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Tuesday, February 6, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Movie depicts layoffs' impact
By Marc Parillo
Special to the Kansan
"Roger & Me," the recently highlighted documentary depicting the abandonment of Flint, Mich., by a group that last night at Woodford Auditorium.
Michael Moore, the writer-director-producer and star of his own reactionary film, sold his house and belongings and quit his job before proceeding with his two-and-a-half suit of GM Chairman Roger Smith.
Despite continued efforts, Moore fell short of his long-awaited goal of escorting Smith to Flint for a firsthand look at what a layoff of 30,000 GM employees did to a town whose life line was in the hands of one company's decisions.
"I think this picture is dedicated to anybody who has ever had a boss whose dictates and whims have ruled your life, or have even ruined your life," said John Tibbets, KU associate professor of theater and film
Story of auto factory closing ends producer's pursuit of GM
about 350 students. The exclusive screening was coordinated by Mike Whitaker, KU college intern for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Moore's comedic approach to telling his tragic story about Flint's despair was seen by students and teachers as an improvement to the typical documentary style.
Kelly Kessinger, St. Louis senior,
said, "I think it was definitely blessed against GM, but I also think it was good that he came out against GM."
In a telephone interview Saturday, Moore said, "We need needs to tell these stories by people who do not come out of the traditional NBC
white paper market. I hope we see more political films or documentaries that have a sense of humor."
Despite the critical popularity of the film, autoworkers have mixed reactions.
"It reflects a bad image of the autoworker and puts a bad light on the union too," said Phil Braden, president of the United Auto Workers Local 83 in Kansas City, Mo. "These autoworkers who work on the lines in the cars are experts at what they do." A group of people who have problems, it's no reason to ridicule the whole membership."
The economic and political messages in the film are just as important to Moore as the story itself. Moore, though not blaming the lavoy
on any single cause, said, "We have an economic system in this country that is not fair, not just and not democratic. And until it is, we will continue to have more Flint, Michigan."
The film publicity coordinator, Kathy Isaac, who latched onto the film while working in the offices of Ralph Nader in Washington, D.C., labeled the plant closing as an example of the "short-term, high-profit philosophy of Ronald Reagan and his cronites."
Tibbetts said, "I think it's time that we had films that had something to say about the world we live in."
Moore said the one thing he would like his film to accomplish would be to "sell more Goobers, or make more money at the box office.
"I'd like a lot of people to come to the movie," Moore said. "If they come, they'll leave angry and some of them will leave committed to trying to do something to better this country."
KU press publishes colorful, wayward
Kansan staff writer
By Christine Reinolds
From Hong Kong to Lawrence, authors send their work to the University Press of Kansas for publication.
The press, 329 Carruth O'Leary Hall, has served Kansas universities and private authors since 1946. The press is the non-profit publishing arm of the Board of Regents of the University of Kansas' press' budget is subsidized by the universities, and the remainder comes from book sales.
Fred Woodward, press director,
said the mission of the press was to
publish scholarly and regional
books. The press published 36 titles'
last year and reported sales of
$936,000.
One of the press' published books, "Novus Ordo Seclorum" by Forrest McDonald, was runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize in 1986.
"Kansas in Color," which sold
35,000 copies, is the best-selling
book the press has published to
date. Woodward said.
"Most books we publish are specialized for specialized audiences," he said.
Rex Martin, KU professor of philosophy, wrote "Rawls and Rights," which was published by the press.
Martin's book was the first to be published by electronic manuscript in 1985. Electronic manuscript software of the computer version of the book to print.
Joel J. Gold, professor of English, wrote a humorous book about "academic title" the "The Wayward Professor", published by the press. Three thousand copies were printed.
Census Bureau getting ready for one more huge head count
"The press struck out in a new direction with my book," Gold said.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — They're going into churches and schools. They're advertising in foreign languages and dialects. They've hired professional athletes in Chicago and a former gang member in Los Angeles.
Mosbacher said a good turnout also saves the government money.
Census Day is April 1; the day every 10 years when the government takes a snapshot of the 11.5 million
the government takes a snapshot of the U.S. politics.
To make sure everyone is included in the picture, no fewer than five advertising agencies and businesses across the country have been enlisted to spread the word. Serving as publicity "ambassadors" will be the 50 state titleholders from the Miss America pageant.
Mosbacher estimated that every 1 percent increase
"Participation is one of the most important activities each one of us can do as citizens," said Commerce Secretary Robert Mobbacher, who joined Miss Clinton during sample census forms at a news conference Monday.
More than 100 million census forms will be mailed March 23, with a request that they be completed and sent back after April 1. People who don't return their forms will be contacted personally.
in mail responses saves the government $10 million.
Reaching some Americans is no easy task, however, and special efforts are being made to track them
Brenda August, a census field coordinator in Los Angeles, said a former gang member has been hired to work with census enumerators to try to ease distrust of government officials in gang territories.
Census workers won't be accompanied by police, but will receive safety training, travel in groups and wear special vests to identify themselves, she said.
Census volunteers will go into local churches and schools to promote participation, officials said.
Widely known athletes, including members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team, will be used to count people in Chicago, said regional census director Stan Bruner, who was recruited from among residents of public housing projects.
The Ad Council, a public service arm of the advertising industry, will conduct a national publicity campaign. Ads will appear on the Goodyear bimp and be mailled by J.C. Penney and Sears, Roebuck and Co. Space will be set aside in many 7-Eleven stores for census workers to answer customers' questions.
KU Med Center device passes gallbladder test
By Steve Ballev
Kansan staff writer
A new device at the University of Kansas Medical Center has reduced the need for surgery for some patients suffering from gallstones.
The Med Center is one of 12 national centers collecting data for the Food and Drug Administration, which is studying the device for widesend use.
The device breaks up stones in the gallbladder so they can be dissolved, eliminating the need for removal of the organ, said Glen Cox, associate professor of diagnostic radiology at the Med Center.
The process, called biliary lithotripsy, was first available in this country in 1988. The Med Center treated its first patient last February and since has treated about 30 patients.
Galstones are tiny hardened deposits formed in the gallbladder by buildups of calcium or cholesterol. If the stones are not treated, they can cause obstruction of bile ducts and inflammation of the gallbladder.
The device is the only biliary lithotripsy unit in the state.
Cox said that the gallbladder traditionally had to be removed with the stones. The new device breaks the
stones into smaller pieces so they can be dissolved by an oral medicine.
The stones are fragmented by high intensity shockwaves created by the device. Once the stones are located, an electric spark immersed in liquid creates a plasma on the surface of the stone. The stones are focused on the stones by reflectors in the device.
"The spark is created by a glorified spark plug," Cox said. "Normally, about two thousand 24,000-volt shocks will completely fragment the stones."
Joseph Eisenach, assistant professor of internal medicine at the Med Center, said that only one out of every four people referred for lithotripsy was a possible candidate for the treatment. Treatment depends on the size of the stones, the number of stones present, how hard the stones have become and how much calcium is in the stones.
Eisenach said that the procedure was extremely safe and that the Med Center had experienced no complications in the treatment.
"Some patients have had a small bruise in the area where the shockwave entered the body." he said.
Eisenach said that less than 1 percent of the patients treated for lithotrizen suffered complications.
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