[ Article crossposted from comp.os.ms-windows.apps ]
[ Author was Dr. Richard Timmer ]
[ Posted on 24 Apr 93 23:11:16 GMT ]

Hello WinNetters:

I have seen a great deal of discussion herein on the relative merits of
MS Access and Borland Paradox/Win.  However, are there any users out there
with experience with the database package called "Approach".  It has gotten
a number of very good reviews from the various mags. and it seems like it
would require less hardware overhead than Paradox.  I have ruled out Access
because some aspects of it are extremely non-intuitive, e.g. requiring a
field to always have a value.  I like what I've seen of Paradox, but it
seems like the resource requirements are greater than what I have (386/25 MHz,
6 MB ram).

So, please provide me with your thoughts are "Approach", good and bad.  Thanks.


Yes, I saw today in 6 o'clock news on KCBS here in San Francisco
this statistic quoted.

2.2% men had sex with another man.
1.3% cinsider themself homosexual.

I understand of course that because this statistic goes against
common believe and not PC-correct it must be complete BS.

Thx

vlad


	I've heard of sillier things, like a well-known utility company
wanting to buy an 'automated' boiler-cleaning system which uses as many
operators as the old system, and which rumour has it costs three million
more per unit. Automation is more 'efficient' although by what scale they are
not saying...


The only reason ESPN showed that hockey came was because there was no
other baseball game scheduled for the evening.

Randy
r_turgeo@oz.plymouth.edu


Hi, this is my first msg to the Net (actually the 3rd copy of it, dam*ed VI!!).

  Look for the new VPIC6.0, it comes with updated VESA 1.2 drivers for almost every known card. The VESA level is 1.2, and my Tseng4000 24-bit has a nice affair with the driver.

  Hope it is useful!!


GOT HIM!  Cramer is now claiming that pedophilia is a sexual orientation
rather than a chronicly homosexual condition.  This changes the whole
argument in as much that is pedophilia is a sexual orientation all
of its own peds cannot be called homosexual.  Peds are peds who
may have a preference as to the sex of the child they molest (though
most do not have a preference) but that is a subset of their basic
ped nature.

Cramer has as much as admitted that peds and gay men are different
orientations.  All we need now is to get him to admit that
the apparent similarities he keeps on about are just optical illusions.

xavier


After reading the first paragraph, a quick scan confirmed my first
impression: this is a bunch of revisionist and anti-semitic hogwash.

The NY Times reported on April 18, 1993 that the museum "was built
through private contributions on Federal land".  Your hate-mongering
article is devoid of current and historical fact, intellectual content
and social value.  Down the toilet it goes.....


Ok boys and girls,

"What was the 'Ogadan War'????"

The Money Raised in Band-Aid covered How Much of
the Cost of Which Soviet Client State to replace what
catagory of weapon system lost in the aforementioned war?

Why was the Joke: "We arm the World." Really Not that funny?

Gonzo Station is the designation for WHICH USN Op Area?
and the primary threat targets in the Area Were:.....

ciao
drieux


I was wondering if anyone knows of a chip that that is similar to
the internal timer 0 on the Intel 80C188?  I want a timer that has
a Maxcount A and B and the output should the same as Intel's timer.  I called
Intel and they told me that they don't make such a chip.  Any suggestions
are welcome.  Thanks in advance.


Very simple.  An 'Insurance Commissioner' is a bureaucrat - a regulator.
It is his/her duties to make rules to enforce laws.  He/she cannot
make laws.  If there is no law that covers a specific subject, say
scam insurance companies, a regulator cannot create one.  So they have
to go to a proper legislative body to get such a law enacted.  For
the California Insurance Commissioner, there are two possible legislative
bodies:  the California State Legislature and the U.S. Congress.  We all
know how little the California State Legislature accomplishes, esp.
along the lines of insurance reform legislation (negative movement).  So
Garamendi wants the feds to do it, because: (a) he has a better chance
of getting a federal law through, and (b) since many of the scam
companies work across state lines/national borders, it is better to
have a law that reach out into other jurisdictions.


Right on, it is every citizen's right and duty to FORCE government
accountability.

(anecdotes deleted)

Also keep in mind that cops will LIE in court to get their way! (don't get
me started by asking how I know ;) If you decide to fight you have to be ready
for this as well as devise strategy to make the cop's story doubtful in the
judge/jury's mind.


C-3's bird may be flaking out and expecting to die soon.

or C-3  may orbit over  major users areas, and it may be
needed to provide  redundancy on that plane  while b-4  may orbit
over hicksville, and not have muc of a user community.


Are we talking about an xterm which would accept the same escape sequences
as that for VT340 (or colour decterm/dxterm)? I thought that was called
colxterm (and my testing of it shows some oddities that might be bugs or
might be my program going wrong).


Rolls-Royce owned by a non-British firm?

Ye Gods, that would be the end of civilization as we know it.


   # 179 Czech Republic  # 180 Republic of Slovakia  They were admitted early
      this year.  Liechenstein was also recently admitted.  Also San Marino.
       Both within the last 12 months.  Incredible what passes for a nation-sta
           state nowadays.


WHITE HOUSE
                   OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
_________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                CONTACT:  Heidi Kukis
THURSDAY, April 15, 1993                       202-456-7035
                                               Julia Payne
                                               202-456-7036

    GORE JOINS STUDENTS IN ORLANDO FOR FIRST KIDS EARTH SUMMIT
    Will Take Part in Special Town Meeting On the Environment
 ******** SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1993 - ORLANDO, FLORIDA **********

     WASINGTON -- Joining students from across the United States
and around the world for the first ever Kids Earth Summit, Vice
President Al Gore will travel to Orlando, Florida, on Saturday
(4/17) and participate in a special town hall meeting, hosted by
Linda Ellerbee for broadcast on Nickelodeon, to hear the young
people's concerns and share ideas about the environment.

     The Vice President will take part in the "Kids World
Council: Plan It for the Planet" from 2-5 PM (EDT) Saturday
(4/17) in Orlando, Florida.  He will tour a display of student
environmental projects, then videotape the town hall meeting
where he will discuss with student delegates their concerns about
the environment and their plans for an environmentally sound
future.

     The town hall meeting will be moderated by Linda Ellerbee
and taped for a news special, "Nickelodeon Special Edition:  Plan
It for the Planet," which will air on Sunday, April 18 at 8 PM
(EDT).  It is sponsored by Nickelodeon and the Children's Earth
Fund.

     "Young people care about the environment because they know
it affects our future.  Across the country and around the world,
young people are speaking out about the environmental challenges
we face.  They are identifying problems, thinking about
solutions, and they are demanding action from their leaders," the
Vice President said.

     The Kids World Council delegates are meeting for three days
in Orlando to discuss how to save energy and switch to renewable
energy.  They will be following the format and goals of the Earth
Summit that took place last year in Rio de Janeiro.  The Vice
President led the Senate Delegation to the Earth Summit.

     "I look forward to hearing what young people have to say
about the environment and their future.  Their insight into the
world around us is important," the Vice President said.

                                (MORE)

                 SCHEDULE FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT
                     Saturday, April 17, 1993

2:15 PM (EDT) VICE PRESIDENT TOURS display of student
 environmental projects.
              Nickelodeon Studios
              Orlando, Florida

3:30 PM (EDT) VICE PRESIDENT TAKES PART IN TOWN HALL MEETING
              with Kids World Council delegates and
              Linda Ellerbee.
              Nickelodeon Studios
              Orlando, Florida

5 PM (EDT)    VICE PRESIDENT DEPARTS from Kids World Council
              for Washington, D.C.

     NOTE:  PRESS THAT WISH TO ATTEND SHOULD CONTACT EILEEN
PARISE OR MARTY VON RUDEN IN FLORIDA AT 407-352-7589.


I would hope that if you intend to have a reasonable discussion you might
wait until I express an opinion before deciding I should be flamed for it.
As for 'war' I am not sure how I would define it. If you just look at attacks
on villages then there is no way of deciding when it started. Would you
count the riots in the 20's and 30's? Violence but not war. I personally
think that 'war', as opposed to civil disturbance or whatever, requires
organisation, planning and some measure of regualr or semi-regular forces.
Perhaps the Arab Liberation Army counts. I could easily be convinced it was
so. From what I know they did not have a great deal of planning let alone
organisation. The Haganah and Palmach certainly did. That is not a cause
for criticism, it merely reflects the great organisation generally in the
'Zionist' camp.

Now you are being silly aren't you? In any case the war did NOT start
with the invasion of the Arab Armies. You see we both agree on something.
And the previous posters were wrong, no?

Again I am not sure, I doubt you want my opinion anyway, but I think
war requires organisation as I said before. It needs a group to command
and plan. If Fatah lauches rockets from Southern Lebanon (and are you
sure you have the right group - not the Moslems again?) then that sounds
like war to me. Stone throwing does not.

Joseph Askew


#The better question  should be.
#Why not transfer  O&M of all birds to a separate agency with continous funding
#to support these kind of ongoing science missions.

Since we don't have the money to keep them going now, how will
changing them to a seperate agency help anything?


Hi I need a one way flight ticket from Des Moines to Chicago
on the 28th of May 1993.
please send your replies to jasonlim@iastate.edu or to this account
as soon as possible
thank you


Well put, Jason.  I am not from Wisconsin, but I have close relatives who
live in Port Washington (about 30 minutes north of Milwaukee), I visit the
city regularly, and I have been in the Bradley four times to see the Admirals
play  and the NCAA Hockey Championships.  It is a beautiful building.  The
Pettits and the city like to promote it as the best facility for hockey in
North America.
As to what will happen with the Admirals if Milwaukee does acquire a
franchise, word is the team will move to Green Bay and play in the Brown
County Arena.
Once again, the Admirals are an independent franchise, and the people of
Milwaukee have been supporting them well.  The games I have been to have seen
crowds anywhere from 10,000 to 13,000, which are numbers some NHL teams (i.e.
the Islanders, Hartford, New Jersey) would be envious of having on some nights.
Plus the fact that the city is able to support a minor league franchise without
the glamour of having an NHL club affiliated to it is testimony to the amount
of hockey interest exists in the city.

Sincerely,

Martin Hill, Rt. 2, Box 155B, Sault Ste. Marie, MI (Home of LSSU:  Go Lakers!)


I posted this to the apps group and didn't get any response, so
I'll try here. I am trying to use the latex help feature
available in emacs for windows and read that you need a separate
latexhlp.zip file along with a vms2hlp.zip file to convert this
to windows help. Has anyone found these files or gotten this
command help to work?


This is generally called phimosis..usually it is due to an inflammation, and ca
n be retracted in the physician's offfice rather eaaasily.  One should see a GP
, or in complicated cases, a urologist.


I find this thread on motif accelerators absoultly amazing.  If I were
writing an interface to keyboard accelerators, I would have one
resource called "accelerators" that took a translation table, period.
I would also implement it so that programmer never has to do any work
to get the accelerators installed.  As soon as the end-user specified
one, it would be active and automatically installed.

To get multiple accelerators on a single menu item I'd do something like:

	*menuItem.accelerators: #override \n\
		Ctrl<Key>M:	fire() \n\
		Shift<Key>L:	fire() \n

The accelerators would work exactly like translations and you would
automatically see a "Ctrl M" show up in your menuItem object.

Why in the world is the motif stuff so complicated with so many different
special cases depending on what type of widget you're dealing with?  There
has to be some reason.

Sorry for the political tone of this message...


Robert, you keep making references to "orthodox" belief, and saying things
like "it is held that..." (cf. "Kermit" thread).  On what exact body of
theology are you drawing for what you call "orthodox?"  Who is that "holds
that" Luke meant what you said he meant?  Whenever your personal interpretation
of Biblical passages is challenged, your only response seems
to be that one needs merely to "look at the Bible" in order to see the truth,
but what of those who see Biblical things differently from you?  Are we to
simply assume that you are the only one who really understands it?
  Just curious,


Perhaps the trusted escrow agencies can be the ones who come up with
S1 and S2, and if these agencies are really trusted (ACLU & NRA is an
interesting example), we can hope that they'll use some physical
process to come up with truly random numbers. If the NSA comes up with
the numbers, that's a trap door you could drive a truck through.

Me either.

   It seems from the following that the CPSR is atleats starting to
question this bogosity:

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
April 16, 1993
Washington, DC

               COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS CALL FOR PUBLIC
           DEBATE ON NEW GOVERNMENT ENCRYPTION INITIATIVE

        Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
today called for the public disclosure of technical data
underlying the government's newly-announced "Public Encryption
Management" initiative.  The new cryptography scheme was
announced today by the White House and the National Institute
for Standards and Technology (NIST), which will implement the
technical specifications of the plan.  A NIST spokesman
acknowledged that the National Security Agency (NSA), the super-
secret military intelligence agency, had actually developed the
encryption technology around which the new initiative is built.

        According to NIST, the technical specifications and the
Presidential directive establishing the plan are classified.  To
open the initiative to public review and debate, CPSR today
filed a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
with key agencies, including NSA, NIST, the National Security
Council and the FBI for information relating to the encryption
plan.  The CPSR requests are in keeping with the spirit of the
Computer Security Act, which Congress passed in 1987 in order to
open the development of non-military computer security standards
to public scrutiny and to limit NSA's role in the creation of
such standards.

        CPSR previously has questioned the role of NSA in
developing the so-called "digital signature standard" (DSS), a
communications authentication technology that NIST proposed for
government-wide use in 1991.  After CPSR sued NIST in a FOIA
lawsuit last year, the civilian agency disclosed for the first
time that NSA had, in fact, developed that security standard.
NSA is due to file papers in federal court next week justifying
the classification of records concerning its creation of the
DSS.

        David Sobel, CPSR Legal Counsel, called the
administration's apparent commitment to the privacy of
electronic communications, as reflected in today's official
statement,  "a step in the right direction."  But he questioned
the propriety of NSA's role in the process and the apparent
secrecy that has thus far shielded the development process from
public scrutiny.  "At a time when we are moving towards the
development of a new information infrastructure, it is vital
that standards designed to protect personal privacy be
established openly and with full public participation.  It is
not appropriate for NSA -- an agency with a long tradition of
secrecy and opposition to effective civilian cryptography -- to
play a leading role in the development process."

        CPSR is a national public-interest alliance of computer
industry professionals dedicated to examining the impact of
technology on society.   CPSR has 21 chapters in the U.S. and
maintains offices in Palo Alto, California, Cambridge,
Massachusetts and Washington, DC.  For additional information on
CPSR, call (415) 322-3778 or e-mail <cpsr@csli.stanford.edu>.


My whole point was not to say that the cars *couldn't* go that fast,
but that they *shouldn't* go that fast.  A family sedan designed to be
operable at 85mph doesn't suddenly become operable at 130mph because
you added some plastic aero effects, slightly wider tires, and a much
larger engine.  That's what the SHO is -- a slightly modified family
sedan with a powerful engine.  They didn't even bother improving the
*brakes.*

The Mustang is essentially the same deal as the SHO -- a big power
plant stuck in a mid-size sedan, with almost no other modifications.
I have real-life experience with the Mustang -- it handles like a
brick (except when you're invoking oversteer, of course, something I
personally avoid doing on the highway) and stopping power is
inadequate even from 80mph.  Lots of accelleration -- but the rest of
the car is not up to par.

I picked the Porsche example because they are designed with speed in
mind.  It didn't have to be the 911 -- it could have been the much
cheaper 944 or one of several Mercedes or Audi models.  All of these
cars are fairly expensive -- but so are the parts that make them
drivable at high speed.  This should be elementary.

There are a few things to keep in mind about Europe, since you brought
it up.  My Autobahn knowledge is admittedly second-hand, but I believe
the following to be true:

1. Drivers are much better disciplined in Europe than they are here.
2. The roads comprising the Autobahn are much better designed than
   they are here, and usually include animal fences.  This makes them
   far more predictable than most US highways.
3. Not all of Europe is the Autobahn.  Most places in Europe have
   speed limits that aren't out-of-line with what we used to have in
   the US -- if my friends weren't lying to me they're typically not
   much higher than 120km/h.

I strongly suspect you won't find a lot of Rabbit owners doing 120mph
(nearly 200km/h) on the Autobahn, but I could be wrong.  Some people
have no respect for their own lives.

If you think so you sure don't pay attention to my postings.


#Rick Anderson replied to my letter with...
#
#ra> In article <C5ELp2.L0C@acsu.buffalo.edu>,
#ra>

(...)

# Just briefly, on something that you mentioned in passing. You refer to
# differing interpretations of "create," and say that many Christians may
# not agree. So what? That is really irrelevant. We do not base our faith
# on how many people think one way or another, do we? The bottom line is
# truth, regardless of popularity of opinions.

It may be "irrelevant" to you and *your* personal beliefs (or should I say
"bias"?), but it is relevant to me and many others.  You're right, "the
bottom line IS truth," independant from you or anyone else.  Since you
proclaim "truths" as a self-proclaimed appointee, may I ask you by what
authority you do this?  Because "it says so in the Bible?"  --Does the
Bible "say so," or is it YOU, or someone else, who interprets whether a
scripture or doctrine conforms to your particular liking or "disapproval"?

Excuse moi, but your line of "truths" haven't moved me one bit to persuade
me that my beliefs are erroneous.  Of all the "preachers" of "truth" on
this net, you have struck me as a self-righteous member of the wrecking
crew, with no positive message to me or other latter-day saints whatsoever.
BTW, this entire discussion reminds me a lot of the things said by Jesus
to the pharisees: "ye hypocrite(s) . . . ye preach about me with your lips,
but your hearts are far removed from me..."

# Also, I find it rather strange that in trying to persuade that created
# and eternally existent are equivalent, you say "granted the Mormon
# belief..." You can't grant your conclusion and then expect the point to
# have been addressed. In order to reply to the issue, you have to address
# and answer the point that was raised, and not just jump to the
# conclusion that you grant.

Sophistry.  Look who's talking: "jumping to conclusions?"  You wouldn't do
that yourself, right?  All YOU address is your own convictions, regardless
whether we come up with any Biblical scriptures which supports our points
of view, because you reject such interpretations without any consideration
whatsoever.

#
# The Bible states that Lucifer was created.  The Bible states that Jesus
# is the creator of all. The contradiction that we have is that the LDS
# belief is that Jesus and Lucifer were the same.

A beautiful example of disinformation and a deliberate misrepresentation
of lds doctrine.  The former KGB would have loved to employ you.
Jesus and lucifer are not "the same," silly, and you know it.

(...)

# The Mormon belief is that all are children of God. Literally. There is
# nothing symbolic about it. This however, contradicts what the Bible
# says. The Bible teaches that not everyone is a child of God:

Correction: it may contradict would YOU think the Bible says.  The Bible
indeed does teach that not all are children of God in the sense that they
"belong to" or follow God in His footsteps.  Satan and his followers have
rebelled against God, and are not "children (=followers/redeemed) of God,"
but it doesn't mean that they were not once created by God, but chose to
separate themselves from those who chose to follow God and His plan of
salvation.

#
#        The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
#        kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked "one";
#        (Matthew 13:38)

kingdom are those who have remained valiant in their testimony of Jesus
(and have shown "works of repentance, etc.), and the children of the
wicked one are those who rebelled against God and the lamb.  The issue
of satan's spirit-offspring (and those who followed him) has not been
addressed in this and other verses you copied from your Bible.  You
purposefully obscured the subject by swamping your "right" with non-
related scriptures.

(...lots of nice scriptures deleted (NOT Robert W. copyrighted) though...)

#ra> > We are told that, "And this is life eternal, that they might know
#ra> > thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
#ra> > (John 17:3). Life eternal is to know the only true God. Yet the
#ra> > doctrines of the LDS that I have mentioned portray a vastly
#ra> > different Jesus, a Jesus that cannot be reconciled with the Jesus of
#ra> > the Bible. They are so far removed from each other that to proclaim

Correction: "my" Jesus is indeed different than your Jesus, and CAN be
reconciled with the Jesus in the Bible.  --Not your interpretation of Him,
I concur, but I honestly couldn't care less.

#ra> > one as being true denies the other from being true. According to the
#ra> > Bible, eternal life is dependent on knowing the only true God, and
#ra> > not the construct of imagination.

In this single posting of yours, I've seen more "constructs of imagination"
than in all of the pro-lds mails combined I have read so far in this news
group.  First get your lds-facts straight before you dare preaching to us
about "the only true God," whom you interpret according to your own likes
and dislikes, but whose image I cannot reconcile with what I know about
Him myself.  I guess your grandiose self-image does not allow for other
faiths, believing in the divinity of Jesus Christ, but in a different
way or fashion than your own.  Not that it really matters, the mission
and progress of the lds church will go on, boldly and nobly, and no mob
or opponent can stop the work from progressing, until it has visited
every continent, swept every clime, and sounded in every ear.

#  This is really a red herring. It doesn't address any issue raised, but
#  rather, it seeks to obfuscate. The fact that some groups try to read
#  something into the Bible, doesn't change what the Bible teaches.

Sigh.  "What the Bible teaches"?  Or: "what the bible teaches according to
Robert Weiss and co.?"  I respect the former, I reject the latter without
the remotest feeling that I have rejected Jesus.  On the contrary.  And by
the way, I do respect your interpretations of the Bible, I even grant you
being a Christian (following your own image of Him), as much as I am a
Christian (following my own image of Him in my heart).

(...)

#  Most of the other replies have instead hop-scotched to the issue of
#  Bruce McConkie and whether his views were 'official doctrine.' I don't
#  think that it matters if McConkie's views were canon. That is not the
#  issue.  Were McConkie's writings indicative of Mormon belief on this
#  subject is the real issue. The indication from Rick is that they may
#  certainly be.

The issue is, of course, that you love to use anything to either mis-
represent or ridicule the lds church.  The issue of "official doctrine"
is obviously very important.  McConkie's views have been controversial
(e.g. "The Seven Deadly Heresies" has made me a heretic!  ;-) at best,
or erroneous at worst ("blacks not to receive the priesthood in this
dispensation").  I respect him as someone who has made his valuable
contribution to the church, but I personally do NOT rely on his personal
interpretations (his book "Mormon Doctrine" is oftentimes referred to
as "McConkie's Bible" in mormon circles) on mormon doctrine.  I rather
look to official (doctrinal) sources, and... to Hugh Nibley's books!
(The last comment is an lds-insider reference.)  Summarizing: McConkie
was a wise man who contributed undoubtedly far more to the kingdom of
God than I have, but whose views are by no means dogma or accepted
doctrine, some of it clearly belongs to personal interpretation and
speculation.  But having said this, I find McConkie (even in his most
biased and speculative moments) far more thought-provoking than the
trash coming from your proverbial pen.  I'm somewhat appalled that I have
allowed myself to sink as low as you in this posting...

=============================
Robert Weiss
psyrobtw@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu


One thing to consider is time division multiplexing the EMG
channels to reduce the number of RF carriers you have to generate.
If you multiplexed the EMG inputs at 10KHz, that would probably be
sufficient for most physiology studies (you'd have ~ 330 Hz per
channel sampling rate.)  That level of analog multiplexing should
be rather easy to accomplish.

Combining a lot of RF carriers is pretty tricky to do without
generating intermodulation.  A system to be carried by a runner is
in a fairly harsh environment and would probably be difficult to
keep balanced.

A commercial hand-held transciever could probably be employed with
a little modification to accomodate widening the bandwidth.
Obviously, this has to be done in accordance with whatever laws
govern the use of transeivers in your location.


  Oh....I see...I didn't realize this...

  I think that perhaps you should print flyers on this topic, and your
  reasons for thinking the way you do. You should then distribute them
  amongst the world's population. You see, I don't think there are many
  people who are aware of this fact. Thank you for telling us the truth.

  BTW: I would start by sending your flyers to each of the UN officials.
	   Also, after you have distributed your flyers you might consider
       hiding. You see, I think that once more people read what you think
       they will have to lock you up in a mental institute; and don't think
       they will ever let you out.

  It is a strange strange world you live in. I feel sorry for you.

--


------------- cut here -----------------

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 13
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

                       Gonorrhea -- Colorado, 1985-1992
                       ================================
                   SOURCE: MMWR 42(14)   DATE: Apr 16, 1993

     The number of reported cases of gonorrhea in Colorado increased 19.9%
from 1991 to 1992 after declining steadily during the 1980s. In comparison, in
the United States, reported cases of gonorrhea in 1992 continued an overall
decreasing trend (1). This report summarizes an analysis of the increase in
gonorrhea in Colorado in 1992 and characterizes trends in the occurrence of
this disease from 1985 through 1992.
     In 1992, 4679 cases of gonorrhea were reported to the Colorado Department
of Health (CDH) compared with 3901 cases reported in 1991. During 1992,
reported cases increased 22.7% and 17.5% among females and males, respectively
(Table 1). Similar increases occurred among blacks, whites, and Hispanics
(15.6%, 15.1%, and 15.9%, respectively); however, the number of reported cases
with race not specified increased 88% from 1991 to 1992 and constituted 9.7%
of all reported cases in 1992. Although the largest proportional increases by
age groups occurred among persons aged 35-44 years (80.4%) and greater than or
equal to 45 years (87.7%), these age groups accounted for only 11.0% of all
reported cases in 1992. Persons in the 15-19-year age group accounted for the
largest number of reported cases of gonorrhea during 1992 and the highest age
group-specific rate (639 per 100,000).
     Reported cases of gonorrhea increased 32.9% in the five-county Denver
metropolitan area (1990 population: 1,629,466) but decreased elsewhere in the
state (Table 1). Half the cases of gonorrhea in the Denver metropolitan area
occurred in 8.4% (34) of the census tracts; these represent neighborhoods
considered by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)/acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS) field staff to be the focus of gang and drug activity.
     When compared with 1991, the number of gonorrhea cases diagnosed among
men in the Denver Metro Health Clinic (DMHC, the primary public STD clinic in
the Denver metropolitan area) increased 33% in 1992, and the number of visits
by males to the clinic increased 2.4%. Concurrently, the number of cases
diagnosed among women increased by 1%. Among self-identified heterosexual men,
the number of gonorrhea cases diagnosed at DMHC increased 33% and comprised
94% of all cases diagnosed in males, while the number of cases diagnosed among
self-identified homosexual men remained low (71 and 74 in 1991 and 1992,
respectively).
     Four selected laboratories in the metropolitan Denver area (i.e., HMO,
university hospital, nonprofit family planning, and commercial) were contacted
to determine whether gonorrhea culture-positivity rates increased. Gonorrhea
culture-positivity rates in three of four laboratories contacted increased
23%-33% from 1991 to 1992, while the rate was virtually unchanged in the
fourth (i.e., nonprofit family planning).
     From 1985 through 1991, reported cases of gonorrhea among whites and
Hispanics in Colorado decreased; in comparison, reported cases among blacks

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 14
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

increased since 1988 (Figure 1). During 1988-1992, the population in Colorado
increased 9.9% for blacks, 9.8% for Hispanics, and 4.5% for whites. In 1992,
the gonorrhea rate for blacks (1935 per 100,000 persons) was 57 times that for
whites (34 per 100,000) and 12 times that for Hispanics (156 per 100,000)
(Table 1). Among black females, reported cases of gonorrhea increased from
1988 through 1992 in the 15-19-year age group; among black males, cases
increased from 1989 through 1992 in both the 15-19-and 20-24-year age groups.

Reported by: KA Gershman, MD, JM Finn, NE Spencer, MSPH, STD/AIDS Program; RE
Hoffman, MD, State Epidemiologist, Colorado Dept of Health. JM Douglas, MD,
Denver Dept of Health and Hospitals. Surveillance and Information Systems Br,
Div of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV Prevention, National Center for
Prevention Svcs, CDC.

Editorial Note: The increase in reported gonorrhea cases in Colorado in 1992
may represent an overall increase in the occurrence of this disease or more
complete reporting stimulated by visitations to laboratories by CDH
surveillance staff during 1991-1992. The increases in confirmed gonorrhea
cases at DMHC and in culture-positivity rates in three of four laboratories
suggest a real increase in gonorrhea rather than a reporting artifact.
However, the stable culture-positivity rate in the nonprofit family planning
laboratory (which serves a network of clinics statewide) indicates that the
gonorrhea increase did not uniformly affect all segments of the population.
     One possible explanation for the increased occurrence of gonorrhea in
Colorado may be gang- and drug-related sexual behavior, as implicated in a
recent outbreak of drug-resistant gonorrhea and other STDs in Colorado Springs
(2). Although the high morbidity census tracts in the Denver metropolitan area
coincide with areas of gang and drug activity, this hypothesis requires
further assessment. To examine the possible role of drug use -- implicated
previously as a factor contributing to the national increase in syphilis (3-6)
-- the CDH STD/AIDS program is collecting information from all persons in whom
gonorrhea is diagnosed regarding drug use, exchange of sex for money or drugs,
and gang affiliation.
     The gonorrhea rate for blacks in Colorado substantially exceeds the
national health objective for the year 2000 (1300 per 100,000) (objective
19.1a) (7). Race is likely a risk marker rather than a risk factor for
gonorrhea and other STDs. Risk markers may be useful for identifying groups at
greatest risk for STDs and for targeting prevention efforts. Moreover, race-
specific variation in STD rates may reflect differences in factors such as
socioeconomic status, access to medical care, and high-risk behaviors.
     In response to the increased occurrence of gonorrhea in Colorado,
interventions initiated by the CDH STD/AIDS program include 1) targeting
partner notification in the Denver metropolitan area to persons in groups at
increased risk (e.g., 15-19-year-old black females and 20-24-year-old black
males); 2) implementing a media campaign (e.g., public service radio

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 15
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

announcements, signs on city buses, newspaper advertisements, and posters in
schools and clinics) to promote awareness of STD risk and prevention targeted
primarily at high-risk groups, and 3) developing teams of peer educators to
perform educational outreach in high-risk neighborhoods. The educational
interventions are being developed and implemented with the assistance of
members of the target groups and with input from a forum of community leaders
and health-care providers.

References

1. CDC. Table II. Cases of selected notifiable diseases, United States, weeks
ending December 26, 1992, and December 28, 1991 (52nd week). MMWR 1993;41:975.

2. CDC. Gang-related outbreak of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae
and other sexually transmitted diseases -- Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1989-
1991. MMWR 1993;42:25-8.

3. CDC. Relationship of syphilis to drug use and prostitution -- Connecticut
and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MMWR 1988;37:755-8, 764.

4. Rolfs RT, Goldberg M, Sharrar RG. Risk factors for syphilis: cocaine use
and prostitution. Am J Public Health 1990;80:853-7.

5. Andrus JK, Fleming DW, Harger DR, et al. Partner notification: can it
control epidemic syphilis? Ann Intern Med 1990;112:539-43.

6. Gershman KA, Rolfs RT. Diverging gonorrhea and syphilis trends in the
1980s: are they real? Am J Public Health 1991;81:1263-7.

7. Public Health Service. Healthy people 2000: national health promotion and
disease prevention objectives--full report, with commentary. Washington, DC:
US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1991; DHHS
publication no. (PHS)91-50212.

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 16
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

                Effectiveness in Disease and Injury Prevention
            Impact of Adult Safety-Belt Use on Restraint Use Among
            Children less than 11 Years of Age -- Selected States,
                                 1988 and 1989
            ======================================================
                   SOURCE: MMWR 42(14)   DATE: Apr 16, 1993

     Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children and
young adults in the United States and account for more than 1 million years of
potential life lost before age 65 annually (1). Child safety seats and safety
belts can substantially reduce this loss (2). From 1977 through 1985, all 50
states passed legislation requiring the use of child safety seats or safety
belts for children. Although these laws reduce injuries to young children by
an estimated 8%-59% (3,4), motor-vehicle crash-related injuries remain a major
cause of disability and death among U.S. children (1), while the use of
occupant restraints among children decreases inversely with age (84% usage for
those aged 0-4 years; 57%, aged 5-11 years; and 29%, aged 12-18 years) (5). In
addition, parents who do not use safety belts themselves are less likely to
use restraints for their children (6). To characterize the association between
adult safety-belt use and adult-reported consistent use of occupant restraints
for the youngest child aged less than 11 years within a household, CDC
analyzed data obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
(BRFSS) during 1988 and 1989. This report summarizes the findings from this
study.
     Data were available for 20,905 respondents aged greater than or equal to
18 years in 11 states * that participated in BRFSS -- a population-based,
random-digit-dialed telephone survey -- and administered a standard Injury
Control and Child Safety Module developed by CDC. Of these respondents, 5499
(26%) had a child aged less than 11 years in their household. Each respondent
was asked to specify the child's age and the frequency of restraint use for
that child. The two categories of child restraint and adult safety-belt use in
this analysis were 1) consistent use (i.e., always buckle up) and 2) less than
consistent use (i.e., almost always, sometimes, rarely, or never buckle up).
Data were weighted to provide estimates representative of each state. Software
for Survey Data Analysis (SUDAAN) (7) was used to calculate point estimates
and confidence intervals. Statistically significant differences were defined
by p values of less than 0.05.
     Each of the 11 states had some type of child restraint law. Of these, six
(Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and West Virginia) had no
law requiring adults to use safety belts; four (Idaho, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
and Washington) had a secondary enforcement mandatory safety-belt law (i.e., a
vehicle had to be stopped for a traffic violation before a citation for nonuse
of safety belts could be issued); and one state (New York) had a primary
enforcement mandatory safety-belt law (i.e., vehicles could be stopped for a
safety-belt law violation alone). In nine states, child-passenger protection

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 17
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

laws included all children aged less than 5 years, but the other two states
used both age and size of the child as criteria for mandatory restraint use.
The analysis in this report subgrouped states into 1) those having a law
requiring adult safety-belt use (law states), and 2) those without such a law
(no-law states).
     Overall, 21% of children aged less than 11 years reportedly were not
consistently restrained during automobile travel. Both child restraint use and
adult restraint use were significantly higher (p less than 0.05, chi-square
test) in law states than in no-law states (81.1% versus 74.3% and 58.7% versus
43.2%, respectively).
     High rates of restraint use for children aged less than or equal to 1
year were reported by both adults indicating consistent and less than
consistent safety-belt use (Figure 1). Adults with consistent use reported
high rates of child-occupant restraint use regardless of the child's age
(range: 95.5% for 1-year-olds to 84.7% for 10-year-olds). In comparison, for
adults reporting less than consistent safety-belt use, the rate of child-
occupant restraint use declined sharply by the age of the child (range: 93.1%
for 1-year-olds to 28.8% for 10-year-olds). When comparing children of
consistent adult safety-belt users with children of less than consistent adult
safety-belt users, 95% confidence intervals overlap for the two youngest age
groups (i.e., aged less than 1 and 1 year).
     Reported child-occupant restraint use in law states generally exceeded
that in no-law states, regardless of age of child (Table 1). In addition,
higher adult educational attainment was significantly associated with
increased restraint use for children, a factor that has also been associated
with increased adult safety-belt use (8).

Reported by: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC.

Editorial Note: The findings in this report are consistent with others
indicating that adults who do not use safety belts themselves are less likely
to employ occupant restraints for their children (6,9). Because these
nonbelted adults are at increased risk of crashing and more likely to exhibit
other risk-taking behaviors, children traveling with them may be at greater
risk for motor-vehicle injury (10).
     Educational attainment of adult respondents was inversely associated with
child restraint use in this report. Accordingly, occupant-protection programs
should be promoted among parents with low educational attainment. Because low
educational attainment is often associated with low socioeconomic status, such
programs should be offered to adults through health-care facilities that serve
low-income communities or through federal programs (i.e., Head Start) that are
directed at parents with young children.
     Injury-prevention programs emphasize restraining young children. In
addition, however, efforts must be intensified to protect child occupants as

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 18
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

they become older. Parents, especially those with low educational attainment,
those who do not consistently wear safety belts, and those from states that do
not have mandatory safety-belt use laws, should be encouraged to wear safety
belts and to protect their children by using approved child safety seats and
safety belts. Finally, the increased use of restraints among children may
increase their likelihood of using safety belts when they become teenagers --
the age group characterized by the lowest rate of safety-belt use and the
highest rate of fatal crashes (5).

References

1. CDC. Childhood injuries in the United States. Am J Dis Child 1990;144:627-
46.

2. Partyka SC. Papers on child restraints: effectiveness and use. Washington,
DC: US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1988; report no. DOT-HS-807-286.

3. Guerin D, MacKinnon D. An assessment of the California child passenger
restraint requirement. Am J Public Health 1985;75:142-4.

4. Hall W, Orr B, Suttles D, et al. Progress report on increasing child
restraint usage through local education and distribution programs. Chapel
Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Highway
Safety Research Center, 1983.

5. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Occupant protection trends
in 19 cities. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1991.

6. Wagenaar AC, Molnar LJ, Margolis LH. Characteristics of child safety seat
users. Accid Anal Prev 1988;20:311-22.

7. Shah BV, Barnwell BG, Hunt PN, LaVange LM. Software for Survey Data
Analysis (SUDAAN) version 5.50 Software documentation. Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina: Research Triangle Institute, 1991.

8. Lund AK. Voluntary seat belt use among U.S. drivers: geographic,
socioeconomic and demographic variation. Accid Anal Prev 1986;18:43-50.

9. Margolis LH, Wagenaar AC, Molnar LJ. Use and misuse of automobile child
restraint devices. Am J Dis Child 1992;146:361-6.

10. Hunter WW, Stutts JC, Stewart JR, Rodgman EA. Characteristics of seatbelt
users and non-users in a state with a mandatory use law. Health Education

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 19
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

Research 1990;5:161-73.

* Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia.

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 20
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

                   Publication of CDC Surveillance Summaries
                   =========================================
                   SOURCE: MMWR 42(14)   DATE: Apr 16, 1993

     Since 1983, CDC has published the CDC Surveillance Summaries under
separate cover as part of the MMWR series. Each report published in the CDC
Surveillance Summaries focuses on public health surveillance; surveillance
findings are reported for a broad range of risk factors and health conditions.
     Summaries for each of the reports published in the most recent (March 19,
1993) issue of the CDC Surveillance Summaries (1) are provided below. All
subscribers to MMWR receive the CDC Surveillance Summaries, as well as the
MMWR Recommendations and Reports, as part of their subscriptions.

 SURVEILLANCE FOR AND COMPARISON OF BIRTH DEFECT PREVALENCES
                               IN TWO GEOGRAPHIC
                        AREAS -- UNITED STATES, 1983-88

     Problem/Condition: CDC and some states have developed surveillance
systems to monitor the birth prevalence of major defects.
     Reporting Period Covered: This report covers birth defects surveillance
in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, and selected jurisdictions in California for
the years 1983-1988.
     Description of System: The California Birth Defects Monitoring Program
and the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program are two population-
based surveillance systems that employ similar data collection methods. The
prevalence estimates for 44 diagnostic categories were based on data for 1983-
1988 for 639,837 births in California and 152,970 births in metropolitan
Atlanta. The prevalences in the two areas were compared, adjusting for race,
sex, and maternal age by using Poisson regression.
     Results: Regional differences in the prevalence of aortic stenosis, fetal
alcohol syndrome, hip dislocation/dysplasia, microcephalus, obstruction of the
kidney/ureter, and scoliosis/lordosis may be attributable to general
diagnostic variability. However, differences in the prevalences of arm/hand
limb reduction, encephalocele, spina bifida, or trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) are
probably not attributable to differences in ascertainment, because these
defects are relatively easy to diagnose.
     Interpretation: Regional differences in prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy
termination may affect prevalences of trisomy 21 and spina bifida. However,
the reason for differences in arm/hand reduction is unknown, but may be
related to variability in environmental exposure, heterogeneity in the gene
pool, or random variation.
     Actions Taken: Because of the similarities of these data bases, several
collaborative studies are being implemented. In particular, the differences in
the birth prevalence of spina bifida and Down syndrome will focus attention on
the impact of prenatal diagnosis. Authors: Jane Schulman, Ph.D., Nancy

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 21
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

Jensvold, M.P.H, Gary M. Shaw, Dr.P.H., California Birth Defects Monitoring
Program, March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. Larry D. Edmonds, M.S.P.H.,
Anne B. McClearn, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities,
National Center for Environmental Health, CDC.

                      INFLUENZA -- UNITED STATES, 1988-89

     Problem/Condition: CDC monitors the emergence and spread of new influenza
virus variants and the impact of influenza on morbidity and mortality annually
from October through May.
     Reporting Period Covered: This report covers U.S. influenza surveillance
conducted from October 1988 through May 1989.
     Description of System: Weekly reports from the vital statistics offices
of 121 cities provided an index of influenza's impact on mortality; 58 WHO
collaborating laboratories reported weekly identification of influenza
viruses; weekly morbidity reports were received both from the state and
territorial epidemiologists and from 153 sentinel family practice physicians.
Nonsystematic reports of outbreaks and unusual illnesses were received
throughout the year.
     Results: During the 1988-89 influenza season, influenza A(H1N1) and B
viruses were identified in the United States with essentially equal frequency
overall, although both regional and temporal patterns of predominance shifted
over the course of the season. Throughout the season increases in the indices
of influenza morbidity in regions where influenza A(H1N1) predominated were
similar to increases in regions where influenza B predominated. Only 7% of
identified viruses were influenza A(H3N2), but isolations of this subtype
increased as the season waned, and it subsequently predominated during the
1989-90 season. During the 1988-89 season outbreaks in nursing homes were
reported in association with influenza B and A(H3N2) but not influenza
A(H1N1).
     Interpretation: The alternating temporal and geographic predominance of
influenza strains A(H1N1) and B during the 1988-89 season emphasizes the
importance of continual attention to regional viral strain surveillance, since
amantadine is effective only for treatment and prophylaxis of influenza A.
     Actions Taken: Weekly interim analyses of surveillance data produced
throughout the season allow physicians and public health officials to make
informed choices regarding appropriate use of amantadine. CDC's annual
surveillance allows the observed viral variants to be assessed as candidates
for inclusion as components in vaccines used in subsequent influenza seasons.
Authors: Louisa E. Chapman, M.D., M.S.P.H., Epidemiology Activity, Office of
the Director, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for
Infectious Diseases; Margaret A. Tipple, M.D., Division of Quarantine,
National Center for Prevention Services, CDC. Suzanne Gaventa Folger, M.P.H.,
Health Investigations Branch, Division of Health Studies, Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry. Maurice Harmon, Ph.D., Connaught

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 22
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

Laboratories, Pasteur-Mirieux Company, Swiftwater, Pennsylvania. Alan P.
Kendal, Ph.D., European Regional Office, World Health Organization,
Copenhagen, Denmark. Nancy J. Cox, Ph.D., Influenza Branch, Division of Viral
and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases; Lawrence B.
Schonberger, M.D., M.P.H., Epidemiology Activity, Office of the Director,
Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious
Diseases, CDC.

Reference

1. CDC. CDC surveillance summaries (March 19). MMWR 1993;42(no. SS-1).

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 23
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
                            Clinical Research News
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

                          Clinical Research News for
                              Arizona Physicians

                 Vol. 4, No. 4, April 1993     Tucson, Arizona

Published monthly by the Office of Public Affairs at The University of Arizona
                            Health Sciences Center.
                   Copyright 1993, The University of Arizona

                 High Tech Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Following the birth of the first in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-
ET) baby in 1978, a host of assisted reproductive technologies have been
developed that include IVF-ET, gamete intrafallopian tube transfer (GIFT),
embryo cryopreservation (freezing) and gamete micromanipulation. Together,
these technologies are referred to as the high-tech assisted reproductive
technology (ART) procedures.

Ovulation induction, sperm insemination and surgery for tubal disease and/or
pathology still are the mainstays of the therapies available for infertility
management. However, when these fail, it almost always is appropriate to
proceed with one of the ART procedures.

Therefore, in addition to a comprehensive basic and general infertility
service at The University of Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and
Infertility, there is a program of Assisted Reproduction that specializes in
ART procedures. This program serves as a tertiary provider for those patients
in the state of Arizona whose infertility problems cannot be resolved by the
traditional therapies.

The following article (on back) describes the ART procedures available in our
Center, clarifies appropriate applications for each, and considers the
realistic expectations for their success. Procedures included are:

o in vitro
o fertilization - embryo transfer (IVF-ET),  gamete intrafallopian tube
  transfer
o (GIFT),  cryopreservation of human embryos and  gamete micromanipulation.
This article also considers ongoing research in our program that is directed
towards improved success of these technologies.

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 24
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

                           Future Areas of Research

In addition to ongoing research that is directed exclusively toward the
management of infertile couples, we are developing the technology to assist
couples who are at risk for producing embryos with a serious hereditary
disease.

This technology involves biopsying the preimplantation human embryo and then
subjecting the biopsied cells to genetic analysis using either DNA
amplification or fluorescent in situ hybridization.

There are recent reports of the successful application of DNA amplification by
other centers, for example, for diagnosis of the genes for cystic fibrosis and
hemophilia. We hope to apply and further focus fluorescent in situ
hybridization technology for probing the X chromosome, the identification of
which will provide a scientific basis for counselling patients who exhibit
sex-linked disorders.

The considerable clinical application of such technology lies in the fact that
it circumvents the need for prenatal diagnosis, in addition to the possibility
of a subsequent termination of affected fetuses, in order to avoid the birth
of affected children.

Catherine Racowsky, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of Research
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
College of Medicine
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

               Applications, Success Rates and Advances for the
                           Management of Infertility

The following are the ART procedures available at The University of Arizona
Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

     In Vitro Fertilization - Embryo Transfer is the core ART procedure of our
Assisted Reproduction Program.  This procedure involves retrieval of
unfertilized eggs from the ovary, their insemination in vitro in a dish, and
the culture of resultant embryos for 1 or 2 days, before they are transferred
to the patient's uterus. All cultures are maintained in an incubator under
strictly controlled atmospheric and temperature conditions. Before being
processed for use in insemination, semen samples are evaluated in our
andrology laboratory using both subjective light microscopy and computer-

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 25
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

assisted semen analyses. To ensure an adequate number of eggs with which to
perform IVF-ET, or indeed, GIFT, follicular development is typically
stimulated, with gonadotropins (perganol, metrodin), gonadotropin releasing
hormone (GnRH, Factrel, lutrepulse) and/or GnRH analogues (lupron, Depo
lupron, synarel). Occasionally, however, IVF-ET is accomplished with eggs
obtained in non-stimulated cycles. While some programs utilize laparoscopic
egg retrieval in the operating room with the patient under general anesthesia,
we undertake the less costly approach of ultrasound-guided retrieval in our
Infertility Unit, with the patient sedated.
     Couples who resort to IVF-ET exhibit such pathologies as tubal
deficiencies, ovulatory dysfunction, endometriosis, and/or mild forms of male
factor infertility.  According to the United States IVF Registry, the overall
success rate for IVF-ET nationwide has stabilized at about 14 percent per
cycle. Results from our program, involving 86 patients who have undergone 173
IVF-ET cycles, reflect a comparable success rate.
     Nevertheless, the overall incidence of success with this procedure is
disconcertingly low and emphasizes the need to address those physiological
factors that limit achievement of a higher percentage of pregnancies.  Well
recognized predictors of outcome include patient age, response to exogenous
ovarian stimulation, quality of sperm and number of repeated IVF-ET cycle
attempts. However, among these, age is the single most significant determinant
of conception. Therefore, it is critical that such patients are referred to an
Assisted Reproduction Program at the earliest opportunity following failure of
traditional therapies.
     The underlying basis for the negative effect of age on fertility has not
been clearly delineated beyond recognition that: 1) the number of eggs
available for retrieval declines markedly with age; 2) fertilization rates
significantly decrease in eggs retrieved from patients who are over 40 years;
and 3) provided the appropriate hormonal background is present, age is
unrelated to uterine competency to sustain pregnancy. Ongoing research in our
Center, therefore, is investigating physiological changes in the egg that may
be impacted by age. We have determined that more than 50 percent of eggs that
fail to fertilize in vitro are chromosomally abnormal, and that a significant
proportion of these abnormalities are accountable to patient age. Currently,
the only recourse for such patients is to use eggs obtained from a donor. Our
program has initiated recruitment of volunteer egg donors to satisfy the needs
of a list of recipients interested in this form of therapy.

     GIFT - This high-tech ART procedure is performed in the operating room,
usually with the use of a laparoscope and, in contrast to IVF-ET, involves
introducing sperm and freshly retrieved eggs into the lumen of the Fallopian
tube (an average of 3 eggs/tube). Under these circumstances, fertilization
occurs in vivo and, if excess eggs are retrieved, the remainder undergo IVF,
with subsequent options for embryo transfer in that cycle, or freezing for
transfer in a subsequent cycle. This ART procedure is applied to cases in

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 26
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

which there is at least one patent Fallopian tube but the couple has such
pathologies as ovulatory dysfunction, endometriosis, male factor infertility
and/or idiopathic infertility.
     The data reported in the United States IVF Registry for 1985 through 1990
indicate that the overall success rate with GIFT is higher than that obtained
with the IVF-ET technique (range of clinical pregnancies for GIFT is 24 to 36
percent and for IVF-ET 14 to 18 percent). In view of this fact, one might
expect more patients to be treated with GIFT than IVF-ET. However, in our
program we have taken into account three basic concerns which, while
substantially reducing the number of GIFT cycles performed, benefit the
patient. These concerns are: 1) the increased costs associated with performing
a procedure in the operating room; 2) the risks, albeit minimal, of undergoing
general anesthesia; and 3) the considerable benefits to be accrued from
obtaining direct information on the quality and fertilizability of the eggs,
and the developmental competency of resultant embryos.
     The increased success with GIFT undoubtedly reflects the artificial
environment provided by the laboratory in the IVF-ET procedure. Between
January 1, 1991, and December 31, 1992, we have performed a total of 12 GIFT
cycles, with an overall success rate of 20 percent.
     Embryo cryopreservation, or freezing, is applied in our program when
embryos result from residual GIFT eggs or from non-transferred IVF embryos.
This procedure not only provides patients with a subsequent opportunity for
success at much reduced costs, but also circumvents the legal and ethical
issues relating to disposal of supernumerary embryos. Therefore, as stipulated
by the American Fertility Society ethical guidelines for ART programs, from
both a practical and an ethical standpoint, all Assisted Reproduction programs
should have the capability of cryopreserving human embrys.
     Gamete Micromanipulation - This ART procedure, which is still very new,
is applied to couples who are unaccepting of insemination with donor semen but
who have severe male factor infertility (less than 10 million sperm/ml in
combination with fewer than 20 perccent motile sperm, and/or less than 10
percent sperm with normal morphology). We are currently developing the
procedure of sub-zonal insertion (SZI), which entails injecting sperm under
the coating around the egg, the barrier normally penetrated by the sperm
through enzymatic digestion.
     Available data from SZI programs world-wide indicate that only 5 to 10
percent of SZI cycles result in a pregnancy. This statistic undoubtedly
relates to limitations imposed by abnormalities inherent in the sperm.
Therefore, we are currently focusing on the development of improved techniques
for the recognition and selection of sperm chosen for manipulation. Such
efforts are unquestionably worthwhile in view of the fact that this technology
offers the only realistic opportunity for severe male factor patients to
establish conception.

Catherine Racowsky, Ph.D.

HICNet Medical Newsletter                                              Page 27
Volume  6, Number 10                                           April 20, 1993

Associate Professor and Director of Research
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
College of Medicine
--------- end of part 2 ------------


# So the Blue PRess suggests that we bankrupt HCI by requesting information
# and the concern by list members is that HCI will claim everyone that calls
# as a new member.  I think they will. I also think they will claim a new
# MANDATE to ban all firearms from the solar system wheter we call and ask for
# information or not!
#
# On the other hand, with due respect to the Editor of the Blue PRess, just
# becaue Mike makes damned good presses, dies, powder scales, and got tired of
# Lee's atacks DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERY DILLON FAN FOLLOWS WHAT MIKE CALLS FOR
# LIKE HE WAS KARESH AND WE WERE TRANSDILLIDIANS!
#
# Our local State Assemblyman has called for a complete ban on all non-bolt
# action military rifles and all assault weapons, a 7 day wait for purchase
# permits { it currently takes 10 to 14 working days here in NC } and one
# permit/year. The flood of calls he got was 7 for and 3 against. Guess who
# called supporting his move? Guess what ILA is doing? Right?
#
# CHL
#


AT&T also puts out two new products for windows, Model numbers elude me now,
a 15 bit video board with framegrabber and a 16bit with same. Yesterday I
was looking at a product at a local Software ETC store. Media Vision makes
a 15bit (32,768 color) frame capture board that is stand alone and doesnot
use the feature connector on your existing video card. It claims upto 30 fps
live capture as well as single frame from either composite NTSC or s-video
in and out.


[deletia]

      In the deletions somewhere, it mentioned something about chopping
off of hands being a punishment for theft in Saudi Arabia. Assuming this
is so (I wouldn't know), and assuming it is done by people fitting your
requirement for "muslim" (which I find highly likely), then would you
please try to convince Bobby Mozumder that muslims chop people's hands
off?

      Come back when you've succeeded.


He's been playing horrible defense. Baylor said after Wednesday's game that
he wanted to shake up the lineup a little, because Bichette has been
having a rough time defensively and Jerald Clark has not been hitting.
He was true to his word; I went to Thursday's game and Gerald Young
was in right and Daryl Boston (who has a very hot bat) was in left.
Baylor was careful to say though that he didn't necessarily mean for
these changes to be permanent but he wanted to give these other two
a shot while Clark and Bichette were not playing well.

In defense of Bichette, it looks like right field in Mile High Stadium
is a bitch to play. Some of the visiting outfielders have been having
some problems too (although Bobby Bonilla made a great catch crashing into
the wall to rob Daryl Boston of an extra base hit in Thursday's game)


Greetings:

Here is a list of items for the 3B1 which I am selling:

dBase III - Full dBase III multiuser Development/Runtime for 3B1!
Microsoft Basic Interpreter - Gives 2.5 Megabytes RAM available!
Microsoft Word - Full featured mouse-based multiuser word-processor.
Microsoft MultiPlan - Nice multiuser spreadsheet program.
GSS-Chart - Nice graphical program for creating business charts.
LPI-C - A robust C compiler.  I'll throw in LPI-DEBUG:single-step,alter vars.
AT&T Electronic Mail - Very nice Office-based front end to mail.

I'll take $500 or best offer for the whole bunch.  I bought all of these
new in 1985, and paid over $2,000 for these excellent programs.

I'd rather sell them together, but don't hesitate to make me an offer for one.

I'd consider possible trades.  I'm interested in the following 3b1 Hardware:

Ethernet Card with or without Software
Tape Backup
External Expansion Unit
Upgraded P5.1 motherboard (Or just info on who can do the P5.1 upgrades)
ICUS 2nd hard drive upgrade kit
AT&T 513bct, 610, 615, or 4415 terminals with the UNIXPC-style keyboard

Make me an offer.

Bob Ames
bob@crl.com
707-546-0669

PS:  I can get UNIX PCs with 40M Drives and 1M Motherboards loaded with 3.51m,
cnews, smail, trn, rn, elm, nethack, gzip, HDB, and a couple other things
for about $550 each plus shipping.  Let me know if you're interested.


Yeah, hypothermia is MUCH more detrimemtal to your judgement and reactions
than people realise. I wish I had the patience to stop when I should. One
day I'll pay for it....


No cache.

Correct.
8kB.
Was it six instructions?

80486DX without the mathematical coprocessor (FPU).

Actually, the 80486 you described above is 80486DX.
(There is no separate 80486 nor 80386, either).

This is for Intel processors. Does anyone have a complete
list with Cyrix and Ibm products?

Anssi


Hi Folks.

As part of my self-introduction to X I've been trying to do some simple
icon animation (sort of like icondoit from mswindows).  Changing your
own applications icon is fairly simple:  If you have a widget ID you can
just XtSetValues on XtNiconifyPixmap (or whatever) and you're done. Alternately
you can set window manager hints.  These methods don't seem to work with
icons which your application doesn't specifically own.

In my situation I have to change the icon of random windows sitting there in
my icon box so my question is:  Given a window-id, how do you change the
icon pixure ?  A working example would be very much appreciated.  If it makes
any difference, I'm using motif 1.1 on VMS T6.0-5KE.


Another dodge.  Oh well.  I'm no match for your amazing repertoire
of red herrings and smoke screens.

You asked for an apology.  I'm not going to apologize for pointing out
that your straw-man argument was a straw-man argument.  Nor for saying
that your list of "bible contradictions" shows such low standards of
scholarship that it should be an embarrassment to anti-inerrantists,
just as Josh McDowell should be an embarrassment to the fundies.  Nor
for objecting various times to your taking quotes out of context.  Nor
for pointing out that "they do it too" is not an excuse. Nor for calling
your red herrings and smoke screens what they are.

I'm still not sure why you think I'm a hypocrite.  It's true that I
haven't responded to any of Robert Weiss' articles, which may be due in
part to the fact that I almost never read his articles.  But I have
responded to both you and Frank DeCenso (a fundie/inerrantist.)  Both
you and Frank have taken quotes out of context, and I've objected to
both of you doing so.  I've criticized bad arguments both when they
were yours and I agreed with the conclusion (that the Bible is not
inerrant), and when they were Frank's and I disagreed with the
conclusion.  I've criticized both you and Frank for evading questions,
and for trying to "explain me away" without addressing the objections
I raise (you by accusing me of being hypocritical and irrational, Frank
by accusing me of being motivated by a desire to attack the Bible.) I
don't see that any of this is hypocritical, nor do I apologize for it.

I do apologize, however, for having offended you in any other way.

Happy now?


This drive is less than one year old.  The cartridges have all been bought
since then.  All is in excellent condition and still under warranty.
Due to a change in system use, I now need a large, contiguous drive.

Offer includes:
	SyDos 44i internal drive
	SCSI adapter card and cables
	All original documentation
	Software
	All original packaging
	8 cartridges totalling over 350Mb (no bad sectors or defects)

The installation was a breeze on my 386 clone.

I will trade for something near 300Mb IDE, or sell for $450.
I will also consider trading for 4 4Mx9 30 pin SIMMs at 70ns.


store and reply of mouse and keyboard events
--------------------------------------------

To produce regression tests or automatic demo's
we would like to store all mouse and keyboard events
produced by a user. It should be possible to filter
the mouse and keyboard events from the server's queue
an to store them in a file.
This sequence of events, stored in a file, should be given
to the server's queue as if a user is working.

1. Exists a tool that is capable to save and reply all
   mouse and keyboard events (where)?

2. Where one can catch these events to store them ?
   In our case the server's queue is on a X Terminal (HP).
   Where can we catch all events coming from a given
   server.
   If this is not possible, can we catch all events given
   to a certain client and how ?

3. Where one can send a stored sequence of events to simulate a user ?
   Is there a central dispatcher on the clients machine who manages
   all incoming events from a given server and how can we reach it ?

Thanks in advance


My least favorite last line of a post.  Um, it is of general interest.
As I prepare to retire 22 Apollos myself, I'm looking for ways to
recycle the useful parts.


        In my area, Denver, if you look around alittle you can get an
    1984 for 10,000 or less, not much less. You said your not looking
    to go fast, they are a really nice car just not real powerful.>


I had the insturment panel go out in my car (a 1990 Lincoln Contenintal) which
is a digital dash. They replaced the whole thing with a 1991 dash (thank god it
was under the warrenty ! :-) Anyway, the odometer was reading the exact milage
from the old panel. It must have a EEPROM of some sort in it that is up-dated.
Seems to me that removing the battery would erase it, but it doesn't. So I
guess they swapped the NVM chip (non-volitile memory) and installed it in the
new dash. No, they wouldn't let me have the old dash to tinker with :-(


Ask the Brits.  Enough people have been killed by rubber bullets that they now
use them under only certain "controlled" circumstances.  And they are fired
from something that looks like a tear gas launcher.

There are smaller rubber bullets and pellets (for shotguns).  I understand that
they are only intended to be discouragers, ie. for the snapping but not truly
dangerous animal.  In general, they do not seem capable of really stopping
someone who wants you or past you.  They are fired at very low muzzle velocity
(the .38 ball round is intended for a 400fps load).  Finally, as your mother
warned you, you can put an eye out with that thing.  :-)


   >	If the  new  Kuiper belt object *is*  called 'Karla', the next
   >one  should be called 'Smiley'.

   Unless I'm imaging things, (always a possibility =) 1992 QB1, the Kuiper Belt
   object discovered last year, is known as Smiley.

As it happens the _second_ one is Karla. The first one was
Smiley. All subject to the vagaries of the IAU of course,
but I think they might let this one slide...

*  Steinn Sigurdsson   			Lick Observatory      	          *
*  steinly@lick.ucsc.edu		"standard disclaimer"  	          *
*  "The worst thing you can say to a true revolutionary is that his 	  *
*  revolution is unnecessary, that the problems can be corrected without  *
*  radical change. Telling people that paradise can be attained without   *
*  revolution is treason of the vilest kind."  -- H.S. 1993		  *


H E L P !

I have  a problem in which I'm getting increasing frustrated every day...

Some background about my PC:

- American Megatrend BIOS (clone 386 SX) with 32M of RAM
- config.sys file:

	device=c:\dos\himem.sys
	dos=high,umb
	device=c:\windows\emm386.exe noems
	files=30
	buffers=30
	stack=9,256

- autoexec.bat file is using smartdrv.exe +c
- CMOS set up is running 0 wait state on read and write cache ram.

The problem: APPLICATION ERROR from WIN31

I started off with a newly installed WIN31 and then installed EXCEL.
Run excel, no problem. A permanent swap file of size 18K was in place
for windows.

Ok, I then proceed to install Norton Desktop
for Windows version 2.0. No problem with the installation. I also
allow NDW to alter my autoexec.bat(with the nav running on c:).
The problem came when I try to (bring up excel or if excel is running
and right in the middle of it - like click a selection with the mouse)
from the desktop.
First of all, I always get the application error screen followed by
another application error screen with various different messages. The
following are some of them:

- Stack fault, by TC1024.DRV at address 0001:XXXX where XXXX is some
  number. (TC1024.DRV is the VGA driver provided by the manufacture)
- General protection fault, by ndw.exe at the same address
- Segment load failure, by ndw.exe at same address

Some how, the address flagged was always 0001:something. What is address
0001:XXXX means?

I have absolutely on idea what this mean. I tried commented out the
TSR programs from autoexec.bat, no help.

Is it something to do with the emm386 setup which is not telling
WIN31 what it suppose to know. Looks like the application is crossing
memory boundary when it is being loaded or while it is running.

Please reply if you have any idea or suggestion. I'm willing to try
anything.


I am looking for some information about 3D animation stations that
are currently on the market.  The price of the station can be from 5K-20K,
but no more than $20,000.00.  Type of workstation doesnt matter (PC, MAC,
SGI etc..) .  If you use or have bought/looked at one or can suggest your
dream machine, then please mail me your configurations.  I need the following.

	1. Type of station (PC, MAC etc.. )
	2. Expandibilty of the machine.
	3. Software that can run on it
	4. VTR Controller and/or VTR deck model/name.
	5. Vendors names and numbers.

Thanks in advance.


I currently use an HP DeskJet with Grappler LS ver 1.0,
and it works on System7.  Course, I only use the SWA Dutch
and SWA Swiss fonts that came with it, due to the 4x size
requirement to print to the HP. (ie: must have 40pnt definition
to print a 10pnt font)  When I upgraded,  I talked to Orange
Micro, and they state that ver 1.2 of Grappler LS definitely
works with System7.  However, the upgrade was US$40, so I
passed.

Hope this helps?

<marc>

--


Well, it seems that the Habs have been much talked-about of late, so here's my
$0.02.  These guys have absolutely no concept of how to play in front of the
damn net!!!  Watch them in the offensive zone, especially on the powerplay.
Damphousse or Lebeau will skate all over the bloody zone, maybe pass to the
point, get it back, skate some more, pass it around....BUT WHERE'S THE SHOT??!
Answer: the shot is totally useless because they lack a forward who stands
in front of the net a la` Neely, Shanahan, Tocchet, etc etc.  Too bad
Demers won't put Dipietro or LeClair on the powerplay more often.  Dammit,
even Ewen would at least cause some disruptions.  Montreal desperately needs
a power forward with some talent, IMO.

Then watch them in their own zone. Patrick Roy is screened on everything. Say
what you want about his performance; IMNSHO he cannot stop what he cannot see.
And Montreal's defence does a miserable job of clearing the front of the net.
Last night against Washington Roy played a *great* game.  The first goal came
on the most ridiculous goalmouth scramble I've seen in a long time, and he
didn't have a hope in hell of stopping the shot.  The second goal came on a
deflection of a shot he only partially saw anyway.  Pathetic defence.  The
third goal was EN.

No wonder he gets pissed off at his defencemen.


The test isn't whether GM knew--otherwise that would reward GM for its
stupidity.  The test is whether GM reasonably should have known of their
existence.  It works both ways--if GM had won the trial, and the plaintiff
turned up two witnesses who came forward after the first trial who should
have been located beforehand, too bad, so sad--no new trial.

Like Tim said, you don't get a new civil trial because you screwed up
the first time around.  Unlike the criminal justice system, repose is
much more important in the civil justice system.


Nothing unisual.
Quote:
"
Chinese Restaurant Syndrome (CRS):
a transient syndrome, associated with arterial dilatation, due to ingestion
of monosodium glutamate, which is used liberally in seasoning chinese
food; it is characterized by throbbing of the head, lightheadedness,
tightness of the jaw, neck and shoulders, and bachache.
"
End quote.
Source: Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 27th edition, 1988, W.B. Saunders, p 1632.

This was known long ago.  Brain produces and uses some MSG naturally,
but not in doses it is served at some chinese places.
Having said that, i might add, that in MHO, MSG does not enhance
flavor enoughf for me to miss it.  When I go to chinese places,
I order food without MSG.  Goos places will do it for you.
A prerequisite for such a service would be a waiter, capable of
understanding, what you want.

Good Luck.

am


What an exciting thread (finally!)

Mitra is Sanskrit for Friend, as such He started out as an avatar of Lord Visnu
 mentioned first in the Vedas. Later he seems to have risen to chief prominence
 worshipped by the Persians. Associated with the Sun but NOT the Sun, he is
 the lord of contract honor and obedience, therefore naturally worshipped by
 soldiers. He was ordered by the Sun to slay the bull of heaven and He reluct-
 antly agreed because of His obligation...the blood of that bull spilled and
 grew all earth life...then Mitra and the Sun sat down to eat.

Worship of Lord Mitra ended in Persia with the ascension of the Zoroastrians.

Hundreds of years later He was rediscovered and thrown into the Official Roman
 Pantheon (tm) for some semi-tricky reason, I forget why. But all references of
 Him ended abruptly when He was stricken from same, so apparently His worship
 was some sort of vehicle for advancement in the bureaucracy, like membership
 in the Communist Party was in the Soviet Bloc. The sociology of religion in
 ancient times is fascinating!

Oh, His B-day was 25 Dec. Ahem.

I am not sure if the mystery cult really lasted after His was booted from the
 Roman Imperial God Roster or what. It contained mostly soldiers, with 7 levels
 of initiation. They worshipped underground in caverns in pews. The bull horns
 in those temples were for scaring away or impaling evil spirits, I'm not sure
 that they had Mithraic significance or not.

I don't know that the ritual meal was of a cannibalistic nature as is the
 Christian masses. But eating deities goes way back to Old Kingdom Egypt.

Someone mentioned bullfighting. Did Mithraists sacrifice bulls? I forget. More
 likely, for a religious source, might be the shower of bull's blood enjoyed
 by the worshippers of Cybele on the Day of Blood? Cybele worship extended all
 throughout even up to France bigtime.


I was raised in the South, and I can attest that this is true.  Why, on
one particularly hot day, as I was walking along the road, some good
ole boys in a truck tossed me a cold beer!  Of course, they were going
50 mph at the time...

Bikers wave to bikers the world over.  Whether or not Harley riders
wave to other bikers is one of our favorite flame wars...


Feasability study??  What a wimp!!  While you are studying, others would be
doing.  Too damn many engineers doing way too little engineering.

"He who sits on his arse sits on his fortune"  - Sir Richard Francis Burton


: [first post I've seen from the ol' Bug-Zoo (BGSU)]
: >     There is no means that i can possibly think of to prove beyond doubt
: >that a god does not exist (but if anyone has one, by all means, tell me
: >what it is).  Therefore, lacking this ability of absolute proof, being an
: >atheist becomes an act of faith in and of itself, and this I cannot accept.
: > I accept nothing on blind faith.

: Invisible Pink Flying Unicorns!  Need I say more?

There is also the question of what is meant by "atheist".  A familiar
example of the importance of the meaning of the word is as follows.

The two statements following ARE consistent:

(1) I do not believe that you are wearing lilac socks
(2) I do not believe that you are are not wearing lilac socks

The two statements following are NOT consistent:

(3) I do believe that you are wearing lilac socks
(4) I do believe that you are are not wearing lilac socks

Statements (1) and (2) require no faith, they make no presumptions about
the nature of reality.  Statements (3) and (4) require belief.  Many
atheists (myself included) take the following position:

(5) I do not believe that there is a god.
(6) I do not believe that there is not a god.


Bill, I have taken the time to explain that biblical scholars consider the
Josephus reference to be an early Christian insert.  By biblical scholar I mean
an expert who, in the course of his or her research, is willing to let the
chips fall where they may.  This excludes literalists, who may otherwise be
defined as biblical apologists.  They find what they want to find.  They are
not trustworthy by scholarly standards (and others).

Why an insert?  Read it - I have, a number of times.  The passage is glaringly
out of context, and Josephus, a superb writer, had no such problem elsewhere
in his work.  The passage has *nothing* to do with the subject matter in which
it lies.  It suddenly appears and then just as quickly disappears.

Until you can demonstrate how and why the scholarly community is wrong about
the Josephus insert, your "proof" is meaningless and it should not be repeated
here.  What's more, even if Josephus happened to be legitimate, it would "prove"
nothing.  Scholars speak of the "weight of evidence."  Far more independent
evidence would be required to validate your claim.  Until forthcoming, your
belief is based on faith.  That's OK, but you exceed your rights when you pass
faith off as fact.

As for the gospels, there are parallels, but there are also glaring
inconsistencies and contradictions.  Shouldn't a perfect canon be perfect?
Shouldn't there be absolutely no room for debate?  I suggest you read _Gospel
Fictions_ by Randel Helms, and _The Unauthorized Version_ by Robin Fox (for
Herb Huston, no known kinship or familial relationship, but we do indeed share
an evolutionary ancestry).

The fact that there are inconsistencies, gaps and contradictions does not deny
your position.  On the other hand, neither do the gospels "prove" your faith.
Independent evidence is necessary, and I know of none (which we have already
discussed, and so far you have not provided any).  Until then, its faith.
Moreover, you have committed a fundamental error in logic.  You have attempted
to "prove" your claim with that which you want to prove.  Its no different than
saying "I am right because I say so."

Your logic is full of circles.  It reminds me a bit of the 1910 Presbyterian
General Assembly.  The assembly defined five fundamentals (this is where
"fundamentalist" came from) of orthodox Protestant Christianity, to wit: 1)
Jesus performed miracles, 2) Jesus was born of a virgin, 3) Jesus was bodily
resurrected, 4) Jesus' crucifixion atoned for human sin, and - here is the
clincher - 5) the bible is the inerrant word of God.  Presbyterians construe
"inerrant" broadly as spritually inerrant.  Fundamentalists take the
first four as literally true, and then validate them with a literally inerrant
bible, which contains the first four, and which is the only thing known to
contain the first four.

Smoke and mirrors and wands and hand waving if ever there was!

Its faith, Bill.  You don't have any more or better truths than anyone else.
Whatever works for you.  Just don't foist it on others.

Regards,


Not on my system.


This should not be the case if they are at all reputable. Fuel injector
cleaning is done properly with a can of injector cleaner solvent which is
hooked up to the fuel system under high pressure. The car is actually run on
the solvent during the cleaning process. The equipment to properly do this is
pricey, and generally not something the average home mechanic has. The solvent
itself is not very expensive ($5-$8) and you could probably make up a hose to
fit your system and do it yourself, but I didn't tell you that... :-)

Not many in-tank cleaners are worth wasting your money on. There has been a
discussion of these products on here from time to time, and Chevron Techron
(not Pro-Gard with Techron) is generally regarded as the best. It is, however,
a bit more than $1.29 a bottle. IMHO, it will not substitute for proper
injector cleaning if they are really crudded up. You'll have to decide if the
$59 price is a better deal than spending your time and/or buying equipment to
do it.


  >
  > I am looking for an algorithm to determine if a given point is bound by a
  > polygon. Does anyone have any such code or a reference to book containing
  > information on the subject ?
  >
  >                 Regards
  >
  >                         Simon
  >
/* +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
   |                                                                   |
   | Function    : PuntBinnenPolygoon                                  |
   |                                                                   |
   +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
   |                                                                   |
   | Auteur      : Cornelis Wessels                                    |
   |                                                                   |
   | Datum       : 11-01-1993                                          |
   |                                                                   |
   | Omschrijving: Bepaalt of de aangeboden VECTOR2D p binnen of op de |
   |               rand van het polygoon P valt.                       |
   |                                                                   |
   +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
   |                                                                   |
   | Wijzigingen : -                                                   |
   |                                                                   |
   +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ */

CLIBSTATUS PuntBinnenPolygoon ( POLYGOON *P, VECTOR2D *p )
  {
  VECTOR2D o, v, w;
  INDEX    aantal_snijpunten, N, n;

  aantal_snijpunten = 0;
  N                 = GeefPolygoonLengte(P);
  GeefPolygoonRandpunt ( P, N, &o );

  for ( n=1; n<=N; n++ )
    {
    GeefPolygoonRandpunt ( P, n, &v );

    if ( o.x >= p->x && v.x <  p->x ||
	 o.x <  p->x && v.x >= p->x  )
      {
      w.x = p->x;
      InterpoleerLineair ( &o, &v, &w );

      if ( w.x == p->x && w.y == p->y )
	return(CLIBSUCCES);
      else if ( w.y > p->y )
	aantal_snijpunten++;
      }

    KopieerVector2d ( &v, &o );
    }

  if ( aantal_snijpunten%2 == 0 )
    return(CLIBERBUITEN);
  else
    return(CLIBSUCCES);
  }


I'd like to share my thoughts on this topic of "arrogance of
Christians" and look forward to any responses.  In my
encounters with Christians, I find myself dismayed by their
belief that their faith is total truth.  According to them,
their beliefs come from the Bible and the bible is the word of
God and God is truth - thus they know the truth.  This stance
makes it difficult to discuss other faiths with them and my own
hesitations about Christianity because they see no other way.
Their way is the 'truth.'

But I see their faith arising from a willful choice to believe
a particular way.  That choice is part faith and part reason,
but it seems to me a choice.

My discussions with some Christians remind me of schoolyard
discussions when I was in grade school:

A kid would say, "All policemen are jerks!"  I'd ask, "How do
you know?"  "Because my daddy told me so!"  "How do you know
you're daddy is right?"  "He says he's always right!"

Well the argument usually stops right there.  In the end,
aren't we all just kids, groping for the truth?  If so, do we have
the authority to declare all other beliefs besides our own as
false?

-------------

This is only my third time browsing through this newsgroup.  I
apologize if I'm covering tired old ground.  Some of the
discussions on this topic have piqued my interest and I welcome
any comments.

--

[I'm sort of mystified about how a Christian might respond to this.  I
can understand criticisms of Christianity that say there's not enough
evidence to believe it, or that there's just as good evidence for
other religions.  I don't agree, but clearly there are plenty of
intelligent people who don't find the evidence convincing.  But that
doesn't seem to be your point.  Rather, you seem upset that people who
believe Christianity is true also believe that things which contradict
it are false.

This suggests a model of spiritual things that's rather different than
the Christian one.  It sounds more like an existentialist view, where
people choose what value to follow, but there's no actual independent
spiritual reality, and so no way to say that a specific choice is in
some unique sense right.  This sort of model -- with modifications of
one sort or another -- may be appropriate for some religions.  But
Christianity is in its essense a "historical" religion.  That is, it's
based on the concept that there are actual spiritual entities out
there, that one of them has intervened in history in specific ways,
and that we see evidence of that in history.  In the "mundane" world,
we are not free to choose how things work.  When we drop something, it
falls (aside from well-defined situations where it doesn't).  The
Christian concept is that spiritual matters, there is also an actual
external reality.  I hope we're all honest enough not to claim that we
have perfect understanding.  But while we may not think we know
everything, we are confident that we know some things.  And that
implies that we think things that contradict them are false.  I don't
see how else we could proceed.

This needn't result in arrogance.  I'm certainly interested in talking
with people of other religions.  They may have things to teach me, and
even if they don't, I respect them as fellow human beings.  But it's
got to be possible to respect people and also think that on some
matters they are wrong.  Maybe even disasterously wrong.


TEXT 44

                       bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
                           tayapahrta-cetasam
                        vyavasayatmika buddhih
                          samadhau na vidhiyate

bhoga--to material enjoyment; aisvarya--and opulence; prasaktanam--for
those who are attached; taya--by such things;
apahrta-cetasam--bewildered in mind; vyavasaya-atmika--fixed in
determination; buddhih--devotional service to the Lord; samadhau--in
the controlled mind; na--never; vidhiyate--does take place.

                              TRANSLATION

	In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and
material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute
determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take
place.

                                PURPORT

	Samadhi means ``fixed mind.'' The Vedic dictionary, the Nirukti,
says, samyag adhiyate 'sminn atma-tattva-yathatmyam: ``When the mind is
fixed for understanding the self, it is said to be in samadhi.''
Samadhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense
enjoyment, nor for those who are bewildered by such temporary things.
They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy.

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
Books of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

       ---------------------------------------------------------
      |                Don't forget to chant:                   |
      |                                                         |
      |  Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare   |
      |       Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare          |
      |                                                         |
      |    Kalki's Infoline BBS Aiken, South Carolina, USA      |
      |          (system@kalki33.lakes.trenton.sc.us)           |


I agree.  God makes the husband the head of the house.  But he surely
can't do it alone.  He needs the help of his beloved wife whom the
Lord gave him.

At least that's how it is in my house.  I thank God for the beautiful
woman He has brought into my life.  I couldn't lead without the help
of my wonderful wife.


There are actually a few important things we can glean from this mess:
1)	When they start getting desperate for an answer to the question: "What's
it all about. Mr. Natural?", pinkboys will buy darn near *anything*, which
means:
2)	There's still plenty of $$$$ to be made in the False Jesus business
by enterprising SubGenii.  Just remember that:
3)	Once you've separated the pinks from their green, don't blow it all
on automatic weapons from Mexico.  Put it in a Swiss bank account.  Smile a
lot.  Have your flunkies hand out flowers in airports.  The Con will just
shrug you off as long as:
4)	You never, never, NEVER start to believe your own bulldada!  If
"David Koresh" hand't started swallowing his own "apocalypso now" crap, he'd
be working crossword puzzles in the Bahamas today instead of contributing to
the mulch layer in Waco.  This is because:
5)	When you start shooting at cops, they're likely to shoot back.  And
most of 'em are better shots than you are.

	In short:
	- P.T. Barnum was right
		and
	- Stupidity is self-correcting
Thus endeth the lesson.


Let's say you have a scanned image of a line drawing; in this case a
boat, but it could be anything.  On the drawing you have a set of
reference points whose true x,y positions are known.

Now you digitize the drawing manually (in this case, using Yaron
Danon's excellent Digitize program).  That is, you use a program which
converts cursor positions to x,y and saves those values when you click
the mouse.

Upon digitizing you notice that the reference point values that come
out of the digitizing process differ in small but significant ways
from the known true values.  This is understandable because the
scanned drawing is a reproduction of the original and there are
successive sources of distortion such as differential expansion and
contraction of paper, errors introduced in the printing process,
scanner errors and what have you.

The errors are not uniform over the entire drawing, so "global"
adjustments such as stretching/contracting uniformly over x or y, or
rotating the whole drawing, are not satisfactory.

So the question is: does any kind soul know of an algorithm for
removing such distortion?  In particular, if I have three sets of
points

Reference(x,y) (the known true values)

DistortedReference(x,y) (the same points, with known errors)

DistortedData(x,y) (other points, with unknown errors)

what function of Reference and Distorted could I apply to
DistortedData to remove the errors.

I suspect the problem could be solved by treating the distorted
reference points as resulting from the projection of a "bumpy" 3d
surface, solving for the surface and then "flattening" it to remove
the errors in the other data points.

Any kind and informed soul out there have any ideas, or better yet,
pointers to treatments of the same or similar problems?

Thanks,


The name is a working name only; quite unofficial.  The formal designation
is 1993 FW.