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To: Alex who wrote (50402)	3/15/2000 6:24:00 AM
From: d:oug	Respond to of 116759

(off topic) <<New sciences 'threaten end of humanity'>> Alex. This is old news, as for about 5 years now the scientific community has noted that with the advances in computers coupled with extremely efficient models that can engineer accelerations in obtaining data, that each year has the potential to explode into happening the ability of "Man playing God." But you will not hear much about this from those scientists that see whats possible, as for those who cannot stomach the consequences of the above thought will with crushed spirit leave that work area, and those who stay will not discuss it else bring to an end the work they love eventhought they wish not to play God. As for governments, they can not stop everyone, even if it was the correct policy, so like all past and current dangerous weapons/things, if someone else can make or obtain them, then we will also.... So the race to destroy all 100% life on earth has started in earnest, but its not really the end of all, as our sun has enough time left to shine on planet earth, to let the lifeless earth decontaminate itself, and once again be seeded .... and new life arise, and after those millions of years pass and erase our presents the next life form, like us, will think it the first. doug

To: Alex who wrote (50402)	3/15/2000 7:43:00 AM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 116759

OT(?) Note - this did manipulate prices lower: The Scam At Hunts Point Gov't Inspectors On The Take At U.S.' Largest Produce Market Regularly Accepted Bribes From Wholesalers Farmers Forced To Accept Less Than Fair Prices BRONX, N.Y. CBS (CBS) Drought conditions are making things miserable for farmers across much of the Unites States. No one can protect farmers from the weather, but once their products reach market, they should be able to expect a fair price. But fairness goes out the window when the system is corrupt, as CBS News Correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a scheme so slick, even the victims admit it was brilliant. At the Hunts Point wholesale produce market in New York City, the country's largest, most of the USDA produce inspectors were on the take. According to the government, 13 of the wholesale buyers there regularly paid cash bribes to federal inspectors to label perfectly good produce as scarred or rotten. The wholesaler could then demand a discount from the farmer. "He says instead of Grade A fancy it's now Grade C. It?s called knocking the load," says Roger Viadero. Viadero, the Inpector General of the Agriculture Department, whose agents cracked the scandal, says the scheme cheated farmers from across the country out of more than $100 million. "The average during our operation was about $7,500 per truck," he recalls. "There was no way to win at that market. It was a stacked deck," says Florida vegetable grower Jay Taylor, who adds that farmers knew for years something was wrong at Hunts Point. Too many loads of good produce were being declared damaged and too many phone calls came from Hunts Point demanding a lower price. Taylor still has a receipt from one load of produce he sold in the Bronx. "You can see $8 has been scratched out and $6 written in. That cost us $3,200, that inspection." And Taylor, 1,000 miles away, had no way to prove the inspector wrong. What made this entire scheme work is that they were dealing with a perishable agricultural commodity. In some areas of Hunts Point market, cash bribes were the norm. Eight of the 14 agriculture inspectors assigned there, including two supervisors, were on the take. And in court documents they admitted the bribes had been going on for more than 20 years. When the inspectors recently pleaded guilty to the bribery, Inspector Micheal Tsamis admitted he took more than $100,000; Edmund Esposito, more than $90,000. Paul Cutler surrendered a $70,000 brokerage account. That much cash meant thousands of corrupt inspections. "This was everyday business, they didn?t know different," Viadero says. Of the 13 wholesalers indicted in this investigation, six have pleaded guilty; they'll be sentenced in May. (cont) cbsnews.cbs.com

To: Alex who wrote (50402)	3/15/2000 8:14:00 PM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116759

Ukraine Flap Leads to IMF Concerns Wednesday, 15 March 2000 W A S H I N G T O N (AP) THE INTERNATIONAL Monetary Fund faced new calls for reform on Wednesday following its announcement that Ukraine, a top recipient of IMF loans, had given the agency false reports concerning the state of the country's finances. Edwin M. Truman, assistant Treasury secretary for international affairs, said the Clinton administration wanted investigations into the matter to continue while a leading congressional critic said the new revelations would spur his effort to enact reform legislation in Congress. The IMF reported late Tuesday night that Ukraine's central bank had engaged in a number of transactions worth almost $1 billion to generate a falsely optimistic picture of its foreign currency reserves between 1996 and 1998. Relying on that information, the IMF said it had approved three loans to Ukraine in late 1997 and early 1998 that it would have decided against "if the true state of Ukraine's reserves had been known at the time." Truman said in a statement Wednesday that the United States was "deeply concerned" by the IMF revelations and said the agency should proceed quickly with an investigation to determine what changes are needed in its loan practices. "We will review the results of this investigation in order to determine what additional controls are needed to prevent future inappropriate reserve management practices and to ensure that future IMF resources made available to Ukraine are used for their intended purposes," Truman said. The new revelations come at a time when the 182-nation lending agency is coming under heavy criticism. An 11-member advisory panel appointed by Congress released a report last week calling for a major overhaul of how the IMF and its sister lending institution, the World Bank, operate. Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., called the new allegations "very disturbing" and said they would be examined by Congress in upcoming hearings. "Once again an IMF borrower has supplied false or misleading information to the IMF and to date has suffered no visible negative consequences," Saxton said. "The IMF's traditional `see no evil, hear no evil' approach to corruption has got to change." Saxton is sponsoring legislation which would link future U.S. support to the IMF to an agreement by the agency to halt loan operations for five years to any country found supplying the agency with false information. The handling of the Ukraine investigation was similar to the IMF's response to allegations last year concerning Russia, Saxton said. "The IMF's admission last summer that it had been lied to by the Russian central bank at the same time a new loan was approved (by the IMF) does not show strong IMF concern about public integrity standards in borrowing countries," Saxton said. Ukraine has been a regular borrower from the IMF since the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. It has received loans totaling nearly $6 billion since 1995. The IMF has put pending loans of $2.5 billion on hold pending negotiations with the country over the adoption of economic reforms

To: Alex who wrote (50402)	12/20/2000 2:35:57 PM
From: long-gone	Respond to of 116759

Doom & Gloom Report: Polio Vaccine Tainted in Ireland Politicians called for an independent report on the safety of vaccines following today’s announcement by the Department of Health that a blood donation from a British donor recently diagnosed as having a variant of CJD was used to make a polio vaccination distributed in Ireland two years ago. The Department of Health announced this afternoon that there was no medical risk to those who received the polio vaccination produced. Following the announcement, a political party spokesman for Health and Children, Mr. Gay Mitchell TD, called on the Government to appoint an independent inspector to carry out a review of vaccine safety and to issue a public report on the inspector’s findings. The Department of Health was informed last week by British authorities that blood plasma from British donor who has since been diagnosed as having a variant of CJD was used to make a batch of the product Human Serum Albumin. This product was subsequently used by the company Evan/Medeva for its Oral Polio Vaccine which it supplied to the Irish market. Approximately 83,500 doses of this polio vaccine was distributed in Ireland between January 1998 and January 1999. More detailed checking is taking place with the Health Boards over the usage of the vaccine. The polio vaccine is administered to children aged 2, 4, and 6 months as part of the Primary Childhood Immunisation Programme. A booster immunisation is given at primary school entry age. Some adults may also have received the vaccine as part of the recommended immunisations for travel to certain countries such as Asia and Eastern Europe. The health Minister said there is no longer any British-sourced plasma material contained in any vaccine in use in Ireland. Evan/Medeva factory which supplied the polio vaccine had been investigated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who found that a lot of its equipment was not properly cleaned and sanitised against contamination at the appropriate times. healthmall.com