Examiner:

You mean some folks at a Catholic university would actually object to a “pro-choice” president of the United States giving a commencement speech? (more…)

From Operation Rescue prior to last week’s hearings:

Topeka, KS - The Kansas Supreme Court has announced that it will hear oral arguments in the criminal case against a Kansas Planned Parenthood organization on Wednesday, May 13, 2009. The arguments will be related to an appeal filed by former District Attorney Phill Kline of a ruling made by Judge Stephen Tatum rejecting four of Kline’s subpoenas and other matters related to the case. (more…)

May 13, 2009

PRESS RELEASE

Attirubute to Mary Kay Culp, KFL Executive Director, 913-406-4446 or culpmk@aol.com

PP calls Prosecution “Political” while truly “Political”Interference
by Supreme Court and A.G.  is on Full Display

“Oral arguments before the Kansas Supreme Court today provided yet another act in the theater of the absurd. That this high Court has again interfered in the prosecution of illegal abortions is outrageous, but all too expected in a state where abortion political funding destoyed Phill Kline, elevated Kathleen Sebelius, and secured this arrogant Supreme Court.

“This case against Planned Parenthood ought to be simple– but because it deals with abortion, all the ordinary legal rules change. (more…)

Prime Buzz:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - President Barack Obama on Sunday called for greater understanding on both sides of America’s abortion debate as he delivered a much anticipated University of Notre Dame commencement address and sought to quell a divisive controversy.

“I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away,” he said, according to prepared remarks. “At some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.”

Chris Stirewalt at the Washington Examiner:

A politician as good as Barack Obama knows his opponent’s argument better than he knows his own.

But while Obama may have enough rhetorical command of conservatism to build straw men or to ingratiate himself to a hostile audience, he still does not understand what really animates the Right.

Obama tried to dodge the resurgent issue of abortion in his commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame on Sunday, explaining that people who disagree can still work together.

Obama pointed to the favored Democratic common ground of reducing the number of abortions while retaining unlimited access to the procedure.

Michael Rosenberg:

If you can’t put the University of Southern California in jail, you might as well close up shop. Declare amateur athletics dead. And get rid of your most beloved rules, which wouldn’t mean anything anyway.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that USC basketball coach Tim Floyd paid Rodney Guillory at least $1,000 in cash, according to Louis Johnson, a former Guillory associate. Guillory is a) a runner for an agent, according to Johnson, b) the guy who delivered star O.J. Mayo to USC, and c) the guy who supposedly gave Mayo $30,000 when he played for the Trojans (also according to Johnson, via ESPN last year).

Recent message from the anti-robo-call group StopPoliticalCalls.org:

I’ve just returned from Capitol Hill discussing the introduction of Robocall regulations with Senate and House Staffers.  It is looking very good.  That is why I wish I did not have to send this message to you.

This message is being sent to all 85,000 StopPoliticalCalls.org members to alert you that the non-profit and non-partisan National Political Do Not Contact Registry (NPDNC) may STOP OPERATING and CLOSE if we can not raise additional funding quickly.  (more…)

From Mark Harris, with Toomey for US Senate:

Another week has passed and momentum for Pat’s candidacy continues to surge. Contributions are rolling in from across the country and residents from every county in the Commonwealth are signing on as volunteers for Pat’s campaign. (more…)

Redstate:

GOP leader: Pelosi should show proof or apologize

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A key Republican leader demanded Sunday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi produce evidence to back up her assertion that she was misled by the CIA on the use of so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

[snip]

“Lying to the Congress of the United States is a crime,” House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“If the speaker is accusing the CIA and other intelligence officials of lying or misleading the Congress, then she should come forward with evidence and turn that over to the Justice Department so they be prosecuted. And if that’s not the case, I think she ought to apologize to our intelligence professionals around the world.”

CQ Politics:

The GOP contest has drawn both of the state’s veteran Republican U.S. House members: seven-term incumbent Jerry Moran of the sprawling, mostly rural 1st District and Todd Tiahrt , an eight-termer from the south-central 4th District that includes Wichita. Hardly surprising, given that job security is a fringe benefit for Republican senators in this longtime GOP stronghold. Kansas voters last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1932.

Brownback won three times, comfortably in a 1996 special election and by landslides in his 1998 and 2004 re-election campaigns.

Open seats historically are more difficult for a party to hold than those defended by incumbents, and retirements in Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio are causing headaches for national Republican strategists in the run-up to the 2010 elections.

Democrats’ hopes for making a serious run at Brownback’s Kansas seat for a while appeared to hinge on the prospect of bid by Kathleen Sebelius , whose 2002 and 2006 wins for governor made her a rare success story for Democrats in statewide politics. That came off the table when Sebelius was tapped by President Obama to be secretary of Health and Human Services and was confirmed by the Senate on April 28.

Even Sebelius would have been no more than an even-money bet to once again trump the inherent advantage Republicans hold in Kansas politics. In 2008 - a terrible year for the Republican Party nationally - presidential nominee John McCain easily outran Democrat Barack Obama in Kansas by 57 percent to 42 percent and Republican Sen. Pat Roberts cruised to an easy win for his third term.

Obama’s Notre Dame Speech

Consensus, conscience and conflicts….these three words came up it Obama’s speech to Notre Dame graduates in South Bend, Indiana over the weekend.  The speech was artfully woven into a charming and emotion-generating treatise that sounded reasonable and surely fit the bill for a graduation speech, but I have to wonder at how the tapestry of well-chosen sound-bytes will look on the “wall of American - ideals.

 First the combination of ideas he expressed are a clash of colors that don’t go together….how can you merge “conscience” with “consensus” and not have conflict?  He stated in his speech that in order for us to work through these pesky conflicts like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and gay marriage we have to find common ground and work together in common efforts. 

We hear a lot about “consensus” in our culture…everyone thinks of it as a good word…an admirable goal.  Looking into what it means I discovered that it means unanimity; to be in complete agreement.  For Marxists it is a ruse; an attempt to disguise the conflict in a society….to give the impression everyone is agreeable and on the same page when in reality the factions still exist under a thin veneer of state-imposed party line.  Margaret Thatcher states “To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies.  So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.”  To reach consensus on whether or not the government can give the right to choose to end the life of another human being based on choice seems to me only attainable if one side agrees to give up. 

On the other hand President Obama states that our society should “honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion and draft a sensible conscience clause and make sure that all of our health care policies are ground in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.”  Huh?  This is the president who just rescinded the “conscience clause” protecting health care workers from violating their conscience in medical procedures and practices.  When he talks about “clear ethics” whose ethics is he talking about?  Ethics that have been established by “consensus”; a consensus reached by squashing any opinion that might violate the “equality of women?”  Does that “equality” include female unborn babies? 

He acknowledged in his speech that “at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable.”  Yes, protecting innocent life cannot be reconciled with choice…in my book “choice” can never trump life, so what are we left with?  Conflict.  Clearly the president stated that he wasn’t going to change his position so where does that leave us in the consensus?  He promised Planned Parenthood that one of his first priorities would be to pass the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and I have not heard that he has backed off of that position…a position that would nullify any state restrictions on abortion…including the ban against partial birth abortion; parental notification, and informed consent laws to name a few.  He overturned the Mexico City Policy freeing up tax dollars to fund abortions abroad…not much consensus there. 

He talked about the same old rhetoric that committed pro-abortion folks always fall back on….reducing unintended pregnancies (he eliminated abstinence funding…abstinence is the only sure way to eliminate unintended pregnancies by teaching kids how to live intentional lives free from pregnancies before marriage); making adoption more available (if children were allowed to live, there would be more to adopt); and support for women who choose to give their babies life…yet his administration has yet to give funding for that purpose.

President Obama talked about not demonizing the other side, but it was his administration that released a memo about “single-issue” individuals (like those who are against abortion) as being possible domestic terrorists.

It seems clear to me that the “tapestry of words” so cleverly delivered in his speech at Notre Dame would offend the sensibilities of most people of conscience.  The consensus he wants is to destroy the conscience of most Americans in order to eliminate conflict.  This is not the America I know.  Lucy

The Dispatch:

Keith Bunselmeyer of Shawnee said when he first moved to the area 10 years ago, he put deer in the same category as teddy bears.

Living on 70th Street near Shawnee Mission Park, he used to get excited when he’d see a deer near his home. Now, as he finds large groups of them tearing up his yard, and as he notices signs the deer are weak and starving, his feelings are different.

“I’ve had to take them out of the category of teddy bears, and I’ve had to put them in the same category as mosquitoes because they are a nuisance to me,” he said.

Bunselmeyer was one of more than 40 residents who took time Saturday at the Shawnee Civic Centre to tell the Johnson County Park and Recreation District what they thought should be done about the deer overpopulation in Shawnee Mission Park. While some said they would prefer a solution that didn’t involve killing the deer, about two thirds of those who spoke said they were not opposed to allowing a hunt to cull the herd.

The Fix:

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today that he will not challenge Sen. Richard Burr (R) in 2010, robbing Democrats of a top recruit in a state President Barack Obama carried in 2008.

“While I am honored by the encouragement I’ve received, I don’t want to go to Washington and serve as a U.S. Senator at this time,” said Cooper in a statement. “I am committed to public service and I want to serve here in North Carolina rather than in Washington.”

Knowledgeable Tarheel State strategists said Cooper’s decision was based heavily on his desire to be governor and his interest in staying in state rather than federal office in order to accomplish that goal. (Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue was elected in 2008 and will likely stand for a second term in 2012 so Cooper has a while to wait.)

Without Cooper, the Democratic bench is somewhat thin.

Newsmax:

The NRA is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country, with a long record of campaigning hard for gun rights sheltered by the U.S. Constitution. It has nearly 4 million members, 60,000 of whom were expected to attend the three-day event that began on Friday. (more…)

Newsmax:

Attorneys for Norm Coleman filed their final brief with the Minnesota Supreme Court Friday in the bitterly contested 2008 election that the former Republican senator lost to Democrat Al Franken by 225 votes after a partial recount. (more…)

From Tim Phillips at AFP:

Washington , D.C. is an endlessly frustrating place isn’t it?

President Obama continues to tell us he “only” wants to raise taxes on “the rich” – whatever that actually means.

Then he calls for massive new energy taxes through his “Cap and Trade” scheme that will dramatically increase the cost of gasoline for our automobiles for every American while also increasing home energy costs by thousands of dollars for American families and small businesses.  All this, in the name of Global Warming. (more…)

Mac World:

What has changed, though, is that you can now run a close relative of Chrome on your Mac-and no, I don’t mean the Windows version of Chrome in VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop for Mac. I mean a real, live, honest-to-gosh version of (what will eventually be) Chrome that runs directly in OS X. How, you might ask? First, a bit of background.

Much like Apple’s Safari browser is based on the open-source WebKit project, Chrome is based on Chromium, another open-source project. To further muddy the waters, Chrome itself uses WebKit, so Chromium also incorporates the WebKit open source project. As a user, though, all that really matters is that Chromium builds are now available for OS X. While this isn’t Chrome for OS X, it’s a very good look at what will become Chrome for OS X. As such, I thought I’d download a build and check out the state of Chrome-to-be on the Mac.

MacWorld:

Back in March when I reviewed the early-2009 version of the Mac mini, I concluded that if you’re going to be using the newest mini for more than the most basic tasks, you’ll want it configured more like the $799 model (2GB RAM, 320GB hard drive) than the $599 model (1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive). (more…)

KFL message:

While the state Attorney General and Supreme Court continue to stall criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood, wouldn’t it be refreshing for the new governor, Mark Parkinson, to chart a new course?

Ask Governor Parkinson to keep his veto pen away from the legislature’s decision not to underwrite Planned Parenthood in the state budget he is now reviewing.

This year’s budget contains a provision specifying that public “safety net” clinics and bona fide hospitals will get first crack at money that Planned Parenthood has been gobbling up annually.

In the last two fiscal years alone, Kansans have paid out more than $550,000 to Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s top abortion business.

Please contact the governor, encouraging him not to line-item veto this amendment that re-orders better priorties for health service funding.

Thank you!

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/ksfl33203693.aspx

From Marco Rubio last week:

I just got off the phone with Anthony Elias, the 5,000th person to join our movement for Florida’s future at MarcoRubio.com.  It was terrific to hear his energy and enthusiasm for the movement we are building.

Together, we will return our party to common sense, free market solutions that have the power to really fix the problems that face our economy, our state and our nation.  This movement is making a difference, and I have you to thank for that as much as anyone.

I need you to stand with me each day until we return this party to what we both know it can be.  Help us keep the momentum going.  Email your friends and ask them to stand with us at MarcoRubio.com.   Together, I know our movement can succeed.

Proud to stand,

Marco Rubio
http://marcorubio.com

The Hill:

Democrat Joe Torsella is exiting the race for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat, stepping aside for newly Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and clearing the primary field — for the moment, at least.

Torsella, a former deputy mayor of Philadelphia and head of the National Constitution Center, was the only major Democrat in the race until Specter switched parties last month. He raised a very   respectable $600,000 in the first quarter and vowed to stay in the race after Specter switched.

On Thursday, though, Torsella said in a video that he will no longer be a candidate.”Now that the dust has settled, it’s clear to me that the kind of campaign that this would become is not the kind of campaign you or I signed up for,” Torsella said. “It will probably be negative, personal and more about Sen. Specter’s past than about our common future.”

From Mike Kiegerl:

After a contentious fight over SB 51, the annexation bill that both chambers passed, the Kansas legislature adjourned Friday morning until the Sine Die session June 4th. We started Thursday 9 am and ended 2:37 am Friday. I got home at 4:30 am and I’m still recovering from the marathon session but I wanted to get my thoughts to you while their still fresh in my tired brain.

This was the most difficult session in my 5 year tenure and, according to old timers, the most difficult ever. Overshadowed by the deep recession and consequent sharp declines in revenue, the budget for fiscal 2009 had to be completely revised and a workable budget for fiscal 2010, which begins July 1, needed to be finished before the 90 day span allocated for each annual session. At times it seemed an impossible task made more complicated by a Governor whose attention was focused on national office and not the needs of the state. Sadly, her contribution to the budgets was limited by what she did not want and there were no practical solutions offered. Therefore the 2009 budget is essentially the version of the House while the 2010 budget is entirely the work product of the Senate. (more…)

Rasmussen:

Given last year’s record-high gasoline prices and the still-fluctuating price at the pump, most Americans aren’t interested in the government tacking on any more, even in the name of fuel efficiency.

Just 10% of adults think the federal government should increase the tax on gasoline by a large amount as a way of encouraging people to buy more fuel-efficient cars, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Eighty-one percent (81%) oppose a large tax hike for that purpose, and eight percent (8%) are undecided.

SF Chronicle:

Judging by the $75,000 speaking fee it paid to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has plenty of green to burn even in these lean times.

The agency, which gets its money from business permits and federal and state sources, booked the Pulitzer Prize-winning pundit to appear this past week at its big climate summit in downtown Oakland’s Fox Theater, attended by 500 invited bureaucrats.In addition to Friedman’s speaking fee, the air board picked up his tab for a night at the Claremont Resort.

Air district spokeswoman Lisa Fasano put the summit cost at $200,000 - or about $400 per participant.

CQ Politics:

Yet Democratic officials point to their strong efforts last year in Alabama’s U.S. House elections as evidence that they aren’t indulging in fantasy about a takeover of the governor’s office.

• Bobby Bright , then the mayor of Montgomery and a Democrat with a conservative image, captured the seat in the southeastern 2nd District - a Republican stronghold of long standing - that eight-term Republican incumbent Terry Everett had left open to retire.

• Parker Griffith , then a state senator, survived a tough campaign to win the northern 5th District seat that nine-term conservative Democrat Robert E. “Bud” Cramer had left open to retire. Although this was a Democratic hold, it was no easy accomplishment: The 5th is similar, demographically and in its voters’ conservative leanings, to many white-majority Southern districts that in recent years have flipped to the GOP in open-seat races.

• Josh Segall, a lawyer and political newcomer, did not win his challenge to Republican incumbent Mike D. Rogers in the eastern 3rd District, but so exceeded expectations that he has already signed up for a rematch bid in 2010. Rogers won a fourth term with 53 percent of the vote and a 7 percentage-point margin over Segall - a step down from his 2006 election, in which he took 59 percent and had a 21-point margin of victory.

Rasmussen:

The Arizona sheriff whose tough enforcement of immigration laws has prompted a U.S. Justice Department civil rights investigation still has quite a following in his home state.

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Arizona voters say the policies and activities of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio have had a positive impact on the state’s image.

Thirty-one percent (31%) say Arpaio’s actions have affected Arizona’s image negatively, and seven percent (7%) say they have had no impact at all, according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey of voters in the state.

In mid-March, just after the announcement of the Justice Department probe, 68% of Arizona voters had a favorable opinion of Arpaio.

Sizable majorities of voters nationally agree with some of the tough tactics Arpaio uses to catch illegal immigrants.

In Arizona, most Republicans (74%) and voters not affiliated with either major party (52%) think Arapaio’s professional conduct has been good for Arizona’s image, but Democrats are evenly divided on the question.

Poll:

Just 18% of Americans say daily newspapers will never go out of business, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of adults expect daily papers to be gone within the next 10 years, including 17% who predict it will take less than three years.

Among those ages 18 to 29, 83% give print newspapers 10 years or less to survive. Their elders are more optimistic.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter.

When asked what they would miss most about daily papers, half (51%) didn’t cite any editorial content. That includes 22% who will miss nothing, 20% who will miss ads or coupons, and 9% who are not sure.

The Scorecard:

Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) decided not to run for the Senate against Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) after receiving a phone call from President Obama urging him not to run.

Israel was planning on running as late as this morning, but after receiving an afternoon phone call from Obama, he changed his mind.  He had already begun to hire staff in preparation for a Senate campaign, according to Empire State sources.

From K-State:

News release prepared by: Kristin Hodges, 785-532-6415, khodges2@k-state.edu

K-STATE STUDENTS TO TRAVEL TO U.S.-MEXICO BORDER AREA MAY 17-22 TO LEARN ABOUT CROSS-BORDER OPERATIONS

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University students will have a special opportunity to learn experientially about cross-border issues while on a field trip to the U.S.-Mexico border area.

A combination of 12 K-State undergraduate and graduate students will travel to destinations related to food safety, food defense and food security in Las Cruces, N.M., and El Paso, Texas, during a field trip from May 17-22. The trip is through the Frontier program, an interinstitutional program with K-State and New Mexico State University. The interdisciplinary program is for the historical studies of border security, food security and trade policy. (more…)

From KSU:

K-STATE ENGINEERING STUDENT NAMED OUTSTANDING STUDENT MEMBER BY NATIONAL ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University’s Susan Nagel, senior in architectural engineering, St. Peters, Mo., has been named an outstanding student member by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers.

Nagel is the student branch president of the K-State chapter of the society.

“I was honored to be named one of ASHRAE’s outstanding student members for this year,” Nagel said. “It was fantastic to receive this compliment from an international organization that I have dedicated so much time to these past few years. ASHRAE is an organization that has provided many learning opportunities outside of the classroom, has opened many doors for me, and has allowed me to network with professionals in the industry.”

Nagel has also served as vice president and secretary of the student chapter prior to her current term as president. She is a recipient of the society’s 2008-09 Duane Hanson Society Scholarship and the 2008 Kansas City Chapter Student Scholarship.

In addition to her membership in the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, Nagel has been active in several other campus and community activities. She is a member of the Illuminating Engineers Society, Emerging Green Builders, Phi Alpha Epsilon architectural engineering honorary, and the Women in Engineering Program. She also is a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. In her spare time, Nagel volunteers as a soccer coach for Manhattan Parks and Recreation, and has been a volunteer for the Cats for Cans food drive. She also participates in recreational sports, including intramurals at K-State, and is the reigning university intramural champion in soccer and doubles table tennis.

Nagel will graduate in May with a degree in architectural engineering. She has accepted a position in a consulting firm in Dallas and will be designing mechanical systems for hospitals.

More information on Nagel’s involvement in the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers is available online at http://www.ashrae.org/students/page/1497

From KSU:

FAIR TRADE AWARENESS, AFRICA’S SUSTAINABILITY, TOGETHER EVENT

MANHATTAN — Community service projects in Kenya will benefit from funds raised at Kansas State University’s first Fair Trade Awareness, Africa’s Sustainability, Together, or FAAST, event Sunday, April 26.

Activities will include a 5K fun run, music and social justice fair.

“The purpose of this event is to raise awareness about issues such as fair trade, environmental sustainability and social justice,” said Courtney Held, a K-State senior in dietetics and public health nutrition, Leawood, who has joined with other K-State students to organize the event. It is sponsored by K-State’s Episcopal Campus Ministry.

All events are open to the public, and all will begin and end on the Bosco Plaza in front of the K-State Student Union.

“We will have free food, prize giveaways and a DJ providing music,” Held said.

Activities will start at 8 a.m. on the Bosco Plaza with registration and check-in for the fun run, which will start at 9 a.m. The cost is $10 per individual or $25 for a team of three. Early registration is available online at http://www.faastfunrun.wordpress.com

Once runners have completed the race, the social justice fair will begin and last until 11:30 a.m. or noon, Held said.

The event will feature canvas bags made by women in Kenya and Malawi, on sale for $12. The money raised will go to the two fair trade groups who made the bags, Comfort the Children International in Kenya, and African Bags in Malawi.

Representatives from K-State groups involved with fair trade, sustainability and other causes also will be on hand.

Held, along with Valerie Stull, a K-State graduate student in public health from Longmont, Colo., and Kiera Evans, campus ministry intern with the Episcopal Campus Student Group, are organizing the event. All three will be going to Kenya this summer on a mission trip.

From KSU:

K-STATE AT SALINA FAMILY STUDIES AND HUMAN SERVICES INTEREST GROUP TO OFFER PROFESSIONAL PANEL

SALINA — An upcoming panel discussion at Kansas State University at Salina will feature five professionals from the Salina community who will share their experience and expertise in the areas of adolescents and mentoring, early childhood education, personal and family finance, community-based educational programs, and caring for the aging.

The panel discussion, which is open to the public, will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30, in Room 172 in K-State at Salina’s Tech Center. It is sponsored by K-State at Salina’s Family Studies and Human Services Interest Group. Light appetizers will be served.

“The five panel members have careers that family studies and human services graduates might go into, from early childhood to the elderly,” said Mindy Markham, instructor of family studies and human services at K-State at Salina. “They’ll discuss their education, how they got into the field and what their job entails.”

The panel includes Robert Cunningham, director of special programs, The City; Rachel Kimmi, family consultant, Heartland Programs; Brandon Ebert, financial adviser, Waddell & Reed; Mary Lou Odle, district extension agent, K-State Research and Extension; and Mary Sue Wells, director, Sunflower Adult Day Services.

From KSU:

K-STATE AT SALINA’S MINI-BAJA TEAM READY TO COMPETE

SALINA — Members of Kansas State University’s Mini-Baja Team are getting ready to put the four-wheel, off-road vehicle they built to a major test.

The seven-member team will compete at the Baja SAE Alabama, June 16-19, in Auburn, Ala. Team members, all engineering technology majors, are: Michael Drach, senior, Hutchinson; Clayton Wonsetler, senior, Inman; Melissa Scott, sophomore, Lindsborg; Steven Goodman, senior, Meriden; Devin Krahl, senior, Salina; Christopher Perdue, senior, Topeka; and Reid Rains, senior, Wallace.

“The vehicle was designed using computer-aided design and analysis software to achieve safety and excellent off-road characteristics,” said Raju Dandu, professor of engineering technology at K-State at Salina.

“This year, the team’s objective was to build a car with improved steering maneuverability and suspension system,” Dandu said. “So the team decided to design a chassis, suspension, steering system and drive-train to match available components that maximize off-road performance.”

Team members, with the help of some fellow K-State at Salina engineering technology students, even came up with a cost effective way to use a Wii remote to analyze the car weight distribution and load handling capabilities to design a better suspension system, Dandu said.

At the competition, K-State at Salina will face 100 other teams from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and India. The first day starts with static events where the teams go through the technical inspection of cars, presentation of design and cost reports. On days two and three, the teams will be evaluated on their car’s performance in acceleration, braking, traction and maneuverability. The last day of the competition is a four-hour endurance race to test the durability of the vehicle.

“This team has a passion for learning, love for real-world experience and hopes to show the winning spirit with purple pride in the competition,” Dandu said. This is a great experience where students apply their skills, knowledge, leadership, teamwork and communication skills.”

The team is still accepting donations to help defray costs. “We’re so grateful to our sponsors, including the K-State at Salina Student Governing Association, the campus community and local industry,” Dandu said.

From KSU:

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATOR R. MICHAEL PHILSON TO BE ASSOCIATE PROVOST FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AT K-STATE

MANHATTAN — An international educator and administrator with worldwide experience will be Kansas State University’s new associate provost for international programs. (more…)

From KSU:

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS EARN SEVERAL K-STATE STUDENTS HONORS IN S. THOMAS PARKER MATHEMATICS COMPETITION

MANHATTAN — Seven Kansas State University students have earned honors in K-State’s 11th annual S. Thomas Parker Mathematics Competition.

The competition, part of activities nationwide to promote Mathematics Awareness Month, was March 28 at K-State. Funded by the S. Thomas Parker endowment and the K-State Math Club, the competition is open to all full-time K-State students in their first or second year of college as way to encourage and strengthen mathematics skills and to promote mathematics education among all K-State students.

Students are given three hours to solve four problems, ranging from high school-level mathematics to mathematics at the second-year college level.

Students placing in the competition earned monetary awards, which were presented at the annual Friends of Mathematics banquet April 7. This year’s awards included $250 to the two first-place winners, $100 for third place, $40 for fourth place and $20 for honorable mention.

More information about the competition is available online at:
http://www.math.ksu.edu/main/events/parker-mathcomp

2009 S. Thomas Parker Mathematics Competition winners at K-State included:

Jessica Hennes, freshman in civil engineering, Berryton, honorable mention; Brian Moore, freshman in mathematics and electrical engineering, Hutchinson, co-first place winner; Jacob Reimer, sophomore in mechanical engineering, Kalvesta, honorable mention; Ashton Archer, sophomore in mechanical engineering and political science, Lucas, honorable mention.

From Manhattan: Mengna Chen, junior in mathematics and statistics, fourth place; Dongkai Cheng, freshman in electrical engineering, co-first place winner; and Trent Thurston, sophomore in mechanical engineering, third place.

From KSU:

K-STATE MORTAR BOARD MEMBERS SELECTED FOR 2009-2010

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University’s chapter of Mortar Board Inc. has selected members for the 2009-2010 school year.

Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. To be considered for membership, students must have a grade point average of at least 3.0, have exemplary scholarship, leadership and service records, and be committed to involvement in Mortar Board activities throughout the academic year.

At K-State, Mortar Board members are active in service to the campus, community and the state. Activities include creating an annual advice booklet distributed by the university to every incoming freshman in the fall. Through the organization’s Reading is Leading initiative, each week two Mortar Board members read stories to children at local grade schools and day care facilities, then donate the books to the groups.

Mortar Board hosts a reception each year to honor faculty members who were selected by the organization because of their outstanding achievements in teaching, advising or mentoring. Mortar Board members also serve as ushers at K-State Landon Lectures and serve as hosts to the university president and his guests at home football games.

In addition, each spring Mortar Board and K-State host the Kansas Academic Decathlon. The event is an academic competition for Kansas high school students.

K-State Mortar Board members for the 2009-2010 school year, all who will be in their senior year, their major and hometown include:

Veronica Baus, marketing, Alexander; Rachel Day, advertising, De Soto; Erin Grotheer, political science, Girard.

From Greater Kansas City: Jesus Garcia, public health nutrition, Merriam; Melanie Peele, animal sciences and industry, and Richard Weerts, pre-professional elementary education, both from Olathe; Claire Cody, dietetics, Hannah Hartsig, history and art, Kayley Otto, senior in secondary education, Andrew Satterlee, chemical engineering, and Ann Virgo, marketing, all from Overland Park; and Josiah Cox, biology, Prairie Village.

Sebastian O’Connor, political science, Hartford; Brandon Harder, animal sciences and industry, Haven; Brittany DeLaney, communication sciences and disorders, Junction City; Zack Pistora, political science, Lawrence; Clayton Theleman, biology, Natoma; Tyler Axman, food science and industry, Olmitz; Andrew Harris, industrial engineering, Pratt; Emily Westfall, Spanish, Topeka; Brian Moore, industrial engineering, Westmoreland.

From Wichita: Aubrey Bamford, biology; Sarah Koci, social work; and Rebecca Ronen, applied music.

From out of state:

Samuel Brinton, mechanical engineering and applied music, Perry, Iowa; Adriana Perrone, architecture, St. Charles, Mo.; and Whitley Fields, architecture, Plano, Texas.

The Times-Call:

The University of Kansas recently announced that it will inform parents when their students violate alcohol and drug policies.

It’s a rule universities in Colorado and nationwide should review and consider adopting.

The change in Kansas comes on the heels of two recent deaths, including that of a student from Littleton. His father learned of his son’s ongoing alcohol problems only after he died.

Alcohol use and abuse is almost a fact of life on college campuses. Nineteen percent of college students age 18 to 24 meet the criteria for abusing or becoming dependent on alcohol, according to a 2007 National Institutes of Health report.

And studies continue to show that the college environment itself might contribute to binge drinking. College students, they find, are more likely to drink in heavy episodes during their college years than non-college peers.

Slate:

The escalating mess is exactly why President Obama didn’t want a thorough look into the question of torture. Fights like these distract from his effort to get politicians to focus on other matters, and the arguments potentially weaken his party by either undermining its high-road position on torture or making leading Democrats look unsteady, as Pelosi looked during her halting and jittery press conference. As one former senior Bush official put it, “Their real political problem [with investigating torture] is when they look back, they will find many of their own there. This shit storm will leave everyone stinky. Or might just leave their side in deeper doo-doo for the worst political sin: hypocrisy.” (more…)