By Ellen Beck <a href=www.upi.com>United Press International From the Science & Technology Desk Published 5/1/2003 7:45 AM

RESEARCHERS DECODE ANTHRAX GENE

A team led by the Institute of Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., has finished the genetic blueprint of Bacillus anthracis -- anthrax. B. anthracis, researchers say, differs very little from the common soil bacterium that is its near relative but the variations are enough to give it disease-causing properties. In comparing an isolate of the Ames strain of anthrax with two closely related bacteria, the researchers found in the 5,000 or more genes analyzed there were only about 150 significant differences. The researchers found a number of genes encoding proteins that B. anthracis might need to enter its host's cells, which could provide targets for drugs. Unlike its near relatives, B. anthracis possesses genes that give it the ability to thrive on protein-rich matter, such as the decaying animal bodies it frequently grows on, the scientists discovered.

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GEOLOGIST SAYS DIAMONDS HAVE OCEANIC ORIGIN

Materials that form diamonds mined in Guaniamo, Venezuela, originated on the ocean floor, says University of Toronto geologist, Professor Daniel Schulze. The diamond formation process begins, Schulze says when the mantle -- the interior layer between Earth's core and its crust -- forces lava up onto the ocean's floor. The lava then solidifies into a volcanic rock called basalt. When the basalt interacts with sea water, its oxygen composition changes. "The volcanic rocks are altered to form new minerals. Geological processes then thrust this altered basalt under the earth's continental plates where heat and pressure turn the basalt into eclogite -- beautiful red and green rocks that may contain diamonds, if carbon is present.

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FOR ANTS, SMELL IS BOSS

It's smell -- not brainpower -- that cause ants to carry out their organized existence -- along with a solid work ethic, say Stanford University biologists. They found when patroller ants returns to the nest, their distinctive body odor cues other workers to go out and forage for food. Associate Professor Deborah M. Gordon says since no one is in charge in the ant colony, the question is, "How does a worker know what to do?" In ant colonies, the queen only lays eggs and has nothing to do with running the place. An ant's antennae are fine-tuned to differentiate subtle smells produced by hydrocarbons -- a naturally occurring family of chemicals that includes such well-known compounds as methane and propane. Subtle changes in the concentration of hydrocarbons produce profound behavioral changes in ants, the researchers said. All ants in a colony share the colony's odor -- that's how they tell one colony from another -- but in harvester ants the team found a further subdivision. Different tasks -- such as foraging and patrolling -- smell different.

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NEW PIECE OF CELL GROWTH PUZZLE FOUND

Scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research say in biology, cell size matters and they've linked cell growth to the ability to sense nutrients in the environment. This growth-triggering system, known as the mTOR pathway, is a complex of proteins that respond to nutrient cues. The researchers found a protein that helps regulate the mTOR pathway. GßL acts as a bridge stabilizing the interactions between two other proteins central to mTOR function. When GßL is absent or disabled, cells become insensitive to nutrient levels and grow abnormally, a possible cause of disease, the researchers said.

(EDITORS: For more information about ANTHRAX, contact Anne Oplinger, (301) 402-1663 or e-mail aoplinger@niaid.nih.gov. For DIAMONDS, Lanna Crucefix at (416) 978-0260, for ANTS, Dawn Levy, (650)725-1944 or dawnlevy@stanford.edu, and for CELL GROWTH, Kelli Whitlock, (617) 258-5183 or newsroom@wi.mit.edu.)

<a href=www.globes.co.il>globes.co.il/ Hadas Manor   1 May 03   13:05

Mul-T-Lock is about to enter new South American markets, as part of its plan to expand its international business by 30% to $9 million this year.

Mul-T-Lock plans to penetrate the market with its satellite locating system for vehicles using cellular telephones, vehicle protection and sophisticated alarm systems, to be sold to cellular companies; security doors, and monitoring centers for vehicle fleet management services.

Mu-T-Lock chairman and CEO Abraham Bahri told “Globes” on Tuesday that the company’s technology did not require the use of ground antennae, and was in high demand in new markets in Latin America.

Bahri said he had been negotiating deals for the past two years, and had recently concluded agreements with Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic in Latin America; Nigeria and Kenya in Africa; and Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Russia, and the Ukraine in Eastern Europe.

Mul-T-Lock’s strategic goal is to expand its exports to 50% of its total sales within three years. The company currently exports less than 10% of production. The company expects $9 million in sales in 2003, mostly by marketing its Skylock satellite locating systems.

Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on May 1, 2003

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 01, 2003 By: Bob Frobenius

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 22:59:09 -0500 From: Bob Frobenius bobfro@cox.net To: Editor@VHeadline.com Subject: subjective reporting?

Dear Editor: Coup April 11 ... your report was false and misleading, specifically designed to inflame and had no basis in true fact. All your reporting was hearsay and pure speculation on events that you or any one else cannot prove.

But you are more than willing to promote them as pure face when they are your speculation from a paranoid mind.

WE the American people do not believe in communist propaganda which YOU put out as fact. Which is a lie...

We will fight for Freedom, for all mankind ... not your Dictatorship of the people that you hold as correct. One person, one vote. Democracy is our way. You can go to Hell. And we will be more than happy to help you get there.

The people, all the people will create a world that excludes the types that exclude free speech; freedom of the press; one person, one vote; a free judiciary from creating a society that represents all the people not just YOUR beliefs.

Are you totally biased Yes, Yes Yes. Not anti-American you lie ... if you were for true Freedom you would read the Constitution of The United States Of America and realize that this document is the basis of YOUR Freedom whether you live in the Ukraine or Venezuela.

Real freedom for each man and woman ... under the law designed to protect each person.

Black white yellow or red ... your subjective reporting is designed to enslave people not free them.

An American reading your propaganda, Robert F. Frobenius II bobfro@cox.net 1910 East Crawford St. Salina, Kansas 67401

PS: All those not willing to put their names and addresses to their beliefs are cowards and deserve our pure distain.

VHeadline.com responds: Dear Robert ... it is totally frightening that you should believe that the Constitution of the United States of America should apply to a sovereign and independent nation such as Venezuela when the people of Venezuela ... yes, the people of Venezuela ... approved their own Constitution by democratic majority vote in a National Referendum  in December 1999.  My best guess, then, is that you are willing to enslave people exclusively to your subjective way of thinking rather than -- as guaranteed in the Venezuelan Constitution -- the right of all the Venezuelan people to decide their own destiny under a truly participative rather than representative democracy.  Therein lies the rub ... perhaps YOU should read the Venezuelan Constitution and, perhaps, adopt some of its better articles and resolutions to improve your own?

It may disturb you greatly -- and it should! -- to discover what your government in Washington has done in your name as a US citizen, but the fact remains that VHeadline.com Venezuela is indeed totally biased towards Venezuela and the positive future of its people ... if you find that subjective, then we're happy to live with our stated editorial policy just the same as the majority of USA newspapers will profess to a distinct bias to USA affairs and policies.  If this garners your distain, so be it!

In conclusion, as soon as you have gotten over your myopic umbrage against critique of your country's illegal and unethical involvements in Venezuela's domestic political and homeland security affairs, I suggest you clue yourself up to the undeniable fact that the Venezuelan Constitution does guarantee total freedom of information; including the freedom of opposition newspapers to rant obscenities against the legitimate President.  The Venezuelan Constitution guarantees the right of all Venezuelans ... and not just an elite minority as under previous presidencies ... to participate in the government of their own country.  This may, of course, be confusing to your totally subjective view of the outside world since you have elected to submit to a representative democracy where you pass the buck upwards to often-corrupt politicians to decide what is best for you and your fellow countrymen. 

To us, that is a sad, sad, sad reflection on USA today!

By MICHAEL A. LINDENBERGER mlindenberger@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal

There is no apparent connection between a tarp-wrapped body found in rural Madison County earlier this year and three bodies also wrapped in tarps found in the Kentucky River near Winchester on Monday, police said yesterday.

Still, the fact that police have described the four victims as appearing to be of Hispanic origin has left some members of the growing Central Kentucky Hispanic population uneasy.

"They are beginning to be afraid," said Sandra Añez Powell, migrant outreach coordinator for the Kentucky River Foothills Development Council, a local community-action agency.

"This is now four people dying in suspicious circumstances."

The three bodies found this week appeared to be Hispanic, according to Clark County Coroner David Jacobs.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Mike Coyle said yesterday that the two incidents appear unrelated. He said police recently have gathered significant information about the January death, but they are not yet able to release details.

The bodies found Monday had been shot multiple times.

Investigators' first priority will be to identify the victims, though both Jacobs and Coyle said that will not be easy.

"It's so early in the investigation," Coyle said. "It's going to be a long process."

A composite-sketch artist will produce portraits of the three men in the next few days, Jacobs said. Coyle said detectives have begun canvassing nearby neighborhoods.

No evidence suggests that the victims were migrant workers, but Coyle said if they were that could make identifying them difficult because of language barriers.

Powell said one concern among Hispanic migrant workers is that too few of them have U.S. identifications, and that can make them feel more vulnerable to violent crime.

"If you were someone who wanted to do something bad to someone, the fact that they are not documented, or have no ID, makes it easier to get away with," she said.

Powell, a native of Venezuela, said 2000 Census numbers reflecting Hispanic populations in Clark and Madison counties at about 1,100 are well below reality.

Based on her experience, she estimates that Madison County has more than 2,000 Hispanic residents, and the more rural Clark County has about 3,000.

For those without IDs, Powell said, day-to-day concerns about opening bank accounts or establishing utility services give way to more important concerns when they hear of events like Monday's discovery.

"Now everyone is wondering who it could be," she said.

On Tuesday police released pictures of some distinctive embroidering found on two of the men's clothing.

Already, Jacobs and Coyle said, callers have phoned to say they recognize the markings or they saw a car driving near the spot where the bodies were found.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 01, 2003 By: Peter Armstrong

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 18:21:48 -0600 From: Peter Armstrong herrqlys@hotmail.com To: Editor@vheadline.com Subject: April 11 coup d'etat linked to Bush 'dirty wars' team

Dear Editor: Firstly, I found your detailing of the affiliations of Otto Reich, Elliot Abrams and John Negroponte very interesting. Despite their nefarious backgrounds, these people have important positions with the current Bush administration, so their malodorous past must be OK with Cheney and the boys.

What a moral cesspool. ¡Preparate, America!

Secondly, the Iran-Contra affair was mentioned twice in this article, but never once hinted at the further Reagan administration perfidy of cocaine trafficking. It was the illegal trafficking in cocaine that provided the CIA with the clandestine funds to buy the weapons to be sold to Iran in the first place (against the US's own embargo on that country).

The Iranian payments for the weapons were essentially laundered (spin cycle and all) drug money for supporting the Contra terrorists against a democratically elected government in Nicaragua. The proceeds from the sale of missiles and spare jet fighter parts to Iran were to be the secret, "clean" funding of the CIA's dirty war in Nicaragua. Col. Oliver North was a Reagan man, with an office in the White House. How obvious does this get?

The Iran-Contra affair expose should have blown the lid off the sleaze that accompanies the American political system. The forgeries and lies invoked to propel the rush to illegal war in Iraq should also have been accompanied by US public outrage. Yet they didn't. The majority of the US public just bleated like sheep, and let it happen.

Compared to these things, explicit US involvement in a Venezuelan coup d'etat is almost pedestrian -- except if you're Venezuelan. At least an outraged Venezuelan public was courageous enough to do something about immoral actions in their country. Public anger and demonstrations forced the coup kidnappers to release President Hugo Chavez Frias within 48 hours.

• Dictator-for-a-Day Pedro Carmona got the bum's rush ... Democratic Venezuelans can be proud of that!

Americans should hang their heads in shame ... Americans should also seriously contemplate the reality of their "democracy."

Peter Armstrong herrqlys@hotmail.com