thursday, October 16, 2003
the university daily kansan
news
7A
Vatican City visitors celebrate papal event
The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — Cardinals have come to Rome united to celebrate Pope John Paul II's 25th anniversary as pontiff, but some issues may divide them when it comes time to choose his successor, such as celibacy for priests and age limits for the pope.
pope.
While none would acknowledge they are pursuing an agenda at the moment, some have been unusually frank as concern grows over the health of the 83-year-old John Paul.
In an interview yesterday with The Associated Press, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony said it's only natural extreme views were being voiced "at a time when people feel there is some kind of change."
book, he said.
Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, mentioned as a possible candidate for pope, said he was coming to celebrate, "but at a party people can also discuss other things."
change.
"You're always going to find those as opportunities for those to raise their views, to try to influence the next chapter in the book," he said.
outlining
Danneels and other prelates made clear they didn't expect meetings in Rome would be turned into lobbying sessions to prepare a new papacy, but they also acknowledged some simmering issues.
Even before the princes of the church began arriving this week, Scotland's newly appointed cardinal, Archbishop Keith O'Brien, caused a stir with remarks on celibacy, contraception and homosexuality.
The Roman Catholic Church's insistence that priests be celibate has been blamed for the drop in the number of priests and also by some for the clergy sex abuse scandals in the United States, Ireland, the Philippines and other countries. Church opposition to contraception has similarly alienated some Catholics, while sparking criticism that its ban on condoms was harmful in the fight against AIDS.
O'Brien was quoted as saying, shortly after being named a cardinal Sept. 29, that the cellibacy rule and ban on contraception should be debated, and that he was not opposed to homosexual priests.
He later rolled back, saying his remarks had been misinterpreted, and took the unusual step of making a public pledge to defend church teaching on those issues. A spokesman denied he had acted under Vatican pressure.
Recently, some 160 priests in the archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wis., called publicly for the Vatican to allow married men into the priesthood, but American church leaders defended the celibacy requirement.
LONDON — Europe's food safety agency recommended yesterday that baby food manufacturers change the lids on their jars as soon as possible because of cancer concerns over a chemical found in some food packed in bottles and jars.
Agency wants to change jar lids
The Associated Press
The European Food Safety Authority said there was no need for parents to stop using infant food because any cancer risk was extremely low and the jars have an excellent safety record for germs and other contaminants.
The chemical, semicarbazide, has been found in very small quantities in certain foods packaged in jars with metal lids incorporating plastic vacuum seals, a type of packaging used worldwide for more than 20 years.
Semicarbazide, or SEM belongs to a family of chemicals known to cause cancer in animals. One study has shown it can cause tumors in mice. No human studies have been conducted. The European Food Safety Authority is the first organization to have taken a close look at the risks posed by the chemical.
Although the amount in food is uncertain and its human health effects unknown, scientists investigating on behalf of the European food agency concluded the danger is very slight.
A baby's estimated daily intake of semicarbazide, based on the
concentrations found in infant food, was at least 40,000 times less than the dose given to the mice in the tumor study.
"The risk to consumers resulting from the possible presence of semicarbazide in foods, if any, is judged to be very small, not only for adults but also for infants," said Dr. Sue Barlow, chair of the European Food Safety Authority expert panel.
"Nevertheless," the agency said in a statement, "experts believe it would be prudent to reduce the presence of semicarbazide in baby foods as swiftly as technological progress allows."
The agency also recommended the industry change the lids for other products, after baby foods
Besides baby food, bottled foods found to have traces of semicarbazide included fruit juices, jams, sterilized vegetables, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, sauces and ketchup. However, baby food had by far the strongest concentrations, probably because the contact between the food and the seal is more significant, the jars are small, but the cap still has to be big enough to fit a spoon in.
The Food and Drink Federation, a London-based European industry organization, said that an industry task force was now working with the authorities to eliminate semicarbazide from the metal twist caps.
College president dies, leaves questions
The Associated Press
LIBERAL - A day after the president of Seward County Community College was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, his colleagues and students struggled to deal with the loss.
guest to meet "He was always a very positive person," said Andy Yoxall, spokeswoman for the college. "We never deal with problems around here. To him, they were always challenges something we would deal with."
Dr. James Grote was found dead in the back yard of his home by his wife, Linda, who
nad come home early from her job as an administrator with the Liberal school district, police said.
The coroner has ruled Grote died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, said Capt. Al Sill of the Liberal Police Department. He used a 12-gauge shotgun, and left no suicide note.
"It seems like he was despondent and in a depressed mode," Sill said.
Grote, 58, was the type of person who would head out of his office and walk the halls when staff and students were coming in
for their first classes so he could say hello to everyone, Yoxall said.
"He was one of those presidents who made a concerted effort to learn students' names so as he walked down the hall he could call them by name," she said.
2. 000 students He worked at community colleges most of his life, including a stint as president of Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Mich., in 1987. He also was dean of instruction at Colby
said.
Grote had been president of Seward Community College since 1994. The college has about 2,000 students.
"One of his biggest beliefs was that the community college was very important to many communities across the United States, and especially Kansas." Yoxall said.
Grote was named the 2001 Southwest Daily Times Citizen of the Year.
Seward County Community College will conduct a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Friday in the college gym. It is open to the public
The campus will be closed Friday and all classes have been canceled, although regularly scheduled events will continue.
CLASSIFIED: Employee funding
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
A similar vote six months ago wound up with a 545 to 545 tie.
"I hope the natural passage of time will deflate tempers." she said.
Kathy jansen, procurement officer for the comptroller's office and the president of Classified Senate, said she looked forward to mending the bad feelings that had arisen over the divisive issue.
But not everyone is ready to let the issue go. After University Relations, announced the outcome of the vote, the Pro-Civil Service Coalition released a statement calling for the University's administration to drop the proposal and instead support a Kansas bill that addresses the need for civil services employees to be paid higher wages. The Kansas House bill 2126 adjusts salaries according to costs of living. It also guarantees a fixed raise, or step pay increase, for employees every year.
employees say we've lost, but
it's not over until we've played our
final card," said Kathy Coffey, co-
chair of the Coalition and physical plant supervisor for Facilities Operations Steamfitters.
Operation Kathy Reed, administrative specialist for University Governance, voted to leave civil service because she said that she didn't trust that the government would follow through on funding.
"The Legislature can pass a bill saying they'll support step increases, but that doesn't guarantee that they'll give the University money for it," she said.
sity money for it. For now, according to Eakin, the University is planning to go forward with the proposal for the alternative to civil service. He said that the Chancellor and the Provost could discuss it with the Board of Regents as soon as today's meeting in Topeka. Neither the Chancellor or Provost returned requests for comment.
Eakin said that if they decided to support the proposal, the Board of Regents would ask the Legislature to allow classified employees at all of the Regents' schools to have the option to leave civil service.
Edited by Katie Nelson
DEAN: Candidate rallies Midwest
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
vote," Marchin, Manhattan senior, said. "I think Dean's enthusiasm will encourage people."
Marchin stood in the front row last night amid KU students holding a homemade "KU 4 Dean" sign.
Marchin registered 20 new college supporters for the Dean campaign. Earlier this month, a message on Dean's Web site from the candidate thanked the University of Kansas among other colleges for its efforts. Marchin said she thought the current administration was a threat to civil liberties.
"I have a sense of urgency that I've never felt before," she said. "I need to do whatever I can."
Earlier yesterday, the candidates were required to file their third-quarter fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission. Dean received a total of $14.8 million, the highest single filing ever by a Democratic presidential campaign.
But this total was dwarfed by President Bush's filing yesterday
of a record $49.5 million in contributions. So far in the campaign, Bush has collected a total of about $83 million in contributions, the most any candidate has ever received at this point in a campaign.
campaign.
Yesterday was Dean's first night of fundraising for the next quarter. In addition to the $50-tickets to the rally, Dean raised $50,000 at a dinner earlier at the River Market.
Dean stopped in Kansas City in between campaigning in Iowa and Virginia. He campaigned in seven cities in Iowa this week before coming to Kansas City. Dean will be spending much of his time in Iowa as the Jan. 19 Democratic presidential caucus nears.
"Students'ave gotten really excited," he said, "Dean energizes young people."
Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, spoke shortly before Dean took the stage. Davis, a 1992 KU graduate, heard Dean speak as a student. He said Dean had always emphasized student involvement.
John Nowak/Kansan
One of these students, Jamie
Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean spoke to the crowd at the Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway St. in Kansas City, Mo. "I only want one more American to lose his job," Dean said, "and that's George W. Bush."
Anne Epstein, said she sided with Dean over the other Democratic candidates.
said. "He's the only Democrat with the guts to say what needs to be said."
— Edited by Cate Batchelder
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