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To: Ilaine who wrote (9975)	9/21/2001 9:09:03 AM
From: smolejv@gmx.net	Respond to of 74559

>>He went out of his way to urge people not to persecute Arabs and Muslims per se, and to call upon Muslims to recognize that A-Qaeda is disapproved of by Islamic scholars and clerics - an excellent touch, I hope.<< Right. One to one my impression. My main concern until yesterday was that the situation could deteriorate into X vs Islam case. My fears are gone now. And, with T. Blair on the gallery, he did need to mention N. Ireland; - it's the same enemy in yet another disguise. I just pray Afganistan does not turn into Vietnam to the power of Somalia. Russia and the other border states, including China, would be well advised to read through the speech several times before doing anything. Regards dj

To: Ilaine who wrote (9975)	9/21/2001 9:46:30 PM
From: Don Lloyd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

CB - ---OT--- TV program series alert - pbs.org About the Television Series Evolution will premiere on PBS September 24-27, 2001 (check local listings). Here are brief descriptions of each of the shows. Show 1: "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" (two-hour premiere) For 21 years, Charles Darwin kept his theory of evolution secret from all but a few friends. He confided to one: "It is like confessing to a murder." Why does Darwin's "dangerous idea" matter today more than ever, and how does it convey the power of science to explain the past and predict the future of life on Earth? The two-hour series premiere of Evolution interweaves the drama of Darwin's life with documentary sequences of current research and introduces core concepts of evolutionary theory. Show 2: "Great Transformations" (one hour) What caused the incredible diversity of life on Earth, and how have complex life forms, including humans, evolved? "Great Transformations" focuses on evolution's "great transformations," among them, the development of a standard four-limb body plan, the journey from water to land, the return of marine mammals to the sea, and the emergence of humans. Driven by a combination of opportunism and a genetic "toolkit," these astounding transformations define the arc of evolution, suggesting that every species is a variation on one grand genetic theme -- members of a common tree of life. Show 3: "Extinction!" (one hour) Ninety-nine percent of all the species that have ever lived are now extinct. While cataclysmic events on Earth have pruned the tree of life, extinction also opens the door to diversity, carving out room for new species to emerge and thrive. "Extinction!" explores the causes of the five mass extinctions that have occurred over the life of the planet and takes us behind the scenes to investigate the sources of the mass extinction happening today. It asks, What does evolutionary theory predict for the world we leave for future generations? Show 4: "The Evolutionary Arms Race" (one hour) "Survival of the fittest": Is it raw competition, or a level of cooperation indispensable to life? The theory of evolution demonstrates that both are needed. Interactions among species are among the most powerful evolutionary forces on Earth, and understanding them may be key to our own survival. "The Evolutionary Arms Race" explores our own spiraling arms race with microorganisms -- the only entities that can pose a threat to our existence. We follow the struggles of medical detectives uncovering the roots of epidemics and trace the alarming spread of resistance among pathogens that cause disease, like the new virulent tuberculosis nicknamed "Ebola with wings." Show 5: "Why Sex?" (one hour) In evolutionary terms, sex is more important than life itself -- without progeny, we are evolutionary losers. Sex fuels evolutionary change by adding variation to the gene pool and eliminating unsatisfactory traits. We look at the endless variety of sexual expression and the powerful hold sex exerts over all living things. And we explore how the need to pass on our genes has shaped our own bodies, minds, and lives. Some scientists believe that art, literature, music -- in fact all of human culture -- may be the ultimate result of our sexual drives. Show 6: "The Mind's Big Bang" (one hour) Anatomically, modern humans existed more than 100,000 years ago, but with no art and with only crude technology and primitive social interaction. Then 50,000 years ago, something happened -- a creative, technological, and social explosion -- and humans came to dominate the planet. This was a pivotal point in our development, the time when the human mind truly emerged. What made this moment so different? "The Mind's Big Bang" examines the forces that may have contributed to the breakthrough and enabled us to prevail over our relatives, the Neanderthals, who co-existed with us for tens of thousands of years; the show also explores where the power of the modern mind may ultimately lead us. Show 7: "What About God?" (one hour) Of all the species on Earth, we alone attempt to explain who we are and how we came to be, and we use both science and religion as our references. How has the tension between the two played out? Today the theory of evolution still is dogged by controversy. This program explores the creationist movement and its arguments by drawing on real human stories of people struggling to find a balance between faith and science. Through their perceptions we underscore the point that science and religion are compatible, although they play very different roles in assigning order to the universe and a purpose to life. The entire seven-part, eight-hour Evolution television series, as well as single videos and a special curriculum kit for educators, will be available from WGBH Boston Video. To place an order, for more information, or to request a free catalogue, please call WGBH Boston Video at 1-800-949-8670. A co-production of the WGBH/NOVA Science Unit and Clear Blue Sky Productions. ©2001 WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. Also a book has just appeared in at least Barnes and Noble - Carl Zimmer - Evolution, The Triumph of an Idea, Companion to the PBS Series Regards, Don

To: Ilaine who wrote (9975)	9/21/2001 10:34:41 PM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

Spent a few hours today researching an easement in land records (don't ask). Most of the time the only people in the land records office are title examiners. It's a dry, dusty job, looking through old deed books, microfilm, and these days computerized records. It's a job for people who are good with details, and they tend to be sort of introverted. But I always like to interact with title examiners because they know what's really going on in the economy before anyone else does. They were unusally loud today on two major topics. Topic one was interest rates. They were complaining because interest rates are too high - even though the Fed keeps cutting rates, mortgage rates aren't coming down, and credit card rates aren't coming down. One fellow seemed to be a student of history - he was saying that the spread between the Fed funds rate and bank rates hadn't been this wide in a long time. I called out that I thought the last time the spread between the corporate bond rate and the Fed funds rate was this wide was 1929-1930. (Not positive but as far as I know it's true.) The historical fellow said, and of course it's obvious, if the banks don't start cutting rates, we'll have a repeat. It's kind of ridiculous - we refinanced at the first of the year at 7% with no points, and it hasn't moved much since. You can get a lower rate, but with points. The second part, interestingly to me if to no one else, is that the historical fellow started talking about the duty of the West to keep back the forces of Islam, and how we had been doing this for a long time, and started talking about the Battle of Tours. I don't make stuff like this up. Now there is a telethon on TV, actors and musicians trying to raise money for the United Way to adminster for the victims of September 11. The actors keep quoting people like Churchill, and the singers often sing about God. Not all - Neil Young sang John Lennon's "Imagine" and Tom Petty sang "I Won't Back Down." This is the way we are. Flags, God, the Battle of Tours. Here I stand. I can do nothing else. Well I won't back down No I won't back down You can stand me up at the gates of hell But I won't back down One of the women said that already seven of her friends have been called up.