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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 14.2007
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cycle.
He said Howard Dean was the only candidate fully utilizing the new media three years ago.
"This time it's the exact opposite," Armstrong said. "It's a much more competitive landscape."
He said candidates had always tried to be where people were and blogs were a way for the general public to reach politicians and also provide a forum for politicians to gage public opinion. Johnson said public opinion no longer needed to travel through a middleman to reach candidates.
The panelists also discussed some values they see in the emerging media, like fact-checking and linking information via the Internet.
The speakers said some downsides of blogs included how they tended to be politically slanted one way or the other and how they were more capable of catching and sensationalizing political blunders.
Erickson said candidates need to be prepared for the downsides.
on their own Web site."
"Blogs are more likely to harm you than help you, but they are a necessary tool," he said. "It's much different than hosting a press release
He also said the majority of elected officials and candidates who appeared to be posting their own blogs actually get their staff members to do the writing.
"People on the Internet do vote," Armstrong said.
The panelists said the influx of social-networking Web sites also contributed to the blogging community and the political sphere.
Kansan staff writer Tyler Harbert can be contacted at tharbert@ kansan.com.
MIDDLE EAST
Bombs erupt in Lebanon
BY SAM F. GHATTAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
EIN ALAQ, LEBANON — Bomb blasts killed three people on commuter buses Tuesday and lawmakers blamed Syria, stirring fears of clashes between Hezbollah and government supporters at a massive rally planned to mark the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister.
The explosions stoked tears of more turmoil as an already tense Lebanese capital braced for Wednesday's commemoration for Rafik Hariri. A huge rally was planned at his grave — just feet from ongoing opposition protests seeking to topple the government.
Lebanon has been hit by a string of bombings the past two years that many government supporters blame on Syria. Syria has denied any role in the attacks, including the suicide truck bombing that killed Harrii and 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005. Outrage over the assassination forced Damascus to withdraw its troops from Lebanon two months later, ending a 29-year presence.
After Tuesday's blasts, the progovernment majority coalition in parliament said in a statement that it holds "the Syrian regime fully responsible for this despicable crime." It accused Syria of trying
to "make Lebanon another Iraq
destroying its security and stability
The coalition called on the Arab League to impose sanctions against members of the Syrian regime and demanded U.N. troops be deployed along the Lebanon-Syria border "to halt the flow of arms to subversive groups directly linked to this regime" — a reference to pro-Syrian groups.
The bombs Tuesday ripped through two commuter buses traveling on a busy mountain highway northeast of Beirut, killing three and wounding 20, police said.
Witnesses at Ein Alaq, a village in pine-wooded mountains a 30-minute drive northwest of Beirut, said the first bomb exploded in a bus around 9 a.m. As people rushed to the scene, a second explosion, about 10 minutes later, tore through a second bus that had driven up.
The buses were carrying people to work, and witnesses said they pass at 10-minute intervals, ferrying people from Christian mountain villages to the coast and Beirut while stopping along the way for whoever hails them or wants to get off.
Pro-government groups said the attacks were intended to scare people away from Wednesday's rally for Harrii, who was an opponents of neighboring Syria's interference in
Lebanese affairs. They were adamant the gathering would not be canceled.
"We will hunt down the criminals and confront them," the U.S. backed prime minister, Fuad Saniora, vowed in a televised speech Tuesday evening. "We will not back down in our search for truth. We will remain intent on preserving national unity."
None of the perpetrators have been caught in the string of bombings the past two years, which killed and maimed a number of anti-Syrian figures and have occasionally struck public areas. The blasts have fueled tensions amid Lebanon's escalating political power struggle, in which the opposition, led by the Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah, has vowed to bring down Saniora's government.
President Emile Lahoud, a staunch pro-Syrian who has sided with the opposition, said the bombings sought to undermine efforts to reach compromise between bitterly split Lebanese factions.
"Every time the Lebanese seem close to an agreement, enemies of Lebanon commit another crime," Lahoud said in a statement.
The potential for violence was high even before the bombings because of a wire barrier separating the protest and the rally.
don't even wear KU shirts at all."
Pryor said the committee would continue to discuss possible solutions.
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"We just want to find a way to keep KU classy", she said.
Kansan staff writer Kyle Carter can be contacted at kcarter@ kansan.com.
students to wear the shirt to games against other teams.
Edited by Ryan Schneider
section. Oakland Zoo, which wears matching T-shirts during home games. She considered proposing something similar to that.
"It's a shame that students aren't getting shown on TV because one student in their section is wearing the shirt," she said.
Though the shirt refers to Missouri, many students wear it to other games throughout the season.
Liz Brown, Bonner Springs junior, said it didn't make sense for
"it's like wearing a football shirt to a basketball game," she said.
Brown said she regularly attended basketball games and would support having the entire section wear matching shirts.
"I think it's a good idea to have everyone wearing one shirt and one color," she said. "You look around at the games and you see people wearing red and white, and some people
Marquez has danced professionally for 12 years. She has been a guest lecturer at various universities and has conducted numerous teacher-training workshops and conferences.
work together" Marquez said. "We don't fight about long work hours because we are together."
They conclude classes and lectures on Sunday. Students and the community are welcome to attend a lecture demonstration at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Elizabeth Sherbon Theater in Robinson Gymnasium.
Kansan staff writer Bethany Bunch can be contacted at bbunch@kansan.com.
Hes been performing in countries around the world ever since.
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"I really respect his trajectory; Marquez said. "He was a child prodigy."
Rodriguez began studying guitar in Morocco at the age of nine and began touring when he was 15.
Among Rodriguez's awarers are the 1984 Bienal de Sevilla and first prize and gold medal at Hospitalet. Marquez is the recipient of the 2003 Artist Access Grant and of the 2005 Artist Enhancement Grant.
— Edited by Katie Sullivan
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3) to expand wireless access on campus. The bill secured wireless Internet for all academic areas on campus, but along with more wireless access came more fees. With the passage of the bill, a new student fee of $5 per semester was implemented for the next five years.
The wireless Internet bill previously had a referendum attached that would send it to a student vote in the April elections. The referendum was dropped during the Senate meeting on Jan. 31, allowing senators to pass the bill.
The Senate will consider another bill with an attached referendum at tonight's bieweekly meeting. The bill calls for an increase in student fees for the Multicultural Resource Center by $1.75 per semester.
Students currently pay $3.50 per
semester for the MRC construction fee, Payne said.
The proposed fee is split into $1.50 for services, operations and programs for the MRC and $2.25 for a long-term maintenance fund, according to the bill.
It is possible that the referendum on the MRC bill could be dropped during the Senate meeting tonight. If the referendum is dropped, Senate could pass the bill or it could fail.
If the MRC bill passes Senate tonight and both transportation referendums pass, students could pay an additional $41.75 per semester, including the wireless Internet fee.
"There is a good chance that a bill involving a SafeBus fee will go to referendum." Payne said.
The semester isn't finished quite yet, but a chance still remains for more fees to be passed or added to the election ballot in April, Payne
Another fee Payne mentioned involved a possible increase to student recreation fees to take the place of students having to pay the Student Fitness and Recreation Center for classes and intramurals.
said.
According to the University's Office of Institutional Research and Planning Web site, student fees increased $25.50 between the 2006 fiscal year and the 2007 fiscal year.
Kansan staff writer Ashlee Kieler can be contacted at akieler@kansan.com.
Edited by James Pinick