The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, April 14, 2048 - 3A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Monday, April 14, 2008 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
S JERUSALEM
Israeli leaders ST
snub Carter during
Mideast trip th
nig
Former President Jimmy Cart-
er brokered the first Israeli-Arab cia
peace deal, but he's getting a cool of
reception in Israel duringhis latest ovi
visit to the Mideast. all
Israeli leaders are shunning the ow
globe-trottingpeacemakerforplan- On
ning to meet with Khaled Mashaal, wi
the head of Israel's archenemy its
Hamas, and comparing the Jewish
state's policies to apartheid. Mic
AschedulereleasedbytheAtlan-
ta-based Carter Center showed ad
no plans for the former president res
to meet any of Israel's key play- in
ers: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, tia'
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni or C
Defense Minister Ehud Barak dur- sit'
ing this week's visit, which began rel
yesterday. sup
The only high-ranking official res
on Carter's schedule was Israel's sit
ceremonial head of state, President po:
Shimon Peres. The 83-year-old rec
former U.S. leader held a closed
meeting with Peres shortly after inf
arriving yesterday. Lif
ha
NEWYORK an
Rowlinggoingto bal
ter,
courtwith Michigan sot
publisherthisweek pei
Author J.K. Rowling is eager to
tell a judge this week that one of her
biggest fans is in fantasyland if he
believes a "Harry Potter" encyclope-
diahe plans with a Michigan publish-
er does not violate her copyrights.
The showdown between Rowi-
ing and Steven Vander Ark is sched-
uled to last most of the week in U.S.
District Court in Manhattan.
Rowling brought the lawsuit last
year against Vander Ark's publish-
er, Muskegon, Mich.-based RDR
Books, to stop publication of the
"Harry Potter Lexicon."
Rowling is scheduled to testify
today in a trial that is sure to gener-
ate huge interest among Harry Pot-
ter fans and the public.
DETROIT
American Axle
makes new offerto T
UAW members
Striking United Auto Workers
union members are considering a
new contract offer from American
Axle and Manufacturing Hold-
igs Inc. as bargaining continues
through the weekend.
About 3,600 UAW members at
five American Axle plants in Michi-
gan and New York went on strike
Feb.26 against the auto parts maker,
which demanded steep pay cuts.
American Axle spokeswoman
Renee Rogers says company bar-
gainers gave the UAW a new con-
tract proposal Saturday. She says
bargainers were returning to the
table yesterday.
The six-week strike has caused
parts shortages that have closed or
curtailed work at 29 General Mo-
tors Corp. factories, affecting about
39,000 hourly employees.
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
Olympic torch
makes its lone stop
in Africa
About 1,000 people cheered and
marched with a team of 80 ath-
letes and a Cabinet minister par-
ticipating Sunday in the Tanzania
leg of the Olympic torch relay, the
flame's only stop in Africa.
Officials have said that they do
not expect any of the disruptions
that have hit other torch runs in
the world. Kenyan Nobel Peace
laureate Wangari Maathai, how-
ever, pulled out of the relay in Tan-
zania to protest China's human
ights record.
Vice President Ali Mohamed
Shein lit the Olympic torch, pass-
ing it on to Cabinet minister
Mohamed SeifKhstib, who led the
relay team from the city's main
train station the main stadium.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
,032
lumber of American service mem-
bers 'ho have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. There were no deaths were
identified yesterday.
Lawmaker to propose ten-percent rule
EM CELLS, From Page lA
'We are very confident and we
eplanning a long campaign with
e assumption that we will get the
natures needed," he said.
The committee submitted offi-
il ballot language in January.
passed, the amendment would
erturn a 1978 Michigan law and
ow researchers to derive their
n stem cell lines from embryos.
ly embryos that would other-
se be discarded by fertility clin-
would be used for research.
The initiative wouldn't reverse
chigan's ban on cloning.
Though the University is an
vocate of embryonic stem cell
earch, it doesn't have any role
campaigning for the ballot ini-
tive.
Cynthia Wilbanks, the Univer-
y's vice president of government
ations, said the University has
pported a change in the state's
earch laws, but said the Univer-
y cannot take an institutional
sition on the issue because it
ceives funding from the state.
Robin Stephenson, director of
ormation for the University's
e Sciences, said the University
s no role in campaigning, but is
advocate embryonic stem cell
earch. She said she thinks a
lot initiative would have a bet-
chance of passing, and passing
oner, than similar legislation
nding in the state House of Rep-
resentatives.
A bill proposed in April 2007 by
Rep. Andy Meisner (D-Ferndale)
is still waitingto go before a House
Judiciary Committee. The ballot
committee decided to push for a
constitutional amendment instead
of a change to state law because of
how long the bill has been waiting
to go before a committee.
Even though the University
can't openly campaign for the bal-
lot initiative, the campaign still
has strong University ties.
Sean Morrison, director of the
University's Center for Stem Cell
Biology is a founding member of
Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell
Research and Cures, an orga-
nization that works to educate
Michigan residents on stem cell
research.
While Morrison hasn't been
involved directly with the bal-
lot committee, he continues to
work with MCSCRC to educate
Michigan residents about stem cell
research and the legislation.
Marcia Baum, executive direc-
tor of MCSCRC, acted as a spokes-
woman for the ballot committee
before it formed its own campaign
group in November.
The executive board is com-
prised of 10 members. The origi-
nal four are Rick Johnson, former
speaker of the state House; former
U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Battle
Creek); Richard Whitmer, for-
mer president and chief executive
officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield;
and Detroit Attorney Linda Bloch.
In March, six new members were
appointed to the board, including
S. Martin Taylor, chair of the Uni-
versity Board of Regents.
Morrison saidhe personally sup-
ports the ballot initiative because
it would give University research-
ers more stem cell research oppor-
tunities.
There are two basic kinds of
stem cell research: adult and
embryonic. Embryonic stem cells
can divide indefinitely, and have
the potential to grow into any kind
of cell, making them easier for
researchers to work with. Adult
stem cells are less flexible than
embryonic stem cells because they
are partially specialized and lim-
ited in quantity.
The University opened a lab in
February 2007 that uses private
funding to conduct research on
embryonic stem cells. Because of
Michigan law, though, researchers
in the lab aren't allowed to derive
their own stem cell lines. Instead,
they must obtain stem cells from
other universities and research
centers, which Morrison said
slows the research process.
"That's a huge impediment,
because we can't study diseases
here in Michigan, because we can't
do research until someone else
derives the line in the other state,"
Morrison said.
Baum said MCSCRC officially
supports stem cell research, but
doesn't campaign for any form of
legislation. She said it works to
educate voters about the different
kinds of stem cell research so they
can make an informed decision.
LSA junior Landon Krantz,
president of the Student Society
for Stem Cell Research, said his
group supports the ballot initia-
tive. He said he wants the group's
members to take petitions home
over the summer and to go door-
to-door collecting signatures to
help the campaign.
"I don't think something as
tedious and minute as signatures
is going to stop it from getting on
the ballot," he said.
Krantz said he is convinced that
when voters become educated on
the issue, they will vote yes on the
ballot.
"When people know the facts,
absolutely it'll pass," he said.
LSA sophomore Lauren Bennett,
chair of the University's chapter of
Students for Life, which opposes
embryonic stem cell research, said
her group has been hosting edu-
cational debates and lectures on
campus. She said she'd be interest-
ed in campaigning more in the fall
as the election draws closer. "We'd
be really interested in doing that,"
she said.
The ballot initiative faces oppo-
sition from Right to Life of Michi-
gan and the Michigan Catholic
Conference, which believe embry-
onic stem cell research shouldn't
be done because it destroys the
embryos.
Pam Sherstad, spokeswoman
for Right to Life, said while the
group advocates adult stem cell
research, it doesn't see the need
to destroy embryos that could
otherwise develop into a human
life. Sherstad said the group is
currently concentrating on edu-
cating voters, but that it would
shift its focus to look at the ballot
language if enough signatures are
gathered to put the initiative on
the ballot.
"We continue to be a voice for
the voiceless," she said. "We all
,began as embryos."
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