THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2007
NEWS
>> BOOK SIGNING
3A
Alumna, author to hold event, reception
BY JEFF DETERS
jdeters.kansan.com
Laura Moriarty is a novelist who writes about seemingly ordinary families whose lives change in unexpected ways. She also writes close to home.
Moriarty earned her bachelor's degree in social work and later her master's degree in creative writing from the University of Kansas. The Lawrence native's
Moriarty
second novel is entitled "The Rest of Her Life." Moriarty will read from and sign copies of her book from 7 to 8 p.m. tonight at Oread Books in the Kansas Union. The event is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow.
The book can be purchased for $24.95 at Oread Books and Lisa Eitner, book buyer, said the store wanted to have an event on campus where students could meet a local author who experienced national success. Moriarty recently returned from a book tour, which had taken her from Kansas to stops in San Francisco and Chicago.
The book, set in the fictional town of Danby, Kan., is about a teenage girl who is in an automobile accident that kills a classmate. The accident adds pressure on an already difficult mother-daughter relationship.
"That's fertile ground for writing" Moriarty said.
book signing
As a graduate student, when Moriarty wasn't busy writing, she worked as a waitress to help pay for school. She also taught English composition and critical reading and writing from 1996 to 2000. Moriarty said because she was
Author: Laura Moriarty, Lawrence native and KU alumna Book: "The Rest of Her Life When: 7 to 8 p.m. Where: Oread Books in the Kansas Union. The event is free and open to the public. After the signing, the School of Social Welfare is sponsoring a reception.
busy with school, work and many rewrites, it took her 10 years to complete her first novel, "The Center of Everything." Since its release in 2003, the book sold more than 100,000 copies. The book is about a young girl who grows up in small Kansas town with a single mom. The last section of the book takes place on the KU campus.
"It's been a great place for me," she said of the University. "I'm a firm believer that you get (out of) your education what you put into it."
"It's sounds like it's something that could really happen," Anthony said. "You could actually put yourself in that point of view."
Kristen Anthony, Wilmington, Ohio, freshman, enjoys reading novels, love stories and mystery books. She said she hadn't bought the book yet, but was interested in reading it because the plot was something people could relate to.
Moriarty said her fans could expect more books in the years to come.
"I'm tickled I get to make my living this way," she said. "I have plans to keep growing and learning as a writer."
— Edited by Meghan Murphy
HEALTH
Drug resistant staph deadlier, more common
BY LINDSEY TANNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported Tuesday in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.
Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.
The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "asounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association,
which published the study
Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections
— those that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh and can turn deadly.
Researchers found that only about one-quarter involved hospitalized patients. However, more than half were in the health care system — people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, for example. Open wounds and exposure to medical equipment are major ways the bug spreads.
In recent years, the resistant germ has become more common in hospitals and it has been spreading through prisons, gyms and locker rooms, and in poor urban neighborhoods.
The new study offers the broadest look yet at the pervasiveness of the most severe infections caused by the bug, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. These bacteria can be carried by healthy people, living on their skin or in their noses.
An invasive form of the disease is being blamed for the death Monday of a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior. Doctors said the germ had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and muscles around his heart.
The researchers' estimates are extrapolated from 2005 surveillance data from nine mostly urban regions considered representative of the country. There were 5,287 invasive infections reported that year in people living in those regions, which would translate to an estimated 94,360 cases nationally, the researchers said.
Most cases were life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, about 10 percent involved so-called flesh-eating disease, according to the study led by researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There were 988 reported deaths among infected people in the study, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000. That would translate to 18,650 deaths annually, although the researchers don't know if MRSA was the cause in all cases.
If these deaths all were related to staph infections, the total would exceed other better-known causes of death including AIDS—which killed an estimated 17,011 Americans in 2005—aid Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft of the Los Angeles County Health Department, the editorial author.
JIU-JITSU
Martial art teaches defense not violence
BY MARK DENT
mdent@kansan.com
Every media description of KU student Matthew Jaeger, who was recently charged with a violent crime, has included his involvement with Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Local jiu-jitsu instructors said this is unfair to the martial art, which is more often taught for defense.
"The advantage of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is that it allows a much smaller and weaker opponent to overpower their attacker with technique," instructor Robert Riley said. "There is no evidence to suggest that he used it in any way."
Riley teaches Brazilian jujitsu classes at Integrated Martial Science in Lawrence. He said he had met jaeger before and seen him a few times. Jaeger was never a member at Integrated Martial Science, and Riley barely knew him. He did know about Jaeger's reputation.
According to court documents, Jaeger allegedly battered a woman inside her apartment and took her to his car. Violent actions like this are not common with those well-trained in jiu-jitsu, according to Riley.
At Premier Martial Arts in Lawrence, instructors teach students jiu-jitsu techniques to defend themselves.
"It just helps our students be well rounded in an altercation because most students end up on the ground," said Myles Baker, program director and KU student. "It's an effective way to stop a fight in terms of them submitting or giving up. We have a rule where everyone is taught to use it as a defender, not an instigator."
The origins of Brazilian ju-
jitsu, also known as the gentle art,
date back about 100 years. The
objective of the sport is to take the
other person to the ground. Once
Trust instincts
Free Self Defense Workshop The Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center is sponsoring a workshop from 7 to 8:30 tonight at the Rec Center. Kathy Ros-Mockry of the Women's Resource Center said they'll teach people how to evaluate situations where defense is necessary and how to make the correct decision for each situation. She said people should always trust their instincts when facing an attacker and realize that friends can be dangerous too. "It might be a stranger, but most assaults happen with somebody you know," Ros-Mockry said. "Those techniques are very important with someone you know."
on the ground, a fighter tries to use a joint lock or a chokehold to restrain the other fighter. The use of these moves allows the fighter to gain control over the other fighter's body and hold him down with leverage and his clothing.
"There is no more helpless feeling." Riley said. "It's like trying to fight someone when you're wrapped in a sleeping bag."
A fight ends when one of the fighters taps out.
Although Riley admitted jiu-jitsu is a contact sport with some violent actions, he said those who were well-trained knew how to use it appropriately.
"People involved in jiu-jitsu become humbled and disciplined," Riley said. "The beauty of the art is you can restrain someone without hurting them."
Edited by Rachael Gray
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS
Making A Difference:
A Gathering of Student Organizations Join the Commission on the Status of Women for a discussion of gender in student organizations and planning a service project for Women's History
October 16th, 6:30pm English Room-Kansas Union
Come support the students meet new people, and enjoy Veggie Lunch!
Refreshments served!
Join the ECM for a Bake Sale supporting Alternative Winter Breaks to El Salvador and the Juarez Border during Veggie Lunch every Thursday in October at the ECM.
October 17,2007
Interested in doing something different for Spring Break?
How about going on a Collegiate Challenge trip to work with Habitat for Humanity!
Come to an informational meeting
Wednesday October 17th at 7 pm in the lobby on the 4th floor of the union. If you have questions or cannot attend the meeting, email Jessica at jrleiker@ku.edu.
"Women in Politics: Career Stories"
Dole Fellow, and Host, Jennifer Schmidt Presents: Jo Ann Davidson, Co-chair of the Republican National Committee and 20 year member of the Ohio house of re presentatives. 4:00pm, Wed. Oct 17th at the Dole Institute of Politics
Salon Nouveau Fatal Attraction! Gender on the Silver Screen Join the Commission on the Status of Women for a discussion of gender in film.
PAID FOR BY KU
Wednesday, October 17th
ATTENTION Free health-risk screenings on Wescoe Beach
Screenings will provide the participant with body fat %, Body Mass Index, and waist circumference measurements, along with information on how to interpret he results and determine their risk for obesity-related diseases.
Coupons for a free body fat assessment can be redeemed in the Physical Therapy Department at SHS through Nov.16th Sponsored by Watkins Physical Therapy Department and the Pre-Physical Therapy Club.
ROCK CHALK
SHABBAT OCTOBER 19
2007
Services, Dinner, Raffle and More
Sponsored by KU Hillel
(This is what Friday is made for)
Contact Matt Lehrman (mlehrman@kuhillel.org)
**Look for us on Facebook** Visit us at www.kuhillel.org