MANUAL
ESSENTIAL LIFE SKILLS // TOILET REPAIR
> In case of emergency, read quickly
Ignoring a running toilet can raise your water bill and provide you with a less than soothing 24-hour soundtrack of draining water.
"I've seen people who don't know how to change the flappers in their toilets," says John Hamill, Olathe junior. Flappers allow the water to drain into the bowl. "Since they are renting, they just let it run," says Hamill, who helps with maintenance at Brady Apartments, 1530 Tennessee.
Stopping a running toilet is a quick and easy task. Daniel Poul, owner of Watersphere Plumbing, says running toilets are the number one reason people waste water.
"The reason this happens is the rubber flapper gets stiff over time and can no longer prevent water from draining," Poull says. "Or your water line has a bad connection to the ball cock."
Poul suggest the following steps to fixing this problem.
First, to replace the flapper turn off the toilet's water and flush. Pull the old flapper off and run your finger around the flush valve to
make sure it's smooth.
Unscrew the ball cock. This is what floats up and stops the water from coming into the tank. Make sure the connection between the ball cock and water line is okay. Then replace the gasket on the ball cock and screw it back into the tank.
Attach a new flapper to the chain and then hook it to the toilet handle. Turn the water back on.
Flush to make sure the toilet is running properly.
JON HERMES
Contributed photo
Got the runs? Loo leaks aren't just annoying,
they also cost you extra money. You can fix the
leak yourself in a few easy steps.
GET SOME CULTURE // SUMMER AND JAKE
> It's not all about fast food and beer pong
With sounds similar to Brand New, Swell Season and The Decemberists, Summer and Jake officially started rocking out at their first show on Halloween in 2009.
Summer and Jake is a local Lawrence band that is often seen performing at parties on Tennessee Street. They are in the process of getting more gigs. "We are excited about the show we are currently setting up at The Czar Bar in Kansas City," says Summer Bradshaw the band's drummer.
Bradshaw, Olathe junior, and Jake Stull, Overland Park junior and the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, first met in a design foundations class in the school of art and design. The summer after they met they started playing music together for fun, and had no intention of growing into something more.
Contributed photo
Summer and Jake perform at house shows about once a month, and spend a lot of their time writing new songs. Their most popular songs are "In Need of Sun," "Thugnificent," and "Angelfish."
"We look for things in everyday life to inspire our songs." Bradshaw says. She describes the
Chemistry in the classroom. After meeting in a class, Summer Bradshaw and Jake Stull began playing music, and it later evolved into Summer and Jake.
band's style as Indie, acoustic; and folk
Summer and Jake's current songs can be found on their facebook page, "Where the Woodbine Twines."
AMANDA KISTNER
ESSENTIAL LIFE SKILLS // THE BAR PICK-UP
Meeting a girl at a bar can be tricky and nerve wracking. Making eye contact is the farthest some guys go.
> In case of emergency, read quickly.
"Making eye contact is a good first step, but you can't expect the girl you're interested in to do the work for you," says Tony DeRosso, owner and contributor to the dating website OnlineDatingMatches.com.
Approaching someone is easier said than done. DeRosso says practice is key. "Go out to a Starbucks and strike up a conversation with a woman in line who you have no intention of dating," he says. "Just practice your conversational skills with strangers in public."
Many well-meaning guys get caught up in their anxiety and find it difficult to actively pursue someone they are interested in, or they make conversation-ending mistakes. "There are guys who will walk up and ask if I have a boyfriend right off the bat," Kelsey Huff, KU graduate and bartender at the Granada, says. "Show some interest in the person. Strike up a conversation."
Huff suggests waiting until girls are alone to be approached. "If girls are out and sitting at
a table with their girlfriends, they usually don't want a guy to come up and hit on them," Huff says.
Though your heart may be racing, flash a smile and say hi. Confidence is the most important thing. Engage the person by looking into their eyes, and you might just score a date, and eventually a relationship.
JON HERMES
Contributed photo
Risky business! While it may be nerve wracking to approach a cute girl or gay at the bar, being confident and paying attention will help you make the connection.
17 11
04
10
-Edited by Alex Tretbar
out
lica of Naismith's rules hanging on the wall at Amyx Barber Shop, 842 1/2 Massachusetts St.
SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
He said the copy has been there
SUSTAINABILITY
KU EcoHawks convert donated car to electric
Kansas Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail
BY KELLY STRODA kstroda@kansan.com
Josh Petty always liked tinkering with machines when he was
The full conversion is estimated to cost $55,000.
younger. He'd
right now — no tires, a battered back fender and a missing front end. The EoHawks removed the Jimmy's engine last week.
routager. Heed work on his mom's brokenawn moweruntil it wasfinally runningsmoothly.
EcoHawks' GMC Jimmy project. The group is working to convert the car into a fully-electric vehicle. Petty said the group hopes to have the project completed by the end of spring.
Wires and tubes are exposed that some people will never see in their entire lives. Blue painting tape marks the wires and tubes
Instead of a gas engine, the Jimmy will be powered by a main electric motor and two auxiliary motors, Petty said. The motors
Student Senate passed a bill which gave the EcoHawks $2,500 to use for the conversion project.
The 1997 GMC Jimmy, a small sport utility vehicle, sits propped up on car jacks in the KU EcoHawks' garage on West Campus. It's a definite change of scene from the police impound at where the Jimmy sat for two years before being donated to the EcoHawks.
Other funding for the project is coming from the EcoHawks' budget and sponsors.
Now he has a bigger project. Petty, a senior from Olathe, is team leader of the KU
— the gas pedal line here, air bag wires there.
But for now, the conversion is a work in progress.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers."
CHRIS DEPIK EcoHawks advisor
will run using more than 1,000 rechargeable batteries. The batteries — similar to those that cordless drills use — are about the size of AA batteries.
The car looks a bit dilapidated
Jon Kalinowski, a senior from Wichita, is focused on power steering. He said he enjoys the freedom and hands-on learning that the project provides.
Just as each system in the car's engine has to work in unison, Petty said the group members have to work together as well. The 12 students working on the project have a different area of focus.
"I love the fact that we aren't just doing theory," he said. "We're not just sitting in a lab. We're not just on the Internet or reading books."
The students have to research.
theorize and then put their work into practice.
After the car is finished, KU Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail. The campus mail route includes main and West Campus buildings in addition to continuing education buildings on Kasold Drive. On a typical day, the KU Libraries mail vehicle travels about 22 miles.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers," said Chris Depcik, EcoHawks advisor and assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Petty said the electric vehicle would be able to travel 80 to 90 miles before a recharge.
Edited by Lisa Curran
There shouldn't be any worry that the Jimmy won't be noticed. Petty said the EcoHawks hope to paint the frame lime green and the body white.
New biking club proposes local BMX racetrack
"It will almost be a billboard for the idea of sustainability," Lars said.
Lars Leon, associate librarian for KU Libraries, said the libraries encourage sustainability. The electric vehicle is another step in that direction.
LARRI-BMX seeks the city's approval of a plan to construct a course to fulfill Lawrence's BMX interest.
makes sense in historical context
Columnist Luke Brinker explains that the apparent jump in 18- to 24-year-old voters in 2008 actually wasn't all that dramatic. By comparison, Baby Boomers were driven to the polls by factors such as the draft.
INSIDE
Check out The Wave for up-to-date stories on Kansas football, including the scoop on new redshirt freshman Erick McGriff and commentary on fan attendance this season.
Find extra football coverage in The Wave
INDEX
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
WEATHER
Sunny
Sunny
SUNDAY
71 45
Sunny/Windy
weather.com
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
9