2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 31, 2003 NATION/WORLD U.S. supplies looted; Baghdad tense Explosions in capital bombings Monday, were targeted add to unease; Police targeted in. bombings BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Saboteurs brought a trainload of U.S. Army sup- plies to a fiery halt west of Baghdad yesterday, as a Ramadan campaign of terror bombs and escalating attacks spurred a new Iraq pullout by interna- tional aid groups. An explosion rocked a row of shops in Baghdad's Old City late yesterday, killing two people, according to police, and deepening the unease in the Iraqi capital. Many Baghdad parents apparent- ly were keeping their children home from school out of fear of further bombings like the four that killed three dozen people and wounded more than 200 across the capital on Monday, start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "We heard rumors about big bombs that will go off," said Duha Khalid, 18, most of whose friends stayed home yesterday from her girls' high school, situated near a police station. The police, prime targets in the again yesterday, when officers intercepted a motorist who tried to toss a hand grenade into a police station on the edge of Baghdad's heavily guarded "green zone," the headquarters enclave for the U.S. occupation. As October's heat finally gave way to cooling winds off the desert, rumors of looming trouble spread through this city of 5 million, focusing on the start of the week - Saturday in Muslim Iraq. One leaflet on the streets, purporting to be from Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, called for a general strike Satur- day through Monday "to prove to our enemy that we are united people." The plainly typed flyer will further feed the debate over the identity of the shadowy underground of bombers striking Iraqi cities and ambush teams harassing U.S. forces: Are they die- hard Baathists, other anti-U.S. nation- alists, foreign Islamic fighters, or some combination? The identity of those swarming over the sabotaged train yesterday was clear: they were Iraqis from the Fallujah area, 35 miles west of Baghdad, who fell upon the crippled train to loot it of F { NEWS IN BRIEF jWu:;4 ARUDHEADLINES FROM AO N H WORLDBEJN China, N. Korea agree to nuclear talks China and North Korea agreed "in principle" yesterday to convene a second round of six-nation talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program, further evidence of an increased diplomatic role for Beijing in the yearlong dispute. The reports were welcomed by the United States, which said the "multiparty process" offered the best hope of getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. While couched in tentative language, the North's latest statement could be more binding because it was made publicly alongside China, its last major ally and one it would be reluctant to alienate. No timeframe was given for future talks, and it was not immediately clear what the next step would be. The United States wants North Korea to shut down its nuclear program immediately. Word of the accord came after a meeting between Kim Jong II, the North's reclusive leader, and Wu Bangguo, the most senior Chinese to visit North Korea since 2001. In its national evening newscast, China Central Television showed Wu, head of China's legislature and its No. 2 communist, shaking hands with a smiling Kim. Wu is on a three-day "goodwill" visit as China tries to ensure another round of the six-nation summit held in Beijing in August. WASH INGTON Wolfowitz: Two-state solution a good idea The Pentagon's No. 2 official voiced support yesterday for an unofficial drive for a two-state solution to conflict in the Middle East, showing the administra- tion's frustration with hard-line leaders on both sides. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz praised the petition drive by a prominent Palestinian moderate and the former head of Israel's secret serv- ice. Wolfowitz said he met last week with Israeli Adm. Ami Ayalon and Palestinian professor Sari Nusseibeh, who say they have collected 100,000 Israeli and 60,000 Palestinian signatures on their petition in just three months. Their petition calls for Israel to withdraw to the borders it had before the 1967 war in which it captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The document calls for demilitarized Palestinian state in those territories. In a lecture at Georgetown University, Wolfowitz said the petition's principles "look very much like" the Bush administration's "road map" to a peaceful, two- state solution by 2005. Firefighters arrive at the scene of a fire at a building after an explosion shook Baghdad's old quarter yesterday, killing at least two people and triggering a large fire. computers, tents, bottled water and other Army supplies. The goods had been bound for the town of Haditha, 100 miles up the Euphrates River from Fallujah, when a makeshift bomb exploded along the tracks four miles west of Fallujah. As the uninjured engineer fled, four shipping containers on flatcars went up in flames, and Fire and fog delay California wildfires BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) -Fog and drizzle yesterday came to the rescue of firefighters labor- ing to save resort towns in South- ern California from the raging wildfires that have killed at least 20 people. "It is helping, but it is a long way from putting any fires out," said Ray Snodgrass, chief deputy director of the California Forestry Department. "It's the respite we were hoping for." The forecast, however, also called for gusting winds that could drive the flames into more homes. Firefighters dug in to protect hundreds .of homes still threatened in San Bernardino and San Diego counties. But only a few hundred acres of thick forest were burned overnight by one of the most devastating and erratic of the fires - a 50,000-acre blaze east of Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. "That's minimal for this fire, considering 20,000 burned the first day," said Battalion Chief Dan Odom of the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The wildfires have blazed for more than a week across Southern California, destroying more than 2,600 homes and blackening around 730,000 acres. Yesterday, seven major fires were still burning in four counties. On Wednesday, wind-driven flames burned about 350 homes in Cedar Glen in the San Bernardinos. John Lucas, 38, said he was able to save three houses on his proper- ty, including the one where his wife and her brothers were born, by building a $30,000 fire system with two 5,500-gallon water tanks. The system consists of a network of hoses that keep the buildings and the grounds wet. "It wasn't luck. My family and I expended a lot of preparation just for this scenario," said the former U.S. Forest Service firefighter. Yesterday morning, the fire had advanced to within 12 miles of the mountain resort town of Big Bear as crews spread fire-resistant gel on houses and cleared debris around them. They were helped by a heavy fog that rolled in overnight. The forecast called for highs in the mid-50s, down from over 100 degrees over the weekend. "So that's the good news, but there is a red-flag warning for high winds up to 40 mph," said Bonni Corcoran, a fire information offi- cer. In San Diego County, where the state's largest fire killed a fire- fighter on Wednesday, many of his comrades wore black bands on their badges. Steve Rucker, 38, died while battling a blaze that has burned more than 270,000 acres and some 1,500 homes. He was the first firefighter to die in this out- break of fires. "We have a somber mood and we need to be somber, but it's time to move ahead," incident commander John Hawkins told the firefighters. "Get your chin up and move out." About 100 fire engines encircled the historic mining town of Julian in the mountains of eastern San Diego County. Saving the town of 3,500, a popular weekend getaway renowned for its vineyards and apple orchards, was the county's top priority. more than 200 area residents descended on the other cars to make off with whatever they could carry. No U.S. forces came to the scene, but at one point the looters scat- tered when two American helicop- ters whirred in for a look. At another point, Iraqis backed trucks up to the bombed train to offload goods. Haunted Capitol frightens secu.%_-,rity WASHINGTON (AP) - Murder, curses and demon cats. Statues descend- ing from pedestals for midnight minuets. There are scarier things than lawmaking going on inside the U.S. Capitol. There was plenty of noise yesterday, as authorities closed down the House after guards saw what they thought was a firearm on a security camera at a Capi- tol office building across the street. It turned out to be a toy, part of a costume of an employee. Halloween or not, the 200-year-old Capitol is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Washington, says Jim Berard, Democratic communica- tions director for the House Transporta- tion Committee. Berard compiled some of the more famous ghost stories in his recently published "The Capitol Inside & Out' a history of the nation's legisla- tive center. The building got off to a bad start in 1808 when construction superin- tendent John Lenthall disagreed with the architect over the vaulting in the room now known as the Old Supreme Court Chamber. When Lenthall tried to remove braces from the vaults, the ceiling col- lapsed and crushed him. In his last breath, legend goes, the architect put a curse on the building. Tragedy struck again in 1848 when John Quincy Adams, had a stroke on the House floor while giving a speech, and died two days. Capitol workers have since reported hearing Adams' footsteps, or the specter of the old man trying to finish his speech. Firefighters stand in Lake Arrowhead, where wild fires consumed over 300 homes. Light rain, fog and drizzle were reported in Julian, but winds of 25 to 30 mph were expected through- out the day. As the winds picked up, floating embers sparked spot fires near town and forced some crews to retreat. A blaze of more than 100,000 acres on the line between Ventura and Los' Angeles counties was winding down, with cooler weather and high humidity helping firefighters knock down the flames that had come within a few feet of homes. "I think we're going to nail this one today," said Los Angeles County fire Battalion Chief Scott Poster. In all, nearly 12,000 firefighters and support personnel were fight- ing what Gov. Gray Davis said may be the worst and costliest disaster California has ever faced. The state is spending an estimat- ed $9 million a day fighting the wildfires, a near doubling of the estimate just two days ago. WASH INGTON New pill may block transplant rejections Scientists mimicked a powerful immune-system disease in creating a pill that may block the rejection of trans- planted organs without as many of the side effects that patients now face, researchers reported yesterday. The experimental drug helped mon- keys that had been given kidney trans- plants - a crucial hurdle, the researchers said. Although more research is needed, human safety studies are beginning. If it works, the drug, created by Pfizer Inc., could mark a more sophisticated way to prevent transplant rejection. Unlike today's anti-rejection drugs, it was specially engineered to inhibit a mole- cule called JAK3 that is key to marshal- ing the immune cells that attack and destroy newly implanted organs. Ironically, the new compound was inspired by the deadly "bubble boy dis- ease' in which children are born without a functioning immune system. WASHINGTON Congress struggles with spending ills A month into the new budget year, Congress voted to keep federal agencies operating for another week while it strug- gles with unfinished spending bills. The 406-13 House vote yesterday and a voice vote in the Senate will keep many federal programs running at fiscal year 2003 spending levels through Nov. 7. The current spending extension was to have expired today. Congress is required to pass 13 spend- ing bills every year to fund federal pro- grams. It rarely completes its work by Oct. 1, when the fiscal year begins, forc- ing passage of measures to prevent a government shutdown. WASH INGTON 80 federal lawsuits The recording industry filed 80 more federal lawsuits around the country yesterday against computer users it said were illegally sharing music files across the Internet. Those 80 people were among 204 who had been threatened with law- suits earlier this month by the Wash- ington-based Recording Industry Association of America'unless they contacted the trade association to discuss a financial settlement. The RIAA said the remaining 124 people had approached music indus- try lawyers about settling the claims. The group previously filed law- suits against 261 others. It said yes- terday it has reached settlements with 156 people, who defense lawyers have said agreed to pay penalties ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 each. 44 WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip- tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. E-mail letters to the Reshffastert Interested in getting ahead of your peers? Gain marketing and advertising experience at one of the best student papers in the country!!! Most important of all: Earn some dough in between classes! The Michigan Daily Classified Department is hiring Account Executives for Winter 2004 - Fall 2005. NEWS Shabina S. Khatri, Managing Editor 763.2459, news@mIchigandally.com EDITORS: C. Price Jones, Kylene Kiang, Jennifer Misthal, Jordan Schrader STAFF: Jeremy Berkowitz, Ashley Dinges, Adhiraj Dutt, Sara Eber, Victoria Edwards, Margaret Engoren, Alison Go, Michael Gurovitsch, Aymar Jean, Carmen Johnson, Michael Kan, Andrew Kaplan, Emily Kraack, Tomislav Ladika, Evan McGarvey, Naila Moreira, Kristin Ostby, Michael Pifer, Mona Rafeeq, Adam Rosen, Karen Schwartz, Maria Sprow, Adam Supernant, Dan Trudeau, Trista Van Tine, Ryan Vicko OPINION Aubrey Henretty, Zac Peskowitz, Editors 763.0379, opinion@mlchigandally.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Daniel Adams, Sravya Chirumamilla, Jason Pesick, Jess Piskor STAFF: Nicole Avenia, Benjamin Bass, David Betts, Darryl Boyd, Aryeh Friedman, Bonnie Kellman, Rachel Kennett, Sowmya Krishnamurthy, Andy Kula, Garrett Lee, Suhael Momin, Laura Platt, Keith Roshanger, Ben Royal, Courtney Taymour, Joseph Torigian, Samantha Woll, Joe Zanger-Nadis CARTOONISTS: Sam Butler, Colin Daly COLUMNISTS: Steve Cotner. Johanna Hanink, Joel Hoard, An Paul. Hussain Rahim, Lauren Strayer SPORTS J. Brady McCollough, Managing Editor 764.8585, sports@michiganda,y.com SENIOR EDITORS: Chris Burke, Courtney Lewis, Kyle O'Neill, Naweed Sikora NIGHT EDITORS: Daniel Bremmer, Gennaro Filice, Bob Hunt, Dan Rosen, Brian Schick, Jim Weber STAFF: Jeremy Antar, Eric Ambinder, Kyle Carpenter, Waldemar Centeno, Mustafizur Choudhury, Ian Herbert, Josh Holman, Steve Jackson, Brad Johnson, Jamie Josephson, Melanie Kebler, Megan Kolodgy, Phil Kofahl, Matt Kramer, Julie Master, Sharad Mattu, Ellen McGarrity, Michael Nisson, Jake Rosenwasser, Steven Shears, Matt Singer, Ryan Sosin, Anne Uible ARTS Todd Weiser, Managing Editor 763.0379, artspago@michigandally.com EDITORS: Jason Roberts, Scott Seriiia WEEKEND MAGAZINE EDITORS: Charles Paradis, Rebecca Ramsey SUB-EDITORS: Katie Marie Gates, Johanna Hanink, Joel Hoard, Ryan Lewis, Sarah Peterson STAFF: Jennie Adler, Marie Bernard, Sean Dailey, Laurence Freedman, Andrew M. Gaerig, Andrew Horowitz, Lynn Hasselbarth, Mary Hillemeier, Alexandra Jones, Erin Kaplan, Michelle Kijek, Zach Mabee, Vanessa Miller, Jared Newman, Neal Pais, James Pfent, Christopher Pitoun, Archana Ravi, Adam Rottenberg, Melissa Runstrom, Julie Sills, Niamh Slevin, Jaya Soni, Justin Weiner' Douglas Wernert, Alex Wolsky r B r r PHOTO Tony Ding, Brett Mountain, Managing Ed 764.0563,.photo@mIchigandallycom ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Elise Bergman, Seth Lower NIGHT EDITORS: Jason Cooper. Ryan Weiner STAFF: Nicholas Azzaron Treor Campbell. Forest Casey. Joel Friedman, Ashley Harper, Curtis Hiller, Jeff Lehnert, Kelly Lin, Danny Moloshok, Brendan O'Donnell, Shubra Ohri, Laura Shlecter. Jonathon Triest, David Tuman ONLINE Geoffrey Fink, Managing E 763.2459, onlin,@michigandally.com EDITOR: Ashley Jardina STAFF: John Becic, Kate Green, Janna Hutz, Mira Levitan Itors ditor m 111 11| DiIIf3PLAY SALES Le~ah TrzciUnki.Manager A1