The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, February 25, 2013 - 5A
Afghanistan: U.S. special
forces must leave province
Cuba's tapped heir-apparent
is largely unknown globally
Troops asked to leave
eastern area after
reports of abuse
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)
- Afghanistan's president
ordered all U.S. special forces
to leave a strategically impor-
tant eastern province within
two weeks because of allega-
tions that Afghans working
with them are torturing and
abusing other Afghans.
The decision Sunday seems
to have surprised the coalition
and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, a
separate command. Americans
have frequently angered the
Afghan public over issues rang-
ing from Qurans burned at a
U.S. base to allegations of civil-
ian killings.
"We take all allegations of
misconduct seriously and go to
great lengths to determine the
facts surrounding them," the
U.S. forces said in a statement.
Also Sunday, a series of
attacks in eastern Afghanistan
showed insurgents remain on
the offensive even as U.S. and
other international forces pre-
pare to end their combat mis-
sion by the end of 2014.
Suicide bombers targeted
Afghanistan's intelligence'
agency and other security forc-
es in four coordinated attacks
in the heart of Kabul and outly-
ing areas in a bloody reminder
of the insurgency's reach nearly
12 years into the war.
Presidential spokesman
Aimal Faizi said the decision
to order the American special
forces to leave Wardak province
was taken during a meeting of
the National Security Council
because of the alleged actions
of Afghans who are considered
linked to the U.S. special forces.
He said all special forces
operations were to cease imme-
diately in the restive province
next to Kabul, which is viewed
as a gateway to the capital and
has been the focus of counter-
insurgency efforts in recent
years.
The Taliban have staged
numerous attacks against U.S.-
led coalition forces in the prov-
ince. In August 2011, insurgents
shot down a Chinook helicop-
ter, killing 30 American troops,
mostly elite Navy SEALs, in
Wardak. The crash was the sin-
gle deadliest loss for U.S. forces
in the war.
Afghan forces have taken
the lead in many such special
operations, especially so-called
night raids.
"Those Afghans in these
armed groups who are working
with the U.S. special forces, the
defense minister asked for an
explanation of who they are,"
Faizi said. "Those individuals
should be handed over to the
Afghan side so that we can fur-
ther investigate."
A statement the security
council issued in English said
the armed individuals have
allegedly been "harassing,
annoying, torturing and even
murdering innocent people."
Diaz-Canel has
gradually risen
to No. 2 post
HAVANA (AP) - The man
tapped as the likely heir-appar-
ent to Raul Castro is largely
unknown off the island, but his
rise to the country's No. 2job was
anything but meteoric.
Miguel Diaz-Canel has spent
30 years gradually paying his
dues behind the scenes, earn-
ing a reputation as a Communist
Party loyalist and rising through
the ranks to a succession of ever-
higher posts.
"He is not an upstart or impro-
vised," President Raul Castro
said Sunday in a speech to law-
makers in which he laid out the
reasons for his choice. In the
past, Castro has praised Diaz-
Canel's "solid ideological firm-
ness."
Tall, dapper and carefully
groomed with a 52-year-old's
salt-and-pepper hair, Diaz-Canel
presents a serious public face
before TV cameras, even as some
people who know him describe
him as a sharp-minded jokester
who can be surprisingly relaxed
in private.
"He's a much more flexible
type than he seems, open-mind-
ed and above all intelligent," one
official who has known Diaz-
Canel since the 1980s told The
Associated Press on condition of
anonymity, lacking the authori-
zation to discuss the man with
foreign media.
Others, particularly those off
the island, described him in less
flattering terms.
"I think it's interesting
because Diaz-Canel is not a
charismatic person," said Ale-
jandro Barreras, who runs a blog
in Miami called On Two Shores
that advocates for a normaliza-
tion of relations between the
US and Cuba. "He's kind of an
opaque figure."
Diaz-Canel's profile has risen
in recent months as he repeat-
edly appeared on state TV news-
casts. One day he was speaking
about Cuba's national baseball
team, the next he was inaugurat-
ing Havana's International Book
Fair.
In January he traveled to
Venezuela and spoke promi-
nently at a mega-rally in
support of cancer-stricken
President Hugo Chavez, argu-
ably Havana's most important
international ally.
WATER
From Page 1A
on Michigan Stadium's jumbo-
tron screens, he said participants
were valiantly helping a great
cause and embodying Michigan
strength.
"This is Michigan: We're phys-
ically stronger, mentally tougher
than our opponent," Hoke said.
"We thrive under pressure and
adversity. We lead by example in
every situation, understanding
that preparation is the key to our
success. We do it right the first
time, all the time, and we never
quit."
"As Coach Carr talked about,
this is for an unbelievable cause,
and an attempt for greatness
in the greatest stadium in the
nation," he said.
"I probably would have
plunged if I had known more
GLOBAL
From Page 1A
process about their past inter-
national experiences, what they
might gain from the symposium
and what they could contribute
to the event.
LSA sophomore Courtney
Green, co-chair of Students for
Global Engagement, said the
quality of speakers and discus-
sion afterwards were exactly
what the symposium needed.
"We have been really
impressed by (the speakers')
talks and their experiences. We
have been working with them
to make sure that their talks are
reflective of our goals," Green
said. "I think this has been a
wonderful opportunity to bring
students together to think criti-
cally about their past experienc-
es and future experiences."
Social Work graduate student
Craig Laurie kicked off the event
about tensions between global
engagement and international-
ization.
Laurie stressed that global
exchanges must be a two-way,
give-and-take relationship. He
also reflected on his experiences
in the Peace Corps in Moldova,
and highlighted the importance
of the University's study abroad
scholarship through the LSA
Student Government.
"Even if you disagree with
CHARITY
From Page 1A
with pediatric patients from
Sparrow Hospital, which he said
was very motivating.
"They're just very inspira-
tional, brave young kids," McA-
ree said. "So meeting them has
really inspired me to work as
hard as possible so we can help
out as many kids as possible."
The organizers approached
both campus athletic depart-
ments for support. Former Uni-
versity football coach Lloyd Carr
and former Michigan State bas-
ketball player Mateen Cleaves
about it ... I was looking for the big
chicken outfit."
Hoke was in charge of looking
out for the plunger wearing the
most Michigan gear.
"That was pretty easy for me,"
Hoke said. "I'm not looking for
style or dives, or anything like
that. I've seen a guy who was
pretty much covered head to toe,
so that was our winner."
Smilovitz, the WDIV sports-
caster, was given the task of
determining for the most unique
plunger.
"They just told me (to look out
for) whatever was creative and
different; and that's sort of the
story of my life, creative and dif-
ferent, so I'm in, this was right
up my alley, perfectly," Smilovitz
said.
"I thought that the ones that
had the least amount of costumes
were the most creative ones,"
Smilovitz continued. "If you're
going into the polar plunge you
would think that you'd bundle,
but the ones that didn't are the
ones that really impressed me."
Kim Purdy, the chief market-
ing & development officer of Spe-
cial Olympics Michigan, said the
inaugural Big House event was
definitely unique.
"The athletic department
has just been incredible to work
with," Purdy said. "They've been
incredibly organized, it's just an
amazing thing for our organiza-
tion."
Coast Guard Sgt. Kevin Wesner
said his dive team volunteers for
Special Olympics' plunges every
year.
"It's the biggest one we've
ever done," Wesner said. "Great
event."
Wesner said the water in the
pools was forty degrees Fahr-
enheit when pumped from a fire
hydrant, but the many bags of ice
dropped in the water likely made
it even cooler.
UNION
From Page 1A
the Union, Bathish said he is not
sure what his next step would be,
but said the potential loss would
be "personally devastating."
"I move with whatever the
students want," Bathish said.
"My whole focus is only on the
students, and then the faculty
and visitors and staff -they just
get the benefits of what the stu-
dent gets."
Bathish's bid proposal to Uni-
versity Unions - sent in Janu-
ary - will be considered within
the next several weeks. Harper
said a proper proposal would
detail improvements he wants
to make to the current restau-
rant if he wants Amer's to stay.
Ranae Reilly, manager of
Amer's Cafe in the Union,
said she believes the Facebook
group will help the deli's cause
because it shows a high level of
customer satisfaction.
"The University's goal
should be to make students
happy or the people who work
here happy."
-Daily Staff Reporter Jen
Calfas contributed reporting.
FIRE
From Page 1A
area and the University of Michi-
gan Health System. They have
also created a place for donations
on their Facebook page.
"Currently we're contacting
various organizations to try and
facilitate donations for every-
thing from tableside beds to
chairs to stools to scales," Issa
said. "So when we find a new
facility we will have all the equip-
ment to be operational."
Since the student clinic
opened, it has seen more than
150 unique patients and experi-
enced a surge in student volun-
teers, said Hari Conjeevaram,
the clinic's medical director and
an associate professor of medi-
cine.
Faith Medical Clinic leased
the building from Putnam
Township - the town in which
the village of Pinckney islocated
- for $1 a year, but the township
has not decided whether they
will rebuild.
Despite losing the build-
ing, both clinics are working to
reopen in another location. Faith
Medical Clinic has added a Pay-
Pal donation link to its website
to support the clinic's continued
existence. In addition, an emer-
gency benefithas beenscheduled
for next weekend at the Mission
Church in Pinckney, Faith Clinic
founder Laura Goldman said.
"The services we have been
able to offer to the uninsured have
been quite tremendous," Conje-
evaram said. "The need is there
and that's one of the reasons we
want to get back on track ... We're
booked with patients and volun-
teers for the next few months."
Conjeevaram said he's seen an
outpouring of support from the
UMHS community to help the
clinic get back on its feet.
"One of the things that has
happened over the last couple
of days is that a lot of students
who have yet to volunteer at the
clinic and a lot of faculty have
been calling and e-mailing us
about how they can help," Conje-
evaram said.
Although many medical stu-
dents are currently on break or
facing exams, the Michigan com-
munity has mobilized to try to get
the clinic up and running as soon
as possible, Conjeevaram said.
Conjeevaram said the relation-
ship between Faith Medical Clin-
ic and the student-run clinic has
been beneficial in fostering an
environment conducive to learn-
ing and interacting with patients.
"One of the key things with
(Faith Medical Clinic), not only
did they allow us to use their
clinic for our clinic, but the most
inspiring thing is that (Goldman)
was struggling with not having
a place for medical students to
practice, she felt like she was let-
ting them down," he said.
Goldman said the group plans
to rebuild the clinic, but has not
yet decided on a new location.
She said organizers are debating
between two buildings - the old
Putnam Township firehouse and
a church in Brighton. Both clin-
ics hope to be up and running in
the next two to four weeks after
a new space is determined and
basic equipment is acquired.
Faith Medical Clinic and
the student-run clinic are cur-
rently working to collect neces-
sary medical supplies and find a
temporary solution for the free
clinic.
"All of these people we've
interacted with and their amaz-
ing stories have defined our first
two years of medical school,"
Issa, the student clinic director
said. "They have enriched our
experience and touched our lives
in ways that we can't ever give
back. This motivates us; when
we re-open, we want the clinic
to be better, stronger and more
responsive to community needs."
the stuff that the institution
or organization is doing, it is
your responsibility, and you are
accountable," Laurie said.
Following Laurie, Rackham
student Megan Levanduski gave.
a speech titled "Bend Without
Breaking: Negotiating Gen-
der Identities in Kazakhstan"
focusing on her experience
creating an all-girls health and
fitness camp while working in
the Peace Corps. Levanduski
highlighted the necessity of
remaining flexible while travel-
ing abroad, especially in under-
standing gender norms. She
achieved her goal of creating an
all-girls health camp by chang-
ing the original name of a girls
"leadership" camp to a "health
and fitness" camp in order to
work with the traditional gen-
der roles of Kazakhstan.
"This didn't change who I was
as a woman and didn't change
my message, but it allowed me to
show the people I was working
with that I was trying to under-
stand where they were coming
from, and I was trying to meet
them halfway," Levanduski said.
While reflecting on her own
study abroad experience, LSA
sophomore Jehan Jawad, a mem-
ber of the Students for Global
Engagement, said she agrees that
it is difficult to balance respect-
ing another culture while main-
taining one's own values.
"There is a thin line between
someone else's values and your
own," Jawad said. "What's key
is keeping an open mind and
knowing that you have to be
flexible in your own values and
practices."
Engineering seniors Sita Syal
and Carrie Tamarelli discussed
"Appropriate Technology for
Global Development." They sug-
gested that technology can be
a useful way to spur regional
development.
Syal stressed that it's crucial
to work with the community in
order to find the best solution.
"When you focused really
on the human-centered part of
this design ... that's when you
and your community can come
up with sustainable solutions to
development," Syal said.
LSA sophomore Layne Van-
denberg traveled abroad with
MPowered's Kenya Project last
summer. Vandenberg said she
could relate to the teachings of
the symposium because it was
essential to understand Kenyan
culture in order to best serve
the local people while she was
there.
"Without their input, our
ideas would not have worked and
they wouldn't be tailored to the
culture we were working with,"
Vandenberg said. "We have cer-
tain perceptions of what we
think people need, but it can be
completely different from what
people actually want."
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CRIME NOTES 4 5
TEETR -3 I49
T HE EDITOR'S
PAGE
agreed to film promotional vid-
eos with children from Mott and
Sparrow Hospitals, respectively.
"That's another testament to
how supportive the University
individuals are about making a
difference in someone's life and
really helping out someone how
needs it," Lucido said.
Gregory Yanik said this is the
first Make-A-Wish collegiate
challenge in Michigan. He hopes
the event will continue between
the two schools and will spread
to other colleges and universities.
"This is a grassroots effort
being run by two incredibly
well-meaning, energetic groups
of students on both campuses,"
Gregory said. "We are hoping
this will lay the groundwork
for similar campus challenges
across the country."
Gregory said he's very proud
of the event's progress thus far
and has high hopes for its suc-
cess this week.
Lucido said she is amazed by
the progress both campuses have
made so far.
"People never cease to amaze
me," she said. "Michigan's cam-
pus is very full of energy and
I'm hoping that we can really be
successful ... and bring aware-
ness to the Make-A-Wish Foun-
dation and hopefully get more
people involved."