some of the final highlights of the album. “Revelry,” record, and while it may not feature as many stand out tracks “I Want You,” and “Cold Desert” have the band wearing their as Robbers And Cowards, the album, as a whole, is far supe- Southern roots on their sleeve. The problem is that none of rior. Every track is a good listen, and things are only looking these songs quite grab your attention like the beginning of up for Cold War Kids, as Loyalty To Loyalty is sure to snag the the album. The song “Be Somebody” may be the darkest, band many more loyal fans. most ambitious track on the record. Itʼs vicious and snarling, 8.8/10 beautiful as it is brooding, and saves a fairly mediocre fin- Key Tracks: “Something Is Not Right With Me” “Mexican ish to the album. On the whole, the record, while it doesnʼt Dogs” “Relief” exactly let you down, doesnʼt quite live up to expectations either. Only By The Night would be considered a great album Joshua Boydston can be reached at [email protected] by any other band, but because itʼs from Kings of Leon, one tends to want a little more. The verdict truly depends on which Kings of Leon you love: the youthful, reckless band, or the ambitious, mature one. Hereʼs to the Followill family finding something in between. 8.2/10 Key Tracks: “Sex On Fire” “Crawl” “Be Somebody” Cold War Kids Loyalty To Loyalty Cold War Kids burst onto the music scene with their 2006 debut Robbers And Cowards and their hit single “Hang Me Up To Dry,” showcasing a blues-rock band with swagger and piano to boot. With their sophomore release, Loyalty To Loyalty, the band does more of the same, without sounding stale and repetitive. The album is a joy throughout, and will have you grooving and nodding in no time. “Against Privacy” kicks off the record, sounding murky and bluesy. “Mexican Dogs” picks up the pace, with thick drumming, reverb guitar, and Willet bearing his soul through his strained vocals. “Every Valley Is Not A Lake” is intense and soulful, and “Welcome To The Occupa- tion” dares you not to shimmy, with bongos, cowbells, and shimmering guitar, along with some of Willetʼs most pleas- ing vocals on the record. “Something Is Not Right With Me” is Loyalty To Loyaltyʼs first single, with good reason. The song is irresistible; the piano pulsates perfectly with the precise drumming, emotional singing, and grooving bass. “Golden page 8 week of october 6, 2008

SMU v. Tulsa Saturday, October 11, 2008 7:00 PM Gerald Ford Stadium

Headline of the week: “Eating kangaroos could help fi ght global warming: scientist” http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081001/sc_afp/australiaclimatefoodkangaroosoff beat_081001071056 Ah, of course! It wasnʼt the greenhouse gases or the CFCs. It was the kangaroos the whole time. Little buggers. – Ed. Thumbs up: •Campbellʼs Soup stock rising de- Upcoming Events: spite the economic meltdown. See, chicken soup does cure ev- erything. October 13-14 Fall Break •Most TV shows have started their fall seasons. Thank goodness. October 15 Presidential Debate •www.thebricktestament.com someone had way too much time October 18 Football vs. Houston on his or her hands… Ford Stadium October 25 Football vs. Navy, Thumbs down: 2:30 pm, televised on CBS CS •Constant spam in our student emails •General chaos and confusion over the economy. Weʼre just students, we donʼt have to worry…right? Right? •Midterm crunch...like a break- fast cereal, but with frustration and sleep depravation instead of marshmallows and crunchy bits.

Hilltopics Staff SMU Totally Ficticious Fact: Cody Meador: Editor-in-Chief Ashley Howe: Managing Editor Thomas Dunlap & Josh Wood: Graphics Editors SMUʼs debate team is famous for its tactic of Andrew Shaw: Distribution Manager collectively shouting “#&*$ YOU!” when the op- Beth Anderson: Copy Editor ponent makes a point. We have yet to lose a Michael Sheetz: Copy Editor round this way. Christy Osborne: Senior Writer Andrew Hendrix: Webmaster

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