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October 23, 2006 - Image 7

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The Michigan Daily, 2006-10-23

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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Neches River flooding wipes out Texas
homes, forces evacuation of trailers

Monday, October 23, 2006 - 7A

VIDOR, Texas (AP) - Flooding
along the Neches River in Southeast
Texas destroyed an estimated 40
homes, forcing people to flee their
residences and even FEMA trail-
ers brought in after Hurricane Rita
pounded the region lastyear.
The river stood at about i2 feet
late Sunday afternoon, 8 feet above
flood stage.
"We have a lot of homes under
water," said Jeff Kelley, Orange
County emergency management
coordinator, who estimated about
40 homes have been destroyed.
Some of the homes along the river
have been built on stilts while oth-
ers sit on the ground, and they had
from two feet of water to water up
to the roofline. The area was pum-
melled when Hurricane Rita came

ashore last year, and several Federal
Emergency Management Agency
trailers were delivered to the area.
"They are completely under
water," Kelley said.
The worst-hit areas were the
communities of Lakeview, Connely
Road and Four Oaks Ranch Road
north of Vidor, about 80 miles east
of Houston. Flood waters also were
beginning to rise yesterday night in
Rose City.
Kelley said authorities have been
helping people leave the flooded
areas since Thursday.
He said the area is prone to flood-
ing ofsecondarystreets. Peopleusu-
ally are able to move their vehicles
to higher ground.
"The water came up so fast they
couldn't get their vehicles out," said

Kelley, who estimated authorities
have had to help get 75 people out.
Sixteen people were staying at a
Red Cross Center. Some remained
in their homes.
Kelley said the number of res-
cues picked up Friday and Saturday
because the river's level was "worse
than anyone had ever seen it."
The water wasn't expected to go
down for several days, Kelley said.
All Interstate 10 ramps between
Beaumont and Vidor were closed,
as was the access road in the same
area, he said.
Heavy rains saturated portions
of Southeast Texas last week and
have been working their way down-
stream into the Neches. Kelley said
flood gates also were open on the
dam on Stinehagen Lake.

embarra
FRIENDS said.
From page lA This
-- ring for
her friends said, was her refusal to "Thet
let it hinder her active and passion- and not
ate lifestyle. alive," sh
Vaidyanathan - valedictorian Vaidy
of her high school in Granger, Ind., around b
a small town about 10 miles east of at Mueh
South Bend - was a member of the her mem
Honors College and the Shipman crowd s
Society, which provided her a full minutes
scholarship. She was majoring in the hall
neuroscience and Spanish, and she Back
was considering graduating early Vaidyan
to travel to India or South America junior V
before pursuing a career as a pedia- worn co
trician. A bo
In Sanskrit, "Kavya" translates quarter
roughly to "poet," her friends said. "Kavy
Appropriately, she would often "She wa
scribble poems and song lyrics in five or si
her notebooks. Alone
Her list of involvements could areas wh
have belonged to an entire honors ence wa
society. Somewhere between Dance bed was
Marathon, Indian cultural shows, blank w
theUndergraduateResearchOppor- returned
tunities Program and the Michigan had hu
Independent, she would find time ning to f
to tutor local children through K- Patel's m
grams, and support Udavum Karan- Still,
gal, an Indian nonprofit. nathan's
"Basically, she never slept," Les- as it ws
lie said. the dow:
"No," Chang corrected him, stays an
reminding him of Vaidyanathan's tions bei
habitual naps on the South Quad Smiths
basement benches. "She very much "Meat i
liked to sleep." favorite
She was renowned for her rea- traying C
soned, principled political stanc- wore the
es and a ferocious appetite for By he
unabashedly expressing them. gray oxy
"She lived with no regrets, no her brea
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assment," Roselander-Ginn
attitude, she said, was stir-
those who knew her.
re's no way to hear all that
t be inspired to be more
he said.
yanathan's impact on those
her was clear last Thursday
ligs Funeral Home, where
sorial service was held. The
welled to capacity within
, eventually overflowing to
ways outside.
on Washtenaw Court,
athan's old roommate, LSA
ijya Patel, flipped through a
py of "Brave New World."
okmark protruded about a
of the way through.
ya loved to read," she said.
s probably in the middle of
x books."
now, Patel pointed out the
here her roommate's pres-
s beginning to erode - her
stripped, and the wall was
here a photo collage, now
d to her home in Granger,
ng. The room was begin-
eel oversized, too large for
todest possessions.
for the most part, Vaidya-
presence was as palpable
as two weeks ago, before
,nward spiral of hospital
nd respiratory complica-
gan. On her wall, the same
poster still proclaimed
s Murder." Beside it, her
actor, Johnny Depp, por-
Captain Jack Sparrow, still
same rakish smirk.
r bed, the 2-foot-tall, dull
gen tank she used to calm
thing at night still stood.

In the living room, the conversa
tion grew livelier, the images and
memories more impassioned and
vibrant. As each story concluded,
the friends looked wistfully around.
Their eyes became glassy and dis-
tant, brimming with bittersweet
recollections: Kavya learning gui-
tar in a week, Kavya dressed as an
Oompa Loompa for Halloween. Less
enthusiastically, Kavya singing.
"This girl would sing," Chang
said. "But she had no -" As she
paused, the room erupted in
laughter. "She was so tone-deaf,"
she finished, impersonating her
"drawn-out, emo" version of "Hail
to the Victors."
"They're all happy memories,"
Roselander-Ginn said. "It's really Kerrytown reside
good to have such a pure memory of rickshawsafterf reeri
someone, really."
After an hour, it didn't much mat-
ter who knew Vaidyanathan from ------ ---------
where, or how, or what experiences BIKE TAXI
exactly they shared. It didn't mat- From page 1A
ter who had been there the time
she abandoned her psychology
textbooks on the Law Quad lawn mote the credit pr
to play Frisbee or who watched her free ride with a fri
confront a fraternity doorman for essence of Chase +
his "disrespectful" attitude. The link betwe'
It didn't matter which ones she not be intuitive, b
had nursed through which exams, rickshaws have gar
or which colds. Parked at their
What mattered is that they all ner of North Unive
knew her when she was still the Fletcher Street,t
"go-to" ear for their problems. turn the heads of p
When she was still the vital, ecstat- "(People) look;
ic hub of their social lives.
That, at least, was enough for
now. - -- -
To finishthe saying, the brightest STABBING
candles burn the quickest,but when From page 1A
they are gone, everyone remembers
how they lit up the room.

Joe Ochsner rides around in his Chase +1 promotional bike taxi Thursday afternoon. The contemporary
ides to students - if they'll listen to their sales pitch about credit cards.

rogram because a
end "captures the
1."
en the two might
but the futuristic
rnered attention.
base at the cor-
ersityAvenue and
the contraptions
assersby.
at us like we're

Martians when we ride around,"
said Aaron Morrell, a BicyTaxi
operator who graduated from Mich-
igan State University last year.
Much of the time, students walk
past the row of bike-and-carriages,
giving them little more than a puz-
zled glance. Many students refuse
offers of rides and leave the Bicy-
Taxi drivers idling.
Others have warmed to the con-
cept.
"It's an interesting idea," LSA
junior Megan Polich said. "It seems
sort of like Ann Arbor to try experi-
mental transportation."

One group of students - Business
School sophomore 'Adam Blanck
and LSA freshmen Marissa Dango-
vian and Ashley Simmons - took
advantage of the promotion Thurs-
day morning.
Trying the service for the first
time, the three crowded into the
two-person back seat, anxious to
avoid walking in the dreary weath-
er.
"We're cold, hungry and our
books are heavy," Dangovian said.
As for the endorsement pitchthey
were about to endure, Simmons said,
"I'll just tell him I already have it."

Realizing that his friends had
gone, he climbed into a gray Pontiac
Grand Am that had been following
the Lincoln and was parked behind
it during the fight.
None of the passengers in the
Grand Am engaged in fighting, but
the car did take him from the scene,
providing him a means to evade
immediate arrest.
Police found him later that morn-
ing at a friend's house in Ypsilanti,
Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Pat Ouellette
said. He was charged yesterday

with three counts of assault and is
now being held in the Washtenaw
County Jail on bond.
After the fight, the boyfriend and
his friend were escorted to the Uni-
versity Hospital for treatment. The
student did not need treatment.
At about 2 a.m. Saturday, nine
Department of Public Safety and
Ann Arbor Police Department cars
were parked on State Street. Yel-
low caution tape had been tied to
the trunk of one of the police cars
and then wrapped around nearby
lampposts, restricting access to
the crime scene. Crowds of people
gathered around.
As the morning wore on, students
returning to West Quad Residence

Hall found themselves forced to
squeeze through a narrow passage-
way off to the side of scene. Mean-
while, several policemen stood
within the confines of the caution
tape, talking among themselves. It
wasn't until a few hours later that
State Street returned to normal.
Campus was bustling with talk
of the stabbings over the weekend
and many students wondered if it
could portend escalating violence
on campus. But Ouellette said it
was an isolated incident and didn't
represent a trend.
State Street has not been a par-
ticularly dangerous area, he said,
and police will not add patrols to
the area.

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For Monday, Oct. 23, 2006
ARIES
(March 21 to April 19)
Your ability to do research is
absolutely excellent today. If there's
anything you want to know about or dis-
cover, you will succeed in finding it
(You'll look under every rock.)
TAURUS
(April 20 to May 20)
This is not a good day for discussions
with partners and close friends. People
are inclined to be critical of each other
today. (This only promotes a downer
feeling.)
GEMINI
(May 21 to June 20)
Your critical faculties are very sharp
today. You'll be able to tackle any job
that requires attention to detail. You also
have long periods of concentration
today.
CANCER
(June21 to July 22)
Any artistic project or arts-and-crafts
project can go very well today. You have
a patient mind and a willingness to pay
attention to tasks that require persistence
and attention to detail.
LEO
(July 23 to Aug. 22)
This is a good day for home repairs.
Work around the house to make
improvements. However, family discus-
alons might e too negative. Be tolerant
of and patient with others.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23 to Sept. 22)
It's OK to withdraw from others today.
That's just how you feel. However, this
is a good day to sign contracts and look
over the legal aspects of anything. You
won't mis a thing!
LIBRA
(Sept. 23to Oct. 22)
You feel prudent and financially cau-
tious today. You don't want to blow your
money on anything frivolous. (That's

OK.)
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)
You'll have no trouble doing heavy
mental work today. Your thinking is very
disciplined right now. Take care that you
don't look at issues with a negative
frame of mind.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
Work alone today. Your research skills
are tops. Ignore negative comments from
others, especially if they confirm your
worst fears about yourself. (They're not
true!)
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
Someone older might give you excel-
lent advice today. Be open to this. On the
other hand, if someone older criticizes
you, it doesn't mean he or she knows
everything.
AQUARtUS
(Jan. 20 to Feb. 18)
Many people feel lonely today. You
might have to say goodbye to someone
now. This is a temporary dark cloud on
your horizon. (It's gone quickly.)
PISCES
(Feb. 19 toMarch 20)
If you have to study any kind of lofty
subject or plow through details related to
religion, politics and history, you'll be
able to accomplish a lot. You hove strong
mental energy today.
YOU BORN TODAY You have enor-
mous energy. (You do so much!) You're
youthful, energetic, lively and passion-
ate. You often go overboard in some area
of your life (work, play or a hobby).
Because of your charismatic personality,
you work well with groups. You love
adventure and challenges.tA significant
chtange might take place this year, per-
haps similar to that of 1997.
Birthdate of: Pele, Brazilian soccer
legend; Johnny Carson, TV host;
Masiela Lusha, actress/author.

ALUM
From page lA
- -- ---------- - - - -
His mother's family hails from the
region, which inspirEd him to take
an interest in the area. He studied
through several different foreign
universities, working on his degree
while learning Arabic.
After he left the University, he
paired his experience as an asso-
ciate news editor at The Michigan
Daily with his knowledge of the
region to launch the English lan-
guage newspaper in May 2003.
Amid the danger of war and with
little funding, the staff of less than
20 published the Bulletin every
week.
Enders designed the paper to
not only benefit English-speak-
ing Iraqis, but to provide an
alternative perspective for an
international audience separate
from coverage delivered by the
mainstream media. Enders said
the paper circulated more than
10,000 copies and had at least as
many hits on the website.
Friday's event was part of the
LSA Honors Program's parent
weekend. Many students' moth-
ers and fathers attended the event,
some anxious to learn what their
son or daughter could do with an
English degree.
After listening to Enders speak,
Sue Vasquez, mother of Residential
College junior Meghann Rotary,
said the opportunities young peo-
ple have to make a difference in the
world encouraged her.
"You are the ones that have the
drive and the zest to go out there
and do something," she said.
Enders said he got his first taste
of social action in an undergraduate
English class taught by Prof. Wil-
liam "Buzz" Alexander.
Alexander's Prison Creative Arts
Project sends students into the real
world, Enders said.
They work in prisons and under-
privileged Detroit high schools.
Enders said that while talking

about social issues in a classroom is
constructive, it's a whole different
experience to go out and do some-
thing about them.
By spending an extended period
of time in Baghdad and surround-
ing countries such as Jordan, Leb-
anon, and Beirut, Enders gained
first-hand knowledge of many
social issues of the Middle East. He
showed pictures of his time abroad:
10,000 men praying in the street,
concrete rubble following air
strikes in Beirut, the crater remain-
ing after a car bomb exploded.
Enders spoke about the current
state of Middle Eastern nations and
U.S. involvement, using his person-
al knowledge of the war.
"It confirmed my worst fears
of what was going on," said Steve
Leibert, whose daughter Jamie is
a freshman in the Honors College.
"People don't want to know. People
wantto live in a cocoon."
Three months into Iraq, Enders
was convinced to buy a gun, despite
sayinghe never would. A youngBrit-
ish journalist had just been killed,
and the Bulletin's staff threatened
to leave if Enders did not agree to
be less flippant with his safety.
To blend in with the surround-
ings, Enders changed his hairstyle
and grew a mustache. By knowing
conversational Arabic and wearing
local clothing, he was able to pass
as a native.
Enders also had a contact he
could call if there was a problem
passing a security checkpoint. His
last departure from Iraq was partly
fueled by fear that his contact would
turn on him, but his safety precau-
tions weren't always enough.
In 2004, someone put a loaded
gun to his head, accusing of being
an Israeli spy. In 2005, he was near-
ly kidnapped for interviewing peo-
ple on the streets after a bombing.
Enders called the ensuingcar chase
"movie-worthy."
"The driver did a very good job,"
he said. "We were lucky to get
away."
He said there would be no point
in returning because of the escalat-

ing violence.
Enderssaiddistrustofjournalists
in the Middle East has reached such
a level that no one has any desire to
speak with American reporters.
Even the U.S. military is suspicious
of them, he said. But the distrust
is mutual. Enders said there is an
unspoken "no-one-believes-Iraqis
rule" which causes important news
to be lost. Reporters need to report
on what the natives are saying as
well, he said.
"Half of what is told to you about
what is happening in Iraq is told by
Cheney or Rumsfeld, etcetera," he
said. "Why aren't we questioning
this?"
This government approach needs
to change, Enders said, if the U.S. is
to salvage its reputation.
He said he supports engagement
with the Iraqi people in an effort to
shift their misconstrued percep-
tions of Americans. The military
options have failed, he said, and
now we need to engage culturally
to make an impact.
Enders advises that one way to
do this is through efforts like those
of History Prof. Juan Cole's Ameri-
cana Translation Project. Cole's
nonprofit group translates classic
American works into Arabic to aide
cultural understanding.
Project leaders hope to one day
translate works of the Founding
Fathers as well as put several Ara-
bic works into English. As of now,
most Middle Easterners only see a
negative representation of the Unit-
ed States.
"We have made people like us so
much less," Enders said. "We have
convinced a whole generation of
people that they don't want to have
a lot to do with the U.S."
Donna Wessel Walker, assistant
director of the LSA Honors Pro-
gram and chair of the freshman
book selection committee, admired
Enders' knack for stirring contro-
versy when she helped choose the
text this year.
"The book itself is personally
compelling, but politically contro-
versial," she said.

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