The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Monday, September 22, 2008 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS WASHINGTON Paulson resists help for bailout bill Treasury Secretary Henry Paul- sonisresistingaDemocratic pushto add additional help for households to the $700 billion bailout bill. Paulson said Sundaythat because financial markets remain under severe stress there is an urgent need for Congress to act quickly without adding other measures that could slow down passage. "We need this to be clean and to be quick," Paulson said in an inter- view on ABC's "This Week." Paulson resisted suggestions being made by Democrats that the program be changed to include further relief for homeowners fac- ing mortgage foreclosures and to include an additional $50 billion stimulus effort. Some Democrats have also suggested capping com- pensation of executives at firms who get the bailout help. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Bombing maybe connected to Al-Qaida Taliban militants based near the Afghan border and their al-Qaida allies are the most likely suspects behind a massive truck bombing at Islamabad's Marriott Hotel,officials and experts said Sunday. At least 53 died in the explosion, including two U.S. Defense Department employ- ees and the Czech ambassador. The truck sat burning and dis- abled at the hotel gate for at least 3a/2 minutes as nervous guards tried to douse the flames before they, the truck and much of the ho- tel forecourt vanished in a fearsome fireball on Saturday night, accord- ing to dramatic surveillance footage released Sunday. The attack on the American ho- tel chain during Ramadan, among the deadliest terrorist strikes in Pakistan, will test the resolve of its pro-Western civilian rulers to crack down on growing violent extrem- ism which many here blame on the country's role in the U.S.-led war on terror. CHAtLOTTE Obama heads south for debates Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama planned to head to Florida this week for three days of preparation for the first debate of the generalelection,amatchup that could reshape a tight White House race. Aides say the debate, scheduled for Friday at the University of Mis- sissippi and focused on foreign poli- cy, will give Sen. Obama a chance to demonstrate proficiency in an area where polls have shown voters give the edge'to Sen. John McCain, the Republican challenger and a26-year Washington veteran who touts his ties to leaders around the world. If Obama can hold his own on for- eign policy, it could ease those wor- ries, aides said Sunday as they tried to lower expectations for the first- term Illinois senator, a powerful speaker but an uneven performer in multiple debates during the Demo- cratic primaries. JERUSALEM 0 Israeli Prime Minister resigns Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has formallyresigned. He handed a letter of resignation to President Shimon Peres. Earlier, he told his Cabinet that he was step- pingdown. Channel 10 TV broadcast a gov- ernment picture of Olmert reading his letter of resignation to Peres Sunday evening. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is already meeting with party lead- ers to set up a new coalition gov- ernment. Peres is meeting with party leaders to decide on Olmert's successor, but Livni is the obvi- ous choice. She supports Olmert's efforts toward a peace accord with the Palestinians. She won a party primaryelection last week. - Compiled from Daily wire reports U.S, DEATHS 4 168 Number of American service members who have died in the war in Iraq, according to The Associated Press. No new deaths were identified yesterday. Post-Ike Sunday brings survivors together Re] hel ANA Wearin clutchi betwee the sto comfor at mak provide Hurric Abou on a ba Oak Is south mile fr They sa ply sto 1-inch 1 single- floodw, matchs A de ligious services still lodged among trees, many of them snapped by the storm's 110- d despite debris mph winds that somehow left the church's trio of 20-foot white from storm crosses still standing. Across the street, piles of debris had sprout- .HUAC, Texas (AP) - ed, proof of the labor undertaken ag jeans and rubber boots, ,since the storm blew through last ng Bibles and weeping weekend, and of the work yet to n hymns, residents of come. rm-shattered Texas coast "I know it's hard. Looking ted each other yesterday around, it's tough," the Rev. Eddie eshift church services that Shauberger told the congregants. ed more than a respite from "But there is a God, and he has a ane Ike cleanup. plan for our lives." ut 50 people came together Similar services were being asketball court outside the held on Galveston Island and land Baptist Church, just throughout the Houston area, of Interstate 10 about a where power had been restored om the tip of Trinity Bay. to enough residents that schools at on folding chairs or sim- planned to hold classes Monday od, forced outdoors by the for the first time since the storm. layer of mud left inside the In Galveston, Bobby and Pame- story red brick building by la Quiroga sought succor at a Mass aters that tossed pews like setup in thehistoric Hotel Galvez. ticks. They went to their Roman Catho- molished mobile home was lic church a week ago, the day after storm arrived, but it was closed. "It's just good to be around people," Bobby Quiroga said. He added, letting his voice trail off, "When you feel a wave shake your house ...." Thenewlymarried42-year-olds were still trying to gather their senses eight days after watching their homes and businesses flood- ed by Ike's 12-foot surge. "Fourteen steps, and we watched the water come up all the way up - even to the floor. Surre- al," Quiroga said, his wife leaning on his shoulder. She dabbed her swollen eyes with a hand towel and vowed never to live on the island again. "When I fall asleep," she said, "I see the water rising." Observances in the hardest-hit spots weren't overflowing with residents. Most of Galveston won't reopen until Wednesday, and it could be weeks or more before basic services are restored in all areas. Still, the island is far from deserted - at least 15,000 people ignored mandatory evacuation orders before and after the storm, and many of them were still there Sunday. Some businesses were beginning to reopen, cell service was improving and electricity was coming back on. Island leaders emphasized that Galveston remained dangerous. Fuel and other essentials remained scarce. Police will indefinitely enforce a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew once the island reopens, and par- ents were warned their children could be exposed to infections from storm debris and other haz- ards. Planes continued spraying the island to control mosquitoes. Offi- cials urged those returning to wear masks to protect from mold and to properly dispose of spoiled food to stave off vermin. Teams ofcadaver dogs were still working their way through rubble and debris on Bolivar Peninsula, which suffered even heavier dam- agethanGalveston. Evacuees from the peninsula will board dump trucks and other heavy vehicles this week to examine their homes, since the main road is impassible in many spots. Authorities had - blamed the storm for 26 deaths in Texas and 61 total in the U.S., including a utility contractor from Florida who was electrocuted Friday while trying to restore power in Louisville, Ky. Power had been restored to most of the customers in Texas whose electricity was cut by Ike, though the state said about 875,000 remained in the dark Sunday. Whether the power was coming ,hrough the wall or from a genera- tor, people throughout the region watched the Houston Texans try to win one for the wretched back home. Palin makes first solo campaign stop in Florida President of South Africa formally resigns VP candidate draws tens of thousands to speech yesterday THE VILLAGES, Fla. (AP) - Sarah Palin played it safe yesterday on her first trip as John McCain's running mate to the battleground state of Florida. She went to perhaps the easi- est place in Florida to get a large Republican turnout, stuck mostly to the themes she's hit since the Republican convention and took no questions from reporters or the crowd. But she was welcomed like a star, with tens of thousands cramming into a plaza and nearby streets in this enormous retirement com- munity about an hour north of Orlando. Some waited more than five hours in 92-degree heat to see her speak for 23 minutes. Palin arrived in Florida on Fri- day and had no public events Sat- urday, though she told the crowd her daughters Piper and Willow got to go to Disney World. After some jokes about the dif- ference between golfing in Florida and Alaska, her remarks hit most of the same points she's made since McCain chose her as the first woman to run as a Republican vice presidential nominee. She did, however, update the stump speech to reflectlast week's turmoil in the financial markets. "We need serious reform on Wall Street. We need better regu- lation. It's like Senator McCain said justyesterday-we don'tneed a dozen federal agencies doing the job badly, we need the best agen- cies doing the job right," she said. She said McCain had warned about the problems affect- ing financial institutions, and attacked Democrat Barack Obama on the issue. "This week when the economic crisis threatened the livelihood of millions of Americans, John McCain took a clear stand and he offered his ownrecovery plan. Our opponent refused to even take a stand on the position," Palin said. The Obama campaign criticized McCain's response to last week's events on Wall Street. "McCain's first response to this crisis was to say that 'the fun- damentals of our economy are strong,' then he admitted it was a crisis, and then he proposed a 'commission,' which is just Wash- ington-speak for 'I'll get back to you later,"' said Obama campaign spokesman Mark Bubriski. The visit drew a few contrasts between Palin and Obama run- ning mate Joe Biden. The largest was the crowd. Some people had to wait in line about 90 minutes just to park their cars. Biden's largest crowd dur- ing a visit earlier this month was about 2,000. But Biden made four stops in his two days, and ventured into Republican strongholds like Fort Myers and Sarasota. He took questions from the audience at each stop and did interviews with local media. CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki says he has formally resigned, effective as soon as a new president is chosen. Mbeki spoke in a nationally televised address yesterday. A day earlier, his African National Congress had called on him to. resign. He is leaving before his second and last constitutionally allowed term expires next year. Mbeki lost the final battle Satur- day in a long power struggle with African National Congress presi- dent Jacob Zuma. Last week, a judge threw out corruption charges against Zuma and implied that Mbeki's govern- ment put pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority to bring the charges for political motives. Parliament will convene in the coming days to select an interim' president before elections, which are scheduled for next year. Baleka Mbete, the speaker of the National Assembly and chairwoman of the ANC, is expected to take over. Dare toDra Grants for Student Start-ups Graduate and undergraduate students may receive up to $10,000 in grant money to start their new venture, up to $1,500 to complete a feasibility study, or up to $500 to examine their product or technology to see if a potential business exists. Dare to Dream grants provide a low-risk process for students to shape and evaluate their business concepts, launch their businesses, and build entrepreneurial skills. The Zell Lurie Institute at the Ross School of Business and the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Engineering will make up to $100,000 of awards over multiple phases of business development. Application Deadline: Friday, September 26, 8 AM Grant Recipients Announcement: Friday, October 10 Deliverables Workshop: Friday, November 7, Time 9 AM - 5 PM To learn more find an information session and to submit your application, visit: www.zli.bus.umich.edu/events programs/ --.5 [or mote information call 734/615-6449 The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts presents a public lecture and reception Early Earth, Gondwana and Recent Climate Change Eric J. Essene Collegiate Professor of Geological Sciences Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Rackham Amphitheater 4:10pm LSA I & i