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This was posted to the firearms-politics mailing list.
==============================================================
Hi Folks;
Wednesday marked day 2, the beginning of the trial. Opening
statements were given by both the prosecution and the defense,
each side presenting its version of what happenned last August.
The prosecution argued that Weaver and his family moved to
Idaho in 1983 anticipating a battle with the "evil" federal
government. The prosecution alleges that Weaver sold federal
agents "sawed off" shotguns and later failed to appear for
trial: Despite repeated "good faith" efforts to get Weaver
to surrender peacefully, Weaver refused. The shootout erupted
when Weaver discovered agents on a surveillance mission and
began firing. According to the prosecution, three people
were taking an "offensive action" against an FBI helicopter
when an FBI sniper killed Vicki Weaver.
The defense argued that Weaver and his family moved to northern
Idaho in 1983 to practice their religion in peace. They wanted
simply to be left alone. Weaver was induced by federal agents to
sell the short-barrelled shotgun (and did not, as the prosecution
alleged, want to become a "regular supplier"). The defense also
argued that the federal government sought to arrest Weaver when
he wouldn't become an informant [it is not specified explicitly,
but I assume that this is a reference to the white separatist
angle of the story. We'll know more as things develop]. The
failure to appear in court happenned because Weaver was given
an incorrect court date and then indicted before that date.
The shootout occurred when federal agent Arthur Roderick killed
Weaver's dog that was in proximity to Weaver's son, Samuel. Weaver
then fired in self-defense. In the ensuing battle, federal
agent William Degan was killed (when his gun was later found,
there were 7 .223 cases nearby and the gun was on semi-automatic:
However, agents were near the body for an extended period of
time and could have played with the select-fire - this will
have to be more fully explained). Finally, the defense claims
that Vicki Weaver was only going to "look at the body" [not recover?]
of her son when she was cut-down by an FBI sniper.
Prosecution quote: "Weaver wanted that confrontation, and he made
that confrontation." -- Asst. U.S. Attorney Kim Lindquist
Defense quote: "The evidence in this case is going to show that
this is a case where Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris are charged
with crimes they didn't commit in order to cover crimes that
the government did commit." -- Gerry Spence [nice soundbite!]
Notes: The _Idaho Statesman_ claims that Weaver supporters
heeded a call from Spence not to repeat yesterday's protests
outside the courthouse. However, the local NBC affiliate
again had footage on the 10:00 news with 5 supporters including
"Tim" again. "Tim" claimed he was a skinhead, who were "ordinary,
working class people." He also claimed he was for "white pride,
not white power."
Outside the courthouse the television crew had an impromptu interview
with Bo Gritz, who charged that the neo-nazi protestors are exactly
what the government wants to smear Randy Weaver.
In an affiliated article carried in the _Idaho Statesman_, about
a dozen lawyers were among the 70 or so people packed into the
courthouse. These lawyers were present to watch Gerry Spence
in action, and to perhaps learn something from him. Some
tidbits: Spence flatly told the jurors that he and his son Kent
were volunteering their time to represent Weaver because they
believed in him. Spence, during his 90-minute opening statement,
repeatedly walked behind Weaver and placed his hands on the
defendants shoulders (Weaver broke down and cried during the
recounting of his wife's death), and Spence compared the "sawed
off" shotgun to driving 56 mph when the limit was 55 (another
good one!).
Today (Thursday, April 15th) the prosecution was scheduled to
begin presenting evidence.
Drew
=============================================================
--
**************************************************************
* Ron Phillips crphilli@hound.dazixca.ingr.com *
* Senior Customer Engineer *
* Intergraph Electronics *
* 381 East Evelyn Avenue VOICE: (415) 691-6473 *
* Mountain View, CA 94041 FAX: (415) 691-0350 *
**************************************************************
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
In article <1r85m2$k66@agate.berkeley.edu> aron@tikal.ced.berkeley.edu (Aron Bonar) writes:
>In article <1993Apr22.011720.28958@midway.uchicago.edu>, dgf1@quads.uchicago.edu (David Farley) writes:
>|> In article <C5uHIM.JFq@rot.qc.ca> beaver@rot.qc.ca (Andre Boivert) writes:
>|> >
>|> >
>|> >I am looking for comments from people who have used/heard about PhotoShop
>|> >for Windows. Is it good? How does it compare to the Mac version? Is there
>|> >a lot of bugs (I heard the Windows version needs "fine-tuning)?
>|> >
>|> >Any comments would be greatly appreciated..
>|> >
>|> >Thank you.
>|> >
>|> >Andre Boisvert
>|> >beaver@rot.qc.ca
>|> >
>|> An review of both the Mac and Windows versions in either PC Week or Info
>|> World this week, said that the Windows version was considerably slower
>|> than the Mac. A more useful comparison would have been between PhotoStyler
>|> and PhotoShop for Windows. David
>|>
>
>I don't know about that...I've used Photoshop 2.5 on both a 486dx-50 and a Quadra
>950...I'd say they are roughly equal. If anything the 486 was faster.
>
>Both systems were running in 24 bit color and had the same amount of RAM (16 megs)
>I also believe the quadra had one of those photoshop accelerators.
I went back and looked at the review again. They claim there were
significant differences in manipulating a 27 meg test file, but with
smaller files, the two platforms were the about the same. David
--
David Farley The University of Chicago Library
312 702-3426 1100 East 57th Street, JRL-210
dgf1@midway.uchicago.edu Chicago, Illinois 60637
| 1comp.graphics
|
In article <Apr.21.03.26.51.1993.1379@geneva.rutgers.edu>,
lmvec@westminster.ac.uk (William Hargreaves) writes:
> Hi everyone,
> I'm a commited Christian that is battling with a problem. I
> know that romans talks about how we are saved by our faith not our
> deeds, yet hebrews and james say that faith without deeds is useless,
> saying' You fools, do you still think that just believing is enough?'
>
> Now if someone is fully believing but there life is totally lead by
> themselves and not by God, according to Romans that person is still
> saved by there faith.
my $.02 - Yes and No. I do not believe the above scenario is not possible.
Either they are believing and living (in at least some part) led by God, else
they are not. Believing (intellectually, but waiting(?)) is not enough.
Especially important to remember is that no one can judge whether you are
so committed, nor can you judge someone else. I guess the closest we can
come to know someone's situation is listening to their own statements. This
can be fallible, as is our sense of communion one with another.
> But then there is the bit which says that God
> preferes someone who is cold to him (i.e. doesn't know him - condemned)
> so a lukewarm Christian someone who knows and believes in God but doesn'
> t make any attempt to live by the bible.
Regarding this passage, we need to remember that this is a letter to a church
(at Laodicea), people who are Of the Body of Christ. (Rev.3:14-16) He talks
about their works. A translation could say that he says their lack of
concern makes him sick (to the point of throwing up).
> Now I am of the opinion that you a saved through faith alone (not what
> you do) as taught in Romans, but how can I square up in my mind the
> teachings of James in conjunction with the lukewarm Christian being '
> spat-out'
Right, saving is by faith alone, except that faith does not come alone, if
you catch the two meanings.
I can offer the explanation that Jesus would that we were either "on fire
for Him" or so cold we knew we were not in His will and thus could be made
aware of our separation. This is admonishment for His children, not eternal
damnation.
| "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." |
| "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." |
| (proverbs 26:4&5)
| 15soc.religion.christian
|
I think that NHLPA' 93 is the best video game available now.
of course many things could be done better, but i really appreciate that
the names of players are the real ones, no matter if it lacks some logos...
I am still playing it since November leading different teams to the finals
and making scorers from the same team compete for the top scoring:
Yesterday I won the title using Toronto against Hartford (4 games to two),
I played the playoffs in a 7 games fashion (5 minutes for each period) and
the best scorer and shooter was Gilmour (116 shots if I remember well)
--
_____________________________________________________
Iskander AYARI
Email : Iskander.Ayari@loria.fr ou ayari@loria.fr
_____________________________________________________
| 10rec.sport.hockey
|
In article <1qiebiINN1c1@cae.cad.gatech.edu> vincent@cad.gatech.edu (Vincent Fox) writes:
>In <93104.173826U28037@uicvm.uic.edu> Jason Kratz <U28037@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
>[deleted]
>>The University cops here (who are
>>are state cops) are armed better than the Chicago police. It seems most
>>state cops are. I don't know where you are originally from David but you live
>>in Tennesse and I live in Chicago and see this crap everyday on the news
>>and in the papers. I think the situation is just a tad different here
>>than there.
>
>Which crap, the ridiculous assertions that Uzis are mowing down cops
>right and left? The assertions that dialing 911 should be the proper
>and only option available to the law-abiding citizens?
>
>A factoid:
>
>56 cops were killed in the whole country last year. This is down from
>around 100 in the early '80s. Wow, a real explosion in cop killings
>there eh? :-)
Well, if we're going to discuss being a police officer in
America today.
The FBI lists 132 police officers killed (feloniously and
accidentally) in 1990. That's apparently everybody at all levels.
Year Officers killed Rate/100,000 police officers
1982 164* 47.6
1983 152** 40.2
1984 147 39.4
1985 148*** 37.9
1986 133 34.9
1987 148 39.0
1988 155**** 41.9
1989 145***** 38.1
1990 132 32.0
* Includes one officer in Mariana Islands
** Includes one officer each in Guam and Mariana Islands
*** Includes one officer in Guam and two in foreign locations
**** Includes one officer in American Samoas and two in foreign countries
***** Includes one officer in Guam and one Federal officer killed in
Peru
God, I love the information age! :-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Veal Univ. of Tenn. Div. of Cont. Education Info. Services Group
PA146008@utkvm1.utk.edu - "I still remember the way you laughed, the day
your pushed me down the elevator shaft; I'm beginning to think you don't
love me anymore." - "Weird Al"
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
In article <C6vExt.Lxn@bony1.bony.com> jake@bony1.bony.com (Jake Livni) writes:
>In article <1993May7.175730.12246@ncsu.edu> hernlem@chess.ncsu.edu (Brad Hernlem) writes:
>
>Why is it, then, that when the British, Iranians and UAE refer to
>Occupied Territory, they mean territory in dispute in Israel but not
>in their own affairs?
I suppose for the same reason Jews call the Occupied Territory, Judea and
Sumaria. It's called propaganda and if you repeat lies often enough,
people start to believe it.
js
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
Just a quick, simple question really...
How many wheels are affected by the emergency brake on an '86 Nissan
Maxima. I've heard that all four are affected, but this would seem unusual
to me. I thought the emergency brake on most cars only affected the rear
wheels. Also, how powerful is the emergency brake usually? Enough to lock
wheels at 30mph? Hmmmm... I just have to wonder about some of the things I
hear...
Outatime ------->
| 7rec.autos
|
In article <C5ovG2.J24@magpie.linknet.com>,
neal@magpie.linknet.com (Neal) said:
> My views are out of experiences when I was a police officer in a large
> metropolitan area, and of a citizen. Unless people account for their
> behavior, and for the behavior of their immediate community, nothing
> will improve.
Wait a minute. I agree with you that people have to take responsibility
for their own behavior (I assume that's what you meant by the word
"account"), but also for "the behavior of their immediate community"?
First of all, how "immediate" are you talking about, and secondly, I
have a lot of trouble with any theory of social behavior or justice
which charges anyone with the duty of taking responsibility for or
accounting for the actions of a different person...
-- William December Starr <wdstarr@athena.mit.edu>
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
frank@D012S658.uucp (Frank O'Dwyer) writes:
> In article <930420.100544.6n0.rusnews.w165w@mantis.co.uk> mathew
> <mathew@mantis.co.uk> writes:
> #This is complete nonsense. Relativism means saying that there is no absolut
> #standard of morality; it does NOT mean saying that all standards of morality
> #are equally good.
>
> Presumably this means that some moral systems are better than
> others?
False. (Not (stating (X))) is not equivalent to (stating (not (x))).
> How so? How do you manage this without an objective frame of
> reference?
There is no objective way of measuring the `goodness' of a moral
system. It's a value judgement. Therefore there is so objective
comparison for moral systems. Therefore there is no `best' moral
system.
> And what weasel word do you use to describe that frame of reference, if
> it isn't an objective reality for values?
Similarly, there is no frame of reference that can be used to
objectively compare frames of reference. Any such choice is
arbitrary.
Which is NOT to say that one should not take up reference frames for
various purposes.
There is nothing to believe -- not even this statement.
---
richard@harlequin.com (Internet)
richard@harlequin.co.uk (Internet)
RPTB1@UK.AC.CAMBRIDGE.PHOENIX (JANET)
Zen Buddhist
| 19talk.religion.misc
|
Roger Maynard shares his views, with the masses, on Bob Gainey
and life in general:
>In <1993Apr15.160450.27799@sol.UVic.CA> gballent@hudson.UVic.CA
>(Greg Ballentine) writes:
>>The Selke candidate forwards main purpose on a shift is to
>>prevent goals from being scored- not to score them. When
>>Lemieux or Gilmour play their number one purpose is to score-
>>defence is secondary- especially considering the line that
>>plays against them is probably a defensive one. That is why
>>they are not Selke candidates.
>>Gainey is the best defensive forward ever. I stand by that
>>assessment. He was a very good player who belongs in the hall
>>of fame. Did you ever watch him play? He never made a
>>technical error.
>I watched him over his entire career. I have NEVER seen a
>player, and that includes Russell Courtnall and Davie Keon,
>screw up as many breakaways as Bob Gainey. And I will never
>forget the time Denis Potvin caught Gainey with his head down.
>You have been sold a bill of goods on Bob Gainey.
It was Bryan Trottier, not Denis Potvin. It was a vicious
'boarding' from behind...Trottier was given a major.
But Roger, what the hell does this have to do with Gainey's skill
as a hockey player? If Probert smashes Gilmour's head into the
boards next week, will that diminish your assessment of Gilmour's
skills?
>Gainey was a plugger. And when the press runs out of things to
>say about the stars on dynasties they start to hype the
>pluggers. Grant Fuhr, Essa Tikkannen, Butch Goring, Bob
>Nystrom, Bob Gainey, Doug Jarvis, Derek Sanderson, Wayne
>Cashman, Bob Baun, Bob Pulford, Ralph Backstrom, Henri Richard,
>Dick Duff...and so on...
I would take Fuhr and Sanderson off of the latter.
I think Gainey would be honoured to know that you've included him
on this list. I also think you have a relatively naive view
about what wins a hockey game...pluggers are an integral part of
any team. The Selke is designed to acknowledge their
contribution...I think that most people understand that it's not
the Nobel Prize...so settle down.
>cordially, as always,
>rm
>--
>Roger Maynard
>maynard@ramsey.cs.laurentian.ca
congenially, as always,
jd
--
James David
david@student.business.uwo.ca
j3david@sms.business.uwo.ca (James David)
Western Business School -- London, Ontario
| 10rec.sport.hockey
|
kojo@valet.phx.mcd.mot.com (Kojo Yeboah) writes:
KY>To all those who have PASSATs, do you recommend using Super Unleaded or just
KY>regular Unleaded Gasoline. I have been using Regular Unleaded. A friend of mine has
KY>a Jetta and has always used Super Unleaded and thinks I should be using the same;
KY>however, I believe the advantages of Super Unleaded for CARs $30000 and under
KY>has been overplayed by guess who: the companies who sell them, because that is
KY>where they make the most PROFIT. A Ralph Nader report and other consumer advocates
KY>have in the past spoken against those oil companies.
Your Passat VR6 is designed to run on premium gasoline, however the
engine electronics will retard the timing so that no harm wil be done
to the engine with lower octane fuel.
You will likely, however, get somewhat more power and fuel mileage
(especially in hot weather) out of this particular engine if you do
run it on premium.
Tom Neumann
---
þ DeLuxeý 1.25 #350 þ I sell Volkswagens.
--
Canada Remote Systems - Toronto, Ontario
416-629-7000/629-7044
| 7rec.autos
|
Several weeks ago, I described a problem with my Apple High-Resolution
monitor and promised to summarize replies received by e-mail. To
recapitulate: Occasionally, every two or three hours or so, my monitor
momentarily loses sync. The entire raster image bounces down about an
eighth of an inch or so, then rights itself. This usually happens right
after I close a large window, highlight a large area, or do something that
radically alters the image on the screen. Sometimes, though, it happens
with no provocation whatsoever.
I have received a bewildering range of replies. At one extreme was
a man, clearly quite knowledgable about monitors, who said that the
problem was that the 13" monitor's power supply simply couldn't always
keep up with sudden changes of the raster image; the rapid change from
a largely light screen to a largely dark one overtaxed the monitor's
power supply. There was no fix available, he said, because nothing was
really wrong. (I guess he meant that the flaw was so fundamental that
it had to be endured.)
This seemed quite persuasive and I would have been tempted to
adopt an attitude of stoicism, except for a reply from a 13" monitor
owner who discovered that this very problem is documented in the
Apple Service Technical Procedures, Volume 3, under the heading
Jitter Correction. The section describes a fix involving the replacement
of a capacitor, the adjustment of a potentiometer, or, failing that,
the swap of a circuit board.
I would be grateful for a discussion among those who have had
experience with this sort of thing.
| 4comp.sys.mac.hardware
|
In article <C5rLnE.4pC@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> pmy@vivaldi.acc.Virginia.EDU (Pete Yadlowsky) writes:
>Arms? Automatic weapons, grenades, rocket launchers? The sorts of things
>no family should be without, I guess. Anyway, I've often wondered what
>business followers of Christ would have with weapons. It's hard to imagine a
>pistol-packin' Jesus, though I suppose a pump-action shotgun would have
>made clearing the temple a hell of a lot easier.
FYI, these people were not "followers of Christ". David Koresh was
their messiah.
--
Two wrongs don't make a right,
but three rights make a left.
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
Hi all,
I am working on a project in which I need to brake an image
into sub-bands and then work with them. Since I have never done
anything like this, don't even understand the concept of sub-bands, I
was wondering if there is some software out there that would allow me
to do this. Any hints?
Thanks,
--
-Scott Violet (xepo@csd4.csd.uwm.edu)
| 1comp.graphics
|
The following document summarizes the Clipper Chip, how it is used,
how programming of the chip is coupled to key generation and the
escrow process, and how law enforcement decrypts communications.
Since there has been some speculation on this news group about my
own involvement in this project, I'd like to add that I was not in
any way involved. I found out about it when the FBI briefed me on
Thursday evening, April 15. Since then I have spent considerable
time talking with the NSA and FBI to learn more about this, and I
attended the NIST briefing at the Department of Commerce on April 16.
The document below is the result of that effort.
Dorothy Denning
---------------
THE CLIPPER CHIP: A TECHNICAL SUMMARY
Dorothy Denning
April 19, 1993
INTRODUCTION
On April 16, the President announced a new initiative that will bring
together the Federal Government and industry in a voluntary program
to provide secure communications while meeting the legitimate needs of
law enforcement. At the heart of the plan is a new tamper-proof encryption
chip called the "Clipper Chip" together with a split-key approach to
escrowing keys. Two escrow agencies are used, and the key parts from
both are needed to reconstruct a key.
CHIP STRUCTURE
The Clipper Chip contains a classified 64-bit block encryption
algorithm called "Skipjack." The algorithm uses 80 bit keys (compared
with 56 for the DES) and has 32 rounds of scrambling (compared with 16
for the DES). It supports all 4 DES modes of operation. Throughput is
16 Mbits a second.
Each chip includes the following components:
the Skipjack encryption algorithm
F, an 80-bit family key that is common to all chips
N, a 30-bit serial number
U, an 80-bit secret key that unlocks all messages encrypted with the chip
ENCRYPTING WITH THE CHIP
To see how the chip is used, imagine that it is embedded in the AT&T
telephone security device (as it will be). Suppose I call someone and
we both have such a device. After pushing a button to start a secure
conversation, my security device will negotiate a session key K with
the device at the other end (in general, any method of key exchange can
be used). The key K and message stream M (i.e., digitized voice) are then
fed into the Clipper Chip to produce two values:
E[M; K], the encrypted message stream, and
E[E[K; U] + N; F], a law enforcement block.
The law enforcement block thus contains the session key K encrypted
under the unit key U concatenated with the serial number N, all
encrypted under the family key F.
CHIP PROGRAMMING AND ESCROW
All Clipper Chips are programmed inside a SCIF (secure computer
information facility), which is essentially a vault. The SCIF contains
a laptop computer and equipment to program the chips. About 300 chips
are programmed during a single session. The SCIF is located at
Mikotronx.
At the beginning of a session, a trusted agent from each of the two key
escrow agencies enters the vault. Agent 1 enters an 80-bit value S1
into the laptop and agent 2 enters an 80-bit value S2. These values
serve as seeds to generate keys for a sequence of serial numbers.
To generate the unit key for a serial number N, the 30-bit value N is
first padded with a fixed 34-bit block to produce a 64-bit block N1.
S1 and S2 are then used as keys to triple-encrypt N1, producing a
64-bit block R1:
R1 = E[D[E[N1; S1]; S2]; S1] .
Similarly, N is padded with two other 34-bit blocks to produce N2 and
N3, and two additional 64-bit blocks R2 and R3 are computed:
R2 = E[D[E[N2; S1]; S2]; S1]
R3 = E[D[E[N3; S1]; S2]; S1] .
R1, R2, and R3 are then concatenated together, giving 192 bits. The
first 80 bits are assigned to U1 and the second 80 bits to U2. The
rest are discarded. The unit key U is the XOR of U1 and U2. U1 and U2
are the key parts that are separately escrowed with the two escrow
agencies.
As a sequence of values for U1, U2, and U are generated, they are
written onto three separate floppy disks. The first disk contains a
file for each serial number that contains the corresponding key part
U1. The second disk is similar but contains the U2 values. The third
disk contains the unit keys U. Agent 1 takes the first disk and agent
2 takes the second disk. The third disk is used to program the chips.
After the chips are programmed, all information is discarded from the
vault and the agents leave. The laptop may be destroyed for additional
assurance that no information is left behind.
The protocol may be changed slightly so that four people are in the
room instead of two. The first two would provide the seeds S1 and S2,
and the second two (the escrow agents) would take the disks back to
the escrow agencies.
The escrow agencies have as yet to be determined, but they will not
be the NSA, CIA, FBI, or any other law enforcement agency. One or
both may be independent from the government.
LAW ENFORCEMENT USE
When law enforcement has been authorized to tap an encrypted line, they
will first take the warrant to the service provider in order to get
access to the communications line. Let us assume that the tap is in
place and that they have determined that the line is encrypted with
Clipper. They will first decrypt the law enforcement block with the
family key F. This gives them E[K; U] + N. They will then take a
warrant identifying the chip serial number N to each of the key escrow
agents and get back U1 and U2. U1 and U2 are XORed together to produce
the unit key U, and E[K; U] is decrypted to get the session key K.
Finally the message stream is decrypted. All this will be accomplished
through a special black box decoder operated by the FBI.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND DISTRIBUTION NOTICE. All information is based on
information provided by NSA, NIST, and the FBI. Permission to
distribute this document is granted.
| 11sci.crypt
|
Newsgroups: misc.wanted,misc.forsale,misc.forsale.computers,
Subject: Wanted: Manual of Polaroid Palette 72-10; $10
Distribution: world
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson SC
I need the Polaroid Palette Model 72-10 (or similar model) manual.
I am willing to pay $10 for it, plus the shipping charge via USPS 3rd
class.
I don't need the original one, photo-copyed manual will just fine for
me. If you have the manual, please help me out.
Thanks in advance.
Eric (803)6548817
Newsgroups: misc.forsale,misc.wanted,misc.forsale.computers
Subject: Wanted: $10 for Polaroid Palette 72-10 Manual
Summary:
Followup-To:
Distribution: world
Organization: Clemson University, Clemson SC
Keywords:
| 6misc.forsale
|
Hello Ceci:
My name is Tony and I have a few comments on your "rosicrucian"
adventure. I hereby state that I am not claiming or denying membership in
any Order, fraternity etc. with or without the word "Rosicrucian" in the
name of the organization. I only claim having done some "homework" :-)
This is intended as a friendly article and if at times it seems
different, it's my lack of writing skills showing, nothing else. Heck,
English may be my second language! (And then again maybe not by now :-)
I proceed:
>
>I had an ehum, interesting experience with the Rosicrucians, or at
>least Rosicrucians of some sort last Sunday.
>
Let's start with the name "Rosicrucian". I took me a long time to come
to the conclusion that there is a difference between a *member* of a
"rosicrucian" body and BEING *a* ROSICRUCIAN. So when you say that you met
some 'rosicrucians' you mean "members of a group that calls themselves
rosicrucian". At least that is what your observation suggests :-)
I'd prefer if you would have stated up front that it was the Lectorium
Rosicrucianum, only because they may be confused, by some readers of this
newsgroup, with the Rosicrucian Order AMORC based (the USA Jurisdiction) in
San Jose, CA; this being the RC org with the most members (last time I
looked). Of course, "most members" does not *necessarily* mean "best".
Anyway, the Lectorium Rosicrucianum claims they
descend (at least in part) from what was the "Gold-und-Rosenkreuz" (Golden
and Rosy Cross), from the 18th century. There were two "Golden and Rosy
Cross", the first (chronologically) more alchemical, the second with
Masonic tinges, but their history is the subject of a complete chapter :-).
"You'll have to trust me" when I tell you that if that
lecture/class/whatever had been presented by AMORC, it is unlikely that you
would have had the same impression, i.e., you'd probably have had a
positive impression more likely than a negative one, IMHO.
>The first guy also said that the R:s are a mystical Christian order, and
>that they base their teachings on the teachings of the Kathars
>(English?) from the thirteenth century.
>
Again, instead of R:s, it should be "Lectorium Rosicrucianum" :-). It
is curious to know that 3 other RC 'orders' (in the USA) claim to be *non-
sectarian*.
The Cathars were a 'heretic' christian sect that directly challenged
the 'authority' of the medieval catholic church. They flourished during the
12th century, century which saw the religious zeal expressed in the
crusades and also the growing disillusion with the catholic church and the
worldly ways of its clerics. It was largely in response to the church's
unseemly pomp and splendor that Catharism took root, first in northern
Italy, then throughout the south of France.
>What made me a bit suspicious, was the way they first said that we all
>contained something divine, and could find our way back to divinity,
>then that we couldn't become divine as the persons we are currently,
>but if we worked really hard we would reach eternal bliss.
I don't see nothing *fundamentally* wrong with "us containing
something divine"... And yes I don't like phrases like "eternal bliss"
either! :-)
>How to robotize people and brainwash...
>
For a moment I thought you were referring to Madison Ave :-)
(Madison avenue in New York City is where the most influential (read
$$$) *commercial* advertising is produced here in the USA :-)
Peace,
Tony
BTW, I have read the intro letters of the LRC which they will mail you free
of charge.
| 19talk.religion.misc
|
From: Marc VanHeyningen <mvanheyn@cs.indiana.edu>
The majority of the discussion involving this "Clipper Chip" seems to
pertain to the encryption of telephone conversations. Does anyone
know if that means this chip is designed to work primarily with analog
signals? The language sort of suggests this, but it's hard to say.
I'd lay a few bucks that its just data-in-data-out in parallel. I suspect
to make it a phone you'd need a codec and speech compression. There would
be a loss of bandwidth on the speech signal, which I suspect would scupper
any of the suggestions I've seen here about putting a different encryption
front end on it.
There's no hint of any modulation scheme in the docs. I'm sure it's purely
a digital chip. The back end will come later, but I'm *positive* it won't
be left to the manufacturers - they all have to be the same modulation
scheme to make it easy for the NSA to tap them.
The only other possibility is that this is intended only for ISDN phones.
(Puts a whole new spin on EFFs obsession about ISDN if true, bwahahaha! ;-) )
G
| 11sci.crypt
|
In article <1993Apr30.202808.19204@ux1.cts.eiu.edu> cfaks@ux1.cts.eiu.edu (Alice Sanders) writes:
> But after you have taken antihistamines for a few nights, doesn't it start
> to have a paradoxical effect? I used to take one every night for
> allergies and couldn't figure out why I developed bad insomnia.
Insomnia is a known, but relatively infrequent, side-effect of
diphenhydramine.
For most people, this does not occur. On the other hand, most people
can build up a tolerance to an antihistamine with extended use.
(Allergy sufferers are often switched from one antihistamine to
another to avoid this.)
--
Steven Litvintchouk
MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1420
Fone: (617)271-7753
ARPA: sdl@mitre.org
UUCP: linus!sdl
| 13sci.med
|
In article <2BD9C01D.11546@news.service.uci.edu>, tclock@orion.oac.uci.edu (Tim Clock) writes:
|> In article <1993Apr24.203620.6531@Virginia.EDU> ab4z@Virginia.EDU ("Andi Beyer") writes:
|> >I think the Israeli press might be a tad bit biased in
|> >reporting the events. I doubt the Propaganda machine of Goering
|> >reported accurately on what was happening in Germany. It is
|> >interesting that you are basing the truth on Israeli propaganda.
|>
|> Since one is also unlikely to get "the truth" from either Arab or
|> Palestinian news outlets, where do we go to "understand", to learn?
|> Is one form of propoganda more reliable than another? The only way
|> to determine that is to try and get beyond the writer's "political
|> agenda", whether it is "on" or "against" our *side*.
|>
|> Tim
To Andi,
I have to disagree with you about the value of Israeli news sources. If you
want to know about events in Palestine it makes more sense to get the news
directly from the source. EVERY news source is inherently biased to some
extent and for various reasons, both intentional and otherwise. However,
the more sources relied upon the easier it is to see the "truth" and to discern
the bias.
Go read or listen to some Israeli media. You will learn more news and more
opinion about Israel and Palestine by doing so. Then you can form your own
opinions and hopefully they will be more informed even if your views don't
change.
Brad Hernlem (hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU)
Jake can call me Doctor Mohandes Brad "Ali" Hernlem (as of last Wednesday)
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
It seems that President Clinton can recognize Jerusalem as Israels capitol
while still keeping his diplomatic rear door open by stating that the Parties
concerned should decide the city's final status. Even as I endorse Clintons vie
w (of course), it is definitely a matter to be decided upon by Israel (and
other participating neighboring contries).
I see no real conflict in stating both views, nor expect any better from
politicians.
-----
David Shalhevet / dshal@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu / University of Illinois
Dept Anim Sci / 220 PABL / 1201 W. Gregory Dr. / Urbana, IL 61801
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
Rich Thompson posts some blather about the Libertarian Party:
>August 30, 31, Sept. 1: Everything You Always Wanted to
> Know About Winning Elections, but
> Didn't Know Where to Ask!
What pray tell do the Libertarians know about winning elections?
Bob
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert W. McGwier | n4hy@ccr-p.ida.org
Center for Communications Research | Interests: amateur radio, astronomy,golf
Princeton, N.J. 08520 | Asst Scoutmaster Troop 5700, Hightstown
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
In article <1993Apr18.035125.29930@freenet.carleton.ca>, aa963@Freenet.carleton.ca (Lloyd Carr) writes:
>
> In a previous article, maven@mavenry.altcit.eskimo.com (Norman Hamer) says:
>
> >
> >
> > If I don't end up replacing it in the real near future, would I do better
> >to wear my (totally nondamaged) 3/4 face DOT-RATED cheapie which doesn't fit
> >as well or keep out the wind as well, or wearing the Shoei RF-200 which is a
> >LOT more comfortable, keeps the wind out better, is quieter... but might
> >have some minor damage?
>
> == Wear the RF200. Even after a few drops & paint chips, it is FAR better
> than no helmet or a poorly fitting one. I've had many scratches & bangs
> which have been repaired plus I'm still confident of the protection the
> helmet will continue to give me. Only when you actually see depressions
> or actual cracks (using a magnifying glass) should you consider replacement.
> --
This is not good advice. A couple of years I was involved in a low-speed
getoff in which I landed on my back on the pavement. My head (helmeted)
hit the pavement with a "clunk", leaving a couple of dings and chips in the
paint at the point of impact, but no other visible damage. I called the
helmet manufacturer and inquired about damage. They said that the way a
fiberglass shell works is to first give, then delaminate, then crack.
This is the way fiberglass serves to spread the force of the impact over a
wider area. After the fiberglass has done its thing, the crushable foam
liner takes care of absorbing (hopefully) the remaining impact force.
They told me that the second stage of fiberglass functionality (delamination
of the glass/resin layers) can occur with NO visible signs, either inside or
outside of the helmet. They suggested that I send them the helmet and they
would inspect it (including X-raying). I did so. They sent back the helmet
with a letter stating that that they could find no damage that would
compromise the ability of the helmet to provide maximum protection.
(I suspect that this letter would eliminate their being able to claim
prior damage to the helmet in the event I were to sue them.)
The bottom line, though, is that it appears that a helmets integrity
can be compromised with no visible signs. The only way to know for sure
is to send it back and have it inspected. Note that some helmet
manufacturers provide inspections services and some do not. Another point
to consider when purchasing a lid.
--
Ken Franklin They say there's a heaven for people who wait
AMA And some say it's better but I say it ain't
GWRRA I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
DoD #0126 The sinners are lots more fun, Y'know only the good die young
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
In article <wilbanks.734921387@spot.Colorado.EDU> wilbanks@spot.Colorado.EDU (Kokopeli) writes:
>
>My prediction: The Red Sox-Cubs Series and Vikings-Broncos SuperBore will
>occur at the end of the world.
>
So, which one will officially be the end of the world? ;)
I can see the end of the WS now:
"Well folks, here it is. Bottom of the ninth; bases loaded; Full count on
Sandberg in this 1-1 game. Clemens winds, heres the pitch. Swung on and it is a
line drive to center. Zupcic moves to his left. He's there and.....
*****ZOT******
===============================================================================
| joec@godot.cyprs.rain.com |WARNING: Elvis impersonating can be hazardous|
| joec@ursula.ee.pdx.edu | to your health -- it sure won't help|
| | your reputation. |
+-------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| I bike, therefore I am! | Go Red Sox! Go Celtics! |
| | Go Seahawks! Go Sonics! |
===============================================================================
| 9rec.sport.baseball
|
/*
This program doesn't detect edges with compass operators and a laplacian
operator. It should output 2 raw grey-scale images with edges. The output
doesn't look like edges at all.
In novicee terms, how do I correct the errors? Any improvements are welcome.
(I'll even accept your corrected code.)
(If I convolve the INPUT.IMAGE with a digital gaussian [7 by 7] to remove
noise, will I get an improvement with the laplacian.)
--------------------------2 types of edge detection-------------------------*/
#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
#define IMAGEWIDTH 300
#define IMAGEHEIGHT 300
unsigned char Input_Image [IMAGEHEIGHT][IMAGEWIDTH];
unsigned char Angles_Wanted [IMAGEHEIGHT][IMAGEWIDTH];
unsigned char Magnitude_Image [IMAGEHEIGHT][IMAGEWIDTH];
int Laplace_Op1 [3][3] = { 0,-1, 0, -1,4,-1, 0,-1, 0};
int Compass_Op1 [3][3] = { 1, 1, 1, 0,0, 0, -1,-1,-1};
int Compass_Op2 [3][3] = { 1, 1, 0, 1,0,-1, 0,-1,-1};
int Compass_Op3 [3][3] = { 1, 0,-1, 1,0,-1, 1, 0,-1};
int Compass_Op4 [3][3] = { 0,-1,-1, 1,0,-1, 1, 1, 0};
int Compass_Op5 [3][3] = {-1,-1,-1, 0,0, 0, 1, 1, 1};
int Compass_Op6 [3][3] = {-1,-1, 0, -1,0, 1, 0, 1, 1};
int Compass_Op7 [3][3] = {-1, 0, 1, -1,0, 1, -1, 0, 1};
int Compass_Op8 [3][3] = { 0, 1, 1, -1,0, 1, -1,-1, 0};
void Compass (row,col)
int row,col;
{
int value;
int op_rows, op_cols;
int Compass1,Compass2,Compass3,Compass4;
int Compass5,Compass6,Compass7,Compass8;
Compass1 = Compass2 = Compass3 = Compass4 = 0;
Compass5 = Compass6 = Compass7 = Compass8 = 0;
for (op_rows = -1; op_rows < 2; op_rows++)
for (op_cols = -1; op_cols < 2; op_cols++)
{
if (((row + op_rows) >= 0) && ((col + op_cols) >= 0))
{
Compass1 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op1 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass2 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op2 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass3 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op3 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass4 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op4 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass5 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op5 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass6 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op6 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass7 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op7 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
Compass8 += ((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols]) *
Compass_Op8 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1];
}
}
if (Compass1 < Compass2)
value = Compass2;
else
value = Compass1;
if (value < Compass3)
value = Compass3;
if (value < Compass4)
value = Compass4;
if (value < Compass5)
value = Compass5;
if (value < Compass6)
value = Compass6;
if (value < Compass7)
value = Compass7;
if (value < Compass8)
value = Compass8;
Magnitude_Image [row][col] = (char) value;
}
void Laplace1 (row,col)
int row,col;
{
int op_rows, op_cols;
Magnitude_Image [row][col] = 0;
for (op_rows = -1; op_rows < 2; op_rows++)
for (op_cols = -1; op_cols < 2; op_cols++)
if (((row + op_rows) >= 0) && ((col + op_cols) >= 0))
Magnitude_Image [row][col] =
(char) ((int)Magnitude_Image [row][col] +
((int) Input_Image [row + op_rows][col + op_cols] *
Laplace_Op1 [op_rows + 1][op_cols + 1]));
}
main ()
{
FILE *Original_Image_fp;
FILE *Laplace1_mag_fp,*Laplace2_mag_fp,*Laplace3_mag_fp;
FILE *Compass_mag_fp;
int row, col, Algo_Count;
Original_Image_fp = fopen ("INPUT.IMAGE","rb");
Laplace1_mag_fp = fopen ("Laplace1_Magnitude","wb");
Compass_mag_fp = fopen ("Compass_Magnitude","wb");
fread ((unsigned char *) Input_Image,sizeof(unsigned char),IMAGEHEIGHT * IMAGEWIDTH,Original_Image_fp);
for (Algo_Count = 0; Algo_Count < 2;Algo_Count ++)
{
for (row = 0; row < IMAGEHEIGHT; row++)
for (col = 0; col < IMAGEWIDTH; col++)
if (!Algo_Count)
Laplace1 (row,col);
else
Compass (row,col);
if (!Algo_Count)
fwrite(Magnitude_Image,sizeof(char),IMAGEHEIGHT * IMAGEWIDTH,Laplace1_mag_fp);
else
fwrite(Magnitude_Image,sizeof(char),IMAGEHEIGHT * IMAGEWIDTH,Compass_mag_fp);
}
}
--
| .-, ###|For a lot of .au music: ftp sounds.sdsu.edu
| / / __ , _ ###|then cat file.au > /dev/audio
| \_>/ >_/ (_/\_/<>_ |UB library catalog:telnet bison.acsu.buffalo.edu
|_ 14261 _|(When in doubt ask: xarchie, xgopher, or xwais.)
| 1comp.graphics
|
In article <1993Apr23.183655.13710@ulysses.att.com> smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
>
>That is -- the cops send the LEF to the F-holder. The F-holder strips
>off F, and sends U[K],N to the escrow agents. They send either U or K
>to the cops. (Don says U, I say K.) The cops can't use U in the
>future, because they can't strip off F. The F-holder never sees U. In
>Don's model, the escrow agents can't read the traffic, because they
>don't have K; in my model, they have K, but not the message itself.
>And I trust that more because I think the cops and the FBI (the
>F-holder) are more likely to collaborate on breaking the rules. The
>net result is that by involving the F-holder and the escrow agents on
>every tap, we can avoid extending permission to tap.
I've been reading this board passively for a while now and find the
subject absolutely fascinating, especially from the point of view of
a civil rights nut like myself. My problem is that I'm new to the field
and paragraphs like the above keep popping up. I'm sure what Mr.
Bellovin is writing about is both fascinating and important, but I have
NO IDEA what it means. :-)
Anyway I'm keen to learn and will read anything I can get my hands on
that explains this stuff in lay terms (I have a decent CS background, but
not a huge amount of hyper-advanced math). Can anyone point me to a FAQ
or a decent source of information about the guts of current cryptography and
maybe a little history as well? I read the piece in this month's WIRED, can
anyone tell me how much I should trust the references they suggest?
Thanks in advance,
Steve.
--
Steve Kramarsky, University of Chicago Law School
steve@faerie.chi.il.us -or- smk5@quads.uchicago.edu
"All I did was kiss a girl." - Jake, the night before his hanging.
| 11sci.crypt
|
In article <mcclaryC5snpq.KB1@netcom.com>, mcclary@netcom.com (Michael McClary) writes:
> In article <1qvh8n$gf4@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> friedenb@maple.egr.msu.edu
> (Gedaliah Friedenberg) writes:
> >
> >Give me a break. If the Mormons fortified Utah and armed it to the teeth,
> >and were involved in illegal activity, then they deserve whatever they get.
>
> Actually, after surviving being driven out of Nauvoo, and later Carthage,
> the Mormons DID fortify Utah. They still arm themselves to "defend the
> faith", and stockpile food as well. They have been involved in quite a
> lot of illegal activity - including multiple (and often underage) wives
> for the leaders - a practice still in vogue with some splinters of their
> sect. The parallels between Koresh and Joseph Smith are striking.
>
> So what did the Mormons get? It seems that J. Edgar Hoover was very
> impressed with the way they kept secrets. (They're pledged to defend
> secrets with their lives and atone for sin with blood. Many actually
> do - even to the point of suicide.) So he hired virtually no one but
> Mormons, until the FBI was almost exclusively staffed by members of the
> Church of Later Day Saints. Though J. Edgar is finally gone, the FBI
> personnel (especially the field agents) are still heavily Mormon.
>
> I have often wondered how this might affect the FBI's treatment
> of religious organizations a Mormon would consider heretical.
You make some very interesting claims here. I'm not challenging them,
mind you, but could you provide a reference or two about the make-up
of F.B.I. personnel? Thanks very much.
--
Clinton Administration e-mail addresses | clintonhq@campaign92.org (MCIMail)
provided as a public service by | 75300.3115@compuserve.com (CompuServe)
Jon Edward Shum (jon@mitre.org) | clintonpz@aol.com (America Online)
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
Base Unit
1 Controller
All Cables and hookups
Games:
Kieth Courage
Legenary Axe
Fantasy Zone
Victory Run
Wrestling Challenge
Blazing Lasers
Military Madness
Bloody Wolf
*** Asking $160.00 for all the above ***
*** Will ship COD ***
*** Call Mike: 908-949-3804 (Day) ***
*** 908-469-3250 (Eve) ***
| 6misc.forsale
|
Ted Dunning (ted@nmsu.edu) wrote:
:
: nobody seems to have noticed that the clipper chip *must* have been
: under development for considerably longer than the 3 months that
: clinton has been president. this is not something that choosing
: choosing bush over clinton would have changed in the slightest; it has
: been in the works for some time.
Actually, many of us have noted this. We have noted that the program
started at least 4 years ago, that the contracts with VLSI Technology
and Microtoxin were let at least 14 months ago, that production of the
chips is well underway, and so forth.
Nobody I know has claimed Clinton intitiated the program. But he chose
to go ahead with it.
-Tim May
--
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^756839 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available.
| 11sci.crypt
|
azoghlin@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Very Old Freshman (VOF)) writes:
>Critisism is too easy. What solutions do people have that would have been
>better than what the FBI had been doing for the last few months?
lightly off track, but still relevant: why all the crying
over the children? I know we are hardwired to consider
the future of the race, and comapssionate people are concerned
for all children; but so what?
For the Branch Davidians, the options were to die or
submit to Evil[tm] - and have their children's very
souls lost due to the brain washing of the Ungodly
State. (to put this in terms the 'average' netter might
grasp: they considered it the equivalent of putting
Jesse Helms in charge of NEA _and_ MTV.)
And remembering that in 1983 the Supreme Court Struck Down
Freedom of Conscience (IRS vs Bob Jones et al.):
Who's next?
Is your religion / belief system Government Approved?
Jim JOnes had won numerous awards from the state before
he moved to Guiana? Obviously state regulation would have
stopped that tragedy too.
chus
pyotr
p.s. The Mormons weren't always Saints, but they did go a long
way to be left alone. Always a ThoughtCrime in any ProperState.
--
pyotr@halcyon.com Sometimes Pyotr Filipivich, sometimes Owl.
OPTIMIST: Bagpiper with a beeper.
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
In <1993Apr20.074018.9336@csu.edu.au> mantolov@golum.riv.csu.edu.au (Michael Antolovich) writes:
>In article <aaron_bratcher-140493082909@fpm-mac-1.uchicago.edu> aaron_bratcher@fpm.uchicago.edu (Aaron Bratcher) writes:
>>Does anyone know if there is an ethernet card that takes advantage of the
>>A/Rose extension?
> Hey what does the A/Rose extension do anyway ?
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system
From: probulf@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Frank Probul)
Subject: Re: A/ROSE with Centris and Quadra models
Organization: Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1993 14:33:26 GMT
A/ROSE = Apple Real Time Operating System Environment
This is a system extension for these NuBUS cards using the
MCP (= Macintosh Coprocessor Platform). The MCP-cards are NuBUS cards with a
Motorola 68000-Processor and 512 KB RAM (expandable to 1 Meg).
MCP is a development platform for hardware-designers so they can use a card
with an own processor and thus the main processor isn't needed for these cards.
Currently the only cards I know are
- the Apple TokenRing-Card
- the new Apple Ethernet-Card
- the Apple NuBUS serial card
Perhaps there are some third-party-cards, but I don't know.
---------------------------------------------
Frank Probul
Emanuelstr. 17, D-8000 Munich 40, Germany
AppleLink: Probul.F@AppleLink.Apple.COM
internet: probulf@informatik.tu-muenchen.de
Munich University of Technology
Department of Computer Science
Germany
---------------------------------------------
| 4comp.sys.mac.hardware
|
jvannes@vms.macc.wisc.edu writes:
>You are probably referring to the products of
>
> Opto Diode Corp.
> 750 Mitchell Road
> Newbury Park Ca 91320
> 805 499-0335
>The make some amazing IRLED's. The really high-powered devices are arrays of
>3, 6, or 9, LED's on a TO-66 header. The 9-chip model puts out 6.5 Watts in
>response to a 5 Amp, 10 uS. pulse at a .5% duty cycle. I think these are
>designed as illuminators for IR vision systems.
Yeah! that's the guys!
>I would also be interested in the application here. I work with a Dance and
>Technology program, and want to build something to track dancers on a 30 foot
>wide stage from 50 feet away.
Yeah, that sounds a lot like lasertag anyway.... :-)
Duane
| 12sci.electronics
|
In article cnp@morrow.stanford.edu, ME.DMG@forsythe.stanford.edu (David Gaba M.D.) writes:
>Two and a half years ago I purchased a set of CD ROMs from the
>University of Colorado Lab for Atmos. and Space Physics. They
>were Space Sciences Sampler and Voyagers to the Outer Planets.
>...
>With Pixel Pusher we could never get past messages something like
>This file has no PDS label, please fill in the following info
>(a bunch of slots with most zeros). Yet, we could open the
>image file in Word and see the label file at the beginning.
The compressed image format used for the Voyager disks is not (yet)
supported by any Macintosh display software that I know of. However,
there does exist a program that can convert the images to a format that
is recognized by recent versions of both Pixel Pusher and NIH/Image. It
is called "PDS Decompress" and is available via anonymous ftp from the
"pub" directory on "delcano.mit.edu" [18.75.0.80]. This is a Binhex/
Stuffit archive and contains the application itself, Think-C source,
and a very brief description.
The most recent version of NIH/Image (1.48) may be down-loaded from
"starhawk.jpl.nasa.gov", where it is located in "image148.hqx" in the
"pub" directory. This archive also contains source code, but not the
documentation, which is located in the "image1455.hqx" archive in the
same directory.
Regards,
Peter G. Ford
Manager, Microwave SubNode
NASA Planetary Data System
| 14sci.space
|
In article <1993Apr27.073723.18577@csis.dit.csiro.au> prl@csis.dit.csiro.au (Peter Lamb) writes:
>king@ctron.com (John E. King) writes:
>>Let me try again.
[ out-of context quotes from Mr. King deleted, along with the context,
thoughtfully provided by Mr. Lamb]
John:
Isn't there one of the ten commandments that says something like "you
shall not bear false witness?" And doesn't quoting someone in a way that
completely inverts what they were trying to say constitute bearing false
witness? Doesn't this cause you any internal conflict at all?
I ask this because I am a Christian and I am very perturbed to see the
"creation-science" camp use what I would characterize as sleazy tactics in
order to try to win the "debate." There is a long tradition of Christian
thought that maintains that an essential Christian ethic is that the end does
not justify the means. In other words, HOW you do something is as important
as what it is intended to accomplish. I don't think that using misquoted
excerpts from people who disagree with you brings very much glory to God,
do you?
-- Dave
--
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
* David Knapp dk@imager.llnl.gov (510) 422-1023 *
* 98.7% of all statistics are made up. *
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
| 0alt.atheism
|
In article <C5uHHI.2HDG@austin.ibm.com>, kelleyb@austin.ibm.com (Kelley Boylan) writes:
>
>> Yes, I know computers and harddisk drives should be ALWAYS on. But what about
>> monitors? They generate a lots of heat. Should I or shouldn't I keep them on
>> 24 hours a day? Any advice? Thanks. Take care...Paul
>
> There has been no empirical evidence to support the first statement. True,
> there is a power surge at startup that has the potential to do damage, but
> the internal power supply is well-protected. (I've turned my Mac on and off
> six or seven times a day for three years without problem). The monitor is
> the same. To leave it on is to waste a lot of electricity -- twice as much
> as a television, possibly more.
The computer itself uses far less electricity than a TV.
Monitor--depends on the size :).
But one thing NOT to do is use a self-shutdown or power-shutdown
iron/appliance on the same electric line.
After a new monitor and power supply and modem, my wife *still* doesn't
think her iron is at fault :(. (She should know better, being a Bio-med
engineer :)
Brett
________________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing so passionate as a vested interest disguised as an
intellectual conviction." Sean O'Casey in _The White Plague_ by Frank Herbert.
| 4comp.sys.mac.hardware
|
In article <C5sDyp.C6E@bony1.bony.com>, billg@bony1.bony.com (Bill Gripp) writes:
> In article <C5rLnE.4pC@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> pmy@vivaldi.acc.Virginia.EDU (Pete Yadlowsky) writes:
>
> >Arms? Automatic weapons, grenades, rocket launchers? The sorts of things
> >no family should be without, I guess. Anyway, I've often wondered what
> >business followers of Christ would have with weapons. It's hard to imagine a
> >pistol-packin' Jesus, though I suppose a pump-action shotgun would have
> >made clearing the temple a hell of a lot easier.
Luke's account of the Last Supper. "...sell your cloak and buy a
sword." Peter carried a sword (scene in Gethsemane).
>
> FYI, these people were not "followers of Christ". David Koresh was
> their messiah.
Good point.
>
> --
>
> Two wrongs don't make a right,
> but three rights make a left.
>
--
Intel, Corp.
5000 W. Chandler Blvd.
Chandler, AZ 85226
| 19talk.religion.misc
|
In article <1r6qqcINN8j4@clem.handheld.com>
jmd@cube.handheld.com (Jim De Arras) writes:
>
>In article <16BB8B194.R1328@vmcms.csuohio.edu> R1328@vmcms.csuohio.edu writes:
>> In article <1993Apr22.134330.9761@rti.rti.org>
>> jbs@rti.rti.org writes:
>>
>> >
>> >In article <16BB7BA6A.R1328@vmcms.csuohio.edu> R1328@vmcms.csuohio.edu
>writes:
>> >>...Gun buyback programs will hopefully
>> >>have an impact on accidental shootings (especially youths), domestic
>> >>disputes where a gun is available in the heat of emotion and anger, and
>> >>maybe keep a few guns from being stolen and later used in street-level
>> >>crime.
>> >
>> >What gives you the idea that gun "buyback" programs will have an impact on
>> >any of these things? Evidence, please?
>> >
>> > Please don't misinterret what I was saying Joe. I was making the point
>tha
>> there is NO evidence of effect of gun buyback programs but hopefully if
>> there is any effect it may prevent injuries or deaths in one of these types
>> of common incidents.
>>
>> >If you're a "Research Associate" in "Urban Child Research," then perhaps
>> >you can comment for us on the ratio of the accidental gun death rate to the
>> >rate of accidental death from other single causes? Follow that perhaps
>> >with some sort of justification for the amount of effort that anti-gunners
>> >spend trying to convince the country that accidental gun-related death
>> >among children in the U.S. is a serious problem.
>> >
>> Firearms are the fifth-leading cause of unintentional deaths among children
>> ages 14 and under. I don't understand how the ratio to other accidental
>> deaths is important. So guns don't kill as many children as car accidents.
>> What is the difference in severity between 1,000 deaths and 10,000 deaths?
>> I am not trying to use accidental gun-related deaths among children as a
>> justification for gun control. Who needs to be convinced that accidental
>> gun deaths of children is a serious problem? I assumed that any humane
>> person would be concerned when any 10 year old got hold of their parents
>> gun from their bedroom drawer and accidently blew away one of their friends.
>>
>
>Any death is serious. Wanna discuss match control? Firearms related
>unintentional deaths among children ages 14 and under are the fault of one or
>more negligent persons, not the gun.
>
Did I say that a child who unintentionally shoots someone is not negligent?
NO. I hate to repeat myself Jim, but like I told Joe, I was not attempting
in any way to justify gun control. You're right, any death is serious.
THAT was my point to Joe who said that "anti-gunners" try to convinve
the country that accidental gun deaths related to children are a serious
problem. I guess I assumed everyone thought that it was a problem.
No, I don't want to discuss match control. I don't equate a book of matches
to a loaded 9 millimeter either. Don't confuse the issue. And please don't
say that tired old NRA line "Guns don't kill people, people kill people".
Sure, people can kill people without guns. But easy access to guns makes it
a lot more convenient. "Guns don't kill people, People with easy access to
guns kill people".
>> >>More than anything, gun buyback programs are symbolic offerings to the
>> >>community. In that sense, I think they might do a little good.
>> >
>> >Please explain why you think "symbolic offerings" do good.
>> >
>> My point was, gun buyback programs which are almost always run by police
>> departments MIGHT (I stress might) do a LITTLE (I stress little) good by
>> giving people the impression that the police are attempting to respond
>> to interpersonal gun violence in a unique way. Overall, I thought that I
>> had made it clear that I did not think that gun buyback programs were
>> useful.
>>
>
>Providing false hope, then, is the intent?
>
Jim, I'm just saying how it is. I'm not saying if that is a good thing
or not. From the police who I have talked with who run some of these gun
buyback programs, I get the impression that they really think they are
having an impact on the community. When I ask them if they have an evaluatory
component to the program, they say "well no..." So, in answer to your
question, no, false hope is not the intent. I think the intent is to
show folks that police are attempting to do something to curb interpersonal
gun violence whether its effective or not. Look, if you can't measure
the impact of these programs using some sort of pre-test and post-test
evaluation, what is the point? It must be symbolic in nature. The police are
essentially saying "look, if you have a gun lying around and you don't
want it, we'll give you $50 for it...because we care about the community".
If you, I and Joe could think of a way to measure the effectiveness or
ineffectiveness of these programs we could become rich and famous.
>>
>> >>I do know that the vast majority of guns that are used by youths or
>> >>brought to school by youths on a daily basis (about 135,000 youths) are
>> >>obtained easily and quickly, through a personal friend, or more often
>> >>"borrowed" from a parent without their knowledge.
>> >
>> >I suggest you go back and look at wherever you saw these "statistics" - I
>> >suspect you'll find if you look carefully that 135,000 is the number of
>> >students *estimated* to have carried *a weapon* (not necessarily a gun)
>> >to school at least once in the past year, and not the number of students
>> >who carry a gun to school daily.
>> >
>> Well Joe, I suggest that you talk to the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
>> or the Centers for Disease Control. If YOU look carefully you will see
>> that YOU greatly underestimate the presence of guns in the lives of youths.
>> The CPHV reports that 135,000 youth bring GUNS to school DAILY and that
>> 400,000 bring GUNS to school at least once a year. The CDC estimates
>> that 1 out 0f 25 high school students carried a gun to school at least once
>> in 1990. The CDC also says that 1.2 million elementary-aged, latch-key
>> children (kids who come home from school to an empty house), have access
>> to guns in their home. California schools reported a 200% increase in
>> student gun confiscations between 1986 and 1990, and a 40% increase between
>> 1988 and 1990. Florida reported a 61% percent increase in gun incidents in
>> schools between 1986/87 amd 1987/88. These are the "statistics".
>>
>
>200% increase in California schools, eh? Gun control is working fine, there!
>>
>> I didn't anything about gun control, what are you talking about?
>> >>thus willing to follow a man who claimed to be the Messiah (Got news
>> >>for you folks, if the Big Cheese was on this crazy planet of ours
>> >>presently, he would NOT be carrying a gun or holding children when they
>> >>were in danger).
>> >
>> >"Holding kids?" Time for a reality check, son. These kids were the
>> >children of the people inside who believed that the forces of evil were
>> >outside waiting to kill them. Would you send *your* children out the door
>> >if you believed as they did?
>> >
>> Okay, maybe I worded it wrong...DAD. I meant that to put children in a
>> situation (fortified compound) where harm could come to them is not the
>> act of a Messiah in my opinion. I'm not saying that Koresh had control over
>> these children directly, but I would hope that whatever Messiah there is
>> would not let innocent children die.
>> If as he claimed he was the Messiah and people followed him as such, why
>> did he not tell their parents to free the children instead of letting them
>> burn alive? Thanks for the reality check Joe, its been real.
>>
>So your religion is different. Does that make it his wrong? Even assuming
>Koresh actually made that decision, and the verdict is still out on that.
>
> Jim, listen to me, I said I'M NOT RELIGIOUS WHATSOEVER, do you understand?
Religion has nothing to do with this. I could care less what religion
they were okay? To put children in that situation is wrong, pure and
simple. Difference is good Jim, I am the most progressive and diverse
person in the world. But, if different is allowing kids to be exposed
to tanks and tear-gas, then yes Jim, DIFFERENT IS WRONG.
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
davidm@gvls2.vfl.paramax.com (David Madden) writes:
>In article <C5sHE2.LKF@ucdavis.edu>, ez027993@chip.ucdavis.edu (Gary Built Like Villanueva Huckabay) writes:
>|> You want to speed up ballgames?
>|>
>|> 3. Mandate a rule permitting only N seconds between pitches (the current
^^^^^^^
>|> rule is too lenient), and then enforce it. Fifteen seconds is more
^^^^
Please pardon my ignorance if this is well known, but what is the current
rule?
>|> than enough time. If the pitch isn't released in 15, call it a ball,
>|> and restart the clock.
>|>
>I remember a post from last year indicating that a "pitch clock" was tried
>in one of the minor leagues some time back and did not work. I don't remember
>why they said that it did not work. Anyone remember this?
>Jody McDonnel on WIP in Phil. has been saying that a pitch clock was
>inevitable. How would a pitch clock work on throws to first?
Maybe we could limit the number of throws to first that the pitcher can make,
and award a balk if he exceeds it. I'd have another question: who would
operate the pitch clock? One of the umpires? Add another one to the crew?
>Another pair of suggestions:
>1. Remove the Balk rule. It is the runners responsibility to stay "safe"
> no matter what the pitcher does.
I'm not sure I like this idea. I think it would severely diminish the
number of stolen bases and limit the availability of such neat strategic
ploys as the hit and run and the squeeze play (one of my personal favorites).
>2. If a pitcher throws to an occupied base more than X time (X = 3 to 5)
> without successfully picking off the runner, the runner advances a base
> as if walked.
Ahhh! I suppose I should read the whole article before I hit the 'f' key,
eh? Obviously, from what I wrote above, I like this idea.
>The no-balk seems to give the pitcher the advantage. The base-walk allows
>the runner to "challenge" pitcher to throw over to the base.
It may also increase the number of wild throws to the bag, since the
pitcher knows he doesn't have very many chances to pick off the runner,
so he may hurry too much. I'd rather see runs scored as the result of
sound hitting and sound baseball strategy rather than on the sloppiness
that could result from this kind of rule. So, I suppose there are some
disadvantages to that idea too.
>|> Baseball games take about 2:51 in the NL, and just a shade under 3 hours
>|> in the AL. That's just too damn long. I don't like to PLAY in 3 hour
>|> games, much less WATCH a game for that long. My butt falls asleep, and
>|> if I'm watching on TV, I'll channel surf between pitches, catching
>|> colorized versions of Mr. Ed, Leave it to Beaver, and "Those Wacky
>|> Nieporents" on Nick at Nite.
>I too, find myself surfing when I know that it will be enough time between
>each pitch to allow the batter to adjust his "jewlery".
I remember in little league, if when up to bat we stepped out of the batter's
box, even for a moment, we were automatically out. That may be a little
harsh for the majors, but seriously, how about putting a limit on the
batters being able to step out, take several dozen practice swings, pound
their shoes, scratch their balls, etc.? Maybe forcing them to stay in the
batter's box wouldn't be such a bad idea. That could save a few minutes.
--Randy
| 9rec.sport.baseball
|
I'm looking for a version of xterm which handles color and vt220 style status
lines. Can anyone out there help?
Thanks
| 5comp.windows.x
|
In article <C5r7Ey.7Mq@srgenprp.sr.hp.com> blaisec@sr.hp.com (Blaise Cirelli) writes:
>
>I'm thinking of buying a motorcycle. Whenever I tell people
>this I usually get an answer like "Why do you want to do that
>My brother, sister, cousin knows somebody who had a motorcycle
>and now they are brain dead as a result of an accident?"
>
>So the question I have is "HOW DANGEROUS IS RIDING"?
It's exactly as dangerous as it looks. You're hard to see and have little
protection. Keeping out of trouble means knowing your limits, keeping your
machine in good shape and being able to predict and make up for every stupid
move that drivers make out there. We deal with it because it's fun, but
staying alive takes a conscious effort.
I've bike like | Jody Levine DoD #275 kV
got a you can if you -PF | Jody.P.Levine@hydro.on.ca
ride it | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
Chapter 7 operation in Somlia. Almost Chapter 7 in Cambodia and Yugo.
'Bout time the UN started using force to make the peace happen.
Hopefully, they will soon be doing the same with world economics.
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
I noticed several years ago that when I took analgesics fairly regularly,
(motrin at the time), I seemed to get a lot of migraines. But had
forgotten about that until I started reading some of the posts here.
I generally don't take NSAIDS or Tylenol for headaches, because I've
found them to be ineffective. However, I have two other pain sources
that force me to take NSAIDS (currently Naprosyn). First, is some
pelvic pain that I get at the beginning of my period, and then much
worse at midcycle. I have had surgery for endometriosis in the past
(~12 years ago), so the Drs. tell me that my pain is probably due
to the endometriosis coming back. I've tried Synarel, it reduced
the pain while I took it (3 mos), but the pain returned immediately
after I stopped. Three doctors have suggested hysterectomy as the
only "real solution" to my problem. Although I don't expect to have
any more children, I don't like the idea of having my uterus and
one remaining ovary removed (the first ovary was removed when I had
the surgery for endometriosis). One of the Drs that suggested
I get a hysterectomy is an expert in laser surgery, but perhaps thinks
that type of procedure is only worthwhile on women who still plan
to have children. So basically all I'm left with is toughing out
the pain. This would be impossible without Naprosyn (or something
similar - but not aspirin, that doesn't work, and Motrin gave me
horrible gastritis a few years ago, so I'm through with it). In
fact, Naprosyn works very well at eliminating the pain if I take
it regularly as I did when I had severe back pain (and pain in both
legs) as I'll discuss in a moment. Generally though, I wait until
I have the pain before I take the Naprosyn, but then it takes
several hours for it reduce the pain (it's actually quite effective
at reducing the pain, it just takes quite a while). In the meantime
I'm frequently in severe pain.
The other pain source I have is chronic lower back pain resulting in
bilateral radiculopathy. I've had MRIs, Xrays, CT scan, and EMGs
(I've had 2 of them, and don't intend to ever do that again) with
nerve conduction tests. The tests have not been conclusive as to
what is causing my back and leg pain. The MRI reports both say I have
several bulging, degeneratig disks, and from the Xrays (and MRI, I think)
it is apparent that I have arthritis. The reading on the CT scan
was that there are two herniations (L3-L4, and L4-L5), but others
hav looked at the films and concluded that there are no herniations.
The second EMG and nerve conduction studies shows significant denervation
compared to the first EMG. Oh yeah, I had some other horrible test,
called something like Somatic Evoked Response which showed that the
"internal nerves" are working fine. Anyway, the bottom line is that
I sometimes have severe pain in both legs and back pain. The back pain
is there all the time, but I can live with it. When the leg pain is there,
I need some analgesic/anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the pain
to a level where I can work. So I took Naprosyn regulary for 6-9
months (every time I tried to stop the leg pain got worse, so I'd
always resume). Since last November I have taken it much less frequently,
and primarily for the pelvic pain. I have been going to physical
therapy for the last 8 months (2-3 times a week). After the first month
or so, my therapist put me on pelvic traction (she had tried it earlier,
but it had caused a lot of pain in my back, this time she tried it at
a lower weight). After a month or two, the pain in my legs began going
away (but the traction aways caused discomfort in my lower back, which
could be reduced with ultrasound and massage). So now, I don't have
nearly as much pain in my legs, in fact my therapist took me off
traction about 2 weeks ago.
Getting back to my original reason for this post... Even if I can avoid
taking analgesic for headaches, I really can't avoid them entirely because
I have other pain sources, that "force" me to use them (Oh, I forgot
to mention that it has been suggested to me that I have back surgery,
but I'm avoiding that too). I find the migraines difficult to deal with,
occassionally I have to take off work, but usually I can work, but at
a reduced capacity (I'm a systems engineer and do a lot of reading
and writing). When the pelvic pain is bad, I can't concentrate much,
I usually end up jumping out of my chair every few minutes, because
the pain is so bothersome. When the pain in my back is bad, it can
cause severe burning in both legs, shooting pains in my legs, electric
shock type of pain in my feet and toes, and basically when it gets bad
I can't really sit at all. Then I end up spending most of my time home
and in bed. So even if the analgesics contribute to the migraines, the
migraines are more tolerable than the other pain sources. I get a lot
of migraines, an average of 3 to 4 a month, which last 1-3 days.
I've taken cafergot (the first time the caffiene really got to me so
I reduced the dosage), but I don't like the side effects (if I take
more than two I get diahrea). If I get a very bad headache, I will
eventually take the cafergot. My neurologist wasn't very helpful when
I told him my problems with cafergot, he said that when sumatriptan
becomes available, I should try that. I've tried several other medications
(fiornal, midrin, fiornal with codeine, tegretol, and inderal) but
they either didn't work, or I couldn't tolerate them. So what can I do?
My doctor's seem to be satisfied with me just trying to tolerate the
pain, which I agree with most of the time, but not when I have a lot of
pain. I've had some bad experiences with surgery (my heart stopped
once from the anesthesia - I was told that it was likely the
succinylcholine), and I've already had surgery several times.
Anyway, the point of what I'm saying is that even if analgesics can contribute
to migraines, some people NEED to take them to tolerate other pain.
Janice Rathmann
| 13sci.med
|
On April 23, mckee@cs.Buffalo.EDU (Douglas McKee) wrote:
M(--> were doomed to 4'th in the division. I'm still not convinced the
M(--> Sabres will win this series (I've lived in Buffalo all my life, and
M(--> these last 10 years have been playoff Hell), but I'm just sitting
M(--> back, crossing my fingers and hoping the offense can keep scoring
Have no fear, Doug, the Bruins are toast. Statistically, only 2 teams
in **all** the Stanley Cup series ever played have come back to win.
And it couldn't have happened to a nicer team, with all the crowing
from Boston fans I've had to endure over the last month.
Take heart, Bruins fans. At least you finished first in the Adams
<sinister chuckle>.
- Jack
* Laugh and the world thinks you're an idiot.
---
RoseReader 2.10 P003814 Entered at [ROSE]
RoseMail 2.10 : RoseNet<=>Usenet Gateway : Rose Media 416-733-2285
| 10rec.sport.hockey
|
In article <C5JrDE.M4z@news.cso.uiuc.edu> cobb@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu (Mike Cobb) writes:
>Theory of Creationism: MY theistic view of the theory of creationism, (there
>are many others) is stated in Genesis 1. In the beginning God created
>the heavens and the earth.
This is a belief, not a theory. A theory makes predictions and is falsi-
fiable. What you've stated makes no predictions and is not falsifiable.
If it was that easy, the ICR wouldn't have it as rough as they do :-).
--
Seth J. Bradley, Senior System Administrator, Intel SCIC
Internet: sbradley@scic.intel.com UUCP: uunet!scic.intel.com!sbradley
----------------------------------------
"A system admin's life is a sorry one. The only advantage he has over
Emergency Room doctors is that malpractice suits are rare. On the other
hand, ER doctors never have to deal with patients installing new versions
of their own innards!" -Michael O'Brien
| 0alt.atheism
|
folks,
i am going to be purchasing a new vehicle in the next few months. i
am trying to hold out until the fall since i have heard that i can
be in a better negotiating position to purchase a '93 right when the
'94s are coming out. i need something that can comfortably carry
2 adults, 2 kids in car seats, and 2 60-pound dogs. i can probably
afford something in the 14k-16k range. i am interested in the SUV's
but am not sure there are any that are decent which i can afford.
i think the ford explorer got good reviews from consumer reports but
is above my $$$ range. the isuzu rodeo is probably in my price range
but i think consumer reports gave it a big thumbs down. can anyone
offer any suggestions? i am hoping for something a little more hip
than the traditional wagon, and the SUVs look like fun (we do a lot of
camping too).
veek
| 7rec.autos
|
In a debate about the student government here at our university, a
question was raised by one student senator:
"Why should I represent people who didn't vote?"
and by implication, this raises a different question:
"Why should I represent people who didn't vote for me?"
I feel that there are many good reasons that anyone elected to public
office (in student government or any other government) should strive
to represent ALL the people in their constituency (class of '95 or a
geographical area, or whatever).
I would like some help from others in phrasing a reasonable argument
on this topic. Thanks.
Followups are directed to talk.politics.misc, but email is preferred.
--
Jim Ault, ITS Systems Programmer, RPI, Troy, NY 12180 USA aultj@rpi.edu <><
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
In article <1993Apr20.114746.3364@ncsu.edu>, hernlem@chess.ncsu.edu (Brad Hernlem) writes:
>
> In article <1993Apr19.214300.17989@unocal.com>, stssdxb@st.unocal.com (Dorin Baru) writes:
>
> |> (Brad Hernlem writes:
> |>
> |>
> |> >Well, you should have noted that I was cheering an attack on an Israeli
> |> >patrol INSIDE Lebanese territory while I was condemning the "retaliatory"
> |> >shelling of Lebanese villages by Israeli and Israeli-backed forces. My "team",
> |> >you see, was "playing fair" while the opposing team was rearranging the
> |> >faces of the spectators in my team's viewing stands, so to speak.
> |>
> |> >I think that you should try to find more sources of news about what goes on
> |> >in Lebanon and try to see through the propaganda. There are no a priori
> |> >black and white hats but one sure wonders how the IDF can bombard villages in
> |> >retaliation to pin-point attacks on its soldiers in Lebanon and then call the
> |> >Lebanese terrorists.
> |>
> |> If the attack was justified or not is at least debatable. But this is not the
> |> issue. The issue is that you were cheering DEATH. [...]
> |>
> |> Dorin
>
> Dorin, of all the criticism of my post expressed on t.p.m., this one I accept.
> I regret that aspect of my post. It is my hope that the occupation will end (and
> the accompanying loss of life) but I believe that stiff resistance can help to
> achieve that end. Despite what some have said on t.p.m., I think that there is
> a point when losses are unacceptable. The strategy drove U.S. troops out of
> Lebanon, at least.
>
> Brad Hernlem (hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU)
Hi Brad,
I have two comments: Regarding your hope that the "occupation will end...
belive that stiff resistance..etc. - how about an untried approach, i.e.,
peace and cooperation. I can't help but wonder what would happen if all
violence against Israelis stopped. Hopefully, violence against Arabs
would stop at the same time. If a state of non-violence could be
maintained, perhaps a state of cooperation could be achieved, i.e.,
greater economic opportunities for both peoples living in the
"territories".
Of course, given the current leadership of Israel, your way may work
also - but if that leadership changes, e.g., to someone with Ariel
Sharon's mentality, then I would predict a considerable loss of life,
i.e., no winners.
Secondly, regarding your comment about the U.S. troops responding
to "stiff resistance" - the analogy is not quite valid. The U.S.
troops could get out of the neighborhood altogether. The Israelis
could not.
Just my $.02 worth, no offense intended.
Respectfully,
Ben.
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
In article <1qmvutINN3he@lynx.unm.edu> galway@chtm.eece.unm.edu (Denis McKeon) writes:
}In heavy traffic I slow down a bit, mostly so I have more buffer zone in
}front to balance the minimal buffer behind, but I also often find that the
}jerk behind will notice traffic moving faster in other lanes, switch
}into one of them, and pass me - which is fine, because then I can keep a
}better eye on the jerk from behind, while looking ahead, rather than
}from in front, while splitting my attention between ahead and the mirrors.
This is pretty damned complicated. I just make a "back off" motion with
my hand/arm, and the second or third time even the most braindead cager
backs off. If they don't back off then, I find a way to get the hell out
of there -- the cager is either psychotic, drunk, or just a complete
asshole. In any case, I don't want to be anywhere near, and especially
not in front.
--
Curtis Jackson cjackson@mv.us.adobe.com '91 Hawk GT '81 Maxim 650
DoD#0721 KotB '91 Black Lab mix "Studley Doright" '92 Collie/Golden "George"
"There is no justification for taking away individuals' freedom
in the guise of public safety." -- Thomas Jefferson
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
/ iftccu:talk.politics.guns / mikey@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Strider) / 8:51 pm Apr 12, 1993 /
>I think most of us would rather be held up with a knife than with a gun,
>but HOW THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO MANAGE THAT? You still haven't offered
I've been watching this knife verses gun bit for a while now, (even
contributed a few comments) but this stuff "I'd rather face a knife than
a gun" has GOT to come from ignorance! I used to think pretty much the
same thing, then I got 'educated.'
People do not as a rule understand how deadly knives can be, or how
quickly you can be killed with one. Most people don't understand that
it takes less than an inch of penetration in some areas to cause quick
(within a minute or so) death.
The death rates from handguns and knives are within a few percentage
points of each other. Many people not realizing how deadly knives are
'try their luck' and thus more get injured by knives. A gun is deadly
only in a single direction and it's only advantage is that it is a
remote control weapon. A contact weapon such as a knife controls a
spherical area 7 to 10 feet in diameter.
Most people have never seen knife wounds, aside from slicing a finger by
accident. From 21 feet or so, a knife is very nearly an even match for
a holstered gun in experienced hands, even if the knife wielder has only
moderate skill. From inside 10 feet or so, a knife is a match for a
DRAWN gun. A knife is utterly silent, it never jams and never runs out
of ammunition. It is limited only by the speed, dexterity skill and
ability of it's wielder. Criminals in general are young, fast and
strong. It's interesting to note that the patterned slashing attacks
used by many martial artists remarkably resemble the wild uncontrolled
slashing attacks of novices. I've talked to several well trained
martial artists. They have unanimously agreed that if they ever go up
against a knife they simply plan on being cut, hopefully not as bad as
the attacker.
Practicing with firearms requires facilities and equipment. Practicing
with knives requires only a small area and something to simulate a
knife, say a popsicle stick or tooth brush. Criminals practice their
knife attacks in prison.
If you have not trained against knives with a firearm and do not realize
these facts the first inkling you will have that something is wrong is
the knife ripping through your throat, or in the case of an experienced
attacker, parts of your body falling off onto the ground. A 60 year old
man with arthritis can close that 7 yard distance and gut you in about
one and a half seconds. Dennis Tueller with a broken leg in a walking
cast managed it in two. I've seen people close that distance and strike
in 1 second. I'm old, over weight and slow. I can do it in 1.3
seconds. I've seen morgue footage of people killed with edged weapons
that you would not believe. (How about a single stab wound to the chest
with a TABLE FORK! In this case the attacker used the HANDLE, not the
pointed end.)
Add to this the 'fact' that hand gun 'stopping' power is largely a myth.
Except in the case of a central nervous system shot, or a round that
destroys the skeletal structure, it takes anywhere from 3 to twelve
seconds for a bullet wound to 'take effect.'
This is true of even heart shots. There is the case of the police woman
in L.A., the first recorded survivor of a .357 shot to the heart. That
lady not only killed her attacker, but chased him down to do it! All
four of her shots, fired after SHE had been shot, struck the perp. Atta
girl! The bullet entered her on a downward angle, went through the apex
of her heart, down through the diaphragm, clipped her liver and
destroyed her spleen. It then exited her back leaving a tennis ball
sized hole. She died about six times on the operating table, but was
out of the hospital in 15 days and was back on full duty in eight
months! She was off duty at the time and not wearing her vest. She was
on her way home so happened to have her gun. No, she doesn't think
civilians should have the same rights. Sigh.
The moral of the story is that even if you DO manage to shoot a knife
attacker, you'd better be planning on doing some dodging. A good
alternative is to shoot for and break the pelvis. People can often walk
(a little) on broken legs but a broken pelvis will nearly always anchor
them. Many firearms schools recommend pelvis shots against contact
weapons. The target is as large as the traditional 'center of mass' and
is more reliable to STOP somebody with a contact weapon, assuming a
caliber powerful enough to 'do the job.' Hot .38's on up will usually
do this.
Remember folks, the idea isn't to 'take em with you' but for you to live
and them to fail, whatever the consequences for them. This the reason
'killing them' isn't our goal, or in many cases even good enough to keep
us alive.
I don't want to face a violent attack of any sort. Knowing what I now
know, I can't rightly say I'd rather face a knife than an gun. It would
have to depend on the attacker, and if I could pick and choose, I
WOULDN'T BE THERE. This is really the bottom line. Criminals do not
fear the law. Criminals do not fear the weapon. They fear the citizen
behind the weapon that has shown the resolution and determination to do
whatever it takes.
Rick.
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
In article <72020037@otter.hpl.hp.com> tgg@otter.hpl.hp.com (Tom Gardner) writes:
>What is the difference between vertical and horizontal?
Gravity? Doesn't gravity pull down the photons and cause a doppler shift
or something?
(Just kidding!)
| 12sci.electronics
|
I was wondering if anybody knows anything about a Yamaha Seca Turbo. I'm
considering buying a used 1982 Seca Turbo for $1300 Canadian (~$1000 US)
with 30,000 km on the odo. This will be my first bike. Any comments?
Thanks.
Peter How
Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies
University of Saskatchewan,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
CANADA
(306) 966-6452
IN::how@skisas.usask.ca
**********************************************************************
* 1983 clapped-out Ford Truck *
**********************************************************************
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
In article <30151@ursa.bear.com>, halat@pooh.bears (Jim Halat) writes:
|> In article <C5snCL.J8o@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>, adpeters@sunflower.bio.indiana.edu (Andy Peters) writes:
|>
|> >Evolution, as I have said before, is theory _and_ fact. It is exactly
|> >the same amount of each as the existence of atoms and the existence of
|> >gravity. If you accept the existence of atoms and gravity as fact,
|> >then you should also accept the existence of evolution as fact.
|> >
|> >--
|> >--Andy
|>
|> I don't accept atoms or gravity as fact either. They are extremely useful
|> mathematical models to describe physical observations we can make.
|> Other posters have aptly explained the atomic model. Gravity, too, is
|> very much a theory; no gravity waves have even been detected, but we
|> have a very useful model that describes much of the behavior on
|> objects by this thing we _call_ gravity. Gravity, however, is _not_
|> a fact. It is a theoretical model used to talk about how objects
|> behave in our physical environment. Newton thought gravity was a
|> simple vector force; Einstein a wave. Both are very useful models that
|> have no religious overtones or requirements of faith, unless of course you
|> want to demand that it is a factual physical entity described exactly
|> the way the theory now formulated talks about it. That takes a great
|> leap of faith, which, of course, is what religion takes. Evolution
|> is no different.
|>
|> --
|> jim halat halat@bear.com
|> bear-stearns --whatever doesn't kill you will only serve to annoy you--
|> nyc i speak only for myself
|>
|>
|>
|>
Perhaps the major difference here is that we notice something, which we call
gravity, and then do some modelling around it. I myself do not notice any
deity. Hence a model cannot be made. A deity is an abstract, and hence
religion may be considered a model of an abstract.
Besides, we can always change the model of gravity if the one we have doesn't
work too well. Can you imagine this with the bible? Erm, excuse me, I bought
this about 1500 years ago and it doesn't seem quite right...can I have an
improved model please?!
--
+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| Adda Wainwright | Does dim atal y llanw! 8o) |
| eczcaw@mips.nott.ac.uk | 8o) Mae .sig 'ma ar werth! |
+-------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
| 0alt.atheism
|
In <1qid8s$ik0@agate.berkeley.edu> dzkriz@ocf.berkeley.edu (Dennis Kriz) writes:
>I recently have become aware that my health insurance includes
>coverage for abortion. I strongly oppose abortion for reasons of
>conscience. It disturbs me deeply to know that my premiums may
>be being used to pay for that which I sincerely believe is
>murder. I would like to request that I be exempted from abortion
>coverage with my health premiums reduced accordingly.
Reduced? Abortion is a lot cheaper than pre-natal care and birth.
If you wanted to pay the higher premiums that would result if everyone
using their health insurance to pay for an abortion instead elected to
carry to term, I'm pretty sure that your insurance carrier would be
happy to take your money.
--
Larry Margolis, MARGOLI@YKTVMV (Bitnet), margoli@watson.IBM.com (Internet)
| 19talk.religion.misc
|
Dumbest options? Well here in the UK, BMW offer a 'no-smokers' option...
It just means they take the fag lighter out.... big deal....
BTW - I just bought a Honda CRX F1..... its neat... did consider an MR2 targa,
MX5 (you guys call it Miata?).... but that CRX just one my heart with that
body kit and 8-spokes....
ps: is Richard out there somewhere?
| 7rec.autos
|
In article <9901221@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> jld@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Jeff Deeney) writes:
>In rec.motorcycles, viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
>
>> Last year, I believe it was, Jeff Deeney posted what I've since come to
>> recognize as the ultimate April Fools posting ever. It wasn't particularly
>> nice of him, as several people were quite fooled and very worried about
>> him, but I can't fault the effectiveness.
>
>Based on numerous inputs (most of them unprintable), I deemed it time for a
>kinder, gentler, April 1. Not that I didn't have something really sick and
>twisted ready to post :-) Perhaps next year.
Personally, I think Jeffy-Poo was still smarting more from the third degree
burns he suffered after April 1st last year rather than the supposed burns
that he suffered in "the joke". Granted I was one of those people that were
taken in by it and I was certainly concerned...and then pissed at him for
pulling such a thing (which I made known to him).
But then again, for an April Fool "joke" I would also go on record as saying
that it was the best orchestrated one I've ever seen and it certainly sucked
a LOT of people into believing it 8-( 8-| 8-\ 8-)...
"sick" - "twisted"??? Who in this group could ever be accused of such a thing?
I tip my twisted lid to thee Jeffy 8-).
Rich Bemben - DoD #0044 rbemben@timewarp.prime.com
1977 750 Triumph Bonneville (617) 275-1800 x 4173
"Fear not the evil men do in the name of evil, but heaven protect
us from the evil men do in the name of good"
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
cl056@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Hamaza H. Salah) writes:
# Well said Mr. Beyer :)
He-he. The great humanist speaks. One has to read Mr. Salah's posters,
in which he decribes Jews as "sons of pigs and monkeys", keeps
promising the "final battle" between Muslims and Jews (in which the
stons and the trees will "cry for the Muslims to come and kill the
Jews hiding behind them"), makes jokes about Jews dying from heart
attacks etc, to realize his objective stance on the matters involved.
-Danny Keren.
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
pbd@runyon.cim.cdc.com (Paul Dokas) writes:
>I was reading Popular Science this morning and was surprised by an ad in
>the back. I know that a lot of the ads in the back of PS are fringe
>science or questionablely legal, but this one really grabbed my attention.
>It was from a company name "Personal Missle, Inc." or something like that.
The company was probably "Public Missiles, Inc" of Michigan.
>Anyhow, the ad stated that they'd sell rockets that were up to 20' in length
>and engines of sizes "F" to "M". They also said that some rockets will
>reach 50,000 feet.
Yup.
>Now, aside from the obvious dangers to any amateur rocketeer using one
>of these beasts, isn't this illegal? I can't imagine the FAA allowing
>people to shoot rockets up through the flight levels of passenger planes.
>Not to even mention the problem of locating a rocket when it comes down.
Nope, it's not illegal. It is, however, closely regulated. In order to
purchase and use the big rocket motors required, it is necessary to be
one of the following:
a) An employee of a government agency.
b) An employee or student at a university doing research involving rockets.
c) A member or representative of an educational organization involved in
research or other uses of rockets. There are two such organizations:
The Tripoli Rocketry Association and the National Association of Rocketry.
Members of either organization must demonstrate proficiency in construction
and flight before they are allowed to purchase large motors on their own.
The FAA will issue a waiver of its regulations, upon request, to any
organization which can persuade them it has taken adequate precautions
to avoid conflicts with aircraft. The usual stipulations are:
- Only operation up to a specified ceiling is allowed. Depending on the
location, this ceiling may be from 5000 to 50000 feet AGL.
- The operator of the rocket is responsible for avoiding any aircraft
within the operating radius around the launch site.
- Flight into clouds or beyond visual range in haze is expressly prohibited.
- The FAA will provide a NOTAM informing other users of the airspace that
unmanned rocket operations are taking place at the specified place and time.
Most of the launches that are held (and there are dozens of them every year)
are held in areas where air traffic is relatively light, such as over the
western deserts (the Black Rock Desert north of Reno is particularly popular
since it is 25 x 150 miles of *nothing to hit* on the ground).
The two rocketry associations test and approve motors for their members'
use, to insure safety. Depending on motor size, the launcher setback is
from 50 to 500 or more feet.
By the way, rockets under 1 lb and powered by an "F" motor are exempt from
most Federal regulations on unmanned rockets anyway. See FAR 101, Subpart
C, for details.
As for recovery...although the higher altitude rockets can reach up to
50,000 feet, most of them only get to 2,000 to 5,000 feet. The typical
rocket is 2 to 6 inches in diameter, and carries a 3 to 6 foot parachute,
or multiple parachutes, depending on the payload. Many rockets also carry
either a small transmitter or an audio sounder--particularly at launches
in the eastern US, where there are more obstructions.
Camera, telemetry transmitter, and video payloads are becoming quite common.
>And no, I'm not going to even think of buying one. I'm not that crazy.
Why not? It's a lot of fun...check out the traffic on rec.models.rockets
for information about the model (3 lb and under) and high power (everything
bigger) rocket hobbies. As with all dangerous activities, the key is to
practice safety. I've been flying consumer rockets ranging up to 4-5 lbs
takeoff weight for 27 years, and still have all my extremities intact.
>-Paul "mine'll do 50,000 feet and carries 50 pounds of dynamite" Dokas
That's another thing. NO EXPLOSIVE WARHEADS OF ANY KIND ARE ALLOWED ON THESE
ROCKETS. NONE! Please forgive me for shouting, but that's one of the biggest
misconceptions people have about our hobby.
>/* Just remember, you *WILL* die someday. */
True. But it will not be related to the rocket hobby, unless I get
hit while crossing a road with a rocket in my hand.
--
Mark Johnson USnail: NCR Peripheral Products Division
E-mail: Mark.Johnson@WichitaKS.NCR.COM 3718 N. Rock Rd.
Voice: (316) 636-8189 [V+ 654-8189] Wichita, KS 67226
[Non-business email: 76670.1775@compuserve.com]
| 14sci.space
|
In article <1pd24e$745@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, kxj6@po.CWRU.Edu (Kijin Jung) writes:
|>
|> In a previous article, tomc@arezzo.oas.olivetti.com (Tom Carlino) says:
|>
|> >Recently I bought a musical instrument through the internet and had
|> >it shipped to me via UPS ground. The shipping was done through a
|> >mail box service, Mailboxes, Etc. Being somewhat surprised at the
|> >price, I compared prices of shipping this way to shipping directly
|> >through UPS and this is a summary. I am not making any endorsements
|> >or condemnations but merely presenting the facts from which you may
|> >draw your own conclusions.
|> >
|>
|> I've encountered the same thing with Mailboxes, Etc. and I suggest
|> anyone to use the original UPS service if at all possible. Shipping
|> to Virginia from Cleveland was around $20 for 12 pounds, and C.O.D.
|> was $8.00, as opposed to $4.50 for UPS.
I'll third the opinion about this outfit/franchise. Now, when I
buy over the net and pick up the shipping costs, I'll specify that I
only pick up the normal UPS charges (as if delivered directly to
UPS), as I've been burned by $10 shipping charges for a $2.49 pkg.
I will never use a mailing service unless I don't have the
right box and the buyer needs whatever IMMEDIATELY. I'll also
tell the person, if they agreed to pick up shipping, what is going on.
Other things to watch out for/consider:
The rates are $5 to $30 higher than UPS direct.
For a non-UPS (truck) package, they quoted a rate
of $85. Fed Ex economy air was only $85 for the
same weight! RPS (a trucking package company, in many
cities) only wanted $18. Guess who got it. The Mailbox
operator told me I was not telling the truth about
competitors' rates, said RPS was unreliable (I've used them
before with NO problems), etc. Right.
A COD check goes to the mailing service. Our local
Mailbox then takes its sweet time mailing me the
remade check. All this for an additional $3.00 over the
UPS COD charge. What a deal.... :-)
For packages over $100, they charge you about double over
what UPS charges them for insurance. I've never had
a claim, but other netters (is Ralph Seguin out there?)
have told horror stories about them...
All package traces have to be done through Mailbox by
Mailbox.
Our local Mailbox operator told me I was lying when I
asked him why their rates were stratospheric compared
to direct UPS. Does he ever check? Probably not...
Their UPS ground rates come close to Fed Ex's economy
air rate, and Fed Ex will pick up!
UPS will pick up for a $5 charge in most areas!
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Medin Phone: (205) 730-3169 (w)
SSD--Networking (205) 837-1174 (h)
Intergraph Corp.
M/S GD3004 Internet: dtmedin@catbyte.b30.ingr.com
Huntsville, AL 35894 UUCP: ...uunet!ingr!b30!catbyte!dtmedin
******* Everywhere You Look (at least around my office) *******
* The opinions expressed here are mine (or those of my machine)
| 6misc.forsale
|
`In article <1993Apr06.023730.5094@microsoft.com> davidgl@microsoft.com (David Glenn) writes:
...
Again, not true. The characters in a TT or Type 1 font depend on the
maker. If someone converts a Type 1 font to TT they'll only get the
characters in the font of orgin. TT allows for much more flexibility
in this area as well. You can have thousands of glyphs in a TT font
file (Mac/PS/Windows/Unicode char set) and use the characters
appropriate for the particular platform you are running the font on.
Well, yes, both Type 1 and TrueType fonts can contain lots of characters.
And in both cases plain text fonts will be reencoded to Windows ANSI
in Windows, and to Mac standard roman encoding on the Mac.
No difference there between T1 and TT!
And as for fonts with thousands of glyphs, right know these are a liabiliaty
rather than a great new thing. Reason is that a font with 3000 characters
is very large, and if you can only access 224 of them you are paying a heavy
price in downloading time and printer storage. (And at the moment there
is only one program of that uses `partial font downloading')
For instance, all or our fontpack 2 TT fonts have the Mac/Windows
char set in them. The metrics of the fonts are such that if the font
is brought over to the mac the user will have access to the full mac
char set.
Yes and T1 text fonts all have the `ISO Adobe' character set, which is
a superset of Windows ANSI and Macintosh standard roman enocding.
The question is whether you can get at the glyphs. In Windows, for example,
you cannot get at the ligatures `fi' anfd `fl' (both T1 and TT)even though a
font may very well have them.
ANd, while it is somewhat painful to reencode a Type 1 font and to create a
new Windows metric file (PFM) for it, there are utilities out there to allow
you do this. How do I reencode a TrueType font? How can I get at the
`fi' and `fl' ligatures in Windows (or on the Mac)? Are there utilities
that make it possible to circumvent the hard-wired Windows ANSI encoding?
> Regards, 1001-A East Harmony Road
> Bob Niland Suite 503
> Internet: rjn@csn.org Fort Collins CO 80525
> CompuServe: 71044,2124 (303) 223-5209
Berthold K.P. Horn
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| 2comp.os.ms-windows.misc
|
Jonathan E. Quist, on the Thu, 15 Apr 1993 14:26:42 GMT wibbled:
: In article <txd.734810267@Able.MKT.3Com.Com> txd@ESD.3Com.COM (Tom Dietrich) writes:
: >>In a previous article, egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) says:
: [lots of things, none of which are quoted here]
: >>>In article rgu@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu, ai598@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Mike Sturdevant) writes:
: >>> You think your *average* dirt biker can jump
: >>>a 3 foot log?
: >
: >How about an 18" log that is suspended about 18" off of the ground?
: >For that matter, how about a 4" log that is suspended 2.5' off of the
: >ground?
: Oh, ye of little imagination.
:You don't jump over those -that's where you lay the bike down and slide under!
: --
: Jonathan E. Quist
The nice thing about horses though, is that if they break down in the middle of
nowhere, you can eat them. Fuel's a bit cheaper, too.
--
Nick (the 90 HP Biker) DoD 1069 Concise Oxford Giddy-Up!
M'Lud.
___ ___ ___ ___
{"_"} {"_"} {"_"} {"_"} Nick Pettefar, Contractor@Large.
' ` ` ' ' ` ` ' Currently incarcerated at BNR,
___ ___ ___ ___ Maidenhead, The United Kingdom.
|"_"| |"_"| |"_"| |"_"| npet@bnr.ca '86 BMW K100RS "Kay"
` ' ' ` ` ' ' ` Pres. PBWASOH(UK), BS 0002
.
_ _ _ __ .
/ ~ ~~\ | / ~~ \
|_______| [_______|
_:_
|___|
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
Source: "Men Are Like That" by Leonard Ramsden Hartill. The Bobbs-Merrill
Company, Indianapolis (1926). (305 pages).
(Memoirs of an Armenian officer who participated in the genocide of 2.5
million Muslim people)
p. 133 (first paragraph)
"In this movement we took with us three thousand Turkish soldiers who
had been captured by the Russians and left on our hands when the Russians
abandoned the struggle. During our retreat to Karaklis two thousand of
these poor devils were cruelly put to death. I was sickened by the
brutality displayed, but could not make any effective protest. Some,
mercifully, were shot. Many of them were burned to death. The method
employed was to put a quantity of straw into a hut, and then after
crowding the hut with Turks, set fire to the straw."
Serdar Argic
'We closed the roads and mountain passes that
might serve as ways of escape for the Turks
and then proceeded in the work of extermination.'
(Ohanus Appressian - 1919)
'In Soviet Armenia today there no longer exists
a single Turkish soul.' (Sahak Melkonian - 1920)
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
On sunsite.unc.edu in pub/multimedia/utilities/unix find
mpeg_play-2.0.tar.Z.
I find for mono it works best as mpeg_play -dither threshold
though you can use mpeg_play -dither mono
Face it, this is not be the best viewing situation.
Also someone has made a patch for mpeg_play that gives two more mono
modes (mono2 and halftone).
They are by jan@pandonia.canberra.edu.au (Jan Newmarch).
And the patch can be found on csc.canberra.edu.au (137.92.1.1) under
/pub/motif/mpeg2.0.mono.patch.
Leon Dent
lcd@umcc.umich.edu
| 1comp.graphics
|
Here is a letter I sent to David Skaggs, (Dem, CO). Before anybody says
something, yes the letter is a bit "sharp" in tone. I have been writting
reasonable and polite letters to him for years, and all I get in return
in the HCI party line. Since he already is NRA F rated, I don't think that
upsetting him will harm the cause. Sorry if you disagree, but recent events
in Texas REALLY have me pissed.
-------------------
April 20, 1993
Representative Skaggs,
Recently I wrote to you regarding my outrage over the tactics used by the
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, (BATF), in Texas. In your response
you stated that "Events in Texas underscore the need for stricter gun control
legislation to keep guns out of the hand of groups such as the Branch Davidians.
My question to you is, "what grounds would you use to deny them access to
firearms?" Best I can tell this statement underscores your apparent total
ignorance of the subject, and highlights your personal bias against firearms.
I say this because there are only two possible paths of "gun control" which you
could have been referencing.
Either:
1) You were talking about their access to semi-automatics firearms. In this
case I should point out that semi-automatic firearms are legal in most areas of
this Country, including Texas and Colorado. In addition the members of the
"cult" have never been convicted of any crimes which would deny them the ability
to purchase these weapons. So under what grounds would you deny them these
guns? Their religion? The fact they they live in a large group alone by
themselves? Because you consider them to be a cult? Maybe I consider your
Church to be a cult!
This line of reasoning by you borders on the concept of "thought crimes." You
and Pat Robertson should really get along.
2) You were referring to the ALLEGED FULLY automatic weapons possessed by the
"cult." Under current US law, FULLY automatic weapons have been covered by
some of the strictest gun control laws in this Nation. So if David Koresh
illegally possessed them, he would have had to circumvent some of the strictest
laws we have. How will more laws help? By the way, it has been reported that
David Koresh possessed a Federal Firearms License which would have permitted
him to possess FULLY automatic weapons. If true, the 85 people who perished
Monday in the fire, died so that the Federal government could collect a couple
hundred dollars in taxes on guns David Koresh didn't declare.
I have heard claims that they were "stockpiling weapons." Yet considering the
number of people in the complex, even 200+ weapons would not have been out of
line with gun ownership statistics for all of Texas. What's next? A siege of
Dallas/Ft Worth for alleged "stockpiling?"
Face it David Skaggs, You have voted for virtually EVERY gun control law that
has passed through Congress, yet you claim that you are only for "reasonable"
restrictions. Bull****! Handgun Control Inc. is struggling to maintain
250,000 PAID members, while the NRA has just exceeded 3,000,000 members. They
are still growing at a rate of 2,000 new members per day. Driving around YOUR
district I see NRA stickers every day. In eight plus years of living here I
have only seen ONE HCI bumper sticker. When you vote for your "reasonable"
gun control laws, are you really representing your district, or are you
representing Sarah Bradys'?
Thank You,
William J. Vojak
April 20, 1993
Representative Skaggs,
Recently I wrote to you regarding my outrage over the tactics used by the
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, (BATF), in Texas. In your response
you stated that "Events in Texas underscore the need for stricter gun control
legislation to keep guns out of the hand of groups such as the Branch Davidians.
My question to you is, "what grounds would you use to deny them access to
firearms?" Best I can tell this statement underscores your apparent total
ignorance of the subject, and highlights your personal bias against firearms.
I say this because there are only two possible paths of "gun control" which you
could have been referencing.
Either:
1) You were talking about their access to semi-automatics firearms. In this
case I should point out that semi-automatic firearms are legal in most areas of
this Country, including Texas and Colorado. In addition the members of the
"cult" have never been convicted of any crimes which would deny them the ability
to purchase these weapons. So under what grounds would you deny them these
guns? Their religion? The fact they they live in a large group alone by
themselves? Because you consider them to be a cult? Maybe I consider your
Church to be a cult!
This line of reasoning by you borders on the concept of "thought crimes." You
and Pat Robertson should really get along.
2) You were referring to the ALLEGED FULLY automatic weapons possessed by the
"cult." Under current US law, FULLY automatic weapons have been covered by
some of the strictest gun control laws in this Nation. So if David Koresh
illegally possessed them, he would have had to circumvent some of the strictest
laws we have. How will more laws help? By the way, it has been reported that
David Koresh possessed a Federal Firearms License which would have permitted
him to possess FULLY automatic weapons. If true, the 85 people who perished
Monday in the fire, died so that the Federal government could collect a couple
hundred dollars in taxes on guns David Koresh didn't declare.
I have heard claims that they were "stockpiling weapons." Yet considering the
number of people in the complex, even 200+ weapons would not have been out of
line with gun ownership statistics for all of Texas. What's next? A siege of
Dallas/Ft Worth for alleged "stockpiling?"
Face it David Skaggs, You have voted for virtually EVERY gun control law that
has passed through Congress, yet you claim that you are only for "reasonable"
restrictions. Bull****! Handgun Control Inc. is struggling to maintain
250,000 PAID members, while the NRA has just exceeded 3,000,000 members. They
are still growing at a rate of 2,000 new members per day. Driving around YOUR
district I see NRA stickers every day. In eight plus years of living here I
have only seen ONE HCI bumper sticker. When you vote for your "reasonable"
gun control laws, are you really representing your district, or are you
representing Sarah Bradys'?
Thank You,
William J. Vojak
---------------------------
Bill Vojak
vojak@icebucket.stortek.com
NRA, ILA,
Colorado Firearms Coalition
------------------------------------------------------------
The CBS Nightly Propaganda With Dan Rather. (RATHER NOT!)
The CBS Nightly Propaganda With Dan Rather. (RATHER BIASED!)
------------------------------------------------------------
| 16talk.politics.guns
|
In article <1993Apr6.005150.10250@ee.rochester.edu> neale@ee.rochester.edu (Reg Neale) writes:
>I'm trying to figure out how to operate a Pioneer Laserdisc LD-1000 that I bought at a surplus store. It is reputedly from some kind of computerised viewing
>and/or ordering system. THere is what may be an HPIB connector on the back. When
>I power it up, the front panel power light comes on, but no activity, and the
>door doesn't open. Anyone have any experience with this unit or any ideas on how
>to obtain documentation?
What you have is one of the LD players from a video game (Dragon's Lair,
Space Ace, etc). Call Pioneer Technicial Support 213-498-0300 (at least
that's the number I called them at) and ask for the LD-V1000 Interface
Guide. It shows how the parallel interface should be wired and the codes
for the commands (play, pause, reject, etc). The guide is mainly for hooking
the player to a computer, but with a little work, you could build a wired
controller.
Jim Keais jkeais@ucssun1.sdsu.edu
| 12sci.electronics
|
In article <1993Apr15.212014.1782@news.acns.nwu.edu> edo@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Edward Ouellette) writes:
>
>My point? RBI might not be a perfect stat but nothing is. And no stat (or lack
>of) can tell me there are no clutch hitters. Maybe no stat CAN tell me,
>either, but some people are... I just know it!!! 8)
I was *hoping* somebody would mention clutch. Clutch? Baerga? The
two words simply do not go together. With runners in scoring
position, Baerga batted .308/.366/.418 last year. This doesn't quite
*suck*, but most batters hit *better* in this situation.
Alomar? He hit .354/.439/.517 with runners in scoring position!
The difference? Alomar had 68 RBIs in 147 such AB. Baerga had 81
RBIs in 182 such AB. Baerga got 25% more chances, yet succeeded only
20% more times.
Frankly, I don't believe in clutch. But if I did, my vote would
go to Alomar for MVP (let alone "best 2B in the AL").
-Valentine
| 9rec.sport.baseball
|
I missed the original post, but aren't the Expos rushing alomost their
entire team this year? I am from Montreal, and am a fan, but geez, the
Expos rank 27th in salary (only the Rockies trail) and someone at
the average age would probably be in first year University!
CorelMARK!
| 9rec.sport.baseball
|
ac = In <9304202017@zuma.UUCP> sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic)
pl = linden@positive.Eng.Sun.COM (Peter van der Linden)
pl: 1. So, did the Turks kill the Armenians?
ac: So, did the Jews kill the Germans?
ac: You even make Armenians laugh.
ac: "An appropriate analogy with the Jewish Holocaust might be the
ac: systematic extermination of the entire Muslim population of
ac: the independent republic of Armenia which consisted of at
ac: least 30-40 percent of the population of that republic. The
ac: memoirs of an Armenian army officer who participated in and
ac: eye-witnessed these atrocities was published in the U.S. in
ac: 1926 with the title 'Men Are Like That.' Other references abound."
Typical Mutlu. PvdL asks if X happened, the response is that Y
happened. Even if we grant that the Armenians *did* do what Cosar
accuses them of doing, this has no bearing on whether the Turks did
what they are accused of.
While I can understand how an AI could be this stupid, I
can't understand how a human could be such a moron as to either let
such an AI run amok or to compose such pointless messages himself.
I do not expect any followup to this article from Argic to do anything
to alleviate my puzzlement. But maybe I'll see a new line from his
list of insults.
--
/|/-\/-\
|__/__/_/
|warren@
/ nysernet.org
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
I am looking for Bernoulli removable tapes for the 20/20 drive..
Don't laugh ... I am serious...
If you have any 20 MB tapes lying around that you would like to get rid of,
please mail me ...
-- Nilay Patel
nilayp@violet.berkeley.edu
| 3comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
|
>In article <kutluk.734797558@ccl.umist.ac.uk> kutluk@ccl.umist.ac.uk (Kutluk Ozguven) writes:
>>Atheists are not
>>mentioned in the Quran because from a Quranic point of view, and a
>>minute's reasoning, one can see that there is no such thing.
I guess that's why scientists probably aren't mentioned either. Or
stock brokers. Or television repairmen.
It's precious to know just how deep the brainwashing from childhood
( that it takes to progress a religion ) cleans away a very substantial
part of the reasoning neurons.
But don't mind me; I don't exist.
-jim halat
| 0alt.atheism
|
In article <1radsr$att@access.digex.net>, prb@access.digex.com (Pat) writes:
> What evidence indicates that Gamma Ray bursters are very far away?
>
> Given the enormous power, i was just wondering, what if they are
> quantum black holes or something like that fairly close by?
>
> Why would they have to be at galactic ranges?
>
> my own pet theory is that it's Flying saucers entering
> hyperspace :-)
>
> but the reason i am asking is that most everyone assumes that they
> are colliding nuetron stars or spinning black holes, i just wondered
> if any mechanism could exist and place them closer in.
>
> pat
Well, lets see....I took a class on this last fall, and I have no
notes so I'll try to wing it...
Here's how I understand it. Remember from stellar evolution that
black holes and neutron stars(pulsars) are formed from high mass stars,
M(star)=1.4M(sun). High mass stars live fast and burn hard, taking
appoximately 10^5-10^7 years before going nova, or supernova. In this time,
they don't live long enough to get perturbed out of the galactic plane, so any
of these (if assumed to be the sources of GRB's) will be in the plane of the
galaxy.
Then we take the catalog of bursts that have been recieved from the
various satellites around the solar system, (Pioneer Venus has one, either
Pion. 10 or 11, GINGA, and of course BATSE) and we do distribution tests on our
catalog. These tests all show, that the bursts have an isotropic
distribution(evenly spread out in a radial direction), and they show signs of
homogeneity, i.e. they do not clump in any one direction. So, unless we are
sampling the area inside the disk of the galaxy, we are sampling the UNIVERSE.
Not cool, if you want to figure out what the hell caused these things. Now, I
suppose you are saying, "Well, we stil only may be sampling from inside the
disk." Well, not necessarily. Remember, we have what is more or less an
interplanetary network of burst detectors with a baseline that goes waaaay out
to beyond Pluto(pioneer 11), so we should be able, with all of our detectors de
tect some sort of difference in angle from satellite to satellite. Here's an
analogy: You see a plane overhead. You measure the angle of the plane from
the origin of your arbitrary coordinate system. One of your friends a mile
away sees the same plane, and measures the angle from the zero point of his
arbitrary system, which is the same as yours. The two angles are different,
and you should be able to triangulate the position of your burst, and maybe
find a source. To my knowledge, no one has been able to do this.
I should throw in why halo, and corona models don't work, also. As I
said before, looking at the possible astrophysics of the bursts, (short
timescales, high energy) black holes, and pulsars exhibit much of this type of
behavior. If this is the case, as I said before, these stars seem to be bound
to the disk of the galaxy, especially the most energetic of the these sources.
When you look at a simulated model, where the bursts are confined to the disk,
but you sample out to large distances, say 750 mpc, you should definitely see
not only an anisotropy towards you in all direction, but a clumping of sources
in the direction of the galactic center. As I said before, there is none of
these characteristics.
I think that's all of it...if someone needs clarification, or knows
something that I don't know, by all means correct me. I had the honor of
taking the Bursts class with the person who has done the modeling of these
different distributions, so we pretty much kicked around every possible
distribution there was, and some VERY outrageous sources. Colliding pulsars,
black holes, pulsars that are slowing down...stuff like that. It's a fun
field.
Complaints and corrections to: belgarath@vax1.mankato.msus.edu or
post here.
-jeremy
| 14sci.space
|
Name Pos AB H 2B 3B HR RBI RS SB E AVG
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Galarraga 1B 54 23 6 2 15 6 1 .426
Sheaffer C 3 1 .333
Boston OF 28 9 3 8 .321
Cole CF 43 13 1 1 2 13 8 .302
Hayes 3B 46 13 2 3 11 7 2 3 .283
Bichette RF 39 10 1 3 10 8 1 .256
E. Young 2B 51 13 2 1 1 7 12 9 3 .255
Tatum 3B 8 2 1 .250
Murphy OF 8 2 2 .250
Clark LF 37 9 3 1 1 3 3 1 .243
Girardi C 45 10 2 1 3 3 1 .222
Castilla SS 7 1 1 .143
Benavides SS 35 5 1 5 3 4 .143
PITCHERS P 24 1 1 .042
G. Young OF 3 2 1 .000
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 431 112 19 4 10 61 66 21 14 .260
Name L/R GS CG IP H R ER K BB ERA W L S
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aldred L 6 4 3 1 3 8 1.50 0 0 0
Ashby R 2 0 11 12 3 3 5 9 2.45 0 0 0
Wayne L 3.7 4 1 1 3 2 2.45 0 1 0
Neid R 4 1 29 27 11 10 15 10 3.10 3 1 0
Parrett R 10 8 4 4 12 7 3.60 0 0 0
Smith R 3 0 16.3 22 8 8 3 5 4.41 1 2 0
Blair R 8 9 6 4 5 3 4.50 0 0 0
Ruffin L 2 0 9.3 15 7 5 7 6 4.82 1 1 0
Henry L 2 0 12.7 14 9 8 5 5 5.68 0 2 0
Reed R 3.7 8 7 7 2 3 17.18 0 0 0
Holmes R 2.3 8 10 9 3 4 34.71 0 1 0
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 13 1 112 131 69 60 63 62 4.82 5 8 0
| 9rec.sport.baseball
|
Apparently, Part 2 (defensemen numbered 2 through 19) was lost when I posted
it; to make things worse, I lost my own copy. I have asked on the Sharks
mailing list, on which it did get out, to see if someone can mail me a copy
back. If someone responds, I will repost it when I get it; otherwise, I will
re-write it in a day or two and post it. Sorry about that.
#8 LARRY DEPALMA Season: 3rd
Acquired: '91-92, free agent from Minnesota
Grade: I (C-/D+)
No netter/fan watching the Sharks, including me, knows where DePalma was at
the end of the season; the Sharks appeared to still have his rights, but he
wasn't in San Jose, he wasn't in Kansas City, and his name hasn't appeared on
the waiver wire. And that kind of invisibility was prevalent for the most part
for DePalma. After being called up October 30 against the Tampa Bay Lightning,
DePalma had an excellent week, scoring 5 points in 3 games while playing good
defense. Unfortunately, the 27-year-old DePalma then disappeared the rest of
the way, getting just 3 more points in 15 more games, and generally looked
lethargic and uninterested on both ends of the ice. He then was sent down to
Kansas City, walked out from there, and was suspended and later reinstated
when it was revealed that he was injured; he then promptly disappeared from
the watching eyes of Shark Bytes (as the mailing list is now known to Sharks
officials) faithful, and neither the Sharks nor we miss him.
#10 JOHAN GARPENLOV Season: 3rd
Acquired: '91-92, trade with Detroit for D Bob McGill and 8th round
pick in '92 entry draft from Vancouver
Grade: A/A-
After an early slump, Garpenlov was nothing short of inspirational the rest
of the way, finishing with 66 points in 79 games, second highest total on the
team, as he clicked well with team MVP Kelly Kisio and right wing Rob
Gaudreau. Kisio got most of the credit, but Garpenlov, finishing second in
the MVP voting, clearly demonstrated his playmaking and scoring skills, as he
was seen making excellent centering passes as well as finishing passes to him
by putting the puck past opposing goaltenders, getting a club-high 14 power-
play goals. Contrary to his previous rep, Garpenlov also showed that despite
his small size (5' 11", 183 lbs.), he was willing to throw himself around
when necessary, albeit not very successful yet. He also still needs to work
on his defense, although he improved tremendously throughout the season, and
was actually quite a good penalty killer by the end of the season. He will
be a major key to the offense next year.
#15 DAVID BRUCE Season: 5th
Acquired: '91-92, from St. Louis in expansion draft
Grade: I (?)
After a banner '91-92, when he led the team in power-play goals (10) and
was third in total scoring (38 points in 60 games), Bruce was bothered
virtually all of this season with a groin injury, which kept him out of the
lineup for all by 17 games this season. Of course, it is difficult to
speculate how well he would have done this season had he not been affected by
the injury, but the 28-year-old Bruce was effective with a man up or a man
short in the Sharks' first season, and was expected to be a strong offensive
leader this season as well. The injury appears serious, which is a shame,
because otherwise he may have a much brighter future for now; instead, his
future with the Sharks next season appears clouded.
#18 MARK PEDERSON Season: 3rd
Acquired: '92-93, trade with Philadelphia for C/LW Dave Snuggerud
Grade: I (B)
It is difficult for me to understand the Flyers' decision to unload Pederson,
after a very good offensive season last season (40 points in 58 games), but
after riding the pine early in the season, Pederson was summarily sent to the
Sharks in exchange of the defensive-minded Snuggerud, and he finished with
41 games combined with the Flyers and the Sharks. He was also limited by
injuries this season, and this limited his production (17 points). But when
healthy, Pederson appears impressive, with a good scoring touch, good size
(and the willingness to throw it around, although he's not considered a
physical forward), and good speed. He also does not appear to be a liability
on defense, but the Sharks probably have to wait until next season to see how
much, exactly, Pederson can do.
#20 JOHN CARTER Season: 4th
Acquired: '91-92, free agent from Boston
Grade: I (B+/B)
Carter was definitely one of the hardest workers on the team, and the hard
work worked wonders, as at times he looked great on ice. However, although he
did look great at times, the fact that he received just 16 points (in 55
games) for his efforts is a sign that there is only so much his hard work can
do, and the Sharks confirmed that by sending him to Kansas City with about
20 games left in the season. Carter, who will turn 30 on May 6, always
hussled, but as a result, was sometimes trapped too deep within the offensive
zone while forechecking, but he was generally a credit on the defensive end,
but he is probably of limited utility in that capacity, and he did not impress
offensively, although he was one of the best Sharks at drawing penalties. He
is very unlikely to be back next season.
#28 JEAN-FRANCOIS QUINTIN Season: 1st
Acquired: '91-92, from Minnesota in dispersal draft
Grade: I (B+/B)
I don't understand why the Sharks didn't let Quintin play any more than the
14 games he played this season. He was generally hard-working and creating
opportunities offensively, and appeared, at age 23, ready for regular NHL
duty, at least for a team like the Sharks, finishing with 7 points in those
14 games while not being a defensive liability. Shoulder injury in training
camp before the '91-92 season limited Quintin, the team's leading scorer in
exhibition games despite sitting out the final two, to just 29 games with the
Sharks and the Blades that season, but he looked impressive. He should be a
solid contender for regular duty next season.
#41 MARK BEAUFAIT Season: 1st
Acquired: 2nd round pick in 1991 supplemental draft
Grade: I (?)
After a all-star season at Kansas City, Beaufait got a cup of coffey with the
Sharks late in the season when the Blades knocked down a playoff spot and the
Sharks decimated with injuries, playing 5 games and scoring a goal for his only
NHL point thus far. Despite small size (5' 9", 165 lbs.), Beaufait was not shy
to throw himself around when necessary, and looked pretty good at times,
although it's too early to judge him based on 5 NHL games, in which he played
mostly left wing, away from his center position at Northern Michigan and
Kansas City.
#42 JAROSLAV OTEVREL Season: 1st
Acquired: 8th round pick in 1991 entry draft
Grade: I (?)
Like Beaufait, Otevrel also played away from his normal position when he was
up for his cup of tea (7 games) midway through the season. He was generally
very much of a defensive liability, and did not show much offensively either,
although that may be more indicative of the lack of ice time he got in those
7 games. He may need another season to work on his defense, but once his
defense is acceptable, he should be ready.
#44 MICHEL PICARD Season: 1st
Acquired: '92-93, trade with Hartford for LW Yvon Corriveau
Grade: I (B-/C+)
The 23-year-old Picard, although he perennially tore up the minors, seems to
be close to being out of chances, for some reason, after being acquired by the
Sharks but failing to impress the management in 25 games, scoring 4 goals for
his only points, and he spent most of the rest of the way in Kansas City.
He was not particularly strong defensively, and despite his offensive
brilliance in the minors, he has failed thus far to score in the NHL, although
he has been given limited opportunities. He may be the Sharks' bait in the
expansion draft.
#45 DODY WOOD Season: 1st
Acquired: 3rd round pick in 1991 entry draft
Grade: I (D+/D, although perhaps I shouldn't give a grade at all)
I have been accused of knocking on Wood too much. :-) Then, it is probably
no surprise to you that I am thoroughly unimpressed by Wood thus far, although
13 games is a small example. He was generally a nonfactor on offense, was
not particularly good defensively, and took too many silly penalties, losing
many fights in the process and gathering 69 penalty minutes in those 13 games,
projecting to to 446(!) in an 84-game season. He's not ready, and needs at
least another season at KC, where he can work on his fighting skills, if
nothing else. His relatively small size (5' 11", 181 lbs.) does not give much
possibility that he can survive, at this stage, as an enforcer.
===============================================================================
GO CALGARY FLAMES! Al MacInnis for Norris! Gary Roberts for Hart and Smythe!
GO EDMONTON OILERS! Go for playoffs next year! Stay in Edmonton!
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
rec.sport.hockey contact for the San Jose Sharks
| 10rec.sport.hockey
|
The recent rise of nostalgia in this group, combined with the
incredible level of utter bullshit, has prompted me to comb
through my archives and pull out some of "The Best of Alt.Atheism"
for your reading pleasure. I'll post a couple of these a day
unless group concensus demands that I stop, or I run out of good
material.
I haven't been particularly careful in the past about saving
attributions. I think the following comes from John A. Johnson,
but someone correct me if I'm wrong. This is probably the longest
of my entire collection.
________________________________________________________
So that the
Prophecy be
Fulfilled
* * *
In considering the Christian religion, and judging it
according to its claims, it is important to look at its claims at
fulfilling earlier Jewish prophecy. The scribe Matthew is perhaps
the most eager to draw out what he thinks are prophetic answers in
the career of Jesus of Nazareth. As you will see, Matthew's main
strategy is to take various Old Testament passages, often not even
about the promised Messiah, and apply them to the circumstances in
the New Testament. We must also bear in mind the question of the
authenticity of the accounts. Since the gospels were written at
least 35 years after Jesus was executed, we do not know how much
happened exactly as stated. But, for purposes of analysis, we
will take particular claims at face value.
Immanuel:
We begin, of course, at the beginning.
(Mt 1.21-22): "[Mary] will bear a son, and you,
Joseph, will name him 'Jesus' (which means G'd is
salvation), for he will save his people from their
sins." All this happened to fulfil what the lord had
spoken by a prophet:
[Isaiah 7.1-16]: In the days of Ahaz (c. 750 BCE),
king of Judah, Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel made
war on Jerusalem (capitol of Judah), but could not
quite conquer it. When the house of David (i.e. Ahaz
and his court in Judah) were told of this, ...its
heart and the heart of its people shook... And, the
lord G'd said to Isaiah, "go to meet with Ahaz..."
...And the lord spoke to Ahaz (through prophet Isaiah,
naturally) saying, "Ask a sign of G'd your lord. It
can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven." But,
Ahaz said, "I won't ask; I will not put the lord to a
test." Then (Isaiah) said, "Hear then, O house of
David. Is it not enough for you to weary men, that
you must weary my god too? Therefore, the lord
himself will give you a sign: Behold, a young woman
is with child and will bear a son, and name him
"Immanuel," which means, "G'd is with us." He will
eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse evil
and choose good. For, before the child knows how to
refuse evil and choose good, the land of the two kings
you dread will have been deserted...
Matthew homes in on just the sentence that is in italics.
Further, he the Hebrew word "almah," (young woman), as
specifically, "virgin." But, this is not a prophecy about the
Messiah. It is not a prophecy about an event to happen 750 years
later. It is not a prophecy about a virgin (bethulah) mother. In
short, it not about Jesus. Matthew has made use of a verse out of
context, and tries to make it fit the specific case of Mary. It
should be noted that if we want to read the prophecy in a general
manner, a very general one, it can be made to fit Mary. Mary,
virgin or not, was indeed a young woman with child. Of course,
the fit is shady and has problems. Jesus, while thought of by
later Christians to be G'd walking among men, was never called by
the name, Immanuel. If Christianity wished to claim this prophecy
for Jesus, it becomes at best a cut-and-paste prophecy... a second
class prophecy. Not too convincing.
Egypt:
After Jesus's birth in Bethlehem, Matthew tells about a
quick (and elsewhere unmentioned) excursion to Egypt, as if he
wishes to liken Jesus to Moses. This was done to escape an
alleged infanticidal rampage of the king, Herod.
[Mt 2.15] ...and remained there until the death of
Herod. This was to fulfil what the lord had spoken:
"Out of Egypt I have cal-led my son."
What the lord really said was this.
[Hosea 11.1] When Israel was a child, I loved him.
And, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called
them (my people), the more they went from me; they
kept sacrificing to the Ba'als, and kept burning
incense to idols.
Matthew conveniently omits the rest of Hosea's oracle. But, it
was indeed Israel that, once called out of Egypt, wanted to
return. This is history. Jesus is certainly not being spoken of
here. And, if we are to draw some kind of parallel here, we wind
up with a Jesus that flees and resists G'd. Again, this prophecy
is just not as convincing as Matthew probably had hoped.
Rachel Weeps:
While Jesus is off vacationing in Egypt, Matthew says that
King Herod sought to kill him, and thus ordered the executions of
all young male children. Matthew then writes,
[Mt 2.17-18] By this, that which was spoken by the
prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud
lamentation-- Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they were
no more."
The reference is to a passage in Jeremiah 31.15, referring to the
carrying off of Israel into exile by Sargon (of Assyria) in 722
BCE. Rachel, the ancestor of the major tribes of Israel, Ephraim,
and Manasseh, is said to weep for her descendants who are "no
more." It is metaphorical, of course, since Rachel lived and dies
before the Hebrews were even in the Egyptian exile.
It is interesting to note that it was Leah, not Rachel, who
was the ancestor of the Judeans (the land where Jesus and
Bethlehem were). If anyone should do weeping for her "children,"
it is Leah. The only connexion that Rachel has with Bethlehem is
that the legends have it that she was buried north of the city,
"on the way to Ephrath, (Bethlehem)."
As for Herod and his infanticide, it is rather unlikely
that such an event actually occurred. One never knows, but the
event is not mentioned or alluded to anywhere else in the Bible,
nor is it mentioned in any of the secular records of the time.
Herod was particularly unliked in his reign, and many far less
evil deeds of Herod were carefully recorded. This might be a
prime example of how events were added to Jesus's life to enhance
the message of the church's gospel.
Because of the whole story's similarity to the tale of the
infant Moses in Egypt, it is highly likely that it is a device set
up by Matthew to add prophetic, yet artificial, approval of Jesus.
It is not surprising that Matthew conveniently neglects to mention
the rest of the Jeremiah quote. The "children" the prophet
speaks of are not dead, but exiled in the Assyrian Empire. G'd
comforts the weeping Rachel, saying that the children will be
returned-- he will gather them back together. Of course, this
would not suit Matthew's purpose, as the children he speaks of are
dead for good. Again, the "prophecy" Matthew sets up is not even
that, and to anyone who bothers to check it out, is not too
convincing.
The Nazarene:
We do not even have to go to the next chapter to find
another Matthean prophecy. After leaving Egypt, Joseph & wife
take the infant Jesus to live in the city of Nazareth,
[Mt 2.23] ...that what was spoken of by the prophets
might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
First thing we notice is that Matthew does not mention the name of
the prophet(s) this time. Second, we have to ask who "He" is.
There are no Messianic prophecies speaking of a Nazarene. Worse,
there are no prophecies, period, mentioning a Nazarene. Still
worse, there are no Nazarenes mentioned in the Old Testament at
all. In the book of Judges, an angel tells Samson's mother that
she will,
[Judges 13.5] "...conceive and bear a son. No razor
shall tough his head, for he will be a Nazirite to his
god from the day of his birth. He will deliver Israel
from the hands of the Philistines."
This is of course not a prophecy of Jesus, or the messiah of G'd.
But, it is the best that can be found. Obviously, Matthew has
begun to go overboard in cut-and-paste prophecies, in that he is
simple making them up now.
Bearing our
Diseases:
Jesus next goes around healing people of physical illnesses
and disabilities.
[Mt 8.17] This was to fulfil what was spoken by the
prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our
diseases."
As expected, the verse quoted in Isaiah is quoted out of context,
and a few words are skewed to fit the Christian scheme. We have,
[Is 53.4] Surely he, [the suffering servant], has
borne our sickness, and carried our pains.
From a reading of the surrounding passages in Isaiah, we know that
the prophet is speaking in present tense of the collective nation
of Israel, Jehovah's chosen servant and people. He speaks to the
Israelites suffering in exile, in the voice of the gentile nations
that look upon it. This image is deeply ingrained in Jewish
identity --an image of a chastised, yet cherished, Israel as the
instrument of the nations' salvation by G'd.
The verses speak of Israel taking on the sicknesses which
are the literal and metaphorical manifestations of guilt and
discipline. They do not speak of a "servant" going around and
healing people. Notice that the servant in Isaiah takes on the
sicknesses and pains of the nations (and individual Jews). Jesus,
as we all know, did not take the diseases onto himself. The
verses here in Isaiah are not a prophecy of something to come, but
rather something that had already happened. While it is believed
that Jesus took on the eternal punishment of hell, he did not bear
the illnesses he healed. So, while someone might want to say
that, figuratively, Jesus reenacted the deeds of Israel in his
spiritual atonement, he has to admit that Matthew's parallel
misses where he intended it to have its effect.
Silent Messiah:
Upon healing multitudes of commoners, it is said that Jesus
ordered them to keep quiet, presumable so that he wouldn't arouse
the attention of the local rulers.
[Mt 12.15-21] This was to fulfill what was spoken by
the prophet Isaiah.
"Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved,
with whom my soul is pleased. I will put my spirit on
him, and he will announce justice to the Gentiles. He
will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear
his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised
reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings
justice to victory, and the gentiles will hope in his
name."
The Isaiah passage quoted reads,
[Is 42.1-4] Behold my servant whom I uphold, my
chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my
spirit on him, and he will bring forth justice to the
nations. We will not cry or lift up his voice, or
make it heard in the street. He will not break a
bruised reed, or quench a smoldering wick. He will
faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail
(burn dimly) or be discouraged (bruised) until he has
established justice in the earth. And the coastlands
await his law.
You see, Matthew has conveniently left out part of the passage,
because it does not suit the dealings of Jesus. Christians could
never think of Jesus failing, never would the "light" of mankind
burn dimly. But, the servant nation of Israel will indeed come to
an end when its job is done. When the gentiles come to embrace
G'd there will no longer be a chosen people, but rather all will
be the children of G'd. Also, the ending phrase has been changed
from the Judaic "...the coastlands await his law." to the
Christologic, "the Gentiles will hope in his name." While the
original proclaims the Torah law of Jehovah, the other rewrites it
to fit its strange doctrine of "believing in the name." If one
has any doubt the servant referred to is not Jesus, one has only
to read the whole chapter, Isaiah 42, and hear about the beloved
but blind and imperfect servant, "a people robbed and
plundered..." So, we see that when Matthew's attempt at
"prophecy" is examined, it crumbles.
Three Days and
Three Nights:
Now we come upon a prophecy supposedly uttered by the very
mouth of the god Jesus himself. He speaks of his crucifixion and
resurrection.
[Mt 12.40] For as Jonah was in the belly of the
whale for three days and three nights, so will the Son
of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and
three nights.
Before any further discussion can occur, it is necessary to know
how the Jews understood days. As far as day names went, each was
24 hours long, lasting from sunset 6pm to the following sunset
6pm. What was referred to as a "day" was the period of light from
6am to the ending sunset at 6pm. Thus, according to our time
scale, a sabbath day began at 6pm Friday evening, and lasted until
6pm saturday evening. This is why the Jews celebrate their
sabbath on the daylight portion of Saturdays, instead of Sundays.
(It seems like a real miracle that Christians didn't forget that
Saturday was indeed the seventh and last day of the week!) Thus,
when days and nights are referred to together, 12 hour daylight
portions and 12 hour night periods are being spoken of. Thus,
Jesus says that he will be in the grave, or in hell, or otherwise
unresurrected for three days and three nights.
As the good book tells us, Jesus was crucified on the "ninth
hour," which is 3pm, Friday afternoon. He then was put into the
grave sometime after that. Then, Jesus left the grave, "rose,"
before dawn of what we call Sunday (The dawn after the sabbath was
over). What this means is that Jesus was, using our time for
clarity, in the grave from 6pm Friday night to some time before
6am Sunday morning. We could also add a little time before 6pm
Friday, since the bible is not specific here. What this means
using Jewish time is that he was in the grave for one day, two
nights, and possibly a couple of hours of one day. Certainly this
is a problem for Jesus prediction. There is absolutely no way we
are even able to have his death involve three days and three
nights --even using modern time measurements. We then are led to
suspect that this error is another one of Matthew's little
mistakes, and that the gospel writer put false words into his
god's mouth. And no matter who made the prediction, it is more
than unconvincing... it is counter-convincing.
Hearing &
Understanding:
Jesus tool on a habit of speaking to his vast audiences in
parables-- stories in which a deeper meaning could be found, if
you were already one of the elect, those chosen to understand the
message of Jesus. He reasons that those who can understand the
parables are the ones he wants. If the people cannot understand
them, there is no need to bother with them, since they will not
accept the "plain" message any better. Matthew says,
[Mt 13.14-16] With them [the audience] indeed in
fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says,
"You will indeed hear but never understand; and you
will indeed see, but never perceive. Because this
people's heart has grown dull, their ears are heavy of
hearing, and they have shut their eyes so the they
would not perceive with them, her with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal
them."
The original Isaiah passages are part of his earlier works, his
call to the ministry. This is in 740 BCE, when Israel is
flourishing, right before it falls under the authority of Assyria.
Isaiah sees the good times ending, and also a vision from G'd,
calling him to bring reform to Israel and Judah.
[Is 6.9-13] And G'd said, "Go, and say to this
people, `Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and
see, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this
people fat, make their ears heavy, and shut their
eyes, so they will not see with their eyes, or hear
with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and
turn and be healed." Then Isaiah said, "How long,
lord?" And he said, "Until the cities lie waste
without inhabitant, and houses without men, and the
land is utterly desolate, and the G'ds take men far
away, and forsaken places are many in the land. And
though a tenth will remain in it, it will be burned
again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump still
stands when the tree is felled." The holy seed is its
stump.
Here we see that it is really G'd who causes the people of Israel
to stop listening to the prophet's warnings, but reaffirms the
promise made to Solomon's (and David's) seed/lineage. If you read
the rest of Isaiah, you find that this is done to fulfil the plan
of G'd to use Israel as a servant, a light to the nations. (Look
at Isaiah 42.18-25, 48.20, 49.3)
We see that Matthew has cut-and-pasted just a little portion
of Isaiah's verse, to suit his own gospel needs. More than that,
he has altered the words, to make it fit the people who didn't
understand Jesus's stories. And, as we see, Isaiah's verses are
not prophecies, but rather commands from G'd to him, in the
present. Once again, Matthew's prophecy falls flat on its face.
Matthew tries again to make Jesus's parables look like they
have the prophetic approval.
[Mt 13.35] ...he said nothing to them without a
parable. This was to fulfil what was spoken of by the
prophet, "I will open my mouth to them in parables. I
will utter that which has been hidden since the
foundation of the world."
Matthew really botches up here. He attempts to quote not from a
prophet, but from the Psalms.
[Ps 78.2-4] I will open my mouth in parable. I will
utter dark sayings of old, things that we all have
heard and known, things that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to
the coming generation the glorious deeds of the
lord...
As was pointed out, the verses in the Psalms do not really come
from a prophet. You might also want to know that earlier copies
of Matthew's gospel even inserted Isaiah's name as this prophet.
Apparently, later scribes caught the error and tried to cover some
of it up.
Perhaps the most significant part of this is that, once
again, Matthew has altered the Old Testament Scriptures. As Jesus
has said earlier, he speaks in parables so that some will not
understand them. The parables in the Psalms are not to be hidden.
Further, they speak of things "known, that our fathers have told
us." Jesus deals with things "hidden since the foundation of the
world." Indeed Jesus dealt in a lot of secrecy and confusion.
This is in direct opposition to the parables in the Psalms. No
wonder Matthew had to rewrite them! And still once again,
Matthew's artificial prophecies fall flat on their face. But,
Christians rarely look at this. Matthew's prophecies aren't the
only things about Christianity that are beginning to look bad.
Excuses of
Little Faith:
In Mt. 17.14-21, we see that the disciples are able to go
around casting out demons, except in one case. Not knowing what
epilepsy was, the people thought those with the disease were
possesed with demons. It is no wonder that the disciples were
unable to "dispossess" the epileptic. But, Jesus, perhaps no more
enlightened than they, is reported to have rebuked them, saying
they didn't have enough faith. This seems strange. Why was this
demon special? It seems that either a true believer has faith or
he does not. Apparently, enough faith will allow someone to move
mountains. Of course, you will find no one, these days that can
move real mountains. No one parts seas. The only miracles the
Charismatics can speak of are those rumoured to happen on trips to
Mexico or some faraway place. Major miracles are making some old
woman's arthritis feel better on Sunday morning T.V.
And the gods, including Jesus, are always shrouded in
ancient lore and writings, protected from the skeptics in their
sacred pasts. They are either dead, sleeping, or hiding in
heaven, with people rumouring about their imminent return and
their great miracles of days long gone. Yet, life goes on.
Tales of mystics, stories of miracles-- all in a distant time
or a distant place. Gods used to reveal themselves to men in the
old days, Jehovah too. But, now they are silent. All the
theologians give are various excuses as to why we don't get to see
God anymore.
We're too lazy; we're not zealous enough; we're
sinful; it's just his "plan"; we put too many of our
own demands on G'd's appearance; if we had the right
faith, if we were willing to meet G'd on his terms...
Yet, even the most pious of men have not seen G'd. You, dear
reader, have not seen G'd. Not literally, you know that to be
true. (I know that's presumptuous and bold. But, searching your
heart, you know what I mean.) All that we've seen religions do is
make people feel good and content about not seeing G'd. They say
our little faith does not merit us to see G'd. Sometimes, they
say, "See the love in these people you worship with... see the
lives of people change... that is seeing G'd." Thus people get
lulled to sleep, satisfied with turning G'd into the everyday
sights. But, that is not seeing G'd as I am speaking of... it is
not seeing G'd the way people used to see.
What we see in the world that is good, is the compassion of
human hearts, the love given and taken by men and women, the
forgiveness practised by Christian & Atheist alike, beauty created
by the mind of man. These are the things that are done; these are
what we see. But, it is said this is so only because everybody
has little faith.
Jesus Rides on
an Ass:
Shortly after accepting the role of the Jewish messiah
king, Jesus requests a donkey be brought in for him to ride into
Jerusalem.
[Mt 21.5] This took place to fulfil what was spoken
by the prophet, saying,
Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your king is
coming to you, humble, mounted on an ass, and on a
ass-colt."
Of course, the passage quoted from Zechariah 9.9 reads a little
differently.
Lo, your king comes to you; he is triumphant and
victorious, humble, and riding on an ass, on an ass-
colt... he will command peace to the nations.
There isn't all that much difference here, except that Zechariah
only involves one animal --an ass-colt-- while Matthew reads the
poetic wording slightly differently. Thus, he has Jesus call for
both a colt and an adult ass. From Matthew's version, we get a
comical picture of the divine Christ sweating it to straddle two
donkeys. This could inevitably lead to a theological,
proctological dilemma! We find that in the account written
earlier by St. Mark, only the colt was called for and brought to
Jesus. This indeed fits the verses of Zechariah properly, and
shows us that in Matthew attempt to use prophetic verses, he has
bungled. Now, excluding many respectable Christians I have met, I
have noticed that while Christ is thought to have ridden on asses,
the situation is often reversed nowadays...
Then, entering the Jerusalem temple, the priests were
angered at people and youngsters calling Jesus the messiah. But,
Jesus replied as we might expect Matthew to have done,
[Mt 21.16] Haven't you read? `Out of the mouth of
babes and sucklings thou has brought perfect praise.'
It is more likely that Matthew made this response up since Jesus
was never one to point out such little "prophetic" things AND
since, as we might expect, the quote is in error, which seems to
fit Matthew's track record quite well. We might ask Jesus or
Matthew, "Haven't you read?" for the source reads,
[Psalms 8.1-2] O YaHWeH our lord, how majestic is
your name in the whole world! You, whose glory is
chanted above the heavens by babes and infants, you
have founded a bulwark against your foes to still the
enemy and the avenger.
The passages hardly need comment. There is no "perfect praise"
spoken of in the psalm, and what praise is there is given to G'd,
not his messiah king, and not Jesus. As mentioned, it seems to be
just one more case of Matthew's pen making up convenient prophetic
scripture.
YHVH said to
my lord...:
Jesus is said to have asked from whom the promised Jewish
messiah-king is to be descended. The Jews agree-- it is king
David. But, then Jesus counters by quoting Psalms 110,
"The LORD said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until
I put your enemies under your feet."
Taken at face value, Jesus is denying the necessity of Davidic
descent. One assumes he is in opposition to their answer. Of
course, the Christian answer is that he agrees, but is trying to
make some hidden point, to reveal some mystery about the divine
nature of the messiah-king. It's tempting to believe this, if one
is a Christian and not interested in matters of investigation.
But, there are problems.
In Jesus's time, the psalm was thought to be about the
messiah. And, it is easy to see why David might refer to the
messiah as his superior. We need only look at the scriptures
about the messiah to see that he is expected to be a great king,
bringing the Jews to times even better than those under David's
rule. Of course, the Jews listening had no good answer, and the
passage could indeed refer to a divine messiah, such as the
Christians worship. The problem lies in the meaning of this
psalm, an error that apparently several Jews of Jesus's time had
also made. One must remember that there were various factions
among the Jews, often as a result of different expectations of the
messiah-king. Jesus was apparently one of these adventists, like
his audience, who thought the messiah's advent was imminent, and
who interpreted Psalms 110, among others, as being messianic.
What is the problem, then? Psalm 110 literally reads,
YHVH's utterance to my lord:
"Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your
footstool."
YHVH sends forth your mighty scepter from Zion. Rule
in the midst of your foes! Your people will offer
themselves freely on the day you lead your host on the
holy mountains.
"You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek
forever."
The word "lord" is often mistakenly capitalised by Christian
bibles to denote divinity in this lord. But, in the Hebrew, the
word is "adoni," and no capitalisation exists. Adoni simply means
"lord," a generic term as we would use it. It is used often in
the scriptures to refer to kings and to G'd. It is merely an
address of respect.
There is nothing in the text itself to imply that the word
refers either to divinity or to the messiah-king. That this is
supposed to be written by David is not certain. The title of the
psalm translates to either "a psalm of David," or "a psalm about
David." It seems fitting to assume it to be written by a court
poet, about David's covenant and endorsement from G'd. If the
psalm had been written by David, it is unlikely that he would be
talking about the messiah. The idea of a perfect king, descended
from David, was not present in David's age. We have extensive
tales of David's doings and sayings-- none of which include any
praises of a messiah.
Many of the psalms show evidence of being written long after
David was dead, in times of the exile when G'd had put his show of
favour for David's kingdom on hold.
The description in the psalm fit David very well. David was
promised by G'd a rise to power, victory over his enemies,
successful judgement among the nations he conquered. He achieved
the priesthood common to Melchizedek in being a righteous king,
enabled to bless the people. It all fits.
We do not have to blame this problem on Matthew alone,
though. Here, there is not artificial prophecy alluded to, though
his use of the scripture is rather questionable. Still, this
event is common to the other gospels too. So, we let Matthew off
a little more easily this time. It is interesting to note,
though, how Matthew dresses up the event. The earlier gospel of
Mark tells the tale with Jesus simply speaking to a crowd.
Matthew has the Pharisees, who became the religious competition of
an infant Christianity, be the target of Jesus's question. As we
might expect, Matthew writes that the event ends up by
embarrassing the Pharisees. Such power is the pen.
Moses & Jesus,
Had it Together
All Along...:
We leave the gospel story of Matthew momentarily to see a
pseudo-prophecy in John's gospel. The gospel story of John
deserves special treatment, because it seems to be so far removed
from the real events of Jesus's career as told by even Matthew.
But, for the moment, we will just look at one verse. The early
church leaders founded a religion on the Jewish hopes of a messiah
king, and on an artificial extension of the original promises made
by G'd. When constructing the history of Abraham, Moses wrote of
a promise of land and nationhood to the Jewish people. While this
was accomplished eventually, under the rule of king David, the
Christians who came along later decided that they would claim the
fulfillment of the promise. But, to do so, they expanded on the
promise, preaching about a heavenly kingdom.
[John 8.56] (J.C. speaking) Your father, Abraham,
rejoiced to see My day. He say it and was glad.
It would be nice to tie in approval for Jesus from Abraham, but,
Abraham knew nothing of Jesus or a messiah, or anything Christian.
I have tried, and failed to find any event in the Old Testament
which corresponds to John's little prophecy. It is par for the
course to see St. John making up Old Testament backings, just like
his forerunner Matthew. Many Christians know that their faith has
many of its foundations in such fraud, and it is surprising they
still cling to it.
The Potter's
Field:
We are told that Jesus was betrayed while in Jerusalem by
one of his followers, Judas Iscariot. Matthew writes,
[Mt 27.5-10] And throwing down the pieces of silver
in the temple, [Judas] departed... But, the chief
priests, taking the silver, said, "It isn't lawful for
us to put it in the treasury, since it is blood
money." So they... bought a potter's field with it to
bury strangers in... Then was fulfilled what was
spoken by the prophet Jeremiah,
"And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price
of him on whom a price had been set by some of the
sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's
field, as the lord directed me."
This prophecy is an utterly gross bastardisation of Old Testament
Scripture. First, Matthew has made a mistake regarding the name
of the prophet. It is Zechariah who utters the verses which
Matthew makes use of.
[Zech. 11.12-13] ...And they weighed out my wages,
thirty shekels of silver. Then YHVH said to me, "Cast
them to the treasury," --the lordly price at which I
was paid off by them. So I took the thirty shekels of
silver and cast them into the treasury in the house of
YHVH.
First of all, the verses of Zechariah do not deal with a betrayer
of the messiah, or of G'd. The deal with a shepherd, most likely
a priest, chosen to serve a function of presiding over the people
shortly before G'd would send Judah and Israel into conflict with
one another. The word, "treasury," had been replaced by the King
James Scholars with "to the potter," precisely because this made
Matthew's quote fit better. But, this is a blatant error. The
correct translation of the Hebrew is indeed "treasury," which also
makes perfect sense in Zechariah's context, whereas "potter's
field" is totally unrelated. Whether the mistranslation was
intentional or not seems to be beyond speculation. However, given
Matthew's track record, one finds it hard to resist the notion of
intentional dishonesty.
Of course, Matthew would have ample reason for altering the
text. The thirty pieces of silver match Judas's situation, and if
as most Christians seem to be, the reader is willing to disregard
the contextual incongruity, Matthew might have another prophecy to
toss around. However, the correct translation of Zechariah
directly contradicts the situation with Judas and the high
priests. The high priests would not put the money in the
treasury. The worthless shepherd of Zechariah does exactly the
opposite! Of course, to the average Thursday-Night Bible student,
the "prophecy" as presented by Matthew would be taken at New
Testament face value. To those, Matthew's work is convincing
enough.
Wine, Vinegar,
& Casting Lots:
Then, Jesus is led away to be crucified.
[Mt 27.34-35] ...they gave him vinegar to drink,
mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not
drink it. And, when they had crucified him, they
divided his garments among them by casting lots: that
it might be fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet,
"They parted my garments among them, and upon my
vesture did they cast lots."
First of all, the vinegar offered to Jesus is actually common sour
wine, of the type that Roman soldiers drank regularly. We find
that right before Jesus dies, the soldiers themselves give him
some to drink --not polluted with gall.
[Jn 19.28-30] Jesus... said, "I thirst." A bowl of
vinegar stood there, so they put a sponge full of the
vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When he
had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished;"
But, Matthew seems to be drawing on, not a passage from the
prophets, but one from the Psalms.
[Ps 69.20-28] I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me
poison for food (lit. they put gall in my meat), and
for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink... Add
to them punishment upon punishment, may they have no
acquittal from thee. Let them be blotted out of the
Book of the Living.
Of course, the sour wine offered to Jesus is done at his request
of drink. This does indeed seem to be a show of pity. The psalm
quoted is about David and his political and military enemies. It
is not about the messiah or Jesus. It is then not surprising that
we run into further problem when we see that the "Jesus" in the
psalm asks G'd for the damnation of the "crucifiers," whereas the
Jesus of the gospels says,
[Lk 23.34] Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, the
don't know what they do!"
Further, Matthew misses with his attempt to create prophecy by
having gall (a bitter substance) put into Jesus's drink, not his
meat, as the psalm stipulates.
With the "prophecy" of the vinegar faulty, we naturally
ask, "What of the casting of lots?" This brings up the 22nd
Psalm, which deserves discussion all by itself. Suffice it now to
say that the fact that Jesus's clothes were divided as told is no
great thing. It turns out that this happened often to any felon
in those days. As we will soon see, it is perhaps the least
erroneous passage of the psalm when applied to Jesus. It does
indeed bring up the interesting question as to the quality of
Jesus's clothes. For a man so removed from worldly possessions,
his ownership of clothes worthy of casting lots raises some
suspicions.
The 22nd Psalm:
This psalm is attributed to David, as a lament of his
condition under the attack of his enemies. It becomes a song of
praise to YHVH and of hope. Taken out of context, parts of it
seem to fit the plight of Jesus at the crucifixion quite well. We
will examine the primary passages.
Verse 1-2: My god, my god! why have you forsaken me?!
Why are you so far from helping me, far from the words
of my groaning? Oh, my god, I cry by day, but you
don't answer, and by night, but find no rest.
Jesus is said to have cried the first sentence while on the cross.
This suggests that the whole psalm is really about Jesus, rather
than king David. Of course, the rest of the first stanza does not
fit as nicely to Jesus or his execution. Jesus is not pictured as
complaining about the whole ordeal, he is supposed to be like "the
lamb led mute before its shearers." Indeed, Jesus doesn't do much
groaning, even when on the cross. He certainly does not cry by
both day and night on the cross.
6-8: But, I am a worm, and no man-- scorned by men...
All who see me mock at me. They make faces and wag
their heads; "He committed his cause to YHVH. So let
him deliver him... for he delights in him."
This seems to fit Jesus's execution pretty well, with the
exception of the Holy messiah being called a worm.
12-13: Many bulls encompass me... they open their
mouths widely at me like a ravening and roaring lion.
16-18: Yea, dogs are round about me, a company of
evildoers encir-cle me, they have pierced my hands and
feet. I can see all my bones... They divide my
garments among them, and cast lost for my raiment.
19-21: But you, YHVH, be not far away! ...Deliver my
soul from the sword, my life from the power of the
dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion, and my
afflicted soul from the horns of the wild bull!
It would seem quite convincing, and I'm sure the early Christian
fathers who wrote of this prophecy thought so too. Unfortunately,
this prophecy has a fatal flaw. The words "have pierced" really
do not exist in the psalm. The correct Hebrew translation is,
16: Yea, dogs are round about me, a company of
evildoers encircles me, like the lion, they are at my
hands and feet...
In Hebrew the phrase "like the lion" and a very rare verb form
which can mean "pierced" differ by one phonetic character. The
word in the Hebrew text is literally, "like the lion" (ka'ari),
which makes sense in the context, and even further fits the animal
imagery employed by the psalm writer. It is convenience that
would urge a Christian to change the word to "ka'aru." But, to
add the needed (yet artificial) weight to the "prophecy" this is
just what the Christian translators have chosen to do. While the
correct translation does not eliminate the psalm from referring to
Jesus, its absence does not say much for the honesty of the
translators.
Apart from the erroneous verse 16, the psalm does not lend
itself to Jesus so easily. Verse 20 speaks of the sufferer being
saved from a sword rather than a cross. This naturally fits the
psalm's true subject, king David. As a side note, we now know
that crucifixions did not pierce the hands, the palms, but rather
the forearms. This doesn't say much in favour of the traditional
thought of a resurrected Jesus showing his disciples the scars on
his palms. But then, facts aren't bound by our religious beliefs.
Matthew escapes culpability this time, as he does not
attempt to draw many direct links between this psalm and his lord
Jesus. But the psalm, like many others, was on the minds of all
the gospel writers when they compiled the stories and
interpretations of Jesus's life and death. How much these
scriptures may have contributed to what actually got written down
is a question that has serious repercussions for Christian
theology. It is easy to see, for those who are not faithful
fundamentalists, how some of the events in the New Testament might
have been "enhanced" by scribes such as the eager Matthew. But,
it does less to speculate than to simply investigate scriptural
matters and prophetic claims. So far, this has not said good
things for St. Matthew.
The reference to the piercing looks a lot like Jesus's
crucifixion. John's gospel recount, written about 70 years after
the fact, tells us at Jesus's execution,
[Jn 19.34,37] But one of the soldiers pierced his
side with a spear, and out came blood and water...
these things took place that Scripture be fulfilled...
"The will look on him whom they've pierced."
Of course, this is built on a passage taken blatantly out of
context. Prophet Zechariah tells us how much of the nation of
Israel will split off from Jerusalem and Judah and go to war with
them.
[Zc 12.7-10] And YHVH will give victory to Judah...
And on that day, I will seek to destroy the nations
that come against Jerusalem (in Judah). And I will
pour a spirit of compassion and supplication... on
Jerusalem so that when they look on him who they have
pierced, they will mourn, and weep bitterly over him
like you weep over a firstborn child.
John's attempt to make up prophecy is perhaps weaker that
Matthew's attempts. Matthew, at least, usually excontexts more
than just one passage. John's errors are grossly obvious and
blatant here. It does not speak well for any of the gospel
writers, as it helps to show how the prophetic aspects of their
religion were founded.
Reckoned with
Transgressors:
After his arrest, Jesus is quickly executed for claiming
the Jewish kingship, messiahship. According to one version of
the gospel tale, Jesus gets executed along with two thieves.
[Mk 15.27] And with him they crucified two robbers,
one on his right, one on his left. And so the
scripture was fulfilled which says,
"He was reckoned with the transgressors."
Here, Mark is trying to link Jesus to a passage in Isaiah 53,
about the servant nation of Israel. The passage is not about the
messiah, for if one reads the whole chapter of Isaiah 53, and its
surrounding chapters, one sees that the servant is a nation. The
verses are also about what this servant has gone through in the
past, not a prediction of what is to come, in any event. The
servant is thought of as a criminal. This also happens to fit the
description of Jesus. Had the passage really been about the
messiah, it still is not at all clear why executing Jesus between
two thieves would fulfill the "prophecy" in Isaiah. Jesus would
more fittingly fulfill it with his whole ministry. He was
considered a blasphemer and troublemaker all throughout his
career. Locking onto a single event is a rather poor way to
steal prophecy, at least in this case, as we see that Mark could
have had made a better analogy with general comparisons.
Mark goes on to tell us how "those who were crucified with
[Jesus] also reviled him." [15.32] This is to be expected from a
couple of robbers. Of course in his later recount, St. Luke
decides to change some things. Luke tells us,
[Lk 23.39-43] And one of the criminals who was hanged
with him railed, "Aren't you the messiah?! Save
yourself, and us!"
This certainly fits with Mark's recount, which tells how the
people who crucified Jesus said, "Save yourself!" and that the
robbers did the same. But then Luke goes on,
But the other [criminal] rebuked [the first] saying,
"Don't you fear G'd, since you are under the same
sentence of condemnation? And we, indeed justly so,
for we are receiving the due reward for our deeds.
But, this man has done nothing wrong. And he said,
"Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom."
And Jesus answered, "Verily I say to you, today you
will be with me in paradise."
Now, this little dialogue seems highly contrived. It stretches
the imagination a bit to see this picture of one ruffian rebuking
his fellow criminal with such eloquent speech. We have a rather
strange picture of a criminal lamenting over the goodness of his
punishment and the justness of his suffering. Such a man,
apparently noble and of principle, doesn't seem likely to have
been a robber. We wonder at the amount of theatrics created by
Luke. Of course, Luke's recount also disagrees with Mark's.
Luke has only one criminal revile Jesus, not both. It is easy
enough to discount the discrepancy because the account was made
up, but those who wish to believe it is all part of the error free
words of G'd do not have this avenue open. This is yet another
example of a writer trying to take an Old Testament passage and
expand it and reinterpret it to suit his theology. In this case,
the embroidery creates some embarrassing problems, as we have
seen.
The End of the
World--
Mt. 24:
Now comes perhaps one of the most extraordinary and
embarrassing passages in the New Testament. It is found in all
three of the synoptic gospel stories, and casts some of the most
unfavourable doubt on the whole theory of Christianity. Jesus
mentions the destruction of the Jewish temples and buildings, and
his disciples ask him about this, and about the end of the world
which he has been warning about.
The disciples: Tell us, when will this [the temple's
destruction] be, and what will be the sign of your
coming, and of the close of the age?
Jesus: Take care that no one leads you astray, for
many will come in my name, saying, "I am the christ."
...you will hear of wars and rumours of wars... for
this must take place, but the end is not yet. For,
nation will rise against nation... all this is but the
beginning of the birthpangs.
They will deliver you up... put you to death,
and false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
...But he who endures to the end will be saved. This
gospel will be preached throughout the whole world, a
testimony to the nations, and then the end will come.
So, when you see the desolation spoken of by the
prophet Daniel, ...let those who are in Judea flee to
the mountains.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun will be darkened... the stars will fall from
heaven... then will appear the sign of the Son of Man
in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
and see the Son of Man coming... and he will send out
his angels... and gather his elect...
Learn the lesson of the fig tree: as soon as its
branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know
that summer is near. So also, when you see all these
things, you will know that He is near, at the very
gate. Truly I say to you, this generation will not
pass away until all these things take place...
But, of the day and hour, no one knows; not the
angels, not the Son, but only the Father... Therefore,
you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming
at an hour you do not expect.
From this, it is clear that Jesus thought the world would in
within the lifetimes of at least some of his disciples. He tells
them that although he doesn't know the exact day or hour, that it
will come, and thus they must be ready. Theologians have wet
their pants in panic to find some way out of this Holy Error.
But, unfortunately, Jesus made himself to explicit. He told his
disciples that their generation would still be around at the End,
and that they in particular should prepare for it, prepare to be
swept away.
There have been some who resorted to removing the inerrant
nature of the Bible, and said that the phrase, "this generation
shall not pass away..." really means "this race of people will not
pass away..." Of course, the word for generation is used many
times to refer to exactly that, the generation of the disciples.
It is an interesting notion that when God decided to learn Greek,
he didn't learn it well enough to make himself clear. But. it is
quite obvious from the rest of the dialogue that the disciples (at
least some of them) are supposed to live to the End of the World.
The charge of mistranslation is completely blown away by looking
at the Apostles' responses. It becomes abundantly clear from
Rev. 22.7, 1 Peter 4.7, 1 John 2.18, and Rev. 22.20, that Jesus
meant exactly what he said. The End was very near.
For 2,000 years, Christians have rationalised this 24th
chapter of Matthew, or ignored its meaning altogether. For 2,000
years, they have waited for their executed leader to come back,
hearing of wars, and rumours of wars, sure that He is coming soon.
Surely He must be. All we must do is wait. Can you imagine how
tired He must be, sitting around up there, being holy, waiting for
just the right moment to spring?
So, shortly after his crucifixion, Jesus of Nazareth,
(Joshua-ben-Joseph), died. It is said that after three days, or
three days and three nights, or three periods of time, or three
eternal seconds --or three of whatever they can decide makes for
less trouble-- he was seen again, resurrected, glowing with divine
radiance. Then the Saviour decided it wasn't in the best
interests of his new religion to stick around, and therefore
disappeared from sight into heaven. So the story goes, anyway.
As has been seen, there were many things attributed to Jesus when
people got around to writing the gospel stories down. To them,
Jesus was the fulfiller of all prophecy and scripture. We have
seen, though, that this matter is quite shaky. But, throughout
Church history, Christians have held fast to faith, in simple
belief. What doctrinal objections could not be solved with
argumentation or brute force, faith and forgetfulness kept away
from question. To question and investigate has never been the
easiest way to treat matters. Thus for 2,000 years, the
prophecies cited in the New Testament have gone on largely
accepted. Things may well continue that way for some time.
Pausing a moment to consider the way the doctrines of Christianity
have been accepted and used (properly or improperly) to support
wars and persecution, I suppose there is one prophecy of which
Christianity can securely keep hold.
[Mt 10.34] Jesus: "Don't think that I have come to
bring peace on earth. I haven't come to bring peace,
but rather a sword."
| 0alt.atheism
|
In article <5170286@hplsla.hp.com> tomb@hplsla.hp.com (Tom Bruhns) writes:
>>Does anybody out there have a circuit that will decode a 1000Hz tone?
>
>Use a NE567 tone decoder PLL chip...
My impression -- it's not an area I've played with much -- is that the
much-beloved NE567 is basically obsolete. If you want to detect a 1kHz
tone, set a switched-capacitor filter chip to that frequency, feed your
input to it, and see if anything comes out the other end. The NE567 was
what you used when good clean bandpass filters were hard to do; nowadays
they're easy, and the results are better.
--
All work is one man's work. | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
- Kipling | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
| 12sci.electronics
|
------------- cut here -----------------
ONCE A YEAR...FOR A LIFETIME VIDEO KIT. This kit
includes a 25-minute VHS videotape that presents common
misconceptions about mammography. It tells of the
benefits gains by the early detection of breast cancer.
Jane Pauley and Phylicia Rashad are the narrators. Kit
includes a guide, poster, flyer, and pamphlets on
mammography. This kit is available directly by writing
to: Modern, 5000 Park Street North, St. Petersburg, FL
33709-9989.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
COMBINED HEALTH INFORMATION DATABASE (CHID). A computerized
bibliographic database developed and managed by agencies of
the U.S. Public Health Service. It contains references to
health information and health education resources. The
database provides bibliographic citations and abstracts for
journal articles, books, reports, pamphlets, audiovisuals,
product descriptions, hard-to-find information sources, and
health promotion and education programs under way in state
and local health departments and other locations. In
addition, CHID provides source and availability information
for these materials, so that users may obtain them directly.
At present, there are twenty-one subfiles on CHID. The
National Cancer Institute created the Cancer Patient
Education subfile in 1990. It serves as a resource for the
CHID user who is interested in identifying patient education
programs for specific cancer patient populations, as well as
for the user who is trying to locate educational resources
available for patient or family cancer education. Citations
include the contact person at cancer centers, so the user
can follow up directly with the appropriate person.
To access CHID, check with your local library. Most medical
school, university, hospital, and public libraries subscribe
to commercial database vendors.
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 28
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
FINAL REPORT: AN INTEGRATED ONCOLOGY WORKSTATION (revised
5/92). This book provides a conceptual overview of what a
clinical information system for practicing oncologists might
include: a database of electronic patient chart records
combined with access to a knowledge base of information
resources such as PDQ, CANCERLIT, and MEDLINE--an
integration of data and knowledge combined to create a
clinical "oncology workstation." The concept was developed
as a means to assist the oncologist and his or her office
staff in the daily management of patient care and clinical
trials. This book can be obtained by contacting: Dr.
Robert Esterhay, Project Officer, Computer Communications
Branch, Building 82, Room 201, Bethesda, MD 20892.
SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION SERVICES OF THE NATIONAL CANCER
INSTITUTE. (91-2683). This booklet from the International
Cancer Information Center (ICIC) describes each ICIC product
or service, including scientific journals (Journal of the
National Cancer Institute and NCI Monographs), specialized
current awareness publications (CANCERGRAMS, and ONCOLOGY
OVERVIEWS), and online databases (PDQ and CANCERLIT). To
obtain copies of the booklet, write to: International Cancer
Information Center, Dept. JJJ, National Cancer Institute,
Bldg. 82, Rm. 123, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 or fax your
request to 301-480-8105.
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 29
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
Publications for Patients Available from the NCI (1/93)
Free copies of the following patient education materials are available (in
single copy or bulk) by calling the NCI's Publication Ordering Service, 1-800-
4-CANCER.
CANCER PREVENTION
CHEW OR SNUFF IS REAL BAD STUFF. This brochure, designed
for seventh and eighth graders, describes the health and social
effects of using smokeless tobacco products. When fully opened,
the brochure can be used as a poster.
CLEARING THE AIR: A GUIDE TO QUITTING SMOKING. This
pamphlet, designed to help the smoker who wants to quit, offers a
variety of approaches to cessation. [24 pages]
DIET, NUTRITION & CANCER PREVENTION: THE GOOD NEWS. This
booklet provides an overview of dietary guidelines that may
assist individuals in reducing their risks for some cancers. It
identifies certain foods to choose more often and others to
choose less often in the context of a total health-promoting
diet. [16 pages]
WHY DO YOU SMOKE? This pamphlet contains a self-test to
determine why people smoke and suggests alternatives and
substitutes that can help them stop.
EARLY DETECTION
BREAST EXAMS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW. This pamphlet provides
answers to questions about breast cancer screening methods,
including mammography, the medical checkup, breast self-
examination, and future technologies. Includes instructions for
breast self-examination. [10 pages]
CANCER TESTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: A GUIDE FOR PEOPLE 65
AND OVER. This pamphlet describes the cancer tests important for
people age 65 and older. It informs men and women of the exams
they should be requesting when they schedule checkups with their
doctors. It provides a checklist for men and women to record
when the cancer tests occur, and it describes the steps to follow
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 30
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
should cancer be found. [14 pages]
DO THE RIGHT THING: GET A MAMMOGRAM. This brochure targets
black women age 40 or older. It describes the importance of
regular mammograms in the early detection of breast cancer. It
states the NCI guidelines for mammography.
ONCE A YEAR FOR A LIFETIME. This brochure targets all women
age 40 or older. It describes the importance of regular
mammograms in the early detection of breast cancer. It states
the NCI guidelines for mammography.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT BREAST LUMPS. This pamphlet
describes some of the most common noncancerous breast lumps and
what can be done about them. Includes instructions for breast
self-examination. [22 pages]
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT CHOOSING A MAMMOGRAPHY FACILITY.
This brochure lists questions to ask in selecting a quality
mammography facility. Also discusses typical costs and coverage.
TESTICULAR SELF-EXAMINATION. This pamphlet contains
information about risks and symptoms of testicular cancer and
provides instructions on how to perform testicular self-
examination.
THE PAP TEST: IT CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE! This easy-to-read
pamphlet tells women the importance of getting a Pap test. It
explains who should request one, how often it should be done, and
where to go to get a Pap test.
GENERAL
RESEARCH REPORTS. In-depth reports covering current
knowledge of the causes and prevention, symptoms, detection and
diagnosis, and treatment of various types of cancer. Individual
reports are available on the following topics:
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Cancer of the Colon and Rectum
Cancer of the Lung
Cancer of the Pancreas
Melanoma
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 31
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
Oral Cancers
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM - HOW IT WORKS. This booklet, written at
a high school level, explains the human immune system for the
general public. It describes the sophistication of the body's
immune responses, the impact of immune disorders, and the
relation of the immune system to cancer therapies present and
future. [28 pages]
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CANCER. This series of
pamphlets discusses symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, emotional
issues, and questions to ask the doctor. Includes glossary of
terms and other resources. Individual pamphlets are available on
the following topics:
Bladder
Bone
Brain
Breast
Cervix
Colon and Rectum
Dysplastic Nevi
Esophagus
Hodgkin's Disease
Kidney
Larynx
Lung
Melanoma
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Oral Cancers
Ovary
Pancreas
Prostate
Skin
Testis
Uterus
PATIENT EDUCATION
ANTICANCER DRUG INFORMATION SHEETS IN SPANISH/ENGLISH. Two-
sided fact sheets (in English and Spanish) provide information
about side effects of common drugs used to treat cancer, their
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 32
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
proper usage, and precautions for patients. The fact sheets were
prepared by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc., for
distribution by the National Cancer Institute. Single sets only
may be ordered.
ADVANCED CANCER: LIVING EACH DAY. This booklet addresses
coping with a terminal illness by discussing practical
considerations for the patient, the family, and friends. [30
pages]
CHEMOTHERAPY AND YOU: A GUIDE TO SELF-HELP DURING
TREATMENT. This booklet, in question-and-answer format, addresses
problems and concerns of patients receiving chemotherapy.
Emphasis is on explanation and self-help. [64 pages]
EATING HINTS: RECIPES AND TIPS FOR BETTER NUTRITION DURING
CANCER TREATMENT. This cookbook-style booklet includes recipes
and suggestions for maintaining optimum nutrition during
treatment. All recipes have been tested. [92 pages]
FACING FORWARD: A GUIDE FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. This booklet
presents a concise overview of important survivor issues,
including ongoing health needs, psychosocial concerns, insurance,
and employment. Easy-to-use format includes cancer survivors'
experiences, practical tips, recordkeeping forms, and resources.
It is recommended for cancer survivors, their family, and
friends. [43 pages]
PATIENT TO PATIENT: CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS AND YOU. This
15-minute videocassette provides simple information for patients
and families about the clinical trials process (produced in
collaboration with the American College of Surgeons Commission on
Cancer).
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT PAIN CONTROL: A GUIDE FOR
PEOPLE WITH CANCER AND THEIR FAMILIES. This booklet discusses
pain control using both medical and nonmedical methods. The
emphasis is on explanation, self-help, and patient participation.
This booklet is also available from the American Cancer Society.
[44 pages]
RADIATION THERAPY AND YOU: A GUIDE TO SELF-HELP DURING
TREATMENT. This booklet addresses concerns of patients receiving
forms of radiation therapy. Emphasis is on explanation and
self-help. [52 pages]
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 33
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
TAKING TIME: SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH CANCER AND THE PEOPLE
WHO CARE ABOUT THEM. This sensitively written booklet for
persons with cancer and their families addresses the feelings and
concerns of others in similar situations and how they have coped.
[68 pages]
WHAT ARE CLINICAL TRIALS ALL ABOUT? This booklet is
designed for patients who are considering taking part in research
for new cancer treatments. It explains clinical trials to
patients in easy-to-understand terms and gives them information
that will help them decide about participating. [24 pages]
WHEN CANCER RECURS: MEETING THE CHALLENGE AGAIN. This
booklet details the different types of recurrence, types of
treatment, and coping with cancer's return. [28 pages]
BREAST CANCER EDUCATION SERIES
BREAST BIOPSY: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW. This booklet
discusses biopsy procedures. It describes what to expect in
the hospital and while awaiting a diagnosis. [16 pages]
BREAST CANCER: UNDERSTANDING TREATMENT OPTIONS. This
booklet summarizes the biopsy procedure and examines the
pros and cons of various types of breast surgery. It
discusses lumpectomy and radiation therapy as primary
treatment, adjuvant therapy, and the process of making
treatment decisions. [19 pages]
MASTECTOMY: A TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER. This booklet
presents information about the different types of breast
surgery. It explains what to expect in the hospital and
during the recovery period following breast cancer surgery.
Breast self-examination for mastectomy patients is also
described. [25 pages]
AFTER BREAST CANCER: A GUIDE TO FOLLOWUP CARE. This
booklet is for the woman who has completed treatment. It
explains the importance of checking for possible signs of
recurring cancer by receiving regular mammograms, getting
breast exams from a doctor, and continuing monthly breast
self-exams. It offers advice for managing the physical and
emotional side effects that may accompany surviving breast
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 34
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
cancer. [15 pages]
PEDIATRIC CANCER EDUCATION SERIES
HELP YOURSELF: TIPS FOR TEENAGERS WITH CANCER. This
magazine-style booklet is designed to provide information
and support to adolescents with cancer. Issues addressed
include reactions to diagnosis, relationships with family
and friends, school attendance, and body image. [37 pages]
HOSPITAL DAYS, TREATMENT WAYS. This hematology-oncology
coloring book helps orient the child with cancer to hospital
and treatment procedures. [26 pages]
MANAGING YOUR CHILD'S EATING PROBLEMS DURING CANCER
TREATMENT. This booklet contains information about the
importance of nutrition, the side effects of cancer and its
treatment, ways to encourage a child to eat, and special
diets. [32 pages]
TALKING WITH YOUR CHILD ABOUT CANCER. This booklet is
designed for the parent whose child has been diagnosed with
cancer. It addresses the health-related concerns of young
people of different ages; it suggests ways to discuss
disease-related issues with the child. [16 pages]
WHEN SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY HAS CANCER. This booklet is
written for young people whose parent or sibling has cancer.
It includes sections on the disease, its treatment, and
emotional concerns. [28 pages]
YOUNG PEOPLE WITH CANCER: A HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS.
This booklet discusses the most common types of childhood
cancer, treatments and side effects, and issues that may
arise when a child is diagnosed with cancer. Offers medical
information and practical tips gathered from the experience
of others. [86 pages]
SPANISH LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS
Si desea hablar con un especialista en informacion sobre el
cancer, por favor llame al 1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER).
CANCER PREVENTION
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 35
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
A TIME OF CHANGE/DE NINA A MUJER. This bilingual fotonovela
was developed specifically for young women. It discusses
various health promotion issues such as nutrition, no
smoking, exercise, and pelvic, Pap, and breast examinations.
[34 pages]
DATOS SOBRE EL HABITO DE FUMAR Y RECOMENDACIONES PARA DEJAR
DE FUMAR. This bilingual pamphlet describes the health
risks of smoking and tips on how to quit and how to stay
quit. [8 pages]
GUIA PARA DEJAR DE FUMAR. This booklet is a full-color,
self-help smoking cessation booklet prepared specifically
for Spanish-speaking Americans. It was developed by the
University of California, San Francisco, under an NCI
research grant. [36 pages]
EARLY DETECTION
HAGASE LA PRUEBA PAP: HAGALO HOY...POR SU SALUD Y SU
FAMILIA. This bilingual brochure tells women why it is
important to get a Pap test. It gives brief, clear
information about who needs a Pap test, where to go to get
one, and how often the Pap test should be done.
HAGASE UN MAMOGRAMA: UNA VEZ AL ANO...PARA TODA UNA VIDA.
This bilingual brochure describes the importance of
mammograms in the early detection of breast cancer. It
gives brief information about who is at risk for breast
cancer, how a mammogram is done, and how to get one.
LA PRUEBA PAP: UN METODO PARA DIAGNOSTICAR CANCER DEL CUELLO
DEL UTERO. This booklet in Spanish answers questions about
the Pap test, including how often it should be done,
significance of results, and other diagnostic tests and
treatments. [16 pages]
LO QUE USTED DEBE SABER SOBRE LOS EXAMENES DE LOS SENOS.
This booklet in Spanish explains the importance of the three
actions recommended by the NCI to detect breast cancer as
early as possible: requesting regular mammography, getting
an annual breast exam from the doctor, and performing a
monthly breast self-exam. [6 pages]
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 36
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
PREGUNTAS Y RESPUESTAS SOBRE LA SELECCION DE UN CENTRO DE
MAMOGRAFIA. This brochure lists questions and answers to
ask in selecting a quality mammography facility.
PATIENT EDUCATION
ANTICANCER DRUG INFORMATION SHEETS IN SPANISH/ENGLISH. Two-
sided fact sheets (in English and Spanish) provide
information about side effects of common drugs used to treat
cancer, their proper usage, and precautions for patients.
The fact sheets were prepared by the United States
Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc., for distribution by the
National Cancer Institute. Single sets only may be ordered.
DATOS SOBRE EL TRATAMIENTO DE QUIMIOTERAPIA CONTRA EL
CANCER. This flyer in Spanish provides a brief introduction
to cancer chemotherapy. [12 pages]
EL TRATAMIENTO DE RADIOTERAPIA: GUIA PARA EL PACIENTE
DURANTE EL TRATAMIENTO. This booklet in Spanish addresses
the concerns of patients receiving radiation therapy for
cancer. Emphasis is on explanation and self-help. [48
pages]
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 37
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AIDS News Summaries
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AIDS Daily Summary for April 19 to April 23, 1993
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public service
only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC,
the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text
is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold. Copyright 1993, Information,
Inc., Bethesda, MD
=================================================================
April 19, 1993
=================================================================
"Absence of HIV Transmission From an Infected Orthopedic Surgeon" Journal of
the American Medical Association (04/14/93) Vol. 269, No. 14, P. 1807 (von
Reyn, C. Fordham)
The risk of HIV transmission from an HIV-positive surgeon to patient is
extremely low, provided that the surgeon strictly adheres to universal
infection control procedures, write C. Fordham von Reyn et al. of the
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. The researchers contacted
2,317 former patients on whom an HIV-positive orthopedic surgeon performed
invasive procedures between January 1, 1978 and June 30, 1992. The
orthopedic surgeon voluntarily withdrew from practice after testing positive
for HIV. A total of 1,174 former patients underwent HIV testing,
representing 50.7 percent of patients on whom the orthopedic surgeon
performed invasive procedures during the 13.5-year period. Patients were
tested from each year and from each category of invasive procedure. All
patients were found to be negative for HIV by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent
assay. Two former patients reported known HIV infection prior to surgery.
The examination of AIDS case registries and vital records neglected to detect
cases of HIV infection among former surgical patients. The estimated cost of
the initial patient notification and testing was $158,000, with the single
most expensive activity being counseling and testing. This accounted for 37
percent of the total expense. The patient notification and testing were
conducted while maintaining the confidentiality of the orthopedic surgeon who
was an active participant in the planning and execution of the study.
Notifying patients of the infected surgeon's HIV-status is both disruptive
and expensive and is not routinely recommended, the researchers conclude. \
=================================================================
"Investigation of Potential HIV Transmission to the Patients of an HIV-
Infected Surgeon" Journal of the American Medical Association (04/14/93) Vol.
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 38
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
269, No. 14, P. 1795 (Smith Rogers, Audrey et al.)
The risk of HIV transmission during surgery is so remote that it will be
quantified only by gathering data from multiple, methodologically similar
investigations, writes Audrey Smith Rogers et al. of the Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. The researchers identified a
total of 1,131 persons in hospital databases who underwent invasive surgical
procedures between 1984 and 1990 and for whom the HIV-positive surgeon was
listed as the operating surgeon. The AIDS case registries were reviewed for
all patients having undergone invasive procedures and death certificates were
obtained. Among the 1,131 patients, 101 were dead, 119 had no address, 413
had test results known, and 498 did not respond to the questionnaire. No
study patient name was found in reported AIDS case registries. One newly
detected, HIV-positive patient was determined to have been most probably
infected in 1985 during a transfusion. There was no HIV transmission in 369
person-hours of surgical exposure, suggesting that HIV transmission to
patients is unlikely to occur more frequently than once per 1000 person-hours
of surgical exposure. The researchers determined there is no evidence to
suggest that the surgeon failed to adhere to standard infection-control
guidelines; over 50 percent of the patients with invasive procedures chose to
be tested, and of those whose results were revealed, only one person was
found to be infected with HIV. The study patient's infection was probably
the result of a tainted blood transfusion received in 1985. As a result,
there is no evidence that the transmission of HIV from the HIV-positive
surgeon to any patient transpired, the researchers conclude.
==================================================================
April 20, 1993
==================================================================
"Drug Concerns to Share AIDS Data" New York Times (04/20/93), P. C10
(Kolata, Gina)
A total of 15 major pharmaceutical companies have decided, in a highly
unusual move, to share AIDS drugs and information while the drugs are
undergoing early clinical testing. Dr. Edward Scolnick, president of the
Merck Research Laboratory in Rahway, N.J., arranged the collaboration. He
said that cooperation between companies seemed increasingly significant as it
had become clear that combinations of drugs were likely to be more effective
in fighting HIV than any drug used alone. The researchers are hopeful that
HIV, when faced with a combination of several drugs requiring mutation at
different sites for resistance to develop, will be unable to evolve all the
mutations at the same time. Therefore, several drugs taken together or one
after the other could halt the spread of HIV. Currently, the drug companies
do not know what other drugs their competitors are developing. The new
agreement allows companies to routinely exchange animal data and safety data
on new AIDS drugs. "An agreement like this will greatly facilitate
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 39
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
companies' ability to choose the best drug combinations much faster and in a
much more efficient way," said Scolnick. He also said that the
collaboration would not violate antitrust laws. In creating the agreement,
Merck spoke frequently to members of AIDS advocacy groups, including ACT-UP.
Dr. Daniel Hoth, director of the division on AIDS at the National Institute
of Allergy and Infectious Disease said, "We're delighted to see the
pharmaceutical industry take this step because we think that increasing the
information flow will likely accelerate the discovery of better compounds for
AIDS." Related Stories: Wall Street Journal (04/20) P. B1; Philadelphia
Inquirer (04/20) P. A3; USA Today (04/20) P. 1B
==================================================================
"The Next Step in AIDS Treatment" Nature (04/08/93) Vol. 362, No. 6420, P. 493
(Maddox, John)
Although AZT was found to be ineffective in prolonging the lives of
people infected with HIV, the findings do not indicate that AZT should not be
administered in people with full-blown AIDS, writes columnist John Maddox.
AZT has been used in the United States in asymptomatic HIV-positive people on
the basis that administration of the drug appeared to abate the decline of
T-cell counts. However, a report in the Lancet demonstrated that AZT should
not be used early in the course of disease. While the CD4 counts of the 877
people given AZT were consistently greater than those of patients receiving
only placebo, the first three years of follow-up have shown that the
proportions of people in the two groups progressing to overt AIDS or even to
death were not significantly different at roughly 18 percent. The
conclusions are that AZT is not an effective AIDS drug in HIV-infected
individuals, and that CD4 cell count may not be a reliable proxy for the
progression to AIDS in infected people. But nothing is implied by the study
of the utility of AZT in the treatment of those in whom symptoms have already
appeared--there is no case for abandoning that treatment, at least on the
evidence now available. It is much more alarming that the CD4 count has
proven to be an unreliable mark of the efficacy of drug treatment in HIV
infection. AIDS researchers should acknowledge HIV is alive from the
beginning of infection and turn it into a workable assay of the progress of
disease. The general application of such an assay will probably in itself
provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AIDS, concludes
Maddox.
==================================================================
"Infective and Anti-Infective Properties of Breastmilk From HIV-1-Infected
Women" Lancet (04/10/93) Vol. 341, No. 8850, P. 914 (Van de Perre, Philippe
et al.)
A vaccine preparation inducing a persistent immune response of the IgM
type in the mother's body fluids could be valuable to prevent transmission of
HIV-1 from mother to child, write Philippe Van de Perre et al. of the
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 40
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
National AIDS Control Program in Kigali, Rwanda. The researchers hypothesized
that transmission of HIV-1 through breastmilk could be favored by the
presence of infected cells, by deficiency of anti-infective substances in
breastmilk, or both factors. A total of 215 HIV-1-infected women were
enrolled at delivery in Kigali, Rwanda; milk samples were collected 15 days, 6
months, and 18 months post partum. HIV-1 IgG, secretory IgA, and IgM were
assayed by western blot, for the latter two after removal of IgG with
protein G. In the 15-day and 6-month samples, the researchers sought viral
genome in milk cells by double polymerase chain reaction with three sets of
primers (gag, pol, and env). At 15 days, 6 months, and 18 months post
partum, HIV-1 specific IgG was detected in 95 percent, 98 percent, and 97
percent of breastmilk samples; IgA in 23 percent, 28 percent, and 41 percent;
and IgM in 66 percent, 78 percent, and 41 percent. In children who survived
longer than 18 months the risk of infection was associated with lack of
persistence of IgM and IgA in their mothers' milk. The presence of HIV-1-
infected cells in the milk 15 days post partum was strongly predictive of
HIV-1 infection in the child by both univariate and multivariate analysis.
The combination of HIV-1 infected cells in breastmilk and a defective IgM
response was the strongest predictor of infection. IgM and IgA anti-HIV-1 in
breastmilk may protect against postnatal transmission of HIV, the researchers
conclude.
==================================================================
April 21, 1993
==================================================================
"Firms to Share AIDS Research in Global Venture" Journal of Commerce
(04/21/93), P. 7A
A total of fifteen U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies announced
Tuesday they will swap drug supplies and information on early-stage AIDS
research to hasten the search for combination therapies to fight HIV
infection and AIDS. The companies said the unusual move resulted primarily
from the increasing concentration of AIDS research on combination therapies
since realizing that HIV is likely to develop resistance to every individual
AIDS drug. Edward Scolnick, president of Merck & Co. Research Laboratories,
led the collaborative effort that took a year of negotiations to come
together, said participants. In addition to Merck, the other companies
involved in the Inter-Company Collaboration for AIDS Drug Development are
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Burroughs Wellcome, Glaxo Inc., Hoffman-La Roche,
Eli Lilly & Co., Pfizer Inc., Smithkline Beecham, AB Astra, Du Pont Merck,
Syntex Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim, Miles Inc., and Sigma-Tau. The
participants said that all companies involved in AIDS drug development they
were aware of had joined the collaboration, and that any company actively
involved in HIV anti-viral development may participate. Scolnick said the
collaborators would most likely meet every couple of months for a daylong
scientific meeting where they will review for one another their preclinical
HICNet Medical Newsletter Page 41
Volume 6, Number 11 April 25, 1993
and early clinical data. The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR)
was pleased with the news of the collaboration, which it hopes will lead to
the development of drug combinations that will reduce viral resistance.
Related Story: Financial Times (04/21) P. 1
==================================================================
"Guidance Over HIV-Infected Health-Care Workers" Lancet (04/10/93) Vol. 341,
No. 8850, P. 952 (Horton, Richard)
The United Kingdom's Department of Health recently followed the advice
of AIDS experts that there is no scientific reason for routine HIV testing
among health-care workers. Following recent highly publicized reports of
health professionals who contracted HIV, the department issued revised
guidelines on the management of such cases. Dr. Kenneth Calman, Chief
Medical Officer, said doctors, dentists, nurses, and other health-care
workers have an ethical duty to seek advice if they have been exposed to HIV
infection, including, if appropriate, diagnostic HIV testing. He said,
"Infected health care workers should not perform invasive procedures that
carry even a remote risk of exposing patients to the virus." The guidelines
--------- end of part 3 ------------
---
Internet: david@stat.com FAX: +1 (602) 451-1165
Bitnet: ATW1H@ASUACAD FidoNet=> 1:114/15
Amateur Packet ax25: wb7tpy@wb7tpy.az.usa.na
| 13sci.med
|
In article <114127@bu.edu>
jaeger@buphy.bu.edu (Gregg Jaeger) writes:
>>When they are victimized they are Muslims. When they victimize others
>>they are not True Muslims (tm) or no Muslims at all.
>
>>Quite annoying.
>
>I don't understand the point of this petty sarcasm. It is a basic
>principle of Islam that if one is born muslim or one says "I testify
>that there is no god but God and Mohammad is a prophet of God" that,
>so long as one does not explicitly reject Islam by word then one _must_
>be considered muslim by all muslims. So the phenomenon you're attempting
>to make into a general rule or psychology is a direct odds with basic
>Islamic principles. If you want to attack Islam you could do better than
>than to argue against something that Islam explicitly contradicts.
>
It was no criticism of Islam for a change, it was a criticism of the
arguments used. Namely, whenever people you identify as Muslims are
the victims of the attacks of others, they are used an argument for
the bad situation of Muslims. But whenever deeds by Muslim that victimize
others are named, they do not count as an argument because what these
people did was not done as a true Muslims. No mention is made how Muslims
are the cause of a bad situation of another party.
Double standards.
Benedikt
| 0alt.atheism
|
The Blackhawks shall triumph.
Walter Ladwig @ "This is the weather the cuckoo likes,
Net Link @ armored division submissive to
DrBombay@Netlink.cts.com @ vernacular the world into a gambling
@ birdhouse velocity."
-The Cut-Ups
| 10rec.sport.hockey
|
In article <2BC8B03B.29868@ics.uci.edu>, bvickers@net1.ics.uci.edu (Brett J. Vickers) writes:
|> wpr@atlanta.dg.com (Bill Rawlins) writes:
|> >Science and the Bible are not in contradiction. God can supercede the
|> >scientific "laws" as man understands them. Creation is a good
|> >example. God has the power to create something out of nothing, order
|> >out of chaos.
|>
|> Precisely why creationism is not science. Precisely why it should
|> remain out of science classrooms.
|>
|> No one makes the case for the pseudoscientific nature of creationism
|> better than the creationists. Thanks Bill!
We are talking about origins, not merely science. Science cannot
explain origins. For a person to exclude anything but science from
the issue of origins is to say that there is no higher truth
than science. This is a false premise. By the way, I enjoy science.
It is truly a wonder observing God's creation. Macroevolution is
a mixture of 15 percent science and 85 percent religion [guaranteed
within three percent error :) ]
--
==========================================================
// Bill Rawlins <wpr@atlanta.dg.com> //
// "I speak for myself only" //
==========================================================
| 0alt.atheism
|
In article <rayC5Myqo.o8@netcom.com> ray@netcom.com (Ray Fischer) writes:
>patrickd@wpi.WPI.EDU (Lazer) writes ...
>>I'd appreciate it greatly if someone could E-mail me the following:
>>(if you only know one, that's fine)
>>>>>>>>>stuff deleted<<<<<<<<<
Have you tried the library?
Since you go to WPI (so do I), go to AK and look on the first floor, a
professor has posted an IEEE (i believe) spec sheet on the 68060 which
is around 10 pages long. I'm sure the library has the info you request, It's
just a matter of finding it.
Hope this helps,
Bret Chase
--
internet:bchase@wpi.wpi.edu Macintosh!
bellnet: (508) 791-3725 Smile! It won't kill you!
snailnet: wpi box 3129 :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
100 institute rd. Worcester, MA 01609-2280
| 4comp.sys.mac.hardware
|
Rejoice! The Streets of Amerika are much safer now that the Branch
Davidians no longer have those nasty assault weapons. Your children will
no longer lie awake at night wondering when the next Brand Davidian will
attempt to shoot them from their rural compound.
Men, women, and children have been murdered by our great BATF, but the
greater good has been secured for all.
Rejoice! `Criminals' who execise the second amendment will be killed.
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
In article <1r16ja$dpa@news.ysu.edu>, ak296@yfn.ysu.edu (John R. Daker)
wrote:
>
>
> In a previous article, xlyx@vax5.cit.cornell.edu () says:
>
> Mike Terry asks:
>
> >Is it possible to do a "wheelie" on a motorcycle with shaft-drive?
> >
> No Mike. It is imposible due to the shaft effect. The centripital effects
> of the rotating shaft counteract any tendency for the front wheel to lift
> off the ground.
This is true as evinced by the popularity of shaft-drive drag bikes.
====================================================
John Stafford Minnesota State University @ Winona
All standard disclaimers apply.
| 8rec.motorcycles
|
Some thoughts:
[A. On the non-pacifist side:]
(1) Killing to defend the innocent may be, if anything, _more_ justifiable
than killing in self-defense. I can turn my _own_ other cheek, but I have
no right to turn someone else's.
(2) It seems to me that if Jesus had meant to teach pacifism, He would have
made His position more explicit. He didn't tell the centurion to leave the
army, for instance; and the NT is full of military metaphors.
[B. On the pacifist side:]
(1) Apparently many early Christians refused to fight in the Roman army,
or stated that one should refuse if given a choice. But it's not clear
whether they were objecting to war _per se_, or objecting to Roman policies.
(2) In modern warfare, it seems to be impossible to direct attacks only at
combatants. Bombing, both conventional and nuclear, kills lots of civilians.
(3) It's hard to tell whether any _particular_ war is justified at the time.
Often it takes decades for the requisite information to become available
to the general public.
Please, NO EMAIL REPLIES -- this is meant as a contribution to a public
discussion, and anyone wanting to reply should also reply publicly.
--
:- Michael A. Covington, Associate Research Scientist : *****
:- Artificial Intelligence Programs mcovingt@ai.uga.edu : *********
:- The University of Georgia phone 706 542-0358 : * * *
:- Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A. amateur radio N4TMI : ** *** ** <><
| 15soc.religion.christian
|
In article <1ql8mdINN674@gap.caltech.edu> keith@cco.caltech.edu (Keith Allan Schneider) writes:
>
>But we were discussing it in relation to the death penalty. And, the
>Constitution need not define each of the words within. Anyone who doesn't
>know what cruel is can look in the dictionary (and we did).
>
Or, with no dictionary available, they could gain first hand
knowledge by suffering through one of your posts.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Bob Beauchaine bobbe@vice.ICO.TEK.COM
They said that Queens could stay, they blew the Bronx away,
and sank Manhattan out at sea.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| 0alt.atheism
|
--
My wife is a physiotherapist and she is looking for some cliparts of
skeleton and male/female body. We're currently using Windows Draw
which can import all kind of graphic formats. Therefore, anything
will do.
Please advise of the existance of any freeware or commerical source
that we can turn to. Since I don't normally read this newsgroup,
please responds via e-mail.
Thanks in advance.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Jackson Loong |
| Feeder Networking Engineering Internet: jloong@dnbf01.bram.cdx.mot.com |
| Motorola Codex, Canada Macintosh: LJL004@email.mot.com |
| 400 Matheson Blvd. Voice: (416) 507-7200x6681 |
| Mississauga, Ont., L5R 3M1 Fax: (416) 507-7236 |
| |
| Disclaimer: My opinions are My Own, not Motorola's ..... |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 2comp.os.ms-windows.misc
|
In article <1t1k2l$10cs@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu>, steel@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Nick
Steel) says:
>
>In article <93133.155403YZKCU@CUNYVM.BITNET> Yaakov Kayman
<YZKCU@CUNYVM.BITNET>
writes:
>So why not condemn the Mufti for his Nazi leanings, and ...
> while also condemning the similarly genocidal killing of
>innocents, Muslim or not, in Bosnoia-Herzegovina? Hatred and bigotry
>remain just that, no matter who practices them.
Indeed Yaqouv, just like the ugly hatred spread by Kahane and
Kahanists, right? Or they are exempt from condemnation, and allowed
to hate?
No, fool, not at all like hatred of one's sworn enemies, enemies who
have said time and again that they mean to kill you, and have, by mur-
dering innocent men, women and children, shown that they really mean it.
The late rabbi never hated anyone merely for having been born into a par-
ticular group, but he (and I) hate and would/will kill anyone who comes
to kill Jews. I recall VERY well Rabbi Kahane's words to the Iraqis at a
demonstration: "You want peace? Here is our hand (holding out an open
hand)! You don't want peace? Here is our hand (holding out a fist)!"
I know you'll answer me indirectly, it doesn't bother me a bit.
Keep it up.
Indirectly? The wonder of it is that I bother answering the likes of you
at ALL!
Steel (who's never pissed off).
--
/ .. / .
/_______/_/__________/_/_/ _< /____/
/___ / .. /____/
Yaakov K. (yzkcu@cunyvm.cuny.edu on the Internet)
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
In article <1993May8.183030.27483@infodev.cam.ac.uk> tjrc1@cus.cam.ac.uk (T.J.R. Cutts) writes:
>Even so, my point still stands to an extent [...] that 64k limits appear all
>over the place where they really are not necessary, such as the edit control
>limit.
While the 64K limit may not be _necessary_ limitation, they probably fall
within the category of 'reasonable' limitations. If you find yourself
trying to allocate an edit control for more than 64K of text, it's probably
time take a good look at your program's design.
>Why is there such a small limit to the number of global memory
>handles allowed?
In what way is 8192 a 'small' number? It seems to me that you'd hit the
wall in many other ways before you'd hit the systemwide limit on global
handles, unless, of course, you're abusing GlobalAlloc.
And _please_ don't try to tell me that it's impossible to abuse the
resources available under other operating systems. All systems have
limits. The question is whether or not the limits are _reasonable_. So
far, you haven't offered a single argument which suggests that Windows'
limits are any less reasonable than limits in other systems.
--
Rick Schaut
UUCP:...{uunet | uw-beaver}!microsoft!richs
Microsoft doesn't speak for me, and I don't speak for Microsoft.
| 2comp.os.ms-windows.misc
|
Ok, it seems that everyone else in canada was treated to the
REAL ABC telecast while only the people on ROGERS TV in Surrey BC
were treated to two channels with Don "I stink as a Commentator" Whitman
doing the play-by-play.
The GodFather.
| 10rec.sport.hockey
|
In article <16BB9F30.C445585@mizzou1.missouri.edu>, C445585@mizzou1.missouri.edu (John Kelsey) writes:
>
> The clipper chip's User key is formed by:
>
> R1 = E[D[E[N1;S1];S2];S1]
> R2 = E[D[E[N2;S1];S2];S1]
> R3 = E[D[E[N3;S1];S2];S1]
>
> Why is the triple-encrytion used? Is it just to gain an effective
> increase in keyspace to defeat a potential keysearch? (If so, why use
> 80 bit keys?) Not knowing anything about the Skipjack algorithm, it's
> not really possible to guess whether this makes it harder or easier to
> guess S1,S2.
>
> Why are N1, N2, and N3 formed as they are? It would be facinating to
> see the Skipjack algorithm, to look for ways of attacking it that require
> three ciphertext blocks formed in that odd way.
>
> Where do the 34-bit constant values that are concatenated with the
> serial number to form N1,N2,N3 come from? Are they changed from chip to
> chip, or session to session? (Even if they're published in the NY Times,
> if SkipJack is resistant to known-plaintext attacks, when using triple-
> encryption, then there's no break in security. But why allow that kind
> of weird format? If those three 34-bit values are truly-random bits, then
> maybe it's used to ensure that a known-plaintext attack on SkipJack, if
> it exists, can't be easily used to derive S1 and S2 for a whole production
> run of these chips....)
I can't answer all our questions in detail, but I can take a stab at
them.
The form the operations that compute R1, R2, and R3 is, of course, the
famous ``triple encryption'' suggested for use with DES. It's much
stronger than a single encryption, and has an effective key length of
160 bits. For reasons that were discussed when DES was first
standardized, a simple double encryption would not have the same
strength. Triple encryption has been used by IBM since more or less
the beginning to encrypt other keys. It's recommended for anything of
very high value. And I think we can agree that the R_i and S_i fit
that description.
Why n_1, n_2, and n_3? Well, you need different plaintext values. I
have no idea if they'll be disclosed or not. At a guess, they're
constructed so that they differ in as many bit positions as possible.
A goo cryptosystem will scramble things a lot with even a 1-bit change
-- but the values of N in a series will have fairly similar bit
patterns, and there might, conceivably, be a weakness. So the n_i
values are -- and I'm guessing -- chosen to increase the Hamming
distance.
In any event, I'm quite convinced that one cannot go back to the S_i
from the U_i, let alone U. (Observe: if the NSA has U, they don't
need to find S_i. But even if they do, they can't get U_1 and U_2. In
theory, they should never even see those values, even with a warrant.)
The real question, I think, is why use this scheme at all, as opposed
to a hardware random number generator. My answer is that this is
*much* more verifiable. Look -- suppose that NSA, NIST, the ACLU, the
EFF, and the NRA combined to build a *really* good random number
generator, and that it passed every test you could think of. When you
come back next week to program some more chips, does it still work that
well? Have any components changed in value? Have the components been
changed out from under you? Does it still work well the in the
presence of a focused microwave beam that tends to bias it towards
selecting 1 bits? Yes, you can run detailed statistical tests on it
again, but that's hard.
Consider, on the other hand, a software solution. You bring your own
floppies with you, you can run cryptographic checksums, etc. It's a
lot easier to verify that the software is unchanged, in other words.
(Yes, I can think of ways to cheat software, too. I think that they're
a lot harder.)
There are three issues with Clipper. The first is whether or not the
architecture of the whole scheme is capable of working. My answer,
with one significant exception, is yes. I really do think that NSA and
NIST have designed this scheme about as well as can be, assuming that
their real objectives are as stated: to permit wiretapping, under
certain carefully-controlled circumstances, with a minimum risk of
abuse. (The exception is that U exists outside of the chip, on a
programming diskette. That's seriously wrong. U_1 and U_2 should be
loaded onto the chip separately.) To those who disagree (and I don't
claim my answer is obvious, though I found my own reasoning
sufficiently persuasive that I was forced to rewrite the Conclusions
section of my technical analysis paper -- I had originally blasted the
scheme), I issue this invitation: assume that you were charged with
implementing such a system, with complete regard for civil rights and
due process. What would you do differently? In answering this
question, please accept NSA's fundamental assumptions: that both
strong cryptography against outsiders, and the ability to wiretap
*some* domestic users, is necessary. (If you feel it necessary to
challenge those assumptions, do it in the context of the last issue I
present below. Right here, I'm discussing *just* the technical
aspects. And no, I don't by any means claim that just because
something can be done, it should be.)
The second issue is whether or not this whole architecture is actually
going to be used. Just because Clipper chips are made this way doesn't
mean that that's the only way they'll be made. Maybe the NSA will
substitute its own chips between the programming facility and the
shipping dock. And they'll generate bogus warrant requests, so that
the escrow agents don't wonder why they've never called. (``Sorry,
guys; all them terrorists and drug dealers and pedophiles seem to have
bought triple-DES phones instead. Who'd 'a' thunk it?'') I have no
answer to this question, and at the moment, I don't see a way of
answering it. Those concerns are part of my reasoning in my answer
to the final question, below.
The third, and most serious issue, is whether or not Clipper is a good
idea even if carried out strictly according to the letter of the law.
I think that the answer is no, but it's not a no-brainer. I'm a civil
libertarian, not a libertarian, for reasons that I explained at great
length on the net in the Elder Days, and that I don't have the energy
to repeat now. But that means that I'm willing to accept that some
laws are necessary, so long as they respect the essential rights of
individuals. The government already has the ability and -- in our
system -- the right to issue search warrants, and while that power has
certainly been abused, it's also been used quite properly and fairly in
other cases. Is key escrow sufficiently different? I think so -- but
again, it's not an easy question for me. (It is easy for libertarians
to answer, of course, since Clipper is completely alien to much of the
rest of their (oft-admirable) philosophy. And it's also easy for those
who give their unreserved trust to government, a group I'm much more
distant from.)
--Steve Bellovin
| 11sci.crypt
|
Can someone out there tell me how to switch Window's screen resolution
quickly and easily? I know that I can go back into install to do it,
but what I'd really like is to have is the ability to just change a
couple of startup or configuration files and have the resolution
changed. I already have both video drivers that I need on my system,
so that isn't a problem.
Thanks,
Sean.
---
Sean L. Gilley
sean.l.gilley@att.com <-- USE THIS ADDRESS, ALL OTHERS BOUNCE!
614 236 5031 (h), 614 860 5743 (w)
| 2comp.os.ms-windows.misc
|
well folks, my mac plus finally gave up the ghost this weekend after
starting life as a 512k way back in 1985. sooo, i'm in the market for a
new machine a bit sooner than i intended to be...
i'm looking into picking up a powerbook 160 or maybe 180 and have a bunch
of questions that (hopefully) somebody can answer:
* does anybody know any dirt on when the next round of powerbook
introductions are expected? i'd heard the 185c was supposed to make an
appearence "this summer" but haven't heard anymore on it - and since i
don't have access to macleak, i was wondering if anybody out there had
more info...
* has anybody heard rumors about price drops to the powerbook line like the
ones the duo's just went through recently?
* what's the impression of the display on the 180? i could probably swing
a 180 if i got the 80Mb disk rather than the 120, but i don't really have
a feel for how much "better" the display is (yea, it looks great in the
store, but is that all "wow" or is it really that good?). could i solicit
some opinions of people who use the 160 and 180 day-to-day on if its worth
taking the disk size and money hit to get the active display? (i realize
this is a real subjective question, but i've only played around with the
machines in a computer store breifly and figured the opinions of somebody
who actually uses the machine daily might prove helpful).
* how well does hellcats perform? ;)
thanks a bunch in advance for any info - if you could email, i'll post a
summary (news reading time is at a premium with finals just around the
corner... :( )
--
Tom Willis \ twillis@ecn.purdue.edu \ Purdue Electrical Engineering
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." - F. W.
Nietzsche
| 4comp.sys.mac.hardware
|
In article <1993Apr20.164517.20876@kpc.com> henrik@quayle.kpc.com writes:
>At last, I hope that the U.S. insists that Turkey stay out of the KARABAKH
>crisis so that the repeat of the CYPRUS invasion WILL NEVER OCCUR again.
Do you have a terminal cold? Karabag is 'Turkish' and will remain
'Turkish'. Here we are, almost at the end of the 20th century, and
a whole community, the Azeri Turks of x-Soviet Armenia and Karabag,
is facing forced assimilation, torture and murder on one hand and
forced exodus, expulsion and genocide on the other, all because
of their ethnic and religious background. And one should ask herself:
is the world community really so powerless? Where are all those human
rights advocates? Where are all the decent people? Are we going to
let this human tragedy go on and do nothing about it? The number
of Azeris murdered by the terrorist Armenian army and its savage
gangs is increasing. On the one hand they wish to distort the truth
and on the other, they beg mercy from Turkiye.
The Age...Melbourne...6/3/92
By Helen WOMACK .... Agdam, Azerbaijan, Thursday
The exact number of victims is still unclear, but there can be
little doubt that Azeri civilians were massacred by Armenian
fighters in the snowy mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh last week.
Refugees from the enclave town of Khojaly, sheltering in the
Azeri border town of Agdam, give largely consistent accounts of
how their enemies attacked their homes on the night of 25
February, chased those who fled and shot them in the
surrounding forests. Yesterday, I saw 75 freshly dug graves in
one cemetery in addition to four mutilated corpses we were
shown in the mosque when we arrived in Agdam late on Tuesday. I
also saw women and children with bullet wounds in a makeshift
hospital in a string of railway carriages.
Khojaly, an Azeri settlement in the enclave mostly populated by
Armenians, had a population of about 6000. Mr. Rashid Mamedov
Commander of Police in Agdam, said only about 500 escaped to
his town. " So where are the rest?". Some might have taken
prisoner, he said, or fled. Many bodies were still lying in the
mountains because the Azeris were short of helicopters to
retrieve them. He believed more than 1000 had perished, some of
cold in temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees.
One refugee, Rami Nasiru, described how Khojaly residents at
first thought the attack was no more than the routine shooting
to which they had become accustomed in four years of conflict.
But when they saw the Armenians with a convoy of armored
personnel carriers, they realised they could not hope to defend
themselves with machineguns and grenades, and fled into the
forests. In the small hours, the massacre started.
Mr. Nasiru, who believes his wife and two children were taken
prisoner, repeated what many other refugees have said - that
troops of the former Soviet army helped the Armenians to attack
Khojaly. "It is not my opinion, I saw it with my own eyes."
Serdar Argic
'We closed the roads and mountain passes that
might serve as ways of escape for the Turks
and then proceeded in the work of extermination.'
(Ohanus Appressian - 1919)
'In Soviet Armenia today there no longer exists
a single Turkish soul.' (Sahak Melkonian - 1920)
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
Does anybody know if there are any good 2d-graphics packages
available for IBM RS/6000 & AIX ? I'm looking for something
like DEC's GKS or Hewlett-Packards Starbase, both of which
have reasonably good support for different output devices
like plotters, terminals, X etc.
I have tried also xgks from X11 distribution and IBM's implementation
of Phigs. Both of them work but we require more output devices
than just X-windows.
Our salesman at IBM was not very familiar with graphics and
I am not expecting for any good solutions from there.
Ari
---
Ari Suutari ari@carel.fi
Carelcomp Oy
Lappeenranta
FINLAND
| 1comp.graphics
|
Barf (JS) spewed forth:
> I do (did) contribute to the ARF mortgage fund but when interest
> rates plumetted, I just paid it off.
>
> The problem is, I couldn't convince Congress to move my home to
> a nicer location on Federal land.
>
How about Three Mile Island? A Toxic waste site? Both fitting
locations for a piece of human excrement like you.
| 18talk.politics.misc
|
In article <C5I7J7.F7A@eis.calstate.edu> mafifi@eis.calstate.edu (Marc A Afifi) writes:
>Diplomacy has not worked with Israel
Of course, it hasn't. Besides Egypt, the rest of the Arab world still
officially denies that Israel exists.
>and the
>Lebanese people are tired of being occupied! They are now turning to the
>only option they see as viable.
Kick out Syria?
>(Don't forget that it worked in driving out the US)
American-Occupied Lebanon? That's a new one on me!
--
Jake Livni jake@bony1.bony.com Ten years from now, George Bush will
American-Occupied New York have replaced Jimmy Carter as the
My opinions only - employer has no opinions. standard of a failed President.
| 17talk.politics.mideast
|
In article <pww-150493211043@spac-at1-59.rice.edu> pww@spacsun.rice.edu (Peter Walker) writes:
#In article <1qjahh$mrs@horus.ap.mchp.sni.de>, frank@D012S658.uucp (Frank
#O'Dwyer) wrote:
#>
#> Science ("the real world") has its basis in values, not the other way round,
#> as you would wish it.
#
#That's a mighty bold assertion. Care to prove it?
Theories judged to be simple, by people. Predictions judged to
be accurate, by people. These are value judgements, and science doesn't
work without them.
#> If there is no such thing as objective value, then
#> science can not objectively be said to be more useful than a kick in the head.
#
#I never said it is useful or useless. I say it is an accurate description
#of what occurs, people or no people, values or no values.
Accurate in whose opinion? Yours? Is the fact that it seems to be an
accurate description which applies to everyone of *no* relevance?
#> One assumes objective reality, one doesn't know it.
#
#But one can get supporting evidence from the fact that the reality behaves
#the same way in the same situation every time that situaton occurs.
#
#The same can not be said of morals.
Confidently asserted falsehood. On the one hand, people can demonstrate
that they value freedom as consistently as they can report the rising of
the sun. People will disagree if you say freeedom is worthless no less
often than they will disagree if you say evolution (or for that matter, QM or
relativity) is an accurate description of observed phenomena. On the
other hand, even in the face of a certain amount of disagreement, it remains
reasonable to believe in the value of freedom and that QM etc. is an accurate
description of observed phenomena.
--
Frank O'Dwyer 'I'm not hatching That'
odwyer@sse.ie from "Hens", by Evelyn Conlon
| 0alt.atheism
|
I see a parallel between what I will stupidly call the "homosexual"
issue and the "atheist" issue. Please take no offense at these
comparisons.
The homosexual "feels" things that I admit I do not "feel".
He learns that these feelings are classified as homosexual feelings
and learns of a model of sexuality that seems to apply to
his feelings, which he then can fit with his experiences.
That is, this model gives him a sense of understanding his
situation. Models that do not match up with what he knows he
feels will be discarded. However, one wonders if once accepting
the idea of his being gay and deciding what exactly that
means he will analyze all his feelings and experiences based on
the definition he has already accepted, which of course validates
his model.
If that was hard to understand now listen to my parallel.
The Christian "feels" things that an atheist claims he does not
feel. The Christian accepts the Christian theology as the true
description of what his feelings mean. Once accepting this
model he interprets his experiences with regards to this model
which of course validates his Christianity.
As a reminder, I am a Christian, a Catholic, I don't hate
homosexuals or atheists, but am just trying to understand
them. I only compare them because they are both so foreign
to me. Am I as blind to the homosexual as the atheist seems
blind to me? Or am I as prejudiced against atheistic denial of
religious experience as the homosexual is prejudiced against
attempts by society to deny his sexuality?
Or am I just out to lunch, again?
Chris Mussack
| 15soc.religion.christian
|
Hi there,
Does anyone know whether the PUFF RF design package is available
via ftp from any site? As I understand it, it is in the public
domain - please correct me if I'm wrong on this one.
Any other PD RF design tools out there that can be recommended?
Especially microstrip filter tools...
73's
Lehane
--
Lehane Kellett. G8KMH. Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems, Bracknell.
lehane@sni.co.uk Phone 0344 850393 Fax 0344 850401 Compuserve 100065,3563
Standard disclaimers apply. Warranty void if opened.
| 12sci.electronics
|
I got this from GW2000:
From: gateway@aol.com
X-Mailer: America Online Mailer
To: pastor@vfl.paramax.com
Subject: Re: 32-bit disk access
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 93 14:26:45 EST
Message-Id: <9303291426.tn05643@aol.com>
Status: RO
Jon -
To get 32bit access in windows all you have to do is edit the system.ini...
Look under the 386Enhanced section and add this line to it
"32bitdiskaccess=on"... This will give you the 32bitdiskaccess that you
need... Thanks :)
Regards,
Scot Oehlerking (G2kScooter)
Gateway 2000
| 3comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
|
I have the following CD's for sale for $5 each plus shipping
Body Count - (without "Cop Killer")
Yo! MTV Raps (volume 1)
Skid Row (1st album)
Bryan Adams - Waking up the Neighbours
Temple of the Dog
C + C Music Factory - gonna make you sweat
IBM PC games -
Eye of the Beholder 2 with cluebook - $25
Pools of Darkness - $18
Jet Fighter 2 - $18
Books -
Ancient Egypt, a Social History (retail $26, will sell for $8)
Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (hardcover, 283 pages) - $18
Encyclopedia of Physics (hardcover, 1371 pages, 1990) - $25
+ shipping also on books and games
Yes, I haggle! e-mail offers to
vormooth@athena.mit.edu
| 6misc.forsale
|
In article <MfohvGq00WBME4yado@andrew.cmu.edu>,
"Michael T. Callihan" <mc5o+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
|> Hi. I am working on a project for my marketing class and I'd like to
|> ask your help. The assignment is to come up with a product and create a
|> marketing plan for it. Technical issues are not terribly important at
|> this point...
I'm not surprised to learn that `Technical issues are not terribly important' to
anyone working on a 'Marketing Plan'
:)
wls
| 4comp.sys.mac.hardware
|