LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 3
,.. .
It's not a small alligator
Track-and-field
entry fee, forms
due today
The Track and Field entry deadline
for individual and teams is today at the
Intramural Sports Building on East
Hoover Street at 4:30 p.m. The entry
fee is $5 per person and $25 per team.
Online registration is available at
wwwrecsports. umich. edu.
Prize-winning
poet to lecture
The Department of English and the
Office of the Provost are sponsoring
poet Sydney Lea tomorrow in Audito-
rium C in Angell Hall at 5 p.m.
Lea is the author of "To the Bone:
New and Selected Poems," which was
a co-winner of the 1998 Poet's Prize.
Lea was the founder and long-time edi-
tor of The New England Review.
Study abroad
fair to inform
students
A fall study-abroad fair will be held
tomorrow in the Michigan Union Ball-
room from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sponsored by the Office of Inter-
national Programs, the fair will pro-
vide a chance for students interested
in study abroad programs to speak
with students who have studied
abroad in the past.
Learn how to
massage and
relax muscles
Part of the Michigan League's
"Wellness Workshops," body massag-
ing will be taught tomorrow in the
Henderson Room of the Michigan
League at 6 p.m. Students will learn
the fundamentals of massage to loosen
up tight muscles for stress reduction
and relaxation.
Prof discusses
Urdu erotic
poetry at talk
The Women's Studies Program is
sponsoring a talk by University of
Montana Prof. Ruth Vanita titled,
"Married Among Their Companions:
Female-Female Erotic Relationships in
19th Century Urdu Rekhti Poetry"
tomorrow in room 2239 in Lane Hall
at noon.
Vanita, who teaches liberal studies
and women's studies, will examine
Urdu poetry using contemporary
sources.
Profs speak
about their books
at the Drum
German Prof. Helmut Puff and
French Prof. Peggy McCracken will
discuss their books tomorrow at
Shaman Drum at 4 p.m.
Puff argues in his book, "Sodomy in
Reformation Germany and Switzer-
land" that accusations of sodomy in the
17th century were crucial to the suc-
cess of the Protestant Reformation.
McCracken's book titled "The Curse
of Eve, the Wound of the Hero" exam-
ines gendered cultural values in the
Middle Ages.
Organizations to
interview at job
fair in the Union
The Career Center is sponsoring a
job fair in the Michigan Union on
Thursday from 12 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The fair will host 75 to 80 organiza-
tions and provide a chance for students
to find out information about future
internships or jobs. For a list of organi-
zations participating, go to the career
center website, careercenter umich.edu.
Coleman to
address women's
report at forum
University President Mary Sue Cole-
man will comment on "The Women at
the University of Michigan: A Statisti-
cal Report on the Status of Women
Students" at a forum sponsored by the
Center for the Education of Women on
Thursday in Room 100 of Hutchins
Hall at 4:00 p.m.
Writer to head
art, design school
visitors series
Poet, essayist and editor Michael
Powell addresses
leaders at U.S.-
Arab forum
JONATHON TRIEST/Daily
RC senior Emmy Rudman plays with her leopard gecko Darley yesterday. The leopard gecko is also
known as eublepharis macularius. Eublepharis means "true eyelid" and macularius means "spotted."
"""""
Cash-strapped state to raise
driver's license, state I fees
Starting tomorrow, Michigan residents
can expect an increase in license renewal
fees and bad driving penalties
LANSING (AP) - The cost to drive, especially if you
have a bad driving record, is going up this week.
Higher fees for driver's licenses and state ID cards, as
well as more expensive penalties for bad drivers, take
effect tomorrow.
The fee increases are expected to generate at least $134
million for the state and to help lawmakers and Gov. Jen-
nifer Granholm avoid raising taxes to balance the $37.9 bil-
lion state budget.
But some critics have said the fee increases ultimately are
tax increases because all residents will have to pay more to
get a driver's license or a state ID card.
"It's ridiculous," said Albert McDonald, 71, as he waited
at a downtown Detroit secretary of state's office. "Most of
the poor people have to come here to get their driver's
license. It's a necessity for them."
The higher fees will raise the cost of a state driver's
license from $13 to $25. Renewals will increase from $13
to $18. Chauffeur's original and renewal licenses will go
from $21 to $35.
The law also calls for an increase in dealer license fees
from $10 to $75, while salvage vehicle licenses will go
from $100 to $160.
The state can impose a $7 late fee for vehicle owners who
renew their car registration after their birthday.
State Rep. Leon Drolet, a Republican from Macomb Coun-
ty's Clinton Township, said the fee increases are intended to
provide more revenue when the economy is slow. But he's
unhappy they won't go away when economy rebounds.
"It's a permanent solution to a part-time problem," Drolet
said. "The economy is going to come back, but these fees
are never going to go back down."
Granholm and lawmakers say the fee increases helped
them avoid raising taxes, as many other states had to do.
Neighboring Ohio, for instance, raised its sales tax by a penny
to help balance its $48.8 billion two-year budget, they said.
"From a purely economic standpoint, raising taxes
across board would have been a hindrance to the econo-
my," said Sen. Jud Gilbert (R - Algonac). "This was a far
better course to take."
Real estate agent Deborah Johnson, 47, of Oakland
County's Lathrup Village, doesn't like the fee increases.
She said the state needs to rethink its spending.
"I just think it's mismanagement of the monies they're
collecting already," she said while waiting for service at a
secretary of state's office in Detroit.
"It's just like in my family budget. I've got to cut back
and make some huge sacrifices or legitimately increase
revenues. Increasing fees is not a legitimate way to
increase revenue."
Besides the fee increases, higher fines on bad drivers also
were approved earlier this year by lawmakers and signed
into law by Granholm.
DETROIT (AP) - In a speech last
night at the U.S. Arab-Economic Forum,
Secretary of State Colin Powell dis-
cussed the importance of peace in the
Middle East to global stability. And he
asked those at the forum to support the
United States' efforts to rebuild Iraq and
ease Israeli-Pales-
tinian tensions.a
"I have come to
ask you to help Wk'"
build a new Middle
East, a Middle East x
peaceful, prosper- -.
ous. A Middle East"
that is free. We face
no task more
important," Powell
said.
Detroit was cho-
sen as the host city because it and the
suburb of Dearborn are home to one of
the nation's largest concentrations of
people with roots in the Middle East. An
estimated 300,000 Arab-Americans live
in the area.
Many of the discussions focused on
bringing U.S. companies into the Middle
East, drawing investment into the region
and partnering with Arab entrepreneurs.
But some participants noted that the
Arab exports need to be diversified.
"Expanding trade beyond oil can be
one of the greatest positive forces for
development," ChevronTexaco Corp.
Chairman David O'Reilly said. "And
while oil has been a boon to the Arab
economies, there is still too much
reliance on it - and not enough diver-
sification into a broader range of eco-
nomic activity."
Andrea Eichman, a member of the
Global Leadership Team, said Powell's
speech was too politically correct.
"I don't think he speaks from his
heart," she said.
But Powell has done a lot of good
things for the Arab American commu-
nity, she added.
Boutheina Melki, a participant of
the forum from Tunisia, said Powell's
speech "was too much focused on
Iraq," and felt he could have focused
more on relationships between the U.S.
and the Arab community, but she felt
"all in all, it was good."
Earlier in the day, William Burns,
assistant secretary of state for Near East-
ern affairs, discussed American priori-
ties for the region. He highlighted the
importance of U.S. support for home-
grown efforts toward economic and
political reform as well as continued
vigilance in the war on terror.
"I know that many in the (Middle
East) region fear that counterterrorism
measures ... will slam the door on the
Arab and Muslim worlds," Burns said.
"We must not let that happen. We cannot
afford to lose contact with the next gen-
eration in the region."
Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the
Arab League, said there must be a
peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestin-
ian conflict if economic growth will
flourish. And he said the return of stabil-
ity to Iraq and international support for
that effort is crucial to continued eco-
nomic development in the Middle East.
"It is the common responsibility of
the international community to work
together to restore stability and sover-
eignty to this major Arab state as soon
as possible," Moussa said of Iraq. "It
is absolutely vital to the Middle East
region."
The conference has been criticized
by some for its timing, coming as U.S.
troops occupy Iraq, the Israeli-Pales-
tinian conflict continues and attitudes
toward Arabs in the United States are
colored by the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks and the war on terrorism.
But Detroit Mayor Kwame Kil-
patrick and others at the forum
brushed off such critiques.
"There is no better time to do it
than now," Kilpatrick said.
"There is separation, war, discrimina-
tion all over the world. We're showing
the world today that we can work togeth-
er, we can stay focused and we can talk
about serious issues."
The leaders highlighted yesterday
the opportunities that exist selling to
hundreds of millions of consumers in
the region and said more long-term
commitments from U.S. businesses
are needed. But they noted that peace
as a foundation for economic growth
remains an elusive goal.
- Daily Staff Reporters Jeremy
Berkowitz and Amjad Tarsin con-
tributed to this report.
all you care to eat student
pizza and pasta feast 4.99
Includes Spaghetti with Marinara or Meat Sauce and Cheese or
Pepperoni Pizza along with 22 oz. Soft Drink and unlimited Breadsticks.
iDnenmy Must show current Unversfy of Michgan stuent i A.
vaid thro AN 2A03-2004 shoo year Offer good only at Faodi aurant of Ann Arbor.
ANN ARBOR: 2245 W Stadium Blvd.
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value
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The University of Michigan
Department of Dermatology
is currently offering research
study for facial acne.
g rowt
University of Michigan
students are invited to attend our
If you are over the age of 12 and are in good
general health, you may be eligible to participate
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