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." FOLLOW OUR 'Bea nnldrbor a Bess Pzza Best Breakss Be s~stsi Bs, Lnlr B LO SoBest Hair Salon Best Party Store Best Burger Best Sandwich Best Des rt Best New B ness a Best Heasing Boss Club ' THE WIRE Best Bar aBest lank TB I est Bage Bst a a. And grore THE FILTER Il THE VIEWFINDER 6 5 9 2 THE TANGENT 6 1 2 3 5 6 8 4 THE BLOCK M 8 9 5 4 7 BLOG 9 8 6 9 4 1 6 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."