Mourning on the Diag
OPINION
Setting the record
straight
The Recording IndustryAs-
sociation of America sounds
off, addressing accusations
about its involvement with
litigation on college campuses.
See Page 4
ARTS
Indiana Jones returns
for new adventure
The special effects-laden sequel
from Spielberg and Lucas has
critics divided. Paul Tassi and
Brandon Conradis weigh in on
"Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
See Page 9
SPORTS
Blue shut down by
All-American pitcher
The Michigan softball team lost
two straight games to Virginia
Tech this weekend to fall out of
the NCAA Tournament.
See Page 11
INDEX
Vol. cxVIl, No. 139
'©000tThe MichiganO Diy
ichiganduily.com
NEW S................................. 2
OPINION........................................4
C LA SSIFIED S.................................6
CROSSWORD................................6
ARTS............ .....9
SPO RT S........................ ... .....11
By CHARLES GREGG-GEIST
Daily News Editor
About 150 people gathered Fri-
day to mourn the tens of thou-
sands killedby the earthquake that
rocked China earlier this month.
"We are standing here to show
our respect to people who showed
us what dignity and honor are like
even as they died," said Jim Wu,
the event's host, from the center
of a heart-shaped arrangement of
candles.
"We are here to show the world
that, regardless of where we grew
up, we are now all members of
Sichuan Province," said Wu, who
is also the applications systems
analysis and programming man-
ager for the University's Business
Services.
Sichuanwastheprovinceincen-
tral China hit hardest by the May
12 earthquake. Of the projected
80,000 casualties in the country,
some 50,000 may be in Sichuan,
accordingto Chinese officials. The
official death toll rose to 65,080
Monday, with 23,150 people still
missing, the Associated Press
reported.
After a moment of silence, Wu
led the crowd through two quiet
verses of "Amazing Grace." While
only a few people sang at first,
almost the entire crowd joined in
to sing the Chinese songs that fol-
lowed.
As they sang with hands linked
and arms raised, many people
bowed their heads and cried. In
between songs, people hurriedly
worked to relight candles that had
been extinguished by the wind.
"The purpose is to get all the
people to show all the love," said
Simon Zhang, an Ann Arbor resi-
cab fares
Rising gas prices
necessitate hike,
drivers say
By JAIE HOLMES
Daily StaffReporter
Like many University stu-
dents, LSA Junior AylinDowney
uses her car to buy groceries and
sometimes shares taxis with her
friends on the way back from a
late night out. But as gas prices
rise to record highs, Downey
said she may reconsider her
transportation choices.
Ifprices gettoo high,Downey
said she might consider taking
the bus to buy groceries instead
of driving. When Downey her
friends share a taxi, one person
usually picks up the tab and
the others promise to pay their
sharelater. Repayment, she said,
is often forgotten.
But after the Ann Arbor City
Council raised taxi fares last
week, Downey said she might be
more careful about paying for
taxi rides.
The fare increase includes an
extra 50-centchargepertrip, an
additional 15 cents per mile and
a new 25-cent surcharge. That
means a three-mile trip that
used to cost $8.80, now costs
$10.
Sarah Singleton, secretary of
the city's Taxicab Board, said
the rate increase is meant to
See GAS PRICES, Page 8
CHANEL VUN HABSBURG-L(
People gather for the candlelight vigil held for victims of the earthq'
ono the Diag Friday.
dent who organized the vigil.
The event was sponsored by the
University's Chinese Students and
Scholars Association, the An-Hua
Chinese School in Ann Arbor and
the Chinese Association of Great-
er Detroit.
In welcoming people to the
Diag, Wu began by thanking 25
top officials from China's most
prestigious universities and
government agencies for attend-
ing. The officials came to the
vigil after a banquet hosted by
University President Mary Sue
Coleman. They were visiting
as part of the conclusion of the
University's theme year, China
Now.
Towards the end of the vigil,
two men moved through the
crowd with Styrofoam coolers,
asking for donations for earth-
quake relief. The event was just
the beginning of the CSSA's fund-
raising effort, said Lang Ming, the
group's chair. Ming said the group
is soliciting donations through
the English Language Institute
and the International Center and
hopes to work with the Michigan
StudentAssembly soon. He said he
didn't know how much the group
has raised so far.