et out your guns, brethren. The end of the world is coming. And all because of a bug.

That's right, when the year 2000 comes along, the world's computers will go bonkers, all bank accounts will be frozen, and planes will crash to the ground in a violent, hellish spectacle. Aaaagh! The Millennium is falling!

Okay, so I'm kidding. But sometimes I sympathize with the apocalyptic babble represented above. Especially as it pertains to the insidious powers of large corporations. Their latest weapon? The Multilateral Agreement on Investment -- a piece of NAFTA-like legislation being quietly discussed in the highest levels of U.S. government. Promoted as something that will streamline the global economy, the MAI has been roundly criticized for giving corporations too much power. Isn't it obvious they should have much less?

You'll have to excuse me, but I'm in an anti-corporate mood. The largest corporations in the world sell us addictively caffeinated, carbonated sugar water and addictively sugary, non-nutritive hamburgers. What, are we insects? Meanwhile our TV sets keep us stupid by feeding us "Jerry Springer" type shows that, bleeped to incoherence and filled with idiots, can make the biggest morons feel sanctimoniously intelligent by comparison. And there's no good stuff to balance out the crud; even local nightly news is sensationalistic. (One tiny group in Colorado is trying to make a difference. They rock.)

What can we do? The approach of a One World Government appears imminent. Soon we'll have to turn to the only group that can possibly save us: Mormons. Their dazzling example during the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City could very well be our last hope for global salvation.

Okay, so I'm kidding again. Sorry.

Now What?
Can't get enough news? You're in luck -- more news is created every day. Our Now What? page offers a plethora of recommended links to help keep you living in the present. [12]

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Badder Than NAFTA
The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) could give multinational corporations the same legal standing as nation-states. [2]
Cheryl Bishop

Corporate Takeover
Former UT History Professor Walter Prescott Webb's prescient writings. [3]
Robert Bryce

Zoning in on a Solution
Lots of banks and large corporations are upgrading their computers to handle the Millenium. Have you? [4]
James Hanback Jr.

License to Ill?
A Colorado watchdog group reminds TV news who owns the airwaves. [5]
Jim Hanas

Start Spreadin' the News
Here's a shock: quality of civic life in New York has returned with a vengeance. [6]
Bruce R. Baird

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The Monica Effect
From Intern to Icon in Just Two Months. [7]
Blake de Pastino

The Mormon Games
Leavitt completely and intentionally linked the Mormon Church to the 2002 Olympics. This isn't the first time it's happened. Remember the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin? [8]
John Harrington

Where There's Smoke, There's Laws
Angry young man or cranky old fart? You decide! [9]
Cap'n O

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Odds & Ends
Timed-release news capsules from the flipside. [10]
Devin D. O'Leary

Mr. Smarty Pants
Our resident know-it-all unearths the latest trivia. [11]
R.U. Steinberg

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