The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom NEWS BRIEFS WASHINGTON S General says Baghdad could be secured with fewer than 21,500 troops The top U.S. commander in Iraq told a Senate panel yesterday that improving security in Baghdad would take fewer than half as many extra troops as President Bush has chosen to commit. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his nomination to be Army chief of staff, Gen. George Casey said he had asked for two additional Army brigades, based on recommenda- tions of his subordinate command- ers. Bush announced Jan.10 that he would send five extra brigades as part of a buildup that would total 21,500 soldiers and Marines. Asked by Sen. John Warner (R- Va.) why he had not requested the full five extra brigades that Bush is sending, Casey said, "I did not want to bring one more American soldier into Iraq than was necessary to accomplish the mission." With many in Congress opposing or skeptical of Bush's troop buildup, Casey did not say he opposed the president's decision. He said the full complement of five brigades would give U.S. commanders in Iraq addi- tional, useful flexibility. WASHINGTON Senate passes bill to hike minimum wage by $2.10 The Senate voted overwhelm- ingly yesterday to boost the federal minimum wage by $2.10 to $7.25 an hour over two years, but packaged the increase with small business tax cuts and limits on corporate pay that could complicate its path to become law. The increase in the minimum wage, the first in a decade, was approved 94-3, capping a nine-day debate over how to balance the wage hike with the needs of busi- nesses that employ low-wage work- ers. A top priority of Democrats, the wage hike has both real and sym- bolic consequences. It would be one of the first major legislative suc- cesses of the new Democratic-con- trolled Congress. "Passing this wage hike repre- sents a small but necessary step to help lift America's working poor out of the ditches of poverty and onto - the road toward economic prosperity," said Sen. Edward Ken- nedy (D-Mass.) Republicans stressed the impor- tance of the bill's business tax b reaks, though it was a significantly smaller tax package than Repub- licans had sought during previous attempts to raise the minimum wage. BOSTON Two men let go in ploy that sparked terrorism fears Two men who authorities say placed electronic advertising devic- es around the city were released from jail yesterday, apparently amused with the publicity stunt that stirred fears of terrorism and shut down parts of the city. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were released on $2,500 cash bond after each pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct for a device found Wednesday at a subway sta- tion. They waved and smiled as they greeted people in court. Outside, they met reporters and television cameras and launched into a nonsensical discussion of hair styles of the 1970s. "What we really want to talk about today - it's kind of important to some people - it's hair- cuts of the 1970s," Berdovsky said. Officials found 38 blinking elec- tronic signs promoting the Cartoon Network TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" onbridges and other high-profile spots across the city Wednesday, prompting the closing of a highway and the deployment of bomb squads. The surreal series is about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball. The network is a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. - Compiled from Daily wire reports 13 Times federal appeals courts have cited wikipedia.org - the comprehensive, engagingbutoften dubious online encyclopedia - in opinions since 2004, according to The New York Times. And here we thought it was not yet acceptable to cite it in papers for class. Cut this out and give it your professor the next time he admonishes you for using the site in a paper. PRICE IS RIGHT From page 1 aren't chosen randomly from the audience. Posner had to wait in line again for contestant interviews. Under the intense pressure and anticipation, hopeful contestants quizzed each other on pricing strat- egies. "Six-cylinder Mustang," Posner asked a fellow audience member. "$19,500." Cha-ching. "My Dad didn't know there were so many crazy fans," Posner said. "He thought I was more alone in the world." His interview went well, but when the first four contestants were called from the audience, Pos- ner wasn't among them. After the end of the first round, though, the announcer's deep voice came through the loudspeaker like the voice of God and said those five heavenly words: "Jeremy Posner, come on down." Posner jumped out of his seat and bolted onto the stage. "By the time they finished my name, I was already on contestant's row," he said. "I don't think the camera had time to find me." It was time for the hours of taped shows and skipped days of school spent watching to pay off. After a winning bid on a ceiling fan, he was in. He was on. He was standing right next to Bob. He was hyperventilating. "The stagehands thought I was going to pass out," he said. He kept his composure. It was harder when Barker said he would be playing Plinko, the Holy Grail for Price is Right fans. Posner correctly priced all of his items: a weather radio, an English muffin toaster, a roadside work kit and a teapot. He dropped his chips into the famed board and heard the famil- iar plink, plink, plink that gives the game its name. That's when he won the $12,500. He won $12,500. Posner's luck failed him while spinning the big wheel, but he felt lucky enough already. "I can sleep well at night," he said. "Because the only reason I lost was luck." Posner said he will put the money toward a car and dinner with his girlfriend at the Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor. And just as Barker requests at the end of each episode, Posner's dog is neutered, he said. TUTORS From page 1 They were there as volunteers for 826 Michigan, a non-profit orga- nization for which students often volunteer. Author David Eggers originally created a non-profit foundation, 826 Valencia, to support writing education in San Francisco. It has since spawned five other programs: 826 New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and two years ago Michi- gan. which has been operating locally for nearly two years. The Michigan chapter was established with donations by Steve Gillis, a local writer, said Amanda Uhle, the chapter's executive direc- tor. In less than two years, 826 Mich- igan has been transformed into a thriving academic-aid program, Uhle said. "Not every non-profit has that advantage so quickly," she said. Most of the organization's adver- tising comes from word-of-mouth, but the group also advertises at Festifall and the Ann Arbor Book Fair. LSA freshman Ridley Jones, who volunteers for 826 Michigan, said the organization provides a conve- nient and enjoyable way to fulfill community service requirements she needs to complete for her Tel- luride scholarship. Others, like Vitaly Volberg, a graduate student in the School of Public Health, said they joined the program to fill their spare time in a productive way. Muzzio first became interested in the organization after reading one of Eggers' books. And learned more at Festifall. He said he feels a need to contribute to the education of others because he grew up struggling with English in a bilingual home. "It makes me feel better when I help them," Muzzio said. Friday, February 2, 2007 - 3 On first approach, Muzzio seemed quiet and reserved. Wearing a pair of tan Converse Chuck Taylors and an untucked shirt, he seemed casual but pro- fessional. Standing in front of a group of children, though, Muzzio was bursting with encouragement and enthusiasm. He frequently praised the children for their efforts while they worked. "You guys are superstars," he told his students. He helped students brainstorm the laws of a utopian society and write stories confined to exactly 63 words. McLean said she loves to observe the children having fun and enjoy- ing the relationships they develop during the program. "It's excitingto see kids get excit- ed," she said. Allison Ghaman contributed to this report. Feds watching jails for illegal immigrants CANCER From page 1 cancer, Simeone said. Simeone and other researchers were able to identify cancer stem cells by taking human pancreatic tumors, separating the individual cells and categorizing them by pro- teins on the cell surface. They then injected different combinations of tumor cells into mice without immune systems. In Simeone's experiment, she found that the mice that read- ily grew tumors had been injected with cells marked by three types of surface proteins, identified as CD44, CD24 and ESA. This small group of cells, which makes up less than 1 percent of pancreatic tumor cells, was able to produce a tumor closely resembling the orig- inal. The other cells in the origi- nal tumor did not grow tumors in mice. CD44 is one of the markers Wicha and Prince identified as a cancer stem cell in breast as well as in head and neck tumors. This com- mon denominator provides a start- ing point for researchers to look for stem cells in other cancers. But while Simeone reports that CD24 caused tumors in the mice, Wicha said it does not generate breast cancer tumors. This finding supports the idea that each type of cancer may have its own unique blend of cancer stem cells. With the knowledge of pancreat- ic stem cell markers as well as those for other types of cancer, research- ers can approach treating cancer in a totally different way. According to Wicha, Simeonwe and Prince, who often collaborate on projects, many modern cancer treatments like radiation and che- motherapy fail because they are not targeted at the cancer stem cells. Currently, treatment suc- cess is measured by how much a tumor's mass shrinks. The prob- lem with this logic, the research- ers said, is that cancer stem cells are resistant to current standard therapies. While 99 percent of the tumor cells may be destroyed, if that nagging 1 percent remains, the whole tumor has the potential to grow back. In the short term, Prince, Wicha and Simeone said they would work to improve their abilities to locate and study the key cells and find out what makes them unique. Eventally this understanding will allow researchers to develop new treatments, the researchers said. Wicha said he is optimistic but that it will be a challenge to find a way to destroy the cancer stem cells without damaging other healthy cells. "If we could be more specific about killing cancer stem cells, it seems quite logical that treatment would be more effective," Prince said. SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Juan Martinez was looking forward to returning to his construction job after a one-month sentence for vio- lating probation on drug charges. But when he gotoutofthe orange Countyjail, he was met by immigra- tion agents bent on deportingthe 23- year-old illegal immigrant with $68 in his pocket and few prospects. "I just probably won't come back," he said about being sent to Tijuana, Mexico. "If I do, I'll keep coming back to prison and I don't want that." U.S.jailsandprisonshavebecome strategic chokepoints in the search for illegal immigrants. More federal agents are more closely watching local jails for potentially tens of thousands of immigrants subject to deportation. Federal officials also are enlisting local authorities to do background checks on people under arrest. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say more jail checks are crucial to prevent- ing serious crimes by illegal immi- grants. In December, for example, an illegal immigrant with a his- tory of arrests for assaults and drug offenses shot two Long Beach police officersbefore he was killed in a gun battle. "This isn't really an immigration issue. It's a public safety issue," ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said. "You can be sure there'll bea finger- pointing drill at the end of the day if they do something evil." About half of the nearly 190,000 illegal immigrants deported last year had criminal records, U.S. authorities said. Sweeps ofjails over the pastseven months by ICE agents have netted more than 5,500 people nationwide, and a new system designed to track federal inmates has flagged about 6,000 people at 119 prisons, the agency said. Past efforts to identify illegal immigrants in jails were haphaz- ard, with federal authorities check- ing inmate rosters at some lockups weekly at best. Some of the worst immigration violators were allowed back on the streets after doing their time. Conservative groups are pleased with the new strategy but worry that the emphasis on jail checks is a political gimmick that could divert much-needed personnel and other resources from stopping illegal immigrants at the border. "This is a way to do it that every- body is for but has no real effect on the overall immigration flow," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Stud- ies, a conservative think tank. "It shuts up the critics." Immigrant rights groups say ille- gal immigrants might stop report- ing child abuse or domestic violence to protect husbands or fathers from deportation. They also worry that people who have been stopped for minor offenses or wrongly arrested will be deported. "It's a practice that leads to weak- ening or eliminating civil liberties," said Nativo Lopez, president of the Los Angeles-based Mexican Ameri- can Political Association. Starting in 2008, ICE plans to assign 220 more employees to jails through its Criminal Alien Pro- gram. The agency would not say how many employees are now in the program. The agency received a $45 mil- lion funding increase this year to bolster criminal deportations, said Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary of homeland security for ICE. It has requested an additional $31 million next year, which would bring the program'sbudget to $168 million. The funding falls short of pay- ing for putting immigration officers at all the nation's jails and prisons. But ICE hopes to extend its reach by expanding another program that allows authorities to train local jail officers to screen for illegal immi- grants themselves. That program received a nearly $50 million bud- get increase - a tenfold jump - for 2007. The training program is already in place in county jails in California and North Carolina and in the Ari- zona state prison system. The four counties in Southern California that participate have identified more than 4,600 illegal immigrants since October, Kice said. In Mecklenberg County, N.C., nearly 1,300 have been flagged in one year, said Sgt. Quinn Stansell. July 21 set for release of final Potter chapter NEW YORK (AP) - Let it her British and U.S. publishers, site yesterday, followed soon by begin: the countdown, the party Bloomsbury and Scholastic, Inc. releases from her publishers. planning, the predictions, the Ten years, and a few hundred The news landed like a silent meaning of it all. The tears - for million sales, after the first Potter meteor. "Deathly Hallows" the end of Harry Potter. book was released, Rowling will almost instantly topped the best The world's most anticipated wrap up the magical adventures seller lists on Amazon.com and book finale, "Harry Potter and of the boy wizard, his friends and Barnes & Noble.com, displacing the Deathly Hallows," will come his enemies. another industry titan, an Oprah out midnight, July 21, accord- The author posted a brief Winfrey pick, Sidney Poitier's ing to author J.K. Rowling and announcement on her web- "The Measure of a Man." With strong language, .I N F OR MAT IO N scientists say . , 800-488-8828 it's ourfault WWW.sandpiperbeaCOn.COM PARIS (AP) - A long-awaited report says global warming is "very likely" man-made, the most powerful language ever used on M O DE*L E ARCHCALENDAR the issue by the world's leading *VALID ORIRST 1000 RESERVATIONS. climate scientists, delegates who have seen the report said Thurs- day. And it says the disturbing signs are already visible in rising seas, killer heat waves, worsen- ing droughts and stronger hur- ricanes'. There was another signal, too: The City of Light dimmed the lights. sk Slowly, starting first with the iconic Eiffel Tower and then To play: Complete the grid so that every row, column spreading to the hotel where many scientists were staying, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Paris quieted and dimmed ever so slightly, even as those still fine- tuning the document burned the There is no guessing or math involved, midnight oil. just use logic to solve. Good Luck and enjoy! The report being released Fri- day from the Intergovernmen- tal Panel on Climate Change - a Difficulty: Hard group of hundreds of scientists and representatives of 113 gov- 9 7 5 4 3 ernments-unanimouslyportrays the science of global warming as an existing and worsening threat, officials told The Associ- ated Press. "There's no question that the powerful language is intimately 1 linked to the more powerful science," said study co-author Andrew Weaver of the Univer- sity of Victoria. Weaver said it is all based on science that is rock- solid, peer-reviewed, conserva- tive and consensus: "It's very conservative. Scientists by their nature are skeptics." 6 2 The scientists wrote the----- report, based on years of peer- 3 9 6 5 reviewed research; government officials edited it so that it would receive the required unanimous Iio 0 approval by world governments. UM School of Music, theatre & Dance Limversity Dance Company Choreography by Martha Graham, guest artist Leyya lawil, and faculty Amy Chavasse, Peter Sparling, Sandra'Ibrijano, and Robin Wilson N D R F VEUI E S February I at 7:30pm - February 2 & 3at 8pm February 4 at 2pm - Power Center - Ann Arbor Tickets $22 and $16 -Students $9 with 11) League Ticket Office - 734-764-2538