The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Israeli diplomat talks peace process
Deputy consul
general says Iran's
influence hinders
Israeli peace process
By ALEX KIRSHENBAUM
For the Daily
On campus last night, Israeli
Deputy Consul General Gershon
Kedar said Iran's influence in the
Middle East could be a hindrance
to any developments in the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process.
At a lecture, "Exploring the
Dynamic U.S.-Israeli Relation-
ship," Kedar spoke to about 60
attendees on a variety of topics
relating to the Middle East includ-
ing the extremism of Arab-Israeli
conflict to the possibility of a two-
state solution to the conflict.
r Kedar mainly focused his dis-
cussion on Israel's more immedi-
ate neighbors, largely avoiding the
United States' role of in the peace
negotiations.
Discussing the effect of Iran's
geopolitical position on Israeli
peace negotiations, Kedar said that
for the other countries involved,
"Iran is the problem, not Israel."
Kedar spoke frequently about
the negative effects of Iran's influ-
ence in the region on the Middle
East peace process.
"Iran's nuclear umbrella will ...
make (Arab countries') regimes
that much more unstable," he said.
Kedar lectured for only a few
minutes, with most of the event's
BUDGET
From Page 1A
nifer Granholm, said shortly after
midnight. But the governor's office
was waiting on a possible resolu-
tion from the legislature to keep
government running before state
offices were to open Thursday.
Michigan already is struggling
with the nation's highest unem-
ployment rate, a shrinking auto
industry, a high home foreclosure
rate and an economy that soured
long before the national recession.
The number of people receiving
food stamps and unemployment
checks keeps going up, and it's the
only state where the Census Bureau
found increasing poverty rates two
years in a row.
Pennsylvania is now the only in
the country where a budget deal
has not been enacted. Leaders there
reached a tentative deal nearly two
weeks ago, but have been unable
to put all the pieces in place. Only
Michigan and Alabama have fiscal
years that start Oct. 1, and Alabama
has passed its budget.
Michigan is having a tough
time finding money for everything
from prisons to universities and
in-school health clinics for adoles-
cents. State revenues have grown
just 1.3 percent annually during the
past decade when federal funds are
left out, according to the nonparti-
san House Fiscal Agency.
University funding has dropped
22 percent during the past seven
years when adjusted for inflation,
forcing up tuition rates. Yet the
Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 7A
higher education compromise law-
makers passed. Wednesday elimi-
nated the pepular Premise Grant'
scholarship, which gave college
studentsupto$4,000, andcutother
student financial aid to the bone.
The lack of a budget deal left
51,000 state workers unsure as they
headed to bed Wednesday night
whether they'd work Thursday.
The administration had issuedtem-
porary layoff notices earlier in the
day and told state contractors they
might not get paid.
Granholm had angled to get an
interim budget sent to her by the
Wednesday midnight deadline. It
would have meant 30 more days
for lawmakers to put a more pal-
atable deal in place and she prob-
ably wouldn't have had to cut much
spending during that period.
The interim. budget originally
was Senate Republicans' idea. But
as House Democrats on Wednesday
tried to restore programs, GOP law-
makers feared Democrats only want-
ed to win more time for tax increases.
Meanwhile, school andlocalgov-
ernment leaders grew increasingly
nervous contemplating cuts.
Revenue for cities, villages and
townships has dropped by nearly a
quarter in the past eight years, and
mayors statewide said a proposed
11 percent cut in the new budget
would force them to lay off police,
close parks and shut off some city
services.
Michigan also isin danger of los-
ing millions of federal dollars for
Medicaid and similar programs if
it can't come up with its share of
matching funds.
SAMMI TRAUBEN/Daily
Israeli Deputy Consul General Gershon Kedar speaks about Israeli relations and conflicts last night in the Chemistry Building.
time being consumed by questions punishment is," Kedar said. Kedar's lecture was well rounded.
from the audience. He likened the commission's "I thought he was very informa-
One of the questions raised sev- findings to a juror entering into tive," she said. "He presented both
eral times concerned the recent a trial, already sure of the defen- sides. (Heexplained)howit'snotjust
Goldstone report, released by the dant's guilt. an Israeli-Palestinian issue - the
United Nations Human Rights The lecture was sponsored by the surrounding areas are involved."
Council. The report criticized American Movement for Israel, the Lemkin added that she wished
Israel for human rights violations largest pro-Israeli group on campus. there would have been a little more
during lastyear's Gaza conflict. LSA sophomore Richard Kallus, history in the lecture.
Kedar said the report was unac- a member of AMI board, said the "Maybe if he went over a little
ceptable because it assumed Israe- group brought in Kedar to show more of a history of the conflict,
li guilt, rather than providing an campus a unique perspective on just to say how emotionally both
unbiased objective observer. the issue. sides are involved," said Lemkin.
He added that the government "We want to show a different "Just a recap I guess."
is "not willing to play ball," when viewpoint from what most people LSA sophomore Elise Aikman
it comes to the report. are seeing in the American media," agreed.
"The mandate from the begin- Kallus said. "I would like to know more
ning states that Israel is guilty, that LSAjunior Kimberly Lemkin, who about the history of U.S.-Arab rela-
we just have to figure out what the attended the lecture,said she thought tions," she said.
PAINKILLER
From Page 1A
by using ultra-small polymer par-
ticles to "release morphine and an
antidote automatically in response
to physiological clues," Baker wrote
in an e-mail interview.
"The drug gives long-term relief
from pain for wounded soldiers
while preventing overdoses with
pain medication that might kill
them," Baker wrote.
Baker and his team are work-
ing on the drug through a grant
of about $1.3 million administered
by the U.S. Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency.
.aohua Huang, a researcher
on the team and an internal medi-
cine research investigator for the
Michigan Nanotechnology Insti-
tute, explained the team's pur-
pose.
"Wehave todesignthecruciallink
or system that willtrigger the release
of a therapeutic drug and under a
specific condition," Huangsaid.
The researchers tested many
different compounds in hopes of
finding an effective pro-drug, a
modified therapeutic drug thatcan
beconvertedtoanotherdrugunder
a specific condition, according to a
press release from the University
of Michigan Health System.
The team wanted to use a pro-
drug that could become Naloxone,
a drug used toRevent morphine's
negative side effects.
Huang said the Naloxone com-
pound will only activate when
blood oxygen levels become too
low.
"Our drug design will release
an anti-morphine drug that will
reduce the morphine effects, but
the drug will only release when
there's a problem," Huang said.
"The problem becomes a trigger of
release of the anti-morphine drug.
When the problem disappears,that
means the oxygen in the blood has
come back to a normal level."
If the drug proves effective
for humans, it will be a crucial
advancement in the medical world
and especially on the battlefield,
where it will allow for easier
administering of pain relief to
wounded soldiers.
"Sometimes (a soldier) will be in
a remote place that makes it hard
to retreat to a hospital," Huang
said. "Soldiers can give themselves
this pro-drug with morphine with-
out causing any problems."
Besides helping soldiers and
becoming a source of pain control
among other patients, it could also
prevent morphine addiction.
"(The drug) may help pain
control in many medical settings
while preventing overdoses and
potentially avoiding addiction,"
Baker wrote.
The research team is still con-
ducting studies and will soon be
performing animal and toxico-
logical tests. It is not yet known
when the drug will be available for
humans.
"As for the timeline (for
humans), it's hard to say, maybe in
five years," Huang said. "To move
from a clinical trial to a real patient
is still a long way to go."
TAILGATE
From Page 1A
Larcom's original letter sent last
week discussed the problems the
pregames cause, and also the laws
they potentially break.
"We appreciate your willing-
ness to pass on to your tenants that
there is 'zero tolerance' for illegal
activities, such as possession of
open intoxicants in public, minors
in possession, littering, excessive
noise and other disorderly con-
duct," the letter stated.
FOLLOW THE DAILY
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"DREW BARRYMORE
HAS DIRECTED A WORK OF
PURE GENIUS."
AIN'T IT COOL NEWS
JAKE FROMM/Daily
Buju Banton concerts have been cancelled at various venues across the country, including in Detroit, for anti-gay lyrics,
PROTEST
From Page 1A
buyer, who booked Banton said the
performer said in the three times
he has worked Banton's shows, he
has never seen him play the song.
"He's very sensitive to this
topic," he said. "Not only does he
not ever perform any of his work
from when he was kid, he doesn't
even allow the DJs who spin before
or after his sets to play anything
that would resemble homophobic
material."
Berry said that he personally
came outside during the protest
and had a very "civil dialogue"
with the protestors. He added that
he planned on opening the doors
to the club when Banton discussed
the controversial song.
"I went out there and talked to
them myself," he said. "The mayor
came down and he brought the
leaders of the group in and we sat
there and chatted, and I was just
kind of filling the mayor in on what
Buju was all about and why the Pig
is doing this."
Armstrong, however, said that
he does not believe that Banton's
prejudices are in the past and said
he has been recorded singing his
controversial song "Boom Bye-
Bye" in the past couple of years.
"He was recorded saying 'the
war between me and faggots will
never end,"' Armstrong said. "It's
hard to believe he's turned a new
leaf."
Phil Volk, Michigan Democratic
Party LGBT Caucus member an
attendee at the rally, said the pro-
testers are serving an important
purpose.
"Any place where they allow
degrading LGBT people have to
know it's wrong and they have tosee
(this protest) to know it's wrong,"
Volk said. "People are feeding hate
by attending this concert."
But not all LGBT activists sup-
ported the protest.
Bill Dobbs, who is a well-
respected and nationally renowned
gay activist and University alum,
said the LGBT community should
not be protesting Banton's right to
free expression by calling for the
show's cancellation. But, rather,
they should be protesting the mes-
sage of his songs, Dobbs said.
"The dangerous part of this pro-
test is when it's not just to confront
his lyrics but to shut him down,"
Dobbs said. "It's fine to protest,
but it's not fine to work to pull the
plug."
Dobbs added that the tim-
ing of the protest is a bit ironic as
this week is Banned Books Week,
which aims to bring awareness to
the dangers of censorship.
Dobbs likened the push to pre-
vent Banton from performing at
the Blind Pig to the censorship
attempted against certain video
games and eroticabecause they are
believed to cause violence.
He said he believes free speech,
hateful or not, should never be
compromised.
"I'm not defending Banton's
lyrics," Dobbs said. "What I'm
alarmed at is a tactic ... the gay and
lesbian folks who are out there on
the street are doing to somebody
else exactly what's been done to
them and that always comes back
to haunt."
Lawrence Steirhoff, a second-
year University Law student and
political action chair of the Out-
Laws group, an LGBT organization
in the Law School, said the claim
that the protest is an attempt to
stifle Banton's First Amendment
rights is "idiotic."
He said he believes that the com-
munity should be able cancel the
show because, though Banton has
the right to say what he wants, the
protestors are within their rights
to attempt to prevent him from
performing in their community.
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje,
who was at last night's protest, said
he was in communication with
representatives from the Blind Pig
to try and urge them to cancel the
show, but ultimately his requests
were denied.
"I'll certainly respect their right
to put the show on," Hieftje said.
"But we're out here to protest."
- Daily News Editor Jillian
Berman contributed to this report.