NEWS The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - 3 ON CAMPUS U.N summit Recycling, energy1 1 b issues are topics at burdened b 10th Energy Fest j The 10th annual Energy Fest highlighting energy conservation efforts on campus will be held today on the Diag from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will highlight topics such as recycling, alterna- tive energy, efficient lighting, elec- tric-powered vehicles, and a bus that runs on oil from French fries. Students will have a chance to test their conservation knowledge and win prizes. Student theater group to hold mass meeting The RC Players, a student theater group will be holding its mass meet- ing today from 8 to 9 p.m. at the East Quadrangle Residence Hall. The meet- ing will provide interested students with information about the group and its upcoming season. Students do not need to be part of the RC in order to partici- pate in the group. CRIME NOTES AAPD investigates suspcious package The Ann Arbor Police Department responded to a call yesterday that a package with suspicious markings, possibly referring to the Sept. 11 attacks, had been left near the postal boxes at Ann Arbor's federal build- ing. The State Police Bomb Squad was brought in, but no explosive devise was found in the package. The investigation of the incident has been turned over to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, according to the AAPD. Caller struck by car, driver identified A caller reported to the Depart- ment of Public Safety Sunday that she was struck by a vehicle that was pulling out of a parking space in the parking structure on Hubbard St. Her boyfriend attempted to stop the driver of the Jeep by banging on the driver's window. The suspect driving the car was identified and the case is now under investigation. There were no reported injuries. Clothes taken 0 from residence hall laundry room Clothes were allegedly stolen form a laundry room dryer in Little House of the Mary Markley Residence Hall Sunday. The caller advised DPS that miscellaneous clothes, jeans and shirts were taken. There are no suspects at this time. THIS DAY In Daily History Students meet @ and organize strike to protest tuition increases Sept. 13, 1973 - Last night the Student Government Council met to address the tuition strike proposed by its president, Lee Gill. Gill announced at the meeting that University President Robben Flem- ing and Vice-president for Academic Affairs Allan Smith would meet with him to discuss the tuition controversy. According to Gill, 2,000 signatures had been collected so far in support of the strike. The University argues that the fee increases are necessary in order to meet the commitments they've made to stu- dent aid. ut SGC members said they don't believe this argument is valid. Instead, they believe the University's goal is to turn poor students against those who disagreements UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The outcome of this week's U.N. summit to tackle poverty and overhaul the United Nations administration was thrown into question yesterday because of serious disagreements over the document that world leaders are supposed to adopt. After a weekend of lengthy talks by a negotiating group of about 15 countries, several ambassadors said there definitely would be a document - but it would be far less sweeping and ambitious than the blueprint called for by Secretary-Gen- eral Kofi Annan last March. With some leaders already in New York for tomorrow's opening of the three-day summit, ambassadors were still wrestling with the text of the lat- est 39-page document on revamping the United Nations to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Mark Malloch Brown, the secre- tary-general's chief of staff, sought to put an optimistic cast on the situa- tion, saying negotiations seemed more favorable than a few days ago because "deadlines are starting to loosen minds and positions." "There's a threshold where we always knew we wouldn't get the full loaf," he added. "We've got to start counting slic- es. Half or more will do at this stage." The seven issues facing negotia- tors were terrorism; a stronger Human Rights Council to replace the discred- ited Human Rights Commission; a new Peacebuilding Commission to help nations emerging from conflict; new responsibility for governments to protect civilians from genocide and war crimes; disarmament and nuclear weapons pro- liferation; overhauling U.N. manage- ment; and the promotion of economic development. Annan also had urged the 191 U.N. member states to agree on a plan to expand the powerful U.N. Security Council, but the negotiations became so contentious the idea was shelved last month. In the latest talks, a 32-nation "core" group broke into even smaller groups to try to come up with language that all member states could agree on. When negotiations stalled yesterday morning, some countries called for issues where there were still disagreements to be eliminated from the document. Faced with the prospect 9f human rights, peacebuilding and other key proposals being totally dropped if they weren't agreed, Britain and other EU countries put together watered-down language that might get support from all member states. Those proposals were added to a revised 44-page text, which already had over 150 disputed passages. The "core" group was going over the draft line-by-line late yesterday, and the General Assembly scheduled a meeting today to take stock of the negotiations. "We're going to be here as long .as it takes," said U.S. Ambassador John Bolton. "Reform is not a one-night stand. Reform is forever. That's why we're going to continue to work on it." For many countries, which supported a strong forward-looking document, the prospect of a weak text was disappointing. "There's been a lot of language which didn't survive which could have led to a more forward-looking document," said Brazil's U.N. Ambassador Ronaldo Mota Sarden- berg. "It's very much a document which compiles ideas that were already there." Chile's U.N. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz said "we may have to go for the lowest common denominator, which is well below the expectation that Chile has, and many other countries, but perhaps that's the reality." The United States and some members of the Nonaligned Movement, represent- ing 116 mainly developing countries, traded accusations about who was being inflexible. Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said after a morning session yesterday that nego- tiations on the Human Rights Council and U.N. management had "both fallen apart" - an assertion disputed by the ambassa- dors for India and Egypt, which are promi- nent voices in the developing world. The United States and many European countries want the Human Rights Coun- cil to become a permanent body, with a country's membership requiring approval by two-thirds of U.N. nations. Grenell said Egypt and China opposed that Mon- day, and other diplomats said Russia did as well. "It's obviously troubling for the United States because if violators are allowed to stay on, and it's not a permanent body, then the human rights soap box is not a soap box at all," Grenell said. Egyptian Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said his country favored a council that would be a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly and the latter should decide on criteria for membership. The United States also is disappointed many developing nations oppose giving the U.N. secretary-general stronger pow- ers, a change sought by Annan and by the Western governments that are the biggest donors to the United Nations. Video game legislation passed Lansing (AP) - Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed two bills aimed at keeping minors away from adult- rated video games yesterday. She plans to sign two more video game bills later this week. The laws: Make it a felony to disseminate video games that depict sexually explicit matter. Violators face two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Bar retailers from selling or renting ultra-violent explicit video games that are "harmful to minors." First-time violators face a civil infraction and a $5,000 fine. A third offense is a felony pun- ishable by two years in prison and a $40,000 fine. Exempt parents or guardians from disseminating ultra-violent games to their children. Require retailers to post a sign that gives information about the video game industry's rating sys- tem. Violators face a civil infraction and a $1,000 fine. Make it an affirmative legal defense that a retailer acted in good faith when it sold to a minor who showed what appeared to be valid identification. r U 1 www.AnnArborStudentExchange.com Debate Wolverines sports, sell your car,join a soccer team, promote a campus event, find a roommate, sell used textbooks, discuss campus nightlife, sublet your apartment, find a weekend job, promote your student organization, sell your old stereo A free web service for the U-M student community Ann Arbor Exchange www.AnnArborStudentExchange.com ___a a U U for more information call 734/998-6251 The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts presents a public lecture and reception I Bruce W. Frier I