The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, September 6, 2013 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS DETROIT Prof. tells students Republicans 'raped' U.S. An award-winning novelist who told students that Republi- cans have "raped this country" lost his fall teaching assignments at Michigan State University after acknowledging the remarks were offensive, the school said Thurs- day. William Penn, whose writings often focus on his American Indi- an heritage, welcomed his stu- dents last week with an attack on Republicans as cheap, greedy and old. His remarks were captured on video by a student and posted online by Campus Reform, which is affiliated with the Leadership Institute, a conservative group based in Arlington, Va. Penn met with his bosses and "acknowledged that some of his comments were inappropriate, disrespectful and offensive and may have negatively affected the learning environment," Michi- gan State spokesman Kent Cas- sella said. SAN JOSE, Calif. Google claims e-mail scanning S practice is legal Google's attorneys say their long-running practice of elec- tronically scanning the contents of people's Gmail accounts to help sell ads is legal, and have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to stop the practice. In a federal court hearing Thursday in San Jose, Google argued that "all users of email must necessarily expect that their emails will be subject to automat- ed processing." The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 10 individuals, is expected to be certified as a class action and is widely seen as a precedent-setting case for other email providers. KABUL, Afghanistan Indian author murdered by Islamic militants An Indian woman whose mem- oir about life under Taliban rule was turned into a Bollywood movie was shot dead Thursday by suspected members of the Islamist militia, officials said. The killing of Sushmita Baner- jee was the latest in a string of attacks on prominent women in Afghanistan, adding to fears women's rights in a country where many are barely allowed outside the house will face set- backs after U.S.-led foreign forces fully withdraw in 2014. The militants arrived before dawn at Banerjee's residence in eastern Paktika province, which lies in Afghanistan's east - a region where the Taliban are especially influential. Her hus- band, Jaanbaz Khan, answered the door, only to be quickly bound and blindfolded, provincial police chief Gen. Dawlat Khan Zadran told The Associated Press. ST. PETERSBURG, Russia Russian to evacuate citizens from Syria The Kremlin's chief of staff says Russia has been sending war- ships to the Mediterranean Sea for possible evacuation of Russian citizens from Syria. Russian news agencies on . Thursday quoted Sergei Ivanov as saying that Russia has been boost- ing its naval presence in the Med- iterranean "primarily" in order to organize a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria. Russia has been one of Syrian leader Bashar Assad's staunch- est allies in the civil war that has been raging for more than two years. -Compiled from Daily wire reports Egypt's Interior Minister escapes assasination Julie Pousson, right, and Jennifer Echeverry, left, celebrate after a non-discrimination ordinance was passed by the San Antonio city council, Thursday in San Antonio. S an Anton io C ity Councl passes LGBT protections City leaders approve anti-bias ordinances in 8-3 vote SAN ANTONIO (AP) - San Antonio's leaders on Thursday approved anti-bias protections for gay and transgender resi- dents, over the disapproval of top Texas Republicans and religious conservatives who packed a City Council hearing and occasion- ally shamed supporters for com- paringthe issue to the civil rights movement. The 8-3 City Council vote in favor of the ordinance was a vic- tory for gay rights advocates and for Democratic Mayor Julian Castro, a top surrogate of Presi- dent Barack Obama. Castro has called the ordinance overdue in the nation's seventh-largest city, where there is a stronger current of traditionalism and conserva- tism than other major Texas cit- ies that already have similar gay rights protections. San Antonio joins nearly 180 other U.S. cities that have non- discrimination ordinances that prohibit bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign. "This ordinance is about say- ing there are no second-class ADS From Page 1A her of the men's gymnastics team, performs a back flip on a trampoline in the Law Library.t Another depicts a number of students marching across thet Wave Field on North Campus. Schlientz said responsest from surveys sent out to stu-1 dents, faculty, staff and alumnii during the research phase spe-t cifically mentioned the Uni-1 versity's academic excellence1 as a point of pride. The ads are1 designed to highlight the aca- demic advantages for any stu- dent who attends, whether they1 come from Michigan or China. "Michigan is a great brand,1 but as you move beyond thei borders of the State of Michi- gan ... the playing field gets lev-i eled pretty fast," he said. "We1 don't want to shy away from athletics. That's a key compo-1 nent of who we are." ...At the same time again,i we want to make sure thatt that academic message comes through loud and clear." I University spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the ads will bet translated into Spanish and Mandarin to appeal to an inter-1 national audience. 1 TRANSITt From Page 1A1 professors and researchers t develop their ideas into prod- ucts and companies and to pro-r vide jobs for Michigan," SickL said.t Total funding for the pilotc program is $330,000, withs which each one-year project receiving an average of $50,000a to $75,000 with costs split between the Michigan Eco- 1 nomic Development Corpora-c tion and the University. E M-TRAC is currently in theI process of choosing projectsI to fund. An oversight com-r mittee consisting of a mix oft University leaders, ventures citizens in San Antonio," Castro said. Supporters in red shirts and opponents in blue sat on oppo- site sides of the ornate council chamber Thursday. Church leaders vowed petitions to recall council members, and the shouts of protesters outside City Hall often carried through the stone walls of the century- old building. More than 700 people regis- tered to speak Wednesday dur- ing a marathon session of citizen testimony that stretched past midnight. Just a few hours later, 100 people signed up Thursday morning to get in a final word before the vote. Dee Villarubia, 67, said she's a former Air Force officer whose landlord at a San Antonio apart- ment evicted her two years ago because she is gay. "When I say the pledge of alle- giance, I say 'justice for some' because there's an asterisk that means not me," Villarubia said. "Today, I would take that aster- isk away and finally say 'justice for all"' The local measure roiled conservatives nationwide and was opposed by big-name Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. Abbott, a Republican who is "Marketing the university and putting out that brand, there's a unified effort all across campus as we've never seen before," Fitzgerald said. In preparation for the debut of the advertisements, posters showing various stills from the videos have been posted across campus with "#Vic- torsValiant" printed across the bottom. Schlientz said the inspiration to use "victors" in more than just the aptly titled University fight song came from University of Michigan Health System commercials, which also feature the song. "This word 'victor' isn't just tied to a football team on the football field, or a basketball team on the basketball court; it's in the DNA of Michigan," Schlientz said. "They took this iconic song and these incredi- ble words and brought it to life." After the ads debut, the University will look for stu- dent feedback as they contin- ue to refine their advertising methods. The 60-second video will premiere Friday at the "Maize Out. Lights On." pep rally on the Diag. The 30-second spot will premiere at the Michigan Football game against Notre Dame on Saturday. capitalists and transporta- tion experts will choose the projects and provide mentor- ship starting in early Decem- ber. Apart from choosing the projects, committee members will also mentor project par- ticipants. The candidates will do the technical work them- selves, while the committee will assist with the business aspect of the project. Sick said the committee is looking for a product idea that can be licensed quickly and efficiently. The committee plans to choose two or three projects initially, but once more funding is available the ultimate goal will be to spon- sor 10 to 12 projects. seeking the governor's office, predicted a lawsuit over reli- gious freedoms, though he has not said the state will challenge the ordinance. Attention intensified after City Councilwoman Elisa Chan was caught on tape calling homosexuality "disgusting" and arguing that gays should not be allowed to adopt. Chan has defended her comments. "Just because I disagree with the lifestyle of the LGBT com- munity doesn't mean I dislike them," Chan said before the vote. "Similarly, just because one opposes this ordinance, does not mean one is for dis- crimination." San Antonio City Attorney Michael Bernard told the coun- cil the ordinance would apply to most city contracts and con- tractors. It prohibits council members from discriminat- ing in their official capacity and forbids workers in public accommodation jobs, such as at restaurants or hotels, from refusing to serve customers based on their sexual orienta- tion or gender identity. Opponents say the ordinance - which takes effect immedi- ately - would stifle religious expression and does not have the support of most of the city's resi- dents. CAPITAL From Page 1A dent fundraising efforts on cam- pus. Many student organizations - including Dance Marathon, Galens Medical Society and Greek life - regularly raise money for a variety of University causes, and the student campaign committee aims to expand that practice. "It's exciting to have students across the University who are going to come together and say, 'We want a better University now and for the students who will fol- low in our footsteps,' "Walsh said. Walsh added that Stephen Ross, the philanthropist and real estate tycoon who made the largest donation in University history of $200 million, serves as an exam- ple of someone who understands the value of philanthropy. Serving as the chair of the fun- draising campaign, Ross set the bar high with his donation, which willbe splitbetweenhis namesake school and the Athletic Depart- ment. "He will convince people that it is important to give," University President Mary Sue Coleman said in an interview on Wednesday. "It is not only important for the Ross BOOKSTORE From Page 1A will succeed because of its offer- ings and placement. Bookbound hopes to build off of Peter Blackshear's 20 years working with Borders' corporate stores and retail locations. The store will take advantage of his connections with resellers and will sell bargain books along- side a large number of children's books to connect with the grow- ing market in that genre. Megan Blackshear said she and her husband originally thought about opening their store down- town, but their "shoe-string budget" conflicted with high downtown rents. She added that Bookbound 22 wounded in first bomb attack since Morsi's departure CAIRO (AP) -Egypt's interior minister narrowly escaped assas- sination Thursday when a car bomb tore through his convoy, wounding 22 people and leaving a major Cairo boulevard strewn with debris - the first such attack since the military ousted the country's Islamist president. The strike raised fears of a militant campaign of revenge for the coup and the likelihood of an even tougher hand by authorities against protesters demanding Mohammed Morsi's return to office. The interim president com- pared the attacktotheinsurgency waged by Islamic militants in the 1980s and 1990s against the rule of now-ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, when militants car- ried out numerous assassination attempts, killing the parliament speaker. Mubarak himself sur- vived an assassination attempt in 1994, when militants attacked his convoy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. That insurgency provided Mubarak with a justification for a nationwide state of emer- gency, lifted only after he was driven from power by an upris- ing in 2011. Since Morsi's ouster in a July3 coup, Egypt has been back under emergency law, and police have arrested nearly 2,000 members of his Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamistsupporters. In mid-August, authorities forcefully dispersed two pro- Morsi sit-in camps in Cairo after days of warnings, setting off vio- lencethatkilledhundredsnation- wide. The move led to retaliatory strikes on government buildings, police stations and churches around the country. Islamic hard-liners have since stepped up attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula and inthe south, and have increasing- school, the athletics, the medical areas, in English, in writing, in history; we need those resources for our students all over the place." Rather than serving an honor- ary role, Ross is already actively serving as chair by speaking to potential donors and connecting alums to the University, according to Baird. While the University has received a flurry oflarge donations - what Baird calls "leadership gifts" - from Ross, Charles Mung- er and the Zell Family Foundation, the campaign will likely receive gifts of all shapes and sizes. Judy Malcolm, senior director of executive communications at the Office of University Develop- ment, said the University received a record-setting number of gifts that were less than $25,000 this past year. Malcolm could not provide the exact numbers, but said Jerry May, vice president for develop- ment with the office of Univer- sity Development, will include the data in his presentation on the fis- cal year at the University's Board of Regents meeting on Sept.19. While the Michigan Difference, the previous capital campaign, focused more on infrastructural projects with a total of $3.2 billion raised, Baird said this campaign wouldn't need to sell the same amount of inventory as Borders did to stay open, noting that the store is only 2,000 square feet whereas the downtown Borders was 42,000 square feet. Hilary Gustafson, who owns and operates the similarly sized Literati with her husband Michael, said the past five months have been great for the store, as they have developed a base of customers that includes both foot traffic and regulars. "We will be here for a while," Gustafson said. "We can't speak to the long term, as it only has been five months, but we will be here for at least the next year if this continues the way it does." Gustafson, who advised the Blackshears on the book market in Ann Arbor before they signed a ly brought attacks to the capital. Still, Thursday's bombing against Mohammed Ibrahim, who heads the police force wag- ing the crackdown, was a sub- stantial escalation. There was no immediate claim of responsibil- ity. Interim President Adly Man- sour's office vowed it would "not allow the terrorism the Egyptian people crushed in the 1980s and 90s to raise its ugly head again." Military leader Abdel-Fattah el- Sissi, the man who ousted Morsi, pledged to continue the fight againstterrorism. Egyptian mediahave for weeks vilified the protesters, blaming the violence on Morsi's support- ers and a terrorism campaign. After Thursday's attack, state media urged citizens to exercise caution, report suspicious activi- ties or individuals, and called on authorities to widen their crack- down on suspected terrorists. The attack is likely to further isolate the Islamists. Liberal poli- tician Amr Moussa called on the ousted president's backers tontake a clear position against the bomb- ing. "When lives of innocents are targeted, those who support that or justify it will not be accepted amongus," said Moussa, who sits on a newly appointed constitu- tional panel. Morsi's supporters sought to distance themselves from the attack. The Anti-Coup Coalition, a group of Islamist factions that has spearheaded protests since Morsi's ouster; predicted it would be used asa pretext for widening the crackdown on its opponents. "The coalition is against any violent act, even if it is against those who committed crimes against the people," the group said. "It expects that such inci- dents will be used to extend the state of emergency and to increase the use of oppression, repression and detention which have been used by the coup authority." team will ensure that donors knowthesignificance of their gifts going toward financial aid rather than physical enhancements to the campus. "Donors give where their pas- sions are," Baird said. "I think our donors understand the challenges our students have in terms of pay- ing for their education. We're going to see a tremendous amount support for students tocome." In an interview Wednesday, Tim Slottow, the University's executive vice president and chief financial officer, said philanthro- py has allowed the University to grow. Slottow said that providing financial aid to every in-state stu- dent who is in need - and work- ing toward offering the same to out-of-state students - will allow the University to develop its diversity. "We went all the way to the Supreme Court to fight for affir- mative action and diversity, and we studied and proved that diver- sity prepares students more for successful lives," Slottow said. "So, that's avery important thing." More details about the cam- paign will be released at the kickoff on Nov. 8. The Office of University Development plans to host a press conference regarding the campaign on Nov. 7. lease, said she is confident in Book- bound's ability to stay open in the city. "The book market is really hard, but Ithink Bookbound did it rightby going on the north side which really doesn't have (abookstore)," she said. "They are fitting a niche by selling bargain books as well as doing the independent bookstore thing." She advised Bookbound to carry magazines as the absence of Borders has left the city without a store carrying a wide selection. Meagan Blackshear said there is space in their location to expand their inventory and she hopes to do so in the coming months. "Despite what you hear, there are quite a lot of people who actually still read real books and want to support indie book- stores."