2A -- Wednesday, January 5, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michiganda ly.com 2A - Wednesday, January 5, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom THURSDAY: FRIDAY: Campus Clubs Photos of the Week Moving toward a cure With a joint appointment in the School of Kinesiology and LSA, Rachael Seidler, a University pro- fessor of movement science and psychology, is taking her work outside the classroom to improve medical treatment for the elderly and those afflicted with Parkin- son's disease. Seidler's research focuses on understanding how the brain con- trols movement. She said she works with elderly people to determine the effects of aging on structural chang- es in the brain. "What my work is showing is that as people age, that structure that is bridging the two sides of the brain breaks down and you actually get more interference between the two sides of the brain and what they're trying to do," she said. Though numerous studies are required to make an impact in the field, Seidler said her current research on how the brain changes with Parkinson's disease aims to identify whether medications for the disease help patients or actu- ally worsen the condition. With this identification, Seidler said she hopes to discern which areas of treatment need to be improved. As an undergraduate, Seidler majored in exercise science and minored in biology at the University of Oregon. She continued her edu- cation at Arizona State University, completing a master's in biomechan- ics and a doctorate in motor control before going to the University of Minnesota for post-doctoraltraining in neuroscience. Seidler said she came to the Uni- versity of Michigan in 2001 because of its reputation for research. She said she enjoys the multi-faceted nature of her job, which includes working on her own research and teaching students. "Focusing on my research allows me to hopefully make a difference in people's lives, people with movement disorders, or to better understand changes with age," she said. "At the same time Ireally enjoy teaching and trying to impart this knowledge on students and helping them to achieve their own career goals and even to help them identify what their career goals are." Seidler added that she appreciates working as a professor in the School of Kinesiology and in the Depart- ment of Psychology because it allows her to interact with people who have different interests. "I really like having the joint appointment because I get exposure to lots of different colleagues, and a large number and wide range of students in comparison to probably what most faculty interact with," she said. COURTESY OF RACHAEL SElDLER Kinesiology Prof. Rachael Seidler researches how the human brain controls motion. In carrying out this research, Seidler - SARAH ALSADEN often works with the elderly. 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Winter term anuary through Aprl)tisr$115,yearlong(September through April)is$195.University affiliates are subject toareduced subscription rate.On-campus subscriptionsforfalltermare$35.subscriptionsmustbeprepaid.TheMichiganDailyisamember of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press. 0* 0 CRIME NOTES $25 Jack Daniels Table shattered iftWHERE: School of Social g0.set soen Work WHEN: Monday at about 2:30 WHERE: UMHS Cardiovas- p.m. cular Center WHAT: A table valued at $700 WHEN: Monday at about 11:15 was found shattered, Univer- p.m. sityPolice reported. The dam- WHAT: A man was caught age appears to have been an stealing on a security camera accident. at the hospital gift shop, Uni- versity Police reported. The C rb o e no stolen items, a Jack Daniels Car broken into, gift set, are valued at $25.t GPS siped nothing taken GPS swiped g WHERE: Lot M-10, 1502 East from vehicle Medical Center WHEN: Tuesday at about 1:15 WHERE: Lot M-15, 1170 W a.m. Medical Center WHAT: A hospital employee WHEN: Sunday at about 10 said a subject attempted to a.m. steal property from a vehicle, WHAT: A GPS system was University Police reported. stolen from a car, University Property inside the vehicle Police reported. There are no was reportedly moved, but suspects. nothing was taken. CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Concerto Physics talk competition WHAT: English Prof. Michael Byers will spet WHAT: Students are com- in an event called, "Fin peting in the final round of Percival's Planet." The c a competition. Winners will is a part of a series cont perform with ensembles ing throughout this sen throughout the year. WHO: Department of WHO: School of Music, Physics Theatre & Design WHEN: Today at 4 p.m WHEN: Today at 4 p.m WHERE: 340 West Ha WHERE: Hill Auditorium MHealthy Winter courses indoor walk presentations WHAT: An indoor walk will be lead by yak ding event tinu- mester. . all The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has filed more than 100 legal trademark oppositions against other charities that use the phrase "for the cure" in their name, The Huffington Post reported. Approximately 214 stu- dent veterans of Ameri- can wars are currently enrolled at the University. FORMORE, SEE THESTATEMENT 3The Mexican drug cartel La Familia has agreed to a one-month truce with authorities, according to The Associated Press. A letter reportedly signed by La Famil- ia announcing the moritorium of criminal activity circulated Sunday. It has not been deter- mined if the letter is authen- tic. The Mexican government said many leaders ofLaFamilia have been killed or arrested. WHAT: Faculty of the Col- lege of Architecture and Urban Planning will give presentations on courses available this semester. Each presentation will be about seven to 10 minutes. WHO: College of Architec- ture and Urban Planning WHEN: Today at 3 p.m. WHERE: Art and Archi- tecture Building Nickey Rosol from MHealthy. WHO: MHealthy WHEN: Today at 11:45 am., 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m. WHERE: The Cardiovascu- lar Center, Level 2 Atrium CORRECTIONS " Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michi- gandaily.com. 0 House Republicans . ask Obama to trim federal spending Obama challenged to join GOP push to make budget cuts WASHINGTON (AP) - On the brink of power, House Republi- cans challenged President Barack Obama yesterday to join them in a drive to cut federal spending, ban earmarks for favored projects and overhaul the nation's tax code. At the same time, incoming House Majority Leader Eric Can- tor, R-Va., conceded the new GOP majority intends to bypass its own new rules when it votes next week to wipe out the health care law approved by Democrats in 2010. "We just need to repeal it," Cantor said of the effort to fulfill one of the party's main campaign promises from last fall. Republicans, their ranks expanded by tea party-backed freshmen, take control of the House when the 112th Congress convenes at noon today. One of the first orders of business will be the election of Ohio Republican John Boehner as speaker, replacing Democrat Nancy Pelosi. In a celebratory mood, House Republicans met for nearly three hours during the day as they looked ahead to their two-year term of office. GOP freshmen have emphasized the need to reduce the deficit, but there are limits to how far the caucus is willing to go. Ten-year veteran Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said his colleagues defeat- ed his proposal to use savings from spending cuts only for deficit reduction, as opposed to shifting some money to other government programs. Across the Capitol, Demo- crats retained their majority in the November elections.. But the 60 Senate seats they controlled two years ago - enough to push through much of Obama's agenda - will fall to 53. That will make it harder to enact legislation Obama still seeks. But it gives them more than enough clout to block passage of bills like the health care repeal that House Republicans desire. Obama, speaking with report- ers aboard Air Force One as he flew home from a year-end vacation in Hawaii, predicted Republicans would "play to their (political) base" initially. He added, "But I'm pretty con- fident that they're going to recog- nize that our job is to govern and make sure that we are delivering jobs for the American people." He said the two sides can build on the lame duck session of Con- gress in December, when they agreed on a compromise to pre- vent income taxes from rising, to extend unemployment benefits and to enact a Social Security tax cut that took effect on Saturday. Cantor challenged and chided Obama by turn in a news confer- ence in which he said the GOP envisions a "cut and grow major- ity" to reduce government spend- ing and regulations and benefit the economy. The first spending cut vote is set for tomorrow, a 5 percent reduction in the amount ticketed for lawmakers' and committees' offices as well as leadership staff. Aides estimated the savings at $35 million over the next nine months. Republicans have pledged to vote on bills that cut spending at least once a week. Obama is expected to deliver his State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress on Jan. 25, and Cantor said he was "look- ing to see some significant spend- ing cuts proposed by the president that we can work on together." He also said he hopes Obama will prevail on Senate Democrats to ban earmarks, which are funds dedicated to specific pet projects of individual lawmakers. He added, "Tax reform could be a significant boost. and I'm hope- ful and expecting the president" will speak on that subject as well. Cantor also said he was "hopeful the president will re-evaluate his position on regulations." Republicans argue that the economy suffers from over-reg- ulation by the government, high- lighting the health care bill as one example. Cantor's comments under- scored the change that has occurred in the political land- scape since the last election. Instead of merely opposing Obama's every proposal, as they did in 2009 and 2010, Republicans must compromise with him if they are to show results in their drive to cut spending. Yet their eagerness to vote quickly on repealing the health care bill is in line with a no-com- promise position articulated by the tea party forces that helped propel many GOP challengers to victory. Republicans have the votes to pass the health care repeal bill though the House. Yet the action is largely symbolic, since Demo- cratic leaders have already pro- nounced it dead on arrival in the Senate. And Democrats made it clear they intend to make the House vote as uncomfortable as possible for Republicans, too. "Under the Republican repeal effort, insurance companies would once again be able to drop people when they get sick.. Chil- dren with pre-existing conditions would be denied coverage," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. "Young people will not be able to stay on their parents' insur- ance until they're age 26. Pregnant women and breast cancer survi- vors could be denied coverage. Seniors will face an increase in their prescription drug costs, mil- lions thrown back into the Medi- care Part D doughnut hole." One of the first votes on Wednesday will be enactment of a series of rules changes that Republicans crafted to increase openness in Congress' proceed- ings. Hundreds of dead birds lie along the side of the Morganza Highway in Pointe Coupee Parish, La. Thousands of blackbirds eris in Southern U.S. According to experts, mass bird deaths are not uncommon NEW ORLEANS (AP) - It isn't easy being a blackbird in the South. First, New Year's Eve fireworks were blamed in central Arkansas for making thousands of black- birds confused, crashing into homes, cars and each other. Then 300 miles to the south in Loui- siana, power lines likely killed about 450 birds, littering a high- way near Baton Rouge. It's almost certainly a coinci- dence the events happened within days of each other, Louisiana's state wildlife veterinarian Jim LaCour said yesterday. "I haven't found anything to link the two at this point." Mass bird deaths aren't uncommon. The U.S. Geological Service's website listed about 90 mass deaths of birds and other wildlife from June through Dec. 12. There were five deaths of at least 1,000 birds, with the larg- est near Houston, Minn., where parasite infestations killed about 4,000 water birds between Sept. 6 and Nov. 26. In Louisiana, the birds died sometime late Sunday or early Monday in the rural Pointe Cou- pee Parish community of Labarre, about 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. The birds - a mixed flock of red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grack- les and starlings - may have hita power line or vehicles in the dark, LaCour said. Two dozen of them had head, neck, beak or back inju- ries. About 50 dead birds were near a power line 30 or 40 feet from Louisiana Highway 1. About a quarter-mile away, a second group of 400 or more stretched from the power line and across the highway, he said. Dan Cristol, a biology professor and co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies at the College of William & Mary, said the Louisiana birds may have been ill or startled from their roost, then hit the power line. "They don't hita power line for no reason," he said. In Beebe, New Year's revelers spent the holiday weekend clean- ing up dead red-winged black- birds. Some speculated that bad weather was to blame. Others said one confused bird could have led the group in a fatal plunge. A few spooked schoolkids guessed the birds committed mass suicide. Officials acknowledged, though, they may never know exactly what caused the large number of deaths. Cristol was skeptical of the fireworks theory, unless "some- body blew something into the roost, literally blowing the birds into the sky." Wildlife officials in both Arkansas and Louisiana sent carcasses to researchers at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. and the Univer- sity of Georgia. LaCour said he didn't expect results for at least two or three weeks. In 1999, several thousand grackles fell from the sky and staggered about before dying in north Louisiana. It took five months to get the diagnosis: an E. coli infection of the air sacs in their skulls. "I hope things go faster than that," said Paul Slota, branch chief for the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. He said necropsies of the Arkansas birds beganyesterday afternoon. 0 I A