Gateways: Tribute to Fred Pohl with stories by Bear, Benford, Brin, Bova, Gaiman, Harrison, Haldeman and me!
Just as a token of my resurrection ☺ http://craphound.com/?p=3025 Han THANK YOU for deleting my e-mail address or any other e-mail addresses from this message if you plan to forward it. And PLEASE use Bcc: for any bulk e-mailings, instead of To: or Cc:. If you help keep our addresses private, we might be able to cut down on spam and computer identity theft. :-) ___ http://box535.bluehost.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l_mccmedia.com
[Off-List] Re: Irrregulars Questions on Macs
Hey Ronn, Although I'm temporarily in NO-MAIL mode I still had this one in my if you ever come across this list. You might check: MacSolitaire 1.6 http://tucows.sympatico.ca/mac/preview/203869.shtml Solitaire Till Dawn X 1.0 http://www2.semicolon.com/STD.html and post it to the list if you think it worthwhile, they don't come with the Macs but the first one is Freeware, the second, Shareware. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - From: Ronn!Blankenship [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Brin-L [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 6:36 AM Subject: Irrregulars Questions on Macs WindowsT comes with solitaire. Do Macs come with solitaire or any other card games? Explanation Later If Anyone Wants One Maru -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam. God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Switching to NO-MAIL
I will be deeply involved in some legal health matters and will switch some odd 20 or so mailing lists to NO-MAIL, including this one for about two (2) months. I will be checking regular non-mailist type of email so if you need to get in touch with me, you've got my addy. I will be looking at the digest whenever time permits to keep up with the events at hand. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
GPF/LPF (was Re: Plonkworthy?)
Erik (Mon, 9 Jun 2003 16:37:31 -0400) writes: On Mon, Jun 09, 2003 at 03:36:33PM -0500, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 04:20 PM 6/9/03 -0400, Erik Reuter wrote: On Mon, Jun 09, 2003 at 04:14:59PM -0400, Jon Gabriel wrote: Here's one: did you know that all the urinals in Pennsylvania Station say American Standard on them? :-D 4.4lpf/1.0gpf Were they imported from Canada? Heh. Silly me, I think it is really 1.0gpf/3.8Lpf Professor Davidson from the Department of Physics Astronomy, University of Manitoba explains: In Canada, if we use gallons at all, we use the British gallon which is defined in a logical way: 1 gallon of water weighs 10 pounds (not very metric, but logical at least). The American gallon is defined as 3.786 litres. There is probably a logical reason for the American gallon as well, but I am not aware of it. The problem is to convert from one to the other. We can proceed by finding the mass of each gallon: A Canadian gallon of water weighs 10 lb which is the same as 4.535 kg. The American gallon is equivalent to 3.786 litres, and since 1 litre of water weighs 1 kg, an American gallon of water weighs 3.786 kg. Obviously, the Canadian gallon is the larger. The ratio is 1 gal(CAN) = 4.535 / 3.786 = 1.198 gal (US). Rounding this off to 3 significant figures, we find 1 gal(CAN) = 1.20 gal(US). Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sleep Apnea
Hey John, I hope Debbi can add something to this. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine, they are for allergies! One can get pneumonia due to dehydration (and aggravate asthma). This is true of all antihistamines. Maybe ask Dr. about Valerian root tea for the sleep condition? Camomille tea also helps but I guess those would be hard to get a child to accept. I don't mean to alarm you, it's just that I feel strongly about Doctors freely Rx'ing drugs as a quick fix (pardon the pun) or the solution to a problem. Also check: http://www.allergy-cold.com/conaffairs/benadryldecongestant.shtml http://www.dermnetnz.org/index.html Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - From: Horn, John [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 1:40 PM Subject: RE: Sleep Apnea From: Nick Arnett [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] But I definitely pay attention (no joke intended)to news about connections between sleep apnea and AD/HD, etc. Since the information about that was posted, we started wondering if something like this might be effecting my daughter. She was showing some signs of ADHD and other behaviour problems. She was complaining about being tired ALL the time. It took a bit to convince my wife to take it seriously but eventually we brought her to someone to be checked out. It turns out that she is definitely not ADHD but does have a sleep disorder of some sort. The treatment is Benadryl! She's been taking it every night before she goes to bed for a couple of months now and it has done wonders for her. She's not complaining about being tired anymore. Her behaviour has improved markedly. It's wonderful. All because of a link posted to this list! That's why I stay on Brin-L! - jmh ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: global attitudes project
Ray Ludenia (Fri, 06 Jun 2003 00:02:39 +1000) brought to our attention: A very interesting report on attitudes in many countries towards the US, globalisation, democracy, justice, etc. There is plenty of food for thought here for all, regardless of personal political beliefs. Doesn't matter all that much about what is actually true, perceptions are in some ways even more important if they determine courses of action. http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=185 I find this very interesting. While I have concerns on semantics in the article, like Ray says; Doesn't matter all that much about what is actually true, ... so I will not dwell on that point. What I find more interesting is what is not said, and references that are not pointed at. What happened to questions 1-15? http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/185topline.pdf This is a follow-up to What the World Thinks in 2002. During my search I came across the following URLs before finding it (the URL is a the bottom of the list. Americans Lack Background to Follow International News PUBLIC'S NEWS HABITS LITTLE CHANGED BY SEPT. 11 Pew Research Center Biennial News Consumption Survey http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/156.pdf http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=156 Among Wealthy Nations . U.S. STANDS ALONE IN ITS EMBRACE OF RELIGION Released: December 19, 2002 http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/167.pdf http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=167 Makes reference to: [...] The project's first major report, What the World Thinks in 2002, focusing on how people view their lives, their countries and the world, was released Dec. 4, 2002 and is available online at www.people-press.org. [...] I had to go looking and found it! What the World Thinks in 2002 How Global Publics View: Their Lives, Their Countries, The World, America Released: December 4, 2002 http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=165 BTW, http://people-press.org/reports/ doesn't provide pointers to the PDFs of all their articles. I found references first by looking at http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/ Cheers! -- Han Tacoma -wondering how The Pew Charitable Trusts http://www.pewtrusts.com/ will be affected by http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.7: - the colon *has* to be typed! ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Amusement if your net connection is intermittent
Julia was looking for amusement on (Thu, 5 Jun 2003 15:59:07 -0500 (CDT)) Our net connection keeps going down for a minute or 10 today, and I have something set up just pinging, so's I can look and see if it's down before I try to do something on-line. [...snip...] or you could just give yourself a break off-line and watch http://www.warriorsofthe.net/index.html after downloading it. It is a fantastic rendering of TCP/IP, Ping, ICMP, etc. in a animated format. The movie is available in several languages English, German, French, Hebrew, Dutch, Swedish and Spanish. The Trailer 58 sec 5MB mpeg. The complete Movie 12:40min mpeg, Good Quality 73MB, A High Quality 121MB Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: China RFID tracking people
Debbi explains the origins of fish on (Fri, 6 Jun 2003 01:22:12 -0700 (PDT)) [..gone snip crazy...] I don't remember all the words it comes from, but IIRC ghoti is an alternative spelling for the sound fish [enou_gh_, ??, pa_ti_ence]... ;) ?? would be as in the plural of woman = w_o_men English is such a fun language! ...and there's more exceptions than there are rules :-) Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: World cancer death rates have increased by 35% from 1987 to1995 says WHO, and they'll double again by 2020.
Cancer-Mondial http://www-dep.iarc.fr/dataava/infodata.htm The traditional method of disseminating information about cancer is through books and articles in scientific journals, and IARC has a long tradition of publishing in this way (now available from IARCPress). http://www.iarc.fr/ Electronic publication provides an opportunity for increased access to the information we have collected over many years and increased flexibility in the information which can be obtained. The aim of this project is provide online access to data on the incidence, prevalence, survival and mortality of cancer held by the IARC Unit of Descriptive Epidemiology. http://www-dep.iarc.fr/thisunit/depunit.htm World Health Organization searches are helpful http://www.who.int/search/en/ My personal opinion (I'm omnivore -- I love my burgers, veggies, fish and most anything you put in front of me) is tigers, dogs, cats, and other carnivores (other than hman) IIRC have short digestive tracts i.e. a tiger is about 5 ft. so the meat in goes out quickly before rotting. Vegetarians have longer (a lot!) digestive tracts. When the veggies stay there for a while they tend to fart, while there is no evidence based research that the rotting meat causes cancer, there does seem to be anecdotal research suggesting such. Has anybody checked who farts more?, their dogs and cats, or their rabbits and cockatoos?, horses and cows? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: English rules exceptions Re: China RFID tracking people
Julia (Sat, 07 Jun 2003 14:05:02 -0500) writes: Han Tacoma wrote: Debbi explains the origins of fish on (Fri, 6 Jun 2003 01:22:12 -0700 (PDT)) [..gone snip crazy...] I don't remember all the words it comes from, but IIRC ghoti is an alternative spelling for the sound fish [enou_gh_, ??, pa_ti_ence]... ;) ?? would be as in the plural of woman = w_o_men English is such a fun language! ...and there's more exceptions than there are rules :-) Well, if every rule has 2 exceptions, then of *course* that's the case. :) The ie/ei rule is complicated, and has 8 exceptions that have been brought to my attention, but I can never remember more than 7 of them: either foreign forfeit leisure neither seize weird There's at least 1 more. Anyone? ...and that would be in USA English, as opposed to Canadjian English, as opposed to Aussie English, as opposed to Blymie English, as opposed to [...oooh what the heck, I'm getting tired of typing -- one of these days when I make some extra money I'll buy Dragon-dictate or a simile] WORTHIBUTTER Szawry doctor! 'ees off 'iz bleumin' chump ee is! Gar well blymie ga yve me a bleedin... by John Mucci Qui debeat melius sapere Maru Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: English rules exceptions Re: China RFID tracking people
Amendment at the end. - Original Message - From: Han Tacoma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 4:52 PM Subject: Re: English rules exceptions Re: China RFID tracking people Julia (Sat, 07 Jun 2003 14:05:02 -0500) writes: Han Tacoma wrote: Debbi explains the origins of fish on (Fri, 6 Jun 2003 01:22:12 -0700 (PDT)) [..gone snip crazy...] I don't remember all the words it comes from, but IIRC ghoti is an alternative spelling for the sound fish [enou_gh_, ??, pa_ti_ence]... ;) ?? would be as in the plural of woman = w_o_men English is such a fun language! ...and there's more exceptions than there are rules :-) Well, if every rule has 2 exceptions, then of *course* that's the case. :) The ie/ei rule is complicated, and has 8 exceptions that have been brought to my attention, but I can never remember more than 7 of them: either foreign forfeit leisure neither seize weird There's at least 1 more. Anyone? ...and that would be in USA English, as opposed to Canadjian English, as opposed to Aussie English, as opposed to Blymie English, as opposed to [...oooh what the heck, I'm getting tired of typing -- one of these days when I make some extra money I'll buy Dragon-dictate or a simile] WORTHIBUTTER Szawry doctor! 'ees off 'iz bleumin' chump ee is! Gar well blymie ga yve me a bleedin... by John Mucci Qui debeat melius sapere Maru DRACULA (Undressed) a modern amorality play in Two Acts http://www.jmucci.com/plays/drac1.htm Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: English rules exceptions Re: China RFID tracking people
On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 16:31:00 -0500 Julia told Dean [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Sat, 07 Jun 2003 14:05:02 -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: The ie/ei rule is complicated, and has 8 exceptions that have been brought to my attention, but I can never remember more than 7 of them: either foreign forfeit leisure neither seize weird There's at least 1 more. Anyone? Their? That falls under the main rule: I before E except after c, or when combined they make the sound of long a. (There's a nice little ditty for that last bit which I don't remember.) Neighbor fits the general rule. Their does, as well, as does weigh. Conceive fits the part about after 'c'. ...uuuf!, and those rules are simple. Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote -Canterbury Tales, Prologue, 1-2. Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 - 1400) When in April the sweet showers fall That pierce March's drought to the root and all ...and to think that the former could have been spoken if Gutemberg hadn't circa 1450 come up with the printing press. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
We need your help to save Foundation dollars now and in the future
I need some help from the legal beagles and the tax beagles among the Brin-Lers. This came into my Inbox and wherever possible I try to do as much homework as possible before taking action. I checked http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c108:1:./temp/~c108gznd6N:e21814 or http://tinyurl.com/djqc and wasn't really capable of consolidating the consequences the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation claims the amendments to Section 105 will have on the Charitable Giving Act of 2003 . I would have appreciated them including the URL rather than just referring to it. I suppose a lot of people would just go and write the letter they are suggesting without giving it further thought. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2003 00:01:25 -0500 From: Disabled Disability and Psychology Discussion Group [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date:Wed, 4 Jun 2003 00:15:11 -0400 From:LCCCD Inc [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: We need your help to save Foundation dollars now and in the future We need your help to save Foundation dollars now and in the future!!! Dear Friends, I need your help in an important matter that will affect the future of Foundations across America. There are many laws that govern the administration and philanthropy of foundations that have been in effect for many years. We are at a crucial point in history when these current laws are about to change and could wipe out small to medium sized foundations forever. All foundations are supposed to distribute 5% of their endowments annually. Some administrative costs can be charged against the 5% which allows small foundations to accomplish their vision and mission. Currently there is a bill in the house: Section 105 of H.R.7; that will not allow a foundation to use any of its current allotment for administration of grants and will demand that foundations give away a higher percentage of their shrinking assets than in the past. This legislation is very short sighted in that foundations will be forced to spend down their endowments more quickly and have nothing left for the future. Therefore, millions of foundations will disappear in a short period of time if this legislation is allowed to go forth. The future of millions of small foundations across the United States are dependent upon the defeat of Section 105 of HR7. I need you to help us fight this unfair proposed legislation. Time is of the essence since they may start to move this bill through the house when they return on June 3. I am including a copy of a letter that you can revise or use to send to your Congressman. You can go to www.congress.org and send an email to your legislator directly or mail it to them at the address provided on that website. If you would pass this message on to other nonprofits and friends that will be adversely affected by this legislation now and in the future, that would be helpful as well. If you have questions or need information, please contact me directly. Thanks for your help in this important matter. Deborah Lewis Executive Director Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation 2460 North Lake Ave. PMB #128 Altadena, CA 91001 (626)398-8840 voice (626)398-8843 fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.ela.org -- The letter you can use is below: Dear Congressman The majority of foundations strive to practice ethical and responsive philanthropy, to do effective grantmaking and to be of value to our communities as well as to our grantees. So I am curious as to why Congress wants to destroy small to medium foundations in the United States. In H.R.7 there is a provision in Section 105 that will eliminate all small and medium foundations in the US in a very short time. Let me tell you why: This provision eliminates the ability for foundations to provide administrative costs associated with the current 5% payout. Those of us who have small to medium sized endowments would be forced to dig deeper into our already diminishing principle. This will mean an eventual zeroing out of foundation resources and elimination of millions of foundations across the United States. Foundations have to earn a minimum 10% rate of return on investments in order to do the bare minimum of a 5% payout. No one is currently getting a 10% rate of return in this economy. With the shrinking stock market and lower rates of return, all foundations have already lost substantial investments in their portfolios. This means smaller endowments for foundations to depend on for current and future grantmaking. For grantees and communities this means a bigger infusion of donations in the short run and then, ...nothing. In the long term this will have a disasterous effect on the non profit community as well as the most vulnerable segments of our society. In the long run it will also discourage future philanthropists to create endowed foundations. While H.R.7 might be a popular bill
Corporate Global Health Project
I came across a project that Peter Singer at UofT is associated with, Grand Challenges in Global Health, - an extremely well-funded project (Bill Gates and NIH) to identify some grand challenges to global health and work toward the scientific solution. See www.grandchallengesgh.org. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Canadian Anti-Smoking Lawsuit Struck Down
Canadian Anti-Smoking Lawsuit Struck Down Fri June 6, 2003 08:05 AM ET By Allan Dowd VANCOUVER (Reuters) - A judge on Thursday struck down the law used by British Columbia when it became the first Canadian province to sue the tobacco industry over the health costs of smoking. [...] http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNewsstoryID=2888928 Pity :-( Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Start Trek upbringing of Grandchildren
Something I hope will bring a smirk on somebody's face today. Son #1 and Son #2 are 11 months apart (30-something-ish) Ethan turned 1 on May 1st..., Ciela will turn 2 on July 25th. Cheers! Han -Original Message- From: Son # 1 To: Son # 2 Cc: DAD Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 12:18 PM Subject: RE: BBQ at your place Hey Guy's, That date is fine you can expect the family (Annable) as well. We will confirm the time at a later date, probably the usual 1-2pm. Now that my son is capable of impulse speed on two feet your child will not pose a threat( I hope she can run away at warp) Talk to you guys soon! -- From: Son # 2 To: Son # 1 Cc: DAD Sent: 05/30/2003 12:40 PM Subject: RE: BBQ at your place Hey, Ethan's time will come but impulse speed is only good for maneuvering around static objects. Ciela is capable of warp speed, unfortunately she may go warp speed around and into Ethan. We're trying to teach her to be easy with the other kids but the Tacoma blood has made her a little bit of a rough-ian. The fact that she's been in daycare for over a year has only served to toughen her up that much more. Hopefully Ethan can give her a few shots to put her in her place but I don't think Ethan is there yet. Have to work on his warp core and maybe get the phasers on-line. Of course, by that time, Ciela will have developed her Photon capabilities and, needless to say, she will already have the phsychological edge. Family over around 1-2 is fine. Ciela will be done or close to done with her nap by that time. We have some new patio furniture waiting to be broken in too. Hopefully the weather cooperates. -- From: Son # 1 To: Son # 2 Cc: DAD Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 2:26 PM Subject: RE: BBQ at your place Guy, By the time Ciela has developed her photon capabilities, Ethan should be on-line with his trans-warp drive and should have his multi-phasic shielding established, at which time his shields will adapt to any weaponary from the USS Ciela and all we can say for her will be Resistance is Futile -- From: Son # 2 To: Son # 1 Cc: DAD Sent: 05/30/2003 03:20 PM Subject: RE: BBQ at your place Resistence is futile... for mear mortals. Ciela is part of the Q. Need I say more? -- From: Son # 1 To: Son # 2 Cc: DAD Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 10:42 AM Subject: RE: BBQ at your place Let's not be coy, the Q are devious, amoral, unreliable and irresponsible. Ciela would surely be stripped off her powers by the Continuum and perhaps turned into an amoeba, then Ethan would not have anybody to play with and would inadvertently eat Ciela being he is at that stage of his life. But far be it from me to teach you how to raise your child.. Perhaps being an omnipitent human does have its advantages -- [...THE END, ...for now..., wait for further episodes :-) ] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
L3: World cancer death rates have increased by 35% from 1987 to1995 says WHO, and they'll double again by 2020.
and adequate sanitation facilities, imperative for human health, are lacking for billions of people. In 2000, 1.1 billion did not have access to an adequate water supply and 2.4 billion lacked access to improved sanitation. Some two-thirds of the world's population will likely face water stress by 2025. The WHO study admits that cancer is a problem that cuts across national boundaries, cultures, societies and socioeconomic strata. It points out that a new approach is necessary for global cancer control. But that such an effort is now hampered by an existing situation, in which globally, cancer control activities are fragmented, uncoordinated and often categorized and funded by cancer type. Expanding on this theme, the report continues: [The] development of a Programme following an internationally accepted framework results in an understanding of the broader issues by both health care professionals and the general public. Of particular importance in many countries are avoiding the misuses of available resources, both public and personal, and an ethical obligation to relieve suffering at reasonable costs. In today's world, this prescription is essentially chimerical. The report goes on to say that potential barriers to such an approach include competing interests that could prevent the resources intended for cancer control being allocated for this purpose. The culpability of the top echelons of society for the cancer epidemic is only alluded to in the report's summation. While the World Cancer Report contains a massive compilation of very valuable information, its perspective is focused on the individual rather than the societal responsibility for the global cancer burden: Current smoking levels and the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles, together with a steadily increasing proportion of elderly people in the world, will result in a doubling of new cancer cases, from 10 million worldwide in 2000 to 20 million in 2020, with an annual death toll then reaching 12 million. In her 1997 book, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment, biologist Sandra Steingraber writes: A narrow focus on lifestyle -- like a narrow focus on genetic mechanisms -- obscures cancer's environmental roots. It presumes that the ongoing contamination of our air, food and water is an immutable fact of the human condition to which we must accommodate ourselves (emphasis added). Unfortunately, the authors of the WHO report adapt themselves to an atmosphere that accepts that nothing can be done to change the social framework that threatens a health catastrophe of enormous proportions. --- Copyright 1998-2003 World Socialist Web Site All rights reserved Whom can we trust, the collective human conscience or self-serving elitists? == WHO does have an interesting set of recently published books. http://bookorders.who.int:8080/newaccess/anglais/newpublications1.jsp A matter of time and money! So I just have to settle visiting the site once in a while http://www.who.int/en/ Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
L3: Meet Canada The Global Arms Dealer
I'm appalled; should make the list's hawks less anti-canadian, I guess. -- Han Tacoma - Sometimes Ignorance is Bliss Maru! ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ --- Meet Canada The Global Arms Dealer by Stephen James-Kerr; May 25, 2003 Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. Dwight D Eisenhower When Americans think of Canadians these days, it's usually as the laid back folks who sat out the war on Iraq. Our national myth is 'Canada the peacekeeper,' but it's a myth, not a fact. The facts are hard to mythologize. The Canadian government was the fourth largest contributor to the attack on Iraq after Australia, ahead of most members of Bush's 'coalition of the willing,' who offered only moral support. Canada topped Colin Powell's list of countries who didn't want their names mentioned while they helped Uncle Sam take over Iraq. While many Americans were cursing Canadian 'non-participation' three Canadian warships equipped with surface to air missiles and anti-submarine capability were escorting the US fleet that fired Tomahawk missiles at innocent Iraqis. Our government calls this mission Operation Apollo, insisting that these ships are deployed in the 'war on terrorism.' Not a shot has been fired at a Canadian ship. While some US peace activists were praising Canada's 'bold stance' ten Canadian soldiers were manning AWACS radar aircraft, directing those missiles to their targets. No reports of any terrorists killed in Iraq. While 6457 Iraqi civilians had been killed as of May 23rd according to www.iraqbodycount.net Canadian officers continued to sit in the air conditioned offices of CENTCOM in Doha Qatar, deep in the logistical details of escorting American ships, and planning for war. While Canadians slept, US troop transport planes carried the invading army silently over our heads thanks to the Canadian government's offer of over-flight privileges and refueling to the US Air Force at Gander airport. US military doctrine describes refueling as the key to us global airpower. This reporter's request for a full accounting of these over-flights was refused by the Canadian Department of National Defence. When US Marines left their posts in Afghanistan for the Iraqi front, 1000 Canadian soldiers spelled them off, taking up the 'war on terror' in military engagements which are kept secret from the Canadian public. Next year Canada will take over command of the Afghan occupation. While Canadians, who supported their government's decision to 'sit out the war' protested US imperialism in small towns like Cobourg Ontario and Moosejaw Saskatchewan, 30 odd Canadian soldiers were quietly serving 'on exchange' with US and UK invasion forces in Iraq. One young Canadian soldier died. The Canadian government has tried desperately to paint the blood red reality of Canadian imperialism in teal blue. In response to Bush's 48 hour deadline for Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Baghdad or die, Canada's Foreign Minister, Bill Graham declared that Clearly I very much welcomed his (Bush's) reference to the United Nations, and clearly the President has demonstrated a willingness to work within the international system to date. This is how Graham described Bush's threat to invade a UN member state based on forged documents, for the profit of the oil and construction companies that put Bush in office. Graham was only dipping from the Prime Ministerial whitewash bucket. Mr. Speaker, We have always made clear that Canada will require the approval of the Security Council if we were to participate in (a) military campaign. Over the last few weeks the Security Council has been unable to agree on a new resolution authorizing military action. Canada worked very hard to find a compromise to bridge the gap in the Security Council. Unfortunately (emphasis mine) we were not successful. If military action proceeds without a new resolution of the Security Council, Canada will not participate. Such were the assurances of Graham's boss, Prime Minister Jean Chrtien to the House of Commons, on March 17. Graham reinforced the message with the press the next day. We require a clear United Nations mandate if the use of force is to be used to resolve potential conflicts between states, said Graham with his trademark poker face. That 'requirement' is becoming harder to justify to Canada's growing arms industry, and to the politicians like Graham who are now openly beholden to it. Thus the desperate and contradictory Iraq policy of the Federal Liberal government, caught between the Canadian public, which overwhelmingly opposed the attack on Iraq, and the Canadian military industrial
Re: L3: Meet Canada The Global Arms Dealer
Andy (Wed, 04 Jun 2003 02:54:30 +0100) wrote: \ On 3 Jun 2003 at 16:35, Han Tacoma wrote: I'm appalled; should make the list's hawks less anti-canadian, I guess. Snort. Two contradictory arguments. There's a semicolon in the statement. 1) I don't like the idea of Canada promoting war, specially if it was a covert action. 2) The hawks on the list (IIRC) have made allegations that Canada did not take part in the war -- they were mistaken, they may now be happy, I'm not. Either you accept military exports are helping the economy (as the UK does), or you stop them and come up with a way to plug the gap. Military exports are like a snake eating it's tail, it will keep eating until, ...poof!, there'll be nothing left anywhere. Except maybe cockroaches. Whining about the existing gap on one hand and smacking the arms industy on the other...dosn't help. That's the problem, the Man speaketh with forked tongue. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: media consolidation
The Fool (2 Jun 2003 07:19:28 -0500) wrote: http://www.sarahstirland.com/archives/mediacon.htm It's a picture. ...and to think I still only have rabbit ears :-) Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - Feeling like a caveman! ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin: Brin 9/11 statement shown accurate again
I agree with Jan. I had tried to convey similar thoughts in http://www.mccmedia.com/pipermail/brin-l/Week-of-Mon-20030526/021080.html He says, Without firearms the violent power is in the hands of those with superior size and/or years of training., and I would like to temper that statement. Power is always violent, it is whether you use it and how that makes the difference. My Sifu (I trained in Kung-Fu -- let's not get into the multiple spellings...) gave us a hierarchy of actions when faced with by a situation (this over 40 years old.) 1. Run whenever possible. 2. Block, block and the opponent will tire and give up after 3 minutes. 3. If agression continues, slap the face hard -- call his attention, he may stop. 4. When agression continues, you have a street fighter, so hurt him harder. 5. Still not wanting to end the confrontation?, pull a rib, break the collarbone. 6. Opponent keeps on coming, you have a problem on your hands. He is derranged and you will have to resort to terminal measures, otherwise, the opponent will come back at you on their terms. - Always protect the weak faced with agression but not necessarily with violence. - Never be an agressor. (it is this last point that I refer to in my tempering statement.) BTW, I've never needed to go past number 3. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - From: Jan Coffey [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 3:00 PM Subject: Re: Brin: Brin 9/11 statement shown accurate again --- d.brin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There is a big difference between pen knives - which can be overcome by a roused majority if brandished by an idiot... and guns which allow an idiot to cow a majority. Ture: ...however, the other side is Without firearms people still kill. Without firearms the violent power is in the hands of those with superior size and/or years of training. Firearms are the grate equalizer. For instance, the largest brute in the neighborhood cant just come and take your mate whenever he wants, because you (or your mate) will take out your Glock and end his life. And don't tell me this is far fetched because I have been placed in that situation. Unfortunately the equalizer also raises the stakes. Idiots with guns are much worse than idiots with knives. But they aren't really any worse than an idiot --who is physically larger and more powerful-- with knives. If there wern't many violent idiots then a gun free society would just make sense. But unfortunately that is just not the case. Since the UK has banned firearms violent crime (especially those involving a perps with firearms) has gone up. Since Texas Nevada have relaxed their concealed carry laws violent crime (especially those involving a perp with a gun) have gone down. Put Firearms in the hands of teachers, and train them how to properly use them, and violence in schools will go down. It seems counter intuitive, but that's the way it seems to work. Think of it this way, Terrorists, (and other idiots) go for soft targets, make everything a hard target and you reduced their ability, and more important their willingness to strike. Jan Cold-and-Hard Maru ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin: Brin 9/11 statement shown accurate again
Andrew Crystall (Sun, 01 Jun 2003 21:53:01 +0100) writes: On 1 Jun 2003 at 16:29, Han Tacoma wrote: My Sifu (I trained in Kung-Fu -- let's not get into the multiple spellings...) gave us a hierarchy of actions when faced with by a situation (this over 40 years old.) 1. Run whenever possible. 2. Interesting. How I was taught- When conflict is inevitable - and if you can avoid it do - let them try and land the first blow. Then take them down, then and there. FAST. Don't muck arround, that only gets YOU hurt. That depends on how well you have been taught, the whole point being to show them they cannot hurt you. The amount of adrenalin in your attacker will bring him down in three minutes if he is not a regular fighter and that is why you slap after that period, tell him you've been at it for a while, please reconsider. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Suffer the Little Children in the Search for Cures_USA Today
, don't work. Prozac, for instance, is now known to stunt kids' growth, something tests in adults wouldn't have considered. Other drugs require higher or lower doses than expected for kids. In clinical trials, tragedies happen. We don't want them to happen, but they do, Murphy says, but the benefits of new drugs for kids are part of the conversation. Some 194 new drugs are now in development for children, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. All this activity makes it more likely that parents of very ill children will become involved in a clinical trial, perhaps with little understanding of the stakes. So much information parents need to know, the researchers never tell us, says John Rogers of St. Louis. He and his wife, Oksana, saw their 20-month-old daughter Daniella die last year, killed by a side effect of a drug she was being given in a clinical trial. [See: , http://www.daniellarogers.org/ ] In January, the federal Office of Human Research Protection found that Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis had failed to warn Daniella's parents of reasonably foreseeable risks ... including liver failure and death, from the drug in informed consent documents required before anyone enrolls in a study. Our child got sick. We were desperate. Your child is your flesh and blood, so you're willing to go to extremes to get the best care, Rogers says. He says he thought getting his child into an experimental treatment center meant she was getting the best care. But researchers in clinical trials have conflicting responsibilities that may interfere with providing the best care, notes bioethicist Erich Loewy of the University of California-Davis. The researcher is ethically committed to generating knowledge, truth, whatever. If along the way the patient is benefited, that is nice, but not the researcher's primary aim, Loewy says. And about four out of five drugs in clinical trials don't pan out, neither benefiting nor harming patients, according to industry statistics. Still, a majority of patients (77% of respondents in a 2000 survey) join clinical trials to be cured, receive better care or earn extra money rather than to advance medical science. Loewy suggests that patients in trials have a separate physician oversee their case, a doctor concerned only with the patient's health. In many cases, very ill people may have no choice, Rogers acknowledges, but in others the option to pursue standard care may never be mentioned by physicians eager to enroll patients in trials of potentially lucrative drugs. It is all about money to researchers. It really is, Rogers says. Parents need to ask hard questions before they enroll a child in a study. FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted ( ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Brin 9/11 statement shown accurate again
want the rule of law to prevail, yet sometimes that same rule does not equate to *justice*. Sounds like Catch-22 to me. Have a great weekend! Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
OK, for all Geeks, here's something to test yourselves with. The Packman Game http://www.myfreearcade.com/games/splatman.swf Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Borg are coming!
You will be assimilated! The US has every intention of deploying weapons in space, ultimately in order to control access to the atmosphere and outer space, and to be able to hit land and sea-based targets anytime, anywhere. Less need for messy and time-consuming troop deployments, which arouse opposition before the action and after the carnage... U.S. 'negation' policy in space raises concerns abroad By Loring Wirbel, EE Times May 22, 2003 (1:26 p.m. EST) URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20030522S0050 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - While much of the talk around the Pentagon these days focuses on transformation of the military, some of the United States' closest allies worry about another buzzword being used in subtler ways at the National Reconnaissance Office: negation. The nation's largest intelligence agency by budget and in control of all U.S. spy satellites, NRO is talking openly with the U.S. Air Force Space Command about actively denying the use of space for intelligence purposes to any other nation at any time-not just adversaries, but even longtime allies, according to NRO director Peter Teets. At the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs in early April, Teets proposed that U.S. resources from military, civilian and commercial satellites be combined to provide persistence in total situational awareness, for the benefit of this nation's war fighters. If allies don't like the new paradigm of space dominance, said Air Force secretary James Roche, they'll just have to learn to accept it. The allies, he told the symposium, will have no veto power. [...] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Bitter battle over sugar findings
Ain't it sweet! Don't hear much about this in North America! Bitter battle over sugar findings JILL STARK AND JACQUI GODDARD http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=460322003 Tue 22 Apr 2003 IN MIAMI THE US sugar industry has been accused of blackmailing the World Health Organisation by threatening to withdraw funding if healthy-eating guidelines, due to be published tomorrow, are not scrapped. Members of the Sugar Association were incensed by a WHO report, Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, stating that sugar should account for no more than 10 per cent of a balanced diet. They have described the findings as dubious and their political muscle-flexing could cost the WHO a staggering $406 million (260 million). Industry executives have exerted intense pressure on the US Congress to block the organisation's funding unless the report's guidelines are retracted. In a letter to the WHO's director general, Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Sugar Association threatened to exercise every avenue available to expose the dubious nature of the WHO's report on diet and nutrition. It goes on to say the report, compiled by a panel of international experts, is scientifically flawed and the industry's own research proves that 25 per cent of a safe, daily diet can be sugar-based. The letter states: Taxpayers' dollars should not be used to support misguided, non-science-based reports, which do not add to the health and well-being of Americans, much less the rest of the world. If necessary, we will promote and encourage new laws, which require future WHO funding to be provided only if the organisation accepts that all reports must be supported by the preponderance of science. The Sugar Association, backed by six other big food industry groups, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, has also asked the US health secretary, Tommy Thompson, to use his influence to stop the report. The sugar lobby's threat comes at a time when the industry is embroiled in a cash-for-favours row over the pollution of the Florida Everglades. Governor Jeb Bush, the younger brother of the US president, George, has been accused of being badly briefed and badly misled over a bill sponsored by Big Sugar that, if passed through the state legislature, would push back the deadline for cleaning up the US's second-largest national park by another 20 years. Harmful levels of phosphorus run into the area from nearby sugar-cane farms and the governor made an election promise to mount a large scale clean-up operation. Environmental campaigners claim the sugar industry poured more than $800,000 (510,000), into the 2002 Florida elections, and are now demanding a return on their investment. Meanwhile, those with intimate knowledge of the WHO's row with the sugar lobby say the industry is renowned for its bully-boy tactics. In 1990, a WHO report on healthy eating made the same recommendation for a 10 per cent limit to be placed on sugar intake but the industry reacted furiously, demanding the report be retracted. Professor Phillip James, who wrote the document and is now the British chairman of the International Obesity Taskforce, said the sugar industry hired one of Washington's top lobbying companies to exert intense political pressure. He said: Forty ambassadors wrote to the WHO insisting our report should be removed, on the grounds that it would do irreparable damage to countries in the developing world. Although the lobby failed in its attempts to have the report retracted, Prof James believes they could achieve their objective this time around. He said: We are getting a replay, but much more powerfully based, because the food industry seems to have a much greater influence on the Bush government. The power of the sugar industry to affect world health guidelines has been bolstered since the 1990 report, by the accreditation of the International Life Sciences Institute, to the WHO and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation. The influential coalition was founded by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Foods, Kraft and Procter and Gamble. The soft drinks industry has been one of the most vocal opponents of the new report. Condemning the WHO's recommendation on sugar as too restrictive, the Washington-based National Soft Drink Association has called for a 25 per cent limit and rejected the conclusion that sugary drinks contribute to a spiralling world obesity problem. The WHO remains undeterred and has strongly refuted the sugar lobby's criticisms, claiming their findings concurred with the conclusions of 23 national reports which have, on average, set targets of 10 per cent for added sugars. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Geek Test
I ranked: 31.36095% - Total Geek Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - Wondering when the Brin-L Geek Matrix will be setup? ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
WMD: US Restarts Nuclear Program
WMD: US Restarts Nuclear Program by: Wire Services http://www.republicons.org/view_article.asp?RP_ARTICLE_ID=920 4/24/2003 The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday in its article After 'Decline,' U.S. Again Capable of Making Nuclear Arms, that the United States has restarted production of plutonium components for nuclear bombs at its Los Alamos National Laboratory for the first time in 14 years. The paper referred to the restarting as an important symbolic and operational milestone in rebuilding the nation's nuclear weapons complex. American scientists working for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have started producing the plutonium pits that are at the core of nuclear weaponry. (Conventional explosives encase a hollow plutonium sphere, or pit, and trigger a chain reaction when detonated.) Under a program put forward by the White House, the United States is also working on a new factory to supply components for hundreds of weapons each year, according to the report. The US Department of Energy, which oversees the NNSA and runs America's weapons program, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. But the Times quoted unnamed department officials as denying that they are actually producing nuclear weapons -- only ensuring the reliability of exiting weapons. But nuclear scientists in both Russia and the United States disputed this claim. Pits are empty spheres of plutonium, they cannot age, said a senior nuclear expert at one of Russia's leading institutes, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Such production cannot be justified by the need to maintain the safety of the existing stockpile of US weapons. First of all, it could mean that America has restarted the production of nuclear warheads and that it is supporting the industry, the expert said. In Russia, such workshops are being closed down. Arjun Makhijani, an acclaimed nuclear scientist who runs the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Tacoma, Washington, agreed: There is absolutely no need in my opinion to do this. On the contrary, it is very dangerous, Makhijani said by telephone. This is just the beginning of pit manufacturing. The US has a capacity to eventually make 50 to 80 pits a year, but the Department of Energy has proposed to build a new pit facility where they will be able to make up to 500 pits per year. The United States does not need any more nuclear warheads. Igor Ostretsov, the deputy director for science of the All-Russia Research Center of Nuclear Machine-Building, said that while the United States may need new parts to maintain the efficiency of its warheads, it looks as if it is also moving to improve its nuclear arsenal. If they are making pits, it may be linked to making new [nuclear warhead] models, he said. The move may also violate the Nonproliferation Treaty that the United States, Russia and other nuclear nations signed in 2000, in which they pledged to undertake an irreversible reduction of their nuclear arsenals. Under Article 2 of the treaty, signatories are forbidden from manufacturing or otherwise acquiring nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. I don't know whether it will reignite the arms race, but it is certainly in line with the U.S. strategy of continuing to use nuclear weapons as a central part of its military strategy, Makhijani said. Some military experts also said that the real aim of the program appears to be boosting the United States' nuclear complex -- a costly move that makes no strategic sense. It is a sign that after a long period of decline, the weapons complex is back and growing, Jon Wolfsthal, deputy director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former Energy Department weapons expert, told the Times. To the average US citizen, it would be accurate to say we have restarted the production of nuclear weapons. Ivan Safranchuk, a Moscow-based researcher for the Center for Defense Information in Washington, said by telephone that it would be senseless militarily for the United States to improve its nuclear warhead arsenal, which is excessive anyway and is supposed to be reduced. Makhijani said US policy is a provocation to proliferation because it raises the question that if the most powerful country in the world by far, in conventional, or non-nuclear terms, still needs to build more nuclear weapons, what about everybody else? It is a dangerous policy because the United States and Russia continue to have between them about 4,000 nuclear weapons that can be fired in a few minutes. All content on this site is 2003 by Repbulicons.org, unless otherwise noted. Please review our privacy policy and terms of use before continuing to use this site. Technical comments should be made to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
If a Picture is Worth One Thousand Words, This Mountain Stores Lotsof Words
From my Inbox: The Bettman Archive used to reside in downtown Manhattan. It is now under a mountain in western Pennsylvania in a very cold vault owned by a Bill Gates Company named Corbis. This very extensive article in the Washington Post will be of great interest to any who are involved with history, photography, historic picture archives and the like. Any new to the problem of photograph degredation with heat and time, will also gain useful knowledge from this article about the dangers lurking for print photograph collections and find cause for improvement in preservation facilities or in funding and implementation of digitization projects for valuable photograph collections. Buried Treasure Why has Bill Gates stashed millions of the greatest images of the 20th century under a mountain in Pennsylvania? By Mary Battiata Sunday, May 18, 2003; Page W14 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57798-2003May15.html The vault is the only privately owned, subzero underground vault in the country, and probably the world. It is the coldest, and, it's fair to say, the most controversial. Until the photographs were moved here in a caravan of 18 refrigerated vans in 2001, most of them had been stored for decades in a series of creaky office buildings on lower Broadway in Manhattan. And there they might have stayed, except for one problem. The pictures were dying. Deteriorating rapidly and dramatically -- buckling, fading, mottling, fairly shrieking for help, like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz. It was obvious to anyone who came through the door that we had a problem, said one Bettmann photo researcher. The whole place smelled like vinegar. The Bettmann was not the only photography archive so afflicted. In fact, it was only the tip of an ugly iceberg. Over the past 20 years, photography archivists and preservationists have discovered, to their consternation and dismay, that huge swaths of the pictures taken during the past 100 years -- the century of photography -- are disintegrating, undergoing a spontaneous chemical decomposition that will, if left unchecked, render most of them unintelligible and unusable within the next 20 to 50 years. -- The full article may be read at the URL above. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Pregnancy update
Julia, My heartfelt congratulations. I'm going to have to talk to my daughters-in-law to see if they can pull one of those off -- I'd love to become Opa to twins, specially girls! Best -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - From: Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 1:51 PM Subject: Pregnancy update I had my first (but not my last) ultrasound exam with this pregnancy. Both twin girls are fine so far. Their parents, on the other hand, are in a bit of shock at the news. And their big brother doesn't quite understand what's going on, but was interested in things in the room where the ultrasound was done. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC
- Original Message - From: Dan Minette [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 6:41 PM Subject: Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC - Original Message - From: Reggie Bautista [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, May 26, 2003 5:31 PM Subject: Re: Nukes found with reactor vessel woes-NRC Dan wrote: ... Given that excellent safety record, why are you singling out nuclear power? What not stop the construction of buildings, the driving of automobiles, the running of factories, etc? All have had a higher death rate than nuclear power. This issue of radioactive pollution--from nuclear testing fallout, from the routine emmissions of nuclear (commercial or military) reactors, from the billions of tons of uranium tailings left exposed at sites around the globe, from the massive amounts of low level and high level radioactive waste generated every year for decades from hundreds of commerical, military and research reactors around the globe--far from being the passe story the industry's PR hacks and media assets constantly present it as, is the number-one problem our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, ad infinitum, will have to deal with for at least the next 240,000 years. The damage to the integrity of the gene pool is still being assessed as well as increased. And all this has happened in less than the past fifty years. The challenge is paramount. Denial promises extinction of all our relations. http://www.ratical.org/radiation/inetSeries/RB89.html We haven't determined the effects (yet) of Depleted Uranium: In May, 1997, the International Action Center published a book of essays and lectures on depleted uranium: the contamination of the planet by the United States military. In addition to exposing the deadly duplicity of the Department of Defense, the book documents the genocide of Native Americans and Iraqis by military radiation, the connection between depleted uranium and Gulf War Syndrome, the underestimated dangers from low-level radiation, the legal ramifications of DU Production and Use, and the growing movement against DU. http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/mettoc.htm Reggie wrote: And that's coming from someone who's job is in the Texas Oil Patch. Dan replied: That's a fact, Jack. :-) ...and I'm not partial to nuclear alarmism, Oil is also a problem: Journey to the South American nation of Ecuador and you find pollution and misery on a scale that never would be tolerated in California, a state that guards its own majestic coastline from oil development and is home to some of the toughest environmental laws on Earth. Follow that oil as it leaves Ecuador and you find that between 20 and 40 million barrels a year flow to California, which consumes more gasoline - 38 million gallons a day - than Florida and New York combined. http://www.sacbee.com/static/live/news/projects/denial/c1_1.html Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Serendipity
I joined Nick's km list (Knowledge Management discussion) in March 1998. I only found out about Brin-L's existence in March of this year. My experience as a Science Fiction reader starts with Jules Verne when I was a kid. My all time favourite was Robert A. Heinlein, I also enjoyed Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip Jos Farmer, Alan Dean Foster, Frank Herbert,Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and others (I still have all my books at the farm where I broke my back -- maybe if we get summer here in Toronto, I'll be able to get them after nine years.) I'm afraid that I was not familiar with the work of the Killer Bees so I ordered several books by them and a video from the library. Imagine my surprise to find out that I will get to know what happened to Hari Seldon through the Second Foundation! Also today my wife and I saw Kevin Costner in The Postman, it was a long movie so we had a before and after lunch session and we thoroughly enjoyed it. When I reviewed the IMDb user comments for The Postman (1997), I could not understand how polarized the critics were -- either they loved it or they hated it. http://us.imdb.com/CommentsShow?0119925 So just think of it. Had I never signed up for Nick's KM list I would have missed all this. I call that Serendipity. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Travel advice needed
Hey Jeffrey, Sonja may be able to confirm this and is sort-of-inline with her suggestion. Don't know about the prices though. Number 11 is a nice hotel in the heart of Bruges, in a quiet traffic-free street. The house has been beautifully restored as a guesthouse with exclusive rooms and a delux suite. Throughout the restauration we sought to keep the authentic cosy atmosphere of an old historical building, at the same time providing all modern comforts. Each room overlooks a different scenic spot of Bruges and has its own individual character, with finest quality furnishings and bedlinen. (quote from the website) http://users.telenet.be/number11/ - Original Message - From: Miller, Jeffrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 6:23 PM Subject: Travel advice needed I'm sick of being told what a pinko-commie I am, ... How rude, when I was in LA, they used to call me a commie as well -- because I had read Das Kapitaal. When I asked them if they had ever read anything about communism they would reply are you crazy?, I wouldn't read anything about that!...duh, why did they call me a commie then? Cheers! - and bon voyage (mon français ce ne pas bon :-) -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Nick? Re: Timewarp (was: Calls for an Attack on Riyadh)
--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: --- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: Just wondering what the timesatmp looks like when posting from Yahoo Groups? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Nick? Re: Timewarp (was: Calls for an Attack on Riyadh)
This is what I sent: To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Han Tacoma [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri Apr 4, 2003 8:58 pm Subject: Nick? Re: Timewarp (was: Calls for an Attack on Riyadh) --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: --- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: Just wondering what the timesatmp looks like when posting from Yahoo Groups? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ Received: - Original Message - From: Han Tacoma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, April 04, 2003 8:58 PM Subject: Nick? Re: Timewarp (was: Calls for an Attack on Riyadh) --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: --- Julia Thompson [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: Just wondering what the timesatmp looks like when posting from Yahoo Groups? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l Headers: Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: by www.mccmedia.com (Postfix, from userid 612) id 84F8E2C67C; Fri, 4 Apr 2003 21:11:26 -0500 (EST) Received: from n8.grp.scd.yahoo.com (n8.grp.scd.yahoo.com [66.218.66.92]) by www.mccmedia.com (Postfix) with SMTP id BACBF2C675 for [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Fri, 4 Apr 2003 18:11:25 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Received: from [66.218.67.152] by n8.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 05 Apr 2003 01:58:47 - Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2003 01:58:47 - From: Han Tacoma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In-Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Yahoo Groups Message Poster X-Originating-IP: 65.95.176.217 X-BeenThere: [EMAIL PROTECTED] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1 Precedence: list Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Id: Killer Bs Discussion brin-l.mccmedia.com List-Unsubscribe: http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Archive: http://www.mccmedia.com/pipermail/brin-l List-Post: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Help: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] List-Subscribe: http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l, mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Errors-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Subject: Nick? Re: Timewarp (was: Calls for an Attack on Riyadh) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Mesopotamia International Airport
While we are in the business of changing names, why not restore it to Sumeria International? or Cradle of Civilization - International? Actually, I like Mesopotamia International Airport. http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/world/5552842.htm Capt. John Whyte, 31, of Billerica, Mass., welcomed his men to their objective: Gentlemen, we are now entering Baghdad International Airport, formerly known as Saddam International. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104article=14372 His airport now renamed and under U.S. control, ... http://www.libertyblog.com/ THE SAME CREATIVE GENIUSES... who named the operation to bring Iraqis freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom have renamed Baghdads international airport Baghdad International Airport. And they say the military mind is not creative. How about selling the naming rights to help pay for this shindig? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: 51%
On March 28, 2003 2:40 PM, Julia asked: That is an oxymoron! In light of the above IQ definition, what *would* an oxymoron be? :) : a combination of contradictory or incongruous words. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Confusing Military Unit Terms and Links to Sources of Military TermDefinitions
Repost from [EMAIL PROTECTED] with permission from David and Chuck. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ -- Date:Thu, 27 Mar 2003 15:53:51 -0500 From:David P. Dillard [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RESOURCES: Confusing Military Unit Terms and Links to Sources of Military Term Definitions RESOURCES: Confusing Military Unit Terms and Links to Sources of Military Term Definitions I am reposting this message that I found useful with the kind permission of its author. I am taking the additional liberty of adding to it a few website links for dictionaries and glossaries of military terms. With the Iraq war in progress there may be a much increased need to understand the exact meanings of the information about the war that one is reading. -- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 16:24:39 -0600 From: Chuck Malone [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Discussion of Government Document Issues [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: confusing military unit terms Resent-Subject: confusing military unit terms I have always had trouble with the military unit terms when helping patrons researching military history in the D114 section. And these terms used in the news can be confusing also. So below, I have looked up definitions of the various unit terms. I think I have the units listed from largest to smallest. This was helpful to me. I hope it will be helpful to you. Also, if anyone with more expertise can add or correct anything, please do! Charles E. Malone, Unit Coordinator Government and Legal Information Unit University Libraries Western Illinois University 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455 (309) 298-2719 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Military Unit Terms Group 1. A flexible administrative and tactical unit composed of either two or more battalions or two or more squadrons. The term also applies to combat support and combat service support units. 2. A number of ships and/or aircraft, normally a subdivision of a force, assigned for a specific purpose. Also called GP. (1) Field Army Administrative and tactical organization composed of a headquarters, certain organic Army troops, service support troops, a variable number of corps, and a variable number of divisions. See also Army corps. (1) Army corps A tactical unit larger than a division and smaller than a field army. A corps usually consists of two or more divisions together with auxiliary arms and services. See also field army. (1) Corps In the Army and Marine Corps, a tactical unit of ground combat forces organizationally placed between a division and an army. It is typically commanded by a lieutenant general and is comprised of two or more divisions. (2) Division (DOD, NATO) 1. A tactical unit/formation as follows: a. A major administrative and tactical unit/formation which combines in itself the necessary arms and services required for sustained combat, larger than a regiment/brigade and smaller than a corps (1) Brigade (DOD) A unit usually smaller than a division to which are attached groups and/or battalions and smaller units tailored to meet anticipated requirements. Also called BDE. (1) In the U.S. Army, three or more battalions plus a headquarters section under the command of a colonel. Capable of independent military operations, a brigade has between 4,000 and 5,000 personnel (2) Regiment A military unit that consists of two or more battalions of ground troops (e.g. infantry, artillery, nonarmored cavalry). The term has been used since before the American Revolution, but it was officially dropped by the U.S. Army in the 1960s as part of its division reorganization effort. Today, both the Army and the Marine Corps use the term Brigade instead. However, unofficially, traditional regiments continue to use their regimental identification. (e.g., 16th Infantry Regiment instead of 2d/16th Infantry). Marine regiments add Marines t a unit's designation for identification purposes (e.g., 3/3 Marines for the 3d Reconnaissance Battalion/2d Marine Regiment). This way Army and Marine units are not confused with one another. (2) Battalion In the U.S. Army, four or more companies plus a headquarters section under the command of lieutenant colonel. (2) Company In the Army and Marine Corps, a unit under a captain's change that is mad up of a headquarters section and two or more platoons (i.e., 140+ personnel). Note: A platoon is four infantry squads under a lieutenant's control; an infantry squad is comprised of ten men under a staff sergeant.) A company is the basic element of the battalion.. In the artillery, a company is known as a battery; in the cavalry it's know as a troop. A tank company is comprised of 17 tanks, divided into three platoons. Independent companies are usually assigned numerical names (e.g. 5th Transportation Co.); companies permanently assigned to a battalion, an alphabetic name
Re: Confusing Military Unit Terms and Links to Sources of MilitaryTerm Definitions
When I told David and Chuck that Latin terminology for military and civil service. [Ancient History] http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/militaryterms/ points to: http://www.geocities.com/~stilicho/mottoes2.html and the URL is dead, David was very kind to provide alternatives to the URL, and then some. I made use of http://makeashorterlink.com to keep you from having to cut and paste. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ - Original Message - From: David P. Dillard [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Han Tacoma [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2003 1:11 PM Subject: Re: Fw: Repost thumbs up That is a case of accepting a brand name. Usually there are some good leads on About.com pages so when that page worked, I stopped and accepted. I did not notice that they have only one good link and that that link does not currently work. It may, however, be done temporarily. Nevertheless the page refered to may be viewed in Internet Archive at this URL: http://web.archive.org/web/20020212103157/http:// www.geocities.com/~stilicho/mottoes2.html http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y4C521304 All available versions of the page can be seen from this master link page for that URL: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http:// www.geocities.com/~stilicho/mottoes2.html http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z6F513304 So, if you will pardon the pun, it is possible to still do some Roman around on the ghost of that website that About.com refers to and if you get this in time, you can do a substitution in the material for About.com (.) The page is named Latin Phrases: Other Mottoes You can also delete that link altogther if you prefer. Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [...snip...] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: 51%
On Friday, March 28, 2003 2:55 PM Damon wrote: In light of the above IQ definition, what *would* an oxymoron be? :) Obviously a 12yo with exceptional lung capacity... Actually, it would be more of an airhead :) Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. why not end it with internecinum? ...wouldn't have to be looking over your shoulder all the time :) Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: data warehouse
Hey Kevin, Sorry this one slipped by me. This is a *very* busy list :) ...gee!, it's already been five (5) days since your post. On Mon Mar 24 16:25:58 PST 2003, you were Just wondering if anyone works with such a creature. I feel safe in my world of COBOL programming, web design, and form management, but I have to look at improving my standing; the company offered a raise nine months ago to keep me but it still isn't final. I'm going to get a book or two tonight. I hope you haven't bought them yet! I was going to look through my IBM System Journals and Journals of Research and Development, when I remembered they're available online (free!) so I did a search and got: Volume 27 Issue 1 IBM Systems Journal An architecture for a business and information system 1988 B. A. Devlin, P. T. Murphy http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/c95461887f5a5cb285256bfa00685be4?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?M2FE63304 Volume 33 Issue 2 IBM Systems Journal Data access within the Information Warehouse framework 1994 J. P. Singleton, M. M. Schwartz http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/f7367ef50df8531685256bfa00685cd0?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?U30F23304 Volume 8 Issue 1 IBM Systems Journal Hierarchical structure for data management 1969 W. R. Henry http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/5be46ac50eabc74585256bfa00685a4e?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?L21F41304 Volume 15 Issue 4 IBM Journal of Research and Development Automation of Data Acquisition in Transient Photoconductive Decay Experiments 1971 B. H. Schechtman, P. M. Grant http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/dd98e2e25da3ad7485256bfa0068410c?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?J12F45304 Volume 20 Issue 6 IBM Journal of Research and Development SEQUEL 2: A Unified Approach to Data Definition, Manipulation, and Control 1976 D. D. Chamberlin, M. M. Astrahan, K. P. Eswaran, P. P. Griffiths, R. A. Lorie, J. W. Mehl, P. Reisner, B. W. Wade http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/d5d397d0f495c13485256bfa0067f7cd?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?M53F23304 Volume 20 Issue 5 IBM Journal of Research and Development A General Methodology for Data Conversion and Restructuring 1976 V. Y. Lum, N. C. Shu, B. C. Housel http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/4d57634d623439e285256bfa0067f7c2?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?T14F23304 Volume 26 Issue 1 IBM Systems Journal Database technology 1987 P. G. Selinger http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/06c225371a8d49be85256bfa00685bcd?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?W15F31304 Volume 35 Issue 1 IBM Journal of Research and Development Correlative visualizaton techniques for multidimensional data 1991 L. A. Treinish, C. Goettsche http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/ec98164ed787082d85256bfa0067fa7a?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?P26F12304 Volume 35 Issue 1 IBM Journal of Research and Development Visualizing structure in high-dimensional multivariate data 1991 F. W. Young, P. Rheingans http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/ba1b0a70943f193d85256bfa0067fb7d?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?C17F24304 Volume 37 Issue 2 IBM Systems Journal Reverse engineering of data 1998 P. H. Aiken http://domino.research.ibm.com/tchjr/journalindex.nsf/a3807c5b4823c53f852565 61006324be/fb3362cb5f0c9ed585256bfa00685de9?OpenDocument http://makeashorterlink.com/?P28F62304 The starting page for these Journals is: http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/ Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Who lied to Whom?
The New Yorker WHO LIED TO WHOM? by SEYMOUR M. HERSH Why did the Administration endorse a forgery about Iraqs nuclear program? Issue of 2003-03-31 Posted 2003-03-24 http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?030331fa_fact1 Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Saddam is not only polarizing the Arab nations...
I know there's a difference of opinion..., and yet..., ~ Take a look at the exclusions listed for sale in eBay for a TEAC AV-300 Audio/Video Controller http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=3015095036category=21166 or http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y10962AF3 [sic. I can't find the source for the article I was sent below] eBay vendor locks us out By Philip Lee-Shanok The backlash over Canada's decision not to join Operation Free Iraq has moved to the Internet with a U.S. eBay vendor refusing to take Canuck bids. A notice posted on eBay by CompAtlanta, a Georgia-based computer company, says: At the present time, we do not ship to or accept bids from Canada, Mexico, France, Germany or any country that does not support the United States in our efforts to rid the world of Saddam Hussein. If you are not with us, you are against us. CompAtlanta's Sid Mitchell said Canada's refusal to help is like a slap in the face. I felt like I needed to make some kind of statement to support our president in the small way that I could, he said, adding he has received email of support from Canadians and Americans. eBay Canada spokesman Andrea Hynes said Mitchell's listing violates the Web site's user agreement which forbids political statements. Mitchell said he can sell to whomever he wants and as soon as the war's over he'll go back to selling to Canadians. ~ Anti-Canuck sentiment on the rise in U.S. 'What kind of friends are they?' http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=6e811a76-a952-4a82-880a-debc4a529 eb0 or http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q14852AF3 CanWest News Service OTTAWA - Whether it's the booing of Canada's national anthem by Florida hockey fans, anti-Canuck remarks in the American media or an eBay seller's decision to cancel a winning bid by a Canadian, Canada-bashing has started to appear south of the border. [...] and although I don't watch hockey it was on local TV where a US team got booed as well, they still won the game though :-) ~ I'm sure there are many things we are not and will never be aware of and so I don't expect a conclusion to this post, nevertheless, I do tell myself the roles were reversed once upon a time: Where was the US when Canada went over to Europe to help fight the Germans who had another fanatical leader who was trying to take over the world. Our parents and grandparents were there protecting us and it took an attack on Pearl Harbor in order for the US to finally join the fight. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Free Enterprise and Gambling
This is kinda sick don't you think? Cheers! (...not!) -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ~~ Gamblers Place Wagers on Saddam's Demise Mon March 24, 2003 11:20 AM ET By Philip Klein NEW YORK (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNewsstoryID=243786 9src=eDialog/GetContent or http://makeashorterlink.com/?P4BB226F3 [Excerpt] Offering wagers on the outcome of the war in Iraq has been scorned as distasteful by major bookmakers from London to Las Vegas, but several Web sites are giving gamblers the opportunity to put money on whether Saddam will survive. On the Web site Tradesports.com, people can buy contracts for $10 on future events, such as the Academy Awards, and trade them. [/Excerpt] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: article
If you can't convince them, confuse them. -- Harry S. Truman - Original Message - From: Julia Thompson Sent: Monday, March 24, 2003 9:47 AM Subject: Re: article The Fool wrote: This article looks like it might be interesting. If someone could get it that is.. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1193-2003Mar20.html I've taken action to send it to Kneem. Quote from the article: Rep. Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican who voted against the Iraq war resolution, offered some useful words that both parties should tack on their walls in the coming weeks. I am absolutely convinced that the most important perspective is that people are obligated to respect opposing views, Leach said in an interview. This is one of the closest, most difficult decisions we've confronted because this is an unprecedented circumstance. . . . What I suggest to everybody is that Americans are divided and that every thinking American is conflicted. Leach warned against the simple dismissal of criticisms of American policy, particularly from our friends abroad: If we are a poor respecter of other people's thoughts, our thoughts are not going to be well received at another time. Which goes back to some stuff going on here last week, I think. Julia -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
L3: My ongoing concern about water (Can you swallow this?)
and deregulation become apparent. What is Canada offering up for liberalization? Provincial/municipal initiatives can be overruled by federal policy. If our water and waste services are on the table at the national level, they must be removed at once, before the March 31 deadline. Time is running out. If you have not yet signed a petition or written your MP and the Prime Minister regarding this matter, now is the time to do it. If you don't know where to begin, contact the Council of Canadians at 502-151 Slater St., Ottawa, ON, K1P 5H3. For more information on their Save our Water campaign, phone: 1-800-387-7177 or visit their Web site, http://www.canadians.org/ Other excellent sources of information include http://www.citizen.org and http://www.transnationale.org/anglais/ If we, the people of Canada, value our water, we must take direct action to protect it at every level of government, and we must act NOW. Pat Bennett is a freelance writer living in Longworth, BC. She has a passionate interest in water and environmental issues. ~ Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: $2 bills...
Hey Bryon, On Friday, March 21, 2003 3:02 PM you wrote: I just got a $2 bill as change today at lunch, and it reminded me of this funny story I read a while back: http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/maddog/stuff/twodollar.html (FYI for those outside the US that may not know, the $2 bill is real, but mostly unseen/unused. There's a saying phony as a $3 bill, that some less bright people confuse with $2 bills. Picture here: http://www.bep.treas.gov/document.cfm/5/43/150 ) I have five (5) of those bills saved up. Thomas Jefferson is one of my heroes. I don't consider him American, rather, I see him as an individual with a profound vision of *humanity*. I seem to recall a story where he and James Madison are discussing the issue of democracy (voting) -- I think everybody should have the right to vote and Madison replied Are you nuts!?, they're not qualified! Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Books on Red Hat Linux 7.2
Hey Jeroen, On Friday, March 21, 2003 12:02 PM you wrote: At 07:56 21-03-03 -0800, Nick Arnett wrote: I am considering buying two books on Red Hat Linux 7.2: Do you know that RH 8.0 has been released, and it is a fair bit different from 7.x? Yes and no. Yes, I know RH 8.0 has been released, but no, I am not yet familiar with the differences. And right know, after spending some time sitting in the sun and enjoying a few glasses of red wine, I'm too lazy to find out. Hick. Burp. :-) The reason I explicitly mentioned RH 7.2 is that I recently bought a box set of RH 7.2 Professional on the cheap (EUR 35, down from EUR 235). Given the price I already figured a new version must have been released, but for an absolute newbie who just wanted to get acquainted with Linux, this was an offer I just couldn't refuse. Have you ever heard that saying Real men don't eat quiche?, well, ...there's something similar about Linux: Real geeks use Slackware! Anyway, it's too late now, I think you would have learned a lot more if you'd gone the Slackware route -- any other distribution makes it too easy, and you don't get to really *know* Linux. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - getting into his bunker to avoid flames and bombs :-) ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Books on Red Hat Linux 7.2
Hey Jeroen, On Friday, March 21, 2003 12:02 PM you wrote: At 07:56 21-03-03 -0800, Nick Arnett wrote: I am considering buying two books on Red Hat Linux 7.2: Do you know that RH 8.0 has been released, and it is a fair bit different from 7.x? Yes and no. Yes, I know RH 8.0 has been released, but no, I am not yet familiar with the differences. And right know, after spending some time sitting in the sun and enjoying a few glasses of red wine, I'm too lazy to find out. Hick. Burp. :-) The reason I explicitly mentioned RH 7.2 is that I recently bought a box set of RH 7.2 Professional on the cheap (EUR 35, down from EUR 235). Given the price I already figured a new version must have been released, but for an absolute newbie who just wanted to get acquainted with Linux, this was an offer I just couldn't refuse. Have you ever heard that saying Real men don't eat quiche?, well, ...there's something similar about Linux: Real geeks use Slackware! Anyway, it's too late now, I think you would have learned a lot more if you'd gone the Slackware route -- any other distribution makes it too easy, and you don't get to really *know* Linux. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - getting into his bunker to avoid flames and bombs :-) ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Blood for Oil Analysis
On Wednesday, March 19, 2003 11:53 AM, J.D. Giorgis wrote: ...the blood for oil argument simply doesn't add up: http://www.cato.org/dailys/03-18-03.html ...and then there is Berkeley, ... Larry Everest speaking at Revolution Books in Berkeley, CA about his new book Oil, Power Empire - Iraq the U.S. Global Agenda on Feb. 23, 2003 http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/iraq_everest_022303.ram (it's about an hour RealTime movie) Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Strange Science: The Rocky Road to Modern Paleontology and Biology
D-Lib Magazine March 2003 Volume 9 Number 3 http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march03/03featured-collection.html ISSN 1082-9873 Strange Science: The Rocky Road to Modern Paleontology and Biology By Bonita Wilson Corporation for National Research Initiatives Once in a while, the collection or web site selected for D-Lib Magazine's Featured Collection is one that I find to be a bit quirky and fun. Perhaps because there are so many serious matters dominating the news as the March 2003 issue of D-Lib goes to press, I found myself attracted to just such a small, personal, and amusing site to feature this month. Strange Science presents a primarily light-hearted look at some of the stumbles along the path to discovery in natural science. As the site's creator, Michon Scott, describes it, Strange Science is a collection of misguided attempts to explain natural history, including honest and dishonest mistakes about dinosaurs, mammals, sea monsters, and prehistoric beasts. === Enjoy! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: France's influence
On Monday, March 17, 2003 5:05 PM, Jon Gabriel wrote: From: iaamoac [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 21:39:52 - At 15:11 17-03-03 -0600, Dan Minette wrote: Q.E.D. Uhhh. I don't know how Dutch dictionaries work, but in English dictionary definitions are *OR* propositions, not *AND* propositions. I looked it up, thinking John was wrong. He's not: [...snip...] Back to the deuling dictionaries, I guess. Julia, would you mind posting the OED definition of republic, please? :) Jon I bet a lot of people on the list have friends that send them the joke of the day email, at least I have a couple of those :-) FORMS OF GOVERNMENT EXPLAINED USING COWS ~~~ FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk. FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them, and sells you the milk. PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk. APPLIED COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk. DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you. MILITARISM: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you. SINGAPOREAN DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. The government fines you for keeping two unlicensed farm animals in an apartment. PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk. REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk. AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: The government promises to give you two cows if you vote for it. After the election, the president is impeached for speculating in cow futures. The press dubs the affair Cowgate. BRITISH DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. You feed them sheeps' brains and they go mad. The government doesn't do anything. BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. After that it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows. CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. HONG KONG CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly-listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax deduction for keeping five cows. The milk rights of six cows are transferred via a Panamanian intermediary to a Cayman Islands company secretly owned by the majority shareholder, who sells the right to all seven cows' milk back to the listed company. The annual report says that the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. Meanwhile, you kill the two cows because of bad fung shui. FEMINISM: You have two cows. they get married and adopt a calf. TOTALITARIANISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and denies they ever existed. Milk is banned. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: You are associated with (the concept of 'ownership' is a symbol of the phallocentric, warmongering, intolerant past) two differently aged (but no less valuable to society) bovines of non-specified gender. SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons. COUNTERCULTURE: Wow, dude, there's like...these two cows, an. You have **got** to have some of this milk. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: France's influence
On Tuesday, March 18, 2003 9:03 AM, Han Tacoma (that's me) wrote: On Monday, March 17, 2003 5:05 PM, Jon Gabriel wrote: From: iaamoac [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 21:39:52 - At 15:11 17-03-03 -0600, Dan Minette wrote: Q.E.D. Uhhh. I don't know how Dutch dictionaries work, but in English dictionary definitions are *OR* propositions, not *AND* propositions. I looked it up, thinking John was wrong. He's not: [...snip...] Back to the deuling dictionaries, I guess. Julia, would you mind posting the OED definition of republic, please? :) Jon I bet a lot of people on the list have friends that send them the joke of the day email, at least I have a couple of those :-) FORMS OF GOVERNMENT EXPLAINED USING COWS ~~~ [...snip...] On a more serious note perhaps an answer is in the US Constitution itself and the way I read it, point (8) establishes that a republic is not the same as a democracy, by virtue of using the term _versus_ (v.). | Under the US Constitution, no less than ten different checks and | balances were built into the system. | | 1) States and Territories pitted against the Central Government. |(Vertical separation of powers). | 2) The Senate against the House |(Both houses to pass bills). | 3) The President against the Congress |(Veto power). | 4) The Judiciary against the Congress |(Power to declare laws unconstitutional). | 5) The Senate against the President |(Appointments and treaties have to be ratified by the Senate). | 6) The people against their representatives |(The house is elected every 2 years). | 7) The State legislatures against the Senate |(Originally Senators were elected by State Legislators). | 8) The Electoral College against the People |(Republic v. Democracy). | 9) The People against the Central Government |(Jury nullification). |10) Both Houses against the President |(Impeachment). I seem to remember (while reading Rousseau) that Switzerland is probably the _purest_ form of democracy. The citizens had the duty to participate in the affairs of government by attending council meetings and having some form of referenda to decide on legislation. Peru is a republic (I guess we have agreed that the USA is one as well?) and the rules vary somewhat, i.e. the citizens must fulfill their civic duties by voting (if you don't you have to pay a fine) -- which is something I totally agree with. BTW, although Fujimori is in Japan (self-exiled), while he was the head of state in the beginning he declared a period of dictatorship (specified by a period when he would re-instate democracy -- something for which he kept his word) to be able to extricate the corrupt elements entrenched in the democratic institution (judiciary, legislative, etc.) in order to face The Shinning Path. He apparently hit the nail right on the head -- there exists no democratic procedure to expunge corrupt elements from an established democracy, because only after ousting judges, senators, etc. was he able to put the lid on terrorism. Too bad the company he kept brought him down with them. One of my gripes here in Canada (Constitutional Monarchy -- a Parliamentary Government) is that, just as in the USA, people don't vote! -- just go check the participation statistics (less than 40%?) -- and so the concept of representative democracy is in my opinion flawed and gives me very little hope for what I would like to see, namely, a participatory democracy. This phenomena shows itself at all levels: - municipal - state / provincial - federal ...I'm about to start ranting, so I'll stop before I put foot-in-mouth, if I haven't already ;-) Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Total Information Delusion
Total Information Delusion http://www.business2.com/articles/web/0,1653,46876,00.html John Poindexter's secretive Total Information Awareness project is stalled in Congress. But even if it does move forward, the technology behind it may not work. By Erick Schonfeld, February 03, 2003 If I remember correctly Poindexter wanted this even before Cliff Stoll wrote The Cuckoo's Egg, I remember him making referrence to that in the book (1989?). Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The Arrogant Empire
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 11:56 PM, Robert Seeberger wrote: http://www.msnbc.com/news/885222.asp?0cv=KA01cp1=1 [Partial Article] The United States will soon be at war with Iraq. It would seem, on the face of it, a justifiable use of military force. Saddam Hussein runs one of the most tyrannical regimes in modern history. [...snip...] [Snip biggest part of article (50K+) and go to end] There are many specific ways for the United States to rebuild its relations with the world. It can match its military buildup with diplomatic efforts that demonstrate its interest and engagement in the world's problems. It can stop oversubsidizing American steelworkers, farmers and textile-mill owners, and open its borders to goods from poorer countries. But above all, it must make the world comfortable with its power by leading through consensus. America's special role in the world-its ability to buck history-is based not simply on its great strength, but on a global faith that this power is legitimate. If America squanders that, the loss will outweigh any gains in domestic security. And this next American century could prove to be lonely, brutish and short. ...add to that: U.S. Officials Make It Clear: Exile or War By Dana Milbank Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, March 17, 2003; Page A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35410-2003Mar16.html [excerpt] With most of the world opposed to the administration's plans to invade Iraq, Cheney said nations that had not experienced the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had not come to grips with the threat. They're still, I think, thinking very much in terms of the last century, if you will, in terms of policies and strategies and institutions, the vice president said. He added that when it comes to rogue states and terrorists equipped with deadly weapons in the future, the only nation that really has the capability to deal effectively with those threats is the United States. [/excerpt] I wonder if the term EWMD (economic WMD) will be legitimized? for some reason, ...the Bene Gesserit, feint within feint, etc., come to mind. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The World's First Brain Prosthesis
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 1:17 PM, Adrew Crystall wrote: On 16 Mar 2003 at 17:06, Jose J. Ortiz-Carlo wrote: From: Han Tacoma [EMAIL PROTECTED] The World's First Brain Prosthesis By DUNCAN GRAHAM-ROWE Posts like these are one of the reasons for being addicted to the list. Thanks, Han. Any device that mimics the brain clearly raises ethical issues. The brain not only affects memory, but your mood, awareness and consciousness - parts of your fundamental identity, says ethicist Joel Anderson at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. From the article, I understand clearly that the job of the hippocampus appears to be to encode experiences so they can be stored as long-term memories elsewhere in the brain. I also understand that the research team is merely (allegedly) copying its' behavior. But reading about the proposed accuracy of performance of this prosthesis, I can't help but wonder about the fact that if we can break down into such detail the structure of memory patterns, could we apply this technology into simulating them so much that we can implant new ones that may or may have not existed? The problem is what is memory. We don't really understand much about memory in the context of how the brain actually *stores* it. My wife, Rosie Buse, holds a PhD. in Psych. and is a close friend of Dr. Bennet Murdock, Professor of Psychology (Emeritus) at UofT http://psych.utoronto.ca/~murdock/ who is doing some heavy research in the area of memory. Also, I'm including the area related to memory in the page: http://dynamo.psych.utoronto.ca/psych/grad/gradpercep.asp?pg=res Memory has been a focal area of research at the University of Toronto for decades, and many fundamental ideas about memory are based on work that was initially done here. For example, the notion that we remember better that which we process more deeply grew out of work on levels of processing done at the University of Toronto (Fergus Craik; Robert Lockhart). The idea that retrieval of information from memory is highly dependent on the manner in which that information was originally encoded - the encoding specificity principle (Endel Tulving) - was also developed here. Currently, memory researchers are asking the following questions. How does already learned information affect the processing of new, incoming information (Steve Joordens; Colin MacLeod; Marilyn Smith)? What role does working memory play in complex information processing (Meredyth Daneman)? What can memory modelling tell us about how the human memory system works (Joordens; Bennet Murdock)? To what extent is there a general neural system supporting episodic memory functions and is its operation dependent on the specific task (McIntosh; Tulving; Craik)? Are there multiple memory systems, differing in the extent to which we are aware of their operation (Joordens; Lynn Hasher; Eyal Reingold; Moscovitch)? How does memory change with age (Craik; Cheryl Grady; Hasher; Moscovitch; Philip Zelazo)? What happens in the brain's functional organization that results in these age-related memory changes (Craik; McIntosh)? and What can we learn about memory from the losses suffered in amnesia (Moscovitch)? How does memory affect processes of attention (Joordens)? How does attention regulate memory (Hasher)? Jennifer Ryan uses eye movement monitoring to investigate the function of multiple memory systems in the elderly and in brain-damaged patients. Using eye movement monitoring, she has recently discovered that the deficit in amnesia is not strictly one of consciousness, but rather, amnesia reflects an underlying deficit in relational memory binding. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Heinlein and current international politics L3
On Sunday, March 16, 2003 8:10 AM, Andrew Crystall wrote: On 15 Mar 2003 at 22:59, Han Tacoma wrote: My opinion is that the French have the same misgivings as the American Jewish community has: I retract my _generalization_ of the American Jewish Community in the context that I used it. When I quoted from the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/national/15JEWS.html?th I choose only one of the four (4) branches that Hannah Rosenthal, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs described, -- Reconstructionist; Reform; Conservative; and Orthodox, in the article to make the point: the United States had 'gravely weakened the institutions of internationalism so painstakingly erected after the Second World War'. | But some Jews are increasingly concerned about the lack of | widespread international support for a pre-emptive strike, and | skeptical that the United States can create a stable post-war | government in Iraq. | | Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of the Jewish Theological | Seminary of America, the academic and spiritual center | of Conservative Judaism, said at a lecture this week, We live in a Ahem. Some points - he is conservative. His views also only reprisent a proportion of the *conservative* Jewish views. (I am Masorti, which is roughly the UK equivalent of Conservative). Please don't read any major (or even minor) overall Jewish stance into his viewpoints. I realize that Rabbi Schorsch's views are his. While you don't indicate what you mean by proportion (i.e. a percentage), it seems to me that you are using the word as an implication -- that it is a minority -- to justify your opinion that one should not read a stance. While holding the posistion he does, I would hardly see him offering a view that would contradict the feelings of the majority of that branch of conservatives, and therefore I accept his statement as representative of that branch. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Trolling vs. healthy debates
How do we differentiate trolling from engaging in a healthy debate about any given issue? Sometimes I feel that the line separating these is an extremely fine one and hard to find. Any opinions out there? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Trolling vs. healthy debates
How do we differentiate trolling from engaging in a healthy debate about any given issue? Sometimes I feel that the line separating these is an extremely fine one and hard to find. Any opinions out there? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
The World's First Brain Prosthesis
rather forget? The ethical consequences of that would be serious. Forgetting is the most beneficial process we possess, Williams says. It enables us to deal with painful situations without actually reliving them. Another ethical conundrum concerns consent to being given the prosthesis, says Anderson. The people most in need of it will be those with a damaged hippocampus and a reduced ability to form new memories. If someone can't form new memories, then to what extent can they give consent to have this implant? -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ a.k.a. ~ Bionic Brain ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
New Presidential Order on Declassification (or lack there of)
[repost from: Discussion of Government Document Issues [EMAIL PROTECTED]] http://lists1.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0303bL=govdoc-lF=S=P=10291 According to the Federation of American Scientists, the Bush Administration is internally circulating a draft revision to Executive Order (EO) 12958 on national security information policy. This draft is available on the FAS web site at http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/drafteo.html and I strongly urge everyone in the documents community to read it or at least skim it. In my non-lawyer opinion, there seems to be several sections of serious concern to documents librarians: Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Heinlein and current international politics L3
On Friday, March 14, 2003 10:38 AM, Robert J. Chassell wrote: Robert Heinlein expressed the problem in a science fiction story in 1941, `Solution Unsatisfactory'. I will get to that in a moment. [...snip...] The question here is whether this French policy is even worse than the `Solution Unsatisfactory' that Heinlein envisioned? My opinion is that the French have the same misgivings as the American Jewish community has: | But some Jews are increasingly concerned about the lack of widespread | international support for a pre-emptive strike, and skeptical that the United | States can create a stable post-war government in Iraq. | | Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary | of America, the academic and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, | said at a lecture this week, We live in a world gone mad, a world in which | a paper tiger has become America's mortal enemy, a world in which America | is about to enter a war in which America stands alone. | | Rabbi Schorsch said in an interview that he believed that North Korea | was a greater threat than Iraq, that Al Qaeda's fortunes would not fall | with Iraq's, and that the United States had gravely weakened the institutions [sic]^^^ | of internationalism so painstakingly erected after the Second World War. _^^^ [excerpt from The New York Times] http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/national/15JEWS.html?th Divide Among Jews Leads to Silence on Iraq War By LAURIE GOODSTEIN March 15, 2003 Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
E-Learning on the Patriot Act
[Repost from Dig_Ref [EMAIL PROTECTED]] Date:Sun, 9 Mar 2003 12:58:56 + From:Cindy Boeke [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: E-Learning on the Patriot Act Learn online about the USA Patriot Act and the 4th Amendment! The U.Md. College of Information Studies is offering a new series of electronic continuing education courses - similar in content and quality to those offered on-site in prior terms. Each will be available on-line for a two-week period, will focus on the key legal and policy issues facing information professionals, and is structured with an effective mix of on-line, CD-based, and interactive content. As such, you will participate now and have reference materials on-hand for future reference. Our first course: 21 April - 02 May 2003 Government Intrusion vs. Individual Liberty: Understanding the 4th Amendment and the USA Patriot Act Go to http://www.clis.umd.edu/ce/spring03/govtintrusion.html for further information and electronic on-line enrollment with special introductory pricing of $95.00 (afterwards $225.00)! Please register by 7 April 2003. The instructor is Lee S. Strickland, J.D., a visiting law professor at U.Md., on detail from the Central Intelligence Agency, who speaks and writes nationally on information law issues. Topics to be addressed: . The historical precedent and basic provisions of the 4th Amendment; . The five axioms of 4th Amendment law -- from the basic requirement for warrants to warrantless searches given special governmental interests; . Electronic communications, the 4th Amendment and the USA Patriot Act; . Technology and the 4th Amendment including Carnivore, RFIDs and other acquisition tools; . The foreign intelligence exception to the 4th Amendment and the USA Patriot Act; . The issue of voluntary disclosures; . Citizen enforcement of 4th Amendment rights; . The intersection between the 1st and the 4th Amendments - the limits of police surveillance; and, . The future: The Son of the Patriot Act. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Genghis Khan, super-stud
On Sunday, March 09, 2003 6:16 AM, Jeroen I'm hungry, feed me! van Baardwijk wrote: At 15:56 8-3-2003 -0500, Han Tacoma wrote: Can't say I ever had that urge. However, Sonja and I do enjoy eating at our local Mongolian restaurant named after said warrior. The only one in Holland (I think). Uh-oh. Time for another crash course in Dutch geography. It's not Holland, it's The Netherlands. The name Holland refers only to the area covered by two of our 12 provinces, Noord-Holland en Zuid-Holland. Class dismissed. :-) OK, teacher, so how come it isn't Nederlanden instead of Nederland? OK, back to the restaurant issue. I did a quick Google search on Mongools restaurant. The website www.dinnersite.nl lists two Mongolian restaurants with Internet presentations: Dzjengis Khan (here in Eindhoven) and Dragon Garden in Haulerwijk (all the way up north, in the province of Friesland). Dzjengis Khan website: http://www.dzjengiskhan.nl. English part of the website: http://www.dzjengiskhan.nl/engels/index.html. We have several in Ontario and British Columbia. In Toronto we have only one I know of. http://www.mongoliangrill-gk.com/index.htm The Great Khan [...snip...] rather loud (among other things, without even trying we could easily follow the extensive description of the woman's love/sex life). They probably were just returning from the Stadswandelpad, hungry and ended up at Aalsterweg 99a, did they go for the full 2.5 hours at ? 25,00 each? For a foreigner, you appear to be well-informed; have you been here recently? No, not really, in 1971 Philips offered me a job in Eindhoven to be trained as a hardware support guy. After the training I was supposed to go to the Middle East. Never did happen though. I've been home several times and roamed around a bit. Last time was 1991. Mams told me she'd burn my clothes if I ever went to the red district in Amsterdam :-) Uh-oh. Time for another crash course in Dutch geography. Mams, lives in 's Gravenhage (now tell me how's anyone going to know where that is? :-), while growing up, we used to travel between Peru and The Netherlands -- spent time (1962) at the Maerlant - lyceum. Also lived in Zwammerdam and go to school in Alphen aan de Rijn. Used to get behind the bromvietsen(sp?) and get sucked up in the draft -- real fast way to get to school. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Genghis Khan, super-stud
On Tue Mar 4 21:03:04 PST 2003, J. van Baardwijk wrote: At 23:04 3-3-2003 +, Jose Ortiz wrote: From: William T Goodall [...snip...] Genghis Khan, super-stud: One in every 200 men alive today is a relative [...snip...] [...snip...] Speaking of which, I've felt an uncontrollable urge to pillage and plunder unsuspecting tribes in Central Asia with a horde of mongols every now and then. I wonder... Can't say I ever had that urge. However, Sonja and I do enjoy eating at our local Mongolian restaurant named after said warrior. The only one in Holland (I think). Although, at the risk of getting flamed by American Brinellers... The last visit was a little bit less enjoyable, as we were sitting next to a group of eight Americans (seven males, one female) who were rather loud (among other things, without even trying we could easily follow the extensive description of the woman's love/sex life). They probably were just returning from the Stadswandelpad, hungry and ended up at Aalsterweg 99a, did they go for the full 2.5 hours at 25,00 each? And I will not even repeat the extremely rude comment one of the guys made to the other guys when he saw Sonja approaching their table, on her way back to our table... Maybe too much ricewine? Is Dhr. Raoul Lallji still the Chef-kok? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Another breed of international criminals: Patients (not L3)
On Friday, March 07, 2003 2:54 PM, Jon Gabriel wrote: From: Han Tacoma Subject: L3 Another breed of international criminals: Patients Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 14:15:23 -0500 An article that appeared in The Boston Globe, while it seems to have come to my attention with title and date different than my search at the Globe to confirm -- the contents are the same. snip [...snip...] OK, your post is interesting and while I think it should be a new thread, I will reply on this one. This is by no means a simple task. It is fraught with complexities that I could not even begin to tackle -- academics, politician, historians, etc. would have to be referrenced to no end and even be included in the dialogue. ...and it has all been said before. I will set the stage of where I'm coming from and it is certainly very basic. My place of birth is Indonesia (3rd generation Dutch -- damn those Dutch for colonizing us is what the natives said), I grew up in Peru in the early 50's. I was only four then so it took a little while for me to start comprehending things but I _lived_and_absorbed_ an era with socio-political developments related to oil, corruption and foreign intervention. Turns out that circa 1911, London Pacific Petroleum was exploiting about 40,000 properties and paying for only ten (10). Blame it on the corrupt governments of the day, the country was still being cheated. In 1914, London Pacific Petroleum transfers the rights to the International Petroleum Company, a subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey, owned by John D. Rockefeller -- lock stock and barrel (sounds like a pun :-) Time magazine reports on Dec. 07, 1998 http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/from_search/0,10987,1101981207-1406 67,00.html (copy and paste -- the line will be broken) Blessed Barons: Rapacious? Sure. But 19th century titans Carnegie, Rockefeller and Morgan set the stage for the empire builders of the 20th BY RON CHERNOW (you'll have to pay if you want the full article -- the abstract should be enough to give you an idea.) There you'll find a story about the collusion with the railroads to obtain tariffs of preferential rates, taking control secretly of rival companies, legislators bribed and engaging in industrial espionage. Even in the 30's there was already an anti-imperialist sentiment in place among the oil workers. This goes on well into the 60's when the legality of Rockefeller's IPC empire is questioned about mineral rights and all hell breaks lose, on July 28th of 1968, Belaunde (then president) announces, in his message to the Congress, the recovery of the ground and the subsoil of Brea and Pariñas. [even in the US, the farmers do not own the rights to underground resources (minerals) -- all they own is the surface] I say hell breaks lose because once again strange things happen and a specific page (pagina 11) of the contract for the sale of crude of the IPC to the Empresa Petrolera Fiscal (government owned) is lost. All the while (1911-1968) the country seems to have been exploited by a foreign concern. That is the first time I heard damn Americans and it is also cause for a coup-d'etat. Anti-American MP's with big mouths do tend to complicate things tho. Isn't this generalizing things a bit? It was one MP that said it (not that I condone it -- a politician should know better!) Judging by the words Damned Americans, I hate those bastards Ms. Parrish has a rather low view of us, and her televised apology sounded particularly insincere. Now, *I know* (I lived in the US 1979-1984) that the American people are very generous. From my experience I also don't believe that the statement the interests of the USA is synonymous with the interests of all the people in the USA. When you say rather low view of us, I don't believe she was referring to *all* the people in the USA. In my opinion, it is fairly easy to take things out of context. I think it requires to take a historical perspective and these comments made are the consequence thereof. As I said in the beginning, this is not a simple issue and the shades of grey are far to numerous to get into in a single post. If you haven't read it, The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer (ISBN: 0393003051) was first published in 1958. In it you discover the arrogance, disinterest and ignorance that continues to alienate the US from the rest of the world. It is almost a blueprint that shows the mistakes made in Korea, Vietnam, in Afghanistan and hopefully not to be repeated in Iraq. Welcome to the list, by the way. :) Thanks, I do appreciate that! Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Languages [was: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy MovieSoundtrack?]
On Thu Mar 6 18:04:31 PST 2003, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: At 01:45 AM 3/4/03 -0500, Han Tacoma wrote: On Sun, 2 Mar 2003 19:35:29 -0800 Nick Arnett wrote: [...snip...] mistaken and by that time I had already left IBM with my early retirement package and was learning a new life in a wheelchair -- fell out of a tree and broke my back (don't ask what I was doing in a tree :-) Deer hunting, perhaps? Cutting branches before taking the tractor to it to keep it from falling into the farmhouse. And, as several other people have already said: Oh, by the way, welcome to the list! Thanks. -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
L3 Another breed of international criminals: Patients
. This is the back door way to get it done. They want to get it into law that you can't destroy an embryo because it is a person. I think this is why Bush is having such a pickle with Estrada's nomination. Republicans Fail to Force Estrada Vote Senate Five Votes Short of 60 Needed to End Filibuster http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51124-2003Mar6.html In response to Democrats' charges that the administration is trying to pack the courts with conservatives, Republicans accuse Democrats of applying litmus tests on abortion and other issues. Cloning itself involves taking an egg, removing its nucleus and adding the nucleus of an adult cell -- say a skin cell -- back into it. It's hoped that the tailor-made stem cells could eventually be used in regenerative medicine. But the cloned embryo can't become a baby unless it's transplanted into a womb. The scientific and moral debate over the embryo is a long and heated one. When the microscope was first invented, embryologists claimed to see teeny-weeny people in the heads of the spermatozoa. Some modern politicians sound like they share the same view, but modern science sees an embryo as a potential life or a blueprint for life. To say that a blueprint is a human being, says Caplan, is like saying that the lumber and nails at Home Depot are a house. Nevertheless, an embryo has a much higher moral status than lumber and nails. No one is suggesting that we clone embryos for frivolous research into, say, perfume or face cream. But what about research that may alleviate suffering and illness? Those who oppose this research talk ruefully about creating a life to destroy it, but what about saving a life? Does the value of an embryo in a petri dish trump that of a child with a spinal cord injury in a wheelchair? Enough to turn a patient into an expatriate? If the House bill becomes law it will be a legal edge to revisit Roe vs. Wade and in-vitro fertilization and genetic testing. If cooler heads prevail in the Senate -- which last year voted for a cloning ban on babies, not medicine -- then we are likely back to the status quo. An unregulated stalemate. In some email I received the following reference [unknown origin]: Roe vs. Wade was an extremely controversial court decision, involving the right of a woman to have an abortion. At the time, abortion was outlawed, but Roe vs. Wade proved this unconstitutional and sparked one of the biggest arguments of all time. Are you pro-life or pro-choice? Who were Roe and Wade? What the heck is all this rambling about, anyway? If you are going to give up rights won before you may as well give up on all the amendments made to The Constitution! Abortion politics is already costing us our lead in this cutting-edge research. We've seen the beginning of a brain drain of American scientists to Britain. Countries from China to Sweden are moving ahead under the strict ethical regulations of an international agreement we refuse to sign. Meanwhile at home, President Bush came out in favor of the House bill, saying it would ensure protection of human life as the frontiers of science expand. But this is where those expanding frontiers of science are stopped cold: right at the borders of the United States. [EMAIL PROTECTED] So what's wrong with this picture? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
If You Think A Gallon Of Gas Is Expensive.....
The stuff below the URLs came to me as a joke, but it really isn't. Water is perhaps a more serious issue than gas. Source: The Center for Public Integrity International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Low Rates, Needed Repairs Lure Big Water to Uncle Sam's Plumbing http://www.icij.org/dtaweb/water/default.aspx?SECTION=CHAPTERID=8 or you can start at: http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/index.asp?L1=30L2=0L3=0L4=0L5=0 Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 .. $10.32 per gallon Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ... $ 9.52 per gallon Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 ... $10.17 per gallon Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 . $10.00 per gallon Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ... $33.60 per gallon Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 .. $178.13 per gallon Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 .. $123.20 per gallon Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ... $25.42 per gallon Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 . $84.48 per gallon and this is the REAL KICKER.. Evian water 9 oz for $1.49 $21.19 per gallon. $21.19 FOR WATER! and the buyers don't even know the source. So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, or God forbid, PEPTO BISMOL or NYQUIL! Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt
On Thu, 06 Mar 2003 08:31:40 -0500 John D. Giorgis wrote: At 02:53 AM 3/6/2003 -0600 The Fool wrote: http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNewsstoryID=2326548 Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt Tue March 4, 2003 07:55 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - A lawyer was arrested late Monday and charged with trespassing at a public mall in the state of New York after refusing to take off a T-shirt advocating peace that he had just purchased at the mall. According to the criminal complaint filed on Monday, Stephen Downs was wearing a T-shirt bearing the words Give Peace A Chance that he had just purchased from a vendor inside the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, New York, near Albany. It seems to me that a Mall is private property, and thus they have a right to avoid the creation of confrontation on their property. Wouldn't this be like getting arrested for smoking a joint to test the quality of the stuff somebody sold me in somebody's house? I suppose that he can argue that a Mall is essentially a created public forum. but that argument seems like a stretch.I wouldn't be surprised, nor would I be upset, if a court bought that argument from him - but my guess is that the Mall is private property, and thus, their rights will be upheld. I'm sure that in my example everyone in the house would be arrested for selling or allowing the sale of forbidden goods :-) Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - knows he's streching the metaphor! ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Letter to a Dutchman: What This War is About
J.D. Giorgis, on Tue Mar 4 10:56:10 PST 2003 posted an article from National Review by Rod Dreher (NRO Senior writer) dated March 4, 2003 9:00 a.m. Letter to a European Friend -- Explaining this war http://www.nationalreview.com/dreher/dreher030403.asp and did not add anything to it. ...so what's the point? The sig is much more interesting! Tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation. -George W. Bush 1/29/03 I think this is something worthy of semantic analysis. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma - a dutchman feeling baited :-) ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Languages [was: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy Movie Soundtrack?]
On Tue Mar 4 18:42:38 PST 2003, Reggie Bautista wrote: Han Tacoma wrote: On Mon, 03 Mar 2003 21:32:36 -0600 Reggie Bautista gives me a well deserved lecture about the list's netiquette: [...snip...] I wasn't trying to lecture, just inform :-) Just jesting, thanks though :-) [...snip...] ...but no seriously, although on the horizon, AOP, as Nick suggests, does seem to be the new coming thing. Before you and Nick mentioned it, I had never heard of Aspect-Oriented programming. Thanks for the info. I'm finding it interesting, if a bit hard to wrap my brain around at the moment. Thanks for the links too. Fresh from Slashdot, http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/03/02/2253212 Aspect-Oriented Programming with AspectJ Posted by timothy on 11:15 AM March 4th, 2003 Verity Stob writes There is a turning point in the emergence of a programming methodology. It doesn't matter how big and popular the website is, nor how many papers have been published in the ACM journals or development magazines, nor even whether the first conferences have been a sell-out. A methodology hasn't made really made it until somebody has published a Proper Book. With Aspect-Oriented Programming with AspectJ author Ivan Kiselev is bidding to drag AOP into the mainstream. He is motivated, he says in his introduction, by the recollection of the 25 odd years it took for the object-oriented concept to spread from its Simula origins in frosty Norway to being the everyday tool of Joe Coder. He aims to prevent this delay happening to AOP. Read on for Verity Stob's review of Kiselev's book. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
The Jonathan B. Postel Service Award
I'm sort of out of circulation and thought maybe somebody here knows someone worthy of being nominated for the Jonathan B. Postel Service Award http://www.isoc.org/awards/ Deadline for nominations is 23 April 2003 . Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Languages [was: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy MovieSoundtrack?]
Nick Arnett wrote back on Tue Mar 4 07:12:55 PST 2003 should note that I was 9 years old in 1965. . How'd you get to know all those numbers and acronyms? I think my life was programmed for computers. he, he happens to some. When I was 10 or 11, I was part of a project by some Carnegie-Mellon graduate students doing a thesis on the question of whether or not kids could learn to program computers. It's sort of strange to think that was once a mystery. So the work done at MIT with LOGO -- Seymour Papert (Piaget), was post your era? BTW, I don't recall having seen any mention to LOGO during this programming language thread, ...and it is a very deep language. From MIT Press: Computer Science Logo Style 2/e - 3 vol. set Brian Harvey Volume 1: Symbolic Computing Volume 2: Advanced Techniques Volume 3: Beyond Programming http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?sid=7C7028DA-FB05-47EB-87EA -CFD7F42962BBttype=2tid=3987 (cut and paste as necessary please, if the the line is broken) Afterwards, I continued to hang out at CMU's math [...snip...] Wow, I'm impressed!, must have been a hoot working with Tim Berners-Lee. What great experiences! I never made it through formal college/university. IBM picked me up when I was 16 (finished high school at night) and all subsequent training was by them or self. Aspect-oriented programming seems to be the latest... I think you're talking about an addition to Smalltalk, Apostle, AspectJ? Wasn't the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) -- aka Xerox doing some of the work? I don't have any URL's handy but I guess a Google whould show some. PARC seems to be the thought leader. I bumped into it via AspectJ (http://www.eclipse.org/aspectj/), an IBM Java effort in that direction. I'm still absorbing the idea. More at http://aosd.net/ I found my URL, to work done at the University of British Columbia, http://www.cs.ubc.ca/labs/spl/projects/apostle/ for Apostle. I'm currently getting back to some of MIT's Jay Forrester work in System Dynamics. I am using VENSIM (http://www.vensim.com/new.html) Donnela Meadows is somewhat of a hero to me, too bad she had to go. Her book The Limits to Growth, 1972 is when I started looking at this and _discovered_ Systems Thinking :-) Before she passed away, she had a column in The Global Citizen http://iisd1.iisd.ca/pcdf/meadows/default.htm ...I think by now I'm going OT, but here's a shameless plug to The Miniature Earth as well. http://www.thesustainablevillage.com/miniature_earth/miniature_earth.htm Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Languages [was: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy MovieSoundtrack?]
for scientific purposes (never had anything to do with those). skipping a whole bunch in the scientific area But then came the 360's (fixing these was a blast, upgrades even better, imagine incresing the memory for one these machines from 64K to 128K cost the customer approximately $500,000). The beauty of these systems was that they did have operating systems, the early DOS, MVS (it wasn't called that), the telecommunications BTAM, QTAM, etc. came to life. Having a 300 baud modem was lightning speed! ...and then the 370's...that's when I quit hardware support, no control over where you placed your oscilloscope probe. OK, let's fast forward a bit. I became software support for the 1st version of CICS (this is quiz question -- see if anyone knows what it means :-) and eventually went through the paces of DOS, MVS and VM in it's multiple flavours, (AIX, OS/2, etc. towards the end of my stay at IBM). Became a Systems Engineer, Sales Rep., Product Planner for SQL/DS, worked with early natural language, knowledge based system products, and then retired from IBM (in South America, Caribeean, Europe, USA and Canada) ...enough, I'm tired and if you've stuck with me this far, ...thanks! _ My opinion on languages. They all have/had a time and place for their use. I would never compare APL to COBOL, although in my career I have seen APL used to shorten the development cycle from 2-3 months to just 2 weeks. You have to be able to speak greek :-) and think matrix. I would never compare PROLOG to BASIC, the first is a declarative language and the latter a procedural one. Again thinking style is different. We could not say that Relational Databases are better than Hierarchical databases -- IMS served it's purpose very well when System R was still under development in California. Object Oriented programming has now been overshadowed by other paradigms and this only confirms that old adage the only constant in the universe is change. Cheers! (...please be gentle and don't flame me!) -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Computer Languages [was: Your Favorite SciFi/Fantasy MovieSoundtrack?]
Hello, I'll focus on Getting to know you. Just joined the list and got caught up in this thread, nostalgia suddenly waking up in me. At 06:19 PM 2/28/03 +0900, G. D. Akin wrote: Ronn!: wrote Since this seems to have turned into post your resume: Note really post your resume, but Getting to know you. The languages -- all of the above, in fact I go back (dating myself now :-) to the days of 1401/1440 Autocoder, Fargo and machine language, ie. you map your storage on a piece of paper and start writing the number equivalent of the instruction set to manipulate logic, I/O and data areas. All pre-operating system days. Also go back a little further when you actually had to wire control panels for tabulators, collators, reproducing, and calculating machines like 401/421, 077/088, 514, 602, 604. All these references are to IBM product line. Maybe we should open up a thread Getting to know you? Cheers! -- Han Tacoma ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
