Thursday, March 18, 2004

* At least 27 people were killed and 41 wounded when a car bomb
exploded in Baghdad, Iraq, 36 hours before the anniversary of the first
American bombing raid. The United States began bombing Baghdad at dawn
of March 19, 2003, indicating the beginning of the war designed to oust
Saddam Hussein, and it is believed those responsible for yesterday’s
horrific scene might be either pro-Hussein insurgents or militant
Islamic terrorists. The explosion ripped off the facade of the Mount
Lebanon Hotel and “reduced an apartment block across the road to a
tangle of steel, masonry and shattered furniture, and left an inferno
of blazing cars and buildings that lighted the night sky for hours.”

* Spreading inter-ethnic clashes in Kosovo have caused many deaths
in recent months in the “worst violence seen since the war in Kosovo.”
Several towns have been affected, where Serbs’ houses have been set on
fire, local hospitals have been burned, and rioting that resulted in
the attack of the United Nations administration offices. Many have been
killed and wounded as Peacekeepers try to maintain some sort of peace
in the region. Kosovo’s future remains uncertain as some support
dividing the province into cantons or splitting it along different
ethnic lines, while others vehemently oppose this idea.

* Haiti’s interim president Boniface Alexandre has sworn in a new
government, amid much controversy. Opponents to his actions are
concerned that the new government excludes the former ruling Lavalas
party. However, this new government was designed to exclude
“established politicians and anyone linked to the exiled former
president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.” Mr. Alexandre’s government could
bring the country to legislative elections in 8 months, and it could
remain in power for 2 years. Mr. Aristide is currently in Jamaica,
which does not recognize the new government in Haiti.

* Utah has decided to ban execution by fire-squad as an option for
convicts on death row. Idaho and Oklahoma still make this dramatic
death available to convicts, but it has not been used in modern times.
Now, the only execution carried out in Utah is by lethal injection. The
last execution by fire squad in the U.S. was John Albert Taylor in Utah
in 1966.

*****

Psychology Lecture: Leslie Rescoria
Scheuer Room, 4:15 p.m.

Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia Volunteer/Intern
Information Session
Lang Center (Train Station), 5:30 p.m.

Connecting Skills Workshop
Career Services Library, 6:30 p.m.

Study Break: “Cider House Rules” Screening
LPAC Cinema, 8:30 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

The women’s tennis team (2-2, 0-1) fell to Muhlenberg 5-4 in
Centennial Conference action yesterday. Anjani Reddy ’04 earned a 6-4,
7-6 (10-8) victory at first singles. Marissa Matthews ’07 and Sara
Sargent ’07 took wins in fourth and sixth singles respectively.
Matthews teamed up with Kristina Pao ’04 to earn a 9-7 victory at third
doubles. However, the Garnet were one victory short of taking the
match; the team’s 15 game conference win streak was ended with the
loss. The women will next face Ursinus on March 23 with action
beginning at 3:30 p.m.

*****

The baseball team’s home game against Lincoln has been postponed due
to the weather. The game has not been rescheduled as of yet. The team
is now scheduled to open its home season with a Centennial Conference
game against Franklin and Marshall; the game will take place on March
23 at 3:00 p.m.

*****

Today:
Golf at USP (Pennsauken Country Club), 1:00 p.m.
Softball hosts Widener, 4:00 p.m.
Women’s lacrosse hosts Neumann, 5:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose
their common sense.”
–Gertrude Stein

*****

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