The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, September 9, 2011 - 3A

The Michigan Daily - mictigandailycom Friday, September 9, 2011 - 3A

NEWS BRIEFS
NEW YORK
Judge orders jury
hearing for subway
bombing attempt
A jury can hear incriminat--
ing statements made by a terror
defendant after he was arrested
in a failed mission by al-Qaida to
attack the city's subway system
with homemade bombs, a federal
judge ruled yesterday.
U.S. District Judge Raymond
Dearie rejected a defense motion
to have Adis Medunjanin's state-
ments kept out of a trial expected
to begin early next year.
Defense attorney Robert Got-
tlieb, who had argued the state-
ments had been coerced, said he
was "disappointed, but we are
preparing for trial."
Medunjanin has pleaded not
guilty to charges accusing him
of hatching a plot with two for-
mer high school classmates
from Queens, Najibullah Zazi
and Zarein Ahmedzay, to pull
off what prosecutors call three
"coordinated suicide bombing
attacks" on Manhattan subway
lines.
After receiving al-Qaida train-
ing, Zazi, a former Denver airport
shuttle driver, cooked up explo-
sives and set out for New York
City around the eighth anniver-
sary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
He was arrested after abandoning
the plan and fleeing back to Colo-
rado.
ALHAMBRA, Calif.
Grandmother wins
$18 million lottery
A Southern California woman
who won half the $18 million
SuperLotto has her children and
grandchildren to thank for the
win.
That's because Audelia
Ramirez used their birthdates to
pick the winning numbers.
The California Lottery said
yesterday that Ramirez claimed
her $9 million prize Wednes-
day and said she'd love to buy a
new house after living in a small
apartment for years. The 73-year-
old has six children and eight
grandchildren.
Another winning ticket sold
at Junior Liquor in San Diego
remains unclaimed.
POOLER, Ga.
McDonald's fumes
sicken 10 people
An 80-year-old woman has
died after being sickened by
fumes at a McDonald's restaurant
in south Georgia.
Pooler Police Chief Mark Reve-
new says Anne Felton of Ponte
Vedra, Fla., died early yester-
day. She and her husband were
customers at the restaurant. An
autopsy will be conducted to
determine her cause of death.
Felton was one of 10 taken to
the hospital Wednesday after

firefighters found two customers
unconscious in the bathroom and
others struggling to breathe.
Authorities suspect cleaning
chemicals in the restroom are to
blame, but the cause is still under
investigation.
McDonald's said in a state-
ment Wednesday that the restau-
rant reopened after authorities
deemed it safe. The company did
not immediately comment on Fel-
ton's death.
MONTPELIER, Vt.
New Ben & Jerry's
flavor inspired by
famous SNL skit
P-n & Jerry's has Schweddy
Ball could you like a taste?
f Al out, it's only the name of
the r new flavor.
chweddy Balls ice cream is
an homage to a 13-year-old "Sat-
urday Night Live" skit featuring
Alec Baldwin as bakery owner
Pete Schweddy, whose unique
holiday offerings included a deli-
cacy called Schweddy balls.
The company's not worried
about offending people with
the name, said spokesman Sean
Greenwood.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports

KEVIN LAMARQUE/AP
President Barack Obama arrives to address a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington yesterday.
President uvel
extensive jospan

Obama calls for
cuts to Social
Security payroll tax
WASHINGTON (AP) -
Confronting an economy in
peril, President Barack Obama
unveiled a larger-than-expect-
ed $450 billion plan last night
to boost jobs and put cash in the
pockets of dispirited Americans,
urging Republican skeptics to
embrace an approach heavy
on the tax cuts they tradition-
ally love. With millions of voters
watching and skeptical of Wash-
ington, Obama repeatedly chal-
lenged Congress to act swiftly.
The newest and boldest ele-
ment of Obama's plan would
slash the Social Security payroll
tax both for tens of millions of
workers and for employers, too.
For individuals, that tax has
been shaved from 6.2 percent to
4.2 percent for this year but is to
go back up again without action
by Congress. Obama wants to
deepen the cut to 3.1 percent for
workers.
"This plan is the right thing
to do right now," Obama said
after a divided body rose in
warm unison to greet him. "You
should pass it. And I intend to
take that message to every cbr-
ELBEL
From Page 1A
positive, Canning said.
"They no longer have tired legs
(or) shin splints ... they love it,"
Canning said. "With the march-
ing and cadence that they do, it
is very, very repetitive. But now,
it's repetitive on exactly the same
surface that they are performing
on. It's tremendous."
Unlike other fields at the Uni-
versity, the synthetic field will
offer athletic student groups a
space to practice and play for
more days throughout the year,
since mud and permafrost won't
affect the artificial turf, Canning
pointed out. The new field mate-
rial, which is made of recycled
tires and sand, will particularly
help spring sports like rugby, he
said.
Nick Cilifone, a graduate stu-
dent who plays for the Univer-
sity's men's club soccer team,
said before the renovations, Elbel
Field was difficult to practice and
play on.
"It was in pretty bad shape,
especially when it got colder,"
Cilifone said. "It was very diffi-
cult to train there."
Fellow teammate Kevin Zuss-
man, a senior in the Business
School, said practicing on the
natural grass field made it diffi-
cult when the team played their
games on synthetic turf. Though
he said the new synthetic field
isn't large enough for full scrim-
mages, he said it will be "good for
drills and small games."
The renovations at Elbel Field
also included a new, wrought
iron fence around the perimeter
of the field, which Canning said
was funded and designed by Busi-
ness and Finance Department

ne of this country."
In his televised address to
Congress, Obama sought to pro-
vide a jolt for the economy, still
staggering on his watch, and for
his own standing at one of the
lowest marks of his presidency.
He put forth a jobs plan that he
hopes can get bipartisan sup-
port and spur hiring in a nation
where 14 million people remain
out of work and the jobless rate
is stuck at 9.1 percent. Public
confidence in his stewardship of
the economy is eroding.
Obama did not venture an esti-
mate as to how many jobs his plan
wouldcreate. He promised repeat-
edly that his plan would be paid
for, but never said how, pledgingto
release those details soon.
The president also would
apply the Social Security pay-
roll tax cut to employers, halv-
ing their taxes to 3.1 percent on
their first $5 million in payroll.
Businesses that hire new work-
ers or give raises to those they
already employ would get an
even bigger benefit: On payroll
increases up to $50 million they
would pay no Social Security
tax.
Obama also proposed spend-
ing to fix schools and roads, hire
local teachers and police and to
extend unemployment benefits.
He proposed a tax credit for
at the University. The new fence
will allow the Department of
Recreational Sports to schedule
and supervise the field hours and
maintain the top dressing, aerat-
ing and seeding that occurred over
the summer to restore the field.
The locked fence will also keep
people attending the football
games from crossing the field
on their way in and out of the
Big House - a shortcut that
can cause a lot of damage to
the natural grass field, Canning
said.
"Our department, recre-
ational sports, has much more
control over the field now ...
(Elbel Field) will be open many
hours, but it will also be con-
trolled," Canning said. "And
being able to control it, will
allow us to have a more quality
field."
The grand opening of Elbel
Field at 7:30 p.m. tonight will
involve a dedication ceremony
and addresses by Vice Presi-
dent for Student Affairs E.
Royster Harper, President of
the Club Sports Council Jessica
Kraft and Michigan Marching
Band Drum Major Jeff McMa-
hon. After the ribbon cutting,
there will be games and give-
aways involving marching
band members and club sports
teams.
Other Department of Rec-
reational Sports projects using
the $1.6 million include locker
room improvements in the
North Campus Recreational
Building and Central Campus
Recreational Building. The
department has also installed
a new road and roof at the
Radrick Recreation Area, on
Dixboro Rd., which houses the
Challenge Program.
The funding will also allow

businesses that hire people out
of work for six months or longer,
plus other tax relief aimed at
winning bipartisan support in a
time of divided government.
Under soaring expectations
for results, Obama sought to put
himself on the side of voters who
he said could not care less about
the political consequences of his
speech.
"The question is whether, in
the face of an ongoing national
crisis, we can stop the political
circus and actually do some-
thing to help the economy,"
Obama said.
His aim last night was to put
pressure on Congress to act -
and to share the responsibil-
ity for fixing the economic mess
that is sure to figure in next
year's elections. For every time
he told lawmakers to "pass the
bill" - and he said over and over
- Democrats cheered while
Republicans sat in silence.
Tax cuts amounted to the
broadest part of Obama's pro-
posal - in essence, a challenge
by the Democratic president to
congressional Republicans to
get behind him on one of their
own cherished economic prin-
ciples or risk the wrath of voters
for inaction. The tax cuts alone
would amount to roughly $250
billion.
80 to 90 exercise machines to be
replaced at recreational facilities
by the end of the month, accord-
ingto Canning. Additionally, tele-
visions and cable will be installed
in select areas at the Intramu-
ral Sports Building, CCRB and
NCRB this month.

SAFETY
From Page 1A
Street to South Forest Street
south of Oakland Avenue, and
the Oxbridge neighborhood, the
area around the Oxford Housing
complex.
Laura Blake Jones, dean of
students and associate vice presi-
dent for student affairs, said the
program strives to help students
transition out of residence halls
and into off-campus housing.
She said she feels it is necessary
for off-campus residents to know
one another so they can better
address safety concerns in their
neighborhoods.
LSA junior Stephanie Hamel,
vice chair of the Student Safety
Commission, said she has noticed
increased attention to safety
among students in light of the
assaults that occurred near cam-
pus this summer.
"I think that especially in the
neighborhoods that we chose,
there are areas (where) students
are really on guard right now and
really concerned about their per-
sonal safety because of the events
that happened over the summer
and last year," Hamel said.
Some students living in these
areas echoed Hamel's sentiment
and said they have been more
careful about their well-being
since the assaults and are looking
forward to programs that aim to
increase safety.
LSA junior SamanthaPrimack,
who lives on East University and
Greenwood Avenue, said she and
her housemates have been more
conscientious about safety since
movinginthis semester and hear-
ing about the sexual assaults that
occurred off-campus.
"One of the big things that
we've been really careful about is
never walking by ourselves any-
where, or if we are, having some-
one meet us halfway has been a
big deal for us," Primack said.
LSA junior Deven Kulkarni,
who lives on Vaughn Street in
the East Packard neighborhood,
said he feels relatively safe on his
street but would feel differently
if he were living just one street
away.
"If I were living on Greenwood
though, that would probably be a
different story, which is weird
because it's only a street over,"
Kulkarni said. "But they've seen
their fair share of crime alerts."
Primack said she is look-
ing forward to the increased
resources Beyond the Diag is pro-
viding for off-campus students.
"I think it's good that the
University is putting a different
priority on giving information
and keeping people who are not
necessarily on campus safe," she
said.
Primack also said he's noticed
an increase in police presence in
his neighborhood.
Primack's house was visited
WANT TO JOI
Visit www.michiga
for appl

by Jones, Hamel, Student Safety
Commission Chair Josh Buoy,
Department of Public Safety
Chief Greg O'Dell and Ann Arbor
Police Department Chief Barnett
Jones in the officials' "Knock
and Talk" event last Friday. Dur-
ing the visit, the group went
door-to-door in the two target
neighborhoods of the Beyond the
Diag initiative to increase safety
awareness.
Jones said this was the most
receptive she had seen students
in her work at the University.
"In my years of doing similar
kind of work on this campus and
other campuses, it was the most
positive response I've ever seen
from students," Jones said.
During the event, the group
passed out the telephone number
for Safe Ride, a new system cre-
ated by the program, which pro-
vides streamlined access to the
various late-night transportation
services provided by the Univer-
sity and the city under a single
telephone number. Primack said
she and her housemates posted
the number on their refrigerator
for future use.
In the next few weeks, the
program intends to hire neigh-
borhood ambassadors for the
Oxbridge and East Packard
neighborhoods, Hamel said.
Neighborhood ambassadors -
comparable to resident advis-
ers in residence halls - will be
students living in off-campus
neighborhoods and willhelpplan
events like barbeques and movie
screenings as well as contribute
content to monthly newsletters
that will be distributed to resi-
dents.
"Our hope is that students
will identify with their neighbor-
hoods as strongly as they do cur-
rently with the residence halls,"
Buoy said.
LSA junior Abby Krumbein, a
Walnut Street resident, said she
likes the idea of hiring neigh-
borhood ambassadors for each
neighborhood, but feels that it
might be unnecessary for cer-
tain areas where students have
already established a sense of
community.
"I already feel very communal
on Walnut Street because I know
a lot of people, and I have a lot of
friends around," Krumbein said.
Public Policy junior Gabe
Pachter, who lives on Forest
Court, said he thinks Beyond the
Diag is a good program for ensur-
ing safety in off-campus areas,
but also feels that the commu-
nity aspect is something students
should establish themselves.
"When you move outside the
residence hall, you make a con-
scious decision to be involved in
your own program and your own
social life," Pachter said. "But I
think this program is important
for ensuring student safety and
knowing there are people to go
to within your neighborhood if a
problem arises.
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ications

Sultan Sooud
Al-Qassemi
Founder and Chairman, Barjeel Securities
Nonresident Fellow, Dubai School of Government
Co-host of Business Tonight, a weekly Dubai
radio show
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public.
Reception to follow.
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Annenberg Auditorium I 1120 Weill Hall
735 S. State Street I Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Gerald R. Ford
School of Public Policy
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

He "wrote the first draft of
Middle East history in short
sentences tapped out on his
computer and his cell phone.
- NPR

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