Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 7 PANEL Continued from page 1 the University of California at Berkeley, said she welcomes the debate that arises from contro- versial articles because it creates dialogue between the student community and the newspaper. "I try to encourage my staff not to shy away from contro- versy when they cover diversity issues," Hsu said. "But I do ask them to remember that they have to consider their work carefully and sensitively." The panelists agreed that student journalists sometimes make mistakes that offend cer- tain groups, often because of a lack of training. Student newspaper staffs are constantly changing, as are their contacts and sources in campus groups, which can lead to mis- understandings when writing about complicated issues, sev- eral panelists said. Last December, campus groups criticized The Michigan Daily for printing two editorial cartoons that addressed affirma- tive action using what they con- sidered simplistic, stereotypical depictions of black students. Some students took the car- toons as an attack on whether they deserved to be at the Uni- versity, said Donn Fresard, the Daily's editor in chief. The University's chapter of the NAACP called for the Daily to retract the cartoons. The cartoon- ist resigned over the protests. Fresard said in some cases a controversial article or cartoon can lead to productive discus- sion when people use it as a cat- alyst for debate. "I've always found that the most productive thing is having people who are upset come in and meet with us," Fresard said. "The problem tends to come when people get so upset with us that they won't even come in or write in." Both Fresard and Hsu said the lack of minorities on their news- papers' staffs also negatively affects their coverage of minor- ity issues. The lack of minority journal- ists is not limited only to cam- pus newspapers. In many national media out- lets, minorities who choose to become reporters are often actively and subtly discouraged from covering issues relating to a specific ethnic or racial group, said Catherine Squires, an assis- tant professor in the communi- cations department. Because of these problems, minority students sometimes don't trust campus papers as a credible news source. "There's a consensus that The Michigan Daily does not repre- sent the needs of black students on campus," said audience mem- ber Sarah Jackson, a Rackham graduate student in communica- tions, adding that she prefers to get her news from a blog focused on issues in the black commu- nity. No matter what, the media will always receive criticism from those who feel its cover- age is biased or offensive, sev- eral panelists agreed. But is it important to take risks in order to fully inform the public of controversial issues? "The question is not whether the press offended," Cose said. "The question to me is whether it is doing its job." Emily Barton contributed to this report ALEX DZIADOSZ/Daily Newsweek columnist Ellis Cose speaks at the "Can You Print That?" conference at the Michigan League yesterday afternoon. Ellis, who began his career at the Chicago Sun-Times at age 19, was the keynote speaker for the symposium. PREACHERS Continued from page 1 dent from drawing pictures of stick figures engaged in anal sex on the back of Lemieux's shirt, said he was appalled at the behavior of the mob on the Diag. "I have a strong disagreement with what they are saying" Speaks said. "But the crowd's reaction is despicable. They should not be shoving him and taunting him - he has every right.to be on the Diag." Borovitz said it was hard to not take action. "He is saying hateful things" Boro- vitz said. "And I do not believe I have to standby and watch him preach hate." Other students stood by silently watching the spectacle unfold. "You learn a lot just sitting here," Business sophomore Eric Jarrett said. "You learn a lot about different views and a lot about how people behave." Venyah, who drove into town this morning in a camper with the license plate "SIN NOT," said he works full-time as a preacher. He and his wife jointly hold the title to Soulwinners Ministries Inter- national, a business registered in Lansing. Last winter, Venyah gained notoriety for preaching at Michi- gan State University. He and his wife both attended MSU in the early 1990s according to reports by the State News, the campus paper. Ashley Hajski, an LSA junior who identified herself as a Christian and a member of New Life Church, ques- tioned Venyah's aggressive methods. "I just wonder what his turnover rate is," Hajski said. "It doesn't really help to tell people they are evil." Venyah said he has a 100-percent success rate. "Everyone that is here today now knows they are living in sin," Venyah said. Venyah said that he and his cohorts will be back. "Because you are all so ignorant and hell-bound, we have no choice but to come back tomorrow;" Venyah said. He said he plans to be on the Diag today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. OBAMA Continued from page 1 sonal assistants. He said the personal assistants often gather to trade stories about their jobs. Colvin always has a story to tell. In his short time with the senator, Colvin met Muhammad Ali, dined with U.N. ambas- sadors and talked on the phone with Stevie Wonder. He saw Obama mobbed by admirers in Kenya and at political rallies nationwide. But the public face of Obama isn't the only one Colvin knows. Instead, Colvin revealed an Obama who jokes with him in between press conferences, trading friendly jibes back and forth. "A lot of people wouldn't get in a car with Barack Obama and tease him back," Colvin said. The meat of Colvin's job is in these "in- between" moments in the car on the way to the next events. A lot of the time, Colvin and Obama just talk. Often, Colvin said, he and the senator have heart-to-heart conversations. Topics cover family history, what shaped Obama's beliefs and political actions and even Michigan foot- ball. "He was pretty enthusiastic about Michigan beating Notre Dame," Colvin said Obama went to school at Columbia and Harvard universities, so Colvin said they spend a lot of time talking about the finer points of a large school. "I explain to him about Rick's and Score- keeper's and football games,"he said. Colvin said Obama has an eclectic taste in music, listeningtoeverythingfromIndonesian flute music to OutKast to Motown. Colvin said he never expected to hold such a high-profile job. Just a few months ago, he was interning in Washington in the office of U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.). He spent his time there on a mission: net- working with as many people as possible. At the University, Colvin was a political sci- ence major with a minor in African-American studies. The native of Ionia said he did well in his classes and was on a path toward law school and possibly a career in politics. It was over the summer, however, that he realized he might have to put his plans on hold. Through one of the contacts he met while interning, he landed an interview with Obama's office. He sat down in front of the senator's entire staff and went through the interview process with each member observ- ing him closely. After a short waiting period, he got the call: The staff wanted him to come back and meet the senator. Colvin and Obama sat down and talked for 45 minutes, he said, and they "basically just hit it off." Soon afterward, he got another call, the one he'd been hoping for. He was asked to join Obama's staff. He had his choice between two available positions: staff assistant or the senator's per- sonal assistant. Colvinjumped at the opportu- nity to be Obama's personal assistant. Though he knows he wants to go to law school, Colvin said he is not sure about his plans for the future. One thing is certain: He wants to embody what Obama means to him - not for the prestige or the political power, but for the good, humble person he said he sees everyday. "I don't want to be U.S. Senator Barack Obama," he said. "I want to be Barack Obama" Obama, one of the rising stars in the Dem- ocratic Party, has drawn speculation over whether he will run for president or vice presi- dent in 2008. Colvin's take? "He's flattered by the attention," Colvin said, adding that Obama is just trying to do his job right now. "A lot of people never thought he'd be a U.S. senator;" Attacks on women seen as perverse motherhood SPRING BREAK 2007 Celebration 20th Anniversary w/ Sun Splash Tours. Free trip on every 12 before Nov. 1. Free Meals & Parties, Hottest Deals Ever. Group Discounts on 6+. Hottest Spring Break Destinations. Call 1800-426-7710. www.sunsplashtours.com SPRING BREAK W/STS to Jamaica, Mexico, Bahamas & Florida. Sell Trips, Earn Cash, Travel Free! Cali for group discounts. Info/Reservations e 800-648-4849. www.ststravel.com For Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2006 ARIES (Mach 21 to April 9) Take care of red-tape details with insurance matters, wills, inheritances and other people's wealth or property. You might feel quite intensely about something today. TAURUS (April 21 to May 20) Conversations with partners and close friends might be more emotional than usual today. You might also feel parental or nurturing to someone. GEMINI (May 21to June 20) Work hard to accomplish much at work today. Attend to details. Co- workers are supportive. Go anything that hselps you feel you're more organized in your life. CANCER (June 21 to July 22) This is a playful, prankish day. Activities with children, plus liaisons with romantic interests, are a top prior- ity. Enjoy the arts, catch a movie or .watch some sports. LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22) Home, family and real estate matters are your top priorities today. Family dis- cussions in particular will be significant. Talk to parents if possible. VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) This is a good day to run around tak- ing care of errands, shopping and many little tasks. Short trips are likely. Expect conversations with siblings and rela- tives, LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) Check your bank account today. Stay on top of your finances. This is a good day for shopping, minor business and commerce. Ignore criticisms from oth- ers. SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) The Moon is in your sign today. This makes you feel more emotional about things. For a brief time, in the middle of the day, you might feel a bit down. Fortunately, this passes quickly. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 211 Work behind the scenes or by yourself if you can today. You need some rest and relaxation. At the very least, you need some solitude. CAP'RICORN Rec. 22 to Jan. 19) A, conversation with a female friend might be important today. Give this per- son your undivided attention. Perhaps someone needs to share his or her pain or joy witht you. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18) You might do something that briefly calls attention to you today. (In fact, it's likely.) Be aware that others will notice you, because you might be setting an example. PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20) You feel restless! You want to escape from your routine, day-to-day work. You want to learn something new or travel somewhere different. If you can do this, by all means do so! YOU BORN TODAY You have a per- severing nature, which serves you well. Many of you have highly developed technological skills in a particular area. You're a perfectionist: You strive to mas- ter your craft. You have a logical mind, and you're hardworking. Peoplelose your humor and wit. Many of you have other skills or jobs that are secret or unknown. You will learn something valuable and important this year. Stay alert! Birthdate of: Julie London, singer; Linda Hamilton, actress; George Gershwin, composer. (AP) - It's a crime so monstrous as to surpass comprehension. Yet its passion takes root in some of the most tender ground of human expe- rience: pregnancy and motherhood. What drives a handful of women to slice open the bellies of others to steal their newborns? Researchers have uncovered hints. "You can describe it as sort of the maternal instinct run amok," says psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resn- ick, who had written about this kind of crime. In East St. Louis, Ill., an inno- cent plea was entered yesterday for Tiffany Hall, a 24-year-old woman charged with killing a woman and her fetus; investigators believe she cut the mother open with a pair of scissors. Authorities say Hall also told police she drowned the wom- an's three other children. Such crimes are exceedingly rare in a country with more than 4 million births a year. Previously, only eight similar cases have been documented since 1987 by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Yet they are frequent enough to have acquired a clinical-sounding name: new- born kidnapping by Caesarean section. It is a variety of the more common crime of simply snatching an infant, experts say. Attackers are women of childbearing age who typically have lost a baby or can't have one, mental health professionals say. They feel empty and fiercely long for a child - or another child - to cement a shaky love relationship. "They look at these pregnant woman and say, 'Look at all the attention they're getting. They're complete," says N.G. Berrill, a New York-based legal psychologist. The attackers often fake their own preg- nancy, take part in baby showers, and prepare nurseries at home. However, at some moment they cross a boundary and descend almost to Shakespearean depths of tragedy. "The meaning of being bar- ren for some women is just extraor- dinary;' says Resnick. Fashioning elaborate cons, they may trick a stranger into letting down her guard, or they may set upon a close friend without warn- ing. The raw violence may vent a gusher of rage or jealousy directed at the pregnant victim. In 2004, a Kansas woman alleg- edly drove to Missouri, strangled a pregnant woman with a rope, then cut out her baby with a kitchen knife. She awaits trial. In 1987, in New Mexico, a mar- ried woman kidnapped a pregnant woman leaving a prenatal clinic, forced her into a car with a fake gun, strangled her,and deliveredthe baby with a set of car keys. She was sent to prison for at least 30 years when found guilty but mentally ill. The assaulted women nearly always die, sometimes bleeding to death. The attackers then claim the newborns as their own, even if only as stillborns to be buried. However, the newborns often live and eventually return to surviving family when the crime is solved. At least two attackers later killed themselves. U - Ramadan sullied by violence BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's feud- ing ethnic and sectarian groups moved ahead Monday with forming a committee to consider amending the constitution after their leaders agreed to delay any division of the country into autonomous states until 2008. As legislators formed a 27-mem- ber committee to begin talking about amending Iraq's constitution, official observances of Ramadan werepunctu- ated with violence around the country. British forces reported they had killed Omar al-Farouq, a top militant leader, identified by Iraqi officials as an al-Qaida leader who had escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan and returned to Iraq. Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish political leaders in parliament formed the constitutional committee, which will take about a year to review any changes and get them approved. A separate Shiite-sponsored fed- eralism bill will be read to the legis- lature Tuesday and then debated for two days before parliament breaks for the Iraqi weekend. The legisla- tion would be read again, with any changes made by legislators, Oct. 1. A vote would come four days after the second reading, with the bill needing a simple majority for pas- sage. If approved, it would be imple- mented 18 months later - in 2008 - according to the deal made by the parties. The deal was a victory for Sunni Arabs, who had been fighting the federalism bill proposed by Shiite cleric Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance. They fear that if not amended, it will splinter the country and deny them a share of Iraq's oil, which is found in the predominantly Kurdish north and the heavily Shitte south. 2006 King Features Syndicate, inc.