The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Thursday, September 6,, 2012 - 3A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Thursday, September 6, 2012 - 3A
NEWS BRIEFS
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.
Many dead fish
litter Ontario
shore of Lake Erie
Canadian officials say tens of
thousands of dead fish are it-
tering a section of Lake Erie's
northern shoreline.
Ontario Ministry of the Envi-
ronment spokeswoman Kate
Jordan said Wednesday that the
fish washed ashore last weekend.
She says they likely died of natu-
ral causes, although officials are
still awaitinglab analysis results.
The fish were scattered along
a 25-mile stretch between the
cities of Windsor and London.
She says a likely explanation
for the fish deaths was a so-
called "inversion." That happens
when temperature changes send
water with low oxygen levels
from the bottom to the surface,
causing fish to suffocate.
DENVER
7-year-old Colo.
girl recovers from
bubonic plague
The parents of 7-year-old
Sierra Jane Downing thought
she had the flu when she felt sick
days after camping in southwest
Colorado.
It wasn't until she had a sei-
zure that her father knew some-
thing was seriously wrong and
rushed her to a hospital in their
town of Pagosa Springs. She had
a"107-degree fever, and doctors
were baffled by the cause.
"I didn't know what was going
on. I just reacted," Sean Down-
ing said. "I thought she died."
The Downings eventually
learned their daughter was ill
with one of the last things they
would've thought: bubonic
plague, a disease that wiped out
one-third of Europe in the 14th
century but is now exceedingly
rare - it hasn't been confirmed
in Colorado since 2006 - and
treatable if caught early.
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.
Kitten goes for
100-mile ride on
woman's bumper
A woman says a 6-week-old
kitten hitched a ride on the out-
side of her vehicle as she drove
about 100 miles over upstate
New York roads.
Stacey Pulsifer tells the Press-
Republican of Plattsburgh that
she recentlydrovefromherhome
in Plattsburgh to Elizabethtown
in the Adirondacks, then back
to her apartment. Along the way
she stopped for coffee and heard
meowing conming from her Jeep.
She asked two friends to help
her search the vehicle. They
. finally found the kitten wedged
behind a bumper and had to cut
it free.
Pulsifer has since adopted the
hitchhiker and named it Pump-
kin. She estimates the lucky
black cat was lodged in the car
for about 22 hours and traveled
some 100 miles. She suffered a
broken paw during the ride.
PARIS
France giving
aid to rebel-held
Syrian cities
France has started providing
direct aid and money to five reb-
el-held Syrian cities as it intensi-
fies efforts to weaken President
Bashar Assad, in the first such
move by a western power, a dip-
lomatic source said Wednesday.
The French aid comes as U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
criticized the Security Council
on Wednesday for failing to take
action to protect Syrians facing
violence that has led to thou-
sands of deaths.
Amid mounting calls for the
international community to
do more to prevent bloodshed,
France - Syria's onetime colo-
nial ruler - has pushed to secure
"liberated zones" in Syria.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
CALLIE MCCOYVIA INSTAGRAM/,
President Barack Obama joins former President Bill Clinton on stage after Clinton addressed delegates at the Demo-
cratic National Convention Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C.
Clinon offers passionate
'defense of Obamna's record
Former president
says GOP has
been unwilling to
compromise
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -
In an impassioned speech that
rocked the Democratic Nation-
al Convention, former Presi-
dent Bill Clinton proclaimed
Wednesday night, "I know we're
coming back" from the worst
economic mess in generations
and appealed to hard-pressed
Americans to stick with Barack
Obama for a second term in the
White House.
Obama strode onstage as
Clinton concluded his speech.
The 42nd president bowed, and
was pulled into an embrace by
the 44th as thousands of del-
egates jammed into the conven-
tion hall roared their approval.
Clinton, conceding that many
struggling in a slow-recovery
economy don't yet feel improve-
merst, said circumstances are
indeed getting better, "and if
you'll renew the president's con-
tract you will feel it."
To more cheers, he said of
Obama, "I want to nominate a
man who is cool on the outside
but who burns for America on
the inside."
Not long afterward, the del-
egates formally awarded Obama
their nomination to a second
term in a post-midnight roll call
of the states.
Clinton spoke as Obama's
high command worked to con-
trol the political fallout from
an embarrassing retreat on the
party platform, just two months
from Election Day in the tight
race with Republican challenger
Mitt Romney.
Under criticism from Rom-
ney, the Obama camp abruptly
rewrote the day-old document
to insert a reference to God and
to declare that Jerusalem "is
and will remain the capital of
Israel." Some delegates objected
loudly, but Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa, presiding
in the largely-empty hall, ruled
them outvoted. White House
aides said Obama had personal-
ly ordered the changes, but they
did not disclose whether he had
approved the earlier version.
The convention concludes
Thursday with Obama's accep-
tance speech before a prime-
time national TV audience.
Aides announced he would
speak in the convention hall
rather than a nearby 74,000-
seat football stadium as origi-
nally planned. They cited
weather concerns as the reason
for the switch in a city that has
been hit by heavy rains in recept
days.
Romney, nominated at his
own convention last week, spent
his second straight day in Ver-
mont preparing for next month's
debates with Obama.
Clinton's speech was deemed
so important by Obama's cam-
paign aides that they delayed
the president's formal nomi-
nation to a second term until
it was over. The familiar roll
call of the states began well
after television prime time in
the eastern part of the country,
and the hall was emptying out
rapidly as it dragged on past
midnight.
Obama's campaign hoped the
former president would prove
especially persuasive in an era
of sluggish economic growth
and 8.3 percent unemployment.
Clinton is exceptionally popu-
lar 12 years after he left office,
particularly among white men,
a group among whom Obama
polls poorly.
The speech was vintage Clin-
ton, overlong for sure, insults
delivered with a folksy grin,
references to his own time in
office and his wife Hillary, all
designed to improve Obama's
shaky re-election prospects.
The convention hall rocked
with delegates' applause and
cheers the former president
strode onstage to sounds of
"Don't Stop Thinking About
Tomorrow," his 1992 campaign
theme song.
He sought to rebut every
major criticism Republicans
leveled against the presidept at
their own convention last week
in Tampa, and said that in fact,
since 1961, far more jobs have
been created under Democratic
presidents than when Repub-
licans sat in the White House,
by a margin of 42 million to 24
million.
Controversial
part of Ariz.
immigration law
upheld by judge
'Show me other grounds.
The Obama administration's
your papers' case was based on the argu-
ment that federal immigration
provision ruled law trumped Arizona law. The
Constitutional challenge didn't confront racial
COR~it~t~nal profiling.
Arizona's law, known as
PHOENIX (AP) - A federal SB1070, was passed in 2010
judge ruled Wednesday that amid voter frustration with the
Arizona authorities can enforce state's role as the busiest illegal
the most contentious section entry point into the country.
of the state's immigration law, Five other states - Alabama,
which critics have dubbed the Georgia, Indiana, South Caro-
"show me your papers" provi- lina and Utah - have adopted
sion. variations.
The ruling by U.S. District To the supporters, the ques-
Judge Susan Bolton clears the tioning requirement was the
way for police to carry out most important part of Arizo-
the requirement that officers, na's law, which aimed to reduce
while enforcing other laws, the problems associated with
question the immigration sta- illegal immigration through
tus of those they suspect are in enforcement of the state's pol-
the country illegally. icy.
The provision has been at Immigrant rights groups say
the center of a two-year legal the requirement presents the
battle that resulted in a U.S. most opportunities for civil
Supreme Court decision in rights abuses.
June upholding the require- Shortly before the law was
ment, ruling against the Obama to take effect in July 2010,
administration, which filed the Bolton prevented police from
initial challenge. enforcing the questioning
The Obama administration requirement and other parts of
declared a measure of vie- the statute, ruling the Obama
tory at the time, as the court administration would likely
said local police cannot detain succeed in its challenge.
anyone on an immigration vio- Brewer, who signed the
lation unless federal immigra- measure, appealed the ruling,
tion officials say so. lost at the 9th Circuit Court of
After the nation's highest Appeals and took her, case to
court weighed in, opponents the Supreme Court.
asked Bolton to block the provi- Less controversial sections
sion outright by arguirig that it of the law have been in effect
would lead to systematic racial since late July 2010, but have
profiling and unreasonably rarely been used.
long detentions of Latinos if it's Brewer's office said the law
enforced. is expected to go into effect
Lawyers for Arizona Gov. shortly.
Jan Brewer, however, urged the "Certainly Gov. Brewer is
judge to let the requirement pleased with this decision," said
go into effect, saying the law's agovernor's spokesman Matthew
opppnents were merely specu- Benson. "She believes it's time
lating in their racial profiling SB1070 is implemented and so
claims. The Republican gov- that we can see how effective
ernor's office also said police this law is in practice."
have received training to avoid Karen Tumlin, an attorney
discriminatory practices and for the National Immigration
that officers must have reason- Law Center, said her office was
able suspicion that a person is "considering our legal options"
in the country illegally to trig- after Bolton's ruling.,
ger the requirement. "We were surprised and dis-
In her ruling, Bolton said the appointed," said Dan Pochoda,
court will not ignore the clear legal director for the American
direction from the Supreme Civil Liberties Union of Arizona.
Court that the provision "can- The chief sponsor of SB1070,
not be challenged further on former state Senate President
its face before the law takes Russell Pearce, didn't immedi-
effect." She reiterated the high ately return a call for comment
court's interpretation that the Wednesday afternoon and nei-
law might be able to be chal- ther did the office of Maricopa
lenged as unconstitutional on County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
COME TO OUR MASS
MEETINGS
SEPT. 9,12,13,19,23
A LL M EE TINGS AT 7:30 P.M.
AT 420 MAYNARD ST.
-5-,
Oil from BP spill uncovered
by Isaac's waves on La. beach
Natural break ers to clean up the oil on the
Fourchon beach in Louisiana.
down process sped He said crews would be there
up by urricane
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -
Waves from Hurricane Isaac
uncovered oil previously bur-
ied along Gulf Coast beaches,
exposing crude that wasn't
cleaned up after the BP spill in
2010.
Since Isaac made landfall
more than a week ago, the water
the storm has receded and tar
balls and oil have been reported
on shores in Alabama and Loui-
siana, where officials closed a
13-mile stretch of beach Tues-
day.
BP said Wednesday some of
that oil was from the spill, but
said some of the crude may be
from other sources, too.
"If there's something good
about this storm it made it vis-
ible where we can clean it up,"
BP spokesman Ray Melick said.
BP' still has hundreds of
cleanup workers on the Gulf
Coast after the Deepwater Hori-
zon drilling rig exploded, killing
11 workers and leading to the
nation's largest offshore spill.
Melick said the company was
working with the Coast Guard,
state officials and land manag-
today. ,
Isaac made landfall near
Fourchon on Aug. 28 as a Cat-
egory 1 storm, pummeling the
coast with waves, wind and
rain. Seven people were killed in
.Louisiana and Mississippi..
Ed Overton, a chemist and oil
spill expert at Louisiana State
University, said the exposed oil
was weathered and less toxic,
though it could still harm ani-
mals - such as crabs, crawfish
and bait fish.
He said the storm helped
speed up natural processes that
break down oil and it might take
several more storms to stir up
the rest of the oil buried along
the coast.
"We don't like to say it, but
hurricanes are Mother Nature's
way of takinga bath," he said.
The reappearance of oil frus-
trated state officials.
Garret Graves, a top coastal
aide to Louisiana Gov. Bobby
Jindal, accused BP of not being
aggressive enough with its ini-
tial cleanup.
"If they would put just a frac-
tion of the dollars they're put-
ting into their PR campaign into
cleanup, we'd certainly be much
farther ahead than we are now,"
he said.
BP has spent millions of dol-
lars on its public relations cam-
paign, but the company has
not said exactly how much it
has invested. Its cleanup and
response costs over the last two
years were more than $14 bil-
lion and more than 66 million
man-hours have gone to protect
and treat the Gulf shoreline, the
company has said.
BP also gave $1 million to the
American Red Cross and The
Salvation Army to help victims
of Isaac.
Along the oiled Fourchon
beach, officials restricted fish-
ing in waters extending one mile
offshore. The state Wildlife and
Fisheries Department said there
was a large mat of tar on one
beach and concentrations of tar
balls on nearby shores.
In Alabama, officials said the
tar was more of an unsightly
nuisance than a health hazard,
describing globs as ranging in
size from a dime to a half dollar
coin.
"There are areas where there
are significant deposits," said
Phillip West, coastal resources
manager in Orange Beach, Ala.
Samples from both states
were being tested to determine
whether the tar was from BP's
Macondo well.