October 2001 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Re: MATT DRUDGE // DRUDGE REPORT 2001®
by Frog2 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

[What's with the Subject line? =?iso-8859-1?Q?Re:_MATT_DRUDGE_//_DRUDGE_REPORT_2001=AE?=] > Two hovering police choppers waited for people to come > to the roof, rescue hoists ready, but none made it past the > locked doors -- a couple of the doorbangers cellphoned > home to scream bloody murder. Not a plausible claim, to anyone who recalls the situation at the top of the WTC on those days. The incredible heat and smoke from an entire jetliner full of fuel a hundred feet below would make helicopter operations impossible. Trying to land on the roof under those circumstances would be suicide. Helicopters circled, but they could not approach.

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make the correct decision, Mitch --kill yourself now
by Pam Cholinesterase 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

Dear Friend Mitch Shoemaker 82 north iron st. Bloomsburg pa,17815 Hey Mitch baby, what's wrong, your ENVELOPE STUFFING JOB getting a bit intense? Allergies to your new latex gloves? We'll remember that when we're buggering you in hell, spammer. THANKS TO THE COMPUTER AGE AND THE INTERNET!

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Verba Volant del 25-10-01
by verba＠rol.it 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

Verba Volant del 25-10-01, Every day a new quotation translated into many languages. Logos Translations - www.logostranslations.com _________________ Quotation of the day: Author - Albert Einstein http://www.logos.it/bio/albert_einstein.html English - the most precious things in life are not those one gets for money Italian - le cose più preziose della vita non sono quelle che ci procuriamo con il denaro Spanish - las cosas más preciadas de la vida no son las que se consiguen a cambio de dinero French - les choses les plus précieuses dans la vie ne s'achètent pas avec de l'argent Portuguese - as coisas mais preciosas da vida não são aquelas que obtemos com o dinheiro Brazilian Portuguese - as coisas mais preciosas da vida, não são aquelas conseguimos com dinheiro German - die kostbarsten Dinge im Leben kann man nicht mit Geld bezahlen Hungarian - az életben a legértékesebb dolgok nem azok, amelyek pénzért kaphatók Finnish - elämän arvokkaimpia asioita ei voi hankkia rahalla Catalan - les coses més precioses de la vida, no són aquellas que obtenim amb diners Croatian - najvrijednije stvari u ivotu nisu one koje nam omogucuje novac Czech - nejvzácnejí veci v ivote se nedostanou za peníze Dutch - de meest kostbare dingen in het leven koop je niet met geld Emiliano-Romagnolo - al robi piò impurtenti, t'la voida, la n'è quela ca ciapem se quatroin Latin - vitae pretiosissimae res non sunt quae nobis pecunia paramus Polish - najcenniejsze rzeczy w zyciu to nie te które kupuje sie za pieniadze Romanian - lucrurile cele mai pretioase din viata nu sunt acelea procurate cu bani Slovak - najvzácnejie veci v ivote nie sú za peniaze Venetian - le robe più preziose de la vita no le xe quele che se procuremo coi schei Sicilian - 'i cosi cchiù pprizziusi da' vita, non sunnu chiddi ca 'nni putemu pruvvidiri cche' sordi Flemish - de meest kostbare dingen in het leven koop je niet met geld Ferrarese - i più grand tesor dla vida n'è brisa quei ca's tòl coi franc Bolognese - i quî pió preziûs dla vétta in én brîsa quî cha utgnän coi bajûc _________________ All languages, please click on this link http://www.rol.it/owa-k/press.frasiproc.carica?code=429 _________________ To unsubscribe from Verba Volant, please follow this link: http://www.rol.it/owa-k/press.rol_ml.verbavolant and write in the empty field next to unsubscribe the email address that you find after "TO:" in the Verba Volant emails alternatively write to the following address: unsubscribe_volant(a)rol.it always copying the EMAIL address written after "TO:"

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Welcome to the EnenKio Online Network
by enenkio＠webtv.net 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

Welcome to the EnenKio Online Network These pages, this website, the former web host (NetNation), the government of the Kingdom of EnenKio and the people loyal to the king of Eneen-Kio Atoll have been subjected to a wide assortment of deliberate disruptive actions by persons and agencies of the federal government of the United States. The reasons for these attacks are unknown, as EnenKio seeks only peace and the freedom to express the fundamental rights of the people of EnenKio, its monarch and the imperatives bestowed upon us by our loving Creator. The following site has been restored to acquaint you with history, claims and challenges we face as a people striving for equality in a world of antagonist nations seeking egocentric goals to dominate lesser nations as "savior." ENTER NOW Send questions about this site to Administrator. Copyright 2001 - All Rights Reserved. Background Photo: Courtesy EnenKio Archives "Peacock Point, Wake Island" Robert Moore, Minister Plenipotentiary, Kingdom of EnenKio Foreign Trade Mission DO-MO-CO Manager, Remios Hermios Eleemosynary Trust, Majuro, Marshall Islands http://www.enenkio.org

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Factory of Table Linens
by ask＠sunfung.net 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

Dear Sir/Madam: We wonder if you might have the interest in importing embroidered tablecloths from us. We as a manufacturer and an exporter has over 300 workers with 20 years experience in making all sorts of embroidered tablecloths using fabrics of cotton. polyester, nylon, satin, etc. We have stocks of tablecloths from time to time. Should you be interested in importing tablecloths from us, please feel free to email us back with requirement information. Sincerely, Sarah Hung (President) HEADQUARTERS IN HONG KONG: Sun Fung Industrial (H.K.) Ltd Room 804-806 Car Po Commercial Building 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace Central Hong Kong Tel: (852) 25417786 Fax: (852) 25503255 (852) 25448206 Mobile Phone: (852) 90501289 Email: ask(a)sunfung.net Web: www.sunfung.net FACTORY IN CHINA: TONG FUNG TEXTILE AND ARTS CO. LTD. WEST LAKE INDUSTRIAL ZONE SINMIN TOWN TONGAN COUNTY XIAMEN CHINA Tel: (86) 5927022061 (86) 5927029541 Fax: (86) 5927029337 Postcode: 361100

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phone service
by unknown＠example.com 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

i would like to know more about the long distance service please call me at (530) 895-8880 thx

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CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP
by uba_jega_aa＠yahoo.com 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

FROM:DR.UBA JEGA. SATELLITE TEL.871-761-8888-31. SATELLITE FAX.871-761-8888-32. Email:uba_jega_aa@yahoo.com ATTN:PRESIDENT/CEO. STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL & URGENT BUSINESS PROPOSAL. RE:TRANSFER OF U$21,500.000{TWENTY ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS ONLY. I AM A MEMBER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION(NNPC) SOMETIME AGO, A CONTRACT WAS AWARDED TO A FOREIGN FIRM IN THE PTF BY MY COMMITTEE. THIS CONTRACT WAS OVER INVOICED TO THE TUNE OF US$21.5M US DOLLARS. THIS WAS DONE DELIBRATELY. THE OVER- INVOICING WAS A DEAL BY MY COMMITTEE TO BENEFIT FROM THE PROJECT. WE NOW WANT TO TRANSFER THIS MONEY WHICH IS IN A SUSPENSE ACCOUNT WITH PTF INTO ANY OVERSEA ACCOUNT WHICH WE EXPECT YOU TO PROVIDE FOR US. SHARE: 60% WILL BE FOR MY PARTNERS AND ME. 30% OF THE MONEY WILL BE YOURS FOR PROVIDING THE ACCOUNT WHERE WE SHALL REMIT THE MONEY. 10% HAS BEEN MAPPED OUT FROM THE TOTAL SUM TO COVER ANY EXPENSES THAT MAY BE INCURRED BY US DURING THE COURSE OF THIS TRANSFER, BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL EXPENSES. IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT SIMILAR TRANSACTION WAS CARRIED OUT WITH ONE MR. PATRICE MILLER, PRESIDENT OF CRANE INTERNATIONAL TRADING CORP. OF 153 EAST 57TH ST; 28TH FLOOR, NY10022, TELEPHONE: 212-3087788 AND TELEX:6731689. THE DEAL WAS CONCLUDED AND ALL COVERING DOCUMENTS WERE FOWARDED TO MR. MILLER TO AUTHENTICATE THE CLAIM. ONCE THE FUNDS WERE TRANSFERRED, MR. MILLER PRESENTED HIS BANK WITH ALL THE LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND REMITTED THE WHOLE FUNDS TO ANOTHER BANK ACCOUNT AND DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY. MY COLLEAGUES WERE SHATTERED, SINCE SUCH OPPORTUNITIES ARE NOT EASY TO COME BY. AT THIS JUNCTURE, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ASSISTING US IN THIS DEAL, WE WOULD REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM YOU, WHICH WOULD ENABLE US MAKE FORMAL APPLICATION TO THE VARIOUS MINISTRIES\PARASTATAL FOR THE RELEASE AND ONWARD TRANSFER OF THE MONEY TO YOUR ACCOUNT. THE INFORMATION WE REQUIRE ARE: YOUR NAME, COMPANY`S NAME, ADDRESS , TELEFAX NUMBER. YOUR BANK NAME ,ADDRESS, TELEFAX NUMBER. YOUR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER AND BENEFICIARY NAME. WE HAVE STRONG RELIABLE CONNECTIONS AT THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA AND OTHER GOVERNMENT PARASTATALS TO ASSIST US IN THE DEAL, AND WHEN IT IS FINALLY CONCLUDED WE SHALL USE SAME CONTACTS TO WITHDRAW ALL DOCUMENTS USED TO AVOID ANY TRACE TO YOU OR US. IT MIGHT ALSO INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE ORDINARY CIVIL SERVANTS WHO DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY, SINCE WE WANT THIS MONEY TRANSFERRED BEFORE THE NEWLY DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT STARTS PROBING THE ACTIVITIES OF ALL PREVIOUS MILITARY GOVERNMENTS. PLEASE CONTACT ME THROUGH MY ABOVE TEL\FAX NUMBER WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE INTRESTED IN THIS DEAL. IF YOU ARE NOT IT WILL ENABLE ME SCOUT FOR ANOTHER FOREIGN PARTNER TO ASSIST US. BUT IF YOU ARE INTRESTED PLEASE SEND THE REQUIRED INFORMATION IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN SWING INTO ACTION, SINCE TIME IS NOT ON OUR PART. I WAIT IN ANTICIPATION OF YOUR FULLEST CO-COPERATION. YOURS FAITHFULLY, DR.UBA JEGA.

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Re: Schelling points and political isolationism
by Faustine 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Tim wrote: >And my meta-Schelling point was actually that the concept of a >Schelling point is itself a Schelling point: many people, even >animals, come to the independent conclusion that figuring out where >the Schelling points are is a good survival strategy. (Or something >like this....you get the drift.) I suppose, but don't forget that there really is a reason they're called "Schelling" points instead of anything else. People really ought to invest a little time in reading the genuine article: The Strategy of Conflict, Harvard University Press, 1960 Choice and Consequence, Harvard University Press, 1984 Micromotives and Macrobehavior, Norton, 1978 Did you know that Thomas Schelling is still very much alive and teaching strategy around the country? Amazing man, sharp as ever. ~Faustine. *** The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedoms. - --William O. Douglas, Associate Justice, US Supreme Court -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPsdk version 1.7.1 (C) 1997-1999 Network Associates, Inc. and its affiliated companies. (Diffie-Helman/DSS-only version) iQA/AwUBO9chyfg5Tuca7bfvEQKEYACg+ZSDk2rqIWNY7DU8LkvULOp32PUAoJM2 5nKZ7xG1bhellnHR2n1tgzTa =SV52 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re: Market Competition for Security Measures
by Tim May 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

On Wednesday, October 24, 2001, at 11:33 AM, Meyer Wolfsheim wrote: > Largely, I am in agreement. However, in the paragraphs I've quoted > below, > Tim touches on a counter-argument and dismisses it. I'll like to expand > upon that a bit. I didn't "dismiss" it. In fact, I wrote more about this issue, which I haven't seen brought up by anyone else here, than 95% of all posts to Cypherpunks have in their entire amount of original material! >> >> (There are interesting issues of "danger to others." Friedman the >> Younger covers this in his recent book on economics. "Law's Order." To >> wit, XYZ Airlines, with no security procedures, might be denied use of >> various airports, etc. A standard tort issue. The outcome is not >> precisely known, but a move toward "market competition for security >> measures" would flesh out many of these issues and outcomes.) > > I think that this "danger to others" issue will lead us right back where > we started. It would not simply be an issue of various airports denying > use, but also communities denying airspace rights. And you can bet that, > in a world where airlines were permitted to have no security procedures, > XYZ Airlines would also have to abide by "no-fly zones" set up by the > larger, more security-conscious cities, enforceable by SAMs. I never claimed that a stable end-state is that of some airlines have "no security procedures." Such was not the case before 911, so it is even less likely today. I don't know what the evolution will look like. The ecology of the security measures will probably, if allowed to by regulators, have a few hyper-conscious players like El Al, a few cattle car playes like People Express, and a bunch of players in between. I was not "dismissing" this issue of collateral damage, of tort damage. I said Friedman explores such things in great detail. However, the current system does not allow the positive effects I described. Any airline in the U.S. (or many other countries) which attempted some obvious security measures would face lawsuits by "discriminated against" customers. This is a more pressing problem than some extremely unlikely scenario wherein some carrier adopted a "no security procedures" policy. > There would probably be places in the mid-west that permitted such > airlines to operate their services. But the market would surely kill > them > swiftly if they were denied the ability to fly or land in any popular > area. Customers would go elsewhere, not because of the lax security, but > because of the limited service offerings. You are making my point, not arguing against it. I never claimed that a spectrum of security measures would be a stable, or even a short-term, state. May's Law: The longer the essay, the more complaints there are that it was not detailed enough. --Tim May "That government is best which governs not at all." --Henry David Thoreau

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George Mason U. adopts a free-market philosophy to an unusual degree
by Gabriel Rocha 24 Oct '01

24 Oct '01

http://washington.bcentral.com/washington/stories/2001/10/22/focus1.html George Mason U. adopts a free-market philosophy to an unusual degree Eric Winig Staff Reporter While the U.S. economy continues to sink, the majority of economists are scratching their heads, unable to divine why low interest rates and fiscal stimulus are failing to revive consumer spending. Most, however, predict those old fixes will eventually work their magic again. But to a small school of economists, the U.S. downturn is no mystery. Indeed, they were expecting such an event long before George W. Bush and Al Gore tangled in Florida last year. Credit-induced booms inevitably turn to busts, they say. Because people cannot forever spend more than they earn, such a situation will always lead eventually to a period of contraction in which debts must be worked off and savings rebuilt. Those economists belong to a school of thought known as "Austrian economics," founded in Austria in the late 19th century and introduced to America in the early 1900s. Austrian economics is basically a a strong adherence to free-market economics without government intervention. As many Austrian economists see it, the boom years of the late 1990s were not a "new era," nor a new economy, but instead a period when cheap credit and abundant capital convinced individuals and corporations to borrow like mad. Much of this money, meanwhile, was used for what turned out to be poor investments. Although stock prices have since come down significantly, the debts amassed from all that borrowing remain, choking off any economic recovery before it can begin. As far as most Austrians are concerned, such imbalances must be corrected before the economy can begin to grow anew. It sounds like a simple concept, yet to most who practice economics for a living Austrian economists are a fringe group. In large part that is because the Austrian argument against any government intervention in the market makes most economists -- and their vaunted economic forecasts -- irrelevant. In fact, the only doctoral program in the country with a dedicated Austrian program is at George Mason University in Fairfax. Something of a mission The university's Program on Markets and Institutions -- part of the James M. Buchanan Center for Political Economy ([52]http://www.gmu.edu/jbc) -- is run by Karen Vaughn and Peter Boettke. And to those with Austrian leanings, GMU is akin to a port in a violent storm. "It's a place where you find people who think like you," says Veronique deRugy, a French native who crossed the pond to do post-doctoral work at GMU and now works for The Cato Institute ([53]http://www.cato.org) a D.C.-based public policy foundation with a libertarian philosophy. "I was one of the rare Austrian economists in France," she says, "so it seemed like a logical place to go." Most of the program's students are Americans -- unusual for a graduate school -- and were introduced to Austrian economics by a professor in college. While they don't expect to score a tenured position at Harvard, most students know exactly what they are getting into. "I don't expect to be teaching a class called `Austrian Economics,'" says Edward Stringham, who is finishing his doctorate at GMU. Stringham, like many students, hopes to go someplace where he can teach economics with a free-market bent, even if his class will be slightly different from the school's other offerings. In fact, there are many such professors out there, including a good number from GMU. And most view their task as something of a mission. "The task facing Austrians is to take our theories and get them out there," says Steven Horowitz, associate professor of economics at St. Lawrence University in New York and a former GMU student. "I can name a dozen schools that have tenured Austrian economists there. We're putting our roots down in academia." A credibility hurdle Although Austrian economics can be defined loosely as a free-market ideology, some stress this is not an entirely accurate characterization. Austrian economics provides "a deep appreciation of the markets" that is critical for one to arrive at any economic conclusions, whether free-market or otherwise, Boettke says. Scott Beaulier, a second-year doctoral student, says, "If you want to criticize the mainstream, you've got to know it inside and out." One of the main hurdles for all Austrian economists is to establish credibility in a world that views their beliefs as suspect, at best. In truth, many economists hold some Austrian-style views, yet the mere mention of the Austrian school causes their eyes to glaze over. "No one is out there saying `I am now an Austrian," says Vaughn, director of the Markets and Institutions program. "You say the Austrian school and people say `Oh, that.'" Vaughn, who has been at GMU for 23 years, says despite such attitudes the school has done well placing students in teaching positions. "There are some departments that won't touch us with a 10-foot pole," she acknowledges, "but we do well placing [students] at liberal arts colleges." However, the university has not done as well placing students as instructors in other doctoral programs, which limits the effectiveness of the program. While GMU attracts many students through Austrian professors in undergraduate programs, the lack of doctoral programs with Austrian offerings is a problem. "George Mason," Boettke says with a laugh, "is kind of a monopolist at the moment." On GMU's shoulders GMU came to have the only dedicated Austrian program in the nation partly by chance, as formerly strong programs at New York University and Auburn University have fallen by the wayside. The Auburn demise did not result from a disagreement over the Austrian approach but rather was one of the casualties when the entire doctoral program in economics was shut down because of funding problems. NYU, which was considered by many to have the strongest program and has the best academic reputation of the three universities, made more of a conscious decision to shy away from Austrian teachings. The school no longer offers an Austrian alternative in its doctorate program, although it does offer one in a master's degree. The NYU program also lost its leader when Israel Kirzner retired recently. Kirzner is widely considered the most influential Austrian economist alive, and his retirement was a huge blow to the NYU program. "It was a major hit to us as a school of thought," Boettke says. So that leaves GMU. And, to hear some tell it, Boettke himself. "Peter is an amazing guy," says Cato's deRugy. "You can talk with him about so many different things." In fact, many current and former students gush about Boettke as the driving force behind the program. "He's basically supporting the program here," says Beaulier. "It kind of rests on his shoulders." Such a reference conjures up visions of Atlas -- specifically the epic novel, "Atlas Shrugged," by philosopher Ayn Rand, who espoused individualism and laissez-faire capitalism. But the affable Boettke shows little sign of the strain. Instead, he continues to look for ways to place his students where they have the best chance to make an impact. Boettke acknowledges that many dismiss the Austrian school out of hand, so he advises students to "look out the window and see the puzzles in the world," then use Austrian economics to help frame their arguments. "We need to try to solve real problems that other people care about," he says. How the world works Meanwhile, although most Austrians are predicting bad times ahead for the world economy -- and have been for quite some time -- Boettke has a much more sanguine view. While he acknowledges recent events have tempered his optimistic outlook somewhat -- "the war economy is certainly not good for the economy" -- Boettke continues to believe the forces of capitalism and entrepreneurship will win out and raise living standards for all. He doesn't have sympathy for those who refuse to embrace capitalism and then blame America for their woes. "We have no responsibility whatsoever in the poverty of these countries," he says. "It is a result of the stupid policies of their governments, and we should not shy away from this fact." So, while the rest of the economics profession struggles to understand why the U.S. economy keeps getting worse, GMU's Austrian students quietly go on with their studies. And, they hope, prepare for the day when others will give them more than a passing glance. "If you want a hot-shot career at an Ivy League school, don't come here," Vaughn says. "But if you want to really understand how the world works, I can't think of a better place to go." -- Churchill, Winston Leonard Spencer --On the eve of Britain's entry into World War II: "If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may be even a worse fate. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

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