NEWS
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 15, 2006 - 3
ON CAMPUS
Professor to
speak about new
cancer research
Stephen Gruber, a medical profes-
sor, will lead a seminar titled "Brave
New World of Cancer Epidemiology:
A Whole Genome Association Study
of Colorectal Cancer. The event is part
of the Department of Epidemiology's
semester-long speaker series. It will be
held today at 3 p.m. in Auditorium 1 of
the Public Health Building.
Engineers to hold
fundraiser at
Scorekeepers
BLUElab, a student-run organization
composed of engineering students who
want to bring clean water to underprivi-
leged communities, will hold a fund-
raiser today at 7 p.m. at Scorekeeper's
on 310 Maynard St. Proceeds from
the event will be used to fund a water-
purification project in the Dominican
Republic. A suggested $5 donation will
be collected at the door.
Famous composer
to perform with
Symphony Band
The University of Michigan Sym-
phony Band, along with influential com-
poser Louis Andriessen, will perform
at the Power Center today at 7:30 p.m.
The program will include music from
Andriessen's original works. Ticket
prices range between $12 and $32 and
S can'be purchased at the Musical Soci-
ety's website at ums.org.
CRIME
* NOTES
Soap lifted from
closet in dorm
Soap was stolen from the a custo-
dial closet inside Bursley Residence
Hall, the department of Public Safety
reported. The theft occurred Monday
at about 9 a.m.
Torch set stolen
from basement
of Union
On Monday at about 3 p.m. a torch
set was stolen from the maintenance
room in the basement of the Michigan
Union, DPS reported. The torch set is
valued at $300.
iPOd lost, found
in a matter of
minutes
A caller at the Harlan Hatcher
Graduate Library reported at 1 a.m.
yesterday that a student had his iPod
stolen, DPS reported. The report
proved to be unfounded when the stu-
dent searched his other jacket pocket
and found his iPod.
THIS DAY
In Daily History
Activist campaigns
for Nobody for
president
Authorities topple
human smuggling ring
Organization was
shipping illegal aliens into
Michigan from Canada
WINDSOR, Ontario (AP) - A human
smuggling ring that charged Asian and East-
ern European migrants thousands of dollars
to send them across the Canadian-U.S. bor-
der - sometimes hanging
on the sides of freight trains in-ert
or stuffed in car trunks ii~
- was brought down ys - have
terday with the arrests of 17
people. U.S. and Canadian drug dC
authorities said.
U.S. authorities said terrorms
they intercepted 74 ille-
gal aliens being smuggled God kr
from Canada into the
United States. Canadian who co.
officials said 24 migrants in thos(
were stopped going into
Canada. cars an
An indictment unsealed
yesterday in Detroit
described people riding - St
on freight trains traveling U.
through the Detroit/Wind- eas
sor and Sarnia/Port Huron
rail tunnels. Others rode
over bridges and on ferries in car trunks or
in the cargo trailers of semi-trucks, accord-
ing to the indictment. Still others crossed
the border in small boats, officials said.
"There was a complete disregard for the
safety of these migrants, who paid thou-
sands of dollars to the ring for the privilege
of being treated worse than cattle," said
Inspector Glenn Hanna of the Royal Cana-
dian Mounted Police, adding that people
were sometimes found hiding in subzero
temperatures.
The arrests were made in Toronto, Wind-
sor and Michigan, and were the culmina-
tion of a two-year investigation by the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, the U.S. Depart-
could
cen
ealers,
ts and
'lows
)ming
e boasts
id trains."
tephen Murphy
S. attorney for
stern Michigan
ment of Homeland
Security and the Canada
Border Services Agency.
The people charged
include residents of the
Detroit area, Windsor,
Toronto, Albion and
Vicksburg, Mich., and
Rockford, Ill.
More arrests are
expected. A total of
23 people are charged,
including 11 in Canada
and 16 in the United
States.
While no ring leader
was explicitly identi-
fied, Maitham Aziz
Alzehrani, 33, of Wind-
sor, was named most
frequently in the indict-
ment as a person direct-
life in prison.
The 16 U.S. defendants are accused
of conspiring to smuggle aliens, which is a
punishable by up to 10 years in prison. One
of the defendants is also charged with alien
smuggling and re-entry after deportation,
while three others are charged with trans-
porting illegal aliens.
Officials said migrants from China,
South Korea, Albania, Russia, Ukraine
and Poland paid smugglers to take them
across the border. Most began their jour-
ney in Toronto and were trying to get to
New York City.
Speaking at ajoint Canadian-U.S. news
conference in Windsor, Hanna said Cana-
dian officials believe the migrants were
motivated by a desire to better their eco-
nomic situation. However, U.S. officials
said their intentions were unknown.s
"We have no idea who were coming
over said Stephen Murphy, the U.S. attor-
ney for the eastern district of Michigan.
"There was no screening done by immi- ..
gration authorities before these people.
came into the United States. There could ..AGL EEEOU
have been drug dealers, terrorists and God SA sophomore Christina Jax wraps flowers at Universityower Shop
knows who coming in those boats, cars around noon yesterday. University Flower Shop usually starts getting
and trains orders for flowers at the beginning of February, and sells out of flowers
HoweverMurphy indicated the detained completely by the end of Valentine's Day.
migrants are not likely to be charged,
though they will face deportation.
U.S. and Canadian authorities hailed
yesterday's arrests as an example of effec-A
tive cross-border cooperation. In bringing
the charges, U.S. authorities relied on more
than 2,000 telephone conversations inter-
cepted by the Canadians.
care bs1 al
g ~instate Sen ate
ing the smuggling. Alzehrani was among
those arrested yesterday and is charged in
both countries.
The 11 charged in Canada are accused
of human smuggling and conspiring to
violate U.S. immigration laws, Hanna
said. If convicted, they would face up to
Proposed rules, which
would favor unions, called
'job-killing' by critics
LANSING (AP) - The state Sen-
ate yesterday voted to block the Gran-
holm administration from setting rules
that critics say would favor unionized
adult foster care homes.
About 50,000 Michigan residents
live in adult foster care facilities and
homes for the aged. The homes care for
people over age 60 who can't live alone
because of physical impairment or
mental illness, but who don't need the
level of care given in nursing homes.
Democratic Gov. Jennifer Gran-
holm has responded to concerns about
the quality of care for residents of the
homes by asking the state to review
administrative rules regulating assist-
ed-living providers.
Rules drafted so far would consider
a collective bargaining agreement to
be evidence of compliance with cer-
tain requirements.
Republicans said the rules would
create onerous "job-killing" regula-
tions that most easily could be met
by unionized facilities. All 22 Senate
Republicans voted yesterday to pass a
law that bars the rules from discrimi-
nating for or against facilities based
on whether they have collective bar-
gaining agreements.
"Michigan families deserve safe,
affordable care for their loved ones,
and what the administration is consid-
ering doesn't achieve that," said Sen.
Bill Hardiman (R-Kentwood).
The 15 Senate Democrats voted
against the bills. They said the legis-
lation is premature and anti-worker.
According to an analysis by the non-
partisan Senate Fiscal Agency, some
assisted-care facilities won't recog-
nize unions and have fired workers for
engaging in union activities.
Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman (D-
Detroit) said the state Department of
Human Services knows there should be
consensus while developing new rules.
"These bills are designed to restrict
the executive branch even from con-
sidering certain reforms,' she said.
The measure now heads to the
GOP-controlled House.
The assisted-living industry sup-
ports the legislation, arguing that
complying with new rules would cost
an extra $35 million a year.
The draft rules would require facili-
ties to report wage information, bene-
fits, turnover rates, employee retention
data and Social Security numbers for
each employee. The human services
department or the state Department of
Community Health could consider the
factors when issuing a license.
American troops sent a
little love from Michigan
Spring Lake Township
woman organizes massive
Valentine's Day card drive
SPRING LAKE TOWNSHIP
(AP) - A western Michigan woman
has orchestrated a campaign in
which more than 17,000 valentines
are being delivered to U.S. troops in
Iraq and to burn victims at an Army
hospital in San Antonio.
Caren Vink boarded a plane Mon-
day for Texas to deliver some of them
on Valentine's Day to patients at
Brooke Army Medical Center, where
soldiers wounded by burns or bombs
often end up for rehabilitation.
"This isn't about me," she told the
Grand Haven Tribune. "It's about
them - the soldiers - for every-
thing they've had to go through to
make it so we have a 'land of the
free."'
Vink, 51, belongs to Soldiers'
Angels, a support organization whose
members "adopt" deployed or wound-
ed soldiers and regularly send them
cards and care packages.
In December, she mailed soldiers
more than 1,400 Christmas cards
and 50 packages containing items
such as beef jerky, socks, licorice,
nasal spray and beach balls. She
paid for the postage herself.
"My heart goes out to them," said
Vink, who lives in Ottawa County's
Spring Lake Township. "If there's
something more I could do for them,
I would do that."
Her contact at Brooke, Col. James
Riley, had asked her whether she
could get 5,000 valentines for sol-
diers.
Vink's search started at a Meijer
store in Grand Haven, where she
asked for a deep discount on the
purchase of many Valentines. Cleve-
land-based American Greetings
Corp. soon learned about her quest
and made a donation, as did other
companies and individuals.
Vink ended up more than tripling
Riley's original request.
"The outpouring of kindness from
this community was just amazing,"
she said.
NMI
Feb. 15, 1984 - More than 100 people
came to the Michigan Union yesterday to
see a man wearing a star-spangled clown
suit and giant shoes give his opinion on
whom students should vote for in the 1984
presidential election.
The man in the clown suit was none
other than famous hippie and activist
Wavy Gravy. Not surprisingly, Gravy did
not come to the University to support the
primary candidates, Ronald Reagan or
Walter Mondale, but rather his perennial
presidential choice since the 1976 elec-
tions: Nobody.
As part of his "Nobody for President"
campaign, Gravy shouted out questions to
the audience of students.
"Who lowered your taxes ... who total-
ly understands the budget?" asked Gravy.
"Nobody!" answered the crowd.
Man who sodomized sheep
denies he is a sex offender
Man says his crime is
too trivial to register as a
sex offender
BATTLE CREEK (AP) - A man
who pleaded no contest to a sodomy
charge involving a sheep says he
should not have to register as a sex
to 20 years in prison. He entered A telephone call seeking com-
the plea in January. A no contest ment was left yesterday at the Mar-
plea is not an admission of guilt shall office of defense attorney
but is treated as such for sentenc- John Sullivan.
ing purposes.
Tamara Towns,
an assistant prose-
cutor for the coun-
ty, argued that
Police said
"The prosecutor is
being real hard on
Haynes had sex with
a sheep at a Bed-
ford Township farm
on Jan. 26, 2005.
The animal's owner
J