NEW Wednesday, July 31, 1996-- Thd Michigan Daily -- S to entertain, disperse safety infonnation 3 By Katie Wang Daily News Editor This week the Ann Arbor Police Department and the University Department of Public Safety will be hosting events to celebrate the National Night Out on Aug. 6. The celebration is a nationwide effort to strengthen rela- tions between'citizens and law enforce- ment officials in crime prevention. More than 8,600 communities and 26 million people are expected to partici- pate nationwide. This Friday, AAPD will kick off the celebration by throwing a "going away party" for drugs and crime. The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Main Street. "We want to heighten awareness in crime and drug prevention," said Adele Akouri, AAPD crime prevention spe- cialist. "We want to unite the neighbor- hoods and to help better the police and department liaison." Akouri said she did not think rela- tions between the community and AAPD were weak, despite the criticism the force received for its handling of the June Ku Klux Klan rally. "I think the police has a lot of support from the community," she said. Akouri also said the city's crime rate has been decreasing every year. In June, the city was recognized as the fifth-best city in the country to live in, its low crime rate distinguishing it. DPS is scheduled to celebrate National Night Out on the North Campus Diag from 5-8 p.m. "Partnerships between law enforce- ment agencies and community mem- bers are crucial in the fight against crime," said DPS Director Leo Heatley in a statement. "National Night Out provides an excellent opportunity to develop those partnerships and work to create a safer community." Information booths will be set up by the Sexual Awareness Prevention and Awareness Center, DPS, the Domestic Violence Project/Safehouse and a booth on bicycle and traffic safety. In addition to information booths, participants will receive an opportunity to become an "official" junior police officer. This is the fifth year that Ann Arbor has observed this event. Last year, the AAPD and the city received national recognition for its program and promises an even better program this year. Among other events, the city has scheduled a karate demonstration and an environmental magic show. 'U' to provide state residents with health advice Kiosk project will offer .................. .limited WWW access By Anita Chik Daily Staff Reporter With a touch of buttons on a comput- er screen, the community can have access to the most recent health infor- mation. The University Comprehensive Cancer Center will develop computer health kiosk machines that will give people the opportunity to receive BOHDAN DAMIAN CAP/Daily advice on any health-related questions. The art of music Dr. Victor Strecher, who heads the Folksinger Andie Russo entertained the Art Fair crowds last Saturday. She was Health Kiosk project, said, "We came up one of the many musical performes at the 1996 Ann Arbor Art Fairs. with this idea because in this country, 35 million are actually using the World Wide Web and 200 million people do not ew indigenous garden unveied have access to it. We build the bridge between the have and have-not." Strecher said they plan to put kiosk machines in libraries, churches, super- markets, shopping malls and other pub- lic areas. He said he expected to expand the scope and number of kiosks in the network and increase the depths of health information available for people. Strecher said the interactive kiosk system is going to work like automated bank teller machines, which have touch-activated screens and printers. Strecher said the project will cost about $1 million and has become part of the state's Community Health budget under the approval of Gov. John Engler. According to Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Max Wicha, seven dif- ferent schools in the University partici- pated in the project, but the School of Public Health and Medical School were the two major contributors. "We hope (by) setting up kiosks in state, people in all areas (will) have access to information in a more enter- taining way. (The kiosk system) encour- ages people to seek out medical help when they need it," Wicha said. Wicha said the center first targeted the kiosk system in preventing cancer diseases, and later further developed the project to provide a variety of informa- tion to help people engage in healthier behavior. He said the kiosk machines will include health information such as diet, exercise and smoking facts. Wicha said the center plans to activate the machines in the next six months. "We need to demonstrate to the state that this is something helpful and peo- ple will adopt more healthier behavior. We will develop this project to become more extensive ...," Wicha said. By Anita Chik Daily Staff Reporter Many butterflies and bees flew in between flocks of visitors who came to celebrate the opening of the new Gateway Garden at the Matthaei Botanical Garden on Saturday. The celebration began with a short "eech by the main garden designer and assistant curator, David Michener. "We came to the realization that we have an opportunity to use new world plants, plants from all of the America and in domesticated, cultivated forms, as a transition from the natural wealth of the New World to the more tradition- al graden centered style of the European," Michener said. "We want this place to be a place that you can njoy, come back to and see how it atures through the years into being a special part of Ann Arbor." Michener said the garden challenged the community to explore the meaning of an American garden. The theme of the garden, "New World Plants: Journeys through Horticulture and Civilization," allows people to learn more about plants from North, South and Central America, he said. Garden co-designer Jim Dickinson entione how economically signifi- cant a lot of native American plants are in history. He gave examples such as tobacco, com and tomatoes. He said the garden is a transition between the wild and a setting where native animals and plants can interact. "Another advantage of this garden is the diversity of plant material in here. The diversity allows us to avoid using pesticides in this garden and allows a natural balance between predators and prey," said Dickinson. The Matthaei Botanical Garden Associate Director Brian Klatt said, "Everything that you see in the garden is native to the Americans. (The garden) has a lot of plants people have in their gardens. 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