4
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2008
National and World News
Mumbai attacks
spark accusations
JERUSALEM (MCT) -
Israelis buried six Jews killed in
last week’s Mumbai siege that
claimed at least 173 lives.
Israel has been jarred by the
attacks on Mumbai and buffeted
by the fallout. Its leaders have
come to the defense of India, one
of Israel’s biggest military cus
tomers, amid criticism of India’s
confused response to the attack.
Some Israeli analysts sug
gested that Israel’s military
backing for India in its fight to
retain control of Kashmir might
have served as one excuse for the
attackers.
KY religious law
sparks a lawsuit
LEXINGTON, Ky. (MCT)
An atheists-rights group is
suing the Kentucky Office of
Homeland Security because
state law requires the agency to
stress “dependence on Almighty
God as being vital to the security
of the Commonwealth.”
Edwin Kagin, a Kentucky
lawyer and the national legal
director of American Atheists,
said he was appalled that state
law establishes praising God as
the first duty of the office.
The state and federal consti
tutions both prohibit govern
ment from getting involved in
religion, Kagin said Monday.
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Detroit’s ‘Big Three’ present their
bailout plans to a skeptical Congress
WASHINTGON, D.C. -
Detroit’s Big Three automak
ers on Tuesday gave lawmakers
detailed plans to restore each
manufacturer to viability, a start
ing point for getting a $25 billion
government bailout to help them
survive the current recession.
The automakers are expected
to promise to downsize their
manufacturing operations, move
more expeditiously into cars that
getter gas mileage, speed up their
efforts to make hybrid cars that
rely on battery power as well as
gasoline, and pledge to trim their
bloated dealership networks and
NJ leaders praise
Obama’s choice
WASHINGTON, D.C. (MCT)
Hillary Clinton’s selection
Monday to be secretary of state
shows that she and President
elect Barack Obama can bury
their past rivalry to put nation
al interests first, New Jersey
leaders and activists said.
Former Gov. Thomas H.
Kean, a Republican who
served as chairman of the 9/11
Commission, said he thought
Clinton is well-qualified to run
the State Department.
“I think she’s got good judg
ment, and I think she’ll advise
Obama well in an area where
he’s weak,” Kean said.
rein in pay for top executives.
Still, Washington’s reaction
to the eagerly awaited plans was
curt.
Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid, D-Nev., questioned
whether the $25 billion energy
loan approved by Congress in
September is even available now.
Reid said ultimately the ques
tion is not where Congress can
find $25 billion, but “whether
there is accountability and viabil
ity. We’re already spending a lot
of money on a lot of things. We
can’t be throwing good money
after bad.”
Sino-European
relations at stake
BEIJING (MCT) - Relations
between China and Europe have
frayed suddenly, and a caustic
diplomatic row has given way to
suggestions that China is again
targeting France.
French President Nicolas
Sarkozy’s plans to go ahead
with a meeting with the Dalai
Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual
leader, in Poland this coming
Saturday.
China Foreign Ministry
spokesman Liu Jianchao
warned France on Tuesday that
political and diplomatic rela
tions were at stake if Sarkozy
went ahead with the meeting.
News
Hotel hosts house contest
BY JESSICA BODFORD
STAFF WRITER
Chapel Hill residents have a
chance to make the phrase “home
sweet home” come true this week.
Tuesday marked the beginning
of the Siena Hotel’s first weeklong
gingerbread house contest, which
will end Friday afternoon.
Only one group has decorated
a house so far, lower participation
than the hotel hoped for.
“It’s our first time, so we didn’t
know what to expect,” said Cristina
Fishel, the hotel’s social catering
manager. “We just want people to
come in and enjoy themselves.”
Participants adorned the pre
made gingerbread houses with
peppermints, licorice, gumdrops
and chocolate candies.
Families can participate for $25
and corporate groups for SSO. The
hotel supplies all the materials.
Each house will be showcased in
the hotel’s lobby until every group
has finished. The best entry will
win a dinner party at the Siena.
Katherine Farless, assistant vice
president of Harrington Bank in
Chapel Hill, came with co-workers
Bridget Cook and Carrie DeShazor.
She said the hotel asked her group
to participate at no cost.
“They actually contacted us from
the Siena, and we got a small group
together to come,” Farless said.
“We’re a local bank, so we’d like to
support other local businesses in
the community. That’s one of the
reasons we came.”
Within an hour, the three col
leagues had finished their sugary
masterpiece, complete with a gum
drop fence, marshmallow forest
CONSTRUCTION
FROM PAGE 3
groups of students.”
The new Dental Sciences build
ing will feature a 220-seat audito
rium, 110-seat lecture halls, 32-seat
seminar rooms and 100-station
patient simulation laboratories.
“This space will be designed to
encourage collaboration with fac
ulty and student colleagues within
the School and outside the School of
Dentistry, as well,” Williams said.
Abbas Piran, director for engi
neering information services at
UNC, said the new building will also
provide an opportunity to integrate
more energy efficient and sustain
able systems in the building.
In support of the University’s
sustainability initiatives, this will
include heat recovery mechanical
systems, rainwater collection and
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DTH/JESSEY DEARING
Harrington Bank employee Bridget Cook decorates a gingerbread
house at a contest Tuesday at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill.
and M&M pathway.
Despite low attendance on the
competition’s opening day the
hotel expected another group that
didn’t show up hotel employees are
excited to join in the fun.
Pastry chefs built the frames of the
houses contestants are decorating.
And in his spare time, Siena Hotel
pastry chef Johnny Tate used more
than 100 pounds of gingerbread to
create an edible replica of the hotel.
Although the hotel did not ask
Tkte to make a model, he spent more
than two weeks working on it
Tate’s creation, which will be on
display at University Mall, features
sugar windowpanes, chocolate bal
conies and a gelatin fountain.
Hotel employee Nate Plant said
an incorporation of recycled or
renewable-source materials.
Though the dental building was
given a boost from the state, other
construction projects at UNC have
not gotten the money needed from
the N.C. General Assembly to com
plete them.
These include the law school at
Carolina North at $11.5 million,
the Morehead Planetarium addi
tion at $l.B million and the School
of Medicine Biomedical Imaging
Research Center at $35 million.
“We would also like to see those
three appropriated projects jump
started like the Dental Sciences
Building was, as well,” Runberg
said. “But I don’t know how that
will unfold given the current finan
cial difficulties in state revenues.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
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Tate is known for his spontaneity.
“He does an awesome job,” Plant
said. “He has free reign over our
dessert menu, so he just creates
what he wants.”
Although the hotel will not make
much money from the competition
after the cost of supplies is sub
tracted, organizers said they hope
for higher turnout next year.
“We’re trying to bring the com
munity together to enjoy the holi
days and have something fun and
festive to do,” Plant said.
“And of course whoever wins is
going to have a great party after
ward.”
Contact the City Editor
at citydesk@unc.edu.
RETENTION
FROM PAGE 3
for a year or several years, I think
that... damages your ability,” said
Betsy Brown, vice provost for faculty
affairs at N.C. State University.
While salaries are the most impor
tant tool initially, Brown said other
factors matter benefits, the work
environment, the state’s appeal as a
place to live and institutional sup
port for faculty members’ work.
“The benefits package in the
state is not competitive with a lot
of other institutions,” Lorden said.
The standard package for UNC
system faculty has state, system
and locally issued benefits. State
benefits include retirement plans,
general health insurance and some
more specific types of insurance.
One area where North Carolina
is sometimes beat by other states is
coverage for family members the
state’s benefits package does not
include coverage for dependents,
said Kitty McCollum, UNC-system
vice president for human resources.
The struggling economy could
make it difficult in other ways. If
there are fewer hires or fewer vacant
positions filled, current faculty
might have to increase their teach
ing load and receive less adminis
trative support, Brown said.
Asa temporary fix, UNC-C has
considered transferring the funding
for vacant positions to filled ones.
“That’s bad because you’re erod
ing the salaries you have for those
vacant positions,” Lorden said.
But UNC-Chapel Hill has
remained confident, especially
about its ability to retain faculty.
Executive Associate Provost Ron
Strauss said faculty know they are a
priority and will receive increases as
long as money is there.
“We have a history of making a lot
of positive steps in faculty compen
sation,” he said. “When better times
come, UNC will go back to trying to
have increased faculty salaries.”
Contact the State ef National
Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
SHOPPING
FROM PAGE 3
“We’re in North Carolina. It’s
hard to find really fabulous stuff
here,” Jemigen said.
Kasarda said big-box stores
didn’t necessarily profit this year
because although they sold more
items, they did so at drastically
reduced prices.
He said customers especially
the working poor were drawn to
big-box stores by exclusive sales.
Bonna Bittles, an assistant
manager at the Wal-Mart at New
Hope Commons in Durham, said
her store saw an increase in sales,
especially of electronics and video
game systems, on Black Friday
from last year.
Chris Estes, operations man
ager at Best Buy at New Hope
Commons, said the store had
comparable sales to previous years.
Personal computers, laptops and
DVDs were especially quick to
leave shelves, he said.
Kasarda said it’s too early to tell
if this burst of consumer spending
will last the entire holiday season.
He said that will be depend on
stores’ willingness to slash prices
and consumers’ spending money.
Contact the City Editor
at citydesk@unc.edu.