The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, March 09, 1999, Page 6, Image 6
Former Clinton adviser slated for UNL lecture By Brian Carlson Staff writer Former National Security Adviser Anthony Lake will address a UNL audience today on the chal lenges of crafting US. foreign poli cy in the post-Cold War era. Lake, whose E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues lecture is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Lied Center for Performing Arts, served as President Clinton’s national security adviser from 1993 to 1996. The lecture’s title is “Superpower or Supercop: Dangers and Opportunities in the Post-Cold War Era.” As the Clinton adviser responsi ble for coordinating foreign policy making, Lake advocated the con cept of “democratic enlargement.” Lake argued that the best inter ests of the United States and the world were served by expanding democracy and free markets around the world. In Clinton’s first term, the United States encouraged the devel opment of open markets, imple menting the North American Free Trade Agreement and entering the new World Trade Organization. The United States also conducted peace keeping operations in Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia and oversaw elec tions in several countries. Wayne Babchuk, a program spe cialist at UNL, said students should take advantage of the opportunity to hear about the future of U.S. foreign policy from one who has been inti mately involved with policy-mak ing. “This is a rare opportunity to be up close to someone who has such firsthand experience in govern ment,” he said. The lecture is also sponsored by the Lewis E. Harris Lectures on Public Policy. British, Irish governments sign treaties to unify action ■ The agreements will link the Irish Republic with Britain and Northern Ireland. DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Two days before Northern Ireland’s divided politicians are supposed to form a new government, the British and Irish gov ernments Monday signed four treaties designed to put a crucial stage of the troubled peace accord into action. The treaties legalize new institu tions linking the independent Irish Republic with both British-ruled Northern Ireland and Britain itself. After the joint signing ceremony in Dublin Castle, the seat of British power in Ireland until 1922, senior govern ment figures cautioned that their plans will be dashed if Northern Ireland’s Protestant and Catholic leaders fail to form a coalition government soon. “We are all aware that there remain great difficulties surrounding the for mation of the Northern Ireland Executive,” Irish Foreign Minister David Andrews said, referring to the 12-member administration for Northern Ireland that both govern ments hope to see appointed Wednesday. “But these difficulties can and must be surmounted,” he added. “The promise of the agreement is now so j 17th &‘N’ ; No Appointments Necessary *476-9466 ■ J$6 Off I ■ I %)il Change Service >•>— * ■vith UNL student ID. ■ ; Now Only $19.79 \ ^reg. $25.70, Env ironmental disposal fee included) _ • Oil & filter change ( up to 5 qts.) ^ Lubricate zerk fittings * * Check & fill fluids: ■ ^jrake, power steering, battery, washer, and g ^utomatic transmission fluid only • Check antifreeze, air filter, wiper blades, %nd tire pressure ® • Vacuum interior & wash windows I ■ Best Service in 1 i Just 10 Minutes a m Most brands available g Expires 05-31-99 Open Mon-Fri, 8-6 • Sat, 8-4 I mmuumummmmuM tantalizingly close to becoming a reali ty that we cannot allow ourselves to contemplate failure.” The would-be Protestant leader of the Executive, David Trimble, has emphasized that he does not want to form an administration that includes members of the Irish Republican Army-allied Sinn Fein party unless the IRA starts disarming first. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams maintains, however, that he cannot deliver any gesture from the IRA until his party gains its two executive posts. Protestant leaders and successive British governments have long called for gradual disarmament as evidence that the IRA’s nearly 20-month-old truce amounts to a renunciation of vio lence. The treaties signed today made legal four new structures designed to bind the lawmakers of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England into a formal new system of summits and cooperative policy-making commit tees. Mo Mowlam, Britain’s secretary for Northern Ireland, noted that the treaties presuppose the new Belfast government will be formed first. Mowlam conceded that the Wednesday “target date” for the hand ing of powers to the Northern Ireland Executive would almost certainly be missed. She said that now it is crucial to achieve a resolution before the first anniversary of the accord, struck on Good Friday, April 10. This year, Good Friday falls on April 2. $ Student sets stage for stars ■ By participating in an overseas program, a UNL senior hit upon a behind-the scenes opportunity. By Heidi White Staff writer Every day last summer, Wade Weigel pushed through squealing teen-agers held back by security guards so he could set the stage for some of Germany’s biggest stars. Weigel, a UNL senior broadcast ing major, had an internship as a video assistant on the set of one of the top-rated network TV shows in Germany, “Hinter Gittem.” Weigel participated last April in the did-UNL-Berlin program, devel oped by Christina Brantner, an asso ciate professor of modem languages and literature at UNL. Weigel, along with 14 other University of Nebraska-Lincoln stu dents, went through a four-month language school at the deutsch in deutschland institute in Berlin. The classes were designed to sub merge foreign students in the German language. Brantner said the intensive pro gram costs about $9,500 and partici pants receive 15 to 20 credit hours from the language school. After finishing the classes, partic ipants are given a choice of two tracks - taking more classes at a university in Berlin or trying for an internship. Brantner said the institute attempts to match students with an internship of their interest, but many are not paid. Participants have worked at jobs in diverse fields such as a chemical plant, a high school, a women’s center and at the American consulate. With only two German classes taken at UNL and the experience from the program under his belt, the 22-year-old from Fairbury decided to try for an internship. The institute found Weigel a job at Sineimpuls, which provided equip ment for the production company working on “Hinter Gittern,” or “Behind Bars.” The show, which is in its first season, ran on the largest commercial station in Germany. Set in a German women’s prison, the show centered on the prisoners, who often got weekend passes to leave the prison, and their family members on the outside. What made the show so popular though, Weigel said, was its story lines, which involved power struggles between the inmates, drug deals and other, racier addictions. “It was almost like being on the set of a porno sometimes,” he said. But there was obviously a small catch to this extraordinary opportuni ty - no one around Weigel spoke English. Weigel’s 12-hour workdays were spent surrounded by German-speak ing coworkers, leaving him strug gling to communicate in whatever way he could. “I had to learn all the vocabulary by pointing,” he said. “I was always a good laugh for the staff because I took everything literally.” As a video assistant, he set up equipment and moved the cameras and monitors in between shots. Another drawback was that because he didn’t have a work permit, Weigel spent his 50 to 60 hours a week toiling for about 80 cents an hour. But in the end, he said, it was all worth it. He said he got great profes sional experience, contacts in Europe and learned more German than he ever thought possible. A meeting about the did-UNL Berlin program will be held today at 4 p.m. at the office of International Affairs. Brantner said this kind of experi ence in a foreign country can benefit students in any field of work. “Recipients have often said one thing they would do earlier in their career in college would be going abroad.” Committee considers giving employees mandatory day off To allow workers much-needed rest and time with their families, sup porters of LB 174 argued Monday the state should require employers to give their employees one day off per week. Based on an Illinois law on the books since the. late T930s, the bill would require that employees who work more than 20 hours per week receive at least one full day off the job each week. Employees still could choose to work all seven days. The bill makes exceptions for agri cultural, construction and seasonal workers, and employers could require their employees to work in emergen cies such as machinery breakdowns. The Legislature’s Business and Labor Committee held a hearing on the bill Monday. “This is essentially a health and safety bill,” said Joe Kohout, a legisla tive aide for LB 174 sponsor Sen. John Hilert of Omaha. Gordon McDonald, president of the Nebraska AFL-CIO, said unions had been unable to negotiate a weekly day off in many industries. Workers need the day off to spend more time with families and to protect their health, he said. But Arlo Bower, representing Walker Manufacturing in Seward and Monroe Automotive in Cozad, said LB174’s restrictions could force busi nesses to transfer production out of state so they could meet customer demands. The bill also might encourage employers to ask employees to work more hours per day to ensure factories meet their customers’ needs, Bower said. General Affairs bills would restrict out-of-state alcohol Sen. Stan Schellpeper and others said Monday that the state must regu late Internet and out-of-state alcohol purchases to enforce the legal drinking age and capture tax revenues. The General Affairs Committee held a joint hearing Monday on LB281 and LB790. LB281 would prohibit the trans port of all alcohol into Nebraska. Senators said the bill had generated a deluge of angry mail from con stituents who were members of wine of-the-month clubs receiving monthly shipments of new wines. Proponents made clear they intro duced the bill to generate discussion and said the bill should be held to allow further study of the issue. “We need to ferment this wine a lit tle longer,” said Mary Campbell, repre senting the Nebraska Beer Wholesalers Association. Opponents said the bill would pre vent them from buying their favorite overseas wines and liquors to bring back to Nebraska. LB790 would restrict the transport of alcohol into Nebraska. Under the bill, anyone shipping 500 gallons or fewer of alcoholic liquor each year Would have to receive a trans portation permit. Anyone shipping more than 500 gallons would have to receive a shipping license as a licensed wholesaler. The state would collect sales and excise taxes on all sales. Transportation permit holders would have to provide the signature of a person at least 21 years old and sub mit annual reports on the amount of alcohol transported. If the state found someone was in violation, it would have the authority to block alcohol shipments. Ken Winston, legal counsel for the General Affairs Committee, said the bill was designed to prevent minors from buying alcohol over the Internet or through catalogs, prevent unfair competition and allow the state to col lect taxes on all alcohol purchases. “This bill allows people who have legitimate interests in obtaining these products to continue obtaining them,” he said. Compiled by staff writer Brian Carlson !;1 » 1-1 find us at* http://www.navix.net | I Check these sites out at htips/7dail.yiieb.com