Re: Brin: The Future of the World Re: brin: war
Ray Ludenia wrote: Last poll* I heard here in Aus had 53% against and 39% for. Surprisingly little change in numbers after the Bali massacre. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/06/opinion/polls/main524496.shtml CBS News poll: More people now than just two weeks ago favor giving the United Nations more time to get weapons inspectors back into Iraq. U.S. SHOULD: Now Take military action soon 30% Give U.N. weapons inspectors time 63% 2 Weeks Ago Take military action soon 36% Give U.N. weapons inspectors time 57% Doug ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
Kevin Tarr wrote: At 07:26 PM 10/21/2002 -0500, you wrote: Kevin Tarr wrote: test Feeling testy, are we? ;) Julia Very. Verizon is switching to secure mail. Oh, we don't support Outlook 97, you need Outlook 98. Well I don't want to buy Outlook 98.Your changes are forcing me to buy something I don't want. Make it so MY program works. You don't have to buy it, it free! No it isn't. Yes it is. No it isn't. Outlook express is free, but it doesn't work on my machine because it doesn't recognize Office 97 as a spell checker. Oh we don't handle that problem. I know. I want support for Outlook 97. Oh, we don't support Outlook 97, you need Outlook 98. Ah!!! So I downloaded Eudora. It will probably not work next. I'm admiring the tenacity of the person on the other end of the phone. You must be a complete moron or have very well shielded brains to make such wonderfull circular arguments, totally frustrating the customer into capitulation without getting the slightest bit abusive. One can only admire the training this person had. Sonja ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
And you say my puns are bad.
The duenna bots, or security robots, were so named by our good Dr. Brin because, obviously, they can be programmed to due enna thing you want them to do. William Taylor Though the Nish are gregarious among individuals of other races, something odd happens when a Nish is born living among other races. You just can't shut it up. It will converse with anyone at any time about anything. It will eventually grow out of this habit, but meanwhile you wind up with. .wait for it.. a little Nish rambler. [Uplift Urbane Legend #6] ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The future of the world
Traditionally, the intra-national and international domains have been very neatly separated. The former gives rise to sovereign states which have the monopoly of power, and there is some kind of consensus that, everything else remaining equal, democracy and rule of law inside a country (nation state) are very desirable. The latter, on the contrary, is the arena of free-wheeling relations among sovereign states, and as such rule of law and democracy are not only problematic, but it's difficult even to define them, and so are best left alone. As many on this list as SF fans, though, there may be people who'd like to go beyond what is essentially a 19th century worldview, steeped in European nationalism. After all, we're the ones supposed to be novel and original, right? As I was on a long haul flight for the better part of the morning, the following thoughts occurred to me. Rule of law in its traditional sense affects individuals operating inside a state, which makes the law. Let's now make a leap of imagination, rather than of logic, and substitute individuals with states and state with something that we may call X. Note that X is not exactly (not necessarily) the same as a world government, in the narrow sense. The existence in the real world of rogue countries who may invade their neighbours and gas their own people does not imply that X is unachievable, in the same way as serial killers and bank robbers do not threaten the existence of modern democracies. If people are not citizens of X, but citizens of states that are members of X, the problem is of course one of sovereignty, i.e. who has the ultimate power. It would seem as if the rulers of X can ultimately override any decision that an individual state makes, and thus infringe on the liberty of the individual who is a citizen of that state. It's a complex problem, but I'd take a shamelessly practical approach to it. Power grows out of the barrel of a gun, Mao Zedong used to say. Sovereignty tends to be found close to those holding the largest bazooka. As technology progresses towards what some have called a singularity, resources and raw destructive power that used to be monopoly of countries become increasingly available to non-state entities (corporations, wealthy individuals, committed terrorists etc). In this scenario, sovereignty becomes more and more easily broken up and volatile, and the traditional, conceptual divide between intra-national and international security issues appears increasingly meaningless. So will we have a world government in 50 years? If by world government we mean a copy of today's Western democracies translated on to a global level, I don't think so, but that's definitely not the point. The world is far too diverse and complex to be accomodated inside a single Western-style democracy. But will we have global governance, meaning that we'll have some kind of rule of law to settle some of the issues that affect the whole world, in 50 years? I sincerely hope that we do. An optimistic scenario (let's be optimistic, shall we - otherwise I wouldn't even assume our continued existence) may be the following. Integration is easiest along regional lines. In '50 years we may have a dozen or more regional groupings of states along the lines of the European Union, and these will belong in turn to some kind of loose umbrella organisation a bit like a streamlined version of the UN. Carlo _ ÓëÁª»úµÄÅóÓѽøÐн»Á÷£¬ÇëʹÓà MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com/lccn/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
scouted: anti-science
Right-wingers with an anti-science agenda: http://www.junkscience.com perports to debunk the 'junk' science behind global warming, DDT's, pollution, and pretty much every other religious right agenda item. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
Doug wrote: (...) That is to say, by that rule, England should have done nothing while Hitler took over Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Note here that the UN _did_ vote to act against Iraq when they invaded Kuwait, a situation analogous to Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia. No! A situation analogous to Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia would be *if* the USA, France, and Iran agreed to split Iraq in three parts, Iran taking the South, Jordania the Middle, and Turkey the North. The three takings mentioned above were totally different. Austria was a fusion, as the Austrian g*vernment of that time was totally nazi. Czechoslovakia was a partition, and each neighbour took a slice. IIRC [from my history books, I'm not that old. Not yet] the czechs didn't resist [they could]. Poland was an invasion, by both Germany and USSR. And before all that was the militarization of the Sudetos (sp?), the border of Germany and France. Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: World government in 50 years
Doug wrote: It's highly unlikely that there will be a dominant WG, but that doesn't mean that there could not be some sort of loose federation that represents most nations and has some method of collecting revenue, electing officials, policing, etc. When the World g*vernment forms, it will be too late to regonize it as such. The best we will be able to do will be to look back to the past and try to figure out when it formed - if such analysis will be permitted :-/ Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
old-timers disease
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/10/021024064926.htm Mild Injury May Render Brain Cells Vulnerable To Immune System Attack DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that a seemingly mild insult to the brain could sensitize neurons to attack by immune system proteins that are otherwise protective. The finding could explain why sufferers of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases significantly worsen following such insults. According to the scientists, such minimal excitotoxic insults could include brief seizures, mild head trauma or stroke, or even transient anoxia from fainting while standing too quickly. The scientists believe that drugs to selectively inhibit the immune proteins could reduce the rate of neural damage in a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases. Such drugs could also protect other organs against damage from autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, in which the immune system attacks body tissues, said the scientists. In an article in the October 24, 2002, Neuron, Zhi-Qi Xiong and James McNamara report studies of brain cell cultures that reveal how the set of immune proteins, called complement, can kill neurons. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health. Complement proteins circulate in the blood in an inactive form, but when triggered by infection or other invaders, they form complexes that can attack the invaders. For a decade or more, there have been studies in which complement proteins were detected in the vicinity of senile plaques of patients with Alzheimer's disease and also in the brain of other neurodegenerative diseases, said McNamara, who is professor and chair of the medical center's department of neurobiology. According to McNamara, while this association suggested that complement could harm neurons, evidence also existed that complement could promote removal of a damaging protein that causes the plaques in Alzheimer's disease. The reality, Xiong and McNamara discovered, seems more complicated. The complement immune system pathway consists of an early activation pathway that can be protective in Alzheimer's disease, and a terminal pathway, in which the proteins combine to create a membrane attack complex. It is the terminal pathway and this complex that damages neurons sensitized to complement attack by mild brain insult, said McNamara. Basically, we have discovered how an insult like transient ischemic attacks, minimal drop in blood pressure or a minimal blow to the head could facilitate the transition from the early activation pathway to the terminal membrane attack pathway, and transform a protective effect into a damaging effect on the brain, said McNamara. Initial clues that complement could attack brain cells came from the Duke scientists' earlier studies of a rare childhood brain disease called Rasmussen's encephalitis. We observed that in this autoimmune disease, even though the immune system is constantly attacking the brain, the progressive loss of neurological function in these children occurred in a stepwise fashion, following flurries of seizures, said McNamara. The scientists found that the brains of children suffering from the disease showed evidence of activation of complement, and the complement proteins were concentrated in the neurons. Also, said McNamara, the scientists' studies of an animal model of the disease showed similar attack by complement. What's more, he said, studies by other researchers had demonstrated in animal models and cell cultures that fleeting insults can damage neurons by causing an excitotoxic overload of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Earlier brain tissue culture studies had shown that complement could damage brain cells called astrocytes preferentially over neurons, said McNamara. This didn't make sense, said McNamara. In our tissue culture studies, the astrocytes were preferentially damaged, but in brains, the complement was deposited on neurons. And so we reasoned that perhaps there was an interaction between the excessive excitation mediated by glutamate and a neuron's sensitivity to attack by complement. In their experiments reported in Neuron, Xiong and McNamara exposed cultures of neurons and astrocytes, first to modest levels of glutamate, as might be generated by a mild insult to the brain. When they next exposed these same cultures to activated complement proteins, the neurons were preferentially killed. Their studies also showed that the damage was specifically caused by the membrane attack pathway of complement and not by the early activation pathway. And, they found that the glutamate treatment sensitized neurons, but not astrocytes, to attack by complement. Finally, the scientists found that the excitotoxic sensitization of neurons required both calcium and chemicals called reactive oxygen species. While the scientists do not understand these requirements, said McNamara, they believe that the finding might offer
Re: The UN
- Original Message - From: Doug [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 12:03 AM Subject: Re: The UN Dan Minette wrote: Where in the UN charter does it say that a country must gain permission before defending itself? Your suggestion, that a country should wait until its borders were crossed would fail the Chamberlin test. That is to say, by that rule, England should have done nothing while Hitler took over Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Note here that the UN _did_ vote to act against Iraq when they invaded Kuwait, a situation analogous to Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia. It is somewhat analogous, but not fully. It did so because the UK, France, Russia, China and the US all thought it was a good idea. To first order, the Security Council does whatever these five agree upon. Yes, 5 of the 10 temporary members have to concur, but it is likely to happen if these 5 agree. In my analogy, I had Germany and Japan as two veto powers: corresponding the USSR and China being veto powers during the Cold War. It is true that the UN backed defending S. Korea, but only because the USSR made the mistake of boycotting the UN after the PRC was not given China's seat at the UN. Given that scenario, it is unlikely to impossible to conclude that they would have let the UN take action. Dan M. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sniper
On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 11:27:05AM -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: I *could* e-mail the article to interested parties. But ask soon, or wait awhile, because I'm about to head out the door. Oh, I can still read articles easily when you post a URL like you did. I was just venting that my automatic headline collection program doesn't work on WP anymore, so those (where people post the URL) are probably the only WP articles I do read now. -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sniper
From: Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 11:16:30AM -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Good article at the Washington Post website, but they ask you demographic info to get to it: I used to read the Washington Post a lot more, but since they implemented that demographic stuff so poorly, I rarely read it anymore. The problem is that, unlike NY Times which stores your computer's IP number so you don't have to always log in if it is from the same computer, WP relies on cookies on the client side. Since I use a program called Newsclipper which automatically downloads the headlines for me, I'd have to implement cookies to get the WP headlines now. I don't know how to do that :-( and I'm not sure if I will take the time to learn. WP only does it for some articles, about 1 in 5 or so I've experienced. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sniper
The Fool wrote: From: Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 11:16:30AM -0500, Julia Thompson wrote: Good article at the Washington Post website, but they ask you demographic info to get to it: I used to read the Washington Post a lot more, but since they implemented that demographic stuff so poorly, I rarely read it anymore. The problem is that, unlike NY Times which stores your computer's IP number so you don't have to always log in if it is from the same computer, WP relies on cookies on the client side. Since I use a program called Newsclipper which automatically downloads the headlines for me, I'd have to implement cookies to get the WP headlines now. I don't know how to do that :-( and I'm not sure if I will take the time to learn. WP only does it for some articles, about 1 in 5 or so I've experienced. I'd bet they do it for the article they think is going to be most popular, in any case. (I'll check e-mail once more after I get the dogs' arrangement arranged properly, get Sammy into shoes and socks and get stuff into the car, so you have a few more minutes to ask me to e-mail the WP article) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Sniper
Horn, John wrote: Well, it looks like they caught the snipers. (see any of the major news sites for the story). Good article at the Washington Post website, but they ask you demographic info to get to it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4422-2002Oct23.html I'm hoping that if the older man is tried first in Montgomery County, that they don't try to try him for 5 shootings in one trial; if they only try him for 2 or 3, and somehow he gets off, they'll still have the other ones to try him on without the problem of double jeapordy. (They still have the Virginia cases, as well. AFAIK, Virginia has the death penalty. Does Maryland? Would Maryland let him be tried in Virginia after a Maryland conviction knowing that the death penalty would be on the table?) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Fwd: CNN Breaking News
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 11:46:03 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Rifle, scope and tripod found in sniper suspects' car, Washington, D.C. radio station WTOP reports. (c)2002. Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Fwd: CNN Breaking News on DC Sniper
At 04:09 AM 10/24/02, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: -- Police in Maryland say they have arrested John Allen Muhammad, who sniper-case investigators say may have information about the case. Muhammad's stepson also in custody. At 07:03 AM 10/24/02, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: -- Sources tell CNN two men detained in connection with sniper killings now considered suspects. (c)2002. Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. --Ronn! :) I always knew that I would see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed that I would see the last. --Dr. Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey, if you are using a library computer, ain't your hour up yet? Well, I went to read a magazine for 15 min, then got on another one (wouldn't have if there were folks waiting, but there are 5 'empties' right now). :) You do not live in Tucson or Phoenix or even Warren or Youngstown Ohio. You never get a second hour. Yea, verily yea. with a nod to Danny Kaye :) I do not live in desert heat. Denver weather's quite a treat. Fox trots past the library, 'puters wait for thee and me! Houndstooth Doggerel Maru (we actually _do_ see foxes crossing Bonnie Brae Blvd several times a season, excepting summer) __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Calf Utilities
- Original Message - From: Doug [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 11:41 PM Subject: Re: N. Korea Says Has Nukes Dan Minette wrote: It wasn't the worst of any worlds for the providers that came away with billions in profits. It was definitely the worst for California who lost a $4 billion surplus and went deeply into hock overnight. http://www.energy.ca.gov/electricity/operational_capacity.html lists 3 investor owned California utilities: Pacific Gas and Electric and South California Edison are the two biggest ones, and have 95% of the capacity of the three between them PGE reported a 3.3 billion dollar loss for that year and filed bankruptcy. Edison International reported a 1.9 billion dollar loss for that year and narrowly avoided bankruptcy. I couldn't break out California, but the annual report for Edison International gives the impression that other branches of the company were, on average, profitable. How is this a big win? SDGE was the third, and is part of Sempra, and it appears that Sempra was still profitable during 2000, making about 400 million. However, since SDGE is only a small part of a larger company that made a profit, its not clear whether SDGE made a profit or loss. Even if you include this profit as all coming from California, which is probably not valid, the three companies lost more than 4 billion. It seems to me that everyone misread the situation. Even companies, like Enron, who profited by gameplaying in California, lost enough elsewhere to less profitable gameplaying, so that it went bankrupt. Yes, the officers fleeced the company, but its losses were far bigger than their gains. So, a company had to be foolish to supply California with electricity for less than they'd get elsewhere. Ok, that's at first... What's a first? Plus, the costs of generating electricity went through the roof for some suppliers. Those that used natural gas, 40% of California's suppliers, saw that price go from under $2.00 to as high as $9.00 on the spot market. People producing with natural gas would have to lose money to fit under California's cap. But of course later on, when they learned how to game the system there was lots of money for all the big boys. Not all of the big boys. The two big companies who had to play it by the book lost over 5 billion in a year and were on the brink of elimination. Indeed, I'm guessing that they were the strongest presence pushing for deregulation. They played the game and lost big time. The beginning of 2000 was the height of the crisis after which massive conservation measures were taken. Considering that, the numbers above by themselves don't mean anything. There is no thought to looking ahead? California's policy was based on the assumption that the spot market for energy would always be cheap. With the .com boom and a hot dry summer, they were relying on cheap spot market prices to keep energy costs down. When the spot market for gas went through the roof, they were hurting. The policy of buying on the spot market at the last split second is foolish, to say the least. The logical thing would be to have long term contracts that allow retail prices to rise if fuel costs rise. Retail prices rising would cut use more than anything. Further, what big conservation measure are you talking about? The drop in usage from 2000 to 2001 was only 4%. The consumption fell to the 1999 level. And, we cannot attribute all of this drop to conservation measures. The summer was cooler in 2001; and industrial use dropped with the .com bust in 2001. Given the fact that the 2001 consumption was close to 1999 consumption, I don't think we can attribute much more than 1% or so to conservation measures. And, the indications are that the usage rose again in 2002. The bottom line is that, to first order, people tend to conserve only if there is a significant financial incentive to do so. I won't argue that the restructuring was done very poorly. I will argue that it would have been in the best interests of the industry that _desires_ deregulation to pounce on California like a lion pouncing on a wounded animal. Dereg. was set way back, and Ca. is suing the industry to the tune of $9 billion. Interestingly enough, deregulation just passed through in Texas. I'm rather disappointed in the Sierra club using the up to line. That statement is true if there is one small, high polluting, inefficient plant out there. Why do you hold the Sierra Club to a higher standard than commercial or political institutions that wouldn't bat an eyelash at using such language when they have to compete against these institutions for media attention? Because I had considered them a reliable source of information. Now, they are not in my book. They also don't provide details from which I can make my own conclusion. I can tear apart a financial report and understand what's really
Re: Sniper
Horn, John wrote: Well, it looks like they caught the snipers. (see any of the major news sites for the story). Thank goodness! My default local news site is kvue.com (good weather site for Austin) and I found a story there at http://www.kvue.com/breaking/1024kvuealabama-jw.ecbc2728.html That page includes a daily poll. Today's poll question is, If convicted, what punishment is appropriate for the D.C.-area snipers? Results with around 700 people voting so far are 0% Some prison 0% Life in prison with a possibility of parole 14% Life in prison with no possibility of parole 85% Execution (Yes, that only adds up to 99%. Rounding error, I'm sure.) I'm wondering if any other news sites have such a poll, and if so, how their results differ. Are people in Texas more inclined to just get a rope than people in, say, Massachusetts? Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Italian author slams Islam's 'hate' for West
De : Joe Hale [mailto:halejr;bellsouth.net] This author makes a good point. People who claim Islam is a religion of peace are turning a blind eye to history. If Islam was a religion of peace there would never have been a Battle of Tours. The Moslems are currently fighting the Christians, Jews, and Hindus, and they are responsible for blowing up the Buddhist statutes in Afghanistan. They can't get along with anybody. This is not a religion of peace. Sounds like Christianity at the same age... The Crusades and the Inquisition are part of Christian history. A part of every christian's history except for Copts and Orthodox. Jean-Louis ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Getting silly
--- Ronn Blankenship wrote: Deborah Harrell wrote: --- Julia Thompson wrote: snort :) Julia who knows why her legs are still sore, but isn't sure why her biceps are as sore as they are Well, I know why _I_ ache all over (Calypso, a bratty 4-year-old Paint, was quite full of himself and made me work much harder than I'd expected, not to mention the emergency bail-out!)... ;D Was he polite? That is, when you got to a fence, did he let you go over first? ;-) grin He's not steady enough for jumping yet; he just decided to try some 'airborne manuevers.' :P Though such behavior might be more physically painful, I doubt it could be much more irritating than that of the rent-a-nag... who had it in his head that he was going to turn around and go back to the stable no matter what I or the other people riding with me that day did. . . Weren't you the advocate of 'two-by-four' diplomacy when it came to muliness? ;D Riding hacks-for-hire has convinced me of the origin of the term hacking cough! :) At Least It Was Dirt, Not Pavement Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Getting silly Re: war
--- Sonja wrote: snip I only have a good cure for a really bad cold. It involves a hot tub or a hot shower followed by two or three mugs of strong steaming hot black tea mixed with honey, lemon and a dash of rum (trust me this sounds better then it tastes) just before going to bed... Mom used to make cough syrup from honey, lemon, and rum or whiskey - that didn't taste good either! But I do like a bit of Bailey's in my Earl Grey tea at times(assuming I'm not planning to go anywhere)... Before The Fire With A Cat Upon The Knees Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 01:17:21PM -0500, Dan Minette wrote: the Security Council does whatever these five agree upon. Yes, 5 of the 10 temporary members have to concur, but it is likely to happen if these 5 agree. 4, I believe. -- Erik Reuter [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.erikreuter.net/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
In a message dated 10/24/2002 1:50:47 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Yea, verily yea. with a nod to Danny Kaye :) ---Pull up your chainmaille! I do not live in desert heat. Denver weather's quite a treat. Fox trots past the library, 'puters wait for thee and me! If I ever get my act together and have a car with both a heater and AC, the Denver area is supposed to be great for library book sales. Just roadrunners and once a gila monster at my house. As for poetry: I'm called Vince For my name Vince is. You should try my purple blintzes ---From the little known kosher version by Dr. Seuss William Taylor ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff
At 08:21 23-10-2002 -0400, John Giorgis wrote: The Franco-Russian obstructionism cannot be understood as a response to the Bush administration's hawkishness on Iraq, its doctrine of preemption or its drift toward unilateralism. Paris and Moscow have been championing the cause of Saddam Hussein in the Security Council since long before the election of George W. Bush. The two governments now portray themselves as advocates of Iraqi disarmament and U.N. inspections; but for much of the 1990s, their explicit aim was to weaken or abolish U.N. inspections and remove all U.N. sanctions on Iraq -- positions that helped their businessmen to win lucrative new contracts and their governments to harvest popular acclaim in the Arab world, at the expense of the United States. Sarcasm And of course, the US has never obstructed the UN in order to protect its own interests... /Sarcasm Never mind that both countries have never hesitated to dispatch their forces for foreign interventions where their interests were threatened, with or without U.N. approval. Sarcasm And of course, the US has never dispatched its forces for foreign interventions where their interests were threatened... /Sarcasm They already have succeeded in slowing and tempering the Bush administration's campaign on Iraq; now they must decide they are ultimately to stand with the United States or Saddam Hussein. Ah yes, the old if you are not with us, you are against us. So what if the French and/or the Russians vote against military action against Iraq? Will they be considered against the US and should they expect to find the USMC on their beaches soon? Jeroen Must be those bloody Gremlins again van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: a chipping we will go
--- Jean-Louis Couturier wrote: [Sonja wrote] Imagine You go into the store, pick a few items, walk out of the store, the tags are automatically scanned without you ever having been in line at a check out. You are scanned as well, your data on the implant are transferred, and the amount you owe is directly charged to your account. It would save a hell of a lot of time. I'm not convinced. I need to see the bill to be sure that I am not charged for things I haven't bought and that I am paying the price that is advertised. This just creeps me out; it's too much like the way we tag our pets (and I wonder what those who worry about the 666 mark are screaming?). What is to stop someone from developing a hand-held device that scans your data and then, using your account info, that someone cleans out your account? What would stop you from being scanned as you went into public buildings (given that we are not yet a 'transparent society'); when someone develops a way to fake your identity-scan, will you be accused of being places and doing things that you weren't/didn't do? (Admittedly the latter could only occur if the practice became widespread, or such a chip was required as part of a national identity program.) I'm a bit of a techophobe (I only got a VCR 1 1/2 yrs ago, I use the computer at work/library, and still don't have a cell phone!) - which is kind of weird for a SF fan, I admit - but allowing someone to tag me like a migrating caribou is *'way* too Big Brother for me. GPS Getting Lost While Driving Is Part Of The Adventure __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: What's Wrong Here? Re: The Future of the World Re: br*n: war
At 09:46 23-10-2002 -0400, John Giorgis wrote: You mean it is completely amazing to hope that Democracy and Free Markets might triumph over Totalitarianism, Autoritarianism, Repression, and Fanatacism?? This is an opinion that I am to be ridiculed for? What's going on here? You misinterpreting what DB was saying -- that is what is going on here. Many people on this list have a fairly good idea of what DB's political views are -- and they all know that what you mention above is very, very, very far removed from His views. Jeroen Reading must be a difficult skill van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
The UN and Democracies
- Original Message - From: J. van Baardwijk [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 4:30 PM Subject: Re: The UN First of all, I do not know how may of the 191 UN member countries are dictatorships, so I cannot say whether or not they would comprise a majority. Only 40% of UN countries are democracies. Second, the fact that a certain number of countries qualify as dictatorships does not mean they all agree with each other. If they would, they would be controlling the UN completely. Are you sure they are not? xponent Questions Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
J. van Baardwijk wrote: Considering the fact that your country kept its representative government only because the US was willing to put NY and Washington on the line to protect it, Huh? That requires some explanation. During the Cold War, the US promised to defend western Europe as if it were its own soil, which meant using its nuclear missiles on the Soviet Union if it ever attempted to invade western Europe. If we fired our missiles, then the immediate result would be Soviet nukes flying over to destroy our cities, including New York and Washington. __ Steve Sloan . Huntsville, Alabama = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brin-L list pages ... http://www.sloan3d.com/brinl Chmeee's 3D Objects http://www.sloan3d.com/chmeee 3D and Drawing Galleries .. http://www.sloansteady.com Software Science Fiction, Science, and Computer Links Science fiction scans . http://www.sloan3d.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff
- Original Message - From: J. van Baardwijk [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 4:59 PM Subject: Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff At 08:21 23-10-2002 -0400, John Giorgis wrote: The Franco-Russian obstructionism cannot be understood as a response to the Bush administration's hawkishness on Iraq, its doctrine of preemption or its drift toward unilateralism. Paris and Moscow have been championing the cause of Saddam Hussein in the Security Council since long before the election of George W. Bush. The two governments now portray themselves as advocates of Iraqi disarmament and U.N. inspections; but for much of the 1990s, their explicit aim was to weaken or abolish U.N. inspections and remove all U.N. sanctions on Iraq -- positions that helped their businessmen to win lucrative new contracts and their governments to harvest popular acclaim in the Arab world, at the expense of the United States. Sarcasm And of course, the US has never obstructed the UN in order to protect its own interests... /Sarcasm Never mind that both countries have never hesitated to dispatch their forces for foreign interventions where their interests were threatened, with or without U.N. approval. Sarcasm And of course, the US has never dispatched its forces for foreign interventions where their interests were threatened... /Sarcasm They already have succeeded in slowing and tempering the Bush administration's campaign on Iraq; now they must decide they are ultimately to stand with the United States or Saddam Hussein. Ah yes, the old if you are not with us, you are against us. So what if the French and/or the Russians vote against military action against Iraq? Will they be considered against the US and should they expect to find the USMC on their beaches soon? Of course Russia and France are the only UNSC memmbers who have large and potentially profitable contracts for Iraqi oil. And France sells Iraq most of their weapons under the table. Sounds like a conflict of interest and a lack of ethics. xponent Kettleblack Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
At 15:19 23-10-2002 -0500, Dan Minette wrote: A country's self-defense is an internal matter, not an UN matter. However, invading an other country is an act of aggression, not self-defense. So, all wars of self defense must stop at the border? It is wrong to defeat a country that attacks? The answer is no on both questions. However, self-defense is what you do when you are attacked. Unless something happened in the last hour or so, Iraq has not yet attacked the US. All the US has right now is *suspicions* that Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction. Your suggestion, that a country should wait until its borders were its borders were crossed would fail the Chamberlin test. The what? I have never heard of the Chamberlin test. It is considered a trueism that Chamberlin made a significant mistake by refusing to stop Hitler's advance into Czechoslovakia. The Chamberlin test is whether the rules set forth allow any stronger action than Chamberlin's. Ah. Thank you for the explanation. That is to say, by that rule, England should have done nothing while Hitler took over Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. England does not have borders with those countries, so when Hitler attacked them, England was not under attack. So, your argument is that England could only respond to Hitler _after_ English soil is attacked? These are different matters, Dan. Hitler did attack Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Iraq however has not attacked the US. Jeroen Make love, not war van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Shooting Gallery
At 16:00 23-10-2002 -0500, Steve Sloan wrote: Why? I see nothing in that scenario that even remotely suggests that trial by jury is required. For both trials (one for the Virginian civilian, one for the caught suspect of the sniper shootings, you only need a prosecutor, a lawyer to defend the suspect, and a judge. If some trumped-up prosecutor looking for publicity decided to put the civilian on trial for carrying a gun in the wrong state, even though he used the gun to capture the sniper, we have something called jury nullification. But what are the chances of someone be put on trial by a prosecutor who is only looking for publicity, rather than just trying to do his job the best he can? Would his superiors not call him on that? Would it not give the lawyers a better chance to get their client exonerated by pointing out the apparent incompetence of the prosecuter? BTW, I know the following probably does not apply to the US, but in my country, even if you heroically save the Queen's life by using a gun you were not supposed to have, you are still going to be prosecuted for illegal possession of a firearm. The sentence would probably not amount to much, given the circumstances, but you will nevertheless be put on trial. Jeroen Justice for all van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: test
At 18:42 23-10-2002 -0700, Nick Arnett wrote: We're testing manual dinging. Would you mind using someone else's posts for that, please? Thank you. I get the impression that there is something wrong with either Nick's server or with his Internet connection. I have noticed in the last two days that messages I send to the List sometimes take *hours* before they arrive. Some of the messages I sent in the last two days never even made it at all. Nick, whassup? Jeroen Must be those bloody Gremlins again van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for everyone
At 16:19 23-10-2002 -0700, Matt Grimaldi wrote: The way it was phrased left that impression in my mind, and suggested a series of thoughts which were, oh, let's say unflattering, that the rest of the list should feel guilty for not doing exactly what you thought they should, and so on, it gets worse from there. What positive thing were you trying to accomplish by saying that? I certainly can't think of any. The initial accomplishment would be people pointing out to John Giorgis that his behaviour, oh, let's put it nicely, leaves something to be desired? The eventual accomplishment would be John Giorgis cleaning up his act and starting to behave like a civilised adult. Jeroen How long till Hell freezes over? van Baardwijk __ Wonderful-World-of-Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
Jeroen wrote: At 15:19 23-10-2002 -0500, Dan Minette wrote: So, your argument is that England could only respond to Hitler _after_ English soil is attacked? These are different matters, Dan. Hitler did attack Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Iraq however has not attacked the US. In point of fact, Germany did *not* attack Austria. The Austrians welcomed the Germans with open arms. Adam C. Lipscomb [EMAIL PROTECTED] Silence. I am watching television. - Spider Jerusalem ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: old-timers disease
--- The Fool wrote: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/10/021024064926.htm Mild Injury May Render Brain Cells Vulnerable To Immune System Attack DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that a seemingly mild insult to the brain could sensitize neurons to attack by immune system proteins that are otherwise protective... In an article in the October 24, 2002, Neuron, Zhi-Qi Xiong and James McNamara report studies of brain cell cultures that reveal how the set of immune proteins, called complement, can kill neurons. Complement proteins circulate in the blood in an inactive form, but when triggered by infection or other invaders, they form complexes that can attack the invaders. Here are 2 outlines of the cascade, one with text: http://pt.usc.edu/courses/PT551/studyaid/inflammation/Complement.html http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/immunology/complement.html ...The reality, Xiong and McNamara discovered, seems more complicated. The complement immune system pathway consists of an early activation pathway that can be protective in Alzheimer's disease, and a terminal pathway, in which the proteins combine to create a membrane attack complex. It is the terminal pathway and this complex that damages neurons sensitized to complement attack by mild brain insult, said McNamara... Editor's Note: The original news release can be found at http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/news/newsrelease.asp?id=786catid=2cpg=newsrelease.asp Repetitive head trauma has been linked to an increased risk of later-life Alzheimer's, and probably Parkinson's too; not good for all those boxers out there! (Fairly recently, here in the US, children playing soccer were forbidden to 'head' the ball, IIRC, b/c of these risks - also learning problems.) I hope they figure out a way to reverse or mask the damage to the neurons, otherwise I'm up a creek... Skateboards And Horses And Cars Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: What's Wrong Here? Re: The Future of the World Re: br*n: war
Jeroen wrote: What's going on here? You misinterpreting what DB was saying -- that is what is going on here. I must confess that somehow I am also misinterpreting His ideas about Iraq. I would formulate a question, but I was stopped by a holyday exausting trip, His recent absence, and my ignorance of the Latin word for Bush [it is Arbustus? :-)] Alberto Monteiro ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip If I ever get my act together and have a car with both a heater and AC, the Denver area is supposed to be great for library book sales. Yes, the public library has a big book sale once a year; one of my friends found a book that she'd been seeking unsuccessfully for a decade (can't remember the title). As for bookstores, The Tattered Cover was recently voted one of the 10 best in the US, IIRC - a good place to while away a winter's afternoon. (less books but neater/more organized than the _huge_ 'store in Portland, OR, IIRC) I rarely need either heat or AC while driving - but of course, when either is required, it's _parching_ or _below freezing_. Debbi __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: test
To do real-world tests of dinging, someone has to ding (the dinger) someone else (the dingee). The dinger's messages slow down somewhat, the dingee's messages slow down more. Then we see what happens to the discussion. At the moment, I'm really only look at the effects on the dingee, since one dinger would have to ding a bunch of dingees before the effect would become very noticeable. And as long as this is manual management, it doesn't scale well. So, get somebody to ding you. Once you're dung, we can test. Offending *me* or Julia won't do it, because I'm a tester, not a testee. Offend somebody else. Oh, and just as it will be when automated, the identities of dingers and dingees are not shown, but the alert reader can probably detect dingage by looking at headers. (I'm seeing images of small boats and hearing Archie Bunker say, Dingbat.) And may I add, Go Giants. I haven't been much of a baseball fan since leaving Pittsburgh a couple of decades ago, but this World Series, with its strangely afflicted pitchers, has been sort of fun. Nick -- Nick Arnett Phone/fax: (408) 904-7198 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:brin-l-bounces;mccmedia.com]On Behalf Of Deborah Harrell Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 4:27 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: test --- Nick Arnett wrote: We're testing manual dinging. huffing indignantly I've written _much_ more offensive posts than that! I demand a trial, tried by a jury of my peers!* I demand proof that my posted posts are more offensive than what others have posted! (Or, How dare you 'ding' me for posts that I never sent!?...or, how did you infiltrate my extensively firewalled snoop-proof Chamber of Stars, surrounded as it is by a Prismatic Wall?... ;/ ) * Good luck finding 12 adherents of Pragmatic Idealism who are also heretic Lutheran Deists, suffering from Adaptive Schizophrenia! BOSEG You Won't Get Away With This! Maru ;) P.S. serious As requested, am forwarding Mark C.'s hello to the list - he made it back safely from the Phillipines. __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
In a message dated 10/24/2002 6:42:16 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I rarely need either heat or AC while driving - but of course, when either is required, it's _parching_ or _below freezing_. Debbi You ain't old and worn out before your time. I have about four or five days a month on average that I can't do anything due to headaces. The tops of me feet are brown not due to being a hobbit. I'm that alergic to grass and dust mites. But it's too hot to wear socks. As to library booksales, they traditionally undervalue their technical and reference books. And sometimes estate sales have no idea what they have. Strange way to make a living. And it's still too hot in Tucson to wear long pants in the afternoon. Is your cat declawed? William Taylor -- Is that cat saying meow or maru? ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Question for everyone
- Original Message - From: J. van Baardwijk [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 5:37 PM Subject: Re: Question for everyone At 16:19 23-10-2002 -0700, Matt Grimaldi wrote: The way it was phrased left that impression in my mind, and suggested a series of thoughts which were, oh, let's say unflattering, that the rest of the list should feel guilty for not doing exactly what you thought they should, and so on, it gets worse from there. What positive thing were you trying to accomplish by saying that? I certainly can't think of any. The initial accomplishment would be people pointing out to John Giorgis that his behaviour, oh, let's put it nicely, leaves something to be desired? The eventual accomplishment would be John Giorgis cleaning up his act and starting to behave like a civilised adult. Whatever it was that John did (long forgotten by almost everyone by now) it certainly didnt call for the endless fits spits and pity parties the list is subjected to...by you. Your childish and churlish behavior is far worse than anything you have accused John of. After about 2 years of this you should have some clue as to how unreasonable your bitching is and how completely unrealistic your expectations are. I am interested in hearing diverse opinions, even those that I find antagonistic to my worldview, so I can appreciate what you bring to political discussions. But when you go off on John with such zeal, with unasked for frequency, and unfortunate poor judgement, it makes it hard to take you very seriously during other discussions. You cause your views to be discounted. As far as I am concerned you can hate anyone you want as long as I dont have to hear about it very often. xponent Sigh Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Baseball Re: test
Nick Arnett wrote: And may I add, Go Giants. I haven't been much of a baseball fan since leaving Pittsburgh a couple of decades ago, but this World Series, with its strangely afflicted pitchers, has been sort of fun. I'd normally be rooting for Anaheim (AL snobbishness), but after watching the second inning, I've got to agree with the sentiment of Go Giants. (Also, a certain someone is in that part of the state this week. Not that *he* gives a care about anything besides possible traffic problems if they win the Series at home) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
- Original Message - From: J. van Baardwijk [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 5:32 PM Subject: RE: test At 18:42 23-10-2002 -0700, Nick Arnett wrote: We're testing manual dinging. Would you mind using someone else's posts for that, please? Thank you. My how bossy you are! xponent Moo Moo Buckaroo Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff
From a posted article; just a couple of nitpicks that I have - Debbi, who snipped a lot Let the U.N. Vote Wednesday, October 23, 2002; Page A26 Washington Post Editorial NEARLY SIX weeks have passed since President Bush challenged the United Nations to act to enforce its resolutions on Iraq. Yet there has been no action. Instead, in its attempt to build support in the U.N. Security Council, the Bush administration has made a series of significant concessions. Which I think is both concilatory and prudent; such flexibility subtly demands of allies that they also make some concessions. I just wish that this had been the initial approach, not the latest one. In effect, President Bush has risked the indefinite delay or evisceration of his campaign to eliminate the Iraqi threat in order to build a broad international coalition and preserve the authority of the United Nations. We believe the risk was worth taking... snip The Franco-Russian obstructionism cannot be understood as a response to the Bush administration's hawkishness on Iraq, its doctrine of preemption or its drift toward unilateralism... The two governments now portray themselves as advocates of Iraqi disarmament and U.N. inspections; but for much of the 1990s, their explicit aim was to weaken or abolish U.N. inspections and remove all U.N. sanctions on Iraq -- positions that helped their businessmen to win lucrative new contracts and their governments to harvest popular acclaim in the Arab world, at the expense of the United States... raises eyebrows Something the like of which the US has, of course, _never_ done... Certainly no American company has any interest in Iraqi resources. snip ...In fact, even as Mr. Chirac was proclaiming the sanctity of the United Nations' authority over war-making, some 1,000 French troops were intervening unilaterally to protect French interests in Ivory Coast; Paris never dreamed of forging an international coalition or consulting the Security Council. Now wait just a minute: they went in to protect not only French nationals, but other foreigners - including American citizens - and I believe there was talk of active US support for said action. Those troops _aren't_ there to change the government, either. snip ...What explains this curious double-game? Less high moral principle, we suspect, than old-fashioned cash. The Russian oil giant Lukoil has contracts with Iraq's current government, and Russia's government has $8 billion in Iraqi debt it wants repaid...And French oil company TotalFinaElf has exclusive rights to develop the Bin Umar and Manjoon oil fields. Perhaps these companies fear that a post-Saddam Iraq government might not look kindly on those who supported its former oppressors... chokes on a salted snack food, and thumps sternum vigorously Repeat the raised eyebrows sentences here, without excusing anyone's poor (or should I say incredibly, stupidly, short-sighted?) behavior. snip We'd add that a veto would also deal a major blow to the credibility of the U.N. Mr. Bush has challenged that body to live up to its principles by enforcing its own Iraq resolutions... © 2002 The Washington Post Company As indeed it ought to do. sigh Repeat the bass-ackwards sentiment here. Of course, if it turns out that Saddam had anything to do with the Oklahoma City bombing, as implied in another recently posted article, his regime is toast. Snipers And Bombers And...Death Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Snide remark Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff
Deborah Harrell wrote: From a posted article; just a couple of nitpicks that I have - Debbi, who snipped a lot I've snipped even more, and am merely making a snide remark below. Let the U.N. Vote Wednesday, October 23, 2002; Page A26 Washington Post Editorial ...What explains this curious double-game? Less high moral principle, we suspect, than old-fashioned cash. The Russian oil giant Lukoil has contracts with Iraq's current government, and Russia's government has $8 billion in Iraqi debt it wants repaid...And French oil company TotalFinaElf has exclusive rights to develop the Bin Umar and Manjoon oil fields. Perhaps these companies fear that a post-Saddam Iraq government might not look kindly on those who supported its former oppressors... chokes on a salted snack food, and thumps sternum vigorously Repeat the raised eyebrows sentences here, without excusing anyone's poor (or should I say incredibly, stupidly, short-sighted?) behavior. That wouldn't happen to be a *pretzel*, would it? 'Cause that would be bad. First you choke on a pretzel, then before you know it, you're pushing to invade Iraq :) Or does that only count if you choke on it while watching a sports event? Debbi, you're not watching the ball game, are you? Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snippage Is your cat declawed? ??? Neither cat is declawed - I must say that I find that an offensive practice, like cropping dogs' ears for 'fashion.' Kia would be dead if he didn't have weapons, as one day last month I heard him _screaming_ and ran outside to find him holding off a fox. In my front yard! Not yet sunset! The Right To Bear Arms Maru __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
snip If I ever get my act together and have a car with both a heater and AC, the Denver area is supposed to be great for library book sales. I rarely need either heat or AC while driving - but of course, when either is required, it's _parching_ or _below freezing_. Debbi Funny, my AC failed last year right in the middle of summer, then again this year. It was a hot day, the AC was working. I drove for two hours straight, saw a rock concert (metal woo-hoo!), then drove back that night. I was so tired I don't know if the AC was working on the ride back, I was too busy dodging the rabbits and other things I was seeing that weren't there. Honest, it was from being tired. The next day nothing. I drove a car for five years that had no heat or AC. Nothing I did fixed it, spent lots of money with repair places, nothing. Kevin T. My car has heat, I'll worry about the AC next year. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Snide remark Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff
--- Julia Thompson wrote: I've snipped even more, and am merely making a snide remark below. snip [I wrote] chokes on a salted snack food, and thumps sternum vigorously Repeat the raised eyebrows sentences here, without excusing anyone's poor (or should I say incredibly, stupidly, short-sighted?) behavior. That wouldn't happen to be a *pretzel*, would it? 'Cause that would be bad. First you choke on a pretzel, then before you know it, you're pushing to invade Iraq :) Or does that only count if you choke on it while watching a sports event? Debbi, you're not watching the ball game, are you? ROTFLOL Nope, no sports events - unless you count 'competitive journal reading.' And, for the record, I _like_ pretzels. Also Triscuits, popcorn, chips 'n' salsa, and Goldfish. Furthermore, I too have partaken of the agonies of Coka-Cola snorted post-nasally at the (excellent or excreable, take your pick) timing of a joke (I didn't jump on the thread-wagon then, but I wanted too!). :D Debbi VFP Obfuscation __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Call the UNSC's Bluff
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip We're off to free Iraqees...[no idea if this is correct.] If we only get Saddam. Somewhere, throughout this chaos, freedom lies. We represent the liberal press, the liberal press... William Taylor -- I have no idea why the witch's guard were singing about an upstate NY city. ROTFLOL! Good thing I'm at the office, not the library. I think you forgot a few somewheres, though - exactly two, in fact. :) Debbi who's surprised, now that she thinks about it, that there haven't been more song-spoofs on the airwaves ( frex My, My This Here Anankin Guy) __ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: brin: war
From: His Brinness [EMAIL PROTECTED] John, you are too close to the problem. Step back. Again I ask, do you envision Planet Earth still being divided into completely separate sovereign nations with capricious right-of-war and subject to no overall legal authority, say, 1,000 years from now? When you squint at our future, sending starships across the cosmos and dealing with aliens, do you honestly envision that? Given the frequency of irrational tyrants andzealots and the proliferation of WMD, do you envision such a situation holding even 50 years? It's worse than that. Right now well funded corporations, governments, and some universities can make bio-engineered weapons without much difficulty. As technology progresses individual people will gradually be able to things that are being done now. They just synthesized polio virus from scratch, a few months ago. As technology advances any nut, fanatic, zealot, and villain will be able to do increasingly dastardly things. If some religious fanatic thinks it is 'god`s will' to create some kind of doomsday pathogen, what is to stop them? It's only a matter of time. The Anthrax attacks plainly show this. Aside from that issue, in thirty to forty years the geometric growth of technology will lead to a 'singularity'. As technology gets more and more advanced, more jobs will be replaced with technological solutions, especially white collar office jobs. More and more people will be unemployed. The gap between the haves and the have-nots will widen similarly. If so, HOW can you manage such a mental feat? A primary factor in most people is religion. How many religious sects support the UN? Not many. Most religions distrust the UN for a variety of reasons. Some see it as one of the beasts of revelation. Some see it as moving toward a one world government, with a one world religion, with it's false prophet of revelation to mislead the world. Most of these religions and sects have this special esoteric 'Trvth', special understandings of scriptures, etc. Mr. JDG is perfectly happy to have his special brand of trvth forced on people by the government, irrespective of whether abortion etc. is right or wrong, he would have the government force his particular views on everyone. He, being a good catholic, would probably prefer a return to the absolute power of the popes. Religion and freedom are enemies. Religionists want their thought-control, freedom control spread to everyone. Like any parasite religion wants to spread, is based around spreading itself. Some religious fundamentalists home school their children so they are not taught about religion destroying concepts like evolution, the big bang, etc. To religionists the UN is an authoritarian control (because that is their worldview, the primary meme behind religion is slavery), but is the wrong kind of authority, not from their perception of god, but some false religious system or some satanic system, or some secular system, all of them equally bad. Here is an example of how a lot of bible belt protestants view the UN: http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/MentalHealth2-99.html http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/starwar6-99.html If not, then how do you envision a world of law coming about? If not via the UN, then in what way? You are forgetting a major actor: multi-national corporations. The new feudal lords. Microsoft alone has more money in the bank than many countries GDP. The majority of the wealth and power is increasingly being concentrated into fewer and few corporate hands. Money buys the politicians, and the politicians act on behalf of the corporations. Yes, Americans feel a reflexive fear of such a coalescence... and for dozens of very good reasons! I share those reservations. Indeed, out of all the types of WorldGov we might get, only a very narrow set would seem acceptable to me. And none of those few that are particularly acceptable, or good, would be acceptable to the major religions or the big corporations. Which is the point! Right now, Pax Americana has tremendous influence and good will. We behaved far better, following George Marshall (my Man of the Century) and his gentle -but-firm prescription, than any other 'pax'. We used it top make the EU - our handiwork! - and (under Clinton) put Europe at peace for the first time since Neanderthals saw guys with chins coming over the hill. We have an opportunity to mold WorldGov in an image WE can accept. This page has some interesting things to say about chins (among other things): http://employees.csbsju.edu/lmealey/hotspots/Chapter13.htm But only if we see the goal and grasp it. Something this administration is incapable of doing. Again, many parts of WorldGov are forming before our eyes., The EU's march eastward is setting a model for the process of accession. (I hope not for bureaucracy, though!) Global institutions are forming at the periphery. The
mobile phones
LONDON (Reuters) - Italian scientists have raised new health concerns about the safety of using mobile phones, with research showing radio waves from the handsets makes cancerous cells grow more aggressively. When Fiorenzo Marinelli and his colleagues at the National Research Council in Bologna exposed leukemia cells in the laboratory to 48 hours of continuous radio waves they initially killed the cancer cells but then made the surviving tumor cells replicate more rapidly. We don't now what the effects would be on healthy human cells, Marinelli told New Scientist magazine on Wednesday. Cancer develops when control signals in a normal cell go wrong and an abnormal cell results. Instead of destroying itself the mutant cell keeps on dividing and forms a lump or tumor. In the Italian study, after 24 hours 20 percent more leukemia cells died than healthy cells but longer exposure to the radio waves triggered genes in the surviving cancer cells, in a type of defense mechanism, to divide aggressively. The results of the study do not show any direct threat to human health but they support the belief of some scientists who say radiation can damage DNA and destroy the cell repair system which can make tumors more deadly. But animal studies, including recent research by Australian scientists at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science in Adelaide, have shown that radiation from mobile phones does not trigger the growth of tumors. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more research into the potential health hazards of mobile phones and has urged people to limit their use of them. A British government inquiry, which concluded that there was no evidence that mobile phones are a danger to health, has advised parents to discourage their children, whose brains are still developing, from using them excessively. Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Sea lion
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2960 Sea lion scores top for memory 19:00 23 October 02 Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition California sea lions may have the best memory of all non-human creatures. A female called Rio that learned a trick involving letters and numbers could still perform it 10 years later - even though she hadn't performed the trick in the intervening period. (Image: T. KYRIACCOU/REX IMAGES) Learning concepts such as sameness - when one letter or number matches another, for example - is thought to require sophisticated brain processing. So scientists expect animals to have trouble retaining the ability over long periods unless they are given repeated reminders of the rules. Primates like the rhesus macaque have been found to have impressive long-term memories, but Rio trumped them all. Colleen Kastak and Ronald Schusterman, marine biologists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, began training her in 1991. They started by holding up a card with a number or letter on. Rio was then shown a card bearing the same symbol and another card with a different symbol. If she picked the matching symbol, she was rewarded with a fish. In 2001, the researchers tested Rio again, this time using numbers and letters not used in the previous test. She was just as good at the test as before. Although her 10 year performance is unequalled by any other species, no animal apart from Rio has been tested after such a long gap. Because the symbols used were different this time, it proved Rio had remembered and was capable of applying the concept of sameness to new situations, rather than just recalling matches between familiar numbers and letters. In a second test, the researchers taught Rio to distinguish between numbers and letters. They showed her two cards at a time, one of a letter and the other, a number from a set of 10 letters and numbers. When she picked numbers she got a fish. When tested a year later, Kastak and Schusterman found Rio remembered how to separate the symbols into letters and numbers. Kastak says their impressive memory could help sea lions recognise different categories of prey that are only present at certain times of the year. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
Erik Reuter wrote: On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 01:17:21PM -0500, Dan Minette wrote: the Security Council does whatever these five agree upon. Yes, 5 of the 10 temporary members have to concur, but it is likely to happen if these 5 agree. 4, I believe. 5: U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: test
Kevin Tarr wrote: Funny, my AC failed last year right in the middle of summer, then again this year. It was a hot day, the AC was working. I drove for two hours straight, saw a rock concert (metal woo-hoo!), AC/DC? Doug 8^) ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
Doug wrote: Erik Reuter wrote: On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 01:17:21PM -0500, Dan Minette wrote: the Security Council does whatever these five agree upon. Yes, 5 of the 10 temporary members have to concur, but it is likely to happen if these 5 agree. 4, I believe. 5: U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China I thought the 4 was the number of the temporary members that had to concur; if it's 9 out of 15 (which I seem to remember someone quoting), then you'd need to have 4 of the 10 temporary members agree to whatever the 5 you listed agree on. Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
Julia Thompson wrote: Doug wrote: Erik Reuter wrote: On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 01:17:21PM -0500, Dan Minette wrote: the Security Council does whatever these five agree upon. Yes, 5 of the 10 temporary members have to concur, but it is likely to happen if these 5 agree. 4, I believe. 5: U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China I thought the 4 was the number of the temporary members that had to concur; if it's 9 out of 15 (which I seem to remember someone quoting), then you'd need to have 4 of the 10 temporary members agree to whatever the 5 you listed agree on. Oh, OK, I misunderstood. 8^P Doug ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: The UN
Doug wrote: Julia Thompson wrote: Doug wrote: Erik Reuter wrote: On Thu, Oct 24, 2002 at 01:17:21PM -0500, Dan Minette wrote: the Security Council does whatever these five agree upon. Yes, 5 of the 10 temporary members have to concur, but it is likely to happen if these 5 agree. 4, I believe. 5: U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China I thought the 4 was the number of the temporary members that had to concur; if it's 9 out of 15 (which I seem to remember someone quoting), then you'd need to have 4 of the 10 temporary members agree to whatever the 5 you listed agree on. Oh, OK, I misunderstood. 8^P What you were responding to was perhaps ambiguous, and I wouldn't have caught it if I hadn't been paying attention earlier in the discussion. (And I'll feel better about *my* response if I get confirmation from Erik at some point.) And your response was informational. :) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
