2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 25, 2003 NATION/WORLD ury decides AP PHOTO A man looks at a charred dormitory belonging to the Patrice Lumumba Friendship of Peoples University in Moscow early yesterday. An early-morning fire raced through a Moscow dormitory filled with foreign students. Do1m 'fire in Russia lees 36 students dead on death for D.C. sniper VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - A jury decided yester- day that John Allen Muhammad should be executed for taking it upon himself to choose who should live and who should die during the sniper attacks that gripped the Wash- ington area for three terrifying weeks last fall. The enigmatic Muhammad reacted with the same flinty look he had through most of the trial. The jury deliberated more than five hours over two days before deciding the fate of Muhammad, a 42-year-old Gulf War veteran who masterminded the attacks and asked police to "Call me God" during the reign of terror. The jury's recommendation is not final. Judge Leroy Millette Jr. can reduce the punishment to life in prison without parole when Muhammad is formally sentenced on Feb. 12, but Virginia judges rarely take such action. Some jurors said the lack of any emotion or remorse from Muhammad, combined with the broad scope and vio- lence of the shootings, convinced them that the death penalty was the only option. "I looked for something in him that might have shown remorse," said juror Robert Elliott. "And I never saw it the whole time." The jury concluded that prosecutors proved both aggra- vating factors necessary to impose the death penalty: that Muhammad would pose a danger and that his crimes were wantonly vile. Muhammad was sentenced to death on both counts he was convicted of last Monday: committing mul- tiple murders within three years and committing murder as part of a plot to terrorize the public. "They took pleasure in terrorizing people," prosecutor Paul Ebert said yesterday of Muhammad and fellow sus- pect Lee Boyd Malvo. "They took pleasure in killing peo- ple. That's the kind of man that doesn't deserve to be in society." The jurors looked solemn as they came back with their decision; Muhammad stood ramrod straight as he lis- tened. The courtroom was silent; the judge had warned against any outbursts before the jury's decision was announced. I NwHEIN S II\TRO B RIT E FWOR L .r-- Gov't plans to release terror suspects The government has freed 20 prisoners from its high-security prison for foreign terror suspects in Cuba, bringing the total released to more than 80, and plans to send dozens more home soon, officials said yesterday. The next batch, however, will probably get out of the Guantanamo Bay prison only if their governments promise to continue to imprison and investigate them, two senior U.S officials said. The latest releases stem from negotiations that were sped up after Ameri- can allies complained the Bush administration was taking too long to resolve the cases of hundreds of foreigners captured in the global war on terrorism, another official said. The prisoners have been held without charges and without access to lawyers, some for nearly two years. The Pentagon said yesterday it had transferred 20 prisoners on Friday, bringing to 88 the number who have left the facility since it opened in Jan- uary 2002. On Sunday, the military flew about 20 new prisoners into Guantanamo, most of them captured in the continuing fight in Afghanistan, one official said. That means the number in Cuba remains about 660, although the gov- ernment won't give an exact count. MOSCOW (AP) - A pre-dawn fire swept though a rundown Russian dormitory for quaran- tined foreign students yesterday, trapping many behind permanently locked exits and causing some to leap from the five-story building. Thirty-six students died and nearly 200 were injured, some from frostbite after fleeing half naked into the bitter cold. The students - from Asia, Africa and Latin America - had just arrived in Moscow and were being held in the dorm awaiting medical checks before starting classes. "It was like a horrible nightmare," Abdallah Bong, a student from Chad. "We saw them crying for help and jumping out of the windows, and we could do nothing to save them." Bong and other witnesses said dozens of fire engines were slow to reach the blaze, jammed into a narrow access road blocked by parked cars. "Students had to do it all themselves, holding mattresses for those who were jumping out," said Nafafe Tengna, a journalism student from Guinea. The fire, believed to have been caused by an electrical malfunction, engulfed the building at People's Friendship University. It burned for more than three hours, though Moscow fire safe- ty department spokesman Yevgeny Bobylyov insisted that firefighters arrived on time and did their job well. Flames gutted most of the dorm above the ground floor. Smoke poured from windows as a wet snow fell in the early morning darkness. The fire left the building's concrete walls streaked with black soot, and nearby trees were caked with ice that had formed from water used to extinguish the blaze. ISTANBUL, Turkey Turkish court charges 9 in suicide bombings A Turkish court today charged nine suspected accomplices in last week's Istanbul suicide bombings, alleging they aided or were members of an illegal organization. Three other suspects were released, defense lawyer Selahattin Karahan said. No trial date was set. The charges are punishable by up to five years in prison. After hours of questioning, the court after midnight charged one of the suspected accomplices with aiding and abetting an illegal organization and eight others with membership in an illegal organization, Karahan said. Four other detainees had already been released yesterday, apparently for lack of evidence. The charges came just five days after the bombings of the British consulate and a London-based bank in Istanbul. Fifty-seven people died in those attacks and the earli- er bombings of two synagogues in the city. The suspects covered their heads with jackets and coats as they arrived at the court yesterday. A police line held back a crowd of shouting relatives, including several women wearing black chadors, the all-covering garment rare in downtown Istanbul. Deaths of two U.S. soldiers ellicit miXed emotions MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - The killings of two U.S. soldiers, who witnesses said were dragged from their car and pummeled with rocks, offended some in this neighborhood of dilapidated houses and pot- holed streets where the deaths occurred. But few Iraqis were shocked by the brutality, and some even gloated. "They are occupiers, and this is their punish- ment," truck driver Hisham Abed said yesterday of the soldiers. "The Americans make nothing but empty promises. There's no electricity, no gasoline and no work." Gunmen ambushed a U.S. patrol here yesterday, wounding one soldier. Nevertheless, Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, has been among the safest areas for American soldiers, a place where U.S. troops could stroll bustling streets and frequent stores and cafes. Countering some Iraqi witnesses, Army Maj. Joe Yoswa, a Pentagon spokesman, said yesterday that there was no evidence the soldiers' throats were slashed after assailants shot the two Sunday as they drove through Mosul's working class neighborhood of Ras al-Jadda, sending their vehicle crashing into a wall. Yoswa also said there was no indication the men were beaten with rocks or that their bodies were mutilated. The official said Iraqis robbed the car they were driving and stole personal effects from the soldiers' bodies. Witnesses said that an Iraqi mob, most of them teenagers, dragged the two bloodied soldiers from the car, threw them to the ground and pummeled their bodies with concrete blocks - scenes remi- niscent of the savagery in Somalia against Ameri- can troops a decade ago. A few accounts said the soldiers' throats were cut - either by the attackers or by the mob. But wit- ness Bahaa Jassim said the wounds appeared to have come from bullets. Jassim, also a teenager, was among Iraqis who said they saw the crowd pummel the soldiers' bodies with concrete blocks. The Pentagon identified the men as Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Wilson, 45, of Thomson, Ga., and Spec. Rel Ravago IV 21, of Glendale, Calif. Armed attacks have been fewer in Mosul than in the volatile "Sunni Triangle" to the south. Com- merce flourishes, and Iraqis feel safe enough to venture out at night to a far greater extent than their countrymen in Baghdad and other cities. WASH INGTON Senate awaits final vote on Medicare bill The Senate cleared the way yester- day for final congressional passage of legislation to add a prescription drug benefit and a free-enterprise flavor to the government-run Medicare program, repelling twin attacks by die-hard Democratic opponents. "Today is a historic day and a momentous day," said Senate Majori- ty Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), antici- pating a final vote no later than today on a bill to make the most sweeping changes in Medicare since the program was created in 1965. Defiant in defeat, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said the legisla- tion "starts the unraveling of the Medicare system," and he accused the Republicans of planning a fol- low-up attack on Social Security after the next election. He indicated he would delay final passage as long as possible. WASHINGTON Morning-after pill may hit store shelves Federal health officials are debat- ing if it's time to put emergency con- traception - also called the -a~ morning-after pill - on pharmacy shelves right next to the aspirin, available without a prescription. Proponents say such a move would greatly increase women's ability to get the pills in time to prevent pregnancy: preferably within 24 hours but no more than 72 hours after rape, contraceptive failure or just forgetting birth control. The Food and Drug Administration says emergency contraception is very safe to use. But the question is whether women will understand exactly how and when to take it without any professional advice. WASHINGTON Traffic deaths linked to state speed limits States that raised their speed lim- its to 70 mph or more have seen a big jump in traffic deaths, according to a report yesterday by an auto safe- ty group. Some 1,880 more people died between 1996 and 1999 in the 22 states with higher speed limits on rural interstates, said the study, which was compiled by the Insur- ance Institute for Highway Safety, funded by insurers. It was based on data collected by the Land Transport Safety Authority of New Zealand. Congress repealed the 55 mph national speed limit in Novem- ber 1995. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. 0 0 President Bush, wearing an Army jacket, speaks before soldiers and families at Butts Army Air Field yesterday. SEPARATIONS Continued from Page 1 unfounded. A number of studies have connected socioeconomics with family life. "I think there's a large research base that shows that divorce rates and rates of union dissolution are higher for low income families," said Kristin Seefeldt, research investigator for the School of Public Policy. But Smock's study added a different perspective, studying marital and pre- marital separation from the child's per- spective. While children of white families see the benefit of stability in marriage of minority families may not see the same benefit. Research at the University supports this claim. Associate psychology Prof. Brenda Volling, who leads the Mar- riage and Child Development Study, said that this study is fairly consistent with previous research conducted on marriage and cohabitating couples. The study, whose research subjects are predominantly white, continues to find that marriage is a strong positive influ- ence on a child's life. The results of past research, showing the benefits of marriage for children of at least wealthier families, begets socio- logical and political questions. For children of low-income families, there are undoubtedly programs provid- ing counseling and support, said Social Work Prof. William Meezan. But the focus on low-income and minority families left some researchers ill-at-ease. Divorce is not a socioeco- nomic phenomenon, and there are num- ber of factors that contribute fo a child's well-being, such as proper schooling. Likewise, there are various external fac- tors other than separation that contribute to household instability. "Any event that is traumatic could certainly have an impact on a child's well-being. Depending on how traumat- ic a break up is, it could potentially have an impact on a child's short term or long term well being," Meezan said. More strikingly, there are times when the opposite can be true. In cases of hos- tile relationships, parental separation can often help a child and a family. "A lot of that depends on the individ- ual situation. A lot of times we see the children benefit from the parents split- ting," said Beth Blanchard, program director for the University's Children's Center for Working Families. Studying the benefits of marriage holds political significance as well, as both the federal government and Michi- gan have attempted to provide martial incentives - under the assumption that the institution is beneficial for all. "One of the Bush administration's pri- orities for welfare reform is to try to strengthen the institution of marriage. The idea is that, for lower income par- ents, poverty will go down and child well-being will improve. Our article suggests that, when encouraging mar- riages between black and Hispanic fami- lies, they are just as likely to break up whether they are married or cohabiting," said Smock. Seefeldt also noticed the same trend in Michigan. "Several years ago the state embarked on initial efforts to strengthen marriage through policy," she said. WWw.MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip- tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. E-mail letters to the editor to letters~michigandily.com. ALCOHOL Continued from Page 1 questions about where they're going and what activities they're doing, in order to prevent underage drinking. "I always found the best tool of dealing with the kids was the car keys," Dingell said, waving his own car keys for effect. Tildon said the class provided a per- fect balance of education. "It reinforces the message that underage drinking is illegal while underscoring some of the issues associated with this issue," she added. ECONOMY Continued from Page 1 Fornell said this year's holiday shop- ping season will be an improvement over last year's - which he called "pretty bleak" - but will not be as suc- cessful as in the years before the reces- sion that began in 2001. "I don't think we'll see much of an increase in spending over the last quar- ter," he said. "People are still cautious and there's a question of where the money will come from." Fornell added that earlier in the year, people could spend more because they had received extra pocket change from President Bush's tax cut program, and he many consumers face high mort- gage payments on their houses, he said. Sprunk said from what she has heard from friends and classmates, she also believes people will spend more money this holiday season than last year but not as much as several years ago. Although national gross domestic product, the total of all goods and serv- ices produced in the United States, increased by 7.2 percent in the third quarter of this year - the biggest quar- terly jump since 1984 - economists also predict the growth will level off soon. Saul Hymans, director of the Univer- sity's Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics, said national GDP growth will increase by 4.5 percent in the fourth quarter - a decline of almost 3 percent from the "remarkable" third quarter. Fornell said his predictions about the future of the national economy are more conservative than those of some economists, but he said lower growth and consumer spending this holiday season could actually benefit the econ- omy in the long run. "I think it's much better to have sus- tained, slower growth" than rapid bursts of growth, he said. NEED A10.B. FOR SECOND NEWS Shabina S. Khatri, Managing Editor 763.2459, newstmichlgandally.com EDITORS: C. Price Jones, Kylene Kiang, Jennifer Misthal, Jordan Schrader STAFF: Farayha Arne, Jerem Berkowitz, David Branson, Ashley Dinges, Adhiraj Dutt, Sara Eber, Victoria Edwards, Margaret Engoren, Cianna Freeman, Alison Go, Michael Gurovitch, Aymar Jean, Carmen Johnson, Michael Kan, Andrew Kaplan, Emily Kraak, Tomislav Ladika, Evan McGarvey, Naila Moreira, Jameel Naqvi, Kristin Ostby, Mona Rafeeq, Adam Rosen, Karen Schwartz, Maria Sprow, Dan Trudeau, Trista Van Tine, Ryan Vicko OPINION Aubrey Henretty, Zac Peskowitz, Editors 763.0379, opinionemlchlgandallycom ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Daniel Adams, Sravya Chirumamilla, Jason Pesick, Jess Piskor STAFF: Nicole Avenia, Benjamin Bass, David Betts, Darryl Boyd, Aryeh Friedman, Emily Hanan, Christine Heath, Bonnie Kellman, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Andy Kula, Suhael Momin, Laura Platt, Ben Royal, Courtney Taymour CARTOONISTS: Sam Butler, Colin Daly COLUMNISTS: Steve Cotner, Johanna Hanink, Joel Hoard, Ari Paul, Hussain Rahim, Lauren Strayer SPORTS J. Brady McCollough, Managing Editor 784.8585, sportsomchlgandaily.com SENIOR EDITORS: Chris Burke, Courtney Lewis, Kyle O'Neill, Naweed Sikora NIGHT EDITORS: Daniel Bremmer, Gennaro Filice, Bob Hunt, Dan Rosen, Brian Schick, Jim Weber STAFF: Jeremy Antar, Eric Ambinder, Kyle Carpenter, Waldemar Centeno, Ian Herbert, Josh Holman, Brad Johnson, Jamie Josephson, Melanie Kebler, Megan Kolodgy, Phil Kofahl, Matt Kramer, Julie Master, Sharad Mattu, Ellen McGarrity, Michael Nisson, Jake Rosenwasser, Steven Shears, Matt Singer, Ryan Sosin, Anne Uible ARTS Todd Weiser, Managing Editor 763.0379, artspageem/rchgandaly.com EDITORS: Jason Roberts, Scott SerilIa WEEKEND MAGAZINE EDITORS: Charles Paradis, Rebecca Ramsey SUB-EDITORS: Katie Marie Gates, Johanna Hanink, Joel Hoard, Ryan Lewis, Sarah Peterson STAFF: Jennie Adler, Marie Bernard, Aliya Chowdhri, Sean Dailey, Laurence Freedman, Andrew M. Gaerig, Brandon Hang, Lynn Hasselbarth, Mary Hillemeier, Andrew Horowitz, Alexandra Jones, Erin Kaplan, Michelle Kijek, Zach Mabee, Vanessa Miller, Jared Newman, Neal Pais, James Pfent, Christopher Pitoun, Adam Rottenberg, Melissa Runstrom, Julie Sills, Niamh Slevin, Jaya Soni, Justin Weiner, Douglas Wernert, Ales Wolsky PHOTO Tony Ding, Brett Mountain, Managing Edit 764.0563, photo@mIcahgandaIly.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Elise Bergman, Seth Lower NIGHT EDITORS: Jason Cooper, Ryan Weiner STAFF: Trevor Campbell, Forest Casey, Joel Friedman, Ashley Harper, Curtis Hiller, Jeff Lehnert, Kelly Lin, Danny Moloshok, Brendan O'Donnell, Shubra Ohri,.Laura Shlecter, Jonathon Triest, David Tuman ONLINE Geoffrey Fink, Managing Edi 763.2459, onhlneemichlgandally.com EDITOR: Ashley Jardina STAFF: John Becic, Kate Green, Janna Hutz, Mira Levitan DISPLAY SALES Lak Trzcinskl. Mana ors I ltor 19W I Pregflaflt iii4& cvad.f I qft Ie 784.0554, uisplayumicnigananjwem ASCATF Mrr.A,AiFR- O. n,.u.a Chun., A&I