THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2012
NEWS OF THE WORLD
PAGE 3A
Because the world is bigger than your oyster
Associated Press
NORTH AMERICA
Congressman shot and killed after negotiations to change political party
party of Guate-
past of mala's conservative president-elect was shot to death early Friday, a day before the presidential inauguration ceremony.
GUATEMALA CITY — A congressman who was reportedly negotiating a switch to the law-and-order
Leal Caal
Investigators said two attackers killed Oscar Valentin Leal Caal and his brother outside the headquarters of the legislator's current party, the populist Democratic Freedom Revival.
Leal Caal's bodyguard was wounded by the gunmen, who abandoned their motorcycle nearby, chief investigator Fernando Gomez said.
Outgoing President Alvaro Colom said there was no immediate evidence the crime was linked to congressional affairs or Perez's inauguration.
Retired general Otto Perez Molina was sworn in as president Saturday and he told the newspaper Prensa Libre that Leal had been receiving death threats since beginning discussions about joining Perez's conservative Patriotic Party.
Perez has pledged to crack down on organized crime and Mexican drug cartels.
Off-shore Chevron oil rig catches fire, "gas kick" believed to be the cause
The company said it was still investigating the fire, which occurred near its North Apoi oil platform, and which forced it to shut down.
AFRICA
Chevron said two workers were missing and 152 others found, but gave no further detail on the missing persons.
LAGOS, NIGERIA — An offshore rig exploring possible deepwater oil and gas fields off Nigeria's coast for Chevron Corp. caught fire Monday, and the oil company said officials were still trying to account for all those working there.
"We immediately flew out people to the nearby North Apoi platform,
and have been helping those needing any medical assistance," Chevron spokesman Scott Walker said in a statement.
Chevron did not immediately say what caused the fire. However, Nigeria's government believes a "gas kick" — a major build up of gas pressure from drilling — was responsible, said Levi Ajuonoma, a spokesman for the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.
$170 million Russian space probe falls back to Earth, lands in Pacific ocean
ASIA
MOSCOW A Russian space probe designed to boost the nation's pride on a bold mission to a moon of Mars has come down in flames, showering fragments into the south Pacific west of Chile's coast, officials said.
Pieces from the Phobos-Ground, which had become stuck in Earth's orbit, landed in water Sunday 1,250 kilometers (775 miles) west of Wellington Island in Chile's south, the Russian military Air and Space Defense Forces said in a statement carried by the country's news agencies.
The $170 million craft was one of the heaviest and most toxic pieces of space junk ever to crash to Earth, but space officials and experts said the risks posed by its crash were minimal because the rocket fuel on
board and most of the craft's structure would burn up in the atmosphere high above the ground anyway.
The Zenit-2SB rocket with the Phobos-Ground probe blasts off from its launch pad.
MIDDLE EAST
AP FILE PHOTO
Pakistan's government continues to battle conflict, increases pressure
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's Supreme Court ramped up the pressure on the nation's beleaguered govern-
more holiday,
beginning contempt proceedings
against the prime minister for failing
to carry out its order to reopen a corruption
case against the president.
The court ordered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to appear on Thursday to explain his refusal
Raza Gilani
to reopen the graft investigation, injecting fresh uncertainty into the political crisis threatening to engulf the country. If the court convicts Gilani of contempt, he could serve up to six months in prison and be disqualified from holding office.
The government already is locked in a bitter conflict with the army, and Monday's Supreme Court ruling boosted the sense the administration could fall, squeezed between the court and Pakistan's powerful generals. The government is also grappling with an ailing economy and a dangerous Taliban insurgency.
Student safe, unharmed after missing for days
A student reported missing from the Edwards Campus on Friday, December
CAMPUS
16 has been found safe and was not taken against her will.
Khan
Aisha Khan, a 19-year-old Johnson County Community College student. was reported missing after leaving a voicemail message for her sister saying a man was harassing her. Khan's cell phone and belongings were found on the Edwards Campus, but Khan remained officially missing for more than four days.
Overland Park Police made the announcement in a statement Wednesday,
Dec. 21 after making direct contact with Khan, confirming her safety. They statement said Khan was not taken against her will.
Overland Park police said Khan's missing person investigation is closed and no further information will be released.
"She is safe and is unharmed," read one post on Wednesday night. "The family is truly grateful to each and every one of your support and encouragement during this difficult journey."
A Facebook page devoted to the search for Khan, active since Friday, also announced that she had been found. It did not provide details of what happened or where she had been.
— Rachel Salyer
Student dies in accident
OBITUARY
Yujie He, a student at the Applied English Center, died Monday, Dec. 11 in a car accident on Leavenworth County Road 1. She was in her third semester at the University.
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little released a statement about the death Tuesday, Dec. 12.
offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Yujie He," the statement read in part. "Our thoughts are with them at this tragic time."
Jyuie was the second student to die last month, after Ryan Zwiener, a freshman from Lawrence, died Dec. 3.
Ian Cummings
"On behalf of the KU community, I
CRIME
Burglar pleads guilty in basketball coach case
HUTCHINSON — One of two men accused of burglarizing a Kansas college basketball coach's dorm room last year he pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
Hutchinson Community College coach Steve Eck was asleep in the room he sometimes used to keep an eye on players when the burglary occurred last April 12. Eck and an off-duty firefighter chased the burglar as he ran off with a bag containing a large amount of cash, some prescription medicines and
"WHOO" PAGE 1A
other items.
Mauck
KBWB-AM reports that Daniel Flamma-Sherman was scheduled to go on trial this week, but decided instead to plead guilty to reduced charges of robbery and aggravated burglary. A judge happened to be at the Hutchinson police station Saturday, so Flamma-Sherman entered his pleas on the spot.
"Its non-traditional."
Adam Mauck, a sophomore from Goddard said he's not a fan because
"It ruins the eeriness." Mauck said. "It's meant to be kind of creepy."
it rolls over the traditional silence that follows "Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU"
Many students didn't know the whoo was not technically part of
A second suspect is awaiting trial.
the chant and several asked how the University could prevent something it has little control over to begin with.
Birkholz said the whoos at Saturday's game already sounded more muted to him and several other members of the group.
Birkholz acknowledges that problem but expects that the whoo will fade once fans become aware of tradition. As for how he would like to see the university proceed, Birkholz said that a video message by Bill Self or another prominent figure discouraging the whoo before the game would be ideal. Teaching the original version of the chant at Traditions Night would also help.
"I care more about the home of the Chiefs exclamation
spectful addition to a traditional part of University sporting events.
Associated Press
being banned
Despite the increasing publicity, some are more concerned about
Fowler
Edited by Gabrielle Schock
being from the national anthem," said Evan Fowler, a junior from Wichita. "We aren't at Arrowhead."
E-TEXTBOOK PAGE 1A
also be accessed by e-readers. Plus, students can carry around one e-reader — weighing around just one pound — rather than several heavier textbooks.
However, some disadvantages exist as well. Even though e-textbooks are generally cheaper than their hardback counterparts, they may not be able to be used after a certain date. Also, the savings that is incurred by the publisher from not manufacturing actual textbooks may not be seen by the consumer; the cost of textbooks could remain the same, even though e-books are cheaper to make and distribute. Propriety file formats present
the most challenging obstacle for e-textbooks. That is, e-textbooks may exclusively be available only on a certain e-reader device.
According to PC World, Apple is already taking steps to corner the market on e-textbooks. This means that certain licensed e-textbooks may only be available on iPads. Therefore students would be forced to own a particular e-reader in order to have access to certain e-textbooks.
"On final exams where students can use their texts for quotes, I certainly would not want them to be able to access the internet with their electronic devices," said assistant professor Philip Wedge of the English department.
For faculty members, e-textbooks would allow for access to material no longer in print. Nevertheless, they also present an easy distraction for students to check email, watch videos, or troll facebook instead of paying attention during class. Internet access
As with any technological advancement in education, from the chalkboard to Blackboard, e-textbooks will fundamentally alter students' learning experience.
also presents challenges for open book tests.
"I think once it's widespread, it's going to be beneficial," Reeb said.
Edited by Max Lush
CELEBRITY
MIAMI — Like tens of thousands of other Florida homeowners, imprisoned former football star O.J. Simpson is in danger of losing his
Foreclosure endangers the Florida home of O.J. Simpson
Miami-Dade Circuit Court records show that JPMorgan Chase filed for foreclosure in September on the four-bedroom, four-bath
ASSOCIATED PRESS
house to foreclosure
Simpson
house south of downtown Miami. Simpson's attorney has since filed a motion to dismiss the case, but there has been no further action since November.
Simpson bought the 4,233-square-foot house in 2000 for $575,000, property records show. Its current assessed value is $478,401, with property taxes of about $9,000. The 2011 taxes were paid in December.
The 64-year-old former football star and actor is serving a nine-to-33-year prison sentence stemming from a 2007 armed confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers
in a Las Vegas casino hotel room. Simpson was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges. He is appealing the conviction.
Simpson was acquitted in 1995 in the Los Angeles slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. A civil jury in California later ordered Simpson to pay $33.5 million for Goldman's wrongful death. The attorney for Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, said Monday the bankruptcy case played directly into the Simpson foreclosure.