1 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, February 22, 2007 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS ROME Italian premier ousted after losing Senate vote Premier Romano Prodi resigned yesterday after nine months in office following an embarrassing loss by his center-left government in the Senate on foreign policy, including Italy's military mission in Afghanistan. Prodi aides did not rule out the possibility that President Giorgio Napolitano would ask Prodi to try to form a new government. "We are ready to reconfirm our full faith in the Prodi govern- ment," said Dario Franceschini, a leader of the Olive Tree, the larg- est grouping in Prodi's coalition. Napolitano's office said politi- cal consultations would begin today on which leaders might have enough support to form a new gov- ernment. In the meantime, it sAid, the president, who met with Prodi yesterday night, has asked him to stay on in a caretaker role. BAGHDAD U.S. helicopter shot down by insurgents near Baghdad A U.S. helicopter was shot down and crashed north of Baghdad yesterday, the military said after initially stating that the chopper made a "hard landing." All aboard were safely evacuated by a second helicopter. At least seven U.S. helicopters have crashed or been forced down under hostile fire since Jan. 20. Military officials have said that militants are increasingly targeting helicopters amid the buildup of U.S. troops in Baghdad, firing simultane- ously with an assortment of weap- ons from different directions. The military has also detected another deadly insurgent tactic in recent weeks - the spreading of toxic chlorine gas by combining it with explosives. WASHINGTON University for the deaf could lose accreditation The nation's only liberal arts university for the deaf could lose its accreditation unless it address- es concerns about weak academic standards, ineffective governance and a lack of tolerance for diverse views, an education oversight group warned. Gallaudet University was rocked by student demonstrations last fall that shut down the university for several days and forced the board to revoke the appointment of a new president. Afterward, the Middle States Commission on Higher Educa- tion said it was delaying a decision on whether to renew the school's accreditation because of concerns raised during the protests and because of a 2005 federal report that rated Gallaudet "ineffective." The federal Office of Management of Budget this month gave Gallaudet an improved evaluation, to "adequate." LONDON Blair says Britain will pull 1,600 troops out of Iraq Britain will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the com- ing months and aims to further cut its 7,100-strong contingent by late summer if Iraqi forces can secure the country's south, Prime Minis- ter Tony Blair said yesterday. The announcement, on the same day Denmark said it would with- draw its 460 troops and Lithuania said it was considering pulling out its small contingent, comes as the U.S. is implementing an increase of 21,000 more troops for Iraq - put- ting Washington on an opposite track as its main coalition allies. Blair told the House of Com- mons that British troops will stay in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to coali- tion troops. He told lawmakers that "increasingly our role will be sup- port and training, and our numbers will be able to reduce accordingly." STUDENTS IN THE MIST Presidential contenders throw books into the ring By JULIE BOSMAN TheNew York Times The lineup of potential presi- dential candidates is a mishmash of senators, governors, former big- city mayors and a retired four-star Army general. But nearly all of them share one title: published author. "You're not a real candidate, Pinocchio, if you haven't written your own book," said Mark Hal- perin, the political director of ABC News. "If you know everybody else isd rlin b knl nv n oA For candidates, writing a book is a way to make money, build gravitas and grab media attention. (They can also use a memoir as a dumping ground for past unpleas- antries, paving the way for the campaign-trail line "I addressed that in my book.") For publishers the 2008 cam- paign season is the time to rer- elease forgotten titles, sign unpublished candidates and, if they're lucky, laugh all the way to the bank as they reap sales from best-selling political books. "What hni t llr acatah bs- -~ ic dai ne: ate Ob wa Are en( peg dal wh set via "P] Students, some on their way to 9 a.m. clas ered campus early yesterday morning. SPEECH From page IA "slave labor." Dees also said that many com- panies depend on immigrant work- ers. For example, Latino workers rebuilt 98 percent of the roofs in New Orleans damaged by Hurri- cane Katrina, he said. "The bed I slept in last night would not have been made this morning if an undocumented work- er had not been here," he said. LSA junior Clark Ruper, co-chair of the University's chapter of the Young Americans for Freedom, said the lecture was too vague for his* taste. Ruper said that he expected to hear "solid, concrete specifics." "It was the same lines over and over again," Ruper said. Andrew Bronstein, an LSA junior who attended the lecture at the suggestion of his grandparents, said the lecture made him wonder 1\VUIV IIVI\IIV/ V , ,. I I. +h......4. +4.,, +6.;,.L F.... +t, ..+ ,.,... MASCOT From page IA ses, walk though the thick fog that cov- s onga o, youve got to ao a you aave, essentially, is a cea erity u book." with built-in press coverage," said I The crowded field of early can- David Rosenthal, the publisher of pla didates has created a traffic jam Simon & Schuster. Obama's latest gha what University students can do to of titles, from the rags-to-riches book, for example, has sold more sot prevent hate and build community memoir to the earnest political than a million copies in hardcover. cia tolerance. manifesto. Obama's publisher, Crown, just son There has been a recent rise in All of them could be called reissued his 1995memoir, "Dreams Ari the number of hate groups in the candidate lit, a publishing mini- of My Father," in hardcover to cap- pr United States, Dees said during a genre that includes runaway best italize on renewed interest. panel discussion before the lecture. sellers ("The Audacity of Hope" Obama's recent success has Co The number of groups monitored by Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois) revived the notion of experiencing did by the Southern Poverty Law Cen- and unqualified duds ("Between the pace and trappings of a presi- sio ter has increased by 35 percent in Worlds," a memoir by Gov. Bill dential campaign through a book toc the last five years, he said. Richardson of New Mexico). tour, said Chuck Todd, editor of the mo Dees said the rise of the Internet hasledtoacorrespondingincreasein the accessibility of hate groups. The Want to hit the campaign If Southern Poverty now tracks more Ri than 600 hate group websites, he trail? Write for the Daily. H. said. Before the Internet, Dees said, T hate groups were harder to track and E-mail news@michigandaily.com M had amuch harder time recruiting. "Hate groups don't go down to K the Chamber of Commerce and register," he said. Yesterday's speech was the first W1 LJ NTEER AI A1 in a new lecture series sponsored by , the University's office of Multi-eth- nic Student Affairs called "Diverse Democracy." Yp said. "As much as they cherish this tradition, their love for the univer- * -* * x a a a -* sity is much deeper." But many fans at the game were WHERE Y A , WHEN ae goACfd* not accepting of the Chief's demise. Numerous alumni and supporters * Experience the culture and excitement of living in another country referred to perceived hypocrisy of the NCAA. The body is allowing the from 1-3 months while tutoring your host family in conversational Florida State Seminoles to keep their English for a maximum of 15 hours per week. name and mascot, Chief Osceola, s fil room and board provided by hstmfaialy who charges down the Seminole * No tutoring exerience necessar! field during home football games and hurls a burning spear at midfield. * The OET experience is an opportunity of a lifetime! Apply now! "I guess the question that we have here is that if Chief Illini is hostile and abusive, then why isn't Florida State and the Seminole hos- Apply to our program with one or more friends and everyon tile and abusive?" University of Illi- who is accepted will receive $50 Off their program fee! nois alum Steve Schilling said. "You can't have it both ways." Some went even further. - a "What bothers me more than if it's offensive or inoffensive is the fact that a minority has made a change that goes against the major- Y ity opinion," said retired Univer- sity of Michigan employee Nancy Testory. "Removal of the symbol is more racist than keeping it." During pregame warm-ups, Illi- 'F nois players wore commemorative . shirts in honor of "the last dance" of Chief Illiniwek. On the backs of the shirts was a picture of the Chief 106 and the words "Courage. Honor. a Tradition." ily political tip sheet Hotline. "The book publishing busi- ss has become the new explor- ry committee," Todd said. "For ama, it was a way of testing the ters. That's when you find out: e you interesting enough to get ough interviews? Can you get ople to show up for a signing?" Thetraditionofcandidatebooks tes back at least to the 1950s, en John P. Kennedy, then a U.S. nator, introduced himself as a ble presidential candidate with rofiles in Courage," which won a litzer Prize in 1957. But even now that book is gued by accusations that it was ostwritten by Theodore Soren- n, a Kennedy aide. Many politi- ns employ ghostwriters, and me, like Sen. John McCain of izona, are careful to give them ominent credit on the covers. Still, memories of "Profiles in urage" have driven many can- lates to produce their own ver- ns. "They all think they're going capture the 'Profiles in Courage' ment," Todd said. mmigration Seminar Ichard Pierce, Attorney -1B, other visas, Green Card hur, Feb. 22 @ 4 PM - 6 PM ichigan League .lmaznn Rnm e Toll Free: 866-561-7646 www.chinet.org wta It, ,,, __Sk 810 S State Street 222-4822 - 1906 Packard 995-9940 - btbburrito.com mm mm a - Compiled from 5 6 Daily wire reports ...... _....... 4 _ 8 9 <4 9 1 5 2 7 6 Dollars failed Republican can- 8 7 4 5 3 didate Dick DeVos spent per vote he received in the 2006 Michigan governor's race, according to gov- erning.com. DeVos led all candi- 6 dates in spending relative to the / number of votes he or she received in analyst Josh Goodman's calcu- lations. In contrast, Gov. Jennifer Granho m spent ose $6.80 per vote she received.