-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Today's Lesson From The Books in My Life by Colin Wilson When Dr. Conan Doyle moved to Southsea, a suburb of Portsmouth, in July 1882, he was twenty-three years old and had no hard-and-fast plans for the future. He rented a house for 40 pounds a year, screwed his brass plate to the door, and sat back to wait for patients. For many weeks none appeared, so he whiled away the time writing stories. In fact, he had already had a few published--at about three guineas (then worth about fifteen dollars) each--and many more rejected. His penchant was for tales of bizarre adventures set in Africa or the Arctic (he had visited both places as a ship's doctor); the style was influenced by Bret Harte, and had a touch of facetiousness. And sometimes that autumn he began a story: "In the month of December 1873, the British ship Dei Gratia steered into Gibraltar, having in tow a derelict brigantine Marie Celeste, which had been picked up in latitude 38 degrees 15' W." For a short sentence, this contains a remarkable number of inaccuracies. The year was actually 1872, the Dei Gratia did not tow the Marie Celeste --the latter came in under its own sail, and arrived a day later than the Dei Gratia; the latitude and longitude were wrong; and the ship was called the plain English Mary, not Marie. Still, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" is, after all, intended to be fiction. This was not made clear to the readers of the Cornhill Magazine, when it appeared in January 1884, for the Cornhill had a policy of publishing stories anonymously. J. Habakuk Jephson's statement, to the effect that the Mary Celeste had been taken over by a kind of Black Power leader with a hatred of whites, was accepted as fact by most readers. And most notably, by Her Majesty's Advocate-General in Gibraltar, Mr. Solly Flood, who had been chief investigator in the Mary Celeste case: the indignant Mr. Flood launched a telegram to the Central News Agency denouncing J. Habakuk Jephson as a fraud and a liar. The statement was given wide publicity, and the incident set Doyle's feet on the road to fame; at least, the Cornhill was now willing to publish most of his stories at thirty guineas a time. ===== Hacking for Moses Israeli Internet Site Used to Attack US Translate please: "Hackers demonstrate a real vulnerability that can be exploited by someone with real hostile intent." by Bill Gertz International computer hackers are using an Internet site in Israel as a base for ongoing electronic attacks on U.S. government and military computer systems, Pentagon officials said yesterday. A Pentagon official with access to intelligence reports said the National Security Agency detected the hackers and warned computer security officials throughout the government last week about the electronic attempts to break in to computers. The NSA's new National Security Incident Response Center, an interagency group that tracks computer attacks, issued the warning. NSA technicians traced the origin of the attacks to an Internet protocol (IP) address in Israel, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. An IP address is a number that identifies a computer connected to the Internet. The agency said in an alert message that many probes of government and military computers were detected from the Israeli site. The NSA said the site is a popular "jump point" for hackers in Israeli and from other locations in the world. Hackers also use the site to store hacker-related materials. Computer hackers often store software and database information at remote locations. The software can include special password-breaking programs that are used to find entry points into Internet sites. "There are some intrusions going on as we speak," said Melissa Bohen, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Joint Task Force-Computer Network Defenses. The computer intrusions are being carried out against networks that carry unclassified information, she said of the 60 to 80 attempted computer break-ins that the Pentagon detects daily. Secret information is kept on separate networks that are more difficult to penetrate. The FBI is continuing to investigate the computer intrusions that were first detected earlier this year, she said, declining to elaborate. The real danger to U.S. national security is the threat posed by foreign intelligence services or governments that could exploit computer vulnerabilities for major electronic warfare against the United States. "Hackers demonstrate a real vulnerability that can be exploited by someone with real hostile intent," said Frank Cilluffo, a computer-security specialist with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's only a matter of time before that happens." Most hackers engage in "Internet graffiti" by entering government Internet sites and defacing them, Mr. Cilluffo said. Others have sought to send a political message. Hackers can cause more serious problems. "Hackers have been able to disrupt 911 emergency communications and airport control tower communications," Mr. Cilluffo said. The Defense Department operates thousands of Internet sites that list a variety of information, ranging from the locations of U.S. aircraft carriers around the world to details on weapons systems. This is the third time in the past two years that the Pentagon has come under hostile electronic fire from hackers. In March, the Pentagon said it was investigating computer attacks on defense computer networks. Hackers at that time were trying to penetrate unclassified networks between 60 and 80 times a day, a Pentagon spokesman said. And in February 1998, Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre became so concerned about a concerted computer attack on the Pentagon that he briefed President Clinton about what was thought to have been an Iraqi government electronic warfare attack. The attacks were traced later to two teen-agers in California and an Israeli hacker. The NSA incident response center was part of several steps taken by the Pentagon this year to strengthen information security. Other measures include the installation of electronic intrusion-detection devices. The Pentagon also has increased training for computer system administrators, security officers and network analysts. Meanwhile, the Clinton administration plans to set up a major governmentwide security network to protect its computers from hackers, thieves, terrorists and hostile intelligence services. The plan is outlined in a 148-page proposal that calls for setting up a network of electronic barriers, monitors and analyzers to check on suspicious activity on government computer networks. Some 500 computer intrusion devices could be in place on nonmilitary computers next year, the Associated Press reported. The complete system will be installed by May 2003. Mr. Clinton wrote in a cover letter that a "concerted attack on the computers of any one of our key economic sectors or governmental agencies could have catastrophic effects." "Where once our opponents relied exclusively on bombs and bullets, hostile powers and terrorists can now turn a laptop computer into a potent weapon capable of doing enormous damage," the president said. The Washington Times, July 29, 1999 English Dictionaries Bill Gates Takes Over the English Language Microsoft. adj. [vulgar]: little and limp. Bill Gates has destroyed most his rivals in the world computer industry; now he's massacring the English language. Or so traditionalists will say when they see the Encarta World English Dictionary, a venture between Mr Gates's Microsoft and Bloomsbury Publishing of London. The dictionary, which will be published next week, assumes that "the Queen's English is an outmoded and backward-looking concept". Instead, it seeks to reflect the growing importance of English as an international language, with all its modern variations. Definitions include: �"Peking duck" (n. a student who is expected to cope with a lot of school work and learn by rote). �"scungies" (npl. [slang] 1. close-fitting swimming trunks 2. old clothes worn for painting, gardening, or similar activities). �"large it" or "live large" (to live or celebrate in an extravagant way). �"daddy track" (n. a career route taken by a man whereby he reduces his chances of career advancement by working flexitime or fewer hours in order to look after a child or children). The work has been compiled by a team of 320 experts based in 20 countries and connected by the internet. It will be the first dictionary to be published worldwide in print and - as a CD-Rom - in electronic form. Kathy Rooney, the dictionary's editor-in-chief, said: "English is no longer the preserve of Britain and America. It is the language of choice for the whole planet." Microsoft and Bloomsbury are believed to be spending up to �10m on the venture. Other new phrases include "wake up and smell the coffee" (used to tell sb that he or she is wrong about a particular situation and that it is time to acknowledge reality). There there is "creepback" (n. the tendency for employers to recruit new staff surreptitiously after making over-enthusiastic redundancies) and "puh-leeze" (interj. used facetiously to express astonishment). >From Australia and New Zealand comes "preloved" (adj. used euphemistically to describe an article for sale second-hand). From the Caribbean comes "voop" (n. in cricket, a wild uncontrolled swing at the ball by a batsman); and from Malaysia and Singapore "buaya" (n. a man who tends to flirt [From Malay, literally 'crocodile']). According to research by Bloomsbury, more than half of the world's population will have competence in English by 2050. At present, 750m people speak English and one billion are learning it. The varieties of English in the dictionary include British, American, Canadian, Caribbean, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, South African, South Asian, South East Asian, Australian and New Zealand. The Financial Times, July 29, 1999 No Miss Pregnant Universe? Donald Trump's Babe Cage No boys allowed: just Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA High above Manhattan is a flat built by Donald Trump to protect three of the world's most beautiful girls. Charles Laurence reports FOR beauty contest bosses, there is nothing worse than a svelte young queen who brings shame to her title by getting pregnant - it's bad enough when they simply pile on the pounds. In days gone by, a chastity belt might have been the solution, but that isn't really an acceptable instrument of control in an age of equal opportunity. Besides, it would spoil the line of the girls' swimsuits and ball gowns. So what does an impresario do if he is determined to avoid the mishaps that attract the wrong kind of publicity to glamour pageants? In 1996, the reigning Miss Universe gained 50lbs in weight and bulged voluptuously, while earlier this year, a contestant was sent home after admitting that she was already pregnant. There are terrible temptations out there - fun! food! romance! - so this year, Donald Trump, the New York property developer who has bought and "redefined" the major American beauty contests, in partnership with a television network, is making quite sure his girls resist them. Trump has built a gilded cage, high above Manhattan, to house his title-winning assets. Miss Universe and Miss USA - not forgetting Miss Teen USA, too, when she is in town - share a luxury flat with a million-dollar view on the 30th floor of a brand new skyscraper, Trump Place. The rent is free, but there are conditions. There are strictly no "sleep-overs" with boys allowed, and all girls must be in - and all boys out - by 10pm. To keep them trim, the beauty queens are rounded up for the gym four times a week. Breaking sweat is not optional. Video cameras watch the hallways. There is a concierge in the lobby and doormen walk the delivery boys to and from the flat. Trump's staff organise the girls' diaries and chaperone them during every trip outdoors. The apartment's third bedroom is for the live-in supervisor who, in the manner of a 1950s-style "house mother", is there to make sure that cleaning is collected, diets are adhered to and virtue upheld. "She is a supervisor, not a baby sitter or a cleaning person," says Donna Rubenstein, of the Trump Organisation Pageant office. "She answers questions, and makes sure the girls leave for appearances on time. Basically, the girls are chaperoned to every single place they go." As I step from the lift, I half expect to find a big bearded fellow with a viciously curved scimitar guarding the door. The concierge has already checked my identity, alerted the chaperones and cleared me for take-off to the giddy heights of Trump Place. The hallway is empty, except for the surveillance camera. I knock, and the door is swung open to the sound of giggling. Miss Universe, 19-year-old Mpule Kwelagobe from Botswana, a tall, slender streak of supermodel potential, waves me in. But she says nothing beyond "hello" because she has a telephone glued to her ear. Miss USA, 22-year-old Kimberly Ann Pressler, is sitting on the sofa. She, too, is clutching a telephone. Talking on the phone is the only activity that is not chaperoned - which is probably why there are nine telephones in the apartment, if you include the girls' personal cellulars. Beauty queens, it seems, just love giggling into the blower. "I practically fall asleep with my telephone," says Mpule. "I always take it to bed at night." My own chaperone - a public relations official from the firm that managed to turn the Duchess of York into the world's best-known Weight Watcher - smiles approvingly. Telephones have distinct virtues as bedmates. "This is a typical girls' apartment," says Miss Teen USA, Vanessa Minnillo, who is just 18 years old. "Look at all the stuff on the floor!" The girls have only recently moved in, and large, new suitcases spill out skimpy garments which are slowly being transferred to the built-in closets. Mirrors have been hung on the wall, and basic furniture fitted, but there is plenty of decorating still to do. There are no pictures yet, and no curtains either. This makes things a bit hot and glary. It also makes me wonder whether any of Manhattan's notorious telescope-peekers have yet discovered the gilded cage. Three beauty queens in one glorious, magnified vision: what a treat. Oddly, there is no sign yet of the chaperone in the third bedroom. Her room, I notice, is the one closest to the door. I wonder if she has been selected because she has the knack of waking at the sound of even the softest footfall. The public relations people prefer not to give me her name. "She is in her thirties, single, and very responsible," the girls tell me. Kimberly Ann finally hangs up and clambers from the sofa. As the oldest, she plays mother. She pulls out a rag and a spray-bottle of cleaning fluid and wipes the glass-topped coffee table. "I hate dirt," she announces. Then she bustles into the kitchen to make us iced tea. We peer into the giant-sized, all-American, two-door fridge. "Chocolate milk?" I ask, in alarm. "Yes," answers Kimberly Ann. "But look! It's fat free!" It takes a while to get on to the subject of boys; these young women have been well trained in the art of public relations. Mpule tells me about her special cause for the year, which is campaigning for Aids awareness, and about how she is to embark on a grand tour of seven African countries. "I love travelling," she says, with a giggle. "Since I am Miss Universe, I told them where I really want to go is the moon!" The gilded cage must be tough on Kimberly Ann, who, after all, has already graduated from college (she studied international business) and has a serious, long-term boyfriend. His name is Chad Williams, and he works in a cheese factory. She has ceramic cherubs on her bedside table, and an engraved glass plaque, inscribed with the words, "We are one love forever". Being separated from Chad, who is several hundred miles away, close to Niagara Falls, is not too bad, she says. She sees him from time to time, and telephones him daily. The main thing for her, though, is that her year as Miss USA is a golden opportunity. Trump has already booked her into acting classes and fixed her up to see several modelling agencies. "That's what this is about," she says. "I have a contract that does make demands on my personal life, sure, but it is a contract that offers me the hope of achieving my dreams of modelling and being a movie star." Mpule, who was brought up among Botswana's upper-middle class, and has both A-levels and perfect English, seems rather pleased that the Atlantic lies between her and the "serious" older boyfriend she has back home. "He realises he has to take a back seat," she says, rather tartly. "There are far more important things in life than having a boyfriend, you know." One of them is the chance, while she is in New York, to land a job at the United Nations. Mpule, it turns out, has no plans to model or act, but thinks a job at UNICEF would be just the thing. While they are in New York, the teenagers, at least, seem quite pleased to be able to retreat to the safety of the gilded cage. "It's like living at home," says Vanessa. "Yes," agrees Mpule. "And I like having a mother around. At home, I have a very strong mother and she watches over me." This must be music to The Donald's ears. Trump has been known to enjoy the company of models since his second marriage to Marla Maples ended in the divorce courts, but he, more than anyone, knows that these days, the beauty queen business works best if it is squeaky clean - and it is most definitely a business. Trump gets to promote the hotels and resorts where the competitions are held and, along with the television network, earns a considerable revenue from the huge worldwide audience that the shows - however outdated they may seem - still attract. Few play this game better than he does: when Miss Guam was found to be pregnant at this year's Miss Universe competition, she was sent home swiftly. But when Miss Venezuela ballooned, Trump personally took her in hand, put her on an exercise machine and invited photographers to witness the transformation. As a result, no one will ever forget the voluptuous beauty queen - nor, of course, Trump's sympathetic intervention. New York's newspapers have been having fun with Trump's gilded cage. The gossip writers and the paparazzi have their beady eyes on Kimberly Ann, in particular. She broke her curfew, they claim, when she went to a nightclub to celebrate the birthday of Mark Wahlberg, the former rap singer who is best known for modelling underpants and playing a well-endowed porn star in the film Boogie Nights. Then we were told that she was becoming something of a regular on Thursdays and Saturdays at the groovy Life club in Greenwich Village. "Well," says Kimberly Ann, whispering as she responds to the charges, "I am older than the others... It's OK for me stay out late, as long as I don't have to work the next day." Absolutely. So long as she remembers to say goodnight on the doorstep. The London Telegraph, July 29, 1999 Asian Economies Stiglitz Says Asian Reform Robust Those whining foreigners just don't appreciate the good intentions of government. BANGKOK - Despite complaints from ''whining foreigners,'' momentum for economic reform remains robust in Asia, the chief economist for the World Bank said Wednesday. Many analysts have recently warned of complacency creeping into reform programs as currencies stabilize, financial markets rebound and economies revive, after nearly two years of turmoil. While noting that formidable impediments to restructuring remain - including entrenched vested interests, often with close ties to governments - the World Bank official, Joseph Stiglitz, said many of the concerns had been overstated. In some cases, he said, foreign investors were criticizing governments' commitment to reform as a way of hiding their frustration at having lost an opportunity to snap up crisis-cheapened Asian companies at bargain-basement prices. ''In many of the crisis countries, there is a strong constituency for reform and a real commitment,'' said Mr. Stiglitz, a former White House economic adviser. ''A lot of the criticism comes from whining foreigners wanting to get better deals when buying assets.'' Mr. Stiglitz highlighted changes of government in South Korea and Thailand - and, perhaps, Indonesia - as examples of reform-minded leadership emerging from the crisis. He cited the openness built into Thailand's new constitution, which explicitly allows citizens to demand information on the workings of their government for the first time - a significant break from the past in a region known for its lack of transparency. Mr. Stiglitz also praised South Korea's bank recapitalization program, in which the government effectively took over some of the nation's leading banks at the height of the financial crisis. ''Many countries have accomplished beyond what any reasonable person expected, and many institutional changes are already in place,'' Mr. Stiglitz said. ''You have to look carefully to see if some of the criticism comes from U.S. investors who wanted to pay less.'' Particularly in the case of South Korea, some potential investors have said the rebound in the economy and in financial markets has reduced local companies' willingness to sell out to foreign owners. Mr. Stiglitz acknowledged that international organizations had been slow to point out the risks of debt-based growth, badly run banks and private-sector collaboration on government policy - the very targets of some of the reforms being implemented now. ''At the time, we talked about business and government cooperation,'' Mr. Stiglitz said. ''Ever since the crisis it has become known as crony capitalism.'' Mr. Stiglitz was referring to a now widely cited paper, in which he referred to the ''East Asian miracle'' shortly before the economic crisis began. But Mr. Stiglitz defended that paper in the interview. ''Some people actually debate whether there was a miracle. The miracle was real,'' he said. ''Incomes increased, standards of living are higher, education has improved.'' In the push for reform, he said, it is important to keep a perspective. There is a danger, he said, that, in a way similar to how mindless deregulation opened the region too fast to foreign capital, there is now a reflex to press for pointless restructuring. Forced sales of equipment by companies faced with global excess capacity are pointless at best and can even encourage monopolistic behavior, he said. ''With global excess capacity you are only moving a machine from one place where it won't be used to another,'' Mr. Stiglitz said. ''In some cases destroying excess capacity means you can restrict supply, raise prices and act like a cartel. This might increase profits, but most economists do not think it is a good idea.'' Separately, the World Bank announced that Asia's economic ills had helped push the institution's approved lending to a new high of $29 billion in fiscal 1999. ''We see for a second fiscal year that the financial crisis has resulted in record lending,'' said James Wolfensohn, the bank's president. Lending increased largely due to continued support for East Asian countries, but also thanks to global ripple effects of the crisis and damage caused in Latin America and the Caribbean by the hurricane designated Mitch. East Asia and the Pacific garnered the greatest portion of funds, securing commitments worth $9.76 billion, compared with $9.62 billion in fiscal 1998. Latin America and the Caribbean secured $7.74 billion in loan commitments compared with $6.04 billion in 1998 Sanctions by international donors following nuclear tests in India and Pakistan slashed the bank's commitments to South Asia to $2.56 billion in 1999, down from $3.86 billion in 1998. Intenational Herald Tribune, July 29, 1999 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. 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