To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Real World News: 10-27-99
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 11:26:32 -0500

From: owner-bpr@philologos.org

Selected items from Real World News

(please note that some links may not
work or possibly may have expired)

=========
REPORT: SOVIETS HID NUKES IN U.S.

A congressman charged on Tuesday that the Soviet Union may have
hidden explosives, radio-transmitters and possibly suitcase-
sized nuclear weapons in the United States during the Cold War.
Two such caches discovered last winter in Switzerland and
Belgium were identified in KGB archives that also suggest hidden
U.S. sites exist.
http://www.vny.com/cf/News/upidetail.cfm?QID=123686

=========
BOY SCOUTS ASK HIGH COURT TO OK HOMOSEXUAL BAN

The Boy Scouts of America asked the Supreme Court yesterday to
sanction its stand against letting avowed homosexuals be Scout
leaders. "No one has a 'right' to be a Boy Scout leader," the
BSA said in a petition that contended homosexuals cannot teach
"true manliness" and acceptance of a boy's ultimate
responsibility to women, children and religious beliefs.
http://www.washtimes.com/nation/nation1.html

=========
U.N. DEBT 'THREATENS' U.S. SECURITY

The United States' failure to pay money it owes to the United
Nations is threatening the country's security, its own
ambassador to the organisation has said. Article 19 of the UN
Charter says that a member state will lose its vote in the
General Assembly if it is two or more years in arrears on its
contributions. A spokesman for Secretary General Kofi Annan said
on Tuesday that the loss of voting rights was "automatic".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_485000/485303.stm

=========
SEX EDUCATION 'SHOULD BE COMPULSORY'

Sex education should be made a compulsory part of the school
curriculum, say social workers in Britain. The Local Government
Association is calling for schools to teach all children about
sex education unless their parents can show they are able to
give their children appropriate information elsewhere.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_485000/485324.stm

=========
BEIRUT EXPERIENCES 26" OF RAIN IN 1 HOUR

Municipal workers struggled to clear mud, water and debris from
Beirut's streets Monday after the city's heaviest rainfall in 18
years. One man was electrocuted during the storm midday Sunday
as he tried to rescue his mother from their flooded house in the
Wata Messeitbeh neighborhood. Another man in the same district
was injured after being swept away by the floods. The Weather
Authority said the city received 26 inches of rain in one hour
Sunday -- the highest amount since 1981. More rain was expected
Monday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991025/aponline091103_000.htm

=========
ALL IS NOT CALM IN BETHLEHEM

Nearly everything about Bethlehem these days--the bulldozers
working overtime, the fresh green paint on shop doors, the buzz
of tourists on spruced-up Manger Square--suggests the urgency of
the looming millennial deadline. In the months to come, the pope
and numerous heads of state are expected to visit the Church of
the Nativity, which commemorates Jesus's birthplace. But amid
the bustle and preparation, streets at the town's entrance
echoed today with the boom and crackle of Israeli troops
shooting tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at stone-throwing
Palestinian demonstrators.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-10/27/081r-102799-idx.html

=========
MOSQUE COMPROMISE IN ISRAEL UPSETS CHRISTIANS,
MUSLIMS

Both Christians and Muslims are voicing their
displeasure with an Israeli compromise that will allow Muslims
to build a mosque near a sacred Christian site in northern Israel.
http://cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9910/26/nazareth.mosque/

via: http://www.onelist.com/community/real_world_news

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Earth's 'second moon'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 18:10:14 -0400

From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>

ESA Science News
http://sci.esa.int

26 Oct 1999

Earth's 'Second Moon' in a 'ménage à trois'

We will never see it but the Earth has at least one other
natural satellite. In discovering several new types of orbital
motion, a team of British scientists has shown that the
gravitational forces of our planet and of the Sun allow our
planet to capture passing asteroids. One of them is named
'Cruithne', and can be considered -- at least for the next 5000
years -- as 'Earth's second Moon'.

The work of coorbital dynamics by a team from Queen Mary and
Westfield College in London was published 27 September in the US
publication 'Physical Review Letters'. Fathi Namouni, Apostolos
Christou and Carl Murray have taken even further the discoveries
of Joseph-Louis Lagrange.

The 18th century French mathematician gave his name to the five
special points of equilibrium between the gravitational forces
of a planet like our Earth and those of the Sun. The 'Lagrangian
points' -- also known as libration points -- demonstrate the so-
called 'three-body problem' when a planet and its Sun can catch
a third companion (see diagram).

The first point L1 is situated on a line between the planet and
its Sun. SOHO, the ESA-NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
is the first spacecraft to exploit such a position. It is
currently orbiting the inner L1 position 1.5 million km from
Earth using this vantage point to study the Sun. L2 is on the
same line but on the outer side from Earth.

The L3 point is precisely on the other side of the Sun. L4 and
L5 are at the summit of two equilateral triangles with a common
base being the line between the Earth and the Sun. Joseph-Louis
Lagrange had already shown that objects turning around L4 and L5
could easily stay there. This configuration applies to other
planets of the solar system. Indeed Jupiter has hundreds of
Trojan asteroids and Mars has at least two. Although Saturn
itself has none, its own moons Tethys and Dione maintain Trojan
asteroid satellites at Lagrangian points.

The orbits of these third bodies are exotic. The Trojan
asteroids describe a 'tadpole-shaped' pattern around the L4 and
L5 points. Even more peculiar is the 'horseshoe orbit' in which
the third body turns around the three points of equilibrium, L3,
L4 and L5.

Cruithne is such an object. Discovered in 1997, it is a 5-km
diameter asteroid that takes 770 years to complete its horseshoe
orbit. Thus every 385 years it comes to its closest point to
Earth, some 15 million kilometres. Last time was in 1900, next --
if you can wait -- will be in 2285.

The British team integrated Cruithne's parameters into their
mathematical models, deducing that it can remain in its present
state for 5,000 years before leaving. They have even calculated
that 'Earth's second moon' is likely to be a second-comer having
been trapped in a similar orbit some time in the past 100,000
years. "Cruithne is a case example, proof that our work is not
just abstract calculations," says Carl Murray. "The mathematical
model that we have developed has been able, not only to predict
several new types of previously unsuspected motion, but has it
has subsequently been confirmed by investigating numerically the
orbits of real solar system objects. Nature has already provided
examples of every kind of orbit that the theory can provide."

Examining existing catalogues of near-Earth objects to see
whether there were any other similar cases, the Queen Mary and
Westfield College team have discovered four: three concerning
Earth and one for Venus.

The main significance of the work is that it provides a
complete classification of coorbital motions. It could lead to a
greater understanding of other asteroids, including their
likelihood of hitting Earth and of how the planets were formed.
Space mission planners could devise new gravitational tricks for
their space probes. Murray himself is one of the European
members of the Imaging Science Subsystem team on the Cassini
orbiter part of the Cassini-Huygens mission.

The team also shows that the forces of attraction in the three-
body problem are also present in other domains of science --
such as chemistry where, for instance, two electrons of an atom
of helium display a similar 'ménage à trois' around their nucleus.

USEFUL LINKS FOR THIS STORY

* Physical Review Letters abstract

http://ojps.aip.org/journal_cgi/getabs?KEY=PRLTAO&cvips=PRLTAO00
0083000013002506000001&gifs=Yes

* More about SOHO
  http://sci.esa.int/soho
* More about Huygens
  http://sci.esa.int/huygens
* The Lagrange points (NASA webpage)
  http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/html/lagrange.html

[NOTE: Illustrations supporting this release are available at
http://sci.esa.int/categories/newsitem.cfm?TypeID=5&ContentID=73
31]

via : SEDSNEWS@listserv.tamu.edu

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - No Deposit, Less Return
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 18:16:28 -0400

From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>

From Wired News, http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,32121,00.html
-

No Deposit, Less Return
by Declan McCullagh
3:00 a.m. 27.Oct.99.PDT

WASHINGTON -- US currency should include tracking devices that let the
government tax private possession of dollar bills, a Federal Reserve
official says.

The longer you hold currency without depositing it in a bank account, the
less that cash will be worth, according to a proposal from Marvin
Goodfriend, a senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

In other words, greenbacks will get automatic expiration dates.

"The magnetic strip could visibly record when a bill was last withdrawn from
the banking system. A carry tax could be deducted from each bill upon
deposit according to how long the bill was in circulation," Goodfriend wrote
in a recent presentation to a Federal Reserve System conference in
Woodstock, Vermont.

The 34-page paper argues a carry tax will discourage "hoarding" currency,
deter black market and criminal activities, and boost economic stability
during deflationary periods when interest rates hover near zero.

It says new technology finally makes such a scheme feasible. "Systems would
have to be put in place at banks and automatic teller machines to read
bills, assess the carry tax, and stamp the bills 'current,'" the report
recommends.

Goodfriend said in an interview that banks might place a kind of visible
"date issued" stamp on each note they distributed. "The thing could actually
stamp the date when the bill comes out of the ATM," he said.

Congressional critics say they would oppose any such move.

"The whole idea is preposterous. The notion that we're going to tax somebody
because they decide to be frugal and hold a couple of dollars is economic
planning at its worst," said Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas), a
free-market proponent who serves on the House Banking committee.

"This idea that you can correct some of the evil they've already created
with another tax is just ridiculous," Paul said. Other economists say a
carry tax is not a wise plan.

"This is going beyond taxing banks for holding reserves. It's taxing the
public for holding currency too long. That's even more wild an idea," says
George Selgin, a University of Georgia economics professor who specializes
in monetary policy.

There are sweeping implications of these suggestions beyond whatever role
they might play in thwarting a deflationary crisis... I think it's a very
dangerous solution to what may be a purely hypothetical problem," Selgin
said.

Goodfriend discusses an alternative: The Fed should at times prevent
Americans from withdrawing cash from their bank accounts. "Suspending the
payment of currency for deposits would avoid the cost of imposing a carry
tax on currency."

But he concludes that such a move would have "destabilizing" effects, and
recommends that the Federal Reserve instead "put in place systems to raise
the cost of storing money by imposing a carry tax."

The idea has been discussed before. Economist John Keynes mentioned the
possibility, but dismissed it because of the administrative hassles
involved.

Silvio Gesell, a Keynes contemporary and like-minded thinker, also suggested
taxing money to allow lower interest rates.

But Goodfriend says that technology has advanced since then. "In light of
recent advances in payments technology and the less-than-satisfactory
alternatives, imposing a carry tax on money seems an eminently practical and
reasonable way [to proceed]," he writes.

He said the Federal Reserve has technology that would make it "feasible,"
but refused to give details.

One reason for a carry tax, he says, is the reduced influence of the US
central bank when prices are not increasing and inflation is close to zero.
During such a period, banks are less likely to make loans -- even if the Fed
tries to spur an economic expansion through open market operations.

But if the government taxes the currency holdings of individuals and banks
through an occasional carry tax, they may be inclined to lend money even at
a negative interest rate in order to avoid holding on to it.

"This proposal is made well in advance of any problem we have in the US.
It's not an emergency proposal at this point," he said. The report says
Congress would have to pass legislation allowing such a tax.

via: isml@onelist.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - New Scientist Newsletter items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 18:23:43 -0400

From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>

NEW SCIENTIST WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
No. 6, 30 October 1999

Two points to consider this week before we launch into more serious matters.
Have you been caught up in the current craze for body piercing or are you
likely to be? A word of caution. Rakesh Khanna interviewed 28 doctors
working in emergency departments to see if they would know how to remove
three common types of body jewellery in the event of an accident.
Alarmingly, only six did. And four even suggested cutting through the
surrounding tissue. Something to bear in mind if the prospect of wearing a
stud through your tongue, eyebrow or any other part of your anatomy appeals
to you.
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991030/newsstory13.html

A FULL TANK. "If an aeroplane runs out of fuel you don't throw it away,"
observes Charles Miller of Constellation Services International. But at the
moment, a spy satellite worth $1 billion that has run out of fuel will just
drop out of orbit and burn up. The autonomous space transporter and robotic
orbiter, however, will soon put a stop to that. The US Department of
Defense's robot refueller will shuttle back and forth between satellites and
fuel stations dumped in holding orbits. In this way, ASTRO will be able to
extend a spy satellite's life many times over.
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991030/newsstory6.html

KILLER FLU. Every few decades a radically different flu virus comes along,
triggering a pandemic that can kill millions across the globe. These killer
strains are thought to come from either pigs or poultry. Now another exotic
strain of the disease has turned up in a patient in Hong Kong. Although the
10-month-old girl has been successfully treated, her virus bears all the
molecular hallmarks of a strain from pigs, and the case is being very
carefully monitored for that reason. It may be that the Hong Kong virus
presents no special danger, but Alan Kendal, who headed the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's influenza programme in the 1980s, says
there's a fine line between "crying wolf" and complacency.
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991030/newsstory1.html

via: newsletter@newscientist.com

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