The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, February 16, 2009 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
MIDLAND, Mich.
Dow Chemical
plans to sell solar
shingles by 2011
Dow Chemical Co. says it aims to
start selling power-generating roof
shingles by 2011.
The Midland-based chemical
giant has been at work for the past
year on a $50 million project called
Dow Solar Solutions.
The company's scientists and
engineers are working to develop a
product to sell thermoplastic solar
roof shingles throughout North
America.
Dow Chemical is collaborating
with three home builders - Len-
nar Corp. of Miami, Pulte Homes
Inc. of Bloomfield Hills and Prost
Builders Inc. of Jefferson City, Mo.
- and with Tucson, Ariz.-based
Global Solar Energy Inc., a maker
of flexible materials.
The researchers have conduct-
ed numerous tests in preparing
the shingles for market, said Rob-
ert J. Cleereman, senior director
of solar development for Dow
Chemical.
"We've thrown everything you
can imagine at them from (simu-
lated) hail to fire to see how they
react," he told The Saginaw News.
"One day, a person would no more
think about buying a house without
solar shingles than they would buy
a house without plumbing. That is
our hope, at least."
LUBBOCK, Tenas
Peanut growers feel
effects of outbreak
With hundreds of thousands
of Americans out of work and the
economy in a nosedive, the U.S.
peanut industry expected sales to
soar this year.
Americans tend to turn to peanut
products to stretch their food dol-
lars in tough times, avoiding more
expensive protein sources such as
steak and ground beef.
Enter an ongoing salmonella out-
break that has'sickened some 600
people in 43 states and been linked
to nine deaths, and those rosy pre-
dictions after a record growing sea-
son have been dashed.
"They've tainted our entire
industry," said Shelly Nutt, execu-
tive director of the peanut produc-
ers board in Texas, the nation's
second largest growing state
behind Georgia. "Public perception
is killing us."
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.
Northwest plane
diverted, smoke
reported in cockpit
A commuter plane operated by
Northwest Airlines was diverted to
Gerald R. Ford International Air-
port after the pilot reported smoke
in the cockpit.
Flight 2125, a Northwest Air-
link flight operated by Northwest
subsidiary Pinnacle Aviation, had
taken off from Minneapolis and
was headed for Cleveland when
it landed in Grand Rapids about 6
p.m. Sunday.
The 39 passengers were immedi-
ately transferred to another flight
to continue on to Cleveland.
Airport spokesman Phil Johnson
tells The Grand Rapids Press that
the airport experiences "a number
of diversions throughout the year."
The plane was being inspected to
determine the source of the smoke.
A message was left with Northwest
media representatives.
LANSING, Mich.
Analysis: Granholm
has tough path to
fix prison system
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's
ambitious plan to save money
by releasing more prisoners is
doable, but a lot has to go right
for it to work.
Since the number of inmates
exceeded 51,000 almost two years
ago, her administration has low-
ered the population to just over
48,000 through paroles and com-
mutations, a timely drop in felony
convictions and prison intakes, and
an expanded program that aims
to keep parolees from committing
new crimes.
The trend certainly could contin-
ue, but the Michigan Department
of Corrections has a tough path
ahead to reach its goal of reduc-
ing the head count an additional
7 percent by year's end. The last
time Michigan was under 45,000
inmates: 1999.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
University holds its first
Bean Chili Cook-off
Competitors ranged
from rookies to
veteran chili cooks
By SAGAR DESHPANDE
For the Daily
Last Friday, the East Quad caf-
eteria took on a distinctly south-
western flair, becoming the site
for the Residential Dining Ser-
vices Bean Chili Cook-off.
The competitors included
eight dining services employees,
including two students. Several
contestants brought decades of
chili cooking experience to the
competition, and others were
cooking chili for the first time in
their lives.
The contestants were ranked
on their chili dishes by both a
panel ofthree judges and by popu-
lar vote. The dishes were required
to be made from blends of beans
grown in Michigan.
West Quad Kitchen Cleaner
Meena Bajrachanya, a 10-year
chili veteran, took home the
judges' gold with her Himalayan
Spicy Chili, an exotic vegetarian
blend of kidney beans, onions,
green and red peppers and many
spices.
Bajrachanya said she brought
the recipe with her from her
homeland of Nepal.
Joyua Williams, a cook from
Bursley Hall, took home the
"crowd favorite" prize with her
New Orleans Chumbo.
Another 10-year veteran of the
trade, Williams said her recipe
was a personal creation loaded
with hamburger, Italian sausage,
andouille sausage and shrimp.
LSA freshman Annemarie
Friedo said Williams's dish was
one of her favorites.
"A lot of the other chili was
really good," Friedo said, "but
most were too different from tra-
ditional chili to be called chili."
LSA freshman Maddie Con-
way, Friedo's friend and self-
proclaimed chili connoisseur,
completely disagreed.
"The Himalayan didn't look
like a traditional chili, but tasted
like one," she said. Conway also
said that she and her father have
participated in many soup and
chili competitions, adding valid-
ity to her sentiments.
Like many other competitions,
this one wasn't without its share
of underhanded tactics.
"Mysupervisorlied to me,"said
Engineering sophomore and East
Quad server Mischa Veenhuysen.
"I thought I was signing up to be
a judge, and then all of a sudden I
was asked to come up with some
chili."
Veenhuysen said he got the
recipe for his "South of the Diag"
chili from a friend, which he said
he "added a couple of things to."
"It kind of turned out as a bean
dip," he said, "but it still came out
well."
Most in attendance agreed that
the chili cook-off was a welcome
break from the monotony of regu-
lar cafeteria food.
"I think this really helps, it gets
us outofthe mundane," said Engi-
neering sophomore Jack Linkous.
Many students expressed a
desire for other similar events.
"It would be really cool if they
could havea pie-making competi-
tion," Friedo said.
LSA sophomore Rose Partirich
agreed, saying she would "like to
see a cookie or cupcake competi-
tion."
Residential Dining Services is
having a salad competition over
spring break, on Feb. 26th, in
Bursley Hall.
Steve Meyers, executive chef
for Dining Services, said the chili
cook-off could possibly become
an annual event, a popular idea
among students.
"It would be really sweet if
they could do this again," Conway
said.
President Barack Obama exits a vehicle at his house in Chicago yesterday.
Obama to apoint
panel to head auto
recovery efforts
Illinois Senator Burris rebuffs
calls for him to give up his seat
Affidavit contradicts
earlier statements
made by senator
CHICAGO (AP) - Just as Illi-
nois was moving past the agony
and embarrassment offormer Gov.
Rod Blagojevich's ousting, the fel-
low Democrat whom Blagojevich
appointed to the U.S. Senate was
hearing calls for his own resigna-
tion yesterday amid allegations he
lied to legislators.
Freshman Sen. Roland Burris
released an affidavit on Saturday
that contradicts his statements
last month to a House commit-
tee investigating Blagojevich's
impeachment.
"I can't believe anything that
comes out of Mr. Burris at this
point," Rep. Jim Durkin, the
impeachment committee's rank-
ing Republican, said at a news
conference Sunday. "I think it
would be in the best interest of
the state if he resigned because
I don't think the state can stand
this anymore."
But an adamant and sometimes
emotional Burris told reporters
later Sunday that he hadn't done
anything wrong and never misled
anyone.
"I've always conducted myself
with honor and integrity," he said.
"At no time did I ever make any
inconsistent statement."
Gov. Pat Quinn, who advanced
to the governor's mansion after
Blagojevich was ousted over cor-
ruption allegations last month,
also called on Burris to explain
the contradiction.
"My opinion is that he owes
the people of Illinois a complete
explanation," Quinn said, accord-
ing to spokesman Bob Reed.
Durkin and House Republican
Leader Tom Cross also want an
investigation of Burris for pos-
sible perjury.
It's not clear what action state
legislators could now take against
Burris, said Dawn Clark Netsch,
a Northwestern University law
professor and former Illinois
Comptroller.
"I'm not aware that anything
quite like this has happened in
any state before," she said.
Based on federal law, the state
Senate could argue that Burris
was a temporary appointment,
then pass a bill calling for a spe-
cial election to name a permanent
senator, Netsch said.
But Quinn's hands may be tied.
"I don't see anything that the
current governor could do, except
to ask for legislation to ask for a
special election," Netsch said.
Saturday's disclosure by Bur-
ris reflects a major omission from
his testimony in January when
an Illinois House impeachment
committee specifically asked if
he had ever spoken to Robert
Blagojevich or other aides to the
now-deposed governor about the
seat vacated by President Barack
Obama.
"Clearly, it would have been
better if Senator Burris had pro-
vided this information when he
first testified," said Jim Manley, a
spokesman for U.S. Senate Major-
ity Leader Harry Reid, who was
among the Democrats who only
consented to seat Burris on the
belief that there was no chance of
"pay for play" politics surround-
ing Burris' appointment.,
He said Reid "is reviewing the
affidavit and will await any action
by Illinois legislative leaders after
they review the matter."
Manley and Christina Anga-
rola, a spokeswoman for Illinois
Sen. Dick Durbin, both said Sun-
day that Burris informed the
senators of the affidavit on Friday,
but Angarola said Burris didn't
provide a copy.
But Burris explained Sun-
day that he voluntarily gave the
committee a Feb. 4 affidavit dis-
closing the contact with Robert
Blagojevich because question-
ing during his January testi-
mony abruptly changed course
and he never got a chance to
answer a direct question about
Blagojevich's brother.
Transcripts of Burris' tes-
timony, however, show he had
opportunities to provide a full
response to Illinois legislators.
In one instance, when asked
directly about speaking to Robert
Blagojevich and other associates
of the former governor, Burris
consulted withhis attorney before
responding.
President forgoes
'car czar,' will
instead form senior
group of advisors
WASHINGTON (AP) - Presi-
dent Barack Obama plans to appoint
senior administration officials -
rather than a single "car czar," as
had been discussed - to oversee a
restructuring of the auto industry.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Gei-
thner and National Economic Coun-
cil Director Lawrence Summers will
oversee the across-the-government
panel, a senior administration offi-
cial said yesterday on the condition
of anonymity because no announce-
ment had been made.
"The president understands the,
importance of this issue and also
understands that the auto industry
affects and is affected by a broad
range of economic policies," the
official said.
As the teams move forward,
Obama "wants to make sure that
we're getting the expertise and
input of agencies across the govern-
ment," the official said.
Obama and his aides face diffi-
cult choices on the fate of the U.S.
auto industry, weighing the cost of
pouring billions more into strug-
gling companies against possible
bankruptcies that could undermine
plans to jump-start the economy.
General Motors Corp. and
Chrysler LLC are racing against a
Tuesday deadline to submit plans
to the government. The plans are
to be followed by weeks of intense
negotiations ahead of a March 31
deadline for the final versions of
the reports.
GM and Chrysler are living off a
combined $13.4 billion in govern-
ment loans. If they don't receive
concessions by March 31, they face
the prospect of having the loans
pulled, followed by bankruptcy
proceedings.
Any bankruptcy would be par-
ticularly painful, with some econo-
mists predicting the country could
lose 2 million to 3 million jobs this
year and the unemployment rate,
now 7.6 percent, could swell past 9
percent by the spring of 2010.
In television interviews Sunday,
White House senior adviser David
Axelrod didn't respond directly
when asked if the U.S. economy
could withstand a GM bankruptcy.
Nor did he directly address a ques-
tion about whether the-Obama
administration would let GM go
into bankruptcy.
"I'm not going to prejudge any-
thing. I think that there is going to
have to be a restructuring of those
companies. I'm not going to get
into the mode of how that happens.
We'll wait and see what they have
to say on Tuesday," he told "Fox
News Sunday."
Executives at the two automak-
ers have said bankruptcy is not an
option because consumers would
not buy cars from a company that
might go out ot business.
"How that .restructuring comes
is something that has to be deter-
mined," Axelrod said. "But it's
going to be something that's going
to require sacrifice not just from the
auto workers but also from credi-
tors, from shareholders and the
executives who run the company."
JI
BRIGHT MINDS. BRIGHT CITY.
SUMMER SESSIONS 2009
It's never too early to start thinking about summer. Enjoy all that Chicago has to offer while
taking a class to lighten your load for the fall. Registration starts February 13.
For a full list of courses, visit LUC.edu/summer.
LOYOLA
UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
Preparing people to lead extraordinary lives