The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, March 7, 2008 - 3
NEWS BRIEFS
BAGHDAD
Bombing in crowded
shopping area kills 53
Two bombs went off within
minutes of each other in a crowded
shopping district in the capital yes-
terday, killing at least 53 people and
wounding 130 - a reminder that
deadly attacks are a daily threat
even though violence is down.
There were no immediate claims
of responsibility. But back-to-back
bombings - designed to maximize
carnage - became the hallmark of
attacks on civilians by al-Qaida in
Iraq during the worst of the vio-
lence in Baghdad in 2006.
Like in previous such attacks,
the tactic seeks to draw in the
people with the first blast - espe-
cially security and medical workers
- before a second bomb detonates.
Iraqis were enjoying a pleasant
spring evening when a roadside
bomb hidden under a vendor stall
detonated in the primarily Shiite,
middle-class Baghdad neighbor-
hood of Karradah. Five minutes
later, a suicide bomber wearing an
explosive belt detonated, Moham-
med al-Rubaie, the head of the
Karradah municipality, told the
state-run Al-Iraqiya TV.
NEW YORK
Homeowner equity
for Americans hits
all-time low
Americans' percentage of equity
in their homes fell below 50 percent
for the first time on record since
1945, the Federal Reserve said yes-
terday.
Homeowners' portion of equity
slipped to downwardly revised
49.6 percent in the second quarter
of 2007, the central bank reported
in its quarterly U.S. Flow of Funds
Accounts, and declined further to
479 percent in the fourth quarter
- the third straight quarter it was
under 50 percent.
That marks the first time ho-
meowners' debt on their houses
exceeds their equity since the Fed
started tracking the data in 1945.
BANGKOK, Thailand
Thai police arrest
Russian arms dealer
A Russian arms dealer accused
of breaking U.N. arms embargoes
by supplying weapons to African
war zones was arrested yesterday
in Bangkok, Thai police said.
Viktor Bout was arrested in the
heartofthe capital city on awarrant
issued by a Thai court, said Police
Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan, head of
the Crime Suppression Bureau. The
warrant stemmed from an earlier
one issuedbythe U.S. DrugEnforce-
ment Administration, he said.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman "con-
gratulated" Thai police for the arrest
but could not provide details about
the role U.S. officials played in it. De-
tails ofthe charges against Bout were
also not immediately available.
DETROIT
Kilpatrick to ask for
petition recall
The Wayne County Elections
Commission was expected to be
asked to reconsider its decision
approving the language of a recall
petition aimed at Detroit Mayor
Kwame Kilpatrick.
Kilpatrick attorney Alan Canady
said yesterday that the man fil-
ing for the recall does not live in
Detroit.
"We believe that his voter reg-
istration is invalid," Canady said.
"That would preclude him from fil-
ing the petition. We have evidence
that he doesn't live at the address
that he has listed."
The language on one of Douglas
Johnson's six recall petitions to
remove Kilpatrick from office was
approved Wednesday by the elec-
tions commission.
On that petition, the 42-year-
old Johnson listed an Evergreen
address on the city's northwest
side as his home.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
U.S, DETH
3,974
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. The following death was
identified yesterday:
Sgt. Christopher S. Frost, 24,
Waukesha, Wis.
LIGHTING
From Page 1
said that MSA's focus on the city
of Ann Arbor's recently passed
lease-signing ordinance put the
lighting project on hold.
"That required attention at the
time," Dar said of the lease-sign-
ing ordinance. "The big thing
we're pushing for right now is
the street lighting."
Three areas - the Triangle,
the Cambridge Housing area and
North State Street near Kerry-
town - were initially considered
for lighting improvements. After
hearing from the Ann Arbor City
Council that improvements on all
three areas would cost upwards
of $20,000, the assembly decided
to focus on the area that benefits
students most for right now.
Because of shortfalls in recent
years, the city is experiment-
ing with cost-saving LED street
lighting. If LED lighting reduces
the city's energy and mainte-
nance costs, the city may cancel
the moratorium on streetlights.
Mike Bergern, Ann Arbor
assistant field operations man-
ager, said the city would assess
the Triangle to determine how
much, if any, light is needed.
Bergern said the assessment
also serves as an appraisal to
determine the potential cost of
the project.
The city requires that all light-
ing projects provide a tO-year
cost estimate. Ann Arbor also
demands that the entire estimat-
ed cost be paid up front.
Based on preliminary reports
using estimates for traditional
streetlights,eachnewlight would
cost about $1,700 over 10 years,
including energy and mainte-
nance, MSA Rep. Nick Assanis
said. MSA wants to install six
lights in the Triangle area, a total
of more than $10,000. If LED
lights were used, the costs would
be even higher.
Dar said MSA wouldn't use
student funds to pay for the light-
ing because the project wouldn't
necessarily benefit every student.
Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Diane Brown said
DPS wouldn't fund the project
because itconly has jurisdiction on
the University campus.
Because campus jurisdiction
only includes campus buildings
and dormitories, the Triangle is
not technically on campus.
Property owners in the area
would likely shoulder some of the
cost for the new lighting, Assanis
said. Each property owner would
be assessed a one-time fee of
about $100 to cover installation
and 10 years of maintenance and
energy for the six lights.
There are about 170 homes in
the area. A public hearing would
be held for all affected prop-
erty owners before the fee was
administered, Assanis said.
MSA would need to present its
case to City Council to institute
the plan. Dar said MSA would
have a proposal ready for City
Council by the end of the term.
Assanis said he hoped to see
progress by next fall, but couldn't
promise a specific date.
DELEGATES
From Page 1
LSA sophomore Tom Duvall,
chair of the University's chapter of
Students for Obama, said students
didn't vote on Jan. 15 because they
didn't think their vote would mat-
ter.
"People had a very cynical atti-
tude, especially students," Duvall
said. "They were disgusted with
the entire process."
After the DNC stripped the state
of its 156 delegates, many Demo-
cratic candidates pledged not to
campaign in the state. Clinton was
the only major candidate not to
remove her name from the ballot.
Florida, which held its primary
on Jan. 29, was also stripped of its
210 delegates. It now faces a deci-
sion similar to Michigan's.
In a joint statement Wednes-
day, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and
Florida Republican Gov. Charlie
Crist asked that their states' del-
egates be seated at the Democratic
convention in Denver this Septem-
ber to "ensure that the voters of
Michigan and Florida are full par-
ticipants in the formal selection of
their parties' nominees."
If the DNC were to validate the
Jan. 15 primary, Clinton would
receive an additional 73 delegates.
The remaining 55 Michigan del-
egates would go to the convention
"uncommitted" and could choose
which candidate to support.
Obama supporters oppose that
option because his name was not
on the ballot.
The DNC has suggested that
Michigan hold a new contest to
determine the distribution of del-
egates to the national convention.
"The Democratic National
Committee has been advocating
that we do a caucus for quite some
time," said Liz Kerr, spokeswoman
for the Michigan Democratic Pri-
mary. "They've said that if we do,
they'll seat our delegates."
Duvall said a new contest could
help the Illinois senator.
"A true primary or caucus would
show the strong level of support
Obama has," Duvall said.
If another caucus was held, it
might not occur until late in the
spring or summer, when many
students won't be in Ann Arbor.
Duvall said holding the contest
during spring or summer terms
might "dampen turnout" and
make it more difficult for the Uni-
versity's chapter of Students for
Obama to campaign for their can-
didate.
Kerr said the state party is in pri-
vate negotiations with the nation-
al party and both the Obama and
Clinton campaigns. She declined
comment concerning the specific
terms of the options.
Megan Brown, a spokeswoman
for Granholm, said a taxpayer-
funded primary has been ruled
out. The Jan. 15 primary cost the
state about $10 million.
If a caucus were held it would
follow the format of a "firehouse
primary," Brown said. Voters
would cast ballots but the contest
would not be funded by the state.
Kerr said the estimated costs for
such an election would be between
$2 and $8 million. The state party
would need to raise the funds, she
said.
Clinton has asked for the Mich-
igan and Florida's delegates to be
seated as they were first deter-
mined in the Jan. 15 primary.
Obama's campaign has rejected
this option, but has said the deci-
sion will be up to those states and
the DNC.The campaign also said
it is open to seating Michigan del-
egates at the convention if another
election is held.
Although he has advocated
for new elections, Howard Dean,
Chairman of the Democratic
National Committee, was shown
little sympathy for Michigan and
Florida's predicament.
"The rules were set a year and
a half ago," Dean said. "Florida
and Michigan voted for them,
then decided that they didn't need
to abide by the rules. Well, when
you are in a contest you do need to
abide by the rules. Everybody has
to play by the rules out of respect
for both campaigns and the other
48 states."
LSA sophomore Kelly Bernero,
chair of the University's chapter
of Students for Hillary, said she
thinks the Michigan delegates
should be seated, or the Demo-
cratic Party will risk alienating
voters.
"People have become so disil-
lusioned with the party, that they
won't vote, or they'll vote for the
Republican," Bernero said. "I'd
like to see the DNC give a public
slap on the wrist and say 'Okay,
you were really bad, never do that
again, but we're going to seat your
delegates anyway."'
While Smith said Nader
NADER might sway voters who favored LARGESTSELECTI
From Page 1,former candidate Mike Huck-
abee's populism, he said he
whether Nader's message to voters thought Nader's message of * ED
in the current election was appeal- combating corporate greed
ing, and saw little substance in the wasn't appealing to the Repub-
independent's platform. lican party because the party's
In the 2000 election, voting sta- presumptive nominee, John
tistics in battleground states like McCain, is free of the corrup-
Florida suggested that if Nader tion that Nader bemoans.
hadn't run, Gore might not have "McCain has been no friend
lost to Bush. Many point to Florida of lobbyists in Washington,"
for evidence to support this claim, Smith said.
as Nader garnered nearly 100,000 Kollman said no matter who
votes there on his Green Party tick- receives the Democratic nomi-
et. Bush beat Gore in Florida by a nation, Nader is still going to
mere 357 votes. be vastly unpopular. He wasn't
Overall, Nader gained a total that the University didn't have
of nearly three million votes, or any Nader support groups.
approximately 2.7 percent of the "You gotta get people ener-
total vote, illustrating his appeal to gized and excited about your I
certain voters. candidacy," Kollman said. "I VS 1
Butthis time around,manydoubt don't think Nader has done any
whether Nader holds the same kind of that."
of relevance in the presiden-
tial election setting that he did
eight years ago.
Political Science Prof.Ken-
neth Kollman said Nader's
message in his 2000 cam-
paign, that Democrats and
Republicans are essentially So* Yotiwant
the same, no longer resonates
with voters.
withvotrs.one good reason
"Both Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama are emphasiz-
ing their credentials as tried 1e7a p h r acY
and true Democrats so I think to
that that's something that M
undercuts Nader's reason for (e ree fl f. the
running," Kollman said.
In 2000, Nader attracted
votes because ofboth the pub- Un ,Versity of
lic's frustration with Bill Clin-
ton's presidency and because --oa.
voters saw few distinctions
between the positions of
Democratic candidates and
Republican candidates on ~~.
addressing corporate greed.
But in 2008, Kollman said,
the distinction between Dem-
ocrat and Republican is more
salient than ever.
Brady Smith, chair of the
University's College Repub-
licans chapter, said Repub-
licans weren't bitter about
Nader's choice to run.
Serving
Ann Arbor
l d since 1980
Here are 12 good reasons, for starters:
1. Respect: 50 percent of the students admitted to
our professional degree (PharmD) program are
cross-campus transfers - many from LSA
2. Unparalleled career choices
3. Financial support unequalled by any other U.S.
pharmacy school
4. continuous growth potential
5. Outstanding pay
6. Job security in economically uncertain times
7. The power to apply medical knowledge at
the forefront of technological innovation
8. Life and career mobility
9. Membership in an influential alumni
network spanning the globe
10. The prestige of owning a degree from one
of US News & World Report's top-ranked
pharmacy schools
11. Unlimited opportunities to improve people's
12. One-to-one learning with world-renowned
faculty
If you've had health-care patient experience, and
if you've taken Chemistry 130, 210, 215, or 260;
Biology 171, 172, 173, or 305; Physics 125, 126,
140, or 240; or Calculus 115 or 116, you're already
on your way to a pharmacy degree at U-M.
To learn more about the PharmD program at the
University of Michigan, visit the University of
Michigan College of Pharmacy Web site at
www.umich.edu/-pharmacy. Or contact Assistant
Dean Valener Perry at 734-764-5550 or by e-mail
at vlperry@umich.edu.
Your future never looked brighter.
Pi's
RECORDS &
USED CDS
617 Packard
Upstairs from
Subway
Paying $4 to $6
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Also buying
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Open 7 days
663-3441
The selection is
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