Thursday, February 8, 2001

Thursday, February 8, 2001
Volume 5, Number 76

NEWS IN BRIEF

SPORTS IN BRIEF

WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Partly sunny. Highs in the mid and upper 40s.
So, I couldn’t get tickets to Medeski, Martin, and Wood, but…

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lows 35 to 40.
I hear there’s gonna be a cool underground band playing Swat this weekend…

Tomorrow: Partly sunny. Highs near 60.
Goundie, Gross, and Bloom. They rock!

TODAY’S SHARPLES MENU

Lunch: Maryland crabcakes, lattice cut fries, *lentil stew, *roasted tofu, baby carrots, cauliflower
**Club bar

Dinner: Fried chicken, yams with apples, macaroni and cheese, *mashed black beans, stewed tomatoes, green beans
**Breakfast bar

NEWS REPORT

1) Campus computers under virus attack

As many people on campus already know, a number of computer viruses have been floating around Swarthmore via e-mail over the last week or so. But in the last two days people have reported receiving the viruses more often, prompting an all-campus e-mail from ITS. However, some are saying that the situation is more dire than the e-mail from ITS made it seem.

Early Wednesday afternoon, Steven Kane, ITS User Services Coordinator, sent out an e-mail describing the two viruses – Snow White and Romeo and Juliet. The viruses come as an attachment in the e-mail, but won’t harm your computer as long as you don’t open the attachment and delete it along with the e-mail as soon as you get it. According to Kane, the viruses only run on Windows machines, and while virus-detecting software doesn’t catch it, deleting the email would suffice.

However, late Wednesday night, most of the campus received a significant number of the Romeo and Juliet viruses, prompting SCCS staffer Martin Krafft ’01 to alert RAs via e-mail that there are a number of strands of each virus, and that some are capable of much more damage than Kane suggested in his e-mail earlier in the day.

Particularly, those who use any variation of Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express to check their e-mail should take note. This program’s default feature is to automatically open attachments when you simply look at the e-mail they are attached to. Krafft said in Outlook Express, clicking on the “View” menu, selecting “Layout,” and unchecking the box that reads “show preview pane” will take care of the problem. In Outlook 2000, click on the “View” menu and uncheck the “preview pane” option.

Krafft also said in the e-mail that SCCS will pressure ITS on Thursday to take immediate action. He said one strand of the virus almost destroyed the main SCCS server.

– Jeff Heckelman

2) World news roundup

Robert Pickett, a 47-year-old accountant from Indiana, was shot in the leg by Secret Service officers outside the White House yesterday after he pulled out a gun and refused to relinquish his weapon. The suspect, who once sued the government for being fired by the IRS, was thought to be suicidal and is undergoing psychological tests at the hospital where he was taken to treat the injury. President Bush, who was exercising in a bulletproof area of the White House at the time of the incident, was never in any danger according to a White House spokesman.

The space shuttle is currently en route to the International Space Station with a new science module, after launching from Cape Canaveral yesterday evening. The $1.4 billion Destiny science laboratory will serve to develop many space-related technologies once implemented. Atlantis and its crew is scheduled to return to Earth in 11 days, following the installation of Destiny, a process which will take three space walks.

President Bush’s controversial $1.6 billion tax cut plan reaches Congress today and Republican legislators are expected to call for further tax reductions. Meanwhile, Democrats, who view the plan as disproportionately beneficial for the rich, hope to stop these additions, even if they are unable to defeat the bill as a whole. The plan, in its current form, calls for expanding child credits while phasing out the marriage penalty and estate taxes, in addition to lowering overall tax rates.

3) Campus events

Senior Class Portraits
Parrish Parlor – West, 12:00 p.m.

Chemistry Colloquium
Dupont 139, 4:30 p.m.

Readings by Belfast Poet Adrian Rice, Founding Editor of the Abbey Press
Scheuer Room, 8:00 p.m.

SPORTS UPDATE

1) Women’s basketball clinches playoff spot

The women’s basketball team beat Johns Hopkins, 68-56, yesterday to avenge 15 years of bullying from the Conference’s perennial powerhouse, and in the process, clinch a playoff berth. Hopkins, which knocked Swat out of the Centennial Conference playoffs last year and had not lost to Swat since the ’85-’86 season, was no match for junior Heather Kile’s 24 points, on 10 of 12 shooting, and five rebounds. Katie Robinson ’04 netted 16 to go along with seven boards and Ally Furman ’03 knocked down three big three-pointers to preserve the win. The team’s Conference record improves to a division-leading 9-2, while standing at 17-3 overall.

2) Swimming ends season with a loss

The men’s and women’s swimming teams concluded strong seasons with close losses to Washington.

The women were deprived of a win when a victory in the 400 free relay was overturned due to a disqualification, causing the team to fall 110-95. Alice Bonarou was brilliant in defeat, winning the 200 IM and the 200 butterfly, while swimming a leg of the 400 medley relay. Natalie Briones ’03 also contributed to the medley win and added a victory in the 100 free, and Leah Davis ’04 took the 50 free. The team finished the season 7-3 overall, and 4-3 in Conference competition.

The men were defeated 103-97. David Whitehead ’03 was a triple winner, taking the 200 free, the 200 butterfly, and swimming a leg on the 400 free relay. Mike Dudley ’03 won the 200 backstroke and swam for the victorious 400 medley relay. The team ends the season 2-4 in the Conference, and 3-6 overall.

Both teams will return to the pool Feb. 16-18 for the Centennial Conference Championships at Franklin & Marshall.

3) Men’s basketball defeated by Blue Jays

The men’s basketball team was unable to overcome a slow start against Johns Hopkins last night and fell 62-45. The Garnet were only 4 of 23 from the field in the first half, building a 9 point deficit by halftime – a deficit from which the team couldn’t recover. Nevertheless, David Pearce ’03 put up 10 points in the loss while Josh Loeffler ’03 and Jacob Letendre ’04 each added 9. The loss leaves the team with a 2-8 Conference record, and 3-17 overall.

4) World sports roundup

Minnesota Vikings star running back Robert Smith announced his retirement from the game of football yesterday at the age of 28. Smith, who holds the Vikings record for rushing yards despite playing only 8 seasons, was named to the NFC Pro Bowl team this year. Though Smith suffered a number of injuries during his relatively brief career, his agent maintains that he is leaving football to pursue other interests, including medical research.

#20 Boston College upset #7 Syracuse 65-63 last night in a closely-contested men’s basketball contest. Boston College is off to its best start in over 30 years.

The daughters of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali will rekindle their fathers’ famous rivalry with a boxing match at the Turning Stone Casino in June. Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier are both unbeaten so far in their short professional careers.

5) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

Today:

Badminton at Bryn Mawr, 7:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:

There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

QUOTE OF THE DAY