News The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 3A w s Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS NASHVILLE, Tenn. McCain, Obama clash on cause, cure for econ crisis Barack Obama and John McCain clashed repeatedly over the causes and cures for the worst economic crisis in 80 years yesterday night in a debate in which Republican McCain called for sweeping action by the gov- ernment to directly shield many homeowners from mortgage fore- closure. "It's my proposal. It's not Sen. Obama's proposal, it's not Presi- dent Bush's proposal," McCain said in the debate that he hoped could revive his fortunes in a presidential race trending toward his rival. In one pointed confrontation on foreign policy, Obama bluntly challenged McCain's steadiness. "This is a guy who sang bomb, bomb, bomb Iran, who called for the annihilation of North Korea - that I don't think is an example of speaking softly." That came after McCain accused him of foolishly threat- ening to invade Pakistan and said, "I'm not going to telegraph my punches, which is what Sen. Obama did." The debate was the second of three between the two major party rivals, and the only one to feature a format in which voters seated a few feet away posed questions to the candidates. DETROIT UAW to launch $3M ad campaign against McCain United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said yesterday that the union was launching an advertising campaign attacking Republican presidential candidate John McCain in "strategically placed" states. Gettelfinger said the $3 million television, radio and Internet ad campaign began Tuesday in four industrial states: Michigan, Indi- ana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. They feature UAW members and offer a message that working families can't afford McCain. Gettelfinger, who played the TV ads for reporters yesterday at UAW headquarters in Detroit, said they feature "workers talking to workers about issues" that con- cern them, such as health care and policies that have cost millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs. WASHINGTON AIG's role in market crisis probed Less than a week after the fed- eral government had to bail out American International Group Inc., the company sent execu- tives on a $440,000 retreat to a posh California resort, lawmakers investigating the company's melt- down said yesterday. The tab included $23,380 worth of spa treatments for AIG employees at the coastal St. Regis resort south of Los Ange- les even as the company tapped into an $85 billion loan from the government it needed to stave off bankruptcy. BANGKOK, Thailand Thai police fire tear gas against crowd; 118 hurt Thai riot police clashed yester- day with thousands of protesters who barricaded Parliament and vowed to block the government from exiting the building. A depu- ty prime minister resigned to take responsibility for the chaos. More than 100 people were wounded, including two protest- ers who had parts of their legs blown off by what police said were exploding tear gas canisters. - Compiled from Daily wire reports 4178 Number of American service members who have died in the war in Iraq, according to The Associated Press. There were no deaths identified yesterday. Consultant calls for holistic approach to sustainability MSA discusses voting procedures for students By ELAINE LAFAY Daily StaffReporter When Carol Sanford, abusiness consultant, declaredthat"sustain- ability is a problem," more than a few people raised their eyebrows at the Erb Institute's speaker series yesterday night. "It's actually making things worse," she said with a grin. "Any- body mad, yet?" Sanford spoke to a group of about 30 Rackham and Business School students, saying the prob- lem with businesses going green isn't in the idea, but in the imple- mentation. She said businesses approach sustainability piece-by- piece rather than stepping back and looking at the problems as a whole, taking traditional business practices into account. "Finding out what that essence is allows you to be creative and STEM CELLS From Page 1A the potential benefits of embry- onic stem cell research, but avoids takinga stance on the ballot ques- tion - even though he has been a staunch supporter of the measure when he's off the clock. Morrison is a member of the board of Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell Research and Cures. Although the group is not a part of Cure Michigan - the ballot ini- tiative campaign - the group has donated $70,000 to the effort. other people with close ties to the University have shown strong support for the ballot initiative, which is labeled Proposal 2. Ken- nethColeman,husbandofUniver- sity President Mary Sue Coleman, has donated $5,000. Theirsonand daughter in law have also made contributions of $5,000 each. Cure Michigan's leading donor is a trust controlled by A. Alfred Taubman-the namesake of the regenerative in a way you can never be if you'retrying to figure out how to be competitive," she said. She said it takes years of look- ing for the "essence of a place" to understand the effects a business will have on its environment. Sanford said human minds are trained to "work in pieces" from birth, taking problems individu- ally one after the other. But with sustainability, she said, problems are so interconnected that they have to be assessed by using a common thread. "We spend a lot of time devel- oping the capacity to see your- self, see your effects, to see what you're producing, to see the effect you're having on the communities around you." She cited Loreto Bay, Mexico, a struggling city on the coast of the SeaofCortez,asanexample.When local businesses began dying, it Taubman College of Architec- ture and Urban Planning - that has contributed $1,065,000 to the campaign. Regent Olivia May- nard (D-Goodrich) also donated $1,000. Regent S. Martin Taylor (D-Grosse Pointe Farms)is a Cure Michigan board member. The University has also played host to a number of events about the benefits that could come from embryonic stem cellresearch. The most recent of those, sponsored by the A. Alfred Taubman Medi- cal Research Institute, was held Tuesday. Another, called "The Promise of Embryonic Stem Cell Research" was held last month. The University used a similar approach when another Proposal 2 was on the ballot in 2006. That measure prohibited the Univer- sity form using race- and gender- based affirmative action in hiring and admissions. Many University officials opposed that initiative. In 2006, Mary Sue Coleman and Kenneth Coleman each donated $5,500 to One United Michigan, a took a developer's realization that the nearby sea houses some of the oldest turtles in the world and that the city's fauna could be used to promote eco-tourism and new industry for the city. Rackham student Arthur Peter- son,whohelped organizethe event, said he thought Sanford brought an exciting new perspective to green businesses and management. "It's looking not just at indi- vidual issues, but at the larger pic- ture," he said. "It's good to have someone that keeps pushing us in that direction." Other students, like Rackham student Sara Shapiro, criticized the lecture, calling Sanford's approach "oversimplified." "For a small company, this could work. But a large company? I don't see it," she said. "Ideally, it's amazing. I just don't know how practical it is." group that campaigned againstthe affirmative action ban. Maynard, admissions director Ted Spencer and other high-level administra- tors also gave large contributions to the effort to fight the proposal. But the University could only provide "educational" informa- tion about the effects of a ban. At a diversity summit a month before the 2006 election, Coleman gave a' speech in which she outlined the harmful effects passage of the ban would have on diversity at the Uni- versity of Michigan. But she avoid- ed explicitly telling people how they should vote on Proposal 2. Cynthia Wilbanks, the Univer- sity's vice president for govern- ment relations, said parallels can be drawn between the outreach efforts. "In both cases our principle goal was to educate on the topic that was being presented for the public to consider one way or the other," she said. "Fundamen- tally it's the same, It is education around an issue." Assembly also discussed divisive 601 Forest project By MATT AARONSON Daily Staff Reporter With less than a month until Election Day, the guest speaker at last night's Michigan Student Assembly meeting was Andrew Selbst, a Law School student repre- senting the National Campaign for Fair Elections. He explained some commonly misunderstood details of voting procedures. Selbst said students who have previously voted in a presidential election in Ann Arbor or those registered to vote in person at the office of the Board of Elections or Department of Motor Vehicles, only need a photo ID at the polls. Accepted forms include a driver's license, an MCard or a state-issued ID card. He also said that even without a photo ID, a voter has the option to sign an affidavit swearing that they are who they say they are and vote normally. For students who registered by mail or with someone on the street, Selbst said, "it gets a little trickier." These students will also need to prove residency at the address for which they have registered. Selbst recommended using a voter regis- tration card, driver's license, bank statement or utility bill, as long as it displays the student's current Ann Arbor address. Selbst warned against wearing or carrying materials promoting any candidate within 100 feet of the polling location. Officials will ask voters to remove such articles before entering. "No McCain T-shirts, Obama stickers. No mentioning of Sarah Palin on SNL," he said. The National Campaign for Fair Elections has a hotline for vot- ers who encounter problems on or before Election Day. The number for the hotline is 1-866-OUR-VOTE. MSA members also touched on a controversial proposed apartment complex during last night's meet- ing. MSA Vice President Arvind Sohoni and Student General Coun- sel Michael Benson introduced a new resolution proposal regarding the planned construction of the complex, planned for the corner of South Forest Street and South Uni- versity Avenue. The move is in response to the developer's submission of a scaled- down proposal to the Ann Arbor City Council Monday. If approved by the Assembly next Tuesday, the resolution would express MSA's approval of the new plans. Last Tuesday, the Assembly was scheduled to vote on a resolu- tion condemning the construction but because of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, MSA did nothave the necessary number of members present to hold a vote. Sohoni said he changed his posi- tion on the construction because of the developers' compromise to scale the building down from 25 stories to 14 and to build on only half of the purchased property. "I think that the City Council and the developer handled this really well," he said. "It alleviates a lot of our concerns, making it smaller and more compact." - Stephanie Berliant contributed to this report. GOT A NEWS TIP? CALL US. (734)763-2459 MARIJUANA From Page 1A approvedbythe MichiganDepart- ment of Community Health. Patients would be allowed to possess two and a half ounces of usable marijuana and 12 marijua- na plants. Each patient would first have to obtain their doctor's approval, register with the Department of Community Health and be issued an identification card to prove their eligibility for the program. Those opposed to the proposal, including Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm,aDemocrat,andRepub- lican Attorney General Mike Cox argue that it fails to deliver a clear way for patients to obtain marijua- na and would also increase crime rates. Supporters dispute those points, saying it will give the state's illest citizens protection from the threat of arrest, prosecution and jail ifcthey use medical marijuana. Dianne Byrum, a spokeswoman for the Coalition for Compassion- ate Care, said that there is a "grow- ing body of medical evidence" that indicates that there is "medical value in marijuana for treatment of some diseases and illnesses." Recent polls have shown sup- port for the proposal. A Detroit Free Press-Local 4 poll, conduct- ed last month, found Michigan voters favored the measure by a 66- to 25-percent margin, with 9 percent undecided. A Detroit News-WXYZ Action News poll, also taken last month, found 59 percent of voters support the pro- posal, with 37 percent opposed to it and 4 percent undecided. After the proposalwentunchal- lenged for more than a year, a coalition of medical, law-enforce- ment and anti-drug organiza- tions called Citizens Protecting Michigan Kids formed last week. It's headed by Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Bill Schuette. "Proposal lisso loosely crafted and so loosely written, the unin- tended consequences of passage SOLAR CAR From Page lA we can get our car done early and test it a lot before the race," Hecht- man said. The team is now designing the Infiniuum for the upcom- ing race in Australia. Durbin said the team is trying to find ways to improve the power losses of the previous car. Continuum, the last car, could charge while driving if it stayed under 50 miles per hour. The car could go a maximum of 87 miles per hour, but going that fast of Proposals are so grave, thatcthe only vote for the citizens of Mich- igan in November is no,"Schuette said yesterday in an interview. The group also includes sev- eral medical and law enforcement organizations such as the Michigan StateMedicalSociety,theProsecut- ing Attorneys Association and the Michigan Sheriff's Association. Byrum said medical mari- juana laws in other states have not interfered with the ability of police officers to do their jobs. "In other states (medical mari- juana laws) have been imple- mented without fanfare, the sky has not fallen in and they have not been problematic in terms of law enforcement being able to carry out and enforce the drug laws of those particular states," she said. In Michigan, five cities, includ- ing Ann Arbor, have passed medi- cal marijuana laws. The others are Detroit, Ferndale, Flint and Traverse City. One of the major points of con- tention is just how patients would obtain marijuana in Michigan. The law allows patients to grow it themselves, but patients who don't want to grow it, would have to find a "caregiver" - someone over 21 without a felony conviction to grow the marijuana for them. The proposal contains no pro- visions that allow patients to pur- chase marijuana. "How they would obtain their marijuana is silent in this law because the reality is they are obtaining it now," Byrum said. She said behind-the-counter pharmaceutical options would not be viable "because of federal, political regulatory issues." California, the first state to legalize medical marijuana, has seen a proliferation of"pot shops," where patients can purchase marijuana. But lately these co- ops have seen violence and crime. Last week, a security guard at a Los Angeles pot clinic was shot dead in an attempted robbery. "There's nothing in this statute that would restrict, nothing that drained the battery too much, he said. Hechtman said the designs for the next car will draw from past innovations and will also add new features. "I hope for new inventions and developments (and) to have the most technologically advanced car," he said. New to last year's design was a student-designed concentra- tion system in which a camera followed the brightest part of the sun and would adjust a panel of mirrors accordingly. The mirrors concentrated the sun's energy to would prohibit and nothing that would prevent these pot shops and pot clubs and smoking co-ops that have erupted in California from comingtoMichigan,"Schuettesaid. Byrum called Michigan's law "significantly" different from California's law. "You cannot compare the two because California does not have the safeguards that the Michigan law puts in place," she said. While public opinion may cur- rently be in favor of it, some of Michigan's most prominent poli- ticians have voiced their opposi- tion to the proposal. Most prominent among them has been Granholm, who has repeatedly said she's against of the proposed law because, she argues, it leaves the door open to the legalization of marijuana. Matt Frendewey, a spokesman for Cox, said the attorney general opposes Proposal 1 because there are "other forms of medication on the market right now" that are "available and legal in Michigan." Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, an outspo- ken opponent of the proposal, called the proposed law "a nose under the tent to legalize a drug." He said the proposal could also increase crime rates. LSA junior Chris Chiles, execu- tive director of the University chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said that argument wascontradictorytothe reasonhe supports the drug policy reform. "One of the main reasons I am for ending the drug war is to reduce the crime that is associ- ated with the black market," said Chiles, who supports the propos- al. "If anything, it could decrease because there is less involvement in the black market" Although SSDPhasnotyettaken a side on the issue, Chiles said he expects the group to endorse the proposal at its next meeting. Both the editorial boards of the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, which are often at odds, have endorsed the proposal. help power the car. The invention is patent pending, Durbin said. The team will face a disadvan- tage heading into the World race in Australia, which allowsapro and semi-pro clubs. Hechtman said all members of the University's solar car team take classes, givingthem less time to work on the car. To make up for it, he said, the team works 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, during the summer. While the University's solar car team has snagged first place in the North American race five times now, itchas yet to place high- er than third in the world race. Ev yu x tt s H ,-,,998-44k Doyou recycle Recycling is easy and free!