The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wednesday, January 9, 2014 - 3A The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, January 9, 2014 - 3A NEWS BRIEFS DETROIT Mich. economic outlook better, still not great A statewide survey of business people shows that their confi- dence in Michigan's economy has grown greatly since the bottom of the Great Recession, with room to improve as well. Results of the second annual Michigan Economic Outlook sur- vey were released Wednesday at the Detroit Economic Club. Margaret Baker of Ann Arbor's Baker Strategy Group says that leaders of Michigan's key manu- facturers gave the state a business rating of 65, up from 25 in 2009. Baker says that's still low. Michigan State University economist Charles Ballard says a concern is how many Michi- gan communities like Detroit are struggling to cope with a shrunk- en tax bases after property values fell sharply. The forum took place at the MotorCity Casino in Detroit. ANCHORAGE. Alaska Plane lands on major Alaska street amid cold weather A pilot who made a safe emer- gency landing on a major Anchor- age street said he lost power, waited for a break in traffic, then descended onto the snowy median. Armon Tabrizi said he was not immediately sure where to land before deciding to put the Cessna 172RG Cutlass down in the mid- dle of Boniface Parkway Tuesday afternoon, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Tabrizi, 27, avoid- ed cars and stoplights, and no one in the plane or on the ground was injured. BERLIN German leader will visit U.S. after NSA allegations German Chancellor Angela Merkel has accepted an invitation to visit the United States, months after allegations that U.S. intel- ligence had tapped her phone strained relations between Berlin and Washington. In a call Wednesday, President Barack Obama congratulated Merkel on forming a new govern- ment last month and wished her speedy recovery from a recent skiing accident. Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Obama also invit- ed Merkel to Washington "in the coming months," which she accepted. The White House said both leaders noted the agenda that awaits them this year, including negotiations toward a proposed free-trade deal between the U.S. and the EU, and a NATO summit in the spring. PARIS France fines Google $204,000 over privacy policy The French digital priva- cy watchdog is fining Google 150,000 euros ($204,000) for breaking rules on ensuring data privacy. The CNIL agency said on Wednesday that Google's new privacy policy - which applies to all of its services from e-mail to calendars - isn't specific enough about how and why it collects data from users and doesn't define how long it keeps such data, among other prob- lems. EU authorities also have said the new privacy policy doesn't follow their rules. Google has contended that its new policy is simpler and com- plies with European law. Since the company did not change its policy as request- ed, the CNIL said it is fining Google. The agency also asked the search giant to post a state- ment about the decision on its French home page, google.fr. -Compiled from Daily wire reports Rodman defends relationship with N. Korean leader PtTER MORGAN/AP' Ice forms on rocks on the Brooklyn waterfront across from lower Manhattan in New York, Tuesday. The high tempera- ture is expected to be 10 degrees in the city but wind chills will make it feel more like minus 10. Deep freeze across U.S. has benefits for natural world Cold temperatures could bode well for Mich. lake levels, Fla. citrus farmers TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - From a field station in northern Wisconsin, where the previous night's low was a numbing29 degrees below zero, climate scientist John Lenters studied computer images of ice floes on Lake Superior with delight. It may be hard to think of this week's deep. freeze as any- thing but miserable, but to sci- entists like Lenters there are silver linings: The extreme cold may help raise low water in the Great Lakes, protect shorelines and wetlands from erosion, kill insect pests and slow the migra- tion of invasive species. "All around, it's a positive thing," Lenters, a specialist in the climate of lakes and.water- sheds, said Wednesday. Ice cover on the Great Lakes has been shrinking for decades, but this year more than 60 per- cent of the surface is expected to freeze over at soie point - an occurrence that could help the lakes rebound from a pro- longed slump in water levels. Even agriculture can benefit. Although cold weather is gener- ally no friend to crops, some of southern Florida's citrus fruits can use a perfectly timed cool- down, which they were getting as midweek temperatures hov- ered around freezing. "A good cold snap lowers the acidity in oranges and increases sugar content, sweetens the fruit," said Frankie Hall, policy director for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation. "It's almost been a blessing." Scientists noted that sub- zero temperatures and pound- ing snowfalls like those that gripped much of the nation for several days are not unheard-of in the Midwest and Northeast and used to happen more fre- quently. For all the misery it inflicted, the polar vortex that created the painfully frigid conditions apparently broke no all-time records in any major U.S. cit- ies, according to Jeff Masters, meteorology director of Weath- er Underground. "I'm just happy to see that we have a normal winter for once," said Lenters, who works for Limnotech, an environmental consulting firm in Ann Arbor. As the climate has warmed, the absence of bitter cold has actually been damaging. The emerald ash borer, an insect native to Asia, arrived in the U.S. around 2002 and has killed about 50 million ash trees in the Upper Midwest. But some locales this winter may have gotten cold enough to kill at least some larvae, said Robert Venette, a U.S. Forest Service research biologist in St. Paul, Minn. A reading of minus 20 will usually produce a 50 percent mortality rate, and "the num- bers go up quickly as it gets colder than that," Venette said. While the freeze won't wipe out the ash borer, it will give communities a chance to devel- op plans for limiting the bug's spread, he said. Other pests that originated in warmer places could be affect- ed as well, including the gypsy moth, the hemlock woolly adel- gid and the European beetle that carries Dutch elm disease, said Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota Cen- ter for Forest Ecology. Native insects have evolved to cope with deep freezes. Extreme cold also reins in invasive nuisance plants such as kudzu, which has ravaged the Southeastbut has yet to find its way north, said Luke Nave, a University of Michigan assis- tant research scientist. Basketball star draws criticism in light of alleged atrocities in country PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - Dennis Rodman sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before leadinga squad of former NBA stars in a friendly game Wednesday as part of his "bas- ketball diplomacy" that has been criticized in the United States as naive and laughable. Rodman dedicated the game to his "best friend" Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seat- ing area. The capacity crowd of about 14,000 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium clapped loudly as Rodman sang a verse from the birthday song. Rodman said he was honored to be able to play the game in the North Korean capital and called the event "historic." Some mem- bers of the U.S. Congress, the NBA and human rights groups, however, say he has become a public relations tool for North Korea's government. The government's poorhuman rights record and its threats to use nuclear weapons against rival South Korea and the Unit- ed States have kept it a pariah state. Kim shocked the world in December by having his uncle, once considered his mentor, executed after being accused of a litany of crimes including cor- ruption, womanizing, drug abuse and attempting to seize power. Rodman, 52, has refused to address those concerns while continuing to forge a relation- ship with Kim, whose age has never been officially disclosed. The government did not say how old he turned Wednesday but he is believed to be in his early30s. At the start of the game, Rod- man sang "Happy Birthday" to Kim, who was seated above in the stands at the stadium, and then bowed deeply as North Korean players clapped. To keep it friendly, the Ameri- cans played against the North Koreans in the first half, but split up and merged teams for the sec- ond half. The North Korean team scored 47 points to 39 for the Americans before the teams were mixed. Rodman played only in the first half and then sat next to Kim during the second half. "A lot of people have expressed different views about me and your leader, your marshal, and I take that as a compliment," Rod- man told the crowd. "Yes, he is a great leader, he provides for his people here in this country and thank God the people here love the marshal." Rodman is the highest-pro- file American to meet Kim. He has carefully avoided getting involved in overtly political activities, saying that he is not a statesman and instead is seeking only to build cultural connec- tions with the North through basketball that may help improve relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Rodman has been slammed in particular for not using his influence with Kim to help free Kenneth Bae, an American mis- sionary in poor health who is being confined in the North for "anti-state" crimes. In an inter- view with CNN on Tuesday, Rod- man implied that Bae was at fault for being held captive. Bae's sister, Terri Chung, said his family couldn't believe what Rodman said. "Here's somebody who is in a position to do some good for Ken- neth and refusesto do so," Chung told KOMO Radio in Seattle on Wednesday. "And then after the fact, instead, he decides to hurl these unqualified accusations against Kenneth. It's clear he has no idea what he's talking about. I'm not sure who he's talking to, where he's getting his informa- tion, but he's certainly no author- ity on Kenneth Bae." Giffords skydives on anniversary of riZ. mass shootin g Several ceremonies commemorate three years since supermarket attack TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Gabri- elle Giffords marked the three- year anniversary of an attack that left her severely wounded and forced her to resign from Congress by skydiving Wednes- day in a feat that highlights her ongoing recovery after having to learn how to walk and talk again. Across the city, others gathered for bell-ringing and flag-raising ceremonies to remember the six killed and 13 injured, including Giffords, on Jan. 8, 2011, as the former Ari- zona congresswoman met with constituents outside a grocery store. Giffords waved and blew kisses to a crowd at a skydiving site between Phoenix and Tuc- son after successfully landing without injury. "Gabby landed beautifully. Happy she's safe. So proud of her bravery," Giffords' husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, wrote on his Twitter account after the tandem jump with his wife strapped to a professional skydiver. Jimmy Hatch, a former Navy SEAL who accompanied Gif- fords along with others, said the group held hands and formed a circle shortly after exiting the aircraft, then made a line with Giffords in the middle. "She was the least nervous person on the plane," Hatch said, calling Giffords a "rock star" for making the jump on such an emotional day. "They did a little moment of silence at the drop zone," he said. "The emotion was really heavy. Then she smiled and said, 'Let's go."' Vice President Joe Biden's office said he called Giffords on Wednesday to wish her good luck. "Gabby's courage & deter- mination has been absolutely inspirational," Biden wrote on his office's Twitter account. Giffords' jump will be broadcast Thursday on NBC's "Today" show. In Tucson, about 100 resi- dents attended a ceremony Wednesday morning outside the University of Arizona Med- ical Center, where the injured were treated. A bell was rung once for each victim as the Rev. Joe Fitzgerald spoke to the crowd. "Today, we gather to remem- ber the tragic day three years ago when our community was deeply wounded," he said. Other ceremonies and moments of silence took place across the city. "I think the commemorations are, in large part, recognition of our community's collective care and compassion and grit to go on," Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said. Pam Simon, 66, who was a Giffords aide at the time of the attack and suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, reflected on the shooting with crisp memo- ries, but also a positive outlook. "When we stop on an anni- versary to really reflect, some- times it opens the wounds a little bit," she said. "But it's also gratifying in a way to see the community come out again and remember." Prelates attend a mass celebrated by Cardinal Velasio De Paolis at the Legion's main headquarters, the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum, in Rome, Wednesday. Vatican continues efforts to reform Legion after scandal Congregation gathers to discuss changes after sexual misconduct VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican delegate running the troubled Legion of Christ urged its priests on Wednesday to elect a new leadership worthy of authority, after suffering for years from shame and suspicion following revelations that its founder was a pedophile. He said the new leaders must infuse the religious order with a new spirit to finish a process of reform he said had only just begun. Cardinal Velasio De Paolis presided over a Mass opening a month-long meeting of Legion delegates to elect a new leader- ship and finalize new constitu- tions that must be submitted to Pope Francis for approval. The meeting is the culmination of a three-year Vatican experiment to try to turn the congregation around after a Holy See investi- gation uncovered serious prob- lems in the cult-like movement. The Legion was once held up as a model by the Vatican, which was impressed by the ortho- doxy of its priests and its abil- ity to attract seminarians and donations at a time when voca- tions were on the decline. But in reality, the order's founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel, was lead- ing a double life, sexually abus- ing his seminarians, fathering three children and creating a twisted system of power that kept most Legion priests in the dark and infected the very life of the order. The Legion scandal repre- sents one of the worst to afflict the Catholic Church in the 20th century, an egregious example of the church's concern for the institution over victims of sexual abuse. Despite cred- ible reports sent to the Vatican starting inthe1950sthat Maciel was a pedophile, drug addict and manipulative liar, it took until 2006 for then-Pope Bene- dict XVI to bring Maciel to jus- tice. The Mexican prelate died two years later. Benedict took the Legion over in 2010 and appointed De Paolis to oversee a whole- scale reform, leading up to the assembly that began Wednes- day. While the Legion insists great strides have been made - decision-making is more decentralized, priests have bet- ter training and emails are no longer screened - De Paolis said the reform has only just begun. "It has been repeatedly stressed that the revision of the constitutions cannot simply be considered a technical effort, but should be accompanied by a process of examination of life, of review and of spiritual renewal for the institute," he told the gathering of a few hun- dred priests in the chapel of the Legion's seminary on the out- skirts of Rome. "Thus far, we have only completed the pro- cess of preparation." A 4 ! .