Kerry to launch campus campaign

Presidential candidate John Kerry will host campus events beginning Monday as part of his effort to rally support among young voters in the upcoming election.

The “Change Starts with U: Kerry Campus Tour 2004” will combine entertainment and voter registration on college campuses.

Kerry’s campus tour officially kicks off Monday when he will visit the University of New Hampshire. Following his visit to New Hampshire he will travel to schools in Pennsylvania, New York and Rhode Island.

Kerry visited GW about two weeks ago for a campaign rally and speech. Former candidate Howard Dean endorsed Kerry as the Democratic nominee at the March 25 rally on Kogan Plaza.

Efforts to rally young voters will last until Nov 2.

Banzhaf spurs Oreo change

Kraft is coming out with Oreo cookies free of trans fat as a result of a recent fat lawsuit filed against the company.

The cookies will have 30 percent less fat than regular cookies and fewer calories.

A lawsuit was brought against the company charging that it never disclosed that its famous Oreo cookies contained the unhealthy trans fatty acids. The suit was dropped, however, when the company agreed to remove trans fats from its cookies entirely.

“It’s another small step in the right direction, and its another change which was inspired by a fat law suit,” said GW public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who has initiated fat suits.

Banzhaf’s students initiated a case forcing McDonalds to disclose that its fries contain lard.

Banzhaf said in an e-mail that the recent law suit brought against Kraft is another example of the power of litigation to fight obesity. He added that Congress is doing little to combat obesity through legislation.

He said, “So, until legislators do their job and legislate about obesity, lawyers will continue to litigate.”

–Bryn Lansdowne