The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, February 20, 2013 - 3A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, February 20, 2013 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS LANSING, Mich. Bottle fraud in Mich. may face harsher penalties Attention smugglers of empty soda cans: Stay out of Michigan, or you could face jail time. Lawmakers are taking aim at people who use out-of-state cans and bottles to cash in on Michi- gan's recycling refund, which pays 10 cents per container. Legislation debated Tuesday would make an attempt to return between 100 and 10,000 non- returnable containers punishable by up to 93 days in jail or $1,000 in fines, or both. Current law sets penalties only for those who actu- ally return fraudulent containers. DENVER Colorado passes several gun control measures Colorado's Democratic-con- trolled House has narrowly passed a handful of gun con- trol bills, signaling a political shift in the wake of recent mass shootings and pressure from the White House. "Enough is enough. I'm sick and tired of bloodshed," said Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields, who sponsored a bill limiting the size of ammunition magazines. Fields, whose son was fatally shot in 2005, represents the dis- trict where a gunman opened fire at a suburban Denver movie theater last summer. The bill was among four that the legislative chamber passed Monday amid strong resistance from Republicans, who were joined by a few Democrats. The ammunition restrictions mea- sure passed 34-31 after three Democrats joined all Republi- cans voting no. TUSTIN, Calif. Shooting spree in California leaves four dead The violence stretched across 25 miles in Orange County and was as brutal as it was fast-mov- ing. In less than an hour, a 20-year-old student wielding a shotgun killed a woman in his home and two commuters dur- ing carjackings early Tuesday, shot up vehicles on a Southern California freeway and commit- ted suicide as police closed in on him, authorities said. One driver was forced from his BMW at a stop sign, marched to a curb and killed as witnesses watched in horror. "He was basically executed," Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. "There were at least six witnesses." BEIRUT, Syria * Syrian missle strike kills 33 people A Syrian missile strike leveled a block of buildings in an impov- erished district of Aleppo on Tuesday, killing at least 33 peo- ple, almost half of them children, anti-regime activists said. Many were trapped under the rubble of destroyed houses and piles of concrete and the death toll could still rise further if more bodies are uncovered. The apparent ground-to- ground missile attack struck a quiet area that has been held by anti-regime fighters for many months, a reminder of how dif- ficult it is for the opposition to defend territory in the face of the regime's far superior weaponry. In the capital Damascus, state-run news agency SANA said two mortars exploded near one of President Bashar Assad's palaces. It dealt a symbolic blow to the embattled leader, who has tried to maintain an image as the head of a functioning state even as rebels edge closer to the heart of his seat of power. -Compiled from Daily wire reports FRATERNITY From Page 1A national readership - Jezebel and BroBible - posted articles about the photos and e-mail. BroBible writer Andy Moore said the actions of the national chapter were an "overreaction and blatant abuse of the nation- al fraternity's power." He added that he believes both the photos and e-mail are harmless and humorous. "The photos were hilarious, a clear turn of gender norms that showed the guys could 'objectify' themselves without asking the women to do the same," Moore wrote. Jeezebel contributor Lindy West wrote that the actions of Pike, while not all that offen- sive, showcased the immatu- rity of some college-aged men, especially those in Greek life. "Obviously this is not a big deal, in the scheme of things, but I think it's worth reit- erating to the young men of America that not everybody is interested in your penis." CSG From Page 1A "Students are our only boss and they are the ones that hold us accountable," Swider said. "No matter what we do, I think we need to put personal preferences aside and ... do our research, go out to the students, take their input." The party's platform includes improvements the quality of University-provided, late-night transportation, continuing the emphasis on entrepreneurship started bythe Parikh administra- tion, adding more bike racks and moped parking throughout cam- pus; and decreasing the cost of laundry in residence halls. Swider added that momentUM is taking a special interest in North Campus and plans to not only hold more events there, but also push for more busing there as well, espe- cially on weekends. Regardless of the outcome of the March election, Swider said members of momentUM will be involved in student organizations and CSG commissions to see that their platform goals are realized. While the support of student groups often plays an integral role in winning a student government election, Swider said momentUM will be most vigorously pursuing thefreshmenvote,callingfirstyears a "a force to be reckoned with." LSA freshman Samantha Audia, momentUM's campaign director, agreed with Swider. "The platform of momentUM appeals to all voters." LAB From Page 1A spew iron into the ocean, an ele- ment that alters photosynthesis. The vents also host organisms that survive in biologically harsh environments. "These are examples of life in extreme environments, so they help us to define the limits of life," Dick said. "They're sup- ported primarily from chemi- cal energy in these vents rather than energy from sunlight." Dicksaidtheresearchisbasic, but identifying the enzymes these unique organisms possess has the potential to significantly advance biomedicine. The fellowship, Dick said, does not fund a specific project, but rather will fund the five- year-old lab at the University. "They're funding my lab to do innovative things," Dick said. "What's really valuable about that is that we can take some risks. We can go after high-risk, high-reward type research." ThisJune,Dick'sresearchteam will travel to the deepest known sea vent, located in the Caribbean. COUNCIL From Page 1A Arbor resident, said he has res- ervations about the project due to the damage it would do to the historic oak trees within the zoning area. "It can't compensate the com- munity for the loss of 250-year- old oak tress that inspired the name of Ann Arbor," Crockett said. "It will be our children ... that will wonder why we didn't do more to save our landmarks." CarlHeuter,anotherAnnArbor resident,saideventhoughthe pro- posals are in accordance with the law and the city's ordinances they should be re-evaluated. COUNCIL ALLOCATES PACE BONDS Afterapostponementatthelast City Council meeting, a resolu- tion to allocate up to $1 million in Property-Assessed Clean Energy bondswas passed Tuesdaynight. The city's PACE program was created after it received $432,800 in bonds from the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal In previous research, the team collected samples from vents and examined them inthelab. "So far, what we've done is cataloging what's there, and that's generated a lot of hypoth- eses," Dick said. "Now, we'd like to test those hypotheses with real experiments on the seafloor." Maldonado's electrochem- istry projects seek to develop new processes for renewable energy technology. He predicts the majority of the funds will be devoted to researching an effi- cient way ofproducingcrystalline, or puresilicon. In order to produce silicon chips, which are used in tech- nologies ranging from comput- ers to solar cells, the silicon dioxide found in nature is heat- ed up with charcoalto yield pure silicon. The energy-intensive process releases a large amount of carbon dioxide,which Maldo- nado hopes to change. "We hope that this process will ultimately fill a niche," Mal- donado said. "It would allow the possibility of scaling stuff up without it having such a huge energy cost and environmental impact." is to improve the city's energy efficiency and help businesses increasetheir use of clean energy. The proposal includes the allocation of bonds to several different areas and businesses - including Big Boy on Plymouth Road, Bivouac on State Street, the Goodyear building on S. Main Street, and Kerrytown Market & Shoppes - for energy- efficient upgrades in such as lighting and infrastructure. Ann Arbor Mayor John Hief- tje commended the proposal for allowing businesses to increase their energy efficiency at a low cost to the city. However, Councilmem- ber Sabra Briere (D-Ward 1) expressed some concern that single-family homes would not receive funding. "Inthe couple ofyears leading up to the state approving PACE funding and the city initiating this project, a lot of us hoped that we'd have PACE funding for sin- gle-family homes," Briere said. However, this concern did not keep Briere from voting in favor of the resolution, noting that she believes these bonds are extremely effective regardless. They are investigating a tech- nique involving liquid metals, which involves lower tempera- tures and thus less energy, to produce the crystalline silicon. "We use a liquid metal to both reduce the oxidized silicon precursor and then we use that liquid metal as a solvent to grow crystals," Maldonado said. "You have control over how the crys- tals come out, and that's really important when you want to start thinking about making devices." By expediting this and other processes, Maldonado said solar energymightbecomecheaperand more accessible for consumers. "If you can simplify the process, you can cut down on the steps," Maldonado said. "If you can make it so you don't have to go to ungodly temperatures then everything becomes more affordable, more scalable." Maldonado believes that the SRF is just as much of an acco- lade as motivation. "I see it both as a nice honor for where we're at but it's also humbling because now I know where we need to get going or where our science needs to go." "I think PACE funding is one of the most effective ways of decreasing our energy foot- print," Briere said. RESOLUTION TO ADOPT SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK City Council also agreed to launch theAnnArbor sustainability framework project Tuesdaynight The project, which is funded by the Home Depot Founda- tion, contains 16 objectives to improve the city's sustainabil- ity. It launches a 18-month plan to improve sustainability, tak- ing actions such as maximizing the use of sustainable energy and promoting the construc- tion of more sustainable build- ings. The plan also attempts to provide more non-motorized travel options, such as bicycling and walking, and plan for more mixed land use. Although there was not much discussion on the matter, Coun- cilmember Jane Lumm (I-Ward 2) noted that there was much work put into the project before the approval was granted Tues- day night. PERFORMANCE From Page 1A looks to strike that delicate bal- ance with its unique and str enu- ous physical approach. Propeller, an all-male Shakespeare company, strives to vigorously engage and explore the relationship between text and performance. There's a strong narrative structure within Shakespearean plays that gives them an energy and rhythm. "Most of the audiences of these plays were illiterate and yet they understood what was going on," said Edward Hall, director and founder of Propeller. "There is a robustness, and a clarity, and a formula to how Shakespeare writes. People name each other at the beginning of scenes. They say where they are, who they are, what they want, and the scene discusses that.Ifsomebodyhasalongspeech, however complicated it gets, down at the bottom you'll find two to four lines that sumit all up." Propeller performances utilize a full range of artistic dimensions, such as music, film animation and mask work to further examine the text. The actors themselves play a significant role in the actual logis- tics of a performance. "I knew I wanted to take away some of the gifts of the modern indoor theater and give back to the performers the task of creat- ing the performance experience," Hall explained. "Scene changing, sound effects, music - all of those things would go back to the actors to author. We don't use recorded sounds, and we even get the actors to light the scenes sometimeswith torches or with lights they carry around. It seems to fit the bur- lesque, and certainly metaphoric energy, of Shakespeare's plays." Propeller will perform two plays at the University, "Twelfth Night" and "The Taming of the Shrew." "Twelfth Night" encompasses all the elements of Shakespeare's best comedies: mistaken identi- ties, skewed love connections and a wide array of intriguing char- acters. The story follows Viola, a young woman who has been ship- wrecked on the coast of Illyria. To gain employment, she disguises herself as a man named "Cesario" and begins to work for Duke Ors- ino. Orsino uses "Cesario" to send love messages to Lady Olivia. In true Shakespearean fashion, Viola falls in love with Orsino, Orsino continues to pine for Olivia and Olivia falls in love with "Cesario". Shakespeare's take on love and gender is surprisingly modern. "He's not sayinggender isimpor- tant. He's saying the opposite: Gen- der is not important," Hall said. "What's important is love. We get very hungup on labels and sexuality when, in fact, we're all talking about thesame feelings.Iliketothinkthat bubbles up a little more readily to the surface in our production." "The Tamingofthe Shrew" cen- ters on two wealthy sisters, Kath- erine and Bianca. The girls' father, Baptista, decrees that Bianca may not marry before her shrewish older sister. Bianca's suitors team up with Petruchio, who happens to be seeking a rich wife, in order to wed off Katherina. Petruchio tries to "tame" her through a series of comical but also rather cruel antics. Other modern productions have tried to play off the taming as ironic or planned, but Propeller takes a more traditional approach. "We've embraced both the brutal- ity in the play and also the high farce and comedy of the play," Hall said. "The mixture of those two things makesforveryinterestingdrama." So why, after all these years, do people still care aboutthebard? "What's lasting about his work is he makes it pertinent to you, today, nearly 500 years later, in a way that's unexpected.' In second year, Council faces attendance issues VP Hashwi remains optimistic for future of struggling University Council By STEPHEN YAROS Daily StaffReporter As most students know from experience, group work can be tiresome. The Central Stu- dent Government's University Council is learning this the hard way. The University Council was created in 2010 as part of CSG's new constitution and is one of two entities that make up the legislative branch, the other being the Student Assembly. It is comprised of one representative from each school's respective govern- ment. Despite good intentions, the group seems to be having trouble getting off the ground this year. Attendance has been poor at the group's biweekly meetings. The council approved a CSG election director at last Wednesday night's meeting, but only five schools were there to make the decision. Michael Benson, Rack- ham Student Government president and RSG repre- sentative on the UC, said though the council may be having trouble, its purpose is clear: to foster collabora- tion between student gov- ernments at the various schools and colleges. Benson acknowledged that UC is not living up to its potential. As a contributor to the UC's constitution, he thinks there may be a core problem. "Well, the fact that under our constitution the University Council has no real authority for anything is a problem." CSG vice president Omar Hashwi, the UC president, seemed more optimistic. "I see the UC as a body on campus that is very highly respected by the students, by the administrators, with a lot of authority to make change on campus," Hashwi said. Hashwi also acknowledged that the UC has issues but seemed hopeful for future progress. "Because this is very new - let's say it hasn't taken off yet," Hashwi said. "I think that it (the UC) has a lot of potential, and most of it is untapped." When asked about the lack of meeting attendance, Hash- wi said he's unsure how exact- ly to solve the problem. However, Benson said he believes graduate school gov- ernments tend to contact each other directly instead of going through the UC. Another issue that may be stunting the progress of the UC is the lack of available information about the coun- cil. If someone looks on CSG's website for specifics, they find a link to the UC's minutes, membership and resolutions. However, all of these links lead to blank pages. The UC's next meeting is Wednesday, March 27, at which University President Mary Sue Coleman will be in attendance. Hashwi believes the admin- istration understands the importance of the UC and knows it represents the stu- dent voice. Although not all has gone as planned for the UC, he said he is not discour- aged. "We've been trying our absolute best to make it the most impactful it can be," Hashwi said. "It has not reached its potential, but we are getting very close." DO YOU BRAKE FOR BREAKING NEWS? JOIN THE MICHIGAN DAILY NEWS SECTION! IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, EMAIL: kwassman@michigandaily.com The Department of Communication Studies The Howard R. Marsh Center present a lecture by MICHAEL TRAUGOTT 2010-2013 Howiard R.Marsh Distinguished Research Fellow PUBLIC OPINION IN THE NEws Friday, February22, 2013 Reception/Lectlure at 4:30 pm 1255 North Quad 105 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 Contact the Department of Communication Studies for more information (734.7640423). 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