Wednesday, April 28, 2004

*Major hospitals in China have been ordered to review all unexplained
deaths and pneumonia cases, as a team of experts dispatched by the
World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to begin probing a virology
laboratory here for clues to China’s latest Sars outbreak. The WHO
said: ‘Results of investigations to date point to laboratory research
at the National Institute of Virology in Beijing as the likely source
of the outbreak. The Ministry of Health reported no new Sars cases
yesterday, although all hospitals above the county level have been
instructed to ‘recheck the death and pneumonia cases with no clear
causes’ since March 20. China has reported two confirmed and six
suspected Sars cases in Beijing and eastern Anhui province since April
22, including one death of a suspected Sars patient. Almost 1,000
people in Beijing and Anhui have been placed under isolation orders,
although the eight Sars cases so far appear to be limited to those who
had very close contact with two people who worked in the Sars lab.
Government investigators are inspecting other labs conducting Sars
research. There is no word if China would temporarily suspend clinical
tests for the Sars vaccine.

*US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the still-undefined
government due to take power in Iraq on July 1 would have to give up
some of its sovereignty to allow a free hand to US-led armed forces. He
said it would take time for the US-led forces, which are fighting sharp
challenges to their control in the cities of Fallujah and Najaf, to
establish security and that the new government would need their help.
The insurgency has made April the deadliest month for US forces since
the US-led invasion a year ago, and poses a difficult challenge for
Washington: putting down the militants without alienating the
population. Meanwhile, Iraq’s current Governing Council president, Mr.
Massoud Barzani, has said the US has only itself to blame for the
military deadlock at Najaf and Fallujah because it allowed its troops
to change from ‘an army of liberation’ to ‘an army of occupation’. His
comment signaled the deepening dissatisfaction between the US and top
Iraqi politicians. Mr. Barzani, a Kurd, is regarded as a close US ally,
having supported the war effort. Members of his militia fought
alongside American soldiers in northern Iraq in the war to topple
Saddam Hussein.

* Online technology company CNET launched a free digital music service
on Monday, allowing users to search and download what it said were
thousands of songs contributed by independent and unsigned artists. The
service, based on CNET’s Download.com website (music.download.com), has
been collecting music for the past few weeks, encouraging musicians to
register on the site and upload their songs. The music download service
will be separate from the MP3.com website, which CNET has said it will
relaunch soon as a music information site. The former MP3.com, which
CNET acquired late last year, offered similar functions to those in the
new music download platform. CNET has said it plans to add new
technology and community features to its download service, which it
intends to be the largest free music download platform, over the course
of the year.

*****

Queer Student Faculty-Staff Social

Scheuer Room, 4:30 p.m.

Foreign Study Pre-Departure Meeting

SCI199, 7:00 p.m.

Pro-Choice Task Force Meeting

Kohlberg 202, 7:30 p.m.

Genocide Awareness Month Event: “Beyond Genocide? The Case of Burundi
&

Sudan”

Scheuer Room, 7:30 p.m.

Swarthmore Voter Registration Coalition Meeting

Bond, 8:00 p.m.

SWIL Star Trek Episodes

Hicks Mural Room, 9:00 p.m.

Feminist Majority Meeting

Parrish Parlours, 9:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

The men’s rugby team defeated Widener 10-8 in the A-side game but fell
11-0 in the B-side game last weekend. Inaccurate information received
by the Gazette led to the incorrect scores appearing in Monday’s issue.

*****

With a whopping 10 runs to Widener’s 8, Swarthmore women’s softball
pulled out another victory.

Samantha Brody ’05 scored 4 runs and Danielle Miller ’06 drove in 5
runs, as pitcher Marianne Klingman ’07 pitched a smart game.

Swat’s ending record is 10-22 overall, with 3-13 in the Centennial
Conference.

*****

In an achingly close game, Haverford just managed to beat Swarthmore’s
women’s lacrosse team 10-9.

Haverford scored 7 of their goals in the second half, rallying to
defeat the valiant Garnet efforts that had brought them to a 7-3 early
lead.

Jenn Hart ’04 added another 15 saves to her record, ending her career
with the third place on Swat’s all-time save list at 569. Jackie Kahn
’04 snagged another goal, ending her career with 146 goals, 173 points,
and a 7th place spot on the all-time list.

The Garnet season ended 8-8 overall and 2-7 in the Conference.

*****

Today:

Men’s lacrosse hosts Washington, 4:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:

There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Go, and never darken my towels again.”

— Groucho Marx

*****

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