0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 3A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, October 27, 2010 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS DETROIT - Toyota, Honda lead quality rankings The most problem-free cars and trucks are made by Honda and Toy- ota, but U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors are closing the gap in quality, according to an annual survey by Consumer Reports mag- azine. Ford and GM continue to narrow the disparity that once separated Asia-based atomakers from their Detroit rivals. Large overhauls of American car companies in the last few years have resulted in fewer brands and better vehicles from Detroit. For the third year in a row, Toy- ota's Scion had the fewest prob- lems of any brand in the survey. It was followed by Porsche, Acura, Honda, and Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand. The Toyota brand ranked sixth down fromthird last year. It was followed by Subaru and Volvo. Lexus, which had been a top finish- er in past years, fell to ninth. Ford waa 1th, ht rose from 16th the previous year. YAKIMA, Wash. U.S. District Court delays toxic cleanup The U.S. District Court in Spo- kane has approved a new schedule that delays the cleanup of radioac- tive waste from the nation's most contaminated nuclear site by about 20 years. Watchdog groups have com- plained that the delays are too long, but state and federal officials said the agreement imposes a new, enforceable and achievable sched- ule for removing the toxic waste from underground tanks at south- central Washington's Hanford nuclear reservation. The two sides began negotiat- ing in 2007 when it became clear that the federal government would be unable to meet required dead- lines, and Washington state filed suit in 2008 when those negotia- tions imploded. The consent decree resolves the lawsuit, allowing the federal government more time for complex environmental cleanup but requiring it to answer directly to the court if new deadlines are missed. 5AN FRANCISO, Calif. Soros donates $1M to legalize weed Billionaire financier George Soros has thrown his weight behind California's marijuana legalization measure with a $1 millin donation a week before the vote. The contribution reported yesterday by The Sacramento Bee is the single biggest donation from an individual other than Proposi- ion 19's main sponsor, Oakland nedical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee. Soros, a high-profile liberal and philanthropist, has long backed drug law reform. He was one of the top financial backers of Califor- bia's first-in-the-nation measure hat legalized medical marijuana in the state in 1996. But Soros held off on openly endorsing the current measure until writing an op-ed published yesterday in The Wall Street Jour- nal. in the piece, Soros said legal- izing and taxing marijuana would save taxpayers the costs of incar- ceration and law enforcement while raising revenue for the state. NEW YORK Charges dropped in anti-gay attacks Prosecutors yesterday dropped charges against three people accused of taking part in anti-gay attacks on two men and two teens, titing a lack of evidence. Bryan Almonte and Brian Cepeda, both 17, and Steven Cara- hello, 16, had been charged with robbery, gang assault and unlawful imprisonment as hate crimes in the Oct. 3 attacks. Eight other people remain accused in the case, which city officials called the worst anti-gay attacks in recent history. It's pos- sible more people will be arrested because investigators are still Working. Family members and friends cheered outside court after the pharges were dismissed, and the three boys' attorneys said they were pleased with the outcome. 4lmonte's attorney John O'Connell said his client thought he was at a party in the abandoned home where prosecutors say three of the 'aictims were assaulted. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. A TDN ORAIO' S UD EFETV .AMU Villagers who live on the slope of Mount Merapi gather at a temporary shelter in Pakem, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia's most volatile volcano started erupting after scientists warned that pressure could trigger its most powerful eruption in years. Indonesian earthquake triggers deadly tsnua-mi Disasters could be sign of future volcanic eruptions MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia (AP) - A volcanic eruption and a tsunami killed scores of people hundreds of miles apart in Indone- sia - spasms from the Pacific "Ring of Fire," which spawns disasters from deep within the Earth. Yesterday's eruption of Mount Merapi killed at least 18 people, forced thousands to flee down its slopes and spewed burning ash and smoke high into the air on the island of Java. Meanwhile, off the coast of Sumatra, about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) west of the volcano, rescuers battled rough seas to reach Indonesia's Mentawai islands, where a 10-foot tsunami triggered by an earthquake Mon- day nightswept away hundreds of homes, killing at least 113 villag- ers, said Mujiharto of the Health Ministry's crisis center. Up to 500 others are missing. The twin disasters happened hours apart in one of the most seismically active regions on the planet. Scientists have warned that pressure building beneath Mera- pi's lava dome could trigger its most powerful explosion in years. But Gede Swantika, a govern- ment volcanologist, expressed hope the 9,737-foot (2,968-meter) mountain, which sent rocks and debris cascading down its south- ern slope, could be releasing steam slowly. "It's too early to know for sure," he said, adding that a big blast could still be coming. "But if it continues like this for a while, we are looking at a slow, long eruption." A 2006 eruption at Merapi killed two people, one in 1994 killed 60 people, and a 1930 blast killed 1,300. After refusing to budge from the volcano's fertile slopes, saying they wanted to tend to their crops and protect their homes, villagers started streaming by the thou- sands into makeshift emergency shelters late yesterday. Many car- ried sleeping mats, bags of clothes and food as they settled in. Officials said earlier that by closely monitoring the volcano 310 miles (500 kilometers) south- east of the capital of Jakarta, they thought they could avoid casual- ties. But the death toll rose quickly. Police and volunteers were shown on Metro TV pulling at least 14 ash-covered bodies and carrying them to waiting vehicles. Among the dead was a 2-month-old baby, said Mareta, a hospital worker who goes by only one name. The infant's tiny body was draped in a sheet as his mother cried. Three people at Panti Nugroho hospital died of burns after being hit by a searing cloud of ash, said Agustinus Parjo, a spokesman. Even as they contended with the volcano - one of 129 to watch in the world's largest archipelago - officials were trying to assess the impact of Monday night's 7.7-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra that triggered the killer tsunami. FIVE GUYS From Page 1A costs $5.29, according to the Five Guys website. Five Guys was founded in Arlington, Va. by University alum Jerry Murell, who opened the first location in 1986 with the help of his four sons. Though Five Guys mostly sells burgers and fries, Murell believed quality was more important than offering a bunch of different options, Adelman said. Five Guys will bring about 50 jobs to Ann Arbor. The managers of the State Street location will hold interviews for part- and full- ' time jobs a week before the res- taurant's opening. Adelman said Ann Arbor is a good city in which to open a new location because of the diversity and density of people - especially on State Street where there is a lot of foot traffic. "I don't think we're compet- ing with other businesses," Adel- man said. "We just give a choice of something different than what's already there." Varujan Arman, owner of Quickie Burger on State St., said Five Guys won't be a threat to his business. "I don't think it will affect our business because we're complete- ly different," Arman said. "Their menu is very limited, and ours has 75 options. We have a great selec- tion." He added that the only thing Five Guys has that Quickie Burger doesn't is a corporate name. LSA junior Katharine Zurek said she thinks there is something for everyone at Five Guys. "As a vegan, I'm excited to see if they have good fries," Zurek said. LSA sophomore Cassidy Dan- iels said she is disappointed that Five Guys doesn't sell milkshakes, but is still excited to see some- thing new move into the space formally occupied by Shaman Drum. Adelman said he expects stu- dents to make up a major portion of their customer base, but he also predicts that families will eat at the restaurant because they can order a lot of food for cheap. PEACE CORPS From Page 1A Corps work prior to attending graduate school and said her overseas experience aided her in determining what she wanted to study in graduate school. "I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do and the Peace Corps helped me figure that out," Hyduke said. The School of Social Work is one of four social work schools in the country to have a Mas- ter's International program, according to Srinkia Jayaratne, director of the office of Global Activities in the School of Social Work. Like with the SNRE program, Jayaratne said officials are still trying to figure out how students abroad will communicate with the school, adding that students will be assigned an advisor from the School of Social Work who previously volunteered in the Peace Corps. Jayaratne said the school also offers a special orientation class for all Social Work students who will be working abroad, includ- ing those participating in the Peace Corps. It is designed to prepare them for the different cultures and contexts they will be facing. Upon return the stu- dents will meet again and share their experiences. He said the program is a great opportunity for students who want to receive a master's degree and take advantage of what the Peace Corps can offer. "It's an integration of what it really means to live in a dif- ferent country, live with the people, work in pretty difficult situations and then think about the theories and concepts that we'll be teaching in the class- room prior to going abroad," he said. All students will be working in some way with children and youth programs, he said. Jayaratne said since there is no precedent for this program in the School of Social Work, there are bound to be challenges, but said he is optimistic. "There's a lot of interest," he said. "We have had as many as 15 to 20 students inquire about the program so far." He added that there is a "long window" before the school can fully evaluate the effectiveness of the four-year program since the first set of students will be coming in fall 2011. Educational Studies Pro- gram Chair Addison Stone said the specifics of the program in regards to the School of Educa- tion are still a "work in prog- ress," including the details of maintaining contact with the students once they are abroad. He said the general set-up of the program is similar to that of other schools, with the student spending at least one semester at the University before going overseas for his or her Peace Corps work. Stone said the idea behind students spending time at the University both before leaving and after they return is to "deep- en understanding of educational issues" not only for themselves but for the master's students who aren't involved in the pro- gram. Stone said half of the Educa- tion School students partici- pating in the Peace Corps are involved in second language instruction while the other half is involved primarily in math and science instruction. Stone said he hopes having a Master's International program will help the School of Educa- tion establish a relationship with the Peace Corps. "We of course have had some Peace Corps veterans apply to our school but they are few and far between," Stone said. Social Work graduate student Tim Polakowski said it's a "great opportunity" for interested stu- dents. "One of the benefits of the program is that before it (the experience), a lot of people who are doing the Peace Corps or who want to are afraid to do it because they don't see what to do with their Peace Corps expe- rience afterwards and how it ties into an academic program," Polakowski said. Carrie Rheingans, dual mas- ter's student in the schools of Public Health and Social Work, said she would have applied for the program had it existed when she was applying for graduate school. She said it's "really exciting" that a Peace Corps experience could be combined with an aca- demic program. The only critiques she has of the program are the amount of credits given for the two years of overseas work and, since the program is roughly four years, she suspects returning students may feel disconnected. "Being here for three years, I know what it's like to not be around the people I started with," Rheingans said. "I feel disconnected and people who do the Peace Corps in the middle for two years will feel that when they come back."