Enough! Please turn your swag off

Fads come and go. As a kid, we had Furby, Pokémon cards and Beanie Babies. These fads were pretty cool for a while, but eventually, they lost their luster.

State of independence: In the face of woes, N.C. State’s Technician should seize opportunity to become independent newspaper

In order for a newspaper to be the watchdog it strives to be, it must be as independent as possible.Now it is time for N.C. State’s venerable student newspaper to take that step toward independence.The Technician has been going through some rough patches lately. Over the last few years, the paper has suffered from recruitment and retention problems.

Dependency theory: UNC must be leader in shedding dependence on coal; benchmarks should be reassessed periodically

The University needs an energy policy that is both dynamic and aggressive to maximize the opportunities for eliminating its dependency on coal. This means having the ability to adapt to changing technologies and being more aggressive in pursuing energy goals.

Cartoon for March 17, 2010

The true price of a free lunch

I’ll start with the prosciutto, the shrimp cocktail and the Caesar salad. And for my entrées, I’d like the lobster tail, the filet mignon and the penne with chicken.”

QuickHits for March 16, 2010

Google Thumbs upReportedly, Google is “99.9 percent” certain it will end operations in China after a long-running dispute over censorship. Here’s what you get if you search for this in China:Senior countdownNeutral thumb

Don’t run off with system: Run-off system should not be eliminated

Occasionally, there are changes we can’t believe in. And it seems some members of Student Congress have found one.Congress is trying to eliminate the runoff system in student body elections. Currently, one candidate has to get a majority vote from the student body or there’s a battle between the two candidates with the most votes.

Pick-a-provost: Announcement selecting Bruce Carney as provost is surprising; process bypassed formal selection committee

Chancellor Thorp’s announcement last week that interim provost Bruce Carney would be taking the position permanently pending trustee approval came as a surprise.

Cartoon for March 16, 2010

Police academy: Police department program should help transparency

Local law enforcement is often perceived as an intrusive force rather than a protective organization. The Chapel Hill Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy is a great way to combat such a perspective by reaching out to citizens in an effort to establish a stronger community understanding of law enforcement operations.

Gambling with legality: Sweepstakes cafes allow gambling, should be banned

A legal loophole that allows patrons of Internet cafes to gamble online needs to be closed.Gambling is illegal according to N.C. law. But “sweepstakes cafes” have managed to find a loophole in the statues that allows them to run computers that simulate slot machines.

Get them a lawyer: Plaintiff’s council would help ensure due process

The Student Supreme Court needs an appointed plaintiff’s counsel position to ensure fairer and more effective procedures.This would give people who sue student government greater access — if they so choose — to representation by an individual who has an understanding of the Student Code and the process of suing in the Student Supreme Court.

Speak French? No right answer

The little old man from Upper Normandy was rather proud of his cigars, and he made sure to tell me just how proud he was.I didn’t know him. I was minding my own business, eating a pain au chocolat on a bench by the seaside and thinking pensive thoughts — until he sat down next to me and started extolling the virtues of the cigar when compared to the normal cigarette.

Tiger Woods’ hard knock life

I feel terrible for Tiger Woods. He has spent years married to a wife of average attractiveness, dealt with the disappointment of two toddlers who have not yet measured up to his early golfing aptitude and suffered through a hard-knock life of solitude on driving ranges.

Town should be stricter: After developer violated various Chapel Hill tra?c ordinances, town should have issued citations

The town of Chapel Hill should have been more stringent with the Greenbridge development project regarding recent traffic violations.The developer violated at least five traffic laws within the last few months. These violations included construction vehicles traveling the wrong directions on one-way roads, lacking proper traffic controls and illegally closing Rosemary Street.

Honor the classes: Achievement gap troubling, but honors classes not issue

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School curriculum should work toward raising the bar for under-achieving students. But it should also provide an academically rigorous curriculum for the intellectually gifted. There is absolutely no reason why these two goals cannot be accomplished at the same time.

Funded mandates: Finance committee accurately doles out fee money

The Student Congress finance committee had a difficult task this year — allocating about $365,000 to student organizations whose requests collectively reached nearly $1 million.But this task is especially delicate with regards to cultural groups on campus.

Defend education, it’s your right

Students across the country are organizing to defend public education. The National Day of Action to Defend Public Education, to be held today, was called for by organizers in California and New York and will see students at institutions of higher education in 30 states and Washington, D.C., march, rally, sit-in, picket, teach-in and more to defend the right to an education for all.

Do good, beef up resume: Firm offers internship placement in nonprofits

Economic downturns have the potential to inspire creative problem solving and bring about greater efficiency. A group of students and alumni have taken advantage of the Great Recession and accomplished just that. University students should take advantage of their work.

Cartoon for March 4, 2010