GlobeNews 12/99 | Y2K SPECIAL Vol.1, No.5 Global citizen! Keep abreast of events around the world: trends, politics, travel, society, technology, environment. NOT your nine o'clock news. "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." Add this song by REM to your Y2K party mix. All the hype aside, we look forward to celebrating the new year, decade, century and millenium. We are also looking forward to life in the 21st century, even if it doesn't really start until 2001! GlobeNews by Kahl Consultants. Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands. Visit us at http://www.kahl.net To continue receiving; do nothing, you are on our list. To add someone or to stop receiving; send email. ============== THE GOOD NEWS ============== BROUGHT 2 U BY EARTH ISLAND ------------------------------------------- Relax by the fireplace with a laptop and some essential reading: http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/winter2000/departments/goodNews.html ========== GLOBESITES ========== EXPATS EVERYWHERE ------------------------------ If you are living in a foreign country you'll find these expatriate sites interesting: Expat Exchange http://expatexchange.com Expat Forum http://www.expatforum.com === Y2K === WHO DUNNIT? ------------------ Ever wonder how the Y2K Problem got it's start? Would you believe a woman is the root of all this chaos? Her name is Grace Hooper, and she developed the COBOL computer language 40 years ago. Back then memory was so expensive that she decided to use 2 digits instead of 4 to represent years (as in 00 instead of 2000 or 1900). Install your Y2K update NOW! Or go get a Mac. Our Y2K ALERT site has all the latest advice: http://www.kahl.net/y2k CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! ------------------------------ Although we prefer not to get too caught up in the commercial aspect of the Christmas holiday, we do offer you the chance to order books and music online at a great price. Grab some HOLIDAY GIFTS online! PLEASE SUPPORT GLOBENEWS by only using this link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/kahlconsultants ========= GlobeNews ========= JELLYFISH ARE TRANSPARENT, ANSWERS ARE NOT -------------------------------------------------------------------- You may have read in the news about a major power outage in the Philippines. Here are some amusing speculations about the cause of the island-wide blackout on Luzon... The Philippine President is convinced that jellyfish had triggered the blackout. Spokesperson Barican assured reporters ''There are really 50 truckloads of jellyfish.'' Unconvinced, a Senator called for an inquiry by ''the appropriate Senate committee'' into the ''fishy'' explanation. The head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the incident showed how vulnerable the country was to things like ''silly jellyfish.'' And while jellyfish are transparent, plant officials are less so, according to a National Power Corp. union leader who also said the power firm should not have swallowed the jellyfish excuse hook, line and sinker. The jellyfish in question plunged 40 million Filipinos in darkness when they wormed into the cooling system of the power plant in Pangasinan. The jellyfish supposedly clogged the generator's seawater cooling pumps, which led to the shutdown of interconnected plants and to the failure of the entire Luzon grid. Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora was asked in a radio interview if the jellyfish excuse was accepted in the official report. ''I think it would be better to actually see the truckloads of evidence,'' he said, ''in the interest of transparency.'' Spokesperson Barican cited a similar incident in which a school of fish clogged the cooling system of another plant. A member of the board of the National Disaster Coordinating Center, said the jellyfish invasion had hammered home the importance of system redundancies. ''We had a Luzon-wide brownout because of silly jellyfish entering the cooling system of one power plant - that should not have happened,'' he said over television. ''We're very vulnerable if we do not find ways to improve these.'' Fishermen have been complaining about an increase in jellyfish in the Lingayen Gulf, saying they have been catching the coelenterates instead of edible fish. Different species of jellyfish have as of late been invading fishpens and fishcages in Pangasinan. ''These are big jellyfish, not the kind usually found here, and are of different colors like black and brown,'' he said. Pollution could have contributed to the sudden increase in the jellyfish population in the gulf. Warm water from the coal-fired power plant could have caused the sudden swelling of the jellyfish population in the area, one scientist speculated. Warm water is suitable for the reproduction of jellyfish. Another environmental scientist explained that sea water temperature just a degree lower or higher than 22 degrees Centigrade ''will create imbalance and havoc in the sea.'' He said the 1,200-megawatt plant was required to ''cool'' the used water before dumping it back to the sea, but that it might have failed to do so. Speculations abound that the presence of the jellyfish might have been related to the movement of the Manila Trench, which caused an earthquake that registered 6.9 on the Richter scale. ''That's impossible,'' an amused Punongbayan said, arguing that the jellyfish would have needed to travel 120 km from the epicenter. ''We all know this jellyfish don't swim that fast.'' Jellyfish are carried horizontally by waves and currents. Certain animals are known to exhibit unusual behavior prior to earthquakes, leading to the speculation that tectonic movements might havecaused the jellyfish to head toward the coastline. But the Volcanology Institute head, who is not a marine biologist, dismissed that theory: ''These are just post-mortem conversation pieces.'' ----------------------------------- CALIFORNIANS GO GREEN! ----------------------------------- Some of you Californians still watching TV with nuclear energy? C'mon, dump your dirty habits! Switch to green energy for your home. No gimmicks, no hassles. It's just like switching your phone company. Cheaper, cleaner, better. This really is the best deal, and everybody wins! Get clean electricity online: http://www.kahl.net/energy ============= FUTURE IS NOW ============= ROBOMAID FOR $695 --------------------------- Remember the Jetsons? Well here is a domestic robot that they would like. Named Cye, this butler on wheels can move around your house controlled by your PC. It can move your vacuum cleaner, great visitors, bring dirty dishes to the kitchen, and so on. Using windows based software you teach this futuristic appliance how to move around your house. Batteries not included: http://www.personalrobots.com BLATANT ADVERTISEMENT: If you are interested in space, astronomy and ET news, subscribe to ASTRONEWS, another monthly newsletter from Kahl Consultants. Just visit http://www.kahl.net/astro/ ============ !!GLOBALERT!! ============ SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE ------------------------------- The WTO conference in Seattle was unable to agree on whether to include environmental issues in the next round of trade talks. The lack of progress is a blow to Clinton's efforts to "broaden the WTO mandate" to included the environment and labor rights. Protesters from environmental, labor and human rights groups claimed victory, saying they turned public opinion against the expansion of free trade. But trade officials said it was the "sheer complexity" of the negotiations and dissention within the WTO that led to the collapse. Two U.S. proposals opposed by environmentalists failed to garner support - a biotechnology working group and a reduction in tariffs on forest products. WTO hearings on whether environmental regulations of member nations are improper trade barriers are held in private. "Surprisingly little progress" was made on opening up the WTO to public scrutiny, a common demand of protesters. Trade ministers only recommended that WTO Director General Michael Moore issue a report next year on how to make the group more open. Great, just what we need, another report! FORD WAKES UP --------------------- Ford Motor Co.'s decision to leave a lobbying group opposed to the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change was met with praise from environmentalists and disappointment from industry officials. The automaker announced it would pull out of the Global Climate Coalition, saying that "credible" evidence of global warming exists and that companies should seek technological solutions (AP/Los Angeles Times). Ford's decision is the "latest sign of divisions within heavy industry" over global warming. British Petroleum and Shell Oil pulled out of the group two years ago. But Ford is the first company belonging to the GCC board to withdraw. ----------------------- THE GIFT OF GAB ----------------------- What's a great Christmas gift that everyone likes? A phone call from far away! Let GlobalCom find you the best long distance rates! For your family and friends out of state and abroad. Support KC News and check out the GREAT NEW offers that your communications agent Alex Kahl provides you via GlobalCom: http://www.kahl.net/global ====== NetTips ====== REAL NEWS AROUND THE GLOBE --------------------------------------------- Tired of the bubble-headed bleach-blond that comes on at eight? Then bookmark ONEWORLD.net for daily news worth reading: http://www.oneworld.org Happy holidays and see you in the next MILLENIUM! Thanks to all who wrote in. Send us your questions for GlobeNews: kahl-@-kahl.net Cheers, Alex Kahl Consultants http://www.kahl.net THE PLUG ======== How has your small business or organization been performing lately? Are you happy with your work? Let Kahl Consultants help you. Technology. Use it appropriately. Put it in our hands. If you got this far you obviously enjoyed GlobeNews. Pass it on! Please forward it to a handful of your friends. Remember, the best things in life are free. THE PUNCH LINE ============== DEFROST CYCLE ---------------------- The U.S. Congress has taken the first step to preserve a Minuteman nuclear missile silo in South Dakota and turn it into a Cold War museum. The Minuteman "was America's first push-button nuclear missile," says South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson, who sponsored legislation to spend $5 million to preserve silos at Ellsworth Air Force Base. "When the wing was deactivated, something was missing on the high plains of western South Dakota," agrees Rep. John Thune of the same state, adding that under one missile's concrete door, which resembles a pizza box, "someone wrote, 'Worldwide delivery in 30 minutes or less or your next one is free.' Dark humor, I know, but it was a reality." (AP - thanks R.C.!)