The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Wednesday, November 1, 2006 - 7A
WEBSITE
From page 1A
online," said Scott Jones, the site's
co-founder. "Connecting experi-
enced guides with those searching
for information in real-time is a
powerful thing and brings a whole
new dimension to Internet search-
ing."
The website still offers a tradi-
tional search, which directs users
to websites that guides have pro-
vided for similar queries.
Many of the guides are college
students, including some from the
University. Guides can work as
much or as little as they want, even
from home.
ChaCha currently employs about
13,500 guides, Stealy said.
Business School junior Andrew
Kritzer worked as a guide for Cha-
Cha earlier this fall.
"If people ask you how to do
things online, and you're good
about finding odd information, you
are the right candidate," Kritzer
said in an e-mail interview.
Before he left because his course
work got more time-consuming,
Kritzer spent one to two hours a
day working as a guide.
"The guide software is pretty
easy to use once you are used to it,"
he said.
If one guide cannot find the right
answer, another may take over.
"Sometimes I can't find exactly
what it is the other person is look-
ing for and have to defer them to
someone else," said Engineering
student James Wang in an e-mail
interview.
Wang currently works for Cha-
Cha. He learned about the company
through job listings on the Univer-
sity's website.
The site is in an experimental
state while the company works
on fixing bugs, Stealy said. An
improved version will be launched
soon.
The payment system is also
experimental. The website allows
employees the option of an instan-
taneous "Pay Me Now" service.
Guides can choose to have a ChaCha
debit card that is directly connect-
ed to a ChaCha Internet account. At
any time, a guide can click the "Pay
Me Now" button and their accu-
mulated funds are instantly trans-
ferred to the card.
The instant system is paying off
for many of the employees.
"It has been a huge lifesaver for a
lot of people," Stealy said.
Guides start at about $10 an hour.
After reaching a certain experience
level, guides may invite others to
become guides - and make a bonus
10 percent of the invited guide's
earnings.
ChaCha is entirely supported by
advertising and is free to the public.
Seventeen patents are pending for
the technology.
South University Avenue yesterday at about 5:30 p.m. A new city law has raised the maximum height of buildings on the street from three stories to seven stories.
White House,
Kerry exchange
SOUTH U
From page IA
lack the structural and financial
ability to take advantage of the
rezoning and expand upward.
"It's too much money and the
building is too old," said Francisco
Gomez, general manager of The
Brown Jug.
He went on to say that the res-
taurant was founded in 1938, and it
would be impossible for the struc-
ture to bear the weight of an addi-
tional floor.
Rick Buhr, owner of Good Time
Charley's, expressed similar senti-
ments.
"The building isn't designed to
go up," he said. "At this point, we
have no plans to do anything like
that."
,accusations
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Tony Snow w
White House and Sen. John Kerry ry's comment
traded their harshest accusations ingwithrepor
since the 2004 presidential race come prepare
yesterday, with President Bush attack. He so
accusing the Democrat of troop- a pattern" of
bashing and Kerry calling the about U.S. sol'
president's men hacks who are rated Vietnan
"willing to lie." gested that w
The war of words, tough even candidates -
for this hard-fought campaign running on th
season, came after Kerry told a backgrounds
group of California students on 2004 standar
Monday that those unable to navi- campaign litm
gate the country's education sys- Bush, cam
tem "get stuck in Iraq." Georgia, said
The two parties are search- was "insulting
ing for any edge amid indications "The memt
Democrats could take back the States militar
House and possibly win control of and they are I
the Senate in next week's midterm senator from.I
elections. Though neither Bush them an apolo;
nor Kerry is on any ballot, the bit- an appearance
terness with which they fought congressman,
each other as 2004 rivals spilled is trying to o
over as both campaign hard for Jim Marshall.
their parties in a race shaped in the mention o
large measure by public doubts cheers at Bush
about the Iraq war. Kerry, wh
As Republicans demanded that another run f
Kerry apologize, a Democratic con- in 2008, angri
gressional candidate in a close race At a hastily
in Iowa canceled a campaign event ference in Sep
with Kerry, saying the senator's apologize to
comments were inappropriate. cism of the p
White House press secretary broken policy.
FINANCIAL A
From page IA
The other conc
as asked about Ker- of the CSS Profile
at his regular brief- disqualify student
ters, and had clearly todial parents.
ed with a lengthy The profile, ur
aid the quote "fits requires both thr
f negative remarks defined as the pe
diers from the deco- lives with - and
m veteran and sug- custodial parent
rhether Democratic income and assets
particularly those Thenon-custod
teir military service and income are tl
- agree with their the University's d(
d-bearer should be a distribute non-fed
nus test. The more asse
paigning later in non-custodial par.
Kerry's statement er the expected fat
and it is shameful." will be, decreasin
bers of the United
y are plenty smart
plenty brave and the
Massachusetts owes PROP 2
gy," Bush said during From page IA
e for a former GOP
Mac Collins, who
ust Democratic Rep. effectively the sar
There were boos at While briefly suc
if Kerry's name and ing the implemen
's call for an apology. injunction was lat
ho is considering a higher court.
or the White House The University
ily fired back. actively fought the
arranged news con- by requesting a sta
attle, Kerry said: "I University spo
no one for my criti- Peterson said the
resident and of his not comment on'
." request a stay del
ID
ern with the use
was that it would
its with non-cus-
like the FAFSA,
e family unit -
ople the student
a student's non-
to report their
.
ialparent'sassets
hen factored into
ecision on how to
eral aid.
ts and income a
ent has, the high-
mily contribution
g the amount of
financial aid offered.
For example, if a student lives
only with his mother, the FAFSA
would only look at the mother's
income and assets.
With the new profile, both of
the student's parents would have
to report their income and could
be expected to contribute to the
tuition bill.
To alleviate students' concerns
over contacting estranged non-cus-
todial parents, the Financial Aid
Office allowed students to apply for
a waiver so that their non-custodial
parents would not have to report
income and assets.
Despite fears that this would be
a common problem, only 80 stu-
dents of the 4,800 who filled out the
profile requested waivers. Eighty
percent of those students were
approved for a waiver.
One of them was RC freshman
Tabitha Berry, who lives with her
mother. Her father does not have
custody.
"My relationship with my dad is
on-again, off-again," she said.
Her mother requested a non-
custodial parent waiver because
her father is unemployed. She was
asked to substantiate the claim and
received her waiver after she pro-
vided copies of the arrest warrants
for her dad for his failure to pay
child support.
The process, Berry said, "is a
hassle, but I understand why they
do it."
Now that the Financial Aid
Office has data from the first year, it
plans to chart patterns in the waiv-
er requests, Fowler said.
"We had a little bit of every-
thing," she said.
They hope to find a few common
explanations within the approved
waivers to set some standards for
excusing non-custodial parents:
from the form.
Nonetheless, some students still
feel their aid package does not accu-,
rately describe their situation.
Despite the extra work for non-
custodial parents, Fowler said the
form has already paid off for many
students.
"(Low-income) families have an
aversion to loans," Fowler said. "It
scares them."
She said eliminating loans for
these students and replacing them
with gift aid has made the Univer-
sity more competitive with other
schools that use the profile, like
the University of North Carolina at,
Chapel Hill, Michigan State, North-
western and Stanford.
me as Proposal 2.
cessful at block-
tation of 209, the
er overturned by
of Texas system
Hopwood ruling
ay on the decision.
keswoman Julie
University could
whether it would
laying the imple-
mentation of the amendment so that
it could complete the current admis-
sions cycle.
"Our legal strategy is not some-
thing we will be able to disclose in
advance," Peterson said.
Even if the Universitydid request
a stay, it is not certain that a court
would grant it.
Peterson said the University has
not developed an alternative admis-
sions policy.
"We are waiting to see if the bal-
lot proposal passes," Peterson said.
"Rightnow we can'treallyspeculate
on what we will do. We do not have
an alternate admissions plan, and
we didn't at the time of the Supreme
Court case either."
Peterson said the University is
confident that it will have enough
time between next week's election
and when Proposal 2 would take
effect to reevaluate all affected pro-
grams and policies.
University Regent Kathy White
told The Michigan Daily's editorial
board last week that she would like-
ly be in favor of fighting the consti-
tutional amendment in court if the
proposal passes.
"I'mjust in complete denial," said
White, a law professor at Wayne
State University. "But it's unlikely
that this will not pass."
An EPIC/MRA poll released yes-
terday shows 49 percent of respon-.
dents support the proposal and 42,
oppose it. Nine perfect are unde-
cided.
Whatever happens with Pro-
posal 2 and this year's admis-
sions programs, the University
has pledged to remain committed
to maintaining a diverse student
body.
"Regardless of what happens,"'
Peterson said, "our commitment to
diversity is just as strong and while
the methods might have to change,
the commitment will still be there."
the michigan daily
Rumsfeld endorses plan to
increase security f
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For Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006
ARIES
(March 21 to April 19)
Despite your initial worries about the
resources of others or the responsibilities
you have for children, today is a lucky
day for you. Gifts and goodies come
your way!
TAURUS
(April 20 to May 20)
Discussions with partners could be
worrisome. Do not be critical of others.
If you keep an open mind, you'll enjoy
conversations with partners and friends.
You might meet someone new.
GEMINI
(May 21 to June 20)
You feel the need to double-check
whatever you do at work today. That's
OK. Better safe than sorry. A co-worker
might surprise you with an offer of assis-
tance. New technology could catch you
off-guard.
CANCER
(June 2110o July 22)
Discussions about romance, sports and
children are serious today. You want to
get something defined. Once that is
done, you're in the mood to party!
LEO
(July 23 to Aug. 22)
In a practical way, you will tackle
home repairs and family discussions.
You want solid results. However, unex-
pected company or a surprise gift makes
yoru happy late in the day.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23to Sept. 22)
New acquaintances could come into
your world today. What begins as a crit-
ical or serious conversation can sud-
denly turn into a love fest of mutual
admiration! (Go figure.)
LIBRA
(Sept. 23 to Oct. 22)
Money worries and financial obliga-
tions might nag at you in the beginning
of the day. However, later you will be
surprised by gifts, goodies and cash that
suddenly fall in your lap. Whoopee!
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23 to Nov. 21)
Conversations with bosses, parents
and authority figures are a bit of a
downer early in the day. Fear not; later in
the day a pleasant surprise really makes
you happy.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22 to Dec. 21)
Today is a mixed bag. Initially, feel-
ings of self-criticism and doubt make
you hesitant about something. Later, you
see that all kinds of possibilities are
available to you. It's simply a matter o
attitude.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22 to Jan. 19)
Someone older and more experienced
might be critical of your methods today.
New acquaintances will offer playful
alternatives. (Perhaps even romance!)
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 2010o Feb. 10)
Avoid negative discussions with par-
ents, bosses and authority figures today.
However, later in the day, others appre-
ciate your accomplishments.
PISCES
(Feb. 19 to March 20)
At first, you think you can't do some-
thing today; then later, you see you can!
Therefore, be patient, and wait to see
how this day unfolds for you.
YOU! BORN TODAY You like to live
on the edge. You need dynamic tension
in your life. (It's the excitement.) You're
happiest when things are happening!
Many of you are brilliant with technical
savvy. You're forthright, but your
actions are often secret. Your self-confi-
dence makes others believe in you. This
yeae you will focus on your closest
friendships and partnerships.
Birthdate of: Aishwarya Rai, actress;
Fernando Valenzuela, baseball pitcher;
Jenny McCarthy, actress.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yes-
terday endorsed a proposal to spend
at least $1 billion to expand the size
and accelerate the training and
equipping of Iraqi security forces.
While the plan still must getfinal
approval from the White House
and the money would have to be
approved by Congress, Rumsfeld's
support underscores the Bush
administration's effort to shift
more of the burden of Iraq's secu-
rity to that country's forces.
"I'm very comfortable with the
increases they've proposed and
the accelerations in achievement
of some of their targets," Rumsfeld
told reporters at the Pentagon, not-
ing that the Iraqi government and
Gen. George Casey, the top U.S.
commander in Iraq, both recom-
mended expanding Iraqi forces.
"Now it's simply a matter of our
pressing forward and getting our
portion of the funding from the
Congress and working to see that
it's executed," Rumsfeld said. He
did not say how much extra U.S.
money would be required.
So far, the U.S. government
has spent roughly $10 billion on
developing the Iraqi security forc-
es, according to the latest report
released by the Pentagon spe-
cial inspector general who audits
U.S. work in Iraq. One official,
speaking on condition of anonym-
ity, described the proposed extra
money as more than $1 billion, but
would not offer specifics.
Rumsfeld "approved going for-
ward" with the proposal, which is
intended to be part of an add-on to
the 2007 budget, according to Pen-
tagon press secretary Eric Ruff. It
will next be submitted to the White
House and other government agen-
cies for their review, Ruff said.
The defense secretary's move
comes at a time when the Bush
administration has been pressing
Iraqi officials to agree to bench-
marks with which progress in the
war-torn country can be measured.
The effort has produced strains
with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-
Maliki, who has resisted being por-
trayed as beholden to Washington.
Rumsfeld did not cite a dollar fig-
ure or reveal how many extra Iraqi
forces would be developed, beyond
the 325,000 target that U.S. offi-
cials say they expectto reach before
year's end.
Two defense officials said yes-
terday that the expected increase
was far fewer than 100,000, and
one official suggested it might be
about 30,000. Those officials spoke
on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to discuss
the matter publicly.
CBS News reported on Mon-
day that Casey had recommended
expanding the Iraqi security forces
by as much as 100,000.
Rumsfeld said the final deci-
sion on expanding the Iraqi secu-
rity forces would be announced in
Baghdad.
Asked whether such an increase
would mean that U.S. troops would
have to stay in Iraq longer to train
the extra forces, Rumsfeld said he
doubted it. Nor would it necessar-
ily require a higher number of U.S.
trainers, he said.
)rces
U.S. government approval is
required for any plan to expand
the size of the Iraqi forces because
it could not be accomplished with-
out additional U.S. funds and the
provision of U.S. trainers and U.S.-
acquired equipment.
Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the
top Democrat on the House Armed:
Services Committee, said expand-
ing the Iraqi security forces likely
means it will take more than the 12
to 18 months Casey has estimated
it will take to get the Iraqis fully in:
control of their own security.
"Congress must have a clear'
explanation of why these addi-
tional forces are needed, what addi-
tional American training resources5
will be put in place, and how this
new training plan will allow for
a decreased commitment from;
American forces," Skelton said.
The current plan is to develop,
325,000 Iraqi security forces,:
including the army, police and:
border control forces. The number;
trained and equipped thus far is'
about 310,000, and the final target:
is expected to be reached by year's'
end.
However, there are actually;
fewer than 310,000 Iraqi security
forces who are available for duty,
since about one-quarter of them
are on leave or otherwise not avail-:
able at any given time, U.S. offi-
cials say. Also, their effectiveness
has been limited by a lack of heavy
weapons and armor, by a high rate,
of absenteeism, and by an unwill-
ingness of some locally recruited
units to fight outside their home
areas.I
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