Preamble 一 Page 4 University Daily Kansan, October 1, 1982 Opinion Tylenol users, take care To anyone who takes Tylenol: Please, beware. As of last night, five people in and around China had died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol pain relief capsules. Several others have been hospitalized. There is no need for panic. Medical examiners in Chicago said the bottle containing capsules laced with cyanide had been opened and tampered with before being bought. Because of this and because all the victims thus far have been from two adjoining counties, chances are high that the medication was tampered with in the Chicago stores, rather than in the manufacturing process. Extra-Strength Tylenol lot MC280 is at this point the only lot suspected by the Food and Drug Administration. Officials of Tylenol's manufacturer and distributors, with the FDA, have warned consumers against taking any capsules from this lot. Nevertheless, the officials' warnings should not be ignored. Most of the medication in the lot was distributed throughout the Midwest. And, regardless of whether the lacing did occur before distribution in Chicago, the opening of individual bottles of Tylenol indicates that more than one lot could potentially be involved. Because questions about the suspected sabotage still remain, it was wise of the office of residential programs to notify KU students of the warnings. Normal Tylenol capsules are described as having a "nice consistency of white powder"; the cyanide-laced capsules were "granular, somewhat moist, slightly irregular in shape" and had a bitter almond smell. Chances are slim that the cyanidelac capsules have found their way to Lawrence. But until officials are sure, please, take a second look at the labels of any newly purchased Tylenol and be suspicious. A little extra precaution now could save much grief later. Arguments sound familiar in case for elephant control WASHINGTON — There was a report the other day that a woman might have been murdered by two men armed with a live elephant. United Press International Because I don't know the outcome of the case, and because this is a philosophic dissertation anyway, I will skip over most of the details. Suffice to say the victim looked as if she had been hit by an elephant and two men were arrested in connection with her death. The suspects apparently were not caught with a smoking elephant, or anything like that. But circumstantial evidence was deemed sufficient to warrant their apprehension. *muin* interests me is whether a killing of this sort might lead to demands for more stringent regulations. Assaults with dead elephants are, of course, fairly common. But live pachydrips have not heretofore been thought of as deadly weapons, although a large number of Democratic candidates were symbolically trampled in the 1980 elections. If, as it appears, these lumbering creatures can be used as lethal weapons in the perpetration of homicides, then it is only fitting some thought was given to legislation governing sale and ownership of elephants. I mean, we don't want to get into a situation where any telon can just walk in off the street Ready access to elephants inevitably would lead to their being used in bank robberies and in street crimes committed by drug abusers seeking money to support their illicit habits. I could even conceive of elephants being used in political assassinations, though that concept does impose a heavy strain on the imagination. The movement in support of stricter elephant control legislation probably would 'take three actions'. - Registration — Anyone owning an elephant would be required to register it with police. - **Sales** — Lawn to ban sales of chew impaired elephants, known as *Saturday matinee species*. - Purchases — Consumers buying elephants would be obliged to patronize only licensed dealers, to list reasons for the purchase and to prove themselves free of criminal intent. A spokesman for the National Mahout Association, from whom I solicited comment, said his group, composed of elephant keepers and drivers, opposed all such measures. "Elephants don't kill people; people kill people," he told me. He also said that 90 percent of the elephant owners in the United States were either collectors or sportsmen. "If this country were overrun by enemy troops, the first thing they would do be to confiscate police records of elephant ownership." Elephants have been associated with many acts of violence, dating back at least to Hamibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 B.C. and many questions about the extent of the underworld's participation in pachyderm traffic remain to be answered. One fact stands clear, however. In modern times, there has not been a single instance of anyone being arrested for carrying a concealed elephant. Dick West. is an editorial columnist for United Press International. Letters Policy The University Daily Kanan welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 words. They should include the writer's name, address and phone number. If the writer is affiliated with the University, the letter should include his class and home town or faculty or staff position. The Kanan reserves the right to edit or reject letters. 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Subscription to the student activity fee *POSTMASTER* Send address changes to the University Daily Kannan Editor Business Manager Gene George Susan Cookey Managing Editor Susan Cookey Editorial Editor Rebecca Chaney Campaign Editor Mark Zeman Associate Campus Editor Brian Zeman Assistant Campus Editor Colleen Cacy, Ann Lovrey Sports Editor Greg Hallman Associate Sports Editor Gin Cook Entertainment Editor Ammy Wylie Marketing Manager Ammy Wylie Makeup Editors Becky Roberts, Jan Boult, Barr Ehlh Makeup Editor Janne Murphy, Anne Cockay, Beth Behnken Chief Photographer Richard Sugg Photographers David Hornback, Ben Rigger, Steven Moehler, Den Delphia Trainer Truman Dunn Copy Chief Sharp Tanhy, Deman Wilson Staff Columnist Calybe Behnan, Tom Hutton, Hal Klapper Tracec Hamilton, Tom Hutton, Hal Klapper Retail Sales Manager Barb Baum National Sales Manager Jane Wendroct Campus Sales Manager Matthew Langan Credit Union Manager Robert Campbell Production Manager Ann Horberger Staff Artist/Photographer John Keeling Teamsheets Manager Mike Bamberg Paul Jesu John Oberan "Hi mom. No, don't worry, I'm calling after 11, so it's cheap." Ma Bell's learning from MCI Just wait until he gets his phone bill. If he was calling with Ma Bell, he'd better start saving, because he might not be able to pay the rent if he pays the phone bill. Hah! Every month, I try to limit my long-distance phone calls, only calling when it is absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, my bill is easily $30 or more. My roommate's mother virtually refuses to accept collect calls because they are so expensive. Ma Bell is pricing herself out of competition with the new long-distance carriers. CATHERINE BEHAN I have experienced the fear that Ma Bell will turn off my phone service if I do not pay my astronomical bill once too often, and finally, there is an alternative. People who average $100 or $200 phone bills (and this is not unheard of) should seriously consider an iPhone. MCI gives AT&T a run for its long-distance money. Now that MCI SPRINT and other long-distance companies have taken us from the long-distance system, we ought to advantage of it. MCI does have some drawbacks, however. Subscribers can only call to cities where the company has rented phone access from, you guessed it. Ma Bell. Almost all residential 'telephones are hooked into the Bell phone system. MCI hooks onto these lines and then sends the call through a microwave system to the city the caller is calling. Then the call would go back through the Bell lines into the receiver's phone. Now subscribers have to dial in a long code that would make it tiresome to dial. But that's nothing when tiresome is compared to convenient. The Justice Department has let AT&T serve itself of 22 local companies and the FCC wants to do that for what. This means AT&T will not be able to subsidize local costs with revenue from long-distance service. That will very likely make rates for local service skyrocket. Bell traditionally assumed its customers would rent its telephones, or buy its expensive designer phones. What most consumers do not know, because Bell did not have to show how much we paid for rentals, that it is a lot cheaper to buy a phone than it is to rent one. And Bell is not the only company that sells phones — others sell more inexpensive phones In the past, AT&T has taken advantage of its primary position in the telephone service He said that the service for local calls costs $7.70 each month for each customer in Lawrence. We don't pay that much now, however, because that cost is offset by AT&T's revenue from long-distance service. With Southwestern Bell's new freeway Charge, this price probably will go up, and it is possible that AT&T's long-distance service will go down. Bell also charges different rates for different times of the day to regular customers, but can afford to give businesses a break with the WATS and other services. The FCC has asked AT&T for evidence of how it can provide this service and will charge high rates for its regular customers. When Southwestern Bell is disassociated with AT&T, Chaffee said that the local company would be responsible for basic local service, networking service, such as operator-assisted calls, and the yellow pages. AT&T will still provide long distance service. Southwestern Bell customers might receive separate bills from AT&T and Southwestern Bell. The local company might also hook onto AT&T lines, as MCW now does. Fair rates for local and long-distance telephone service requires a vigorous market. And, as Chaffee said, "competition tends to drive prices closer to cost." "Rather than tell a customer what he needs, the customer is going to be able to tell us what he needs, because if we don't, some other company is going to." But these other companies offer long-distance rates at almost 50 percent of Bell's rates. That means that keeping a long-distance love affair going would cost about half as much, or be twice as easy by enabling people to call twice as often. If a subscriber is traveling, he can use his code on a pay phone and avoid extra charges for reversing charges. The same goes for calling long-distance from a friend's house. Those living in dorms or other on-campus living groups can also enjoy the benefits of MCI. Jack Moore, MCI sales representative, says his company has begun a new system for students that does not require credit references. But the best advantage of these competing services to me, is the fact that, with MCI, the rate is the same at 1 p.m., as it is 1 a.m. when people make up people if they go to bed before 11 p.m. With deregulation and inflation, telephone service from Bell could rise 76 percent in four years, according to the New York Times. And it will probably go up even more in predominantly rural areas, where the fewer people pay more for their service. Bell has had the advantage in getting the majority of the market, but it will have to work very hard to get it all, because MCI is fighting all the way to get its fair share. And, as Chaffee said, while AT&T had a monopoly on long-distance service, customers were paying way over cost. It was unfair the customer, recently, the customer did not have any choice. Moore said that MCI was getting about 2 percent of the long-distance business from Bell, which they consider a big achievement. Bell still has 80 percent of that business. But, "They know we're here now." Moore said. As soon as MCI and others really get going and lots of people subscribe, AT&T will have to fight like any other company for its customers, and that is the basic precept of a company: you pay for the price the customer will pay will give the customer, not only the company, a fair deal. Pot Shots Go to Wesco Hall and watch people try to revive the heatstroke victims. Go over to the Student Senate office and ask the people there for a list of things they've done in the last five years. This, unfortunately, will kill only two or three minutes. Write a letter to the Kansan, even if you don't know anything about your subject. Everybody Pretend you are Sam Hardge. Tell your friends that you will balance their checkbooks, get them a job, and cut their paperwork. But Politics makes strange dinner-fellows. Seems the governor of Colorado is a man with a sense of the bizarre. Seems he knows where to look for great P.R. Also seems he's up for re-election. so when a statue commissioned for the University of Colorado was unveiled this summer, it wasn't surprising to see Gov. Richard D. Lamm doing the honors. The statue is a bust of Alfred E. Packer, a rather colorful character in Colorado history. Seems Packer was one of a five-man team traveling from Provo, Utah, to a Colorado The poor creatures never have a chance. But this is much more than insectul While motorizing down Kansas 10 between Lawrence and Kansas City at a high rate of speed, I see, in disgust, these invertebrates come part of the car in all colors of the rainbow. Watching insects smash into car windshields really bugs me. genocide. The symbolism fires rampant. What we all need to do for five minutes' this evening is put out despite its thin wings. When it comes right down to it, aren't we all Tom Gress don't tell them how you will do it because you probably don't know. Tracee Hamilton *treat you are John Carlin. Tell everybody that the balance of the world's fate hangs on imposing a severance tax, but don't mention anything else.* Design a development plan for downtown Lawrence. Offer to move a Johnson County shopping center here, which is what everybody really wants anyway. Start a collection to feed malnourished professors, who must eat and pay rent on their salaries. Make a television commercial for a Kansas political candidate placing him; a) in a wheat field, or b) with five-year-old children who can't vote anyway. Take a look at the U.S. economy. If Reagan's advisers have learned anything in the past weeks, you'll find Congress trying to buy out Bechtel in a stockholder takeover. Hal Klopper outpost in the winter of 1874. Seems Packer was the only one to make it back alive. Seems he stayed alive by eating the other four travelers. Well, Alfred spent 15 years in prison, but he became a bit of a folk hero across Colorado, and no doubt his story has been embellished. Now old Alfred claimed, and maybe rightly, that he ate the other four only after they were killed by another man, whom he then killed in the attack. But now whether Aile at the murdered mysterious man.) And the new home of the statue? The University of Colorado student cafeteria. The statue of the immortal All, by sculptor Tom Miller, will be moved to its new home this month. Lamm will be sorry to see it go, I'm sure. He was quoted at its unveiling as saying, "In the immoral words of Alfard Packer, uttered when asked how he liked his fellow man, I say to you, Tom Miller, 'Well done.' Politics and cannibalism do have their similarities, after all." kind of like bugs on a windshield? Don't we all sometimes feel victimized by our government? Bugs being smashed upon windshields is just another symbol of the dangers of technology and the obscure circumstances beyond their control. I often think that Congress is saying to me, May the wiper blade of Life scrapie you away from your eyes. infered. It is time to swarm back, common man. Well, such atrocities will no longer be tolerated. It is time to award call, committee man. I propose a law calling for the removal of all car windshields owned by high-paid government officials. In this way, they will feel the impact of their legislation on a more intimate level. Let's railroad this through Congress, common man. I yearn for the day when I can pulverize imponent insects on the windshield without guilt.