8A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
DOLE INSTITUTE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
Ambassadors discuss genocide
Speakers encourage student awareness suggest solving problems without war
BY SARAH NEFF
sneff@kansan.com
Katherine Loeck/KANSAN
Two former U.S. ambassadors speaking at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Thursday night had different definitions for genocide, but they agreed that one step in the solution to the problem was for students to form discussion groups to talk about the situation.
Jonathan Earle, interim director of the Dole Institute of Politics, questions former Ambassador Edward Brynn during a moderated discussion about genocide Thursday night. Bryn and another speaker, former Ambassador Robert Beecroft, began the night with definitions of genocide and moved into audience-prompted comments on generating student awareness.
Former Ambassadors Robert Beecroft and Edward Brynn answered questions from students and the Lawrence community last night during a moderated discussion in front of a nearly packed audience.
Beecroft served as ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2001 to 2006. Brynn served as ambassador to Burkino Faso in western Africa from 1990 to 1993 and Ghana from 1995 to 1998.
Beecroft said that what he called the "CNN Factor" had played a significant role to increase the sensitivity of the international community to genocide.
"One of the things that can really have an impact is to shed the light of
the anger of the people at the top to the instigators of genocide," Beecroft said.
Beccroft said there were two kinds of war: wars of choice and wars of necessity. He said the only war of necessity during the past hundred years was World War II. He said people had to choose their wars carefully and think about the entry strategy as well as the exit strategy. He said there were other ways to end genocide that didn't involve war.
"When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail," Beecroft said.
Both Brynn and Beeccroft said that they were impressed with the number of students in attendance and that they were accustomed to speaking in front of older audiences.
Brynn and Beecroft agreed that nongovernment organizations such as churches and citizen groups played an influential role in changing the conditions. Beecroft said that those groups were more flexible, adaptive and responsive than government groups. Brynn said the high level of attention to Darfur was due mostly to citizen groups that
have forced outside governments to take action. But he said the genocide in the Congo was just as bad if not worse than the genocide in Darfur. He said people paid less attention to the Congo because America didn't have the same connections there that it did in Darfur.
Brynn said the widening gap
between the haves and the have-nots played a significant role in the continuing existence of genocide. He said that genocide would continue until there was a redistribution of the world's resources.
Edited by Tara Smith
NATION
Suicide rates among teens increase dramatically
BY GREG BLUESTEIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — The suicide rate among preteen and young teen girls spiked dramatically in a disturbing shift that federal health officials say they can't fully explain.
For all young people between ages 10 to 24, the suicide rate rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004 — the biggest single-year jump in 15 years — in what one official called "a dramatic and huge increase."
The biggest increase was in the suicide rate for 10- to 14-year-old girls. There were 94 suicides in that age group in 2004, compared to 56 in 2003, a 67 percent increase. The rate is still low — fewer than one per 100,000 population.
The report, based on the latest numbers available, was released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and suggests a troubling reversal in recent trends. Suicide rates had fallen by 28.5 percent since 1990 among young people.
Suicide rates among older teen girls, those aged 15-19, shot up 32 percent; rates for males in that age group rose 9 percent.
"In surveillance speak, this is a dramatic and huge increase," Dr. Ileana Arias said of the overall picture. She is director of the CDC's National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control.
More research is needed to determine whether this is a trend or just a blip, said one child psychiatrist, Dr. Thomas Cummins of Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "We all need to keep our eye on this over time to see if this is a continuing trend."
Overall, there were 4,599 suicides among young people in 2004, making it the third-leading cause of death, surpassed only by car crashes and homicide, Arias said. Males committed suicide far more often than females, accounting for about three-quarters of suicides in this age group.
The study also documented a change in suicide
"While we can't say (hanging) is a trend yet, we are confident that's an unusually high number in 2004," said Dr. Keri Lubell, a CDC behavioral scientist who was one of the study authors.
"There's a lot of pressure in and around middle school kids. They're kind of all transition kids. They're turbulent times to begin with."
method. In 1990, guns accounted for more than half of all suicides among young females. By 2004, though, death by hanging and suffocation became the most common suicide method. It accounted for about 71 percent of all suicides in girls aged 10-14; about half of those aged 15-19; and 34 percent between 20-24.
Scientists speculated that hanging may have become the most accessible method.
"It is possible that hanging and suffocation is more easily available than other methods, especially for these other groups". Arias said.
RICHARD LIEBERMAN Los Angeles public school suicide prevention program coordinator
that prevention focused solely on restricting access to pills, weapons or other lethal means may be of limited success.
The CDC is advising health officials to consider focusing suicide prevention programs on girls ages 10-19 and boys between 15-19 to reverse the trends. It also said the suicide methods suggest
As for why rates are up, Richard Lieberman, who coordinates the suicide prevention program for Los Angeles public schools, said one cause could be a rise in depression
during tumultuous adolescent years.
"There's a lot of pressure in and around middle school kids. They're kind of all transition kids. They're turbulent times to begin with." he said. "The hotline's been ringing off the hook with middle school kids experimenting with a wide variety of self-injurious behavior, exploring different ways to hurt themselves."
Arias said the declining use of antidepressants in those age groups might play a role. But it's "not the only factor" that health officials will be studying.
Four years ago, federal regulators warned that antidepressants seemed to raise the risk of suicidal behavior among young people, so black box warnings were put on the drugs' packaging.
When partial teen suicide data was published earlier this year, experts noted at the time that the drop in sales of the drugs corresponded with a rise in the suicide rate. Now there is concern that some children who need the medication aren't getting it.
"Suicide is a multidimensional and complex problem," Arias said. "As much as we'd like to attribute suicide to a single source so we can fix it, unfortunately we can't do that."
More education is needed, some specialists said, so that teachers, parents and others can quickly spot troubled teens.
To Indians, Bollywood is not just a term used to describe the Indian film industry. To them this term means much more than that.
The mention of Bollywood brings forth images of grandeur, opulence and movies with huge stars, extravagant sets and colorful locales. It makes one think of movies with songs and dances galore and a journey into a dream world that is often larger than life.
Bollywood key to Indian film culture Societal standards slowly changing
The term "Bollywood" is a fusion of "Bombay" and "Hollywood." Bombay, now known as Mumbai, is the city in which Bollywood is based. This term is also a derogatory way of describing the film industry. Because of that, a lot of people refer to it as the Hindi Film Industry. Hindi is the language that the films are made in.
"We rely so much on Bollywood for entertainment," said Neha Pardeshi, Mumbai, India, sophomore. "It plays such an important role in our lives. We look up to it for recreation. I personally like it for the music and because it connects us to our home. It makes me miss India."
Until recently a Bollywood movie was considered a guaranteed hit if it was full of stars and had a collection of decent songs.
At the time, the Indian public was star-crazy and would watch a movie just to see its favorite star, not because it found the story appealing. The situation has changed a lot since then. Stars are still considered crucial for a film, and the Indian public is still star-crazy, but big names are no longer the most important ingredient for a film's success. A movie with a story and rank newcomers is often more successful than a movie with no story and plenty of
KULTURE
BY AMRUTA BHADKAMKAR
In the past, Bollywood directors were always considerate of the Indian values and belief system. Few dared to make movies that discussed topics that were taboo, such as adultery, sex and divorce. This is not the case anymore. Because the Indian audience is becoming more tolerant, the number of movies that feature these topics are increasing.
However copied or silly Hindi movies might be, they still provide Indians living in the United States with a link to their home country and represent an important part of Indian culture.
"Being successful in the industry depends on who you know and not what you know," she said. "Contacts matter."
But all said and done, the movies make her feel nostalgic and homesick.
Naidu said one of the most negative aspects of the Bollywood industry was its politics.
Naidu also said Bollywood movies copy Hollywood movies a lot, but one original aspect of the industry is the singing and dancing. "They are fun to watch, especially since they are becoming more hi-tech," she said. "They reflect the cultural aspects of Indian life and also cover topics ranging from daily life to glamour."
"Though not all make sense, they are still entertaining." Ramya Naidu, Bangalore, India, graduate student. "You have to stop being practical while watching them."
Edited by Kyle Carter
Indian movies have always been musicals. Regardless of its genre, a movie had to contain several songs. A lot of Indian films still have songs but they are no longer crucial for a movie's success.
CAMPAIGNS Study says religion helps. hurts candidates
WASHINGTON — People view Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rudy Giuliani as the least religious of the presidential candidates, according to a poll released Thursday. Mitt Romney was seen as most religious, but his Mormonism may hurt him with voters
Seven in 10 people in the nonpartisan Pew Research Center poll said they believe it is important for a president to have strong religious beliefs. Most also see each major presidential hopeful as at least somewhat religious
important because people who view a candidate that way are likelier to have a favorable opinion of them.
Of those expressing an opinion on the candidates' beliefs, 46 percent said they consider Romney, a Republican contender.
famous names.
Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said the former Massachusetts governor has "the same hopes and aspirations for his country" as voters, adding, "Any sort of abstract aversion toward him because of his denomination will likely fade."
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, was considered very religious by 14 percent, while 16 percent said the same of Clinton, the Democratic New York senator
Clinton has spoken often of her Methodist upbringing and said her religion helped hold her marriage together. Giuliani, a divorced Roman Catholic who favors abortion rights, has said his relationship with God is private.
to be very religious, far more than any other candidate. Yet a quarter of all Republicans — including 36 percent of white evangelical Protestants — said they would be less likely to vote for a Mormon.
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