2A - Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

- hrsaOcoe 3,213TeMihga aly-mchgnavyo

(T e fidtciian Daily
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327
www.michigandaily.com
ANDREW WEINER KIRBY VOIGTMAN
Editor in Chief Business Manager
734-418-4115 ext. 1252 734-418-4115 ext. 1241
anweiner@michigandaily.com kvoigtman@michigandailycom

S W I NG: I' FUiN -

The traveling bestseller

Jennifer Coburn is a bestsell-
ing fiction author and journal-
ist whose novels include "Tales
from the Crib" and "Reinventing
Mona." She graduated from the
University in 1988 with a bach-
elor's degree in communications.
Her new book, "We'll Always
Have Paris," will be available in
stores in April.
What piqued your interest in
writing novels?
I had always been interested
in short story and fiction writing,
but journalism kind of just hap-
pened. Someone once approached
me to write an article, and that's
how it started. I've written a lot
of op-ed pieces for around 40

regional newspapers, like The
Miami Herald and also national
publications like Mothering,
Salon and Huffington Post.
Why did you decide to write a
memoir?
I've written six novels, and
I wanted to try a new genre.
Actually, my mom suggested I
write about my travels with my
daughter. It was a four-part trip
to Europe. We first went when
my daughter was eight and then
11, 14, and the last one was when
she was 16. I used to always tell
people about my travels and
they were like 'You should write
these down' - and, eventually,
I did.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Birmingham resident Mike Kopmeyer participates
in a Swing Ann Arbor lesson at the Michigan Union
Wednesday.

CRIME NOTES
Who am I? Feasting
WHERE: Campus Safety gone wild
Services
WHEN: Tuesday at about WHERE: North Quad Resi-
12:10 p.m. dence Hall
WHAT: An unknown WHEN: Wednesday at
subejet used a student's about 9:25 p.m.
social security number for WHAT: An unkown subject
employment records, Uni- took a platter of various
versity Police reported. A food items from North Quad
clerical error was found to without paying for it, Uni-
be the culprit. versity Police reported.
It's gettin
Hands off the It. gin'
h .

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Trick or treat! Halloween

WHAT: Trick-or-Treat
bags are available to pick up
in CCI room 2205. Candy
and prizes can be found in
the Michigan Union, along
with information about
Union services.
WHO: Center for Campus
Involvement
WHEN: Today from 12 p.m.
to 4 p.m.

frights
WHAT: Come watch a
classic Halloween movie,
complete with popcorn and
snacks.
WHO:Center for Campus
Involvement
WHEN: Today from 8 p.m.
to 10:30 p.m.
WHERE: Pierpont Com-
mons

How did your experiences at
the University contribute to
your success, both personally
and professionally?
I absolutely loved my years at
the University. I wish, and a lot
of other alumni will tell you this,
that I had taken more advantage
of the resources. Our alumni
network is amazing; they have
been extraordinarily helpful. I
can pick up the phone, call any
alumni, and they will take the
call and help me. Even alumni
who are working in Hollywood,
who are very busy, will take the
time to talk to me.
- TANAZAHMED
Read more at michigandaily-com
TH REE T HINGS YOU
SHOU 0 KNOW IOOAY
1Guy Fieri, celebrity chef
known for his hair, got
into a scuffle with his
hair dresser outside of his
SUV, TMZ reported Wednes-
day. To the disappointment
or perhaps delight of many,
his hair remains as spikey as
ever.
Turn to the b-side to
geta behind the scenes
look at Night Ter-
rors, one of Michigan's pre-
mier haunted houses. Also
explored: Live Action Role
Playing culture and its die-
hard fans in Ann Arbor.
Kanye West said his
fiancee, Kim Kardashi-
an, should be featured
on the cover of Vogue, Polit-
ico reported Wednesday.
Kanye reasoned this is only
natural, as Michelle Obama
was featured on the cover
previously.

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Kayla Upadhyaya ManagingArtsEditor kaylau@michigandaily.com
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ASSISTANT ARTS EDITORS: JohnBohn,Sean Czarnecki, Max
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The Michigan Daiy (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during thetfall and
winerteerms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available freesoficharge
to allreaders.Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2.Subscriptions for
fall term, starting in september viaU.S.mail are S110. Winter term (January through April) is
$115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reeded
subscription rate.On-ampus subscriptionsfor falltermare$5.Subscriptionsmust beprepaid.
The Michigan Daily is amember of The Associated Press and The AssociatedCollegiate Press.

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Horror film Puppet fun

technology
WHERE: Mott Children's
Hospital
WHEN: Tuesday at 7:15
p.m.
WHAT: An iPad was stolen
from the seventh floor
activity room, University
Police reported. A possible
suspect has been identified.

11V meire as1I

festival

WHERE:West Qu
dence Hall
WHEN: Tuesday;
a.m.
WHAT: A fire ext
was found to be m
from its case in W
University Police r
There were no ind
a fire or smoke pre

sad Resi-

WHAT: Students can come
at 9:15 experience the lesser known
horror films from countries
inguisher around the word, including
issing Brazil, France and India.
est Quad, The day-long screening will
reported. cover everything from silly
icators of horror to the more "legiti-
sent. mately" scary.
WHO: University Library
L WHEN: Today from12 p.m.
to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Graduate Library

WHAT: Come see the play,
Blind Summit: The Table,
where a puppet struggles
with a sudden existential
crisis. The theatrical team
who created the show
also had a hand in Danny
Boyle's Olympic Opening
Ceremony. General
admission costs $35.
WHO: University Musical
Society
WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Performance
Network

MORE ONLINE Love Crime Notes?
Get more online at michigandaily.com/blogs/The Wire

l

NYC Council votes to raise
tobacco-buying age to 21
City Councilman tional City Councilman James to rise to 21 in January in near
Gennaro, the bill's sponsor, by Canton, Mass. The state of
Gennaro said bill whose mother and father died New Jersey is also considering
from tobacco-related illnesses. a similar proposal.
will save lives "I've lived with it, I've seen it ... Lawmakers who pushed for
but I feel good today." the change site city statistics
NEW YORK (AP) - Smokers Mayor Michael Bloomberg, that show youth smoking rates
younger thau 21 in the nation's who is a strong supporter of the have plateaued at 8.5 percent
biggest city will soon be barred tough smoking restrictions, has since 2007.
from buying cigarettes after 30 days to sign the bills into law. "We have to do more and
the New York City Council The minimum age bill will take that's what we're doing today,"
voted overwhelming Wednes- effect 180 days after enactment. said City Council Speaker
day to raise the tobacco-pur- "We know that tobacco Christine Quinn. "We have a
chasing age to higher than all dependence can begin very real chance of leading the coun-
but a few other places in the soon after a young person try and the world."
United States. first tries smoking so it's criti- The city's current age limit
City lawmakers approved cal that we stop young people is 18, a federal minimum that's
the bill - which raises from 18 from smoking before they ever standard in many places. Smok-
to21 the purchasing age for cig- start," Bloomberg said in a ing in city parks and beaches-
arettes, certain tobacco prod- statement. is already prohibited as it is in
ucts and even electronic-vapor With Wednesday's vote, New restaurants.
smokes - and another that sets York is by far the biggest city Advocates say higher age
a minimum $10.50-a-pack price to bar cigarette sales to 19- and limits help prevent, or at least
for tobacco cigarettes and steps 20-year-olds. Similar legisla- delay, young people from tak-
tsp law enforcement on illegal tion is expected to come to a ing up a habit that remains the
tobacco sales. vote in Hawaii this December. leading cause of preventable
"This will literally save The tobacco-buying age is 21 in deaths nationwide. And sup-
many, many lives," said an emo- Needham, Mass., and is poised porters point to drinking-age
laws as a precedent for setting
the bar at 21.
E E E(US E But cigarette manufactur-
ers have suggested young
adult smokers may just turn to
black-market merchants. And
some smokers say it's unfair
and patronizing to tell people
4 2 considered mature enough to
vote and serve in the military
8 4 that they're not old enough to
decide whether to smoke.
1 6 3 "New York City already has
the highest cigarette tax rate
and the highest cigarette smug-
8 1 5 gling rate in the country," said
Bryan D. Hatchell , a spokes-
6 5 8 man for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company, which makes Camel
and other brands. "Those go
hand in hand and this new law
will only make the problem
4 2 9116 worse."
A coalition of bodegas and
7 A ll 3 tobacco store owners funded
by tobacco-manufactures also
A1__ slammed the council's vote
1 4Wednesday, particularly the
bill that sets the minimum
M oS S prices and bans tobacco prod-
uct discounts and coupons.
Ramon Murphy, president

City Council may repeal.
crosswalk ordinance

Members say
ordinance conflicts
with state law
By FARONE E. RASHEED
Daily StaffReporter
A controversial city crosswalk
ordinance continues to be a topic
of scrutiny by the Ann Arbor City
Council members, and residents,
and it mayface repeal.
The dispute centers on an
excerpt of the Ann Arbor city
ordinance, Title X, Article XII,
10.148. - which states that at
intersections without traffic sig-
nals, drivers must stop for jny
pedestrian stopped at the curb,
curb line or ramp leading to a
crosswalk.
This is in contrast to the
Michigan Uniform Traffic Code,
which more broadly states that
drivers should yield the right-
of-way when a pedestrian is in
a crosswalk on the half of the
roadway on which the vehicle is
traveling, or when the pedestrian
is approaching closely from the
opposite site of the freeway. The
state code prohibits pedestrians
from walking in front of a vehicle
when the driver lacks sufficient
load to yield
Councilmember Sally Petersen
(D-Ward 2) said she, along with
Councilmembers Sumi Kailasap-
athy (D-Ward 1) and Jane Lumm
(I-Ward 2) plan to co-sponsor
a motion that would repeal the
city's requirement that drivers
stop for pedestrians when they
are standing at the curb. She said
the resolution would better align
Ann Arbor code with the MUTC,
which the rest ofthe state follows.

City council approved the revi-
sion to the ordinance in Decem-
ber 2011 that no longer required
vehicles to stop for pedestrians
approaching or within cross-
walks, instead requiring vehicles
to stop for a pedestrian standing
at the curb or within the cross-
walk. At the time, the revision
was made to clear up ambiguity in
the wording of the ordinance.
ButPetersen explainedthatthe
ordinance instills a false sense of
securityin pedestrians,whooften
believe they have an absolute
right-of-way and that motorists
will stop when the pedestrians
reach the curb.
"What we've seen is that isn't
necessarily the case - that motor-
ists don't stop because this local
law - A, it's not enforced in Ann
Arbor, and, B, it's not the same as
in other communities," Petersen
said. "I think it's confusing to
drivers because it's inconsistent."
Councilwoman Sabra Briere
(D-Ward 1), on the other hand,
did not see a repeal of the ordi-
nance as a good solution to exist-
ing problems.
"Part of the problem with see-
ing the ordinance as the issue is
that it places the fault for a traf-
fic accident on an ordinance that
I would bet most people haven't
read, much less haven't heard
about," Briere said. "A pedes-
trian in a crosswalk always has
the right to be in the crosswalk
and repealing this ordinance -
whether that's a good idea or a
bad idea - doesn't address the
problems along Plymouth Road."
Briere expressed a desire to
see increased enforcement of the
ordinance, with an overall objec-
tine of promoting crosswalk safe-
ty.

The Washtenaw Biking and
Walking Coalition has also
opposed calls to repeal the ordi-
nance, and started an online peti-
tion to help preserve the current
statute.
WBWC Erica Briggs explained
that the difference between the
state and city laws was based on
interpretation. While states like
California have established that
the crosswalk begins while the
pedestrian waits at the curb, the
MUTC stipulates that the cross-
walk does not begin until one
steps into the street.
"There are a number of stud-
ies that have shown that we
basically need coordinated
education, enforcement and
good appropriate engineering,"
Briggs said. "We haven't very
successfully done that in our
community."
Consequently, she iterated
concerns about residents, par-
ticularly those with disabili-
ties, crossing large streets, such
as Jackson Road, in a safe and
efficient manner without the
requirements set by the local
ordinance.
"It became very apparent that
when traffic didn't stop, people
were pretty much putting their
life in their own hands and it was
really risky," Briggs said.
With the process still ongoing,
the coalition continues to work
with city officials in developing
an effective and efficient cross-
walk policy.
"What we all agreed on is that
we all want pedestrians to be safe,
and we all want to pedestrians to
have access to a road to be able
to cross it safely," Petersen said.
"Where we differ is how that
should happen."

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