6A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY APRIL 1, 2009
RELIGION
KU Cauldron student to give Wicca lecture
BY DAVID UGARTE
dugarte@kansan.com
Jeremy Adkison wants to help fellow students understand Wicca. He's the vice president of KU Cauldron and is giving a lecture and presentation tonight called "Wicca: The Religion of Witchcraft."
Adkison, Leavenworth sophomore, said that one of his greatest passions was Wicca, and that he wanted to show students what the pagan religion was really about.
Q: What got you interested in Wicca?
A: I was first introduced to vixca when I was 13 years old. The belief in polytheism spoke to me. There are trillions of galaxies in the universe, so I wanted something a little more durable than monotheism.
Q: Tell me about KU Cauldron.
A: The KU Cauldron is a non-religious group. It is a metaphysical and pagan discussion group that meets every Wednesday in the Kansas Union at 8 p.m. in Alcove E. We do celebrate the pagan and Celtic holidays but in a non-religious specific format.
Q: What made you want to put on this presentation?
A: Of course I want to educate the populace about something that is still misunderstood, confused with Christianity and Satan worship. There are many people on campus that have heard about Wicca and witchcraft, would like to actually know something more about it, but haven't had a hands-on opportunity outside of the Internet and books to learn yet.
**What:** "Wicaa: The Religion of Witchcraft!" lecture, presentation and question-and-answer session
**Who:** Jeremy Adkison, vice president of KU Cauldron
**When:** Tonight at 8
**Where:** Alcove E at the Kansas Union
**Cost:** Free
Q: Why do you think students should be interested in Wicca?
terested in learning about things that interest them. I heard about a pagan presentation in Topeka where Christians came and heckled the pagans, and eventually the pagans were told to leave. I thought it was sad, and people should understand how benign pagan religions really are.
Q: Tell me a little more about Wicca.
A: I think students should be in-
A: I define Wicca as a pagan religion and a nature-based religion that traces its conception to pre-Christian European Reconstructionism. It is polytheistic and duotheistic. At the basic core we believe in a supreme god and goddess. Wicca is tied to magic and witchcraft in the form of ritual and other work. Typically Wiccans will cast spells, cast magic circles to do magic and worship; we also tend to do divination. There is a belief in reincarnation, a belief that the actions we put out into the world will manifest and return to us; reap what you sow.
Q: What do your friends and family think of you practicing Wicca?
A: My friends don't care. It doesn't bother them. My family doesn't talk about it, and I don't think they really care either.
Edited by Heather Melanson
Diets with excessive red meat can pose health risks
HEALTH
Dieticians say students could eat more lean meat to avoid health problems
BY LAUREN HENDRICK
Ann Chapman, registered dietician at the Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that although there wasn't an ideal amount of any food in any diet, people needed to be conscious of how much meat
lhendrick@kansan.com
they ate.
The National Cancer Institute conducted the decade-long study using 545,000 men and women between 50 and 71 years of age. During the 10-year study, 71,252 people, or 13 percent, died.
College students who enjoy red meat may want to reconsider ordering a hamburger or steak after recent studies conducted by the National Cancer Institute.
A new study released by the Archives of Internal Medicine on March 23 found that Americans with red-meat-rich diets decreased their life spans and put themselves at risk for heart disease and various forms of cancer.
"Young adults should realize the eating habits they have now will contribute to either higher risk for heart disease and cancer due to their amount of meat consumption." Chapman said.
"I balance it out with vegetables," Louis said. "But the first thing I'll eat is meat."
Illustration by Drew Stearns/KANSAN
She said eating habits developed in college often carried over to students' post-college lives.
Chapman said small amounts of lean red meat were beneficial in diets and provided essential minerals such as iron and zinc. She also said that meats were good sources of vitamin B and protein, but that brisket, hamburgers and rib-eve
Dantes Louis, Wichita junior,
said he ate meat four to five times
a week.
As the food manager for Stephenson Scholarship Hall, Louis said, he tried to make meat a regular component of meals.
steaks generally had undesirably high fat contents.
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 5.5 ounces of protein every day, including legumes, eggs, peanut butter, tofu and lean cuts of meat.
According to the guidelines, most Americans already consume enough protein and should increase their fruit, vegetable, whole grain and low-fat dairy intake.
Brian Phillips, meat and seafood manager at the Lawrence Community Mercantile, has worked in the meat industry for three years. He said he thought Americans consumed too much meat.
Phillips said consumers could trim high-fat meats from their diets by purchasing grass-fed beef, which had one-third less saturated fat, and by eating more lean meats such as chicken.
For $1 to $3 more per pound.
Phillips said customers could enjoy
a cut of beef that had a low amount of saturated fat and that was locally raised and butchered.
Phillips said consumers should also be conscious of the preservatives in processed meats.
"Just read the label — you'll be surprised what you find," he said.
Peter Beyer, associate professor of dietetics and nutrition and a registered dietician, said meat consumption was only one of many health concerns.
"It's not any more of a villain than other things," he said. "But it does increase the risk of chronic disease."
Beyer said people could easily make adjustments to their diets to avoid the risk of heart disease and cancer.
"I recommend that people take things in small steps - portion sizes and lower fats to start," he said.
Edited by Grant Treaster
CRIME
CRIME Two men receive death sentence after killing four
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A jury has recommended death for two men convicted of gunning down a family of four along Florida's Turnpike to settle a drug debt.
The federal jury said Tuesday that Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez Jr., both 25, should be executed.
The sentence marks the first
federal death penalty recommended in Florida since Congress reinstated it in 1988.
The men were convicted March 5 of killing Jose Luis Escobedo, 28, his wife, Yessica Guerrero Escobedo, 25, and their two young sons. Their bodies were found along Florida's Turnpike in October 2006.
District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley will formally sentence the men at a later hearing.
ECONOMY New General Motors CEO announces more closings
DETROIT — General Motors Corp.'s new chief executive said Tuesday that more of the auto maker's plants could close and bankruptcy was "more probable" as GM worked to meet tougher requirements for government aid.
In his first news conference as CEO, Fritz Henderson said he expected the company would "need
to take further measures" beyond the five plants the company said it would shutter when it submitted a restructuring plan to the government last month.
GMalso is likely to offer another buyout program to workers as it tries to cut labor costs, Henderson said.
President Barack Obama said Monday that GM's initial plans to become viable didn't go far enough.
Associated Press