* The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
GROSSE POINTE PARK, Mich.
Husband denies
involvement
after wife found
strangled to death
A suburban businessman says
he had nothing to do with the
strangulation of his wife, whose
body was found in her Mercedes-
Benz sport-utility vehicle in a
Detroit alley.
Police in affluent Grosse Pointe
Park have described 54-year-old
Bob Bashara as a "person of inter-
est" in the killing of his 56-year-
old wife Jane.
She was found slain Jan.25, and
so far no one has been charged in
the case.
Bashara tells the Detroit Free
Press he had "absolutely nothing
to do with what happened" to his
wife.
Bashara's lawyer has said he
expects an acquaintance of his
client to be charged with the kill-
ing.
David Griem says he hopes the
acquaintances changing stories
will end suspicions against his
client.
PROVIDENCE, R.I.
Lost Malcom X
speech found at
Brown University
The recording was forgotten,
and so, too, was the odd twist of
history that brought together
Malcolm X and a bespectacled
Ivy Leaguer fated to become one
of America's top diplomats.
The audiotape of Malcolm
X's 1961 address in Providence
might never have surfaced at all
if 22-year-old Brown University
student Malcolm Burnley hadn't
stumbled across a reference to it
in an old student newspaper. He
found the recording of the little-
remembered visit gathering dust
in the university archives.
In the May 11, 1961, speech
delivered to a mostly white
audience of students and some
residents, Malcolm X combines
blistering humor and reason to
argue that blacks should not look
to integrate into white society
but instead must forge their own
identities and culture.
GOLD BEACH, Ore.
* Dog uneaten after
lost mushroom
pickers found
Three mushroom pickers lost
six nights in the rugged forest of
southwest Oregon with no food
considered eating their dog, and
used the screen on their dead
cellphone and the blade of a
sheath knife to flash a signal at
the helicopter pilot who found
them.
Dan Conne said Sunday from
" his hospital bed in Gold Beach
that he and his wife and son
spent the nights huddled in a hol-
low log with nothing to eat, and
considered sacrificing their pit
bull, Jesse, for food.
"She's that good a dog, she'd
have done it, too," Conne said.
JERUSALEM
Israel selects new
air force chief
Israel's military has picked a
new air force chief at a time of
growing tension with Iran.
The military said Maj. Gen.
Amir Eshel, 52, was appointed
January 29 and takes over in
April.
U.S. officials say Israel might
be planning to attack Iran's
nuclear facilities in the spring.
Israel and other countries
believe Iran is developing
nuclear weapons, a charge Iran
denies. Israel views Iran as a
threat because of its nuclear and
missile programs, references to
Israel's destruction by it leaders
and Tehran's support of violent
groups in Gaza and Lebanon.
Defense officials said Eshel
is considered "less enthusiastic
about a possible attack on Iran"
than the current air force chief.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
BUS
From Page 1A
While the Ann Arbor Trans-
portation Authority currently
shares use of the stop, the over-
head boards will only display
the schedule of University buses.
Johnson said AATA is indepen-
dently working on its own real-
time bus tracking system and it's
not clear if AATA arrival sched-
ules will also be incorporated
into the screens in the future.
While waiting for a bus back
to North Campus on a recent
cold night, Engineering fresh-
man Mitch Lawyer said he would
appreciate an accurate display of
arrival times on the boards.
"I think it would definitely
be helpful, especially when the
weather's colder," Lawyer said.
"I don't like having to stand out
here and wait for 10, 15, 20 min-
utes."
Other students expressed
frustration with faulty computer
terminals thatdisplay the Magic-
Bus map. Though the kiosks are
intended to allow students to
navigate bus routes with a touch
Monday, February 6, 2012 - 3A
screen, the devices are rarely
turned on and screens often
appear frozen.
While Johnson said one of
the kiosks has now been turned
on, the touch-screen capabilities
have been locked due to security
issues that arose after the screens
were initially activated.
"There were things displayed
on there other than the Magic-
Bus," Johnson said. "We locked
them down a couple of times and
it was not successful, so that's
why we had taken them actually
offline for a while."
Engineering freshman Francis
Petelin, who rides the bus to the
Bursley Residence Hall regularly,
said he no longer feels he can rely
on the kiosks.
"I don't even bother with
them, to be honest," Petelin said.
Since mid-December, one
kiosk has been running with the
touch-screen capability disabled,
but security provisions are cur-
rently being implemented that
will allow all functions to work
properly, Johnson said. He antici-
pates that the entire kiosk system
will be fully functional within a
month.
Crews load a bomb in a test at White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico on Mar.14, 2007. The conventional
30,000-pound penetrating bomb is designed to defeat deeply buried targets such as bunker and tunnel facilities.
World leaders worry
about Israeli attack
Iran refuses to stop
pursuing its
nuclear program
JERUSALEM (AP) - For the
first time in nearly two decades
of escalating tensions over Iran's
nuclear program, world lead-
ers are genuinely concerned that
an Israeli military attack on the
Islamic Republic could be immi-
nent - an action that many fear
might trigger awider war, terror-
ism and global economic havoc.
High-level foreign dignitar-
ies, including the U.N. chief
and the head of the American
military, have stopped in Israel
in recent weeks, urging leaders
to give the diplomatic process
more time to work. Israel seems
unmoved, and U.S. Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta has
reportedly concluded that an
Israeli attack on Iran is likely in
the coming months.
Despite harsh economic sanc-
tions and international pres-
sure, Iran is refusing to abandon
its nuclear program, which it
insists is purely civilian, and
threatening Israel and the West.
On Thursday, Defense Minis-
ter Ehud Barak claimed during
a high-profile security confer-
ence that there is a "wide global
understanding" that military
action may be needed.
"There is no argument about
the intolerable danger a nuclear
Iran (would pose) to the future
of the Middle East, the security
of Israel and to the economic
and security stability of the
entire world," Barak said.
Israel views Iran as a mor-
tal threat, citing Iranian calls
for Israel's destruction, Iran's
support for anti-Israel militant
groups and Iranian missile tech-
nology capable of hitting Israel.
On Friday, Iran's supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
called Israel a "cancerous tumor
that should be cut and will be
cut," and boasted of supporting
any group that will challenge
the Jewish state.
Israel's military intelligence
chief, Aviv Kochavi, warned last
week that Israel's enemies pos-
sess some 200,000 rockets.
While sustained rocket and
missile fire would certainly
make life uncomfortable in
Israel, Barak himself has said he
believes casualties would be low
- suggesting it would be in the
hundreds.
Iran might also try to attack
Western targets in the region,
including the thousands of U.S.
forces based in the Gulf with the
5th Fleet.
To some, the greatest risk is
to the moribund world economy.
Analysts believe an Israeli
attack would cause oil prices to
spike, since global markets so
far have largely dismissed the
Israeli threats and not "price
in" the threat. According to one
poll conducted by the Rapidan
Group, an energy consulting
firm in Bethesda, Maryland,
prices would surge by $23 a bar-
rel. The price of oil settled Fri-
day at $97.84 a barrel.
Iran also could attempt to
carry out its biggest threat: to
shut the Strait of Hormuz, a stra-
tegic waterway through which
a fifth of the world's oil passes.
That could send oil prices soar-
ing beyond $200 a barrel. But
analysts note Iran's navy is over-
matched.
If a surge in oil prices proved
lasting, financial markets would
probably plummet on concerns
that global economic growth
would slow and on the fear that
any conflict could worsen and
spread.
For the U.S. economy, higher
gasoline prices would likely
result in lower consumer spend-
ing, which accounts for 70
percent of U.S. economic activ-
ity. That could have devastating
consequences for an incumbent
president seeking re-election.
Oil disruptions or higher oil
prices will also dent growth in
Asia. China, India, South Korea
and Japan all buy substantial
amounts of Iranian crude and
could face temporary shortages.
The urgency is fueled by a
belief in Israel that Iran is mov-
ing centrifuges and key instal-
lations deep underground by
the summer - combined with
doubts about whether either
Israel or the United States have
the bunker-busting capacity to
act effectively thereafter.
At last week's security con-
ference, Vice Premier Moshe
Yaalon, a former military chief,
said all of Iran's nuclear instal-
lations are still vulnerable to
military strikes. In a startling
threat, he appeared to con-
tradict assessments of foreign
experts and Israeli defense offi-
cials that it would be difficult to
strike sensitive Iranian nuclear
targets hidden deep under-
ground.
American officials acknowl-
edge the current version of its
bunker-buster bombs - con-
sidered the largest non-nuclear
bomb in the U.S. arsenal - may
not be able to penetrate Iran's
heavily fortified underground
facilities. The Pentagon is ask-,
ing Congress to reprogram
about $82 million in order to
make the 30,000-pound bun-
ker-buster bomb more capable.
But U.S. officials also say
there are a number of ways to
cripple or disable the sites, such
as targeting entrance and exit
routes to an underground facil-
ity, rendering it inaccessible.
Israeli officials at the con-
ference asserted that Iran
has already produced enough
enriched uranium to eventually
build four rudimentary nuclear
bombs and - in what would be a
new twist - was even developing
missiles capable of reaching the
U.S.
Amos Yadlin, the former head
of Israel's military intelligence,
said the world needed less dis-
cussion on the issue. "There is
the danger that an escalation
could get out of control," he said.
"Israel should go back to what it
does best: Shut up."
U.S. floats Syrian
coalition proposal
Move comes day
after Russia, China
block Security
Council vote
BEIRUT (AP) - The United
States proposed an internation-
al coalition to support Syria's
opposition yesterday after Rus-
sia and China blocked a U.N.
attempt to end nearly 11 months
of bloodshed, raising fears that
violence will escalate. Rebel
soldiers said force was now
the only way to oust President
Bashar Assad, while the regime
vowed to press its military
crackdown.
The threat of both sides turn-
ing to greater force after Russia
and China vetoed a U.N. Secu-
rity Council resolution raises
the potential for Syria's turmoil
to move into even a more dan-
gerous new phase that could
degenerate into outright civil
war.
The uprising inspired by
other Arab Spring revolts began
in March with peaceful protests
against Assad's regime, spark-
ing a fierce crackdown by gov-
ernment forces. Soldiers who
defected to join the uprising
later beganto protect protesters
from attacks. In recent months,
the rebel soldiers, known as the
Free Syrian Army, have grown
bolder, attacking regime troops
and trying to establish control
in pro-opposition areas. That
has brought a heavier govern-
ment response.
More than 5,400 people have
been killed since March, accord-
ing to the U.N., and now regime
opponents fear that Assad will
be emboldened by the feeling he
is protected by his top ally Mos-
cow and unleash even greater
violence to crush protesters.
If the opposition turns overtly
to armed resistance, the result
could be a dramatic increase in
bloodshed.
At least 30 civilians were
killed yesterday, including five
children and a woman who was
hit by a bullet while standing
on her balcony as troops fired
on protesters in a Damascus
suburb, according to the Brit-
ain-based Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, an activist
group.
Government forces firing
mortars and heavy machine
guns also battered the moun-
tain town of Zabadani, north of
Damascus, a significant opposi-
tion stronghold that fell under
rebel control late last month.
Bombardment the past two days
has wounded dozens and forced
scores of families to flee, an
activist in the town said.
"The situation is terrifying.
Makeshift hospitals are full,"
said the activist, who only gave
his first name, Fares, for fear of
government reprisal. He said
the town has been under siege
for the past five days and there
is a shortage of food and heating
fuel during the cold winter.
The commander of the Free
Syrian Army told The Associ-
ated Press that, after the vetoes
at the U.N., "there is no other
road" except military action to
topple Assad.
"We consider that Syria is
occupied by a criminal gang
and we must liberate the coun-
try from this gang," Col.Riad
al-Asaad said, speaking by
telephone from Turkey. "This
regime does not understand
the language of politics. It only
understands the language of
force."
Senate candidate Hokestra runs controversial ad
Super Bowl spot
takes aim at
Stabenow's record
on jobs
The portrayal of a young Asian
woman speaking broken English
in a Super Bowl ad being run by
U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoek-
stra against Michigan incumbent
Debbie Stabenow is bringing
charges of racial insensitivity.
GOP consultant Nick De
Leeuw flat-out scolded the Hol-
land Republican for the ad.
"Stabenow has got to go. But
shame on Pete Hoekstra for that
appalling new advertisement,"
De Leeuw wrote on his Facebook
page the morning of January 29.
"Racism and xenophobia aren't
any way to get things done."
A media consultant who has
advised Democrats also thought
it could prove problematic.
"Some Asian-Americans may
be offended by the stereotype
that is portrayed in the spot,"
said Robert Kolt, who teaches
advertising part-time at Michi-
gan State University and had
previewed a number of Sunday's
Super Bowl ads. "Pete seems like
a nice guy in the ad, but I think
he is wasting alot of money now.
... It's just not Super Bowl-wor-
thy. It's not cute, it's not funny
and it's not memorable."
Hoekstra campaign spokes-
man Paul Ciaramitaro said the
ad is meant to be satirical. Hoek-
stra's Facebook page, which was
getting a mix of praise and criti-
cism for the ad, snapped back
that those "trying to make this
an issue of race demonstrates
their total ignorance of job cre-
ation policies."
"Democrats talk about race
when they can't defend their
records," Ciaramitaro said. "The
U.S. economy is losing jobs to
China because of Stabenow's
reckless spending policies.
China is reaping the reward."
The 30-seco,'" ad was filmed
in California and never men-
tions China directly. It opens
with the sound of a gong and
shows a young Asian woman rid-
ing a bike on a narrow path lined
by rice paddies.
Stopping her bike, the woman
smiles into the camera and says,
"Thank you, Michigan Sena-
tor Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie's
spent so much American money.
You borrow more and more from
us. Your economy get very weak.
Ours get very good. We take your
jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spendit-
now."
The scene then shifts to
Hoekstra telling viewers near
a cozy fire, "I think this race is
between Debbie Spenditnow
and Pete Spenditnot."
The Hoekstra campaign set
up a website, www.DebbieSpen-
dItNow.com, that features the
ad and includes Chinese writ-
ing, paper lanterns, parade
dragons and Stabenow's face
on a Chinese fan. It accuses the
Democratic senator of "pouring
American dollars into the Chi-
nese economy."
Democrats were quick to
challenge the premise of the ad,
referring to Hoekstra's 18 years
in the U.S. House and the fact
that he joined a Washington-
based law and lobbying firm last
year.
"Hoekstra's ad is noth-
ing more than a hypocritical
attempt at a Hollywood-style
makeover because the fact is,
Pete spends a lot," Michigan
Democratic Chairman Mark
Brewer said. "Hoekstra voted
for the $700 billion Wall Street
bailout and voted for trillions
more in deficit spending before
quitting Congress to get rich at a
Washington, D.C. lobbying firm.
Hoekstra is using the big game
to play games with Michigan
voters."
Hoekstra GOP Senate rival
Gary Glenn of Midland struck a
similar theme.
"Saving America from the
Washington, D.C., politicians
who gave us this crippling debt
and deficit crisis, Republican
and Democrat alike, means
Hoekstra and Stabenow should
both get benched," Glenn said in
a release.
In response to the Hoekstra
ad, the state Democratic Party
launched a website, hoekstra-
hoax.com, as well as a 60-sec-
ond Web ad Sunday that shows
a 2010 campaign ad run against
Hoekstra by GOP gubernatorial
rival Mike Cox.
Hoekstra's hoping to get the
same bump from his ad that
now-Gov. Rick Snyder got with
his 2010 Super Bowl ad portray-
ing himself as "one tough nerd."
Both ads were created by media
strategist Fred Davis of Califor-
nia-based Strategic Perception
Inc.
The new ad is a twist on the
anti-Republican "moving jobs
to China" theme that Michigan
Democrats successfully used
against 2006 GOP gubernatorial
candidate Dick DeVos and tried
to use against Snyder in 2010.
This time, the focus isn't on
Republican businessmen send-
ing jobs to China but on what
Hoekstra says is Democratic
overspendingthat has weakened
the U.S. economy.
Stabenow, who's running for a
third term, has pushed for trade
policies aimed at China that
impose duties and penalties on
countries that manipulate their
currency and penalize compa-
nies that steal intellectual prop-
erty from U.S. companies.
The campaign plans to run
the ad over the next two weeks
on cable TV shows targeted at
GOP voters.