The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
RAMALLAH, West Bank
Obama team
assures lawmakers
about bailout
President-elect Barack Obama
would spend the remaining $350
billion of a financial bailout fund
on expanded lending and reduced
foreclosures and would not use
the money to help other industries,
lawmakers said yesterday after dis-
cussions with Obama emissaries.
The Senate was set to vote today
on whether to release the money.
Lawmakers insisted that Obama
advisers put their assurances in
writing before the vote.
Seeking to secure votes from
wary members of both parties,
Obama aides fanned out across the
Capitol yesterday. Their lobbying
effort culminated in a closed door
meeting between Senate Repub-
licans and top Obama economic
adviser Larry Summers and incom-
ing White House chief of staff,
Rahm Emanuel.
The private guarantees went
further than what Obama's team
has been willing to discuss publicly
about his plans for the second half
of the $700 billion Troubled Asset
Relief Program.
SEATTLE
Apple CEO Jobs
backtracks on
health, takes leave
Apple Inc. co-founder and Chief
Executive Steve Jobs said yesterday
he is taking a medical leave until
June, even though just a week ago
the cancer survivor tried to assure
investors and employees his recent
weight loss was caused by an easily
treatable hormone deficiency.
Apple's stock dropped 6 percent.
Jobs, 53, said in a letter last week
that he would remain at Apple's helm
despite the hormone problem, and
that he had alreadybegun a "relative-
ly simple and straightforward" treat-
ment. But in an e-mail to employees
yesterday, Jobs backtracked.
"During the past week I have
learned that my health-related
issues are more complex than I
originally thought," he wrote.
Apple's shares have surged and
crashed over the last year in step
with rumors or news about the
CEO's health and his gaunt appear-
ance. While the top executive's
health is an issue for investors in
any company, at Apple the level of
concernreaches feverpitchbecause
Jobs has a hand in everything from
ideas for new products to the way
they're marketed.
ROANOKE, Va.
S Kellogg pulls
crackers after
recall by suppliers
A peanut butter maker that sells
bulk supplies to institutions issued
a nationwide recall as officials yes-
terday reported two more deaths
associated with a salmonella out-
break. Its client Kellogg Co. later
asked stores to stop selling a vari-
ety of peanut butter crackers.
Lynchburg-baeed Peanut Corp.
of America issued the recall late
Tuesday for 21 lots of peanut but-
ter made since July 1 at its plant
in Blakely, Ga., because of possible
salmonella contamination. The
company supplies peanut paste to
Kellogg, which yesterday asked
stores nationwide to pull peanut
butter crackers sold under the Aus-
tin and Keebler brands.
Kellogg, based in Battle Creek,
Mich. said it hasn'tfound problems
or received complaints about those
products.
MONTPELIER, Vt.
Biting cold in
northeast, record
lows hit Michigan
The cold wave that stunned the
nation's midsection expanded into
the Northeast yesterday with sub-
zero temperatures and biting wind
that kept even some winter sports
fans at home.
The wind chill hit 33 below zero
during the night at Massena, N.Y.,
and the National Weather Service
predicted actual temperatures
nearly that low in parts of the
region by tonight. The weather ser-
vice said Flint, Mich., set a record
low early yesterday at 19 degrees
below zero.
S Forecasters also issued a lake
effectsnowwarningyesterdaynight
for southwest Michigan, where a
foot of snow or more could fall.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
A Palestinian woman stands on the rubble ofa destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, yesterday.
Egypt, Mamas optimistic
about 10-day cease-fire deal
Agreement could be
stepping stone to
long-term deal
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Egypt
and Hamas are close to a deal for
a 10-day cease-fire between Israel
and the Palestinian militant group
in Gaza, where the death toll from
the Israeli offensive exceeded
1,000, officials said yesterday.
Egyptian and Hamas offi-
cials expressed optimism that
an agreement for a temporary
halt in fighting could be sealed
soon and presented to Israel. But
even if all sides sign on, further
talks will be needed to resolve
contentious disputes over polic-
ing Gaza's borders and ensure a
longer-term truce.
"We're working with Hamas
and we're working with the Israeli
side. We hope to reach an outcome
soon," Egyptian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hossam Zaki told the
British Broadcasting Corp.
STATE BUDGET
From Page 1A
colleges and universities, or pos-
sibly privatizing the University of
Michigan, which the commission
estimated would save the state
$326.7 million.
Gary Olson, director of the state
Senate Fiscal Agency, who also
headed the study group, said he
would rather cut the scholarships,
than enact statewide spending cuts.
"My feeling is that if higher ed
needs to be cut,- cut the Promise
Grant instead of funding across
the board." Olson said "You can
cut direct aid to the universities
and community colleges and you'll
get $200 million in savings."
Olson said he didn't know how
likely it will be that the state will
heed the commission's recommen-
dations.
Still, many students at the Uni-
versity would rather the state not
cut a scholarship program.
Engineering junior Andrew
Till, who currently benefits from a
merit scholarship, said that schol-
arships are more important than
ever these days.
Nine Israeli human rights groups
accused the army of endangering
Gazan civilians and called for a war
crimes investigation. The groups
wrote to Israeli leaders that -the
Gaza campaign has left civilians
with nowhere to flee. Foreign Min-
istry spokesman Yigal Palmor said
Israel supports freedom of expres-
sion, even if an opinion "is not based
on any solid evidence and even if it is
tainted with politicalbias."
Guerrillas in Lebanon sent
rockets crashing into northern
Israel yesterday for the second
time in a week, drawing an Israeli
artillery barrage and threatening
to drag the Jewish state into a sec-
ond front.
Egyptian and Hamas officials
held intensive talks in Cairo. Late
yesterday, Salah al-Bardawil,
a Gaza-based Hamas official,
stopped short of saying Hamas
had accepted the Egyptian pro-
posal. He told reporters that "we
submitted our points of view" on
the proposed deal, adding, "We
hope that this Egyptian effort will
"I think that with the econo-
my being the way it is currently,
that it's kind of a bad idea to say
'here's this great school but we're
not going to give you money even
though you're a good high school
student,' " Till said.
He added that it sends the wrong
message to students because the
state should be telling students
that they will be rewarded for
doing well in high school.
LSA sophomore Anne Lerums
said scholarships help keep the stu-
dent body economically diverse.
"I know that there are many
students who would not be able to
attend the University of Michi-
gan if their scholarships didn't
exist," she said. "I think that
would be a huge loss for the Uni-
versity of Michigan to not have
those students who wouldn't be
able to afford it otherwise."
Lerums, who is on scholar-
ship herself, said that without
the tuition help she wouldn't be
able to attend the University.
Lerums also said a 7.1 percent
'statewide budget cut wouldn't be
ideal, but is probably preferable
to a decrease in scholarships.
"I feel like there are a lot of
succeed."
Ghazi Hamad, another Gaza-
based Hamas official, told the BBC,
"I am optimistic now because I
think there is no other choice for
us. ... This kind of agreement can
be done now, and I think now there
is good progress in Egypt. We hope
that now Egypt will contact Israel
and talk about all issues."
But there were signs Hamas'
leadership-in-exile had reserva-
tions. Osama Hamdan, a leading
Hamas official in Beirut, said there
were still points Hamas had not
agreed to. "We do not agree with
the initiative as it stands now," he
told Al-Jazeera TV.
The contradictory comments
were the latest sign of cracks
between Hamas leaders under fire
in Gaza and the leadership-in-ex-
ile, which is largely based in Syria
and is seen as more hard-line.
Hamas officials, however, insist
that the movement is unified, and
it was not clear if Hamdan's tough-
er tone was a negotiating tactic or
a sign of division.
things on the campus that we could
go without," Lerums said.
The University's Office of
Financial Aid said it's unable to
comment on the recommenda-
tions because there's currently no
formal legislation.
Olson said the commission will
include its recommendations in its
final report to the state legislature,
which will be presented no later
than September.
"What the legislature does with
it is their call," Olson said. "The
commission has no authority to
anything other than make recom-
mendations."
RESEARCH FUNDING
From Page 1A
national top," he said in the press
release.
Shantell Kirkendoll, senior pub-
lic relations representative for the
Medical School, reiterated the
tough economic environment for
government funding, saying that
difficulties in procuring grants
were largely reflected by the
amounts NIH had available to dis-
tribute in 2008.She went on to add
that the grants that the University
earned last year are already being
used.
"The money that's come is
already paying for the work being
done by our researchers and phy-
sicians," she said. "It pays for
everything from their salaries to
their supplies and other services
that they need to keep their labs
running."
In the past, donors to the Uni-
versity like Bill and Dee Brehm,
Alfred Taubman and Charles Mott
have enabled researchers to con-
tinue their studies and clinical tri-
VIRUS
From Page lA
there was a spike in the number
of voluntarily reported illnesses in
the area.
He said his team got to work
Monday by interviewing the work-
ers in the caf6 and other patrons
who had recently eaten there.
Two sanitarians went into
the facility, Alexander said, and
took samples of all the public
surfaces in the Business School
building. The samples were
then sent to a testing lab for the
state.
But Alexander said that OSEH
officials didn't want to wait for
the results of the testing, so they
closed down the caf6 Monday
night to clean it. They sanitized
all the public spaces, public
bathrooms and all other surfac-
es that people often touch in the
building.
They also threw away all food
products that potentially could
have been contaminated.
After a team of inspectors re-
evaluated the facility Tuesday,
OSEH officials allowed the caf6 to
re-open.
Charles Amyx, the director of
operations for the Business School,
said the school will continue to
sanitize the building every night
for the next two weeks based on
protocols outlined by the OSEH
office.
Despite the ongoing sanitation
efforts, Alexander said he's satis-
fied that the outbreak was suffi-
ciently contained.
"At this point we're not seeing
Thursday, January 15,;2009 - 3A
als so they can gain further NIH
fundingin what is now an increas-
ingly competitive grant applica-
tion and allocation process.
Of the 712 grants awarded to the
University, the $55 million Clini-
cal Translational Science Award
and a National Cancer Institute
grant awarded to the Southwest
Oncology Group were among the
most substantial. Kirkendoll said
the two awards are the kinds of
compelling achievements that
"launched us over the $300 mil-
lion total."
Kirkendoll also attributed the
University's achievements to the
quality of the research faculty
and facilities on campus. She said
the Biomedical Science Research
building, which openedin Febru-
ary 2006 and currently houses 250
biomolecular research labs, is one
such example of the attractive fea-
tures of the University that have
encouraged continued support
through grant funding.
"Part of our success certainly
has to do with the talent of people
here as well as our facilities," Kirk-
endoll said.
any new illnesses being reported,"
he said. "We're going to continue
to stay on top of the cleaning for a
number of weeks."
Though authorities are still
uncertain of the exact cause,
Alexander said it was probably
the result of one of the employees
comingto work ill.
"Likely it was one of the work-
ers," he said. "Because workers
became ill before people eating at
the facility."
Alexander said this likely has
nothing to do with the Business
School's recent move to the new
building.
"You see these things pop up
wherever you have large gather-
ings of people and all you need
is one person who is not feeling
well," he said.
A similar outbreak occurred
about three years ago, Alexander
said, in one of the residence halls
on North Campus. He said that
one was harder to contain because
there was such a large population
in such a small area.
According to an e-mail dis-
tributed to some members of the
Business School community Mon-
day night, Assistant Dean Graham
Mercer writes that officials "are
taking the conservative approach
of treating this as a Norovirus out-
break."
That e-mail message was
delayed in reaching a portion
of its intended audience due to
"technical difficulties" and was
only received by some members
of the Business School commu-
nity early Wednesday afternoon,
two days after OSEH officials got
involved.
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