Monday, November 24, 2003

* In Mosul on Sunday, a city once thought of as safe for Americans, Iraqi teenagers
dragged two U.S. soldiers from their vehicle and pummeled them with concrete
blocks. It is unknown whether the soldiers were alive or dead when pulled from
the wreckage. More violence also came the same day when another soldier was
killed by a bomb and a U.S.-backed police chief assassinated. A DHL plane flying
into the Baghdad airport was also hit by a missile on Saturday, causing all
other commercial flights into the country to be grounded. Despite all these
incidents, the U.S.-led coalition prepares to hand over the reins of governance
to the Iraqis, who today took the step of appointing an Iraqi-American woman,
Rend Rahim Francke, as the Iraqi ambassador to Washington.

* Amid massive protests, Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze resigned on
Sunday. The opposition had been threatening to storm his residence, but when
the announcement of his resignation came the protestors turned to fireworks
and dancing instead. The speed and lack of violence involved in the incident
was amazing to many observers, since the nation had already seen two bloody
separatist movements during Shevardnadze’s rule. Though the Georgian leader
had won admiration as Soviet foreign minister for his role in helping to bring
the Cold War to an end, in his years as president of Georgia he faced charges
of corruption. Many, including U.S. officials, believed the parliamentary elections
of three weeks ago to have been rigged, a belief which in large part led to
the current protests. New elections will be held within 45 days, and meanwhile
an interim government will run the republic.

* Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, during NBC’s “Meet the Press”
program on Sunday morning, demanded that the GOP stop showing their first ad
of the 2004 presidential race. The 30-second ad, which Daschle called “repulsive
and outrageous,” aired in Iowa over the weekend and features clips from
President Bush’s last state of the union address. Portraying the president as
a fighter of terrorism, the ad accuses the president’s opponents of “attacking
the president for attacking the terrorists.” The Republican National Committee
has no plans to honor Daschle’s wishes.

*****

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Team Meeting
Trotter 201, 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Classics Lecture by Christopher Rowe: “Parent to child: ‘You say you want
it, but do you need it?’
Scheuer Room, 4:00p.m.
(brief reception at 4:00 p.m.)

Lecture by Professor Richard Dawkins: “The Science of Religion and the
Religion of Science”
Science Center 101, 7:00 p.m.

Acupressure Workshop
Bond, 7:00 p.m.

SAC Meeting
Kohlberg 330, 9:00 p.m.

WRC Open Hours
WRC, 9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

SWIL Movie Night:” The Last Starfighter”
Science Center 101, 10:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

by Alex Glick
Gazette Reporter

The men’s basketball team opened their season with two losses in this weekend’s
12th Annual Equinox Classic, but both new and veteran players put on a great
effort.

In a well-fought match on Friday, the Garnet fell to the Whittier College Poets
71-53 at Tarble Pavilion. The Poets scored first, but the Garnet played a strong
first half, not letting Whittier get more than a few points ahead.

After one of the game’s many great defensive plays by Jacob Letendre ’04, Swat
took a 22-21 lead with 7:43 left in the half. Throughout the game, Letendre
hustled across the court to get to the ball, which helped him to a team-best
5 assists. Swat stayed ahead and led 35-33 at the end of the first half.

The Garnet held the lead until about four minutes into the second half when
Whittier scored two consecutive baskets. The Poets were able to stay ahead and
eventually win the game despite a 3-point shot by Dillon McGrew ’07 and strong
playing by other Garnet players.

The biggest offensive effort came from Matt Gustafson ’05 who scored 22 points
and earned 9 rebounds on the game. Jeff Maxim ’07 earned a notable 7 points
and 8 rebounds in the first game.

Swat was defeated by the Rensselaer Red Hawks on Saturday at Haverford 89-58.
Swarthmore took an early lead, but Rensselaer did not let up on the offense
and would not lose the lead after gaining it in the beginning of the first half.

McGrew scored a team-high 14 points in the game and got the most playing time
of any non-starter for the second game in a row. Gustafson scored 13 points,
and Chris Loeffler ’04 added 9 points in the game. Gustafson was named to the
all-tournament team for the second year in a row.

The Garnet play their next match tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. against Drew in Tarble
Pavilion.

*****

Senior Katie Robinson posted 22 points, five assists, four steals, and four
rebounds to lead the Garnet to a 74-67 win over Moravian and claim MVP honors
for the sixth annual Swarthmore Tip-Off Tournament this weekend.

Sophomores Jen Stevenson and Radiance Walters also had career-bests, with Stevenson
scoring 15 points and Walters snagging 12 rebounds on her way to a double-double
with 10 points. Ali Wolff ’05 had 10 points as the Garnet went 23-for-25 from
the line to defeat the Greyhounds.

Swarthmore had defeated Catholic 64-50 in the opening round of the tournament
on Saturday. Robinson scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds. Walters finished
with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Zoey Adams-Deutsch ’06 scored eight
points, six rebounds, and a career-tying six assists. Kristen Lee ’05 added
seven points, while Wolff scored 10 points, including three 3-pointers.

The Garnet host McDaniel for their Centennial Conference opener on Tuesday
at 6:00 p.m.

*****

The Garnet earned a 55-40 Centennial Conference victory at McDaniel this weekend.
Double winner Katie Schmidt ’07 paced the Garnet, capturing the 50 freestyle
and 200 backstroke. Tara Trout ’04 won the 200 butterfly, while Patricia Funk
’06 took the 100 freestyle. Freshmen Michelle Hom and Janice Yeo finished first
and second in the 200 breastroke, while the team of Sarah Cotcamp ’07, Leah
Davis ’04, Melanie Johncilla ’05, and Funk sealed the win with a victory in
the 400 freestyle relay.

*****

The men’s swim team pulled out an impressive victory against McDaniel this
weekend, coming back from a 44-35 deficit with two events left to win 48-47.

Eric Shang ’04 and Andrew Koczo ’07 finished first and third in the 200 breastroke
to bring the score to 47-41. The 400 freestyle relay team of Jonathan Augat
’07, Andrew McKay ’07, Aaron Modic ’04, and Jason Horwitz ’07 then brought home
the victory for the Garnet by claiming the relay in 3:28.15, just over four
seconds ahead of the McDaniel team.

Anders Taylor ’07 was an individual winner in the 200 freestyle, while the
team of Adam Morris ’06, Kaena Horowitz ’06, Modic, and Aron Dobos ’06 won the
400 medley relay.

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today

Tomorrow:
Women’s basketball hosts McDaniel, 6:00 p.m.
Women’s swimming hosts Bryn Mawr, 6:00 p.m.
Men’s swimming at Kutztown, 6:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball hosts Drew, 8:00 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Television is more interesting than people. If it were not, we would
have people standing in the corners of our rooms.”
–Alan Corenk

*****

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