V mVlkA 0 0 v 9 w v w 12 Te icign iy- Wedesda, Dcembr 5,200 WedesayDeembr ,6207 - e . S.anDil- THE EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK with GARY GRACA A look at the big news events this week and how important they really are. Conveniently rated from one to10. n ruiles rule 69: A good friend is one you don't have to buy a Christmas gift for. rule 70: At this point in the sea- son, it's OK to wear Uggs, but you still can't wear Crocs. rule 71: Read your lease carefully. Chances are good your landlord might try to slip you an early lease-signing waiver. - E-mail role submissions to TheStatement@umich.edu PEACE AT LAST? Although the Decider can't solve a conflict that his admin- istration created fouryears ago, Bush met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and leaders of 42 other nations in Annapolis, Md. 8 last week, announcing that a peace agreement to the 60- year-old conflict with roots that go back4,000 years is expected to be completed by the end of next year. DAVID'S BOOKS BARONS Seizing between 800 and 1,000 books that were alleg- edly stolen from Ulrich's and possibly other campus bookstores, the Ann Arbor Police raided David's Books on East William Street. Stumped as to how so many books, including rare and expensive medical books, were stolen from Ulrich's, the police hypothesized that the book barons "must not have left their backpacks on the rack." TAKING A CAMPAIGN HOSTAGE With road flares strapped to his chest, Leeland Eisenberg took a Hillary Clinton campaign office in New Hampshire hostage Friday. Eisenberg demanded to speak with Clinton about receiving mental health services, and she reportedly agreed to talk, but lawenforcement officials stopped her. In response, the Rudy Giuliani campaign pointed out that Clinton negotiates with terrorists; his staffers have guns and would have shot the man. 2 GETTING OUT OF GITMO Today, the U.S. Supreme Court begins oral arguments for the first case in which it will specifically address whether or not Guantanamo Bay detainees have habeas corpus rights. Accordingto the Bush administration, the case is vitally important, because even if they weren't terrorists when they arrived, afteryears of indefinite detention and torture, they're bound to be terrorists by now. AN EGG-HEADED PROPOSAL In a move to accommodate Ann Arborites who want fresh eggs, at a weekend council retreat, Ann Arbor City Councilman Stephen Kunselman proposed allowing city residents to keep hens in their yards or houses. Ann Arbor hippies are uncertain how the city will make sure that the hens are free range and instead proposed that the city allow chickens to buy houses. A LOT OF POT After pulling over a white Chevrolet Uplander last week, Michigan State Police troopers found nearly 500 pounds of marijuana wrapped in cellophane and covered with blankets in the minivan, valued at more than $600,000. In related news, several witnesses reported hearing Bob Marley at the Ypsilanti State Police post and Pink Floyd at the Jackson post. 3 Magazine Editor: Anne VanderMey Associate Magazie Edtor:Jessnica Vscgerchian EdtorineChie:carl Stampli Managing Edtor: JeffreyBloomer PhotoeEditoer:tmaNScan-Abrhamhian Desiner:BidgetO'Donnell Coereephoto: RobMigri PERSON OF THE WEEK MOHAMMED THE TEDDY BEAR It's not uncommon for a unruly pet to get its owner into legal troubles, but it is almost unheard of for a stuffed children's toy to do the same. Yet that's precisely what happened last week, when a small teddy bear was christened "Mohammed" by a class of Sudanese school children. The authorities in, Khartoum did not take kindly to a British school teacher's class naming a toy after the prophet and pressed charges. Gillian Gibbons, the British school teacher who owned the bear, originally faced up to 40 lashes for the transgression but was ultimately sentenced to 15 days in prison. She was then pardoned. The fate of Moham- med the teddy bear is unknown. RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED hftp://blood.umich.edu The U-M is currently conducting research to study how blood clotting is controlled by genes. You may be eligible if you ( are between 14 and 35 years of age and have at least one full-sibling who is also between 14 and 35. Participation includes a short online survey and DNA sample. Volunteers will be compensated up to $50 per person. For more information: http://blood.umich.edu Wante For tudy Genes and Blood Clotting IRBNUM: 2005-0080 ABOUT CAMPUS From Page 5B University relatively late. Based in New York, she didn't want to fly out to look at apart- ments, and the Graduate House sounded like a convenient option - and cheap, too. She pays $530 in rent a month for her eight-month lease, including utilities, however question- able in reliability. "(The landlords) promised Internet but we don't actually have it yet," she added. Some attempts have been made to fix the wireless situation. On Monday, fix-it guys paid the house avisit. The repairmen seemed to be the only people around, despite some acoustic guitar sounds coming from behind a closed door. The kitchen, save for its massive industrial refrigerators, goes mostly unused. "One person might cook, just to boil water," Natale said, half-jokingly. "I wouldn't trust this place. There used to be cockroaches (when we moved in)." It's almost unnerving to walk through what used to be known as a warren of under- graduate debauchery - the house istoo clean, too silent for a place once known for its par- ties. Beta's national organization disbanded the Michigan chapter last spring after photos of Beta members binge drinking surfaced in 2005 and the fraternity continued to violate alcohol policies. But those stories are left to live in the walls, with any other vestiges of Beta Theta Pi. There are plaques all over the house, brass plates noting alumni-funded card rooms, tributes to former members by their broth- POKER From Page 7B the online poker industry, a few Washington players are now rallying behind it. Studies showfewerthan10 percentofindi- vidual poker players are long-term winners. That doesn't seem like the type of statis- tic that would be a rallying cry to poker for sympathetic politicians, but the Democrats sponsoring H.R. 2610: Skill Game Protection Act are trying to use just that kind of figure to prove their point. The bill, introduced by Rep. Robert Wex- ler (D-Fla.), looks to exempt games "where success is predominantly determined by the skill of the players involved" from being clas- sified as gambling. Unlike many forms of gambling, poker allows for an element of skill to greatly influ- ence the play. Even though instances like Moneymaker's World Series victory show luck plays a key role in poker, those close to the game argue that in the longhaul, skillwill separate the long-term winners and losers. Other pro-poker sponsored bills are enter- ing Congress, too. Rep. Barney Frank (D- Mass.) and Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) have both introduced legislation designed to regulate poker. With support in Washington coming around, poker appears to be back on the upswing. ers. But there are more personal touches, too, sophomore Rod- like in Natale's room: In her closet, Sharpied erick Fitts, who onto the cement wall by a member of the last run the University official class, it reads "BOII. The Lambda group Students Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. 1845-2007." of Objectivism, certainly think - KIMBERLY CHOU so. They also dis- dain the common The University's most misconception that objectivism rational egoists is neatly packaged with libertarian- Ayn Rand's University following ism. Objectivism, they feel, differs from the political You wouldn't be wrong if you called Alan affiliation in that Greenspan, the renowned former chairman the philosophy is of the Federal Reserve System, an egoist - in and of itself a / moral egoist might be a better term, though. moral base that And another thing: he probably likes Ayn can be applied to Rand more than you do. politics. Liber- The author - whose works "The Fountain- tarianism, con- head" and "Atlas Shrugged" have enthralled versely, is predicated by politics. some national leaders, including Greens- Their enthusiasm, though, doesn't pan, and terrorized high school students for to be too widely held on campus. Whil decades - is the progenitor of objectivism, a Paul seems to have a devoted Ann Arb4 school of philosophy described by Leonard lowing as a Republican candidate with Peikoff, Rand's friend and heir, as "the anti- tarian leanings, Sardone and Fitts we] dote to the present state of the world." only people who came to last week's Stu in terms of ethics, I'll leave Rand to of objectivism meeting. explain: "All that which is proper to the life Still, there are ripe forums for discc of a rational being is the good; all that which Sardone and Fitts talked at length abou destroys it is the evil." lic smoking bans. On one hand, smokin Politically, this translates into a complete- individual right. On the other, second ly open and free market as well as infallible smoke is a negative force on other ind individual rights. If the individual is "forced als. Objectivism would side with the sm upon" in any way, that force is immoral, be it It wouldn't, though, necessarily be des a tariff or a wiretap. as environmentalist. Since companie Simple, yes? individuals should not be subjugated t, LSA senior Andrew Sardone and LSA cific taxes and regulations, global warn r its. T 0 ILLUSTRATION BY JoHN OQUIST an even trickier issue. Sardone and Pitts see Al Gore as part of an "elite class choosing for everyone else." They see class-action law suits - individuals suing on behalf of their rights - as the rational avenue to compromise. But Students of Objectivism meetings don't usually center on specific political debate. Usually, Sardone, Fitts and their fellow members - they say about 10 people typically show up - discuss objectivism's ideologies. Even though last week's conversation was littered with terms that could perplex even the most esoteric philosophy stident, objec- tivism has its practical uses. Just tell your boss you're exercising your individual right to rational egoism next time he tells you to stop smoking in the workplace. -ANDREWSARGUS KLEIN temptation. Many college students who experience success drop out of school to try and maxi- mize the opportunity. Egerer has felt the same temptation, but he knows graduating from college has its benefits. "Every day it's hard. I look at going to an hour-and-a-half lecture as 'Wow, I just missed out on 400 bucks, or whatever the hourly wage would be,' Egerer said. "But at the same time, there's no security in online poker like there is in having a degree." More problems exist than just a few stu- dents dropping out. Even if 10 percent of people win overall, 90 percent of players are losing. And while some could only lose spend- ing money, others might lose a lot more. With more than 1,000 Gamblers Anony- mous groups meeting through the United States, many pointto poker as one of the main precursors to gambling problems. Problem gambling is estimated to occur in 1.6 percent of the adult population in the United States. A recently released study showed that problem gambling has actually gone down since 1999 though, coincidingwith the advent of online poker. THE LOCAL IMPACT Online poker hasn't just helped a core group of talented players get rich. It's also See NEXT PAGE With people rallying around the game, its peak hours.) traffic is beginning to rise again on online More tournaments are popping up around sites open to Americans (PokerStars.com the United States, whether they be online routinely tops the 100,000 user mark during or live. But with these opportunities comes