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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 12, 2008 -- 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, September12, 2008 - 7
Venezuelan president
expels U.S. ambassador
Expulsion signals
breakdown in fragile
relationship between
U.S., Chavez
By PATRICK J. MCDONNELL
and CHRIS KRAUL
Los Angeles Times
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
-- Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez said Thursday he was
expelling U.S. ambassador Patrick
Duddy in the latest escalation of
tensions between Washington and
Latin American leftists.
The move came a day after
Chavez's close ally, Bolivian Presi-
dent Evo Morales, accused the
U.S. envoy in his country of fos-
tering divisions in his country and
ordered him to leave.
On Thursday, chaos worsened in
Bolivia as clashes between govern-
ment sympathizers and opponents
in a remote province left at least
eight dead and dozens injured.
And Washington retaliated for the
expulsion of Ambassador Philip
S. Goldberg by telling Bolivia's
ambassador, Gustavo Guzman, to
" leave.
In a speech laced with obsceni-
ties directed at the United States,
Chavez told a cheering crowd that
he acted insolidarity with Morales.
Earlier, he said his country would
come to Morales' aid if "Yankee
stooges" tried to oust him.
Chavez and the Bush adminis-
tration have been bitter rivals for
years. While this latest step sig-
nals a further deterioration, it is
not clear how the expulsions will
affect the region's political and
economic stability.
Washington will continue to
have diplomatic relations with
both Venezuelaand Bolivia, at least
for now. And Venezuela remains
a major source of oil for the Unit-
ed States. On Thursday, Chavez
renewed threats to cut off supplies
should Washington launch "some
aggression" against Venezuela,
but stopped well short of stopping
sales.
Still, expulsions of U.S. ambas-
sadors are relatively rare and pro-
vided a shock for the entire region.
"This a highly symbolic ges-
ture," noted Eduardo Gamarra, a
professor at Florida International
University in Florida. "And they're
doing it at a time when no one in
Washington is paying much atten-
tion to Latin America."
For years, the administration
has sought to play down sugges-
tions that a new, anti-U.S leftist
bloc was forming in Latin America
while the White House was pre-
occupied in the Middle East. U.S.
officials have argued that Wash-
ington would be makinga mistake
to overreact to Chavez.
But Morales and Chavez have
been eager to prove that they pose
a serious regional challenge. This
week, the Venezuelans moved
a step further by allowing Rus-
sian long-range bombers to visit a
Venezuelan base, suggesting that
greater military contacts might be
ahead.
Chavez has found allies in
Bolivia's Morales and Ecuadorean
President Rafael Correa. But most
governments in the region, includ-
ing left-wing administrations in
Brazil and Argentina, have tried
to maintain cordial relations with
both Venezuela and Washington.
The expulsion of Duddy after a
year in Venezuela appeared to have
little to do with his public actions.
The ambassador has kept a low
profile compared with his prede-
cessor, William Brownfield, who
sometimes responded to Chavez's
anti-U.S. invectives.
Chavez threatened to eject
the ambassador a week ago in
response to criticism from White
House drug czar John Walters that
his country wasn't doing enough
to stop the flow of illegal drugs.
Earlier, Chavez denounced a plot
against him that he said was abet-
ted by the United States, something
the U.S. denies.
Chavez said he also was recall-
ing Caracas' ambassador in Wash-
ington, Bernardo Alvarez, until
"there's a new government in the
United States."
Sean McCormack, the State
Department spokesman, said
Bolivia'sdecisiontoexpelGoldberg
"will prejudice the interests ofboth
countries, undermine the ongoing
fight against drug-trafficking, and
will have serious regional implica-
tions."
Bolivia is the world's third-larg-
est producer of coca leaf, the raw
material in cocaine, and a major
recipient of U.S. anti-drug aid. But
Morales rose to national promi-
nence as president of a coca-grow-
ers federation, a post he still holds,
and has often been at odds with
U.S.-backed anti-drug efforts.
The president frequently
accused the ambassador of under-
mining his government. Morales
was apparently incensed when
Goldberg met recently with the
governors of two provinces who
oppose him.
Various South American
nations, including Brazil, pledged
support for Morales' government
and offered help if needed to medi-
ate the crisis.
Morales took office in 2006 amid
hopes for national reconciliation
in a nation long riven by political,
ethnic and regional differences. He
was the first Indian president in a
nation where much of the popula-
tion is of indigenous ancestry.
But his socialist' policies and
rhetorical flourishes soon caused
discontent in the eastern lowlands,
home to much of the nation's agri-
cultural and energy wealth. He
accused "oligarchs" of seeking to
break away from Bolivia.
Four lowland states voted this
year for autonomy in a referendum
Morales called treasonous and ille-
gal. A fifth state, Chuquisaca, in the
central highlands, has joined the
four lowland provinces in opposi-
tion to Morales, whose base of sup-
port is in the western high plains,
or altiplano.
Andres D'Alessandro of the
Los Angeles Times Buenos Aires
bureau, Times staff writer Paul
Richter in Washington, and
special correspondents Oscar
Ordonez in La Paz and Martin
Monasterio in Santa Cruz, Bolivia,
contributed to this report.
Ina Castro, center, and her son Jonathan Rivera, right, cry during a ceremony to com-
memorate the seoenth anniversary nf the Sept. 11 attacks yesterday in New York.
Ina's hrother, Jose Castro, worked at the World Trade Center and died in the attacks.
Seventh anniversary of
11 mark solemn
Zimbabwe power-sharing deal struck
Mugabe would rule
alongside opposition
party leaders
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -
President Robert Mugabe agreed
to share power with the opposi-
tion yesterday after more than two
decades as Zimbabwe's unchal-
lenged leader, South Africa's presi-
dent announced.
South African leader Thabo
Mbeki, who mediated at the nego-
tiation, did not immediately offer
details, but said the agreement
would be signed and made public
Monday.
"I am absolutely certain that
the leadership of Zimbabwe is
committed to implementing these
agreements," Mbeki said at a news
conference late Thursday.
Opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai also told reporters the
parties "have got a deal." There was
no immediate statement from the
84'year-old Mugabe.
There was no indication of how
they would share power.
Tsvangirai had argued that as
top vote-getter in the March presi-
dential election he should be head
of government and preside at Cabi-
net meetings, relegating Mugabe
to a ceremonial position. Mugabe
showed little willingness to relin-
quish much power:
Mbeki had been in Zimbabwe
since Monday trying to resolve that
impasse. For a year, he sought to
bring Mugabe and Tsvangirai clos-
er together, insisting that despite
accusations he was biased in favor
of Mugabe his policy of refusing to
confront or publicly criticize either
party was the best approach.
"The agreement has once more
underlined our often stated view
that only the people of Zimba-
bwe, acting with the support of
the international community, can
author their own destiny," Mbeki's
government said in a statement fol-
lowing his announcement.
OthersincludingAfricanleaders
traditionally reluctant to criticize
one of their own, hadbeen increas-
ingly impatient with Mugabe, who
has been accused of trampling on
Zimbabwean's political rights and
ruining the economy of what had
once been the region's breadbasket.
Neighboring countries coping with
Zimbabwean refugees were among
the sharpest critics.
Tsvangirai's party won the most
votes in legislative and presidential
elections in March, but he did not
win enough to avoid a runoff against
Mugabe.Anonslaughtofstate-spon-
sored violence against Tsvangirai's
supporters forced him to drop out of
the presidential runoff.
Mugabe kept Tsvangirai's name
on the ballot and was declared the
overwhelming winner of a runoff
that was widely denounced as a
sham.
Citing the March results, Tsvan-
girai says he should be head of gov-
ernment and preside over Cabinet
meetings, while Mugabe should be
relegated to a ceremonial position.
Mugabe had shown little willing-
ness to relinquish much power.
Much of Mugabe's popularity
at home and across the continent
is linked to his image as a proud
African leader unafraid to defy
the West. Tsvangirai, who lacks
Mugabe's anti-colonial credentials,
has said Zimbabwe needs to work
with the West to overcome its eco-
nomic and political crises.
A political settlement would free
the leaders to address Zimbabwe's
severe economic problems -which
include having the world's highest
inflation rate and chronic food and
fuel shortages.
Foreigninvestorshavebeenwary
because ofthe politicaluncertainty.
Western governments are poised to
help with grants and loans, but will
not deal with Mugabe, who they
denounce asa dictator.
they don't have something in place
where it would count toward their
participation in class or something
like that," he said.
College of Engineering Prof.
Michael Thouless, a member of
the task force and the vice chair
of the Senate Advisory Commit-
tee on University Affairs, the fac-
ulty's executive governing body,
said he doesn't think the Univer-
sity should use incentives.
"If people want participation
rates to go up, then obviously they
can encourage students to fill in
the forms," he said.
All schools within the Universi-
ty except for the Business School,
Medical School and the School of
Dentistry use the teacher evalu-
ation 'system developed by the
Office of Evaluations and Exami-
nations.
NEW YORK (AP) - Familiar
rituals of grief marked the seventh
anniversary of Sept. 11 yesterday as
thousands paid tribute at the attack
sites, the presidential candidates
laid flowers at ground zero and
children mourned parents they can
barely remember.
Sens. John McCain and Barack
Obama called off their campaigns
for the day, and in the late afternoon
descended the long ramp into the
pit of the World Trade Center site,
bowing their heads and leaving the
flowers in a reflecting pool.
At the Pentagon, 15,000 people
turned out for the dedication of the
first permanent memorial built at
any of the three sites where hijacked
planes crashed. It includes 184
benches that will glow at night, one
for each victim there.
"Thanks to the brave men and
women, and all those who work
to keep us safe, there has not been
another attack on our soil in 2,557
days," President Bush said at the
outdoor dedication.
In New York, the crowd fell silent
in apark just east of the trade center
site at 8:46, 9:03, 9:59 and 10:29 a.m.
- the times when two hijacked jets
slammed into the buildings and the
twin towers fell.
Alex, Aidan and Anna Salamone
- now 13,11 and 10years old - wore
old soccer jerseys belonging to their
father, broker John Patrick Salam-
one, who was 37 when he was killed.
They recalled playing in the yard
with atoy wagon.
"He was strong. He was funny. He
always made me laugh," Alex Sala-
COLLIDER
From Page 1
- the kuropean Organization for
Nuclear Research - and is buried
300 feet below the Swiss-French
border. CERN scientists first tested
the waters on Wednesday by send-
ing a few proton beams at a slower-
than-capacity pace.
Scientists reported that the first
beam, had been steered around
the 17-mile track on Wednesday at
4:28 a.m., Eastern Time.
University scientists helped
develop a muon spectrometer - a
machine that looks for the presence*
of the mysterious Higgs boson, a
particle whose existence scientists
hope to prove using the collider.
Because the Higgs boson changes
its particle state almost instanta-
neously, it is very difficult to detect.
The Higgs boson is nicknamed
the "God Particle," because scien-
tists believe it's what gives other
particles their mass.
Rackham student Andrew Eppig,
who is in Europe working at the
CERN lab, said while excitement
is high, physicists didn't waste any
time getting to work.
"Once the first beam went
through, we were already collecting
mone said. I wish I could remember
more, but we were so young when
he died."
"We love you, daddy," said Anna.
Still others chose to forgo the
public observances altogether and
mark the day in quieter, more pri-
vate ways. Kai Thompson Hernan-
dez toasted her late husband, Glenn
Thompson, at a beach, with his
favorite brand of beer.
"I try andrcelebrate his life rather
than mark the place of his death,"
she said.
Family members of the trade cen-
ter dead and students representing
the more than 90 countries that lost
citizens in the attack-- Azerbaijan
to Zambia to Vietnam - read the
names of the 2,751 victims killed in
New York.
Others descended seven stories
below street level to pay respects
where the towers once stood. A giant
crane, an American flag hanging
from a hook, overlooked the anni-
versary ceremony from ground zero,
where office towers, a memorial and
transithub are under construction.
The New York memorial is years
away from completion. Some of the
mourners worried the, progress on
it would prevent them from being
allowed to pay respects next Sept.
11 on the ground where their loved
ones died.
"When you walk through the
site, you really feel like you're right
where they were, and it's very raw,"
said Dennis Baxter, whose brther,
Jasper, died while attending a-conn
ference at the trade center. "I think
the spot should remainraw."
data," he said.
Eppig watched the beam from
one of the CERN cafeterias on a big
screen display. The displays were
scattered throughout the building
and lit up each time the beam hit
one of eight markers in the loop.
"Some people were in the control
room, but everyone was just wait-
ing," he said. "There was excite-
ment, but there was also, 'Alright,
what happened? Did everything
work in our experiment?'
Scientists hope the colliders will
provide answers to some unknowns
of the universe, like dark matter and
dark energy. Both account for much
of the mass in the universe, but
remain a mystery.
"We're looking deeper into mat-
ter than ever before," said University
PhysicsProf.DanielLevin,whoworks
on the University's ATLAS team.
University scientists will spend
the coming weeks fine-tuning the
millions of individual parts that
make up the muon spectrometer,
Levin said.
Once the collision occurs, scien-
tists will spend about a year ana-
lyzing the data before results are
finalized, Eppig said.
"We don't really know what's
going to happen, so it's pretty
exciting," he said.
EVALUATIONS
From Page 1
maybe usedwhen the systemgoes
live later this year.
But while questions remain
about online participation rates,
University officials are quick to
point out that the online system
will save paper - and money.
"With well over 500,000
course evaluation forms being
processed by the Office of Evalua-
tions and Examinations, I believe
that is reason enough to make this
change," said Lester Monts, the
University's senior vice provost.
Kulik emphasized the positive
green aspects of the shift.
"(The Office of Evaluations and
Examinations) will print nothing
starting this fall," he said. "Just in
terms of the amount of paper, the
CONTEST
From Page 1
social change, health, local busi-
ness, green campus, high-tech and
environmental and clean tech. The
"green campus" category specifi-
cally asks for ideas to make campus
more eco-friendly.
Students submit their videos
through 1000pitches.com. The
deadline for submission is Oct. 5,
and the winners in each category
will be awarded $1,000 in cash to
implement their ideas.
MPowered, a student organiza-
tion focusing on student entrepre-
neurship and one of the contest's
sponsors, held a similar contest
called "BigIdeas 2008" last winter.
Submitted student video pitches
included "Crepes as Healthy Fast
Food," "Flash Freezing Investment
trees, this has a benefit."
The move is also aimed at cut-
ting the costs involved with
administering and organizing
paper evaluations.
"With that amount of paper,
there are just so many people that
have to be involved in distribut-
ing and collecting and sorting and
returning by campus mail," Kulik
said. "There is just a lot of clerical
work involved."
But keeping student involve-
ment high is most important, offi-
cials say. University leaders are
counting on a communications
rollout to generate enough buzz to
get students participating.
The Provost's office has created
a ten-person communication team
charged with informing students
about the importance of the evalu-
ations.
team will be able to get students
involved.
"We have engaged profession-
als in the Center for Research on
Learning and Teaching and the
Marketing and Communications
Office to help craft a commu-
nications plan that stresses the
importance of course evaluations
to students and faculty," he said.
"Given their effectiveness on past
educational initiatives, I believe
we will have an effective rollout of
this new process."
Kulik said the University has
no plans to offer any "external
rewards and punishments" to stu-
dents who participate in the evalu-
ations - at least not at first.
LSA senior John Pitcher said
incentives would be the only way
to get students involved.
"I do think there will be a reduc-
Monts said he believes the tion (in participation), as long as
in Peru" and "Micro Brewing in
India."
No specific numbers were avail-
able on submissions so far, but Zur-
buchen said he thinks involvement
will be high., Many professors have
turned contest submissions into
homework assignments, immedi-
ately guaranteeing at least a few
hundred participants.
Zurbuchen said the center
wanted video submissions so the
program could judge students'
familiarity with technology and see
the face behind the idea.
"We feel a lot of entrepreneur-
ship is about people, not just about
the idea itself," Zurbuchen said. "If
you have a good idea, I'm as inter-
ested in who you are as I am in what
your idea is."
Though the Center for Entre-
preneurship works mainly with
the College of Engineering and the
Ross School of Business, contest
organizers hope students in other
disciplines will enter.
"It is a challenge," said Ashwin
Lalendran, the president of MPow-
ered, of getting more students
involved, "but I think the flavor of
1,000 Pitches accommodates all."
Engineering senior Andry Supi-
an, who is the project director for
MPowered, said it's important to
create incentives for students to
innovate. Those incentives, he said,
can create a passion to change the
world that is currently lacking on
campus.
"We want to eliminate the fear
that engineering, business or tech-
nical knowledge is a prerequisite
to entrepreneurship," he said. "You
just have to have the passion for
change."
The University is also partnering
this year with DTE Energy for the
Clean Energy Prize entrepreneur-
ship competition.
That contest, open to students
at any college in the state, asks stu-
dents to submit ideas directly relat-
ing to clean energyctechnology. The
winning teams will share $100,000
in prize money. The official
announcement of the Clean Energy
Prize competition will take place.at
3 p.m. today at Stamps Auditorium
in the Walgreen Drama Center.
"The Clean Energy Prize is
important for students because it
facilitates collaboration between
the technological and business
disciplines," John Austerberry, a
DTE Energy.spokesman, said in an
e-mail interview. "We believe the
competition will help reinvigorate
a culture of entrepreneurship in
Michigan and establish the state as
center for new energy research and
business."
GREEKS
From Page 1
Starting in April, all IFC-spon-
sored parties required students to
bring their own alcohol and check
it at the door in a fashion similar
to a coat check. When partygoers
wanted a drink, "sober monitors"
- fraternity members required
to remain sober throughout the
night - would pour them a drink
from the alcohol they brought. If
the monitors deemed someone too
intoxicated, they could refuse to
give them any more to drink.
But the experiment didn't last
long. Many partygoers this year
didn't know an alcohol check
existed, and others said fraternity
brothers supplied. cases of beer
and bottles of liquor despite the
restriction.
Spotts said the alcohol check
didn't work as planned, which is
why the IFC is trying to control
the size of the parties instead.
"We were trying to step up the
enforcement on how they actu-
ally brought the alcohol. We found
that that isn't necessarily whatyou
need to focus on," he said. "You
learn from experience."
Spotts added that IFC-spon-
sored parties still technically have
a bring-your-own-alcohol rule.
"We still have a BYOA policy and
you still have to go to the alcohol
check if you want to get alcohol,"
he said. "In that sense, the alcohol
check still remains. We still don't
allow glass bottles or anything
that could be dangerous."
Spotts said the IFC also
approved an increase in the nu-
ber of sober monitors required at
a party during last Wednesday's
meething.
Previously, the IFC mandated
that fraternity parties with 200
guests have eight sober monitors.
An extra monitor was added for
every additional 20 guests.
Now, the IFC requires houses
hosting parties with more than
200 guests have at least 18 sober
monitors.