The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 3 NEWS BRIEFS ALPHA PHI ALPHA From page 1 WASHINGTON Bush gives no hint of new direction for war in Iraq President Bush, facing intense pressure to craft a new blueprint for the Iraq war, said yesterday the U.S. is holding fast to its objec- tives and commitment. The White House said he knows the general direction he wants to move U.S. policy but won't announce it until next month. White House press secretary Tony Snow said the president had expected to make a speech before Christmas to announce his new strategy for Iraq but still had ques- tions and was not yet ready to make all the decisions he needed to make. "The president generally knows what direction he wants to move in, but there are very practical things that need to be dealt with," Snow said. "This is not a sign of trouble. This is a sign of determination on the part of the president." IPSWITCH, England Bodies of two prostitutes found The search for a serial killer who preys on prostitutes in eastern Eng- land intensified yesterday with the discovery of two more bodies, and detectives warned sex workers "to get off the streets as soon as pos- sible." - The two bodies found yesterday have not been identified, but the detective leading the investigation said it was likelythey were those of Annette Nicholls and Paula Clen- nell, two prostitutes who had been missing for days. Detectives were already investi- gating the deaths of three women, whose naked bodies were found a few miles apart. One body was foundinastream, another in a pond and a third in the woods, about 30 yards from a road. WASHINGTON Military meets recruiting goals Although Americans are increas- ingly pessimistic about the war in Iraq,the Pentagon said yesterday it is havingsuccess enlisting newtroops. The Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals last month while the Army and Marine Corps exceed- ed theirs, the Defense Department announced. The Army, which is bearing the brunt of the work in Iraq, did the best. It signed up 6,485 new recruits in November compared with its tar- get of 6,150 - meaning 105 percent of its goal. WASHINGTON Government appeals mandate to Members tutor children at the BethelAfricanMethodist Episcopal Church every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Last year, they painted a mural in Alice Lloyd Residence Hall for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This yearthey plan to revamp the way they celebrate King's legacy. "This year we will do something better," said Alan Crawford, the campus chapter's vice president. "We will never be complacent with what we do, that's the goal." The fraternity began at Cor- nell University in 1906 to support minority students facing racial and social prejudice. Four years later, the University of Michigan's chap- ter was founded. It was the fifth in the nation. Fed leaves interest rates unchanged RESIGNATION From page 1 Bealafeld questioned Floyd over budget issues. In his e-mail, Wil- liams implied that this was because Floyd is black. He said Daily Edi- tor in Chief Donn Fresard went unscathed. Williams implied that this was because Fresard is white. "This attack went on approxi- mately 20 minutes while the white male editor went untouched - even when he had the audacity to request increases in funds during a discus- sion of his deficits," Williams wrote in the second e-mail, which was a response to a request from Reische to discuss the issues surrounding Williams's resignation, which he declined. Williams could not be reached for comment yesterday. According to several meeting attendees, the board had plenty of criticism for Fresard as well. "Our collective impressions was that if anything we were much harder on Donn," Reische said. "Anyone who would say we weren't being hard on Donn wasn't paying attention." Floyd said that while she couldn't be sure of Bealafeld's motives, she didn't think the scrutiny she received was racially motivated. She said her race has never made her feel uncomfortable working with the board. "Being business manager and working with the board, I've never felt discriminated against," Floyd said. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady yesterday, giving holiday shoppers a reason for some cheer. However, the Fed held back an extra gift Wall Street was hoping for: a signal that rates might actu- allybe lowered soon. Wrapping up their last meeting of the year, Fed chairman Ben Ber- nanke and all but one of his central bank colleagues agreed to leave an important rate unchanged at 5.25 percent, the fourth straight meet- ing without budging the rate. That meant commercial banks' prime interest rate - for certain credit cards, home equity lines of credit and other loans - stayed at 8.25 percent, once again giving a break to borrowers who until this summer had endured the pain of two-plus year of rate increases. "The Fed is not acting like the Grin- ch this Christmas. Butitis not putting presents in anyone's stocking, either," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. On Wall Street, stocks dipped as disappointed investors failed to get a sign that the Fed was mov- ing toward cutting rates. The Dow Jones industrials lost 12.90 points to close at 12,315.58. Discussing economic conditions, Fed policymakers said growth has slowed over the course of the year, partly reflecting a "substantial cool- ing" of the housing market. That description went beyond the Fed's previous assessment in late Octo- ber and suggested a sharper slump in housing was taking place. Nonetheless, policymakers stuck with their previous judgment that the economy probably will expand at a moderate pace in coming quar- ters. This time they hedged their assessment a bit and noted that recent economic barometers have been mixed. Analysts viewed the Fed's charac- terization of the economy's growth prospects as slightly weaker than at the previous meeting in late October. Still, the Fed didn't hint that it would actually cut rates any time soon as some Wall Street investors would like. Instead, it once again kept open the possibility of a rate increase if inflation should show signs of flaring up. "Some inflation risks remain," policymakers said. "The extent and timing of any addition- al firming that may be needed" to address these risks would hinge on economic reports, they said. For the fourth meeting in a row, Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., was the lone dissenter. Lacker said he would have preferred that the Fed boost interest rates by one- quarter percentage point. Looking ahead, few economists believe the Federal Reserve will boost rates. The Fed itself is betting that slower economic growth will eventually lessen inflation pres- sures.. ORIENTATION From page 1 not have authority over the direc- tion of our organization." The rift between Acosta and the MESA stems mainly from what Acosta says is a misunderstanding over an e-mail he sent to Lopez ear- lier this month. On Dec. 4, Lopez included a link to the MESA website in an e-mail about recruiting ALMA volunteers. Two days later, she received a response from Acosta asking her to remove MESA's name from ALMA program announcements, publica- tions and information sheets. ALMA members said they felt insulted by the e-mail and con- sidered in an attempt by Acosta to break ties between the two organi- zations. But Acosta said he only intended to inform Lopez that her original e- mail was not authorized by MESA and misled people into believing that his office was hiring. "As a Latino person, I'm happy ALMA runs and I'm happy with the work they've done," Acosta said. "I want to continue to work with the Latino community." In aftermath of Proposal 2's pas- sage, Acosta has had to deal with student groups anxious about the future of minority communities at the University. After Proposal 2 passed last month, Acosta sent ane-mail assur- ing multi-ethnic communities on campus that MESA would continue to serve all students. But LSA senior Franco Muzzio, a former ALMA coordinator, said Acosta's actions haven't matched his words. "On the heels of Proposal 2's passing, the Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs Office - an office put in place to serve and support Univer- sity students - should be comfort- ing and supporting the University's minority communities," Muzzio said in ane-mail interview. Senate passes bill JOIN THEDALY'S ONLINE STAFF. to expand Taser use E-MAIL DOKAS@ MICHIGANDAILY.COM. some question Taser-related deaths and worry the technology is used too routinely, not as a last As Usnversir© fMichigarrAtrunsri, resort. We've been supporting the "I'm not convinced they're so U . benign," says Sen. Liz Brater, an UM Commoniy since 1939 Ann Arbor Democrat who voted Now Come Support Us!! against the bill along with five other Democrats and a Republi- can. "They're being presented as Dfsco L i r if they're some kind of water pistol or something. That's not what they 3041/2S. STATE ST are." 2nd FLOOR The bill's sponsor, Republican 734668 9329 Rep. Rick Jones of Grand Ledge, responds that Tasers are a safer and better alternative to firing a gun. He says he could even sup- port letting civilians carry Tasers if they have a concealed weapons WWW.DASCOLABAIBERS.COM permit. WA I- I.N AdW MEf Student shoots self in Pa. school ERDENHEIM, Pa. (AP) - An 11th-grader despondent that poor grades would lead his parents to curtail his after-school activities brought a rifle to school and killed himself between classes ina school hallway yesterday, authorities said. No one else was injured and the gunman, Shane Joseph Halligan, had no intention of hurting anyone else when he opened fire at Spring- field Township High School just after 9 a.m., Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. said. Halligan, 16, was an Eagle scout and volunteer firefighter who planned a career in the military. But the poor grades he brought home on his report card Monday led his parents to warn him he had to focus on school. * Do you advertise with The Michigan Daily Classified or Display departments? Want to try something new and exciting? * Why not also advertise Online with www.michigandaily.com? YOU SELL BOOKS, WE PLANT TREES! redesign currency The Bush administration yester- day asked an appeals court to over- turn a ruling that could require a redesign of the nation's currency to help the blind. Justice Department lawyers filed the appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Colum- bia Circuit on behalf of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The appeal seeks to overturn a ruling last month by U.S. Dis- trict Judge James Robertson, who ordered Treasury to come up with ways for the blind to recognize the different denominations of paper currency. Robertson had ruled in a lawsuit brought by the American Council of the Blind. The council proposed several options for changes, includ- ing printing different size bills or changing the texture by adding embossed dots or foil. - Compiled from Daily wire reports calr yorure account execstveat 73461515tforths excitin.nwofer nthrdas 1 34 Years until global warm- ing prevents the Arctic Sea from freezing, according to a study released yesterday by the University of Wash- ington, McGill University and the National Central for Atmospheric Research.