Corvallis Gazette-Times from Corvallis, Oregon • 18

C2 MID-VALLEY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2001 ALBANY (OR) DEMOCRAT-HERALD, CORVALLIS (OR) GAZETTE -TIMES PEOPLE- Ready to fight Pakistan mm The overnight train from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer the only means of transport to the desert town besides a daunting two-lane road dominated by camels and speeding trucks -is packed with soldiers headed to the desert military bases and local tourists heading to the sand dunes for the New Year's holiday. "Our in-laws and other friends said, 'You're going right to the warfront, are you crazy?" said Anjali Sharma, a teacher from New Delhi who traveled to the Sam sand dunes just west of Jaisalmer and 28 miles from the Pakistan border. She and her husband wanted their 4-year-old daughter to take a camel ride and experience the rosy sunset over the sand dunes. "The troops are moving in, that's true. But I think it's now a wait-and-watch policy," Sharma said.

"Meanwhile, we have to live our lives." Jaisalmer was once a wealthy princely state along the silk road and camel routes to Central Asia. The city, which today has some half-million people, was devastated by the shipping trade and the partition of India and Pakistan. It wasn't until the federal government recognized its strategic importance during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan that Jaisalmer was rewarded with roads and electricity. The Indira Gandhi Canal to the north is slated to restore agricultural life and the isolated city is banking on tourism. While politicians and pundits in New Delhi, the capital some 435 miles to the east, say they don't want war, the Jaisalmeris are clamoring for it.

"We badly want to go to war," said Lalit Gopa, a travel agent at the Gorbandh Palace. "They assassinate our people every day. We know the strength of the Indian military. If Pakistan drops four bombs, within 10 minutes we will drop 40 bombs." That both India and Pakistan are now armed with nuclear weapons doesn't seem to faze many out here. "Let them drop a nuclear bomb and we'll do the same," shrugged Vasa.

"Then we'll finally be done with it." The desert people- of Rajasthan have a long of bravery in the face of death. The Bhatti Rajputs of Jaisalmer were so determined to ward off the Islam forced on them by the Mughal emperors from the 14th to 17th centuries that they would sacrifice their families' when faced With defeat. The clans would perform ritual "johar," Hindi for Men on the battlefield about to be defeated would don ceremonial saffron robes and fight to death, after sending a messenger back to the fortress telling their wives to burn themselves to death. Jaisalmer, the last of the Indian Rajput states to become a part of the Indian union under the British Raj, was also at the center of India's three wars with Pakistan. The battle of Laungewala during the 1971 war with Pakistan over Bangladesh has become the stuff of Bollywood ballad.

About 71 miles northwest of Jaisalmer, some 60 Pakistani tanks crossed the border into Laungewala. A company of Indian infantry held them at bay until four jet fighters from Jaisalmer swooped in, wiped out half the tanks and sent the remainder into retreat. Yet the Jaisalmeris, 40 percent of whom are Muslim, have had traditional ties with Pakistanis across the 295-mile border with Pakistan's Sind province. There is much trade between the two states and many marriages between the two peoples. "Here in Rajasthan, our relations between Hindus and Muslims have been like those of brothers and sisters," said Iqbal Khan, a Muslim stone cutter.

"We don't want war with our neighbors. But if Pakistan doesn't control the terrorists, then we are ready to fight again." Continued from C1 desert people are enveloped by a warrior tradition passed down by generations. "The people here have a legendary bravery and pride for their desert lifestyle. And they are not afraid of war," said Nand Kishore Sharma, Jaisalmer's chief historian and author of several books on the desert citadel. "The Jaisalmeris are people who, like me, have been at the center of three wars," said Sharma.

"The attack on our Parliament has made us realize that terrorism is now our new enemy. So there must be war a war between good and evil, not a war between Hindus and Muslims." The new tensions between India and Pakistan were provoked by a suicide attack on India's Parliament Dec. 13. New Delhi blames Pakistan's spy agency and two Islamic militant groups that have operated out of Pakistani territory. Nine Indians and the five attackers were killed in the' Parliament attack, and border forces have exchanged fire almost daily since the assault.

New Delhi said Saturday it wanted to avoid war, but refused to pull back tens of thousands of its troops massing at the border until Islamabad ended its backing for Islamic militants. "I have said before and I would like to say it again: We do not want war, but a war in the form of cross-border terrorism has already been thrust of India," said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. India calls Pakistan the "epicenter" of terrorism in the region. Thousands of Islamic guerrillas, from a dozen-odd militant groups in Pakistan, have sneaked across the Kashmir frontier for 12 years to launch attacks on Indian army. Pakistan denies that it supports the Islamic militants or that it was behind the Parliament attack.

It accuses India of exploiting the assault to paint Pakistan as a terrorist state. Associated Press Norbert Steigerwald, Commerzbank assistant manager, tests the new Euro bills at a cash machine in a bank center in Frankfurt, Germany, earlier this month. Euros Getting ready for change Continued from C1 "There is no fear," said Janda. "Our bank is very well prepared." It has been detailed, hands-on work. The 50-year-old Janda, with his thinning buzzcut, sports jacket instead of expensive banker's suit, open top button and tie askew, would look more at home on a loading dock than in a board meeting.

"The most important thing is the logistics," said Janda. "To bring the money to our 800 branches, to get notes and coins and starter kits delivered. In the last two months, our 20 biggest retailers got one billion euros. Fifteen thousand retailers picked up money from branches." "This was a lot of work." Commerzbank is typical of the big financial institutions dealing with the transition to the mam Maaaaai Kid Rock MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. Rap-rock bad boy Kid Rock continues to be bowled over by actress- model Pamela Anderson.

The couple spent Wednesday night with about two dozen friends and relatives at Bath City Bistro, eat Kid Rock ing and feather bowling. The game, which entails rolling wooden discs as close as possible to a feather stuck in the ground, is a favorite of Kid Rock's family. According to restaurant staff, the pair, who have been dating since April, are still very affectionate. "When they were leaving, we asked if we could take her picture and Pamela said, 'No way, I look awful and I told her, you are so beautiful," said waitress Heidi Buchman. Anna Nicole Smith SANTA ANA, Calif.

-Anna Nicole Smith's late oil tycoon husband spent well outside his personal means to give the former Playboy playmate expensive jewels and gifts, his son testified. Pierce Marshall, 63, said his father was unable to pay for $1 million worth of Harry Winston jewels and tried unsuccessfully to pay for it with a business loan. "He said 'The jewels are just going to have to go Marshall said Friday. But he said Smith refused to return them at first, so the jeweler sued his father, Marshall said. It was Marshall's second day of testimony in the ongoing battle over J.

Howard Marshall II's millions. Smith's attorneys will begin questioning Marshall on Wednesday. Smith met the elder Marshall at a club where she was w.orking as a stripper in 1991 and they were married at a drive-in chapel in Houston three years later when she was 26 and he was 89. He died in 1995. Patrick Ewing ORLANDO, Fla.

-Patrick Ewing doesn't think he'll be distracted Sunday when the Orlando Magic play his former team, the Knicks, in New York. Ewing played 15 years for the Knicks and will be facing his former team for the first time as a member of the Magic. He signed with Orlando after a season in Seattle. "I'm just going to get myself ready the way I try to get ready every game, say hello to all the friends I have there before the game and just get ready to go to work," He said. Ewing says the game will be like any other.

His coach says differently. The Associated Press We will not open next year due to losing our store location. "v.y, I if "-WV ni.liii ii-LH! irgemtta: People protest over economic conditions Rilyfe Rumors to be debunked "argentino," which he hopes will help revive the South America nation's moribund economy. Scheduled to debut on Jan. 15, the argentino is to circulate alongside the peso and dollar as Argentina looks to print money as a way out of a cash crunch brought on by more than four years of recession.

But many Argentines worry that a free-floating currency, backed by little more than promises of state support, will quickly depreciate. For nearly a decade, the peso has been firmly pegged one-to-one with the dollar. Opposition leaders and leaders of Rodriguez Saa's own Peronist Party have criticized the plan. The president reportedly is considering scrapping the argentino, opting instead to print more of the government bonds already in circulation to pay pensions and state workers' salaries. Continued from C1 Police declined to reveal how many protesters were injured but said 33 people were arrested.

The renewed social unrest cut short the honeymoon for Rodriguez Saa, who took over from De la Rua less than a week ago and is now feeling the wrath of Argentines who say they are fed up with the country's political leaders and their inability to resolve the economic crisis. Rodriguez Saa, who met Saturday with top aides at the presidential residence, Olivos, issued a statement saying he was saddened by the violence and appealed to Argentines to "maintain the peace. As a symbolic gesture, his entire Cabinet offered to step down in the case of a government reshuffle. Amid the demonstrations, at least one presidential adviser resigned after angry crowds gathered in front of Olivos, the Congress building and Casa Rosada. Carlos Grosso, a former mayor of Buenos Aires who has faced a slew of corruption charges, stepped down from his euro in 12 European Union nations.

Like most, it started preparations in 1997, adjusting its computers so they could show values in euros two years before nations began pegging their currencies to the euro, four years before the arrival of actual notes and coins. Later on came the little, everyday things, such as more than 1,000 black plastic coin trays for tellers to stack the new coins in, and new envelopes to fit the bigger euro bills. Then there were things you wouldn't think of right away. Janda was off one day when it hit him: double the life insurance for branch employees, from 250,000 marks to 500,000, about $330,000. After all, twice the money was in the vaults, so twice the robbery risk.

"I thought it was the right thing to do," he said. mous canvas sacks, and at first the commission which responds to each inquiry individually opened the letters. It soon, however, got so out of hand that the letters were opened in the mailroom. Many are form letters and petitions circulated by church groups. Now, since anthrax spores have given traditional mail a bad name, more complaints arrive in the form of e-mail.

About three years ago, the rumor spread to include the CBS television drama "Touched by an Angel," which many believed was in danger of getting pulled from the airwaves. That rumor touched off another letter-writing campaign. CBS doesn't want to give the rumor any credence, so it hasn't addressed the issue publicly, said Pam Gorode, manager of prime-time television shows at CBS. Over the years, the FCC used ads in newspapers and on radio and television to try to debunk the myth. But the effect of the media blitzes isn't lasting: "It dies down a little bit for that cycle, and then it crops up again," Snowden said, a hint of despair in his voice.

The American Atheists, which had no involvement with the 1974 application, also has a Web page for visitors asking about the rumor. The whole thing is odd, said Ellen Johnson, president of the organization, based in New Jersey. But as far as the group's membership is concerned, religion itself is bunk, so it doesn't seem odd that religious people believe this urban legend, she said. "They accept all kind of weird ideas which I think are weird," Johnson said. The O'Hair rumor serves the function of a modern-day religious crusade, she said.

"I really think it's something to rally the troops, even if it's made up." post as the swelling crowds chanted insults at him and demanded that he go. Many also expressed anger over a Supreme Court decision late Friday to keep in place the limits on cash withdrawals imposed this month by De la Rua to prevent a run on the country's banks. Since Dec. 1, Argentines have been barred from withdrawing more than $250 a week, and for nearly a week, a "banking holiday" prohibited most basic transactions and the changing of peso into dollars. As the country's economic situation grows more precarious and with one out of five Argentines out of work, many people are worried the peso will lose its value and have tried to get their hands on dollars.

Others have crowded banks demanding full access to their savings for fear that the cash-strapped government may seize bank accounts. Rodriguez Saa, who took office Dec. 23, has promised to ease the economic crisis. He said Argentina would default on at least part of its $132 billion public debt and introduced a third currency, the Christmas Love Gadgets Deserve A nwin auimoNOeKSMS. 759-d7dd -t Continued from C1 bureau and wishes he could finally dispel the rumor.

"It is one of the most fascinating urban myths that continues to grow. The FCC has no authority to ban religious programming. It literally is a myth," he said. Snowden himself got a chain letter about the rumor several years ago, and his mother recently called to ask whether it was true. It's hard to track precisely how much the FCC has spent over the last 27 years on this rumor, Snowden said.

Several divisions of the FCC each spent thousands of dollars on postage, envelopes and letters responding to the complaints. The biggest loss is time thousands of hours went into sifting through and responding to O'Hair-related mail, he said. It all started with a 1974 request by two community-radio advocates, Lorenzo Milam and Jeremy Lansman. They asked the commission to freeze all applications from religious groups seeking to use radio and broadcast stations designated for educational purposes. O'Hair had nothing to do with their petition.

The following year, the FCC denied the request on the grounds that it could not discriminate against applicants on the basis of religion. With that, petition number RM-2493 died. But the rumor lives on. In 1976 alone, the FCC received 4 million letters about O'Hair and the fictitious petition. "Before e-mail, just the volume of (letters) was a real problem getting them all into the mailroom," recalled Rosemary Kimball, a spokeswoman who started working at the commission 30 years ago and remembers when the rumor started.

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