SEEKING ANSWERS TO AMERICA'S ENERGY QUESTIONS OP-ED, PAGE 5A THE SPIN ZONE 'GIRL TALK' COMES TO THE LEAGUE THE B-SIDE MICHIGAN'S FUTURE QB GETS ACQUAINTED WITH AZ SPORTS, PAGE 6A L7 I i A I igataiI Ann Arbor, Michigan www.michigandaily.com COWABUNGA. BABE -hrsday, February i5, 2007 WAR IN IRAQ Tape of captive A2soldier released FORESTCASEY/Daily The Valentine's Day Ninjas, a group organized by members of the group of campus pranksters known as the UM Patriots, ride an escalator at the Duderstadt Center on North Campus yesterday. The ninjas ran all over campus giving out Valentine's Day candy yesterday. A students move in, neighbors cringe and property values fall Translator was kidnapped in Oct. BAGHDAD (AP) - A Shi- ite militant group has released a video of a kidnapped Iraqi- American soldier, the first time he has been seen alive since he was abducted four months ago in Baghdad, his uncle said yes- terday. U.S. Army translator Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, a 41-year-old reserve soldier who was born in Iraq and lives in Ann Arbor, was seized by gunmen on Oct. 23 while visiting his Iraqi wife's family in the Karadah neighbor- hood of central Baghdad. A previously unknown Shi- ite militant group called Ah al-Bayt Brigades posted a 10- second video on the Internet on Tuesday showing al-Taayie in front of a greenish flat surface with short dark cropped hair, unshaven and wearing a wide dark-green collared shirt, said SITE, a U.S. group that moni- tors extremist messages. Al-Taayie's eyes were down- cast and his lips were moving as if he was reading aloud, SITE said yesterday. Although the video carried no sound, SITE said that the militants also issued a document, saying: "We warn the American people of the result of sending their sol- diers to Iraq so they don't face the same fate." The video was also broadcast earlier yesterday by CNN. It was unclear when the video was made but Entifadh Qan- bar, al-Taayie's uncle, said he had identified his nephew in it. The Associated Press could not immediately find the video in a search of militant Web sites. Qanbar, who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone from Washington, said the video See SOLDIER, page 9A Once the domain of families, some parts of town see often unwelcome influx By ASHLEA SURLES Daily StaffReporter Gwen Alexander and her daugh- ter had been living on White Street for 18 years when five University students moved into the house across the street and changed the neighborhood. "Whentheymovedinwe allknew we were losing $10,000," Alexander said. Alexander said she her neighbors knew their property values would plummet because buyers wouldn't want to purchase a home with the possibility of loud parties and all night beer pong on the porch a few doors down. "When you pay taxes, it is also your home and investment," Alex- ander said. Alexander moved out of her White Street home to a house fur- ther from campus this summer. She said encroaching student renters were a key factor in her decision to move. "People's hearts sink when they find out students are moving in," Alexander said. "It's kind of us versus them." White Street, which runs par- allel to State Street south of cam- pus, is just one area that used to be inhabited primarily by families but is now seeing an increase in student residents. Other areas of student sprawl include the southern part of South Forest Avenue, Geddes Avenue east of campus, the Burns Park neighborhood and the Kerry- town area. Alexander still hasn't been able to sell the house she bought when she came to Ann Arbor for graduate school. Although she hasn't turned down any potential buyers, she said she told her realtor not to sell the house to someone who would turn it into student housing. Alex Milshtyne, an Ann Arbor realtor, said an influx of students into a neighborhood isn't the direct cause of a price drop - it's their habits and lifestyle. "If one neighbor has a bunch of junk in their front yard, it's going to affect the value of the surrounding properties," Milshtyne said. Milshtyne said that one run- down home with red cups on the lawn could drag surrounding home prices down by more than $10,000, depending on the neigh- borhood. 'US VERSUS THEM' Ten students living in one unas- suming house on South Forest Avenue - originally meant for six - know how to deal with the Ann Arbor Police Department. One of the women, Business school junior Jennifer Sedney, said the AAPD has knocked on the door five or six times in the two years the women have lived in the house. The girls in the four-story colonial have received two noise See NEIGHBORS, page 12A Profs get lesson in social networking A composting toilet in the Dana Building. The building's solar panels are one of tbe olesoorces of renewable energy on campus. R OB SIMON/Daily Medical School Prof. Gerard Doherty says he is intrigued by the possibility of using Facebook.com to connect with alumni. Once just for students, teachers find new uses By AMANDA MARKOWITZ Daily StaffReporter Associate Engineering Prof. Joanna Millunchick stopped looking at students' Facebook.com profiles after she saw a picture of a former studentpassed out in his underwear on his dorm room floor. Millunchick also accepted a friend request from a student whose profile picture was of the student bonging a beer. "Oh my God, I'm your professor," Millunchick said about the photos. "Is this what you want me to see, want me to know about you?" Millunchick joined Facebook See PROFESSORS, page 9A HOW GREEN IS THE 'U'? Student out to devour Internet competition Website combines event listings from Ann Arbor, campus By DANIELLE KRUIZENGA For the Daily If you feel lost or confused by the number of groups and events on campus, a new website might help you find your way. Engineering Senior Daniel Feld- man built a new website called Eventivore.com, which serves as a day-by-day guide to events and group meetings on campus. He hopes that his site, which also has a student group directory, make it easier for students to navigate the overwhelming number of groups and activities on campus. "There are a million great events and organizations on campus, but it's hard for students to find the ones for them," he said. Feldman said he wants the web- Visit Feldman's new website at eventivore.com. site, aimed at both undergraduate and graduate students, to serve as a connection between students, groups and events and the University. Feldman said he is convinced that Eventivore's features trump the University's current events site, events.umich.edu. "The fault with the UM events site, aside from its poor design, is that it doesn't connect to the Maize Pages," Feldman said. "Eventivore has tools for students to find both events and specific groups that interest them." Still, the site has holes. It doesn't list all of the events posted on the University's site. The site also includes a keyword system that allows group leaders to tag words to their groups for so people can easily find them. Feldman said he hopes to get See WEBSITE, page 9A Students dispute high marks on environment By LISA HAIDOSTIAN Daily StaffReporter Ann Arbor has a reputation as an environmental leader. According to a recent study, the University, the city's largest landowner is also leading the pack among colleges in protect- ing the environment. The Cambridge, Mass.-based Sustainable Endowments Insti- tute graded the 100 largest endowed universities based on a number of environmentally friendly campus practices and investment factors. The Uni- versity of Michigan received a B-plus overall. Harvard, Stanford, Dart- mouth and Williams College topped the list by earning A minuses. MarkOrlowski,theinstitute's executive director said the Uni- versity of Michigan is definitely a leader in campus sustainabil- ity. The University received A grades in administration, cli- mate change and energy, food and recycling and investment priorities. The Institute gave the University a B for endow- ment transparency, a C for green buildings, and a D for shareholder engagement. Some students, though, dis- agree with the high scores. Shari Pomerantz and Chris Detjen, co-chairs of the Michi- gan Student Assembly's Envi- ronmental Issues Commission, See ENVIRONMENT, page 12A TODAY'S WEATHER HI: 14 GOT A NEWS TIP? 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