xt7bg7373s29 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7bg7373s29/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 2003-01-17 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers English Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel The Kentucky Kernel, January 17, 2003 text The Kentucky Kernel, January 17, 2003 2003 2003-01-17 2020 true xt7bg7373s29 section xt7bg7373s29 PRIDAYKENTUCKY KERNEL ZONING OUT TUBBY RE-EXAMINES THE CATS' DEFENSIVE STRATEGY WHILE PREPPING FOR NOTRE DAME WW . as. ‘21:: Lulu! .Q..._l Affirmative action case renews debate at UK Effects: Proponents say affirmative actions helps minorities. women; opponents say it lowers standards ByEmeitagedorn ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR President George W. Bush's disdain for the use of the University of Michigan‘s affirmative action program has caused dispute at UK. “Disbanding affirmative action would set the country back years," said Jessica Pers- ley, the president of the UK blacks and Latinos with affir- mative action, but white women have gained more than anybody." In response to a sched- uled US. Supreme Court case in which white students are suing the Michigan law school for discrimination in admissions. Bush called the system “divisive, unfair and Michigan’s point system awards 20 points. one-fifth of the total needed for admis» sion. to African Americans. Hispanics and Native Ameri- cans because of their race. Bradley Canon, professor of political science. said dis- banding affirmative action would translate into UK and the University of Louisville losing minority students, while schools like Murray State University and LCC would gain them. chapter of the NAACP “Peo- ple are so quick to mention Constitution." impossible to square with the Canon said Bush‘s stance could have an effect. “When a government takes a side. that side usually prevails two- thirds of the time." he said. Advocates of Bush‘s stance say affirmative action can have negative effects. “A lot of minorities are accepted at lower standards," said Kellen Baker, president of UK College Republicans. “It sets them up for failure." Baker agreed that some program should be in place to help minorities. but said a strict system of allotments for minority students does more harm than good. "1t hinders minorities be- cause it sets up an atmos- phere where they're looked at as a number,“ he said. UK Admissions staff could not comment on if UK uses race as a factor in admis- sions decisions. Allan Vestal. dean of the college of law. said the stu- dent and faculty members of the college's admissions com- mittee place as much weight as they see fit on race and all other factors. but no formal system is used. Emery Wilson. dean of the college of medicine, said race. as well as many other factors. is looked at for admis- sion. He said the college tries to get a representative demo graphic of Kentucky "A lot of times. women like to go to women doctors. and minorities like to go to doctors of their own race," he said. The Supreme Court will hear the case in March. “(The court) could say universities can never again take race into account." Canon said. FINDING A CENTER Journalism and political science sophomore Jessica Parker talks with theater senior Jason 'l'hompson and English sophomore Ash- ley E. Hayden In the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center, room 124 of the Student Center. "it's a good place to meet and greet for IIIhorIty students." Hayden sid. King Cultural Center is ‘a second home’ for some In memoriam: Opened on the first national Martin Luther King Jr. day, center brings together artists, writers, musicians, actors and students By Ben Etonzinl STAFF WRITER For La Toya Smith. the Martin Luther King Jr. Center is not just a place to work, but a place to find a strong, supportive community with other African-American students. “On a primarily white campus. it's great to have a support group to come to," said Smith, a junior psychology major who also works as an office assistant at the King Cultural Center. “There's always something going on here, you don't really have a slow moment.” In January 1987, coinciding with the first national observance of Martin Luther King’s birthday, the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center was opened on UK’s cam- pus. For 15 years, the center's program- ming has served as a vital resource of cultural, educational and social activi- ties. Lectures, concerts, Workshops semi nars, exhibits and theatrical perfor- mances have broadened and enriched the educational experience of many students. The center also offers cultural programs and serves as a meeting place for organi- zations. Those who work at the center plan events and bring speakers, intellectuals Since I came to UK, I’ve made a really close-knit group of and performers to UK’s campus. “The purpose of the center is as viable today as when we first began,” said Chester Grundy, director of African-Amer- ican Student Affairs and director of the center. “For students to realize their maxi- mum potentials, they must have a very strong sense of who they are," said Grundy. “You come to know that by learn- ing about your ancestral history and cul~ ture.” On any given day. the King Cultural Center is a buzz of excitement. Students meet to do homework, eat lunch or just talk. Films of black performers are shown. Future events are planned. “Students take part in putting together programs and activities, making them feel like the cultural center is theirs," said Ri- cardo Nazario-Colon. assistant director of the center. The center has offered cultural pro- grams. including speakers ranging from Alex Haley, who wrote “Roots." to Spike Lee, a famed director. and concerts from the Boys Choir of Harlem and the John Coltrane Memorial Band. It has also sponsored dance performances by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and the Na- tional Dance Company of Trinidad and Tobago. See CENTER on 2 friends here at the center.” - Chante Corey, marketing and management freshman mam l KEINELSTAFF Honoring MLK Lexington's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be held downtown on Monday. Jan. 20. The Freedom March will begin at 10 am, with lineup begin- ning at 9:30 am. at Heritage ilall. ' Following the march. a program honoring King's work in civil rights will be held in Heritage Hall. Susan L. Taylor, se- nior vice president of Essence Communica- tions and editorial direc- tor of Essence magr zine, will be the keynote speaker at that event. Snow cancellations rare for UK students . ”T I e Jottil IAIPLER l ksnmsmr Brewing the weather Undeclared freshman Elné Steyn talks with her cell phone under- neath her hood Thursday. NO DAY FOR A SNOW DAY By Emily Burton STAFF WRITER While icy winds slice through the Bluegrass and traffic slows to a crawl. many students in Lexington are celebrating a day of free- dom — a snow day. However. UK students are not usually so lucky. Jack Blanton. the man with the power to declare a snow day. has yet to call school off since his appoint- ment as vice president for administration. “It takes a lot to close down an entire university". Blanton said. “We have a hospital. police station. physical plant division. not just classes." If there is a question about road conditions on a school day. Blanton gets travel conditions from sever- al sources. “The UK police drive the roads. we find out if the Lex— ington bosses are running. get reports from the state police and the grounds de» partment. All of this hap- pens before 6 am." Blanton said. "They see what the sidewalks are like. what the parking lots are like." The grounds depart ment plays a huge part in campus cleanup during the early morning hours before students flock to campus. “Last year we used about 200 tons of salt on campus." said George Rid- dle. superintendent of grounds. “That's about aver- age for us. [The weatherper— son] said we were going to get three to six inches, and now it‘s one to three. so we never know what we‘re go- ing to get." Blanton said there was a question of cancellation once last November. but the last major snow break was in the ‘70s. “I used to have an office in the old administration building. and my window was about eight feet from the ground. My rule was that I would cancel school when the snow reached my window." Blanton said with a laugh. One the major draw- backs of calling off classes is the cost to the university. Blanton said. “The professors get paid come hell or high water.“ he said. "And there is not tu- ition remission either." Finally. if a university cancels too many days, they can get in trouble with cred- itors. people who monitor and mandate how many hours a course is in session ”It's not like a public school systef‘n." Blanton said "We can't extend the school year. Commencement comes when commencement comes " 2I FRIDAY. JANUARY 172003 I KENTUCKY KENNEL ALL THE NEWS THAT F ITS The Low-down It was a discovery. They were not declared.” Hiro Iloki, spokesman for the UN. weapons inspectors in Iraq. on finding 11 empty chemical warheads that Iraqi officials had not mentioned in their declaration. U.N. inspectors make ‘discovery' BAGHDAD. Iraq An inspection team st‘.ll‘(‘lllllg bunkers in southern Iraq on Thursday found 11 empty chemical war— heads that Iraqi officials had not declared to the United Nations. 21 UN. spokesman said. li'aq insisted that it had reported the rock» ets. which it said were old and never used tor chemical weapons. Also Thursday. in- spectors searched the homes of two lraqi scientists 111 Baghdad for the first time. One of the them. a physicist, left with inspectors. but it was unclear if there was any connec- tion between the home search and the dis- covery of the munitions. Debate immediate- ly began about whether the warheads con— stituted a material breach under UN. Reso- lution 1141. The Bush administration said the inspections should not go on indefinitely chi'uging Iraq has refused to provide full weapons distl losuie. ""Thetes no point in continuing forever. going on. if Iraq is not ioopei ating. said State Department spokesman Riihatd Bouchet US. officials. speaking on the condition of anonymity. said the discovery may not amount to a “smoking gun” unless some sort of chemi- cal agent is also detected. Key questions about the find are whether any chemical weapons were ever loaded into the 0rd- nance. and. if so. when. officials said. The 122 111111 warheads were found in bunkers built in the late 1990s at the Ukhaider Am- munition Storage Area. 70 miles south of Baghdad Him I eki. the inspectors' spokesman in Baghdad said in a statement The team examined one of the warheads with X- -ray equipment and took away sam- ples tot chemical testing, the statement added Ueki told The Associated Press the shells were not accounted for in Iraq 3 decla- ration. "It was a discovery. They were not declared." Mudslides kill dozens in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO. Brazil Mudslides triggered by torrential rain slashed through shzintytowns and buried houses in south- eastern Biazil Tl hutsday. killing at least 27 pt ople in two states authorities said. At le. 151 24 people were killed in Minas Gerais state and three mote people died in neigh- boring Espirito Santo state. according to civ- il defense officials. According to Minas Gerais state civil defense officials. 70 people were injured. They said hundreds of homes were destroyed and more than 6,000 people tied. Worst hit was Belo Horizonte. a city of 2 million about 210 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro. where at least 17 people died. said fire department spokesman Lt. Gertel NOT GAY: Tom Cruise won a $10 million defamation judg- ment against a porn actor who allegedly told the French magazine Actus- tar that he had a gay affair with the actor, Cruise's attor- ney said. Chad Slater, whose stage name was 11er Bradford, had said previ- ously he never met Cruise and defaulted on the $100 million lawsuit in Au- gust 2001. "I hope by default- ing, Mr. Cruise will finally get what he is after and I can finally start to put my life back in or- der," Slater said in a statement at the time. The default mo- tion did not indi- cate Slater admitted wrong- doing, but was an acknowledg- ment he did not have the money to fight the law- suit and would not contest It. Slater, who has made a series of porn films and gay-themed wrestling videos, could not be lo- cated for com- ment Wednes- day. Vaz de Souza. In Morro das Pedras. a hill- side slum near Belo Horizonte. a wall of mud buried a house and trapped six broth» ers and three cousins aged 6 to 19. Souza said. Rescue workers made contact with a boy under the rubble. but a second mudslide buried the child and forced Workers to move back. “It was horrible.“ Souza said by tele- phone. “One minute they were talking to him. and the next he was gone." Digging with hoes shovels and their bare hands workers pulled out two bodies before sus- pending work because of the risk of furthet mudslides Souza said. In the nearby Vila Cafezal district firefighters pulled the bod- ies of four people from the rubble of a house buried by the mud. Souza said. Special Forces arrive in Colombia BOGOTA. Colombia # Dozens of US. Green Berets flew in to a Colombian war zone this week to train Colombian army troops to protect a key oil pipeline from rebel attacks a US. official said Thursday The arrival of the members of the 7th Spe- cial Forces Group marks a turning point in US. involvement in Colombia's civil war. Previously. US. military aid and training was restricted largely to battling cocaine production which rebels and rival paramili tary gunmen profit from fueling the war. But the Bush administration with approval from the US Congress has decided the US military assistance should expand into help- ing Colombia combat the rebels. About 60 US. trainers began arriving earlier this week, joining about 10 others already sta‘ tioned in Arauca state on Colombia‘s east- ern border with Venezuela. said the US. offi- cial. speaking on customary condition of anonymity. On Thursday, about 20 US. troops drove up to Arauca airport in jeeps. then unloaded equipment. including mili- tary vehicles, from an arriving plane, ac- cording to a reliable witness who insisted on anonymity. Numerous shipments of equip- ment and supplies are expected over the next few weeks, the US. official said. Man kills himself with guillotine LONDON — A 36-year-old man killed himself with a homemade guillotine set up in his bedroom police said Thursday. Boyd Taylor 8 body was found Monday by his fa- ther, also named Boyd. Northumbria police said. Taylor rigged a timer to the device and apparently set it to kill him early Monday police said. But police would not comment Thursday on widespread news reports that Taylor put a bed under the guillotine. “This is a very unusual case, said Andrew Ward a spokesman for Northumbria police. “There is no indication yet of what made him do this." Northumbria police said the death was not considered criminally suspi- cious, and they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident. compiled from wire reports CENTER Continued from paqel “The cultural center has become like a second home to me." said (‘hante Corey. a marketing and management freshman. “Since I came to UK I‘ve made a really close-knit group of friends at the cen- ter. We're all in here every single day." The King Cultural Center. in room 124 of the Student Center. contributes to the recruitment and re- tention of African-Ameri- can students by aiding in the development of a more hospitable and supportive campus environment. Smith said. She said students try- ing to decide where to go to college look for a place they can see becoming their home. and the cultur~ al center is an element of what makes UK like a home. “When possible stu- dents see the cultural cen ter. they instantly see what it has to offer," Smith said. “It is a very inviting place." Although the center is Journalism fresh- man Tracy Bonilia, ore-physical thera- py freshman Aaron Stevenson and Eng- lish freshman Leti- cia Johnson share a laugh at the Martin Luther King Cultur- al Center. SCOTT LASHINSKY primarily geared towards African American stu‘ dents. it is a place where all are welcome anti can bene tit from what it has to offer. said Nazario-(‘oloir “This is an inclusive place, A place where any- one can make their home." he said. That inclusion offers an educational experience. Grundy said. As more peo- ple are exposed to what the King (‘ultural (‘enter has to offer. those attending events become more culturally and ethnically diverse. he said. “Martin Liither King Jr. had a great vision for the United States 111 terms of all people being treated equally and respected." said Nazario-Colon. “Through the cultural center. we are able to pro- mote these ideas." he said. From its inception. the King Cultural Center has served as an “oasis" of rich culture. said Grundy. "For African-American students. the King Cultural Center serves as a mirror to give them an accurate re- flection of themselves and their ancestry.“ he said. “For others it can serve as a window to view another culture and gain a greater understanding of our world,“ Corrections A story in Thursday's Kernel listed an incorrect date for the GymKats‘ meet against LSU and Centenary. That meet will be tonight at 7:30 at Memorial Coliseum. To report an error call The Kentucky Kernel at 257~ 1915. ()fteiine' Dial up, DSI.., Domain I —mail Hosting, Network Consulting and W ch Develotament Services INTERNET blueOfle .Net Web Hosting, 721-BLUE [721.2583] 01' . . , a . 3; . .7 . , i ‘ ' y - .~ , a 1 ‘ 1 i 311% ((1 www. blueone. net l ig will be ante and attend the January 18th and.» no enter the contest. in OVATION xli’lfll Nii iiii|;11.vi||w FM [EIIJEII '1.) 172’ I II Ii‘ / iJKAA would like to thank planet Salim and Ovation for supporting liir‘ Him/many (if Ki-iifiit fry .mti tiw Return (if the Rig Blue qu nonaoognaz‘: sammmnacswgcs- EQPH‘H auto-our Scene Sarah Zopfi . Scene Editor Phone 2574915 | Email: pettyqtrllae‘notmailtom THETOPIOZOOZ A LIST OF THE TOP 10 BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF 2002. \liUR( l‘ .\1\.Nlt( Eminent ' The Eminem Show 7.4 million copies 3 Avril Lavigne- Let Go- Pinli I Mlssuntlaztootl 3.1 million- ll ' 2. 6 million EMINSM 2 llelly- Nellyville- 4. a million 4:01xle Chiclis- Home- 3. 4 million 5.“” 8 Mile SoundtracII- 3.2 niillion 7 Ashanti - Ashanti - 3 million 8 Alan .Ioohson - Drive - 0 Brother. Vlliere Art 'l’liou Sound- ' track 2.8 million _ Spiderman 3. 9 million 3 million $403 million FOR THE YEAR 2002. \UI‘lkI l \I\’\.El( I A LIST OF THE TOP IO CROSSING MOVIES I 2_ Star Wars Episode 11 - $310 million 3. LOTR: The Two toners - $261 million 4. Harry Potter ll - $252 million I 5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding - $227 million 6. Signs - $226 million 7' Austin Powers: Goldmember $213 million _ 8 Men In Black II - $190 million 9. Ice Age - $176 million . 10. on Another Day- $153 million . I t ’ s that time of year ‘ a g a i n 2 when‘ the trees are bare. cam- pus is dead and _ the Kernel Scene sec— tion needs ‘ new. innovative ideas I, along with my assis- , Atant editor, Robbie Clark. - want to make the Scene sec- tion of the Kernel'a part of the paper to which people can really relate. You know. one of those sections readers can count on day to day to give them the latest greatest coverage on their topic of choice After some brainstorm- ' ing over coffee. Robbie and I have a list of [expectations for the Scene I'd like to pre- sent as a guide for us and a . tool for our readers to bring us new ideas they might wish to contribute. . The Scene section will: ' Cover campus events of human interests: we try to cover as many campus events as possible. but there are so many. it’s easy to miss a few. Feel free to stop inand give us a heads-up. ' Brief our readers. on more cultural. .entertain— ment and arts events: we get many ideas from press re- leases and what seems to be popular at the moment. but word of mouth is often a good way of circulating dif- ferent ideas. and we welcome them from students and fac- ulty. . ’ Cover more interesting students: we have a feeling there are really interesting lifestyles out there and while- we ve touched upon a few ec- centric students. we want more. ’ Provide stories con- taining helpful insights and strategies for dealing with difficult situations and/or experiences in college such as weight control. depres- sion. drinking. academic achievement and adjusting to changes. We have covered many of these issues in the past but this year we want to cover them looking at the stories from a fresh perspec . tive. “ We‘ve tossed around the possibility of starting a weekly advice column or comical break. We’d like the input of students to see if they would look forward to reading something like this. .. More than anything, . we want to make our section more interactive with the student population. We are well aware that the Kernel crossword puzzles provide hours of fun,.but this is your paper! The Kernel can pro- vide students with the oppor- tunity to express their opin- ions If you have any ideas to contribute please call me at 257-1915 or just drop by the office in the basement of the Grehan Building. room 035. Take advantage of your . freedom to express and visit . the Kernel. NH ”/57 [7/41 lfl IIIWIVI' I)|(ill»\| STI'RIO WMBIyIndToy'tRUS hmvihil-l high-JIM uruilnlulcuiom 12353311515920 I . “mum. manning Alum»: I mum-on YISMISEIVI INIKUO‘” iNewmorr Foundation, Inc. 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III—om . . 51; Willie M IN 1m pow mun” (LESS THEN I MILE FROM UK CAMPUS, RIGHT MROSS FROM ST, JOSEPH HOSPITAU KENTUCKY KERNEL l FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2003 | swanwvalNI Ca" 2003 Men's and Women ‘s Intramural Basketbal/ Leagues «Rosters and fees are due Tuesday. the 215i by me Close of the Johnson Center In the new Intramural offices r0 Om 772A. -Entry fee: $25 per team, -UK intramura/s are open to all current UK and LCC students and a// regular UK and 100 faculty and staff. For-more information cal/ 25 7 6584 UK Summer Study Abroad Fair January 23 2003 9:30 - 2:00 First floor. South hall. Whitehall Classroom Bide. Don't delay: summer study abroad deadlines are fast approaching! opportunities exist for study in nearly two dozen countries abroad. Faculty representatives and returned student participants from‘UK summer programs abroad will be present to answer questions. Sponsored by the UK Office of International Affairs. l 12 - 113 Bradley Hall. 257.4067. ext. 229 or 236. . The world isyour classroom! TONIGHT @7:3D p.m. MEMORIAL CDLISEUM vs LSU CENTENAFIY LOTS OF GIVEAWAYS! Also win 2003 GYMKATS t-shirts! We thank our seeson .pon.o°hm' which a ‘ Training Solutions. .Jirnr'n Gectitown. Schlotzsky'e Video. Jersey Mikes. BWS‘. W15. oh'ne. Gm I Lezer Guest UKIK .‘- Corporetze Partners one: MoDonoIdo. N Pepsi. Kroger. Southern Belle Dairy. e ’4 RIDYJANARY 17, Mimicking Coke, mocking Mecca *‘ ‘ ” . saris iiicaetis shinning 7' 7 If you enjoy drinking pop and are looking for a way to break America‘s cultural strangle- hold on the world. you're in luck. Tawfik Mathlouthi has created Mecca Cola as a way of protesting American policies. Mathlouthi says he came up with the idea when he noticed his lU~year~old enjoyed eating at McDonald‘s and drinking Coke. Angered that his 10-yearold wasn't participating in his protest. Mathlouthi created Mecca Cola so the kid Wouldn‘t support America by drinking a product of one of its corporations. That'll teach us. Bearing a label that looks suspiciously fa— miliar. Mecca (‘ola's cans and bottles tell con» sumers "No more drinking stupid. Drink with commitment." That's the first time I‘ve ever had a pop can try to insult me. Mathlouthi‘s approach is pretty hypocriti- cal. First of all. he wants to be a competitor with Coca-Cola. but he stole Coke's label. The Mecca Cola labels are red and even feature a white ribbon design. The whole idea seems pretty opportunistic. which is something else he‘s stealing from American companies. To me. it seems like he's just merchandising anti- Americanism. He even says. “If there’s a war. you'd have an extraordinary flare-up of Mecca Cola." I‘m sure he'd hate that. Ten percent of the profits will benefit a Palestinian children‘s fund. though never in cash in order to ensure against aiding terrorism. Mathlouthi. though. says he‘s not against America. “We love America opened to the world. We don't like this America. very danger ous and very strong against others." Yeah. and once in seventh grade I snapped a kid with a rubber band. and then said I was sorry. I wasn’t. But he doesn't seem to care if his slogan sparks more anti-American feelings. “It is not my problem. It is the problem of the US. administration. If they want to change anti-US. sentiment. they must change their policies and their double standards on human rights and politics.“ If you want to make a statement against this present administration. Mathlouthi, why don‘t you try inventing an electric car? It's ob» vious to me that Mathlouthi is pandering. but he is doing it well. He is selling a fake moral high ground to people and making a decent profit in the process. It reminds me of bands making fun of rock stars while trying hard to become rock stars. I‘m not saying Mathlouthi does not be- lieve everything he is saying. but using it to make money calls some of it into question. I found myself wondering if Coke could sue based on the similarity of their cans. Then there‘s the fact that Mathlouthi hired chemists in France to get as close to Coke's for- mula as possible. Coke could probably make a case. but doing so would not help its percep- tion in the Arab world where its sales are slip- ping thanks to Mecca Cola. I don't understand how you demonstrate your anger toward America by stealing one of its most popular products. wrapping it in a shroud of a particu- lar ideology. and selling it to a disenfranchised population. It sounds like something an Amer- ican company would do. There are people who agree with me. and they are appalled that the holiest city in Islam is being used to hock a soda. I don't want to give the impression that I‘m against free enterprise or anything like that. Tawfik Mathlouthi can sell all the pop he wants. I disagree with his assertion that his son is a bad Muslim because he enjoys eating at Mc- Donald‘s. McDonald‘s has good food. Using American tactics to protest American policies gives tacit approval to America. Mathlouthi's idea seems to be confused. Chris Richetts writes for The Oracle (Univ. oi South Florida). His views do not necessarily represent those of the Kernel. DIA OED KENTCKYKRNEL Editorial Board Will Messer. Dialogue editor Josh Sullivan, asst. Dialogue editor iracy Kershavv, editor in chief Travis Hubbard, SportsDaily editor Amanda Hardaway. cartoonist Therese Bratten, cartoonist John Wampler, photographer Wes Blevins, columnist JlLQllRJlElNlflii ban County Council. city with UK. to UK. Isaac should consider: Earlier this month, Lexington welcomed its new mayor, Teresa Isaac. She’s already started set- tling in, hiring staff and mediating the infighting that’s already begun on the Lexington-Fayette Ur- Lee Todd made the improvement of the UK- Lexington marriage one of his top priorities dur- ing his initial time as president, and, by most ac- counts, he has been extremely successful. Now it is time for Isaac to follow Todd’s lead. The coun- cil no longer has the convenient scapegoat of a stand-offish Charles Wethington to explain its lack of initiative in enacting policy relating - Continue working on the Town & Gown ini- tiative. The Urban County Council has come up with some creative ideas at reviving downtown and connecting it with UK. For instance, the city is currently investigating a plan that would help Ideas for Mayor Isaac to improve UK, city UK faculty and staff finance houses within walk- ing distance from UK. This would alleviate traffic in Lexington — a problem discussed extensively during the mayoral campaign — while helping the UK community at the same time. So now that Isaac has been sworn in and begun to build her administration, she should start to think of ways to advance the relationship of her - Look into extending bar hours. McCarthy’s, Cheapside and Redmon’s are examples of down- town bars that do booming business, helping stim- ulate the Lexington economy and encouraging people to come downtown. Extending closing time one hour until 2 am. would undoubtedly funnel more money from the masses of UK students who barhop every weekend into the city. Of course, the city should also look at how this would affect the safety of Lexingtonians. But college cities of com- parable size — such as Knoxville and Athens — have 2 am. closing times. But to avoid sounding whiny without offering anything constructive, here are some ideas that ' Speaking of safety, something needs to be done for pedestrians on Limestone. Every day, UK students take their lives into their hands by dodg- ing speeding vehicles. Granted, a lot of these stu- dents are jaywalking. But with more crosswalks or even skywalks — like the one connecting Cen- tral Campus to the South Limestone parking garage —— this danger could be greatly reduced. Foreign policy will make or break Bush's future Uh oh ., the presi- dent who once possessed job approval ratings in the high 805 and low 90s is slipping. taking a pre- cipitous drop in the last week. Granted. this is not 1991. but President George W. Bush has seen his precious shield begin to shred away This is in part because of his fail- ure to generate mass apr peal for his new tax cut package. But Bush is suffering more from his recently uncovered ineptness in what was thought to be the biggest arrow in his quiver: foreign policy. it is a well known fact that the vast mar iority of Amerit :ins would losc no sleep with an abdication of Saddam Hussein. but people are concerned with the idea of a war itself (as I'N thief weapons inspector Hans Blix's report looms tili‘t raft ('Eii‘l‘lt‘i‘\ ready them selves for combat) Politirzil commentators have noticed Ill. overall appetite for war but not iii :ippctitc tor sacrifice Americans be lieve the piignacious president of lraq pus svssvs chemical and biological weapons and {lip keenly rumor of his past transgressions. u. Guest mm but then they take a gander at a remote out— post in the Far East and they wonder. North Korea captured President Clin- ton‘s full attention in 1994, but he knew then what Bush knows today: the US. has few op- tions in this nation. Liberals are trying to persuade the American public that Bush has bungled the situation in Pyongyang. leading to assertions that double standards are com- monplace in the White House. Perhaps. Bush achieved his greatest heights by adopting a line of rhetoric that “evil-doers“ in the world needed to be dealt with in a swift and deci- sive manner. After several moments of