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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1999)
Hussein’s son Abdullah talees Jordanian throne Friends, critics gather to pay respects to the fallen peacemaker AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Jordan crowned an untested new monarch Sunday and plunged into mourning for its beloved King Hussein. Distraught citizens sobbed in the streets and world leaders converged on the desert kingdom, united in grief for the statesman who built bridges for peace in the turbulent Middle East. The deep political divides between those plan ning to attend today’s elaborate state funeral served as a powerful reminder of Hussein’s far-reaching abilities as a mediator and leader - skills that lifted Jordan into a place of international prominence. “Even the sky is crying,” an announcer on Jordanian television declared as a rare, dripping fog shrouded the city after the king died at 11:43 a m. (4:43 a.m. EST) from cancer in a hospital. Black flags fluttered from the few taxicabs ply ing the streets. The wail of Koranic verses of mourning filled the country’s mosques, and resi dents wept on the sidewalks of Amman, Jordan’s hilly capital. Hussein, who survived repeated assassination attempts as he walked the tightrope of Mideast pol itics, succumbed after a seven-month battle with lymphatic cancer. He had lingered unconscious on a respirator for two days after returning home to Jordan last week to die. Courtiers, Jordanian officials and members of the royal family, including his dozen children and his wife, the American-born Queen Noor, had kept a vigil at the king’s bedside while thousands of cit izens sobbed at the hospital gates. In keeping with Islamic tradition, the funeral will be held quickly - an enormous procession through Amman just 24 hours after Hussein’s heart gave out President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton were among those planning to attend. Underscoring Jordan’s determination that the transition be swift and smooth, Hussein’s eldest son, Abdullah, 37, was sworn in just four hours later in parliament Though Abdullah’s inexperience may be prompting some quiet worries among Jordanians, it also brought recollections that Hussein himself ascended the Hashemite throne as a boy of 17. Praise for Hussein poured in from around the region and the world. Israeli President Ezer Weizman called him “one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, a brave soldier who fought for peace.” Clinton’s homage was simpler: “I loved him.” Even some critics showed concern. Syria expressed its “deep sadness,” while Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi prayed “to God to have mercy on his soul, forgive his sins, overlook his mistakes and allow him into paradise.” Iraq, a sometimes bitter opponent, reported the death without com ment. Serving 46 years as king, the British-educated Hussein was the Middle East’s longest-surviving monarch, weathering coup attempts as he steered a calm and steady course in a volatile comer of the u (He was) one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century.” Ezer Wiezman Israeli president world. He waged war against Israel but eventually grew into a pro-Western moderate, ending a long enmity with the Jewish state and becoming a champion of Mideast peace. Bom Nov. 14,1935, Hussein was a descendent of Hashem, great-grandfather of the seventh cen tury Prophet Mohammed of Islam. He was crowned king May 2,1953, after his father, Talal, abdicated because of mental illness. Focus, Voice parties ready for ASUN spring elections ASUN from page 1 Electoral Commission ruled that they were ineligible to run, ASUN Director of Development Marlene Beyke said. Dittmer said he and Miller turned in an application with only two sig natures - their own. The election rules state that 400 signatures are required for a presi dential candidate. While their names will not appear on the ballot, Dittmer said the two were trying to gather a following to begin a write-in campaign. In the senate races, 23 candidates have aligned themselves with Focus, which stresses slowing student fee increases, improving the look of the university, evaluating the business practices of the athletic department and creating a group to bring diversi ty to the student senate, according to publicity materials. Twenty-four candidates are affil iated with the Voice party, which wants to improve the UNL commu nity by doing things such as support ing students of color, developing a safe-ride-home program, addressing safety issues, monitoring parking and improving the image of ASUN. Voice also endorses a proposed constitutional amendment to create five at-large seats, according to pub licity materials. Eleven candidates are running for senate positions independent of student election groups. Along with electing candidates for various positions, students will decide the fate of three constitutional amendments. One of the amendments proposes to nd the senate ot the seat from the Division of Continuing Studies. The seat is vacant, as it has been for a number of years, said Schuerman, who is also chairman of the Human Rights committee. “The Division of Continuing Studies amendment is probably something that is a rubber stamp, as far as students go,” Schuerman said. Another amendment would change the way senators are removed. The amendment would take away the power of the first vice president to remove a senator because of three absences. If passed, the amendment would allow the first vice president to recommend the removal of a sena tor for absences. A constitutional amendment that changes the senate composition will also be on March’s ballot. The amendment changes repre sentation to allow 25 senators to be voted on by college, 10 by place of residence and five seats allocated for at-large members. Schuerman said the Human Rights committee has taken charge of educating students on the constitu tional amendments. Presentations will be made to stu dent organizations, Schuerman said. The committee will also send out sample ballots and explain what a “no” and “yes” vote would mean. Two town hall meetings will be held in the Nebraska Union Crib to discuss the amendments on Feb. 16th at 5 p.m., and on Feb. 22nd at 12:30 p.m. Schuerman said it is important for students to be educated on the amendments. “They can really change a lot. Editor: Erin Gibson Managing Editor: Brad Davis Associate News Editor: Sarah Baker Associate News Editor: Bryce Glenn Assignment Editor: Lindsay Young iwon A&E Editor: Bret Schulte Copy Desk Chief: Tasha Kelter Asst Copy Desk Chief: Heidi White Photo Co-Chief: Matt Miller Photo Co-Chief: LaneHickenbottom Design Chief: Nancy Christensen Art Director Matt Haney Web Editor Gregg Steams Asst Web Editor: Amy Burke Questions? Comments? Ask for the appropriate section editor at (402)472-2588 or e-mail dn@.uni.edu. % General Manager: Dan Shattil Publications Board Jessica Hofmann, Chairwoman: (402) 466-8404 Professional Adviser: Don Walton, (402)473-7248 Advertising Manager: Nick Partsch, (402)472-2589 Asst Ad Manager: Andrdh Oeltjen Classifidd Ad Manager: Mary Johnson Fax number: (402) 472-1761 World Wide Web: www.dailyneb.com The Daily Nebraskan (USPS144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St, Lincoln, NE 6858M448, Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during the summer sessions.The public has access to the Publications Board. Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by calling - (402)472-2588. Subscriptions are $55 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln NE 68588-0448. Periodical postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1999 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN NU law students, Web sites available to help file taxes ■ Free assistance with returns will be available to those who cannot afford a lawyer or an accountant. By Josh Knaub Staff writer Filing a return may be a little less taxing .with the help of volunteers from the NU College of Law or a visit to a Web site. Students from the University of Nebraska College of Law will assist students in preparing tax forms free of charge through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. For those who prefer human interaction, the VITA program offers a friendly alternative. Suzanne Correnti, third-year law student and VITA coordinator, said volunteers would answer questions, provide forms and compute tax information. The volunteers are law students who have completed a course in tax law and have taken training on how to help people file their taxes, she said. NU law students have partici pated in VITA since the early 1990s, William Lyons, faculty adviser for the program, said. The national pro gram is a joint effort between the Internal Revenue Service and the American Bar Association. Lyons said the program was started because the IRS and the bar association were concerned about people who did not file tax returns even though they deserved a refund. The IRS maintains a toll-free number for tax questions, but is unable to deal with the number of requests it receives each year. Lyons said the law college vol unteers were knowledgeable about the tax code and would be able to help most students. Correnti said volunteers were able to assist with both state and fed eral taxes and 1040A and 1040EZ forms, but could not aid with inter national taxes or 1040 forms. “The idea is to assist those who can’t afford to hire a lawyer or an accountant to prepare their taxes,” she said. Students making less than $20,000 a year can also turn to the Web for more free help. QuickenM-R’s Web TurboTax, at http://www.quicken.com/freedom, offers a simple, self-paced approach to electronically filing a return. Intuit, the makers of Quicken, said Web-based TurboTax services were free of charge to those earning $20,000 or less. The TurboTax site asks users questions and uses the answers to calculate refund or payment amounts. Most users should be able to complete the process in about 30 minutes. • Although the VITA program and the TurboTax Web site provide con venient ways to file tax returns, nei ther will be available to taxpayers who wait until the last minute. The VITA program ends March 31, and the TurboTax site will close April 1 unless Intuit has sufficient resources to continue until April 15. VITA volunteers will be in the Nebraska Union on Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and at Wal Mart, 4700 N. 27th St., on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Chocolate Lovers delight in Fantasy event CHOCOLATE from page 1 the event “There is chocolate every where.” The event showcased 36 profes sional and celebrity chefs and their impressive array of intriguing and cre ative uses of chocolate, not to mention unusual chocolate concoctions. “I have every intention to eat myself silly,” Barb Damewood of Lincoln said with a mouthful of choco late. “I love chocolate, and there is def initely plenty of it” For $ 15, those attending were able to dabble in delightful delicacies such as chocolate mousse, chocolate orange truffles, chocolate fudge brownies and chocolate cream puffs. Then they were able to wash it all down with chocolate espresso granitas. Even the health-conscious were able to abide by their New Year’s reso lutions with chocolate-covered fruits - strawberries, apricots, blueberries, raspberries - and vegetables. Biilene Nemec, manager of the Haymarket’s seasonal Farmer’s Market, decided to be different this year and used cabbage in her latest cooking creation - chocolate kraut cake. “We needed to have a theme, and cabbage was in season,” Nemec said. “It’s actually rather tasty.” - Nemec’s kraut cake won the award for die most unique use of chocolate. Richard Conradt and Rich Rodenbuig, co-owners of the Walton Trail Company, 118th and A streets, brought back their infamous choco late-dipped Cheetos. “We couldn’t resist,” Conradt said. “Last year they were a hit. This year seems to be going well.” Conradt’s culinary chocolate cre ation found numerous fans. “People are saying, ‘Geez, it’s not as crazy as I thought,”’ Conradt said. “People do actually eat them.” Conradt said women tended to pre fer his culinary creation more than men. After hesitating, Dana Kadavy of Lincoln tasted the chocolate-dipped Cheetos. “I was surprised. It was sweet and salty at the same time,” Kadavy said. “It wasn’t bad at all.” Stacy Schroeder, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore adver tising major, and Jenny Vogt, a UNL junior advertising major, said they had never experienced anything like Chocolate Lover’s Fantasy. “I have never seen so much choco late,” said Schroeder. “It’s amazing.” Vogt said she had just arrived and she didn’t plan to leave without look ing at and/or tasting every chocolate creation. “We’re here to eat chocolate,” Vogt said. “It’s going to be fun.” «- . I have never seen so much . chocolate. Its amazing” Stacy Schroeder UNL sophomore Vogt and Schroeder agreed that their favorite chocolate delicacies were the chocolate handcuffs made by the Lincoln Police Department. Officer Stacy Fitch said the choco late police treats, including chocolate badges and nightsticks, have been a hit for the past three years. “Everyone seems to like them,” Fitch said. “I have to admit, they are different.” The chocolate handcuffs won the award for the most creative use of chocolate. Eells said she had only heard posi tive cries of laughter and excitement from the chocolate lovers. “It looks like everyone is enjoying themselves,” Eells said. “I guess you can say the evening was a sweet suc cess.”