Thursday February 4,1988
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
Vol. 98, No. 89 (USPS 650-640)
House votes to eliminate contra plan
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A bitterly divided House voted yesterday to cut off U.S. military support for Nicaragua's contra rebels, rejecting President Reagan's aid request in the hope of spurring peace prospects in Central America.
The 219-211 vote, culminating six years of overt and covert military support for the rebels fighting the leftist Sandinista government, killed Reagan's request for $36.2 million in new aid to keep the contras alive as a fighting force through June.
It was a serious defeat for the president, who had lobbed hard on the issue for two weeks and had put the contras among the top foreign policy priorities for his final year in office. Only a day earlier, Reagan had argued that failure to extend aid would strengthen communist influence in the hemisphere.
"Today's vote is the end of a chanter," said House Majority Whit
"If you vote this package down, you'd better be prepared to bear the consequences," Michel said. "And who among you is smart enough to predict the path on which Daniel Ortega will take you?"
Current aid to the rebels expires Feb. 29, and democrates pledged to hold another vote before the month is out on an alternative package of purely humanitarian aid to the rebels, and to follow that up with a new emphasis on economic development aid for countries in the region that abide by terms of a five-nation peace accord.
The most controversial part of the defeated package was $3.6 million earmarked for weapons and ammunition, which Reagan had said he would withhold until March 31 to see how cease-fire talks went between the rebels and the Managua government. Those talks are scheduled to
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Steven Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun' only partly succeeds
Strong acting and vivid cinematography don't give "Empire" enough magic to put it on a level with other Spielberg films. Dragging scenes and redundant images deaden the positive effects of the acting and camera work.
BY KEVIN DILMORE
Newspaper ads for Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun," which opens in Lawrence on Feb. 12, herald it as one of the year's 10 best films. Well . . . maybe.
"Empire of the Sun" is the story of 11-year-old Jim Graham (Christian Bale), a British boy who in 1941 lives with his parents in Shanghai. Jim spends his life dreaming about airplanes and of one day becoming a Zero pilot for the Imperial forces of Japan.
In Shanghai, he meets Basie (John Malkovich), a merchant seamed thief, and Basie's partner, Frank (Joe Pantoliano). The three try to steal enough to eat and stay alive, but eventually they are captured by the Japanese and taken to a prison camp.
But his dream world is shattered when the Japanese invade Shanghai. Jim is separated from his parents while they flee from the city. As they separate, Jim's mother shouts for him to go home and wait for her. He does, but days pass with no sign of his parents. So Jim takes to the streets.
The rest of the film details Jim's life and his fight to survive in China as a young prisoner of
"Empire" is the first film Spielberg has directed since "The Color Purple," which was released about two years ago. Again, I am impressed by the two things I have come to look
12 KANSAN MAGAZINE February 3, 1988
"Empire" also shows that Spielberg still is driving for technical brilliance. He works hard to fill the screen with beauty by using both movement and stillness; other directors master only one or the other. For example, he spends extra time with flight sequences, making sure the audience can appreciate the aerial grace of everything from toy gliders to Japanese fighters. This not only helps the audience to quickly identify with Jim's fascination with the skies, but the flight sequences keep the audience interested when the screenplay drags. Some credit for the aerial scenes must go to the film's director of photography, Allen Daviau, who also worked with Spielberg on "E.T." and "The Color Purple."
I also have a problem with Spielberg's general style. I shouldn't gripe too loudly, because I do like it. But it has been mimicked by every hungry, young "Stevie wanna—be" who has graduated from film school, and I am tired of it.
for in his films - his ability to pull great performances from young actors and his drive for technical brilliance.
Christian Bale does give a great performance in "Empire." The film's credibility rests entirely on this kid's shoulders, and Bale bears it well. He can shift in a moment from being a sheltered, upper-class boy to a feral, street-smart survivor. And it is believable.
However, 2 1/2 hours is too long, something that tighter editing could have fixed.
Everything that has come from Spielberg's
By Jeff Suggs
Kansan staff writer
Several athletes made spectacular moves at last night's KU-Oklahoma basketball game. But they didn't just include Danny Manning, Harvey Grant or Stacey King
In fact, some of the best action occurred at halftime.
Halftime acrobats entertain audience
The Bud Light Daredevils, with the help of a mini-trampoline, fascinated the sellout crowd in Allen Field House with their acrobatic slam dunks.
The team will play at Nebraska tonight, Missouri Western tomorrow, Kansas State on Saturday and Topeka Sizzlers game on Sunday.
The Daredevils, who are based in Memphis, Tenn., perform around the world. The four-member team has played in over 150 colleges, in every National Basketball Association arena and in Europe, the Middle East, Japan, Latin America and Australia.
Real surprised," Cobb said. "If it's always just for fun. I feel really lucky."
I often laugh at the absurdity of the current heavy metal revival. There wasn't much intelligence in it to begin with, let alone anything for future generations to steal or to update. So it's pretty in-
y Cobb, coach and performer the Daredevils, founded the m when he was a cheerleader he University of Mississippi in ). It was originally a part-time, but when he graduated in 1983, ecame a profession. Cobb said was surprised at the success of Daredevil team.
BY JOHN HENDERSON
Anthrax "I'm The Man"
(Megforce/Island)
'obb's team includes his ther, Guy, Tim Lancaster and th Eldred.
New sounds in rock
Good Morning, Vietnam Soundtrack (A&M Records, Inc.)
For a major label such as Warner Bros. to
release this album takes a certain amount of guts, especially considering that the company is responsible for garbage like U2 and Robbie Robertson. But anyone a bit more hip on the music scene has heard this before. I guess "Buzzcock-Undertonish-spike-adrenalin-post-punk-guitar-pop" must be a new motto for the '80s. Still, it's better than "Peace, baby," so I won't complain too much. "Hang-ten!" compiles the bulk of the Soup Dragons' British singles and serves as a good introduction to the band before it releases its real debut LP in the spring.
art of the team's act is to pull out the audience and get m involved in the performance. We implement a s the point of the show
Rainer cumsily tied together by Robin Williams" "Adrian Cronauer" monologues, "Good Morning, Vietnam" compiles a decent group of hits and semi-hits from the '60s and succeeds in the only way a project with limited possibilities can — it evokes a proper sense of the attitudes and situations portrayed in the movie.
Andrea Reeze, president of Gama Phi Beta sorority and a member the panhellenic alcohol task force, id that the future might bring even ricket policies.
"Eye-to-eye contact — that kills the whole show, Lancasaid. "It's a real personal moment to look like were a pair."
Better than the music or the movie behind it, though, is the fact that enough time has elapsed to allow the entertainment industry to comfortably capitalize on the comic aspects of the Vietnam conflict. Thank them for their patience and go purchase this sociologically significant piece of merchandise.
Soup Dragons "Hang-ten!" (Fire/Wire Bros.)
Oh yeah—that crowd —what a
near to come to," he said. "It
aN ass lot to us. It's been one of
best so far, for sure."
ancaster said that at some ces, the crowd was not too aptive to the Daredevils' persecution and the Jayk fans were great
David Morris, president of the terrfraternity Council, said that the uncle hadn't had a chance to review resolution yet but that it would be scused at an upcoming meeting.
ties
Jhnemus said that the association anteed the fraternities to sign the solution too.
Reese said that a policy to ban coloh from all functions, even for one who could legally drink, was discussed.
women imparable
'I find it a little difficult to lieve,' she said. 'I hope it's true, we've got quite a long ways to
she said that even if the 70 percent ure were true, it was meaningless cause some women still don't get id as much as men, even though iv do the same jobs.
between 1986 and 1987, the average eky earnings of women working I time rose by $13 a week, from 6 to $309, but men' earned earn-
rose $17,100 to $25,650
Sarbara Ballard, director of the only Taylor Women's Resource inter, said she didn't know what actors the study was based on but id she guessed the percentage was sadly going up because more men were moving into higher
See SALARY, p. 6, col. 1