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Show 2 U T A HIIS T A T E S M A N WEDNESDAY, JAM. 12,2005 Contact: 797-1 742 statesman@cc.usu.edu Today's Today is Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2005. Today's issue of TlieUta}} Statesman is published especially for Jamie Prince, a senior majoring in music therapy from Farmington, Utah. Clarifications The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105. National Briefs FTC cracks down on X-rated e-mail spam WASHINGTON - The Federal Tirade Commission has shut down six companies it accused of sending X-rated e-mails in disguise and fraudulently charging recipients who joined sexually explict Web sites in its first legal case involving pornographic Internet spam. A federal judge on Jan. 5 granted the agency's request for a restraining order against the companies and their executives for allegedly violating federal laws governing commercial electronic mail — commonly known as spam. Canada confirms case of mad cow disease TORONTO - The Canadian government confirmed its second case of mad cow disease in 10 days Tuesday, possibly threatening the reopening of the U.S. border for Canadian cattle imports. Canadian Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell said the latest case of mad cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was discovered in an Alberta cow under 7 years old. That means it was born after a 1997 feed ban in Canada removed the use of ruminants in feed, commonly believed to be the cause of the disease. Officials stressed that no part of the animal entered the human or animal feed system. Canada's first case of mad cow surfaced in May 2003, prompting Washington to close the border to Canadian beef imports. Concerns persisted after a Canadian-born cow in Washington state was found in December 2003 to have the disease, which attacks the animal's nervous system. U.S. officials suggested they would re-evaluate the recent decision to resume imports of Canadian cattle after their own investigation of this latest case. Abbas named as Arafat's replacement Sharon congratulates new leader after years of boycotting Arafat BY MARK LAVIE Associated Press JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called Mahmoud Abbas on TUesday to congratulate him for his landslide victory in an election to replace Yasser Arafat, signaling Israel's readiness to work with the new Palestinian team after years of boycotting Arafat Both sides said a meeting will take place, but no date was set Abbas' election victory on Sunday and Sharon's success this week in putting together a government that favors his plan to pull out of Gaza and part of the West Bank this summer have raised hope the two leaders can break through layers of mistrust built up over four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence. However, both sides face internal problems. Palestinian National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub resigned, and critics in Sharon's own Likud Party complained that his new government cannot survive without support from doves and Arab parties — their bitter rivals. Sharon congratulated Abbas "on his personal achievement and his victory in the elections and wished him luck," said a statement from Sharon's office, adding, "They agreed they would continue talking in the near future." Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said plans for a Sharon-Abbas meeting were still in an early stage. "When the right time comes, we will go AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko PALESTINIAN YOUTHS post a billboard showing President-elect Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, on top of a building in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Tuesday. ARRAS See page 7 4 Residents stranded in homes as rivers swell BY BETH D E F A L C O Associated Press PHOENIX — A winter storm wreaked havoc throughout Arizona on Tuesday,floodinghouses, washing over roads and trapping people inside their homes. By Tuesday afternoon, seven of the states 15 counties had declared states of emergency to qualify for cleanup funding and aid, some of them because of storm-related damage suffered over the past two weeks. The northwestern tip of the state and central regions were hit hardest during the most recent round of bad weather. At least a dozen homes hadfloodedby Tuesday afternoon near the rural community of Littlefield, which is located near where the Beaver Dam Wash feeds into the Virgin River. Four mobiles homes had been destroyed in the area a day earlier. The state Department of Environmental Quality and Mohave County Health officials were tested wells in the area to make sure none were contaminated by a nearby sewage plant that was damaged byfloodwaters, said Judy Kioski, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Division of Emergency Management Kioski said state officials had opened a 24-hour command center to coordinate aid. Several counties had also opened emergency centers. No deaths or serious injuries had been reported. Still, Kioski cautioned: "It won't take much water to displace you " For about 800 residents living east of Tonto Creek in Punkin Center, the opposite was true. They were stuck inside their homes. Mariano Gonzalez, deputy director for the Gila_ County Emergency Management Department, said the creek was too deep to cross. Gonzalez said authorities used Army surplus trucks to deliver food boxes, mail and prescription medication to the stranded residents. Similar drops were made on Monday. In Punkin Center Village, John Otten Jr. had only been out once since the start of the year, when he drove the back way around Tonto Creek on Friday' to check his mailbox and to help a neighbor get out so he could keep his job — a 152-mile trip. "We all are homebound " he said. They've got the crossing from the east side of Tonto Creek to the west side closed, so we can't get out" In Paulden, people living in a couple of dozen homes were also stranded as water flowing through the Paulden Wash spread as wide as a quarter mile, said Susan Quayle, a spokeswoman for the Yavapai County Sheriffs Department Quayle said homes weren'tfloodedbut that the wash was too dangerous to cross. CATCH OF THE DAY I) Why Would She Want to Many Me? We know at least one answer to that Come Celebrate 25 Years With Us!! 3Q? &C (*3S) 7S3-S6J9 5a 10:00-6,00 ^kki NEW YORK - Two words sum up a trip being offered to fans of "The Apprentice." You're sailing! An eight-night cruise with the theme of the hit NBC show will sail from New York to the Caribbean on Sept. 26, after a bon voyage party in Manhattan with a send-off from Donald Trump. Cast members from the show — including Bill Rancic, the first Apprentice, and Stacie Jones Upchurch, Jennifer Crisafulli and Raj Bhakta from the second season — will be on board. The trip will take place on the Carnival Legend cruise ship. Guests can meet and talk to cast members, but there also will be onboard competitions involving teams and tasks, just like there is on the TV show, which is hosted by Trump. In addition to cash prizes, one person will win the grand prize — spending a day as chief executive officer of Expedia.com, the online travel agency that is co-sponsoring the cruise. The CEO-for-a-day will get a $15,000 paycheck for all that hard work, first-class airfare to New York and ground transportation by limousinel. LOS ANGELES (AP) Congratulations to new father — and grandfather — Jeffrey Tambor of "Arrested Development." Tambor, 60, who plays the patriarch of a dysfunctional family on the Fox comedy, and his wife, Kasia, 35, welcomed son Gabriel Kasper on Dec. 10, spokeswoman Amy Zvi said Monday. Four days later, Tambor became a grandparent when his daughter, Molly, gave birth to son Mason Jay Moore. Late light Late-night quotes compiled from www.politicalhumor.about.com • "According to rumors down there in Washington, President Clinton and George W. Bush are buddies. They're pals. They're get- ting together. They're hanging around. They're becoming friends. A lot of people think it may just be Clinton's way of making a move on the Bush twins." —David Letterman •"President Bush has been working on his inauguration, not the actual speech but the word inaugural." —Jay Leno •"San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has announced that he and his wife are getting divorced. See, I know that town should have never allowed straights to get married." —Jay Leno UT.M STAIT: UNIVERSITY The Utah Statesman is the official campus newspaper of Utah State University, published three times each week, and produced entirely by students. The paper is distributed to on-campus locations and selected downtown locations every Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the academic school year. The offices of The Utah Statesman are located in the Taggart Student Center, Rm. 105. Mailing address is: The Utah Statesman, PO Box 1249-USU, Logan UT 84322-0165. Our phone number is 435-797-NEWS. FAX: 435-797-1760 The main e-mail address is statesman@cc.usu.edu and our online newspaper can be viewed at www.utahstalesman.com. Please follow the following suggestions regarding Letters and Commentaries : Letters should be limited to 350 words. Letters must be topic-oriented. They should not be directed toward individuals but rather discuss issues. Any letter directed to hurt a specific individual may be edited or not printed. No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or e-mail address as well as a student identification number. Letters representing groups — or more than one individual —must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters — no exceptions. All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. Letters can be hand-delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105 (UMC 0165), or can be e-mailed to statesman@cc.usu.edu or click on www.utahstatesman.com for more letter guidelines and a submission box. Reduce, ^^ Reuse Enjoy reading YOUR Student Newspaper... and then please take care to recycle. _j |