Bollinger to take reins Feb. 1
Jan. 1, 1997, will not only herald the start of a new year, but the beginning of a new era in University history. On New Year's Day, Lee Bollinger will begin a month-long transition period on campus, before becoming the next leader of the University.
After using January to settle in, the Dartmouth College provost will officially take over the presidency Feb. 1.
Israel eyes permanent spots in Jordan
JERUSALEM - Even as the Arab League condemned his expansion of Jewish settlements, yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved construction of hundreds of new homes in the occupied Jordan Valley and vowed that Israel will retain control of the area in a permanent accord with the Palestinians.
The move to fortify Israeli sovereignty in the lush strip of West Bank land came days after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned Netanyahu in a letter that settlement expansion threatens to "destroy" relations between Israel and its Arab peace partners.
Specter of finals looms
For many students, Thanksgiving memories faded fast as they hit the books to prepare for upcoming finals.
LSA sophomore Jeff Soutar said he enjoyed being home and relaxing, but now he had to concentrate on school again.
AIDS Day educates world-wide
World AIDS Day was marked with renewed vigor around the world yesterday after a U.N. agency reported an accelerating death toll, with nearly a quarter of the 6.4 million AIDS deaths to date occurring in the past year.
In 1996, 3.1 million people were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, bringing the total number of people with HIV or AIDS to 22.6 million, UNAIDS said.
More students studying overseas
Rising numbers of U.S. college students are studying overseas, many venturing past traditional destinations in Europe to universities farther afield - in Africa, Australia and the Middle East, a recent survey found.
The number of American students studying abroad rose 10.6 percent to 84,403 in 1994-95, continuing a 10-year upward trend, a report released yesterday by the New York-based Institute of International Education said.
'U' students weary of auto-repair ripoffs
Engineering junior Brent Roberts had his car fixed four times - all for the same problem.
Roberts said the auto repair shop he went to charged him for the three extra parts its auto mechanics wrongly put into his car. However, he said that after he took action to negotiate with the shop, he received a refund for his unnecessary expenses.
Early retirement plan may lead to govt. 'brain drain': Some fear job cuts would lead to more privatization
LANSING (AP) - An early retirement proposal for state workers could mean significantly fewer employees for some agencies - so much so that one lawmaker fears a "brain drain" could result.
More than 7,000 employees - 15 percent of the state's work force of 46,000 people - would be eligible for the one-time, early out plan proposed by Gov. John Engler. About half of them would likely accept the offer, if it wins legislative approval, The Detroit News reported yesterday.
Michigan State receives new grant to improve cyclotrons: Grant may make it easier for university to conduct experiments
EAST LANSING (AP) - A multimillion-dollar National Science Foundation grant will put Michigan State University on a faster track to unraveling some secrets of the universe.
The grant, announced last Monday, will allow Michigan State to refurbish and couple its two superconducting cyclotrons, or atom smashers. The result will be equipment so powerful it will do in about half a day experiments which now would take a year.
Pollack to head environmental group
But it's fairly easy to predict that people will know she's around - to their discomfort if they're among those she considers polluters, and to their joy if they're on her side in the state's environmental battles.
In her 12 years in the state Senate, Pollack whose district included Ann Arbor, earned a reputation as smart, articulate and outspoken. To those attributes, some detractors would add shrill, annoying and argumentative.
Serbian police crack down on protesters
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia - In a bid to intimidate the huge crowds marching daily against Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, police arrested a group of demonstrators yesterday and state television likened opposition leaders to Adolf Hitler.
Issuing an unusually harsh condemnation of a protest movement it has virtually ignored, television controlled by Milosevic accused demonstrators of using "pro-fascist hysteria and violence" to "introduce terrorism" onto the streets of Belgrade.
GOP to raise opposition to Clinton plans: Republican legislators say there will not be significant changes to the new welfare law
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Don Nickles, the Senate's second-ranked Republican, ruled out fundamentally changing the new welfare law, as the White House wants. Even Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the Democrats' leading expert on welfare, reluctantly agreed yesterday it won't happen in the coming Congress.
Nickles, appearing with Moynihan on NBC's "Meet the Press," also said the GOP doesn't want first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton actively involved in the welfare debate.
Miami hovers on verge of bankruptcy, takeover
But in the aftermath of a sordid civic corruption scandal that saw the city manager arrested on bribery and corruption charges, local and state officials have uncovered a massive financial mess. The city, which has an annual budget of about $200 million, projects a deficit of at least $68 million in the fiscal year that ends next September. Money may run out as early as February. The city's once-strong bond rating has sunk to junk status.
Some activists have gathered enough signatures to force a special election on whether the city should disincorporate and become just a part of Dade County.
Action figures deemed 'warped'
Christmas toys have taken a decidedly unsavory bent, says the Rev. Christopher Rose, compiling his 10th annual list of warped playthings.
In his latest list, published Saturday in The Hartford Courant, he criticizes erotically dressed female action figures.
Canada's health-care system gives patients a headache
Launched 30 years ago, the publicly funded system has long been a source of pride for Canadians, providing universal access to generally high-quality care. But long-simmering problems are now boiling over simultaneously.
Budget-cutting provincial governments are closing hospitals and laying off nurses. Reports of patients dying due to delayed or slipshod treatment proliferate. Doctors say more colleagues will leave for higher-paying jobs in the United States.
FDA to face challenges with new Congress
But getting a new commissioner in place is only one of the challenges ahead for the FDA, which regulates a seemingly endless assortment of controversial products including drugs, medical devices such as artificial heart valves and silicone breast implants, and cosmetics and blood.
n The 105th Congress will consider reauthorization of one of the more important pieces of recent legislation governing the agency: the Prescription Drug User Fee Act.
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