() R E G O N
Saturday	page	5
Zeke
Moreno
Mill
University of Southern California
FRIDAY
October 13, 2000
Of interest...
With all the stress of college life, Quin O'Brien advises hitting the snooze button now and then / 4
News Digest	2	Opinions	4
Editorial	4	Sports	5
Classifieds	12	Crossword	13
Lifestyle	16	The Buzz	16
vol. CXXXXI, no. 33 www.usc.edu/dt
Mideast conflict hits home
Violence: Muslim, Jewish students react to news of killings as hopes for peace fade in volatile region
By BRENDAN LOY
Assignment Jiditor
Israelis and Palestinians appeared to be moving closer to full-scale war early today, with Israeli Prime Minister Fluid Barak pursuing an emergency coalition government —
potentially a move toward more hardline policies — and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rejecting peace talks.
The moves followed a massive outbreak of violence Thursday, the most deadly in the last two weeks. Palestinians slaughtered two Israeli soldiers; Israel responded with missiles and helicopter gunships, attacking several sites, including Arafat’s home. Arafat was not present.
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat called Israel’s actions "a declaration of war," according to the Associated Press.
The Times of London wrote off the prospects for reconciliation, declaring in the top headline on its web site Thursday that the violence was "a bloodthirsty end to Middle East peace."
Meanwhile at USC, students sympathizing with either side of the struggle expressed strong opinions about the situation.
“I would say that every single Muslim and Jew on campus is feeling something," said Rabbi Susan Laemmle, Dean of Religious Life.
“When it’s your people, you feel it
in your heart,” Laemmle said.
Zakaria Al-Shaikh, president of the Muslim Students Association, expressed just such a heartfelt sentiment.
“In Islam, we're taught that we're all brothers and sisters," said Al-Shaikh. “So every time a child dies, that is my brother. Every time a woman is injured over there by a missile being fired just because she’s standing in her house, that’s my sister being injured.”
Rabbi Jonathan Klein, director of I see Violence, page 13 I
TECHNOLOGY
-♦
Internet privacy still an
V S .
Coliseum I 12:30 p.m. I
Student newspaper of the
DASH riders cramped for space
obstacle
I see Technology, page 14 I
By JULIANE NGAN
I Contributing Writer
With college applications being processed online and grocery shopping accom-| plished in the comfort of one’s home, increased usage of consumer-friendly Internet services has made some tasks more convenient, but at the potential expense of an individual’s privacy.
The issue of consumer privacy over the Internet has stirred controversy between the companies who defend their need to obtain customers’ personal information and the patrons whose addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers are often prey to advertising agencies who want to solicit their products.
Internet privacy law supporters announced Wednesday that they would wait until Congress reconvenes to take an issue-by-issue approach in convincing the legislature to pass laws posing strict regulations on Internet service providers and advertisers. The dilemma supporters face isn’t convincing Congress to pass laws, but deciding what type of laws could make a difference.
Much of the information advertisers receive is that which customers indirectly give them, like the personal information that is required for forms, surveys and online registrations. Information can also be collected from web sites that contain “cookies," which are small text files that collect information about and track consumers.
Web servers use "cookies" to recognize a web client, keep online shopping carts and to save passwords for the convenience of the user. Devices like “cookies” are heavily restricted and often banned by tbe federal government’s Office of Management and Budget.
"It is far more complex than people might imagine," said William H. Dutton, a communication professor. “It seems as if consumers are frustrated at Congress for not being able to enforce legislature that will solve this issue of Internet privacy. However, they have been trying hard to establish laws and regulations that will solve the problem with Internet security once and for all. “
The e-mails that seem to magically appear in mailboxes from various advertisers are referred to as
Stranded: MTA strike leads to longer waiting times, frustration for students
By SOPHIA KAZMI
Contributing Writer
Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s DASH has seen a dramatic increase in riders since the MTA strike began 28 days ago — a shift that dismays and inconveniences many USC students living in the downtown area.
“Before the strike, it wasn’t so bad waiting at most 15 minutes for a bus to campus,” said Johnny Nguyen, a second-year law student “But now, since buses are so overcrowded, more likely than not you’ll be waiting there for 20 minutes just to watch a DASH bus drive by you because it’s filled beyond capacity and with no guarantee that the next bus won’t be the same way."
Nguyen suggests that USC s Transportation Services help students living in Downtown by providing a tram service to that area.
“I don’t know if it would be too much to ask for tram service.” Nguyen said. “There is a concentration of USC students in the downtown area. Adding a new tram line would be ideal. Re-routing the UPC/Union Station/HSC Shuttle wouldn’t be so bad, either.”
Brian D’Autremont, director of Transportation Services, said that USC’s tram service hasn't ventured outside of the University Park Campus and the Health Science Campus because the tram drivers would then be doing the city’s job.
“I don’t think it’s possible to have a tram service because of two things," D’Autremont said. “First, we would be crossing union boundaries. The tram drivers are part of a union as well. The second thing is that we would be duplicating a service already provided by the city (MTA and DASH).”
But many students argue that the lack of transportation has been causing problems.
"Because of the overcrowding, some buses have been passing by their scheduled stops, leaving passengers on the curb,” said Emerson Dubois, a law student who commutes
I see Stranded, page 14 I
5Hin-Yee Yau i Daily Trojan
Tight quarters. DASH riders squeeze Thursday into a crowded bus filled to capacity because of the ongoing MTA strike, now in its 28th day. Customers, including USC students, have been left with few transportation options.