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Oct. 23, 2012
www.duclarion.com
Political engagement should thrive on campus by katie Walker Contributing Writer
Whether you are glad the flurry of preparations is over or you are suffering from debate withdrawal, the truth is our moment in the political spotlight has ended. With the presidential candidates campaigning like crazy before Election Day, however, now is not the time for apathy. All eyes may have left Magness Arena, but our eyes cannot leave the national stage. By remaining informed and active participants in the process, members of the DU community can stay in touch with the world of politics. After spending time in any classroom, you will realize that politics is a part of daily life at DU and actively dominates discussion. The same issues which were important to us before the “Great Debate” matter today, as
students constantly argue about ideological diversity, pins and their stances on policies ranging buttons expressing partisan from taxation to contraception support adorn shirts and backto illegal immigration, all hot packs. At tables lining Driscoll Bridge, organizations continue topics on the campaign trail. Expressions of support for to encourage political activity. one of the candidates or parties Fliers soliciting volunteers are is met with eager response and widely distributed and attract students to join camexchange of paigns. viewpoints. These means P o l i t i c a l “Winter is of keeping political news is coming, but a fervor alive show no spread like signs of significant gossip, pro- thousand flowslowing. Just look at viding ample ers bloom here the writing on the nourishment wall, or, rather, the for the appe- at DU.” chalk on the pavetite of any ment. No one can aficionado. One never feels out of place tread the steps leading to Sturm delving into the political arena Hall without noticing a certain at this school, and I’ve yet to name repeatedly etched in blue. hear a person claim they won’t Murals depict the swirling be performing their civic duty Obama logo on the sidewalk come November. around campus as well. Winter is coming, but a Such surroundings reveal thousand flowers bloom here that involvement has survived at DU. Like a rich tapestry of the hype and hubbub of the
debate, reminding us that politics still plays a large role in the atmosphere of this university. Of course, the well-known reporters that once milled about the grounds are long gone and both President Obama and Governor Romney are hundreds of miles away, so it’s only natural that political interest will wane to some degree. Although it’s tempting to forsake politics when we have actual subjects to worry about with midterm grades rolling in, too much is at stake to tune out. We have to keep up the good work and not let the future of this country be placed on the backburner of our consciousness. Ignorance is never bliss. For most of us, 2012 is the first or second time we will make a decision in a major election. The voice of the youth counts. By striving to remain politically engaged and truly caring about the state of politics, we won’t
return to the days of idleness and apathy. As the other debates pass, excitement is in the air for general Election Day. The dust has settled in Denver, but the memory of the debate is alive in the hearts of many and its true effect has yet to be felt. So much depends on the outcome of this race. This is a volatile and divisive election but we can unite in our desire to elect the leaders we think best. Whether you are dying for four more years or desperate for change, I think we can all agree that the DU debate, an experience of a lifetime, awakened a political awareness that is here to stay. Not all of the debate banners have been stripped off our buildings yet. We must nevergrow lax in our appreciation of the political process, or ever let this enthusiasm fall to the wayside.
to be quicker, more reliable and more functional than it ever was on my iPhone. In addition, it is also less buggy as far as getting kicked off of applications. The Galaxy S III also has applications that allow you to adapt the software on the phone to your personal needs and preferences. The Galaxy S III has navigation capabilities like a GPS through Google Maps, which is efficient and accurate, whereas the iPhone 5 has been having notorious problems with the accuracy of their newly implemented navigation system in an attempt to break away from Google Maps. As an avid texter, I also find many things about the texting better. The predictive text is more accurate than the often humiliating autocorrect on the iPhone. Think of the number of hilarious auto-correct mishaps online; there are liter-
ally pages and pages of Apple’s shortcomings. The swipe-to-text keyboard on the Galaxy also proves to be handy for one handed, accurate texting. On the Galaxy there is a built-in voice-to-text setting in the texting that allows spoken text to drop right in the message - something that is not available on the iPhone without Siri. With Samsung striving to explore new possibilities of innovation to gain its revenue, it seems they are taking an approach which says: “If you build it they will come.” Apple has yet to realize that they aren’t the only ones in the smartphone industry anymore, and monopolizing things other companies can provide is going to prove to be less effective. So goes the survival of the fittest, Apple should bask in the glow of their reputation for being the best while they still have it.
Samsung succeeds with Galaxy iPhone has been outcompeted by others, time for students to adapt by makalya cisneros Staff Writer
In recent years, technology has undergone significant transformations. One these innovations has been the development and widespread popularity of smart phones. At one point in time, the market was clearly dominated by Apple. As a former iPhone owner and a current Samsung Galaxy S III user, having seen both sides of the iPhone/ Galaxy argument, I can honestly say I’m a believer that Apple isn’t hot anymore. Apple began breaking ground in MP3s and eventually made the leap from a music player to the iPhone, creating a new realm of possibilities: a calendar, a game player, internet access. The iPhone combined the
necessity of a cell phone with the growing desire for full time internet access, an MP3 player and all the applications you could ever possibly need. Cutting edge had arrived; Apple was wielding it. However, the industry rose to the challenge. In recent years, the only thing the iPhone continues to have going for them is the name. It’s almost enough to mask the fact that while Apple’s innovative progress has leveled off, other companies are not only climbing but rising past the bar Apple has set. Apple’s focus has been shifted from innovation to capitalization. The company has been outdating its previous versions of iPhone’s with minimal tweaks. The biggest changes added recently have been Siri and the new charger. As a former iPhone 4 owner, there were many things that I simply was incapable of doing with this supposedly
top-dog phone. Chances are that if there is an adaptation to the phone software that you need, there’s a way that Apple will make you pay additionally for it. Siri, for example, is a voice assistant that became available on the iPhone 4S. Since Apple would rather you pay extra for the newer version of the iPhone, it is near impossible to find any application available for the iPhone with any voice-assisting capabilities that do anything more than convert voice to text. Enter in the Samsung Galaxy S III. As a current owner of the Galaxy S III I can frankly say that I’ll never go back. Since my conversion I’ve come to realize the full potential of smart phones that has brought me to wonder why Apple, once thought to be leader of the market, is so far behind the crowd. To begin with, the Galaxy S III is faster. I find the internet
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