Conference back40::soapbox

    
    russia is going to self-destruct into its component nationalities.
    
    the generals with real troops under their command are balking at
    fights to hold the federation together, and its hard to see how
    yeltsin can survive politically in the face of such insubordination.
    
    one can only hope gore's real mission was to initial arrangements
    to airlift the russian fissionalbles to safe storage in tennessee
    in the same manner that kazakh's were lifted earlier this year.
     

    Jimmy C. can take a hop to Moscow and Grozny from Bosnia.  He'll be in
    the neighborhood after all. 

    russia is headed for another in a long line of civil wars. this one
    will be the bloodiest of all. tis why i was bitching about slick
    talking about and supporting "territorial lines" a few weeks ago. all
    he did was piss off boris and a few other "nations" of the republic.
    
    i said it years ago. innefective leadership in DC would allow the world
    to slip into chaos. the destabilization of the entire former
    communistic states is in progress. that could easily lead to the such
    fate for western europe. these are very seriously dangerous times we
    live in. a good deal of that danger rests squarely on slicks back. his
    complete ignorance of foreign affairs, coupled with an even more
    serious fault of surrounding himself with theives and bimbo's, will
    ensure a further erosion of world political stability.

    Why Chechnya? 


    John Iams 

    Moscow 

    In these early days of its intervention in Chechnya, the Russian army
    has  displayed low morale, confusion about its role in the breakaway
    republic and an unwillingness  by soldiers to fight against their
    countrymen and women. 

    Combined with the vigorous opposition set off in Moscow, the Chechnya
    incursion  could drag the army into a quagmire in which it is unable to
    attack and unable to  withdraw, experts say. 

    An estimated 40,000 Russian soldiers, supported by tanks, warplanes and 
    helicopter gunships, moved into the southern republic Sunday and
    surrounded the capital,  Grozny, by yesterday. 

    The Chechnya operation is being mounted at a time when the army is
    mired in its  deepest financial crisis since the 1991 Soviet collapse.
    Only half of this year's $12  billion military budget has been
    delivered. 

    Pavel Felgengauer, a military analyst for the newspaper Segodnya, wrote 
    Wednesday that the army is no longer capable of such a large-scale
    undertaking. In the  event of full-scale war, he predicted,
    unpreparedness will lead to the deaths of hundreds  of soldiers. 

    ``Because of permanent money shortages, the Russian troops have had no
    real  training for the past two years,'' he said. 

    Four days into the invasion, soldiers in the field are confused about
    their role  and are asking why the Kremlin waited three years to
    confront the Chechens' rebellious president, Dzhokhar Dudayev. 

    ``The soldiers are coming to me and asking: `If Chechnya is part of
    Russia, who  are (we) trying to conquer? Our own people?' '' said one
    officer, who requested  anonymity. 

    Several Russian officers from the Pskov paratroop division resigned
    this week in  protest of the actions in Chechnya, according to another
    officer. 

    Since the incursion began, logistical problems also have arisen. 

    The newspaper Segodnya said, ``Military activity in the past couple of
    days has  made it clear that the Russian army does not have enough
    troops to blockade Grozny.'' 

    Just as former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev used the military in
    failed  attempts to preserve the union, Yeltsin defends the use of
    force as necessary to hold the  Russian Federation together. 

    But experts question whether today's conscripts and officers have the
    stomach to  fight a battle that would inevitably involve civilians and
    ethnic Russians living in  Chechnya. 

    In the attempted coup in August 1991 and the October 1993 storming of
    the  Russian parliament, soldiers were loath to take on civilian
    targets and to open fire on  other Russians. 

    In Chechnya, some Russians have been taken prisoner when tank crews
    refused to crash through human roadblocks. 

    ``They looked like Russians -- we could not fire,'' said Lieutenant
    Colonel  Vitaly Seryogin, who was shown to reporters Wednesday three
    days after being captured  as his tank approached the Chechen border. 

    In the Chechen village of Dovidenko on Tuesday, unarmed residents
    blocked the  road to Grozny. Russian tanks, faced by 500 villagers,
    ground to a halt. 

    Major General Ivan Babichev, commander of the tank column, said he
    decided to  stop the advance. ``We don't want to shoot the people,'' he
    said. 

    Wonder when they'll attempt they're "Last Dash to the South" (i.e. 
    invade the Middle East) ? For the uninformed, "Last Dash to the
    South" is the title of Zhirinovsky's autobiography.
    
    

    
    Self-styled "President" Do-or-die-off of Chechenya rejects 
    the offer to talk extended by Foreign Minister Chernomyrdin.
    

    russia will "bleed"in '95. to bad. such promise only a couple of years
    ago.

    In the New Russia, a Robber Baron Goes on Trial 


    Carey Goldberg 

    Kazan, Russia 

    Chafing at the bars of the defendant's cage, with his prison-fed gut
    bulging at  his flannel shirt and his tawny hair brushing his
    shoulders, Sergei Shashurin could pass for an American  barroom bully
    on trial for brawling. 

    But his is a supremely New Russian tale. His meteoric rise to immense
    riches,  even more rapid fall and current trial belong very much to
    this period of post-Communist turbulence. 

    In an era when Russia's new crooked capitalists can make millions one
    year and  spend the next in jail, Shashurin's plight highlights the
    government's dilemma: If nearly all  entrepreneurs are breaking the
    law, can it afford to come down hard on them? 

    ``The government understands that the economy won't be able to function
    without  the businessmen who are its real locomotives,'' said cabinet
    spokesman Valery Grishin. ``Hence, our  current policy toward
    businessmen is that only the most brazen ones, the ones who have gone
    too far in  breaking the law . . . are taken out of business.'' 

    Shashurin never denied breaking laws. He simply lived by a different
    set, as do  most of Russia's proto-capitalists. He confessed to dodging
    taxes, but made up for it in private  charity, he says. He admits
    fudging rules, paying bribes and fiddling funds, but he also invested
    in failing  factories and gave work to thousands. 

    As he stands on trial for his life, he seems to symbolize the
    vulnerability of  Russia's new business culture, a game set up with
    such impossible rules that every player is in constant danger.  So far,
    his trial is a rare event -- but it strikes fear into many a merchant's
    heart and augurs the  crackdown that must come if Russian capitalism is
    ever to become civilized. 

    Early last year, Shashurin, 37, enjoyed a reputation as one of Russia's
    most  prominent -- if shady -- businessmen. He drove a pristine white
    limousine through dusty Kazan, capital of  the province of Tatarstan, a
    central region rich in oil and organized crime. 

    He gave money to charities right and left and had gained a foothold in 
    everything from Arctic coal to Sakhalin oil, from refrigerator
    production to farming. 

    Now, he spends these early winter days clicking his worry beads in the 
    bus-stop-sized defendant's cage of Tatarstan's Supreme Court. 

    Shashurin was, by his own admission, the head hooligan of Kazan in his
    crazed  teenage years, jailed for fighting with police and briefly
    committed to mental hospitals when nothing  could calm his manic
    energy. He rose to become an organized crime kingpin in the mid-1980s,
    when gaps in the  decaying Soviet economy meant gold for those able to
    exploit them. 

    Then times changed. Private enterprise became legal, and the Soviet
    Union  collapsed -- and with it, much of the old order. Exploiting his
    contacts in the underworld and industry,  Shashurin quickly became one
    of the richest men in Russia. 

    In mid-1993, he was leapfrogging his Yak-40 plane across the great
    breadth of  Russia in hot pursuit of a concept he calls his ``Wheel''
    -- a giant holding company that would link  farmers, miners and
    metalworkers. His main company, TAN, claimed 200,000 employees among
    its 300  associated enterprises and was meant to serve as the framework
    for the Wheel. 

    He was on top of the world -- or at least, close to the top of Russia.
    He became  friendly with then- Vice President Alexander Rutskoi and
    started to give interviews preaching his Wheel  idea. A top Tatarstan
    banker said no one else in the republic matched Shashurin's financial
    clout. 

    Shashurin's suburban mansion was almost built when he flew too close to
    the sun.  As the newspaper Sevodnya put it, ``Shashurin started to
    think about changing all of Russia. And  that destroyed him.'' 

    When President Boris Yeltsin went head to head with his defiant
    parliament in  the fall of 1993, Shashurin, loyal to Rutskoi, chose the
    wrong side. He not only spoke out, he supplied  truckloads of food and
    fuel to the rebels who briefly took over the parliament building. Some
    say he supplied guns  as well. 

    The next night, commandos from the elite KGB ``Alpha'' unit grabbed
    Shashurin  from his hotel suite in a Moscow suburb. He has remained in
    jail while everyone else connected with the  rebellion has been free
    since February under a parliamentary amnesty. 

    Most of the charges against Shashurin are economic, and have a Soviet
    ring:  ``embezzling state property in especially great quantities'' --
    a reference to more than 500 trucks missing  from Kazan's Kamaz truck
    factory. And ``swindling in especially great quantities'' -- about $6
    million  Shashurin allegedly spirited away by means of false bank
    guarantees from suppliers he owed money to. 

    Then there is the matter of attacking his interrogator. A Kazan
    reporter who saw  a videotape of the incident said Shashurin seemed
    only to want to take the man by the collar and  shove him from the
    room. But the charge is attempted murder, and its maximum sentence is
    death. 

    The trial has attracted attention from national media and the likes of
    renowned  defense attorney Genrikh Padva and brooding nationalist film
    maker Stanislav Govorukhin. 

    Padva said that cases like Shashurin's concern him because they
    indicate  resistance from Soviet- style officialdom to the new market
    system. With so many outdated or draconian laws on  the books, he said,
    virtually every entrepreneur is at risk of arrest -- not an encouraging
    prospect  for the dynamic types needed to get the fledgling private
    sector going. 

    ``I'm convinced that in our country, in this transitional period,
    purely honest  business is impossible,'' Padva said. ``But in this
    stage of establishing capitalism, you have to understand  that if you
    obey all the bans, you can't do business at all.'' 

    Economist Nikolai Shmelev agreed: ``I know for sure that every Russian 
    businessman has violated the law at least once. This is a terrible
    thing if you think about it. We are trying  to build a state ruled by
    law that rests on the foundation of a market economy -- which was
    itself built by illegal  means.'' 

************************************************************
************************************************************

                      CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
                       DISASTER RESPONSE

************************************************************
************************************************************

CHECHNYA CIVIL STRIFE EMERGENCY

SECOND ALERT - FEBRUARY 1, 1995

   (Reference First Alert - December 1994)
************************************************************
************************************************************

   "The situation of the displaced people in the region
   demonstrates some of the worst suffering I have seen,"
   reports experienced emergency consultant Finn Andersen
   after his visit to Chechnya.  "Numbers could increase
   dramatically as the conflict spreads from Grozny into the
   surrounding towns and villages.  Most urgent needs are
   medicines, blankets and tinned food."

[Solicitation deleted.]

Anderson, now in Moscow, is working with colleagues from the
Russian Orthodox Church and the International Orthodox
Christian Charities (IOCC) on a detailed plan of the
distribution of humanitarian assistance to the victims of
the conflict.

Church World Service is preparing a shipment and has called
an emergency meeting of major donors to determine the
response.

The United National High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
assessment is that 150,000 people are displaced in
neighboring Russian Republics of North Ossettia, Ingushetia,
and Daghestan.  In addition the most recent estimates from
Red Cross for people who have fled their homes and are on
the move within Chechnya are at 260,000.

The World Council of Churches (WCC)/Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) appeal for funds to assist 50,000 to 60,000
people for six months is expected to be between $1 and $3
million and will be finalized in Geneva next week.

Church World Service will issue an appeal in the context of
the total WCC/LWF appeal.

************************************************************

    AAAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
    
    headbutt, punch, kick, scream, cry, ouch, gone mental with rage.

BRITAIN: CHURCH AND MUSLIM LEADERS APPEAL ON CHECHNYA

(ACNS) Christian and Muslim leaders in Britain visited the Russian Embassy
in London on 16 January to protest against the military onslaught against
Chechnya and called for humanitarian aid to be called in.

Four Christian and two Muslim representatives visited the Embassy and spoke
with the Political Counsellor. They expressed their dismay at the continued
fighting and bloodshed in Chechnya and expressed deep concern about the
reports of delays to the entry of humanitarian aid into Chechnya. They also
stressed the danger of the conflict spreading to other areas of the Russian
Federation and the Caucasus where Muslim populations now feel at risk.

The delegation was organised by the Council of Churches for Britain and
Ireland (CCBI) and the Muslim College, London.

Sent from the Anglican Communion Office in London UK
at 12:00 pm GMT on Wed, Feb  1, 1995

    OTHER CONTENDERS TO REPLACE YELTSIN 
    
    
    Chronicle News Services 
    
    In addition to Major General Alexander Lebed, these are considered the
    leading contenders for power in a post-Yeltsin Russia: 
    
    INSIDERS: -- VIKTOR CHERNOMYRDIN, 56. Appointed prime minister in
    December 1992, former director of the Soviet Union's huge natural gas
    industry. To supporters, a pragmatic centrist; to opponents, a
    Soviet-style manager with little taste for reforms. Lacks charisma, but
    is generally considered the most powerful man in Russia after President
    Boris Yeltsin. 
    
    -- YEGOR GAIDAR, 38. Economist, former prime minister and parliament
    deputy. Well-known and liked in the West. Blamed by many Russians for
    the economic turmoil and pain unleashed by reforms he championed in
    1992. Considered a poor public speaker and campaigner. 
    
    -- GRIGORY YAVLINSKY, 42. Economist and parliament deputy. Like Gaidar,
    fluent in English, but considered more dynamic. Polls show him to be
    Russia's most trusted politician, but there is little enthusiasm for
    him. 
    
    OUTSIDERS: -- VLADIMIR ZHIRINOVSKY, 48. Flamboyant ultranationalist who
    thrilled voters during the December 1993 parliamentary elections. But
    since then his popularity has slumped. Still hopes to capitalize on
    voter discontent with mainstream candidates. 
    
    -- ALEXANDER RUTSKOI, 47. Former Russian vice president, combat pilot
    and Soviet major general who served in Afghanistan. Jailed in October
    1993 after hard-line clash with Yeltsin. Plans to run for president but
    has little support. 
    
    -- GENNADY ZYUGANOV, 50. Leader of revived Communist Party faction in
    the parliament. Zyuganov consistently rates far below democratic
    politicians in popularity polls. 
    
    -- YURI LUZHKOV, 58. Mayor of Moscow. Although appointed by Yeltsin in
    December 1992, he has increasingly pursued an independent line. The
    press sees increasing indications of a struggle for control of the
    capital between Luzhkov and Yeltsin's chief bodyguard, the powerful
    General Alexander Korzhakov. 
    
    Published 3/13/95 in San Francisco Chronicle

    Russians to Inspect U.S. Arms Facilities 
    
    Washington 
    
    A team of inspectors from the former Soviet Union arrived yesterday to
    verify that the United States is upholding its obligations under the
    Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. 
    
    Their presence caused suspense at some U.S. military bases and
    production facilities in the eastern part of the United States,
    wondering which would be chosen for inspection. The Russians have until
    tomorrow to announce their first eastern U.S. site, to which they then
    must be escorted within nine hours. 
    
    Published 3/13/95 in San Francisco Chronicle

    
    	Someone just said that "something big blew up in Russia".
    
    	Does anyone know anything about this, or can Mr. Topaz at
    	least provide an impressive anagram of my question?
    

 I heard late last night that a gas and or oil pipeline blew up out in the
 middle of nowhere and was witnessed by the pilot (and presumably passengers)
 of a Japan Airlines plane.




 Jim

    WCVB (channel 5 in Boston) reported last night that a commercial
    Japanese pilot reported seeing a 25,000-foot column of fire in Russia,
    and Russian civil defense confirmed a natural gas pipeline blew up with
    no injuries or deaths.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.

    
    	Oh, good ... this person had me thinking it was some kind of
    	inhabited structure.
    

    But were there any people living there?

    
    	Now I hear that a gas line exploded in Korea, and 100 or so
    	people died.
    
    	Is this the same explosion as the one reported earler?  If so,
    	someone had the wrong info.
    

A gas line exploded in Russia, and the fire has now been extinguished.

This was not near Korea.

/john

    
    There apparently was _also_ an explosion in a subway in
    Korea yesterday (don't remember whether it was North
    or South). There was just a passing comment in the news...
    
    -b

    Coincidence or conspiracy?  8^)

 100+ people killed in the explosion in Korea




 Jim

South Korea.  Gas leaked into a subway under construction.  The explosion
was right under an intersection crowded with morning commuters.

    Does anyone know what city in South Korea had the explosion?
    Missed this on the news.
    
    Pam

    
    Taegu

    Large city south of Seoul, population of 2 million, brand new subway
    system nearing completion, gas main suspected was damaged during the
    construction.
    
    

    That's where my Sis-in-law lives.  Looks like it's time to make a
    phone call.
    
    Thanks for the info.
    
    Pam

    
    Mods, please feel free to move if there is a more appropriate note.
    I could not find a note for the former Soviet states.
    
    From today's (8/30/95) Wall Street Journal:
    
    Georgian leader Shevardnadze escaped an assassination attempt with
    minor cuts and bruises after a car bomb exploded near his motorcade.
    Aides say opponents were trying to prevent the former Soviet foreign 
    minister from signing Georgia's new constitution, which would give
    him added powers if, as expected, he wins the presidency.
    
    

Russian communists say Soviet revival on agenda
By Oleg Shchedrov

MOSCOW, March 17 (Reuter) - Russian Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov,
running for president in June, said on Sunday that the revival of the
Soviet Union was high on his party's agenda but vowed not to force
ex-Soviet states back together.

"We want the Belovezh agreements denounced," Zyuganov declared,
referring to a 1991 deal by the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarus leaders
which effectively destroyed the Soviet Union.

"Five years of disasters followed, showing that we cannot do without
each other," Zyuganov told 5,000 campaign workers who packed a hall in
Moscow to chant "Soviet Union!  Soviet Union!"

Zyuganov was unveiling his election manifesto on the fifth anniversary
of a referendum called by the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev,
in a bid to preserve the union.

Three-quarters of those who voted on March 17, 1991 said they wanted
to keep intact a "renewed, democratic" Soviet Union.  But six of the
15 republics  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Armenia and
Georgiaboycotted the poll.  Gorbachev could not find a balance of
power with regional bosses and August's failed hardline coup ended the
Soviet era.

Hundreds of communists, many carrying red banners, rallied around a
statue of Karl Marx in central Moscow on Sunday.  "I voted at the
referendum for the Soviet Union.  Who let this mob destroy it?  The
people did not decide," said Vitaly Shumakov, 48.

Some two thousand mostly elderly people expressed similar sentiments
in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, whose president, Alexander
Lukashenko, is already discussing a confederation deal with Russian
President Boris Yeltsin.

Market reforms have hurt millions in Russia, especially pensioners
whose savings have been eaten away by inflation, but has created a
handful of super-rich entrepreneurs.

Retired teacher Yevgenia Popova, 72, said at the Moscow rally, "The
worst thing is they stripped us of our culture.  I used to go to the
theatre for a rouble.  Now only gangsters go."

She said she would vote for Zyuganov in June's election.  "I would
vote for the devil, just not for this mob," she said.  "I need Soviet
power, I need socialisma just society."

An angry argument broke out on the fringes of the rally when a young
woman accused the Soviet communists of suppressing religion and
murdering millions of their own people.

Another woman, Katya Valovik, walking with her son, said she sight of
the red flags was terrible.  "What a rabble.  They should be
tear-gassed.  We have had enough of them." She said she would not vote
for Zyuganov.  "I have a son and I want him to be happy," she said.

Zyuganov said his party will not use force to bring together parts of
the former Soviet Union and his aim "does not mean that anyone is
going to attack the sovereignty of others," he said.

On Friday the State Duma lower house of parliament, where communists
and their allies hold a majority of seats, declared void the December
1991 ratification of the Belovezh agreements by the former Russian
republican parliament.  The resolution has alarmed Russia's neighbours
but is unlikely to have any practical consequences in the near future.

Yeltsin says he will ignore the Duma.  But things may change if
Zyuganov, well ahead in opinion polls, wins on June 16.  "We will not
hesitate to cancel any unequal treaty which harms the dignity or
national interests of Russia," the communist leader declared, winning
a standing ovation.

DUMA SEEKS INVESTIGATION OF PARTISAN MILITARY UNITS. The Duma on 17
April asked the procurator general to look into reports that some
political parties have created armed units, NTV reported. Russia's
Democratic Choice member Sergei Yushenkov pressed for the inquiry,
citing Russian media reports that the Communist Party has 200 armed
fighters. Moskovskii komsomolets on 12 April reported that the
Communists have 2,000 fighters in Moscow and other forces available
outside the capital. -- Robert Orttung

COMMUNISTS PAY TRIBUTE TO LENIN. Russian communists, led by presidential
candidate Gennadii Zyuganov, laid wreaths on Lenin's tomb on 22 April to
mark the 126th anniversary of the Soviet leader's birth, ITAR-TASS and
Reuters reported. A few hundred people, mostly elderly, took part in the
procession. The popular daily Moskovskii komsomolets made fun of the
anniversary with a front-page layout parodying the Pravda of yesteryear.
It included a long eulogy to Lenin and a dull harvest report. -- Penny
Morvant

UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT PROMISES TO SETTLE WAGE DEBT. Ukrainian Finance
Minister Petro Hermanchuk announced earlier this week that the
government will settle its wage debt by the end of May, UNIAN reported.
The official said the National Bank of Ukraine will be forced to print
unbacked currency to cover some of the wage arrears, which stood at 42
trillion karbovantsi ($227 million) as of 28 April. He said the
government would issue securities and use some foreign aid to cover the
rest. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament voted to form an ad hoc
commission to examine the government debt for back wages, pensions, and
stipends, which now totals 124 trillion karbovantsi, Holos Ukrainy
reported on 8 May. The regions where the debt crisis is most severe are
Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Rivne. -- Chrystyna
Lapychak

RIGHT-WING PAPER MAKES THE CASE FOR ZYUGANOV. . . The extreme right-wing
newspaper Russkie vedomosti (no. 25) outlined five reasons "Russian
patriots" should support Gennadii Zyuganov for president. First, only
President Yeltsin and Zyuganov have any chance of being elected, so
rather than waste their votes, nationalists should back Zyuganov as the
lesser of the two evils. Second, Zyuganov's Communist Party of the
Russian Federation (KPRF) primarily consists of ethnic Russians, unlike
the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which the paper claims was
dominated by Jews. Third, the KPRF has the strongest regional network of
all opposition parties. Fourth, Zyuganov and his wife are ethnic
Russians (rumors that Boris or Naina Yeltsin have Jewish ancestry are
frequently published in the right-wing press). Finally, Zyuganov
understands "the Jewish question," and consequently would, if elected,
nationalize enterprises bought up in recent years by Jews. Not all
Russian nationalists are backing Zyuganov. The writer Eduard Limonov,
who is supporting Yurii Vlasov for president, described Zyuganov in
Sobesednik (no. 13) as a "typical careerist," devoid of talent, and "sly
and slippery as only an apparatchik can be sly and slippery." The anti-
Semitic, self-described national socialist Aleksandr Barkashov endorsed
Yeltsin in April, claiming that a Communist return to power would lead
to civil war. -- Laura Belin

    
    I watched an absolutely fascinating programme on PBS this weekend about
    the Romanov family and Anna Anderson, the supposed Grand Duchess
    Anastasia.  Fascinating.  They had located the skeletons of the family,
    missing for almost 75 years, and did DNA testing on them to confirm
    that they were the actual skeletons of the Romanov family.  They also
    managed to test tissue from the deceased Anna Anderson, and proved that
    she wasn't the Grand Duchess, but a Polish factory worker.
    
    Did anyone else see it?
    

    Yes,  Good wasn't it?

    
>    Did anyone else see it?
 

     Yes, I'm sure many others saw it.




 Jim   

I saw it the first time it ran.

Definitely a good illustration of how easy it is to "win" an argument.

    No it wasn't.

How did her DNA prove she was a Polish factory worker?  Are they all related?

    <--- beat me to it again, Gerald.  8^)
    
    I was wondering the same thing.

    
    Ah now, that's the part that was the most fascinating!
    
    Forgive me if I spell these things wrong; I decided against majoring in
    Biology and have always regretted it.
    
    They extracted something called "mitochondrial DNA" (?) from the
    disinterred bones.  This is passed down along the maternal line and is
    identical in all persons descended from the same line.  HRH The Duke of
    Edinburgh is descended from the same maternal line as the Tsarina
    Alexandra - she was his great-aunt, I think - so his mitochondrial
    DNA would be the same as the Tsarina and all her children.  They took a 
    sample of his DNA and compared it to DNA taken from all the bones,
    other than the adult male bones (because Nicholas wouldn't be related,
    do you see) and they were all identical, which proved the bones were of
    the Romanov family.
    
    There had been a suspicion that Anna Anderson was this missing Polish
    factory worker; they found a living relative of said Polish woman (down
    the maternal line) and extracted his DNA - it was identical to that
    taken from Anna Anderson, and Anna Anderson's did NOT match the DNA
    taken from HRH or the bones.
     

    And none of the DNA matched OJ Simpson by some strange quirk.

    Mitochondrial DNA is the same in all descendants of a given line,
    except for changes introduced by mutation.  The mutation rate is
    apparently a known constant, so it is possible by observing the degree
    of difference between various persons' mitochondrial DNA to determine
    roughly how long ago they branched from a common maternal ancestor. 
    (No two people's mitochondrial DNA patterns are identical - there's
    always some difference, even between siblings, as introduced by
    mutation during meiosis.)
    
    It is this technique that was used to postulate that all living human
    beings are descended from a single woman who lived in Africa some
    200,000 years ago.  Extrapolation showed that the mitochondrial DNA of
    all the subjects examined (some thousands of people) converged,
    statistically, 200,000 years ago.

    >    (No two people's mitochondrial DNA patterns are identical 
    
     Not even identical twins?

>    (No two people's mitochondrial DNA patterns are identical - there's
>    always some difference, even between siblings, as introduced by
>    mutation during meiosis.)

Nit: Mitochondrial DNA does not undergo meiosis itself.  The mitochondria
have their own DNA and reproduce on their own as if they were asexually
reproducing bacteria.  (in fact there is speculation they may have been
free living organisms that got incorporated into cells very early on)

    .46
    
    True.  My mistake.

    
    Thanks for the clarification!  I got the impression from the programme
    that it was identical.
    

What was so interesting (to me) about the program was its depiction of a
typical "is so!/is not!" argument.

Everyone said they'd live with the results of the DNA test.  Naturally, the
parties who believed that this woman was the real McCoy(ski) decided after
the fact that the DNA test must have been flawed.  As close as I could
tell, it hasn't slowed their belief one whit.

Just goes to show that "proof" is only proof to the side that agrees with
the "proof."

ZHIRINOVSKY APPEALS FOR COMMUNIST VOTE. Liberal Democratic Party of
Russia leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky used his 23 May free airtime slot on
Russian TV (RTR) to appeal for support from rank-and-file Communists. He
praised ordinary party members and those living outside Moscow and
blamed the mistakes of the party on its leadership, particularly former
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Zhirinovsky reminded the Communists
that he supported their coup attempt in 1991 and fought to secure
amnesties for the imprisoned Communist leaders following its failure. He
described communism as "more theory than practice" and recommended that
party members join him. Zhirinovsky promised to stem the current anti-
communist feelings in the country. -- Robert Orttung in Moscow

>Zhirinovsky promised to stem the current anti-
>communist feelings in the country. -- Robert Orttung in Moscow

    I don't suppose he hinted how he would accomplish this?  Or is there
    another Stalin in the making?

    -- Dave

Zhirinovsky is a nationalist extremist.  He's probably closer to being a
fascist than a communist.

    
    I would imagine getting killed by a fascist is pretty much the same as
    getting killed by a communist...

ZHIRINOVSKY OFFERS ZYUGANOV, LEBED ALLIANCE. Liberal Democratic Party of
Russia (LDPR) leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky proposed an alliance whereby
he and Aleksandr Lebed could help Gennadii Zyuganov win the election in
the first round, after which Zhirinovsky would be appointed prime
minister and Lebed defense minister, RTR and ITAR-TASS reported on 29
May. He said, "The trouble with the Communists is that they don't want
to form a bloc with anyone and don't tolerate any opposition. However,
Zyuganov still has time to fall on his knees before me and Lebed." In
the past, Zhirinovsky has refused to cooperate with the Communists and
has called Lebed a "traitor." Zyuganov has offered to join forces with
Lebed but has consistently criticized Zhirinovsky's erratic views and
voting record in parliament. LDPR Duma deputies sometimes vote with the
Communists but on crucial votes often back the government. -- Laura
Belin

FUTURES TRADERS LIKE YELTSIN'S CHANCES. Opinion polls showing President
Yeltsin widening his lead over Zyuganov have affected the futures market
for presidential candidates. According to Izvestiya on 4 June, contracts
for Yeltsin have risen in value in recent weeks and are now trading at
36.5, compared with just 26.6 for Zyuganov. Contracts for Grigorii
Yavlinskii are selling for only 6.85, followed by 6.0 for Vladimir
Zhirinovsky, 4.5 for Aleksandr Lebed, 3.5 for Svyatoslav Fedorov, and
2.89 for Mikhail Gorbachev. The value of the contracts represents the
percentage of the vote traders expect each candidate to receive on 16
June. If the candidate does better than the value of the contract, the
investor will make money; if he captures a smaller share of the vote,
the holder of the contract will have to pay the difference. -- Laura
Belin in Moscow

    _Scientific American_ noted that markets in election candidates had
    been tried on a research basis and turn out to be fairly accurate.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    
Public key fingerprint:  8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86  32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.

DUDAEV'S WIDOW, PAMYAT BACK YELTSIN. Dzhokhar Dudaev's widow, Alla, said
that she would vote for President Yeltsin since "only by defending him
can we save our democracy, that is our freedom," Russian TV (RTR)
reported on 5 June. Her remarks came at the founding congress of the
women's movement, United Russia. She also announced support for
Yeltsin's peace initiatives in Chechnya, called on both sides to stop
the fighting, and appealed for an amnesty of the Chechen field
commanders. She blamed Yeltsin's inner circle for convincing Yeltsin
that Dudaev did not want to negotiate with him, although Dudaev tried
four times to contact Yeltsin. Last month Dudaev's wife, who is an
ethnic Russian, was prevented for boarding a plane for Turkey since she
was carrying a false passport. In another surprising move, Pamyat leader
Dmitrii Vasilev announced on 4 June that his organization had decided to
back Yeltsin, Ekspress-Khronika reported. He said that if the Communists
returned to power, it will be "better to die on the field of battle,
than live in slavery." -- Robert Orttung

And you thought American politicians are wafflers.

ZHIRINOVSKY PORTRAYS HIMSELF AS CENTRIST. Vladimir Zhirinovsky told
about a thousand supporters in Moscow's Teatralnaya Ploshchad on 12 June
that only three candidates are seriously contesting the election: the
current president, the "left forces" led by Zyuganov, and himself, "in
the middle." "People are tired of extremes," he added. During his 35-
minute address, Zhirinovsky repeatedly stressed that his Liberal
Democratic Party of Russia will not tolerate any extremist acts or
violence, whatever the election results. He drew cheers by condemning
the so-called "fifth column" in the presidential election and what he
called attempts by the U.S. to turn Russia into a colony. Lauding his
own party's staying power, Zhirinovsky mocked the "dozens of artificial
parties" that were once powerful but have "disintegrated" in recent
years, such as Democratic Russia, Yegor Gaidar's Russia's Democratic
Choice, and Sergei Shakhrai's Party of Russian Unity and Concord.

    
      A "kindler, gentler" Zhirinovsky ?  Blecchhh...
    
      bb

    
      Apparently, based on preliminary results, there will be a
     runoff election between the top two finishers in the Russian
     presidential elections, since nobody got a majority.
    
      bb

    
    
    	Only 2% separated Yeltsin from Zugarnov(sp?). You need 50% or
    better to avoid a runoff.
    
    jim

| <<< Note 187.61 by SUBPAC::SADIN "Freedom isn't free." >>>



| Only 2% separated Yeltsin from Zugarnov(sp?). You need 50% or
| better to avoid a runoff.

	Yeltsin would surely lose if he has to run. Maybe they can have a
danceoff. He might have a chance at that!

YELTSIN HOLDS NARROW LEAD. Preliminary results of the first round of the
Russian presidential election available at noon, Moscow time, covering
89% of the electorate:
Turnout - 72%

Boris Yeltsin - 34.80%
Gennadii Zyuganov - 32.31%
Aleksandr Lebed - 14.38%
Grigorii Yavlinskii - 7.42%
Vladimir Zhirinovsky - 5.97%
Others - each below 1%
Against all - 1.55%
Since none of the candidates received a majority of the vote, a runoff
will be held on 30 June or 7 July. -- Robert Orttung

    
      So Vlad Z, with only 1 vote in 17 or so, wuz all over the news ?
    
      And Gennadii Z, the commie, with 1 vote in 3, how come he's not ?
    
      And Boris looks like he's hanging in by a thread...  bb
    

>      And Gennadii Z, the commie, with 1 vote in 3, how come he's not ?

Where have you been?  The news has been full of him.

    
      Lebed supports Yeltsin over Zyuganov in the runoff.
    
      bb

    
    
    	Yeltsin will win hands down. Lebed was the key.
    
    
    jim

	I say a take over will happen within a year!

      ___                       ___                                
     /\__\                     /|  |                               
    /:/ _/_       ___         |:|  |           ___           ___   
   /:/ /\  \     /\__\        |:|  |          /\__\         /|  |  
  /:/ /::\  \   /:/__/      __|:|__|         /:/  /        |:|  |  
 /:/_/:/\:\__\ /::\  \     /::::\__\_____   /:/__/         |:|  |  
 \:\/:/ /:/  / \/\:\  \__  ~~~~\::::/___/  /::\  \       __|:|__|  
  \::/ /:/  /   ~~\:\/\__\     |:|~~|     /:/\:\  \     /::::\  \  
   \/_/:/  /       \::/  /     |:|  |     \/__\:\  \    ~~~~\:\  \ 
     /:/  /        /:/  /      |:|__|          \:\__\        \:\__\
     \/__/         \/__/       |/__/            \/__/         \/__/
      ___                       ___           ___     
     /\  \                     /\  \         /\__\    
     \:\  \       ___          \:\  \       /:/ _/_   
      \:\  \     /\__\          \:\  \     /:/ /\__\  
  _____\:\  \   /:/__/      _____\:\  \   /:/ /:/ _/_ 
 /::::::::\__\ /::\  \     /::::::::\__\ /:/_/:/ /\__\
 \:\~~\~~\/__/ \/\:\  \__  \:\~~\~~\/__/ \:\/:/ /:/  /
  \:\  \        ~~\:\/\__\  \:\  \        \::/_/:/  / 
   \:\  \          \::/  /   \:\  \        \:\/:/  /  
    \:\__\         /:/  /     \:\__\        \::/  /   
     \/__/         \/__/       \/__/         \/__/    
      ___           ___           ___           ___           ___     
     /\__\         /\  \         /\  \         /\  \         /\__\    
    /:/ _/_        \:\  \       /::\  \       /::\  \       /:/ _/_   
   /:/ /\  \        \:\  \     /:/\:\  \     /:/\:\__\     /:/ /\__\  
  /:/ /::\  \   _____\:\  \   /:/ /::\  \   /:/ /:/  /    /:/ /:/  /  
 /:/_/:/\:\__\ /::::::::\__\ /:/_/:/\:\__\ /:/_/:/__/___ /:/_/:/  /   
 \:\/:/ /:/  / \:\~~\~~\/__/ \:\/:/  \/__/ \:\/:::::/  / \:\/:/  /    
  \::/ /:/  /   \:\  \        \::/__/       \::/~~/~~~~   \::/__/     
   \/_/:/  /     \:\  \        \:\  \        \:\~~\        \:\  \     
     /:/  /       \:\__\        \:\__\        \:\__\        \:\__\    
     \/__/         \/__/         \/__/         \/__/         \/__/    

Let's see: Clinton like Yeltsin.

So in keeping with his current string of "success", I'd say Yeltsin don't
have a chance.

TTom

...SCORNS FOREIGN RELIGIOUS SECTS. Lebed also told the Union of
Patriotic and National Organizations that he views the activities of a
number of religious groups as a "direct threat to Russia's security,"
ITAR-TASS and Ekho Moskvy reported. Giving Aum Shinrikyo and the Mormons
as examples, he described foreign religious sects as "mould and scum"
that "corrupt the people and ravage the state" and argued that they
should be banned. Lebed advocated the development of Russia's
traditional established religions, naming Orthodoxy, Islam, and
Buddhism. He did not mention Judaism, although Russia has had a large
Jewish community for centuries. According to The New York Times of 28
June, Lebed interrupted a Cossack who was asking a question in a halting
manner and said "You say you are a Cossack; why do you speak like a
Jew?" -- Penny Morvant

Up to 370 Chechens have been killed and some 170 wounded in continuing
Russian air and artillery attacks on Gekhi and four other villages in
southern Chechnya, according to a Chechen spokesman. Russian Prime Minister
Viktor Chernomyrdin nonetheless said in Moscow that there has been no
interruption in the implementation of the president's plan for a peaceful
settlement of the Chechen conflict and that Russian forces "are simply
bringing impudent rebels to their senses."

Leader of the Belarusian Popular Front Zyanon Paznyak and BPF
spokesman Syarhei Naumchyk have applied for asylum in the U.S.,
international agencies reported on 30 July. Paznyak and Naumchyk
left Belarus in March after President Alyaksandr Lukashenka issued
a warrant for their arrest on charges of organizing demonstrations
against both his regime and integration with Russia. The two men
said they fear for their lives if they have to return to Belarus
because Lukashenka has ordered their "neutralization." They also
asked the U.S. not to grant Belarus the $13 million economic aid
package for 1997. -- Ustina Markus

BELARUSIAN AUTHORITIES DENOUNCE ASYLUM SEEKERS. Mikhail Podhany,
head of the political information department of the president's
administration, has denied that Belarusian authorities are seeking
opposition leaders Zyanon Paznyak or Syarhei Naumchyk, ITAR-TASS
reported on 31 July. Paznyak and Naumchyk both applied for
political asylum in the U.S. on 30 July, claiming they feared for
their safety if they returned to Belarus because President
Alyaksandr Lukashenka had issued a warrant for their arrest.
Podhany said no death sentences have been passed on the two and
that their request for asylum was motivated only by their desire to
enjoy a comfortable life in the West as political refugees. Neither
Paznyak nor Naumchyk has said an official death sentence was
issued. Rather, they have maintained that the president would like
to have them "neutralized." -- Ustina Markus

    
      Podhany may have a point.  Life in Belorus isn't peaches and cream,
     economically, from what I hear.
    
      However, Lukashenka is unlikely to be mistaken for Mother Theresa,
     so maybe they would disappear if they returned.  Tough call.
    
      bb

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT ON REFERENDUM, OPPOSITION. In what has become a
ritual, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka gave a lengthy television
address in which he denounced opposition leaders Zyanon Paznyak and
Syarhei Naumchyk as "terminally ill cases," Reuters reported on 5
August. Both men are seeking asylum in the U.S. He told viewers that the
opposition would become increasingly violent and will "break in through
apartment windows and rape your wives and daughters." He reiterated his
intention of holding a referendum on extending his term from five to
seven years, broadening his powers, banning land ownership, and changing
Belarus's national holiday from 27 July when the republic declared
independence, to 3 July, when the Soviets liberated Minsk from German
occupation. Lukashenka also said there was no need to hold further by-
elections to fill 51 parliamentary seats, because "deputies don't keep
their promises. They had promised to back the president, but have been
lying ever since." -- Ustina Markus

More authoritarian nonsense from Lukashenka in Belarus.

TRIALS, SENTENCING IN BELARUS. A Belarusian court fined former
parliamentary speaker Mechyslau Hryb 20 million Belarusian rubles ($830)
for helping organize a rally on 15 March to mark the anniversary of the
adoption of the 1994 constitution, international agencies reported on 20
March. The fine was the maximum possible for such an offense, and Hryb
accused the courts of conducting a political trial. He argued he should
be immune from prosecution, as his term as deputy had not expired when
the 1996 parliament was dissolved and a new bicameral legislature
established. Prosecutor General Aleh Bazhyelka had met with President
Alyaksandr Lukashenka the day before and agreed to lift Hryb's immunity.
A case is pending against the first deputy speaker of the 1996
parliament, Vasil Novikau, for the same offense. -- Ustina Markus

POLITICAL INTIMIDATION IN BELARUS. Police visited the homes of leading
opposition figures, demanding they admit they violated a presidential
edict that restricts demonstrations, Belapan reported on 17 March.
Former parliamentary speaker Syamyon Sharetski refused to sign the
admission, as did Henadz Karpenka, Valeryi Shzhukin, and Stanislau
Bahdankevich. All were deputies in the 1996 parliament who refused to
join the new legislature; they maintain the 1996 parliament is the only
legitimate legislature. Former Interior Minister Yuryi Zakharenka was
fined 2.6 million Belarusian rubles ($86) by the court for participating
in the Constitution Day rally, and police laid siege to former Defense
Minister Pavel Kazlauski's home, leaving only after Russian reporters
arrived. NTV reported on 20 March that Belarusian television has been
reporting that the wives of NTV correspondent Aleksandr Stupnikov and
RFE/RL correspondent Yurii Drakokhrust had received grants from the
Soros Foundation two years ago. NTV noted that Belarusian media have
increasingly portrayed journalists as Western collaborators. -- Ustina
Markus

BELARUSIAN STUDENTS PROTEST. Some 50 students in Minsk on 20 March
protested against the decision of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to
restore a Soviet-era scheme of appointing university graduates to jobs,
international agencies reported. The unsanctioned rally was promptly
broken up by riot police, who reportedly arrested some 30 people,
including former parliamentary deputy Pavel Znavets. The president and
the Education Ministry were hoping to curb unemployment by forcing
recent graduates to work in radiation-polluted areas, which are
significantly understaffed. -- Sergei Solodovnikov

IMPORT OF DOLLARS TO RUSSIA. Since 1993, when Central Bank monitoring
began, hard currency with a total value of $84 billion has been imported
into Russia, Central Bank official Yelena Ishchenko told a conference in
Moscow on "Hard currency control" on 25 March, ITAR-TASS reported. Of
that amount, $63.7 billion were net sales to individuals. The bank
estimates that tourists and shuttle traders have exported some $31
billion in cash, meaning that there is roughly $33 billion in
circulation among the population. This would account for more than half
the Russian money supply, since there are some 125 trillion rubles in
circulation, worth $22 billion. -- Peter Rutland

I read an interesting story how secret _planeloads_ of $100 bills flew to
Russia on a regular schedule, because of their demand for foreign currency.
Actually helps the US balance of trade quite a bit since a $100 bill costs
something like 4� to print and they tended not to return to circulation in the
US, thus $99.96 profit each.

    
    	4 cents?
    
    	Geez, how many middlemen do they go through by the time they get
    	to the bank that they cost $100 when we want them?
    

NEW SOURCE OF CHEAP LABOR IN RUSSIA'S FAR EAST? The Washington Post reported
earlier this week that North Koreans are being used as a cheap source of labor
on farms and construction sites in Russia's Far East. The U.S. newspaper
reported that Russian companies are concluding deals with the North Korean
government for teams of workers to travel to Russia. The workers are
accompanied by North Korean security agents, who take most of the workers'
wages. But once there, they are made to work 12-15 hours daily and receive
minimum food rations. One Russian official admitted conditions were difficult
for the Koreans but said "compared to where they come from, it's like paradise
for them."