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Soccer streaking: Women in second place after back-to-back victories 6
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C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y, F u l l e r t o n
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Senate, House considers draft
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Insurgents kill 49 Iraqis
A very special day
37 soldiers found shot execution-style, 12 others burned to death The Associated Press
Citizens between the ages of 18 and 26 could be asked to serve By ISAAC FABELA Daily Titan Staff
With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan still making headlines daily, possible conflicts arising in other parts of the world might raise concerns about the United States armed forces being stretched too thin. The current American military situation, in which two simultaneous operations are being undertaken thousands of miles apart, has been a hot topic during this election year. With each passing day bringing additional casualties from the battlefield, everyone, especially men and women between the ages of 18 and 26, are starting to pay more attention to each candidateʼs view on one topic: the draft. When in place, the Selective Service randomly picks eligible American men and women between ages 18 and 26 and forces them to serve in the armed forces. Failure to comply once one has been selected will result in criminal prosecution. The last time the American government implemented this practice was during the Vietnam War, when years of casualties forced Americaʼs youth to help in the war effort, whether they liked it or not. Congress put a stop to the draft in 1973, and though it might seem like an event destined to remain an experience read about in history books, it might not stay there for long. There is currently a bill being considered by both the House and the Senate that would reinstate the draft and once again make it illegal to ignore the governmentʼs call to service. SB89, being considered in the Senate, and HR163 in the House, both contain the same language. “A bill to provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes,” both bills state. The passage of any one of these bills would reinstate the draft. The bills have forced the issue to DRAFT 4
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All Photos by SHANNON ANCHALEECHAMAIKORN/Daily Titan
At the 2004 Special Olympics, held at CSUF on Saturday, victory was a common sight as depicted by Manny DeLeon’s joyful celebration of his volleyball team’s first win (top left). At noon, while participants competed in cycling, baseball and soccer, the “Angel” dance team performed a Hula dance as a special treat for all those who attended (bottom left).
Influenza shot shortage affects millions during winter season About 36,000 people in America die from the virus annually By NIYAZ PIRANI Daily Titan Staff
Cal State Fullerton students might be getting sick this winter for reasons other than late night drinking spells at the Off Campus Pub. Recently, Chiron Corporationʼs Liverpool facility notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they were unable to distribute Fluvirin, a vaccine for the influenza virus. Englandʼs Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency suspended the license of Chiron Corporation, thus cutting down the supply of flu vaccines to the United States by half. The shortage means that only 58 million shots will be available for the United States, according to the CDCʼs Web site. Influenza is a virus which results in high fever, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, nausea and
vomiting and is contagious one day before and up to seven days after symptoms appear. The CDC reported that 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized because of it. Each flu season approximately 36,000 people die from the virus. “I was worried when [the shortage] was first reported but you hear so many different stories about how short we are,” said a Mission Viejo senior citizen who requested anonymity. “Last year my doctor ran out so I got a shot somewhere else and I figure that will happen again.” The flu shot is currently available only to people 65 years or older, people with chronic health conditions, health care workers involved in direct patient care, caregivers for children 6 months or younger and pregnant women, according to CSUFʼs Student Health and Counseling Centerʼs Web site. “I think itʼs going to be pretty bad if we really are as short as they say,” said Erik Sealy, a history major at Irvine Valley College. “We may have a lot of problems with elderly
and young people dying.” People who meet the criteria set by the CDC can speak to their doctor about where to get a flu shot. “We had the flu shot at first but now that thereʼs a shortage, nobody has it,” said Badri Beheshti, a pharmacist at Albertsonʼs in Mission Viejo. The Associated Press reported United States citizens have been going to Canada or Mexico to receive the flu vaccine as a solution to the shortage. There are a few ways people can protect themselves from contracting the flu as an alternative to getting the vaccine. “Thereʼs not much you can do to prevent the flu, but washing your hands is the most important thing you can do,” Beheshti said. Beheshti said aside from the flu vaccine, healthy habits such as keeping distance from people that are sick and keeping hands away from the face would be the best way to stay healthy this winter. “If I donʼt get the vaccine, Iʼll just say home and close my doors and windows,” Sealy said.
BAGHDAD, Iraq — In one of their boldest and most brutal attacks yet, insurgents waylaid three minibuses carrying U.S.-trained Iraqi soldiers heading home on leave and massacred about 50 of them — many of them shot in the head executionstyle, officials said Sunday. A claim of responsibility posted on an Islamist Web site attributed the attack to followers of Jordanianborn terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The killing of so many Iraqi soldiers — unarmed and in civilian clothes — in such an apparently sure-footed operation reinforced American and Iraqi suspicions that the countryʼs security services have been infiltrated by insurgents. Elsewhere, a U.S. diplomat was killed Sunday morning when a rebelfired rocket or mortar shell crashed into the trailer where he was sleeping at an American base near the Baghdad airport, the U.S. Embassy announced. Edward Seitz, an agent with the State Departmentʼs Bureau of Diplomatic Security, was believed to be the first U.S. diplomat killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. Al-Jazeera television reported Sunday that the militant Islamic Army of Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack. A Bulgarian soldier was killed and two others were injured in a car-
bombing near Karbala, the Bulgarian Defense Ministry said. Karbala, a Shiite holy city south of Baghdad, has been quiet for months after U.S. troops routed Shiite militia there last spring. The unarmed Iraqi soldiers were killed on their way home after completing a training course at the Kirkush military camp northeast of Baghdad when their buses were stopped Saturday evening by rebels near the Iranian border about 95 miles east of Baghdad, Interior Ministry spokesman Adnan AbdulRahman said. Some accounts by police said the rebels were dressed in Iraqi military uniforms. There was confusion over precise figures, although the Iraqi National Guard said 48 troops and three drivers were killed. Abdul-Rahman said 37 bodies were found Sunday on the ground with their hands behind their backs, shot in the head execution-style. Twelve others were found in a burned bus, he said. Some officials quoted witnesses as saying insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades at one bus. “After inspection, we found out that they were shot after being ordered to lay down on the earth,” Gen. Walid al-Azzawi, commander of the Diyala provincial police, said, adding that the bodies were laid out in four rows, with 12 bodies in each row. In a Web site posting, the al-Qaida in Iraq, formerly known as Tawhid and Jihad, claimed responsibility for the ambush, saying “God enabled the Mujahedeen to kill all” the soldiers MASSACRE 4
Talbots offers $100,000 scholarship to women
Deadline is Jan. 3, or when first 1,000 applications received By KELLY HICKMAN Daily Titan Staff
Talbots, a national specialty retailer for womenʼs clothing and accessories, is teaming up with Scholarship America to offer the $100,000 Talbots Womenʼs Scholarship Fund. The scholarship, which started in 1997, is designed to assist women who are determined to finally achieve their college degree. “[The scholarship] came about when we were celebrating our companyʼs 50th anniversary and we wanted to do something meaningful
for us and our customers; something that would make a difference,” said Margery Myers, spokesperson for Talbots. The scholarship will be divided among 55 recipients, with five women each receiving $10,000 and the remaining 50 women each getting $1,000. Eligible applicants must have earned their high school diploma or GED at least 10 years ago, be seeking a bachelorʼs degree from a fouryear college, university or vocational-technical school, be attending school for the entire 2005-2006 academic year and be receiving their degree no earlier than May 2006. Additionally, applicants must TALBOTS 3
Arboretum breaks ground for new Visitor Center, celebrates 25th anniversary 11,441 square-foot facility will feature an outdoor pavilion By CASEY RITTENHOUSE Daily Titan Staff
The Arboretumʼs Visitor Center celebrated its groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday afternoon on a day that also marked the Arboretumʼs 25th Anniversary. Between 80 and 90 people attended the event, including donors, Arboretum volunteers and staff, city council members and Cal State Fullerton officials. The ceremony took place in the Arboretumʼs con-
ference room in Oak Hall as a CSUF brass band played tunes for the guests as they made way to their seats. Greg Dyment, director of the Arboretum, said he was ecstatic at the thought of a new center and joked about the Arboretumʼs current situation. “We are in dire need of a larger facility,” Dyment said, as some of the guests stood for part of the presentation while event staff hurried in more chairs. Milton A. Gordon, president of CSUF, spoke in front of the audience and thanked the guests for their “vision and hard work.” The 11,441 square-foot center
will feature a museum, classrooms, an enlarged conference room, an outdoor pavilion and expanded restroom facilities, just to name a few of its up-coming amenities. Ephraim Smith, vice president of CSUF, took to the podium and said the new addition to the Arboretum will be a great tool for the university to reach its educational goals. He added that the Arboretum is already utilized for Yoga classes, ROTC training, art classes and scientific research by professors and their students. “[The center] helps CSUF fill its academic mission,” Smith said. Jerry Young, commissioner of the Fullerton Arboretum Authority, said
the road leading to the groundbreaking has been long, but that it was all done because of “tremendous community involvement and support.” Young acknowledged the contributions of Arboretum supporters, quoting Robert Hookeʼs letter to Sir Isaac Newton, which said: “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.” The process of making the new center a reality began in 1988, Dyment said. The Arboretum has so far raised more than $2.5 million of the $2.7 million needed to complete the project. ARBORETUM 4
JAMES TU/Daily Titan
Several key figures responsible for the implementation of a new Visitor Center for the Arboretum pose next to shovels painted in gold last Thursday. The project is expected to last one year.