To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Solar EM Space Storms Will Disable Many Satellites In 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1998 20:03:49 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
[Mod Note: It seems that our satellites will be getting a triple
whammy at the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000: the Y2K issue,
the Leonid Meteor Shower which is predicted to reach storm levels in
Nov 1999 (even more so than than in 1998), and from electromagnetic
space storms.]
Solar EM Space Storms Will Disable Many Satellites In 2000
By Robin McKie, Science Editor
The Observer (London)
11-8-98
Scientists have warned of a new millennium disaster - from outer
space. They say electromagnetic space storms will wipe out telephone
lines and television signals, cripple aircraft navigation systems and
leave cities without power supplies.
Researchers say storms - which will reach a peak early in 2000 - will
also disable many of the 500 satellites that orbit the Earth.
"We now have hundreds of billions of dollars of equipment orbiting
over our heads, and they will all be at risk in the first few weeks
of the millennium," said Nick Flowers, of Britain's Mullard Space
Laboratory.
This warning was backed last week by the US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Its forecasters said that the sun
is heading into the most violent part of its 11-year cycle of
activity - known as the solar maximum. This will peak in about 18
months' time. In 1989, during the last solar maximum, the sun blasted
out huge bursts of high-energy particles - coronal mass ejections.
These solar storms battered Earth's protective radiation belts.
The effects were particularly strong in high latitudes and triggered
powerful electric currents in telephone and electrical equipment. In
space, the storms fused equipment in satellites.
There are 250 communications satellites in special high orbit over
Earth. Hovering 23,000 miles above the ground, they are particularly
vulnerable to solar storms.
However, the greatest danger is likely to be posed by a breakdown in
the US Global Positioning System. This fleet of satellites provides
navigation and guidance for aircraft across the world.
"A failure of this system could have very serious consequences, even
if it was only a temporary breakdown," said Flowers. "It won't cause
aircraft to crash, but it could bring havoc to traffic control."
However, of more immediate concern is the Leonid meteor shower, which
will hit Earth on 17 November. Meteors pose no risk to humans but
could cause serious damage in space, where satellites face a one-in-
500 chance of being destroyed by a meteor.
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Recent Y2K failures
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 09:46:44 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Problems have already begun
(The London Telegraph 11.5.98)
COMPUTERS have already been affected by the
date-change problem.
In Holland, motorists with newly issued bank cards with
expiry dates of 00 had them rejected at petrol stations.
A Swedish woman received a letter informing her of the
various schools on offer when she reached 10. She was, in
fact, born in 1890.
A tin of corned beef from Marks & Spencer was rejected
on the ground that the food was 96 years out of date.
A date roll-over check on a power station led to its
shut-down within 20 seconds. The fault was traced to a
flue stack temperature sensor that was programmed to
minimise fluctuations over time, using the date to make
calculations.
A computer clock set to 2000 at Chrysler Motors in
America shut down the security system and refused to let
staff out.
A sewage treatment plant in America found that in 2000,
valve-control systems would have released untreated
sewage into the rivers.
During a test in an American nuclear power station, the
device that controlled the depth of the fuel rod in the core
began to oscillate because the air-conditioning system in
the control room failed and the temperature rose.
America's Social Security Administration tried to set up
a payment schedule that ran beyond the end of the present
century. However, the computer system could not process
it.
For almost six months last year, Visa had to stop issuing
cards with expiry dates in 2000 for fear that they would be
rejected.
via Prophezine News Bites
http://www.prophezine.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Science Technology breakthroughs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 09:51:59 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
NEWS FROM SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY
----------------------------------------------------
Biotech firm soars on eternal life hopes
By Mark Egan
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - There's nothing like the promise of eternal
life to give a stock price a boost. Or so Wall Street found out
Friday.
The stock of relatively unknown biotech firm Geron Corp. (Nasdaq:GERN
- news) soared more than 150 percent on the Nasdaq market after
reports that research it funded had reproduced in the laboratory human
''stem cells,'' which can develop into a variety of cells, such as
those that form body organs and tissues.
News of the discovery sent the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company's
stock as high as $24.50 on Friday compared with Thursday's closing
price of $9.87. It lost some of those gains later to close $7.31
higher at $17.18 with more than 41 million shares changing hands.
The stock price was helped by front-page articles in newspapers like
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times
that hinted that the company may be able to produce ``immortal'' cells
that could replace damaged ones in the human body and lead to major
advances in transplants, gene therapy and other fields.
But experts warned that it could be years before the research can lead
to practical applications and that the field of science is littered
with discoveries that did not pan out.
The development related to a versatile type of human cell known as a
``stem cell,'' a type of human cell that develops in various ways,
unlike other cells, which can only serve one function once they begin
developing.
``The discovery that we are talking about is the derivation of human
embryonic stem cells that are capable of developing into all cells and
tissues of the body and are immortal,'' Tom Okarma, vice president of
research and development at Geron, told Reuters in an interview.
``The cells are immortal. They will live forever. Thus far they are
four to five times beyond their normal life span and they continue to
grow in culture,'' he said.
The discovery is the second major announcement from the fledgling
biotech company this year. In January, Geron claimed to have unlocked
a ``fountain of youth'' for aging cells. Geron said studies it funded
had reversed the aging process in some cells in lab tests by tinkering
with their genetic material.
Okarma said that the latest announcement, coupled with Geron's earlier
discovery, has the potential for wide-ranging applications on the most
chronic human ailments.
For example, the techniques could eventually allow stem cells to be
grown into heart muscle cells to repair damaged hearts, create neurons
to combat Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries or Alzheimer's
disease. Potential applications also include cancer and diabetes among
others, Okarma said.
``The list is broad because many of these chronic degenerative
diseases do not have appropriate therapies because the whole cell in
the organ is deficient,'' he said. ``This is an opportunity to go
right to the core of the disease and replace the cells ... with
immortal cells.''
The discovery could also be used to model diseases and then test
potential
drug candidates
quicker than otherwise possible. Another use would be to help
researchers
potentially discover
new genes that could unlock revolutionary therapies.
But financial analysts warned investors to be wary, noting that any
potential commercial application of the breakthrough would take at
least a decade and possibly longer.
``This is why people fantasize about hitting the lottery in drug
stocks,''
Gruntal & Co. analyst
David Saks said of Friday's stock rise. ``But many times investors are
hurt badly by overpaying too early for a stock and not understanding
the risks of the pharmaceutical development program and the risks
involved.''
Saks noted that on average only about 5 percent of laboratory
discoveries
find their way into
useful commercial applications. The market of cancer research, for
example, is littered with drugs that managed to cure cancer only in
mice.
Richard van den Broek, biotechnology analyst at Hambrecht & Quist,
warned there is many a slip between the cup and the lip.
``This is a lot more significant scientifically than commercially,''
van den Broek said. ``It could have tremendous commercial application
but this is very early stage research.''
Van den Broek noted that even if Geron can take its discovery through
to the commercial market it will face stiff competition. He said Swiss
company Novartis AG is investing heavily in the stem cell area and
that a number of other companies are also researching the field, many
of which are keeping their research secret for competitive reasons.
*******
Microchip in eye lets blind man see
(South China Morning Post 11.6.98)
A blind man has been able to see for the
first time in 15 years after a microchip
was inserted into his eyeball.
For 45 minutes, the tiny chip lay against
the retina of American Harold Churchey,
71, taking over from damaged cells,
according to the latest edition of New
Scientist magazine.
A miniature video camera attached to a
pair of glasses beamed simple images to
the chip, which sent electrical messages
into his optic nerve.
Mr Churchey said: "It was like switching a
light on. To see light after so long, it was
just wonderful. It was blue."
Within five years, people suffering from
certain types of blindness may be given
sufficient sight to perceive outlines,
predicted Professor Mark Humayun, a
surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Baltimore, Maryland, and a pioneer of the
research.
"It wouldn't be unreasonable to think that
you would look into the eye of a person
and see these electronics - so their eye
would be part human, part machine - and it
would allow them at least to move around
and maybe read large print," he said.
Professor Humayun has experimented on
15 patients. Of the first, he said: "It was
one of the most exciting days in my life
because restoring lost sight is the Holy
Grail for eye research."
Patients only receive sight for 45 minutes
because approval has not been granted to
leave the chip in place in case it causes
damage.
It has taken Professor Humayun's team
eight years to successfully mimic the
electrical impulses which the optic nerve
would normally receive from the retina.
via Prophezine News Bites
http://www.prophezine.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Nov. 9, 1998 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 10:33:16 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
TLC - EL NINO: THE DEVIL'S CHILD - Droughts, fires
and mudslides are some of the disastrous results of the
atmospheric incident.(CC)(TVG)
9:00
A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "Jonestown: Mystery of a
Massacre" - Evidence implies the Jonestown mass suicides may
have been mass murder.(CC)
DISC - DEAD SEA SCROLLS: UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY - New
technologies enable researchers to decipher the ancient
documents.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - WARHORSE - "A Beast for Heroes" - The first horses
used in battle pulled chariots in Roman times; Spanish Riding
School in Vienna.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - LOST SHIPS - "Galley of the Gods" - An
archaeologist uses digital technology and underwater footage
to chronicle a shipwreck off Tunisia.(CC)(TVG)
10:00
CNN - NEWSSTAND: TIME - The Dalai
Lama.(CC)
HIST - MODERN MARVELS - "Bombs" - The advent of
gunpowder enables the development of
bombs.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - MEGA TECH - "Below New York" - Utility lines beneath
the streets of New York; water system.(CC)(TVG)
10:30 PM
PBS - DIGITAL TV: A CRINGELY CRASH COURSE - Cutting edge
technology changes home entertainment; host Robert X.
Cringely.(CC)(TVG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Temple Mount Faithful re: bombs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 10:33:16 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Arab Terrorist Bombs in Jerusalem
The barbarian terrorists of the murderer Yasser Arafat continue to
shed the blood of innocent Israelis. They are messengers not only of
the so- called "Palestinian Authority" that a naive and sinful Israeli
government created in the midst of Israel, but also of all the Arab
Islamic world which over the last 50 years has not stopped trying to
do everything it can to destroy Israel.
On Friday the 6th November at 09:45 in the morning, they brought a car
filled with bombs to the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem when the
market was filled with people, men women and children, and detonated
it. It was only a miracle from G-d that only 21 people were injured
but no one was killed. Their goal was to kill as many innocent
Israelis as possible. For them women, children and old people are good
enough as targets. For them it is another stage in their battle to
destroy Israel. More than at any time in the past they have stated
that if one day they succeed in destroying Israel, Hitler's holocaust
will be nothing in comparison to what they will do to the Jews.
This terrible event happened a few days after the so-called peace
conference at the Wye Plantation and within a very short time it shows
the bloody results of this false peace conference. This is the image
of the false peace that President Clinton did his best to give to
Israel even though he so clearly knew the character of this false
"peace" and that the main goal of the so-called "Palestinians" is
again just to take territories from the land of Israel. Their "peace"
means to take piece after piece from the land which G-d gave to
Israel. Despite this bloody event President Clinton and all the other
hypocritical powers all over the world called on Israel to continue to
give away their holy godly land to the barbarian "Palestinians" and in
this way to create and give them more bases for terrorism, violence
and attacks against Israel.
The murderer, Yasser Arafat, is playing a double game. On one hand he
speaks publicly directed to all the world about "peace" but on the
other hand he uses his terror bands, called by other names, to attack
innocent Israelis. In this way he washes his dirty hands with the
blood of innocent Israeli children and adults.
Where are all the hypocritical powers all over the world when they so
clearly see that they made a covenant with the devil himself against
the innocent people of G-d, Israel? We want to say to all of them in
the name of the G-d of Israel that they will never succeed, together
with their barbaric allies, to destroy Israel. They are bitterly
deluded if they think that the major event of the rebirth of the
people, the State and land of Israel 50 years ago was merely an
accident and only of temporary duration. This event was an eternal
godly prophetic endtime event. G-d is determined to accomplish what He
stated through the prophets of Israel. Israel is an eternal event
closely and permanently controlled by the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob and no one can stop it. Soon all those evil enemies and their
hypocritical allieas all over the world will understand what a
terrible mistake they made. But then it will be too late for them.
We call on the Israeli Government of Benjamin Netanyahu to understand
all the ramifications of this bloody event and others which have
occurred again and again over recent time. These bloody attacks,
battles, wars and terror operations have never stopped since the
rebirth of Israel 50 years ago. We call on the Israeli government to
overcome their weakness and not to give in to the pressure that
President Clinton, Secretary of State Albright, the Europeans and
other hypocritical and anti-godly powers, allies of the Arab
murderers, are putting on Israel. We call on the Israeli Government to
no longer trust the cruel enemies of Israel and the murderer Yasser
Arafat and his "Palestinian" Authority but to trust only in the G-d of
Israel Who again and again commanded Israel not to give the land that
He gave them in an eternal covenant to foreigners and murderers and
not to make a covenant with the so-called "Palestinian" foreigners who
emigrated to the land only in the 20th century from all the Arab
countries with only one goal, to destroy Israel and to make it their
own land. "Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land where you go, lest it be for a snare in the
midst of you;" (Exodus 34:12). The Word of G-d and His warning have
become a reality and a punishment in Israel. We are paying the
terrible and permanent price of innocent blood because the Israeli
Government forgot this Word and warning of our G-d and we made a
covenant with the devil himself instead of keeping and obeying the
covenant and Word of the G-d of Israel. We call on the Israeli
Government to immediately cancel the false Oslo Agreement, the evil
Wye Plantation Agreement and all the other anti-godly and anti-Israeli
agreements. We call on the Israeli Government to immediately cancel
the so-called "Palestinian" Authority which became "a snare in the
midst of us", and to take back all the land and Biblical cities which
were given to the PLO and to the band of the murderer Yasser Arafat.
G-d will never accept it. Let us do it before He judges and punishes
us for not obeying his Word and covenant with us.
The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement states first of
all to the G-d of Israel: we are faithful to the eternal covenant that
You made with Israel and to Your Word; we shall do and sacrifice
everything in any legal way to make Your covenant an eternal reality
in the land of Israel. If we shall do this G-d will be with us and we
shall overcome all of our enemies and their allies. The future belongs
to Israel because G-d is determined to redeem the people and land of
Israel and make them a blessing to all the families of the earth
exactly as He promised to Abraham and his seed, Israel when He made
the eternal covenant with them. If we shall be strong and faithful to
His covenant and His Word then together with G-d we shall overcome. In
the G-d of Israel we trust.
Temple Mount & Land of Israel Faithful Movement
http://www.templemountfaithful.org
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Nov. 9, 1998 Infobeat Morning News
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 10:33:17 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** Jewish group finds lists of Nazi art looters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Jewish group said Friday it found a list of
2,000 people involved in the Nazi looting of art during World War II
and planned to make the list public. The World Jewish Congress said
its researchers found the list in declassified documents in the U.S.
National Archives. The list was compiled by the Art Looting
Investigations Unit of the Office of Strategic Services, which later
became the CIA. The Nazi looting of art was unprecedented in history
and according to Francis Taylor, director of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, in 1945 the total value of the stolen art was about $2.5
billion at wartime prices - or more than the total value of all the
art in the U.S. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556977696-3c0 ***
Also: Holocaust victim lawyers, Bank Austria in talks, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556975363-1f6
*** Radical Palestinians demand new parliament
DAMASCUS, Syria (Reuters) - Leaders of radical Palestinian groups
renewed their opposition Sunday to canceling articles in the
Palestinian charter that deny Israel's right to exist and called for
the election of a new parliament. The leaders of the 10 groups said
they would boycott meetings by the Palestinian Authority to change the
charter, a key requirement of an interim peace deal signed by
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu last month. At the meeting, the leaders said the
new Palestinian parliament should elect a central committee and
rebuild PLO bodies. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557006540-0f4 ***
Also: PLO takes first step to amend charter, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556982287-7f0
*** Yeltsin returns as anti-Semitism row heats up
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Boris Yeltsin returned to Moscow Sunday
after nine days at a Black Sea resort recuperating from exhaustion as
a row over alleged anti-Semitism in the opposition Communist Party
turned more bitter. The feud, including a call from an influential
tycoon that the Communists should be banned over anti-Jewish remarks,
has raised tensions as politicians position themselves for the battle
to succeed Yeltsin. That election is not due until mid-2000 but many
believe it could be called sooner if the ailing Yeltsin heeds calls to
stand down. Yeltsin, 67, went to the resort of Sochi Oct. 30. He
looked tired in a brief address aired Saturday, the 81st anniversary
of the Russian revolution. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557005263-fcf ***
Also: Yeltsin's 'revolution' may be over, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557003544-1db ***
Also: Russian tycoon says ban Communist Party, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557003330-52c ***
Also: Ban Communists for anti-Semitism, says Berezovsky, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557000691-974 ***
And: Final Russia crisis plan due Tuesday, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556988785-967
*** Arrears defeat U.S. bid for key UN committee
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An American financial specialist was
defeated in a bid to regain the U.S. seat on a key U.N. budget panel
because of Washington's $1.3 billion debt to the world body. "We had a
good candidate and we should have had a seat on the committee, which
is the policy-determining committee on management and budget issues,"
said U.S. envoy Peter Burleigh after the vote Friday. Instead Britain
and Italy were elected to the two vacancies reserved for Western
nations on the 16-member Advisory Committee on Administrative and
Budgetary Questions, known as the ACABQ. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556979643-c3c
*** Doctors eye genetic body repair kit for each child
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have devised a way of giving every
child its own "body repair kit" by using cloning to provide supplies
of human tissue for transplant surgery, the Independent Sunday
reported. The paper said the researchers envisaged the day when every
newborn would have its own supply of cloned cells frozen in a national
tissue bank for transplant operations later in life. They are working
to combine those techniques with research on embryonic cells that can
develop into blood, bone, muscle and even research cells. Because this
would enable perfect tissue matches without risk of rejection, the
treatment of incurable diseases could be revolutionized. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557003318-16d
*** Finnish priest rebuked for trying to wake the dead
HELSINKI, Finland (Reuters) - A Finnish Lutheran vicar has been
reprimanded by his bishop for trying to wake a 4-year-old boy from the
dead, the tabloid Iltalehti reported Friday. The newspaper said vicar
Markku Koivisto, from a small town 90 miles north of Helsinki, prayed
over the body of the drowned child and led parishioners in an
all-night vigil aimed at resurrecting him. The boy drowned in a lake
as an ambulance called to his aid drove into a ditch and a medical
helicopter sent to the scene flew to the wrong place, the newspaper
said. No officials were immediately available to confirm the report.
Infobeat News
http://www.infobeat.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Ailing Middle East Leaders
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 08:13:11 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
From the News-of-Interest E-mail Newsletter
Vol. 2, Issue #44, November 9, 1998
Editor: Evangelist Edward R. DeVries, D.Min.
Assistant Editor: Brother Kevin P. Murphy
AILING MIDDLE-EAST LEADERS King Hussein of Jordan, now
suffering from lymphoma, will be spending a few more weeks at the
Mayo Clinic. And his seven-year, on-and-off battle against cancer is
taking its toll. On his 69th birthday, Yasser Arafat took the floor of
the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah. He thanked the
speaker with trembling lips and hands, was about to sit down, and
apparently forgot why he was there in the first place. The doctors
are advising him to undergo another operation to remove a blood
clot from his brain a result of the 1992 plane crash in the African
desert - but Arafat refuses.
Seventy-seven year old King Falid of Saudi Arabia was admitted to
the hospital in Riyadh for the second time in less than a year. He
had colon infection. It's an open secret that his half-brother, Crown
Prince Abdallah, has been handling most of the affairs of state for
some time.
Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad, the healthiest sick man of the Middle
East, has been suffering from a combination of diabetes and heart
problems for decades. At 70, he seems doubly eager to ensure that
he will be succeeded by his son Bashar; who is being given an
increasing number of responsibilities - and is excelling at none of
them.
Elias Hrawi, the puppet president of Lebanon, who is 72 and fairly
worn out, will probably step down at the end of his term.
In Morocco, King Hassan II, 69, is weakened by the pernicious
disease that's been eating away at him for years. Egyptian president
Hosni Mubarak, who turned 70, has quietly dropped his daily
squash game and cut his work hours to the minimum.
The human gallery of this generation of leaders will be replaced by
new faces. With the passing of leaders whose characters molded
their regimes, there might well be changes in ruling style and in
policy as well.
Everything that could once be taken for granted will, within a
relatively short space of time, become clouded. And as the players
change, so might the game itself. (Zion's Fire, September/October
1998)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Top Secret Plans by Russia?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 08:13:11 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
From the:
News-of-Interest E-mail Newsletter
Vol. 2, Issue #44, November 9, 1998
Editor: Evangelist Edward R. DeVries, D.Min.
Assistant Editor: Brother Kevin P. Murphy
TOP SECRET SOVIET PLANS FOR AMERIKA
Using the writings of Russian defectors and intelligence, Jeff
Nyquist will show how Russia and her allies are ready to attack! A
Russian defector, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn says "Russia is still a
Communist country... they planned to fake the collapse and show a
controlled democracy."
He says Russia is producing chemical and biological weapons such
as the highly lethal nerve gas A-232, and a "superplague" which is
immune to antibiotics and produced in both unitary and binary forms
with money given for the disassembly of their arsenal.
The Russian military has untrackable mobile ICBM's, and the largest
submarine fleet in the world, and are building them faster than ever.
The Russian Strategic Rocket Forces are on permanent alert and
ready to launch a surprise attack. They are stocking enough
supplies to feed their entire population for 3-4 years, and are
building under-ground blast and fallout shelters.
Russian scientists are developing an earthquake weapon, and
microwave weapons capable of paralyzing almost all modem
computer-driven defense systems.
[Mod Note: ultranationalist Zhirinovsky has made mention of a
"secret" Russian weapon called an Elipton Bomb that kills its
victims without leaving a mark on the body.]
Jeff received his B.A. degree and teaching credentials from the
University of California, where he also attended graduate school,
working in the Politics and Society Group. Since leaving graduate
school, Jeff has continued his research on Soviet deception
strategy, weapons of mass destruction, and Cold War history.
(Newspaper clipping received by anonymous snail-mail)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Nov 10, 1998 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 11:01:26 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
PBS - NOVA - "Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius" - Volcano
Vesuvius destroys Pompeii and still continues to pose a
threat.(CC)(TVPG)
HIST - THE MONKEY TRIAL - The 1925 Tennessee trial of
John Scopes deals with Creationism vs.
Darwinism.(CC)(TVPG)
9:00
HIST - WARHORSE - "The Iron Horse" - Knights use the heavily
armored horse in battle during the Middle Ages; descendants
of war horses are used by Spanish
bullfighters.(CC)(TVG)
10:00
HIST - MODERN MARVELS - "The Great Wall of China" -
Historians, engineers and military experts examine the Great
Wall of China.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - MEGA TECH - "Subterranean Secrets" - Underground
missile sites.Cheyenne Mountain.(CC)(TVG)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Plagues of modern life troubled ancients too
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 09:46:43 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** Plagues of modern life troubled ancients too
LONDON (Reuters) - The issues of the modern world such as abortion,
animal rights and alcoholism are the same as those the ancient Greeks
and Romans argued about two millennia ago, a book published this week
shows. While the ancient Greeks kept human slaves, their philosophers
carried on an anguished debate about the rights of animals, says the
"Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization." Pythagoras attacked the
maltreatment of animals, while the philosopher Porphyry advocated
vegetarianism in his "On Abstinence from Animal Foods." Evidence
ancient Romans were as soppy about animals as modern Westerners came
when soldier-politician Pompey held a slaughter of elephants and
provoked more outrage over those killings than the loss of human life.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2557045646-069
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: What's New at BPR?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 10:24:06 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Additions and updates made since Oct 26, 1998:
Vol 1, Number 6
November 11, 1998
-----------
> Added: "...the seven angels which stood before God..."
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/s-014-01.htm
The Apocryphal Book of Enoch names seven angels. Could
they be the angels that blow the seven trumpets?
---------
> Added: The "Millennium Bug" in Bible Codes
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms-015-a.htm
Is the Y2K or Millennium Computer Bug hidden in Bible codes?
---------
> Added: Cassini Space Probe
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Sky_Signs/ss-008.htm
A personal look at Cassini's possible relationship to
"wormwood" mentioned in The Book of Revelation.
---------
> Updated: The Trumpet Judgments
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/t-001-01.htm
> Updated: "...a measure of wheat for a penny..."
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/m-001-01.htm
Thank you!
owner-bpr@philologos.org
http://philologos.org
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Nov. 12, 1998 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 10:14:04 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
DISC - SPYTEK - "Spy vs. Spy" - Technology plays an
important role in espionage.(CC)(TVG)
9:00
DISC - SPYTEK - "The Real 007" - New technology helps FBI
agents track a traitorous CIA employee.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - WARHORSE - "The Last Charge?" - Europeans import
Arabian and Turkish breeds to increase speed and vitality;
heavy artillery and machine guns signal the end of using
horses in battle.(CC)(TVG)
10:00
CBS - 48 HOURS - "Quest for Immortality" - Science and
technology searches for ways to make humans live
longer.(CC)
DISC - SPYTEK - "The Deadly Game" - The world of
assassination and espionage.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - MODERN MARVELS - "Helicopters" - Helicopters,
first theorized by Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison, have
proven their worth in a wide array of
uses.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - EUROTUNNEL - A complex engineering project connects
Britain with continental Europe.(CC)(TVG)
11:30
ABC - NIGHTLINE - "Storm of Death" - Hurricane Mitch
devastates Central America.(CC)(Starts 11:35pm) (Ends
12:05am)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Russian Urges Quotas on Jews/Antisemitism
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 10:21:15 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Russian Urges Quotas on Jews
Communists Begin to Split Over Comrade's Antisemitism
By David Hoffman
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, November 12, 1998; Page A28
MOSCOW, Nov. 11-Albert Makashov, the Communist member of parliament
who has inveighed against Jews as the source of Russia's economic
malaise, ignited fresh controversy today by calling for quotas on the
number of Jews in Russia and denouncing a television correspondent as
"worse than the worst of the yids."
Makashov's blatantly antisemitic remarks have not been repudiated by
the Communists and their leader, Gennady Zyuganov. Rather, Zyuganov
has responded by attacking the news media and Russia's wealthy
tycoons, many of whom are Jewish.
The exchanges in recent days underscore how Russia's economic
hardships have spawned a bitter round of ethnic scapegoating. Such
virulent antisemitism has been rare in post-Soviet Russian politics,
but it appears to have taken on a new dimension because of the
economic difficulties following the Aug. 17 devaluation of the ruble.
Makashov's remarks also have suggested that Zyuganov's party is flying
apart. Some leading Communist members have distanced themselves from
the retired general, who helped lead the violent revolt against
President Boris Yeltsin in 1993. But Zyuganov has steadfastly stood by
Makashov, and the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, which is
dominated by the Communists, also refused to discipline the
legislator.
A subtext of the controversy is the Communists' ire at the wealthy
Russian business tycoons who have come to prominence in recent years.
The tycoons also control two of Russia's biggest television channels.
In his statements, Makashov has echoed the antisemitism of earlier
generations, saying that wealthy Jews are behind Russia's suffering.
Today, he attacked Boris Berezovsky, one of the business magnates, who
has control of the largest television network as well as oil, aviation
and auto industry holdings.
"Don't behave as a yid," Makashov said of Berezovsky, using a slur for
Jew. "Give this country, this nation . . . a billion or two of your
green money and this nation will calm down."
Zyuganov also has joined in the attacks on the tycoons. In a statement
today, he lambasted "these henchmen of criminal capital" and claimed
they had stirred up the controversy.
Makashov told the Italian newspaper La Stampa that a quota should be
imposed on the number of Jews in Russia. When he was asked about the
interview, he wheeled on television journalist Pavel Lobkov, whose
channel, NTV, is owned by tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky, a leader of the
Russian Jewish community.
"You destroyed Russia," Makashov said. "Wait until a wave of people's
indignation rises against those like you."
When Lobkov said he was not Jewish, Makashov fired back, "You are
acting worse than the worst of the yids." He said the slur for a Jew
could be found in the writings of Alexander Pushkin, Fyodor Dostoevsky
and Nikolai Gogol. "Few Jews are left in Russia, but many yids
remain," he said.
Zyuganov repeatedly has sidestepped Makashov's remarks. On Tuesday, he
insisted that Makashov couldn't be antisemitic because he served in
the "multiethnic Soviet army." Then Zyuganov attacked Jewish
journalists. "For numerous reasons," he said, "among the 'democratic'
journalists eating from the hand of the regime, there are numerous
ethnic Jews who turn the nation into dopes day and night."
But Makashov's latest outburst brought criticism from many others.
Vladimir Ivanenko of the centrist Yabloko bloc said that "it is
difficult to do anything about" Makashov. "The problem is different:
The [Communist] faction has not disassociated" itself from him. The
Communists, he added, "are not announcing clearly and distinctly that
such unbelievable views are impossible at the end of the 20th
century."
The two leaders of parliament's lower and upper houses, Gennady
Seleznev and Yegor Stroyev, both Communists, also took issue with
Makashov. "I'm not taking part in this dirty business," Stroyev
declared. Seleznev said he would vote to lift Makashov's parliamentary
immunity from prosecution.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1998-11/12/064r-111298-idx.html
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Israeli Cabinet Decision on Wye
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 10:24:23 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
CABINET DECISION ON WYE
(Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat)
Following is the government decision of 11 November, 1998
1. The government approves the Wye River Memorandum signed in
Washington on 23 October, 1998 (henceforth "the Agreement") and will
present it to the Knesset for approval.
2. a) The implementation of the Palestinian obligations throughout
all the phases of the Agreement is a condition for the implementation
of the Israeli obligation under the Agreement according to the
timetable set in it.
b) The implementation of each phase of the Further Redeployment
mentioned in the Agreement will be brought before the government for
prior discussion and approval.
3. a) The government approves the map of the first phase of the
Further Redeployment as presented by the government. Approval of the
maps of the additional phases of the Further Redeployment shall be
given in the ministerial committee mentioned below, which shall decide
on the matter with the governments' consent.
b) In accordance with paragraph 36(A)(6) of the Basic Law, the
Prime Minister has appointed a ministerial committee consisting of the
Minsiter of Defense, chairman; the Minsiter of Foreign Affairs; the
Minister of Education, Culture and Sport; the Minister of Immigration and Absorption and
the Minister for Public Security.
c) Government ministers may view the maps of each phase of the
Further Redeployment at the Government Secretariat as the date of its
implementation approaches and they may appear before the committee and express their views.
d) The Minsiter of Defense will determine the work agenda of the
timetable.
4. a) Since the signing of the Agreement, official Palestinian
declarations regarding the PLO Covenant have substantively
contradicted the Agreement.
b) The Agreement decrees a decision at the Palestinian National
Council to confirm the Palestinian Authority Chairman's statement in
his letter to President Clinton regarding the cancellation of the
Palestinian Covenant articles which contravene the PLO's commitment to
denounce terrorism, recognize Israel and live peaceably with Israel.
c) In light of the above, the fulfillment of Israel's commitment
according to the Agreement is conditioned on a properly conducted vote
at the Palestinian National Council.
5. a) Israel persists in its demand for the transfer of suspects and wanted fugitives
according to the Agreement.
b) As for the list of 30 suspects, the government notes the Prime
Minsiter's statement, according to which "The arrest of the 30
suspects is included in the 'Working Plan for combating terrorism', so
that one third will be arrested at each phase of the 12 weeks, and the
U.S. has promised Israel that this will be implemented. The U.S. has also
committed to Israel that there will be special arrangements to prevent
a 'revolving door' policy in relation to these prisoners, and that if
nevertheless a release of these prisoners will occur, it will be
considered a violation of the Agreement."
6. As to the third Further Redeployment, insofar as Israel,
according to its own judgment, will make a decision on it, the scope
of the redeployment will not exceed the total of one percent in all
categories.
7. In the negotiations of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District, the
government will preserve the vital national interests of the State of
Israel as affirmed in the government's decision of 14 January 1998.
These include security areas, the areas around Jerusalem, the areas of
Jewish settlement, infrastructure interests, water sources, military
and security locations, the areas around north-south and east-west
transport arteries and historic sites of the Jewish people.
8. The government asserts that a unilateral declaration by the
Palestinian Authority on the establishment of a Palestinian state,
prior to the achievement of a Final Status Agreement, would constitute
a substantive and fundamental violation of the Interim Agreement. In
the event of such a violation, the government would consider itself
entitled to take all necessary steps, including the application of
Israeli rule, law and administration to settlement areas and security
areas in Judea, Samaria and Gaza as it sees fit. Israel reiterates
its position, in accordance with the Agreement with the Palestinian
Authority, that the final status must be the result of free
negotiations between the parties without the implementation of
unilateral steps which will change the status of the area.
9. The government will continue to pursue its policy of
strengthening and developing the communities in Judea, Samaria and the
Gaza Strip, on the basis of a multi-year plan.
10. The government will see to it that security roads will be built
in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza District.
11. The government expresses its hope that there will be complete
compliance with the provisions of the Wye River Memorandum, and that
this Agreement will contribute to the advancement of peace.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Gulf Crisis News
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 10:28:26 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
DM MORDECHAI DISCUSSES GULF CRISIS
(Communicated by Defense Minister's Media Advisor)
Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, yesterday (Wednesday) 11.11.98,
held a series of meetings with IDF and defense establishment officials
over the current crisis in the Gulf. To this end, he was forced to
leave the cabinet meeting on the Wye Memorandum and return to Tel
Aviv.
Following the cabinet decision and an analysis of the situation,
the Defense Minister ordered the IDF and defense establishment to
facilitate the continued orderly distribution of gas masks in order to
enable the Home Front to complete its preparations. Aside from this,
there is no need for people to change their daily routines.
The Defense Minister said, "Israel supports the American policy not
to allow the development of non- conventional weapons in the region
and to resume significant supervision by UNSCOM on Iraqi facilities."
Defense Ministry officials remain in continuous contact with their
American counterparts.
Press Survey: Current Gulf Crisis and Cabinet Approval of Wye
Agreement
WE ARE NOT PART OF THE EQUATION
(Commentary by Ron Ben-Yishai, Yediot Ahronot, 12.11.98, p.1, 23)
The Americans are about to try a new strategy on Saddam Hussein
instead of UN supervision, an aerial bombardment that is intended to
prevent him from making missiles and non-conventional weapons, and
maybe even to collapse his regime.
It is not clear if this strategy will work, but it clear enough
that this time we are not part of the game.
American intelligence agencies, just like the IDF Intelligence
Branch, believe that there is almost no chance that Saddam Hussein
will try to attack Israel with missiles or planes if he absorbs an
American attack. This evaluation is based on three thingsone is the
intelligence which states that Saddam does not possess any missiles,
or only a few missiles and launchers which he would keep till the last
moment, just before his regime collapses.
The evaluation's second component is Saddam Hussein's political
assessment. He knows well that if he launches missiles or non-
conventional weapons towards Israel, he will prove the American
charges that he deceived the United Nations inspectors who will then
have the legitimacy to settle accounts with him. The third component
is Saddam Hussein's fear that if he uses the forbidden weapons, he
will destroy any chance that the UN will lift the sanctions on Iraq.
However, despite the very low probability that Saddam will attack
Israel, the government must carry out the minimal preparations against
the possibility that this evaluation is wrong. Any responsible
government must guarantee its citizens maximum personal security. The
publicity that the government is giving these preparations is part of
the American effort to illustrate to Saddam, through Israel, that they
intend to strike him. This time it seems serious, and Israel has no
need to intervene or continue to pay attention to the matter.
Therefore the Home Front Command's preparations are being carried
out with a low media profile. It seems that the public is responding
accordingly since it has already gotten used to the situation, but it
would be a good idea if all Israeli citizens knew that they had
functional ABC kits so that we will not end up like the little boy who
cried wolf.
An Attack on Israel Is Against Iraqi Interests
(Commentary by Alex Fishman, Yediot Ahronot, 12.11.98, p.3)
No option for diplomatic dialogue that could, maybe, halt a
military confrontation has emerged in this crisis. As of now, the
United States and Iraq are on track to a certain collision.
The present crisis in the Gulf has not come as a surprise. Western
intelligence services estimated six months ago that it would break out
in October. The Iraqis, for reasons of their own, decided to
manufacture it a month later.
The estimate was derived from the fact that the fundamental Iraqi
policy remains unchanged, keep its chemical-biological-nuclear
capabilities, emasculate the inspection regime and throw it out, and
lift the sanctions.
The Iraqis have gone one step further in the present crisis, they
not only harmed the ongoing supervision of the inspectors, but also
their long-term capability. They forbade the maintenance of the
surveillance cameras and sensors which were installed at sensitive
sites. These were intended to be used as permanent supervision means
for many years, even after the United Nations inspection teams' work
on Iraqi soil ends.
In this way, Iraq pushed the American administration and the UN
Security Council into an untenable corner, from which there are only
two exits surrender to the Iraqi diktat, or a military strike that
will put Iraq back on the path of inspection. Even the Russians and
the French - - who have been the Iraqis' defenders up till now -- have
found it difficult to support them in the current situation.
Israel expects that, in contrast to what happened during the Gulf
War, the Americans will not delay attacking until they gather
strength, but will strike, with surprise, within the next few days.
Since the strike will be immediate, it is doubtful if Israel will have
sufficient warning to enable it to organize the Home Front.
Therefore, the cabinet decided yesterday to prepare the public.
However, the assessment in Israel, to which the American
intelligence services concur, is that Israel lies outside the ring of
the present conflict. The reason this time the Iraqis wish to present
weakness, i.e. "to have the sanctions lifted, because we have no more
non- conventional weapons." Launching missiles against Israel would
belie this fundamental claim, especially since the Iraqis do not know
what the Israeli response would be. Meanwhile, and this too is a
sign, official Iraqi sources do not mention Israel.
The shadow of doubt that always remains requires readiness in
Israel too, because Saddam Hussein's actions could to be unpredictable
if the American attack threatens to topple his regime or his life, or
both.
NETANYAHU'S OSLO
(Commentary by Shimon Shiffer, Yediot Ahronot, 12.11.98, p. A6)
All the conditions and constraints which accompanied last night's
cabinet decision to ratify the agreement with the Palestinians cannot
conceal one basic factthe government headed by Netanyahu has taken a
decision involving the continuation of the withdrawal from Judea and
Samaria and the transfer of large swathes of uninhabited land to the
full control of the Palestinian entity. Territorial compromise has
been taken up by a right-wing government.
This is indeed a historic decision. No less so than the two Oslo
agreements.
There are those who will say that the constraints surrounding the
decision on withdrawal will make the implementation of the agreement
difficult. But this is not so. The process of coming to terms with
the Palestinians will continue, with or without the constraints. One
had to see Foreign Minister Sharon last night, the father of settlement in
the territories, in order to believe one's ears. Sharon asked to give
peace with the Palestinians a chance. There is also the Iraqi
connection to the agreement approved by the government. Clinton spoke
by telephone with Netanyahu two days ago and updated him on the
expected developments in the Gulf. It may be assumed that the U.S.
President advised Netanyahu to complete the process of ratifying the
agreement with the Palestinians. Clinton thus wanted to pass on a
message to the Americans' allies in the Arab world that the U.S. would
not accept Israeli delaying tactics. Clinton was very interested,
before delivering the blow that the U.S. is preparing to deal Iraq, to
make clear to the moderate Arab states in the region that Israel does
not constitute a barrier to regional arrangements, and that it
respects international law and international agreements.
The demonstration organized by opponents of the agreement last
night could not have been worse timed at a time when the Americans are
preparing to strike at Iraq, the demonstrators come across as
unwilling to integrate into the region.
Netanyahu understood the hint, and the cabinet approved the
agreement with the Palestinians.
Israeli Government Press Office
gponews@netvision.net.il
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: PA seeks real-estate foothold through churches
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 10:31:38 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
PA SEEKS REAL-ESTATE FOOTHOLD THROUGH CHURCHES
The Palestinian Authority is opening a new front in the war for
control over Israeli lands. The PA is attempting to gain control of
properties throughout western Jerusalem via various churches.
Hatzofeh newspaper reports today that the Jerusalem neighborhood of
Rehaviah, as well as large parts of Abu Tor, the Old City, and the
Valley of the Cross, rests entirely on lands owned by the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate. A security report submitted to Prime Minister
Netanyahu and Public Security Minister Kahalani states that the
take-over attempts are carried out with the aid of lawyers familiar
with Greek law, and by the establishment of pseudo-Christian
associations.
The PA has managed to gain influence in this manner in the Latin
Patriarchate, the Anglican Bishopric, the Lutheran Bishopric, and
the Greek Catholic Bishopric of Jerusalem. The PA is now attempting
to exert control over the Armenian Patriarchate, the Franciscan
Order (which controls Catholic holy sites on behalf of the Vatican),
and the Greek Catholic Bishopric of the Galilee, in addition to
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The security reports warns that if the
PA succeeds in its efforts, the PA will be able to collect rent from
Rehaviah residents, or "to do what it wants with the lands."
Arutz Sheva News Service
http://www.a7.org
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1998 / Cheshvan 22, 5759
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Intelligence: Russia/Yugoslavia
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 09:10:47 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Global Intelligence Update
Red Alert
November 12, 1998
Proposal for Russia-Belarus-Yugoslav Federation Finds Fertile
Soil in Russia
During a visit to Russia on November 1-6, a delegation of the five
largest Yugoslav parties, led by Deputy Prime Minister of the
Yugoslav government and leader of the Serbian Radical Party,
Vojislav Seselj, promoted the idea of Yugoslavia joining the union
between Russia and Belarus. As part of the visit, the delegation
attended a joint session of the Russia-Belarus Parliamentary
Assembly on November 3 in Yaroslavl. Seselj, an extreme
nationalist denounced in the West as a war criminal, also discussed
the proposal with Russian Duma Speaker Gennady Seleznyov,
Russian Interior Minister Sergei Stepashin, Moscow Mayor and
presidential candidate Yuri Luzhkov, Communist Party leader
Gennady Zyuganov, and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,
Alexei II. In addition, the Yugoslav delegation visited the Russian
Foreign Ministry.
Following the talks, Luzhkov, Zyuganov, and Seleznyov all
expressed their support for the creation of a Russia-Belarus-
Yugoslav Federation. Seselj received strong applause for his anti-
NATO and anti-Western tirades while addressing the Duma on the
final day of his visit. Commenting on the visit for BK-TV in Belgrade,
Seselj said that, "certain Western states are openly hostile to us,
particularly the USA and Great Britain," whose goal is to "destroy
our people and seize our territory." Seselj made it clear that the
proposed alliance would be designed to politically and militarily
counterbalance the West.
Seselj succeeded in gaining the support of a number of prominent
Russian leaders for a creation of a union of Slavic nations. State
Duma Chairman Gennady Seleznyov suggested that the next
meeting of the Russia-Belarus Parliamentary Assembly may decide
to grant permanent observer status to Yugoslavia. "The three
countries may sign an interstate agreement and then discuss
possible joint management of some affairs," Seleznyov said. He
went on to say that Russia is sympathetic with Serbian efforts to
prevent the disintegration of Yugoslavia. "Attempts to destroy
Serbia will continue. There is a desire to blow up Kosovo.
Montenegro is beginning to think of seceding from Yugoslavia.
Such attempts are undermining the country with which we have
been historically connected," Seleznyov said. The Duma speaker
also expressed his view that the idea of a Slavic union is becoming
increasingly popular in the region. According to Seleznyov, Bulgaria
is also currently considering the Slavic alliance concept.
To promote his idea of Yugoslavia joining the Russia-Belarus
Federation, Seselj met on November 5 with Russian Communist
Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, who commented, "The idea of
Serbia joining the union of Russia and Belarus expressed during the
recent session of the parliamentary assembly of the union in Belarus
was very interesting. We have been expressing it for a long time
and believe that it can be carried out." In an interview with the
Russian news agency Interfax, Zyuganov said that the Communist
Party and its supporters "will do their utmost to support Yugoslavia
at this exceptionally difficult time." Zyuganov added that, although
the plan to establish the Russia- Belarus-Yugoslavia union may at
first appear infeasible, it could, in fact, be carried out. As an
example that such a revolutionary idea, greeted initially with
considerable skepticism, could actually materialize, Zyuganov gave
the example of European integration and its perception after World
War II.
As the leader of radical Serbian nationalists, Seselj had planned his
visit to Russia well, appealing to as many influential political and
even religious leaders as possible. His talks with the Patriarch of
Moscow and All Russia Alexei II were of special significance. If the
union between Russia, Belarus, and Yugoslavia is to materialize,
the Orthodox Christian church could play a major role by pointing to
the historical and religious integrity of Slavic nations. The Orthodox
Christian church has been supportive in the past of a peaceful
resolution of the Kosovo problem, denouncing the U.S. threat to
launch an attack on Serbia. This offered the Serb nationalists a
good starting point for discussing the idea of a pan-Slavic union
with the church. The outcome of the talks held between Seselj's
delegation and Alexei II were not made public, however, and no
official statements regarding this issue have been released by the
Orthodox Christian church.
The support Seselj received from Russian nationalists and
communists for his proposal comes as no great surprise. Only a few
Russian politicians, including the chairman of the State Duma
Committee on International Affairs, Vladimir Lukin, expressed
skepticism about the feasibility of such a plan. This reflects the fact
that Russia is currently caught between two potential futures =96 a
return to communism and extreme nationalism on the one hand, or
total chaos and, eventually, military rule on the other. The fact that
even previously moderate and pro-reform figures such as Yuri
Luzhkov have now shifted their position toward a more extreme
form of nationalism suggests that the first scenario is already taking
place. After an hour-long meeting with Seselj, Luzhkov told
Interfax, "Any action against Belgrade would therefore be an action
against Russia and Belarus." Luzhkov further encouraged the
Serbian delegation by saying that, "Although a typhoon of
counteraction is bound to break out as a result of this union, this is
the correct direction along which we must move." Luzhkov also
said he would soon visit Minsk to debate the union concept with
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.
In his address to the Duma on November 6, Seselj called on other
"brotherly" countries, including Armenia, Greece, Cyprus, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Romania, and Bulgaria, to join the new alliance to
"counterbalance the forces of NATO and the European Union."
Clearly, the Serbian nationalists are assuming that Russia's historical
allies and those nations in need a strong ally in possible future
conflicts may consider supporting the idea of an anti-NATO alliance
and, eventually, join it. Although the unification of (mostly) Slavic
states may appear to be a fantasy of desperate nationalistic forces
in Russia and Eastern Europe, militarily and politically this concept
may make sense to the parties involved.
For example, although Yugoslavia shares no borders with either
Russia or Belarus, if Yugoslavia were to become a member of a
Russia-Belarus-Yugoslavia federation, then Russia could station
forces on Serbian and Montenegrin territory. This would
significantly constrain NATO's ability to intervene in ethnic conflicts
in Yugoslavia without risking a major military conflict involving
Russia. Russian troops in Yugoslavia would also contribute to
Russia's goal of blocking NATO's expansion into Eastern Europe
and limiting its geographic influence. While the critical weak point
in an expanded NATO's front line -- Slovakia -- may now be
remedied, a Russian deployment in Serbia would once again make
defending Hungary a nightmare.
Moscow has already begun to readjust its defensive posture for a
more explicit confrontation with NATO, recently stepping up its
military relations with Belarus in an effort to limit NATO's eastward
expansion. Russian press agencies RIA and Itar-Tass quoted
Colonel-General Yury Balyuevsky as saying that Russia has lately re-
deployed its troops along Belarus' western borders, a statement later
denied by the Defense Ministry. Russia's arms sales to and defense
cooperation with Greece and Cyprus, while not likely to lead to their
joining the union, still effectively undermines U.S. and NATO
interests by fueling the long-running Greek-Turkish confrontation.
Again, while perhaps not ready to join a formal union, Armenia has
largely aligned itself with Russia, and remains in simmering
confrontation with growing U.S. ally Azerbaijan. Through Armenia,
and possibly Georgia, Russia can exert a strong influence on
events in the Black Sea and in the Kurdish area of Turkey, Iraq,
and Iran. Turkey has even alleged that Russia is harboring the
leader of the rebel PKK in Moscow. Finally, Russia still maintains a
major political and military presence throughout Central Asia. After
Ukraine, however, which is sliding inexorably toward Russia
anyway, Yugoslavia would be a prize jewel.
While at first glance a radical idea, incorporating Yugoslavia in
some way in the Russian-Belarus union makes sense. It offers
Yugoslavia a weighty shield against U.S. or NATO aggression, and
it gives Russia an inexpensive but very powerful lever with which to
disrupt NATO expansion. Top that all off with pandering to the
nationalist turned pan-Slavic crowd in both countries and you have
a deal. If it was just Ilyukhin or Zhirinovsky, the perennial Russian
lunatics, warming to this proposal, we'd be inclined to discount it.
But with Zyuganov, Seleznyov, and Luzhkov on board, Western
planners should seriously begin considering the repercussions of a
more substantial Russia- Belarus-Yugoslavia alliance.
http://www.stratfor.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Warhorse
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 10:52:35 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Excerpts from the History Channel series "Warhorse":
Part I: A Beast for Heroes
"We don't know of any war or any battle before 1450 BC. This is the
place where the horse entered history. The site of the first battle
with a remembered name--this is Armageddon."
Aristocracy are shown riding to the hunt with a bow in their hands.
Behind them rides the page with the lord's arrows.
The recreating of an Egyptian chariot and their testing of it was
very interesting.
Part II: The Iron Horse
Supposedly Allah said that a Moslem's horse is an arrow for
Islam.
Ghengis Khan supposedly told the people he was conquering that they
must've been very bad because he was "the wrath of God."
Part III: In the Face of Fire
"Men used the horse to display their own nobility and power. Since
ancient times, leaders have displayed themselves on high-stepping
stallions--the embodiment of controlled energy, contained strength
and discipline. Three hundred years ago, all of Europe's leaders
portrayed themselves on powerful warhorses. The leader armored as a
knight, mounted for war, was the symbol of earthly power."
There was 1 Turkish horse and 2 Arabian brought to England which sired
the bloodline which every single thoroughbred in the world can be
traced to.
Serbs fighting for Poland wore animal skins and harnesses that looked
like huge wings made with feathers strapped to their backs--very weird
looking.
The second half of this show was disturbing and may not be
appropriate for anyone squeamish/kids.
Part IV: The Last Charge?
Wasn't very interesting--some disturbing pictures.
The History Channel will be rebroadcasting this series on
Sunday, November 15th from 1-5 pm.
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Israeli immigration statistics
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 11:01:23 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
ALIYAH (Immigration) STATISTICS
In the first nine months of 1998, 39,772 immigrants arrived in
Israel. Of these, 30,921 (78%) came from the former Soviet Union.
Since May of this year, there has been a steady rise in the number of
olim from the former Soviet Union. - The number of immigrants from
Ethiopia for the same periodtotals 2,813 - representing a more than
three-fold increase over last year.
- Presently, there are some 5,300 olim in absorption centers, of whom
some 63% comprise students and other young people.
- Close to half the new immigrants to Israel during this period have
settled in the central region of the country. By contrast, the
northern and southern districts have absorbed the largest number of
olim over the last decade.
- A new book by two Hebrew University professors shows that
immigration from the former Soviet Union has increased the Negev
population by a third, increased the number of elderly and women in
the population, and improved the level of education. (Report of DG,
Dept. of Immigration & Absorption, JAFI, Hotline, November 4, 1998)
IRAQI JEWS CONSIDER ALIYAH (Immigration)
"The terrorist attack in Baghdad, in which two Jews were
murdered by a Palestinian terrorist, has caused great fear in the
Iraqi Jewish community, and some Jews are considering immigrating to
Israel." A Mossad agent disclosed this at a closed session of the
Knesset's Immigration and Absorption Committee.
The Mossad representative reported that only 58 Jews, most of them
elderly, remain in Iraq. They face certain restrictions and, among
other things, are barred from government service. In the last three
years, 14 Jews have left Iraq "on an individual basis."
It was also reported that a lone individual perpetrated
the attack in Iraq, apparently in retaliation for the killing of a
relative in Lebanon. The Mossad agent pointed out that no
organization has assumed responsibility for the Iraqi incident. (by
Arye Bender, Ma'ariv Newspaper, October 27, 1998)
Bridges for Peace
November 13, 1998
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: Israeli Prime Minister's Report (11/13/98)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 11:27:03 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
---------------------------------------------------
The Prime Minister's Report
Volume 2, Number 39
November 13, 1998
---------------------------------------------------
I. Cabinet Communique
II. Senior Israeli Officials Comment on Iraq,
Wye River Acccord and Har Homa
III. Address by Israeli Prime Minister to CJF
General Assembly in Jerusalem to be
Broadcast Live on the Internet"
--------------------------------------------------------
I. Cabinet Communqiue
November 11, 1998
--------------------------------------------------------
1. The Government approves the Wye River
Memorandum signed in Washington on
October 23, 1998, (henceforth "the
Agreement") and will present it to the Knesset
for approval.
2.a) The implementation of all the
Palestinian obligations throughout all
phases of the Agreement is a condition
for the implementation of the Israeli
obligation under the Agreement according
to the timetable set in it.
b) The implementation of each phase of the
Further Redeployments mentioned in the
Agreement will be brought before the
Government for prior discussion and
approval.
3.a) The Government approves the map
of the first phase of the Further
Redeployment as presented to the
Government. Approval of the maps of
the additional phases of the Further
Redeployment shall be given in the
Ministerial Committee mentioned below,
which shall decide on the matter with
the Government's consent.
b) In accordance with Paragraph 36(A)(6)
of the Basic Law the Prime Minister has
appointed a Ministerial Committee
consisting of the Minister of Defense,
chairman; the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
the Minister of Education, Culture and
Sport; the Minister of Immigrant
Absorption; and the Minister for Public
Security.
c) Government Ministers may view the
maps of each phase of the Further
Redeployment at the Government
Secretariat as the date of its
implementation approaches and they may
appear before the Committee and
express their views.
d) The Minister of Defense will determine
the work agenda of the Committee.
4.a) Since the signing of the Agreement,
official Palestinian declarations
regarding the PLO Covenant have
substantively contradicted the
Agreement.
b) The Agreement decrees a decision at the
Palestinian National Council to confirm the
Palestinian Authority Chairman's
statement in his letter to President Clinton
regarding the cancellation of the
Palestinian Covenant articles which
contravene the PLO's commitment to
denounce terrorism, recognize Israel and
live peacefully with Israel.
c) In the light of the above, the fulfillment of
Israel's commitment according to the
Agreement is conditioned on a properly
conducted vote at the Palestinian
National Council.
5.a) Israel persists in its demand for the
transfer of suspects and wanted
fugitives according to the agreement.
b) As for the list of 30 suspects, the
Government notes the Prime Minister's
statement, according to which: "The
arrest of the 30 suspects is included in the
'Working Plan for combatting terrorism',
so that one third will be arrested at each
phase of the 12 weeks, and the U.S. has
promised Israel that this will be
implemented. The U.S has also
committed to Israel that there will be
special arrangements to prevent a
"revolving door" policy in relation to these
prisoners, and that if nevertheless a
release of these prisoners will occur, it will
be considered a violation of the
Agreement."
6. As to the third Further Redeployment, in so far
as Israel, according to its own judgment, will
make a decision on it, the scope of the
Redeployment will not exceed the total of one
percent in all categories.
7. In the negotiations on Judea, Samaria and the
Gaza District the Government will preserve the
vital national interests of the State of Israel, as
affirmed in the Government's decision of
January 14, 1998. These include security
areas, the areas around Jerusalem, the areas
of Jewish settlement, infrastructure interests,
water sources, military and security locations,
the areas around north-south and west-east
transportation arteries, and historic sites of the
Jewish people.
8. The Government asserts that a unilateral
declaration by the Palestinian Authority on the
establishment of a Palestinian state, prior to
the achievement of a Final Status Agreement,
would constitute a substantive and
fundamental violation of the Interim
Agreement. In the event of such a violation,
the Government would consider itself entitled
to take all necessary steps, including the
application of Israeli rule, law and
administration to settlement areas and security
areas in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, as it sees
fit. Israel reiterates its position, in accordance
with the Agreement with the PA, that the final
status must be the result of free negotiations
between the parties without the implementation
of unilateral steps which will change the status
of the area.
9. The Government will continue to pursue its
policy of strengthening and developing the
communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza
Strip, on the basis of a multi-annual plan.
10. The government will see to it that security
roads will be built in Judea, Samaria and the
Gaza District.
11. The Government expresses its hope that there
will be complete compliance with the provisions
of the Wye River Memorandum, and that this
Agreement will contribute to the advancement
of peace.
--------------------------------------------------------
II. Senior Israeli Officials Comment on Iraq,
Wye River Acccord and Har Homa
--------------------------------------------------------
PM Netanyahu on Iraq
"We take our responsibility with great concern. The people of Israel
have been under threat before and under attack before. We certainly
hope that won't happen again, but we're prepared for any eventuality.
I think everybody understands that Israel's confidence is in its
strength and Israel's ultimate security rests in Israeli power.
"We look at all the possibilities and prepare for all contingencies.
I can say that I think we're prepared to meet all sorts of situations,
and I can tell you that we've taken the necessary steps. One thing I
am sure that people understand is that Israel has never initiatied
anything against Iraq in these years "to-ing and fro-ing" between Iraq
and the international community. We have not sought to introduce
ourselves into this conflict. We do have a supreme responsibility to
protect the State of Israel and its citizens, and we always remember
our capacity and our right for self-defense."
David Bar-Illan on the Wye River Accord:
"The government decision approving the agreement made at Wye River in
no way imposes new conditions on this agreement. All it does is
reaffirm the conditions already contained in it. It makes them more
explicit and clarifies how Israel sees this agreement. Any notion
that these conditions are new or that they are more binding than
anything before it is wrong."
David Bar-Illan on Har Homa:
"Har Homa is a housing project within the municipal boundaries of the
city of Jerusalem. In no way does it contravene the Wye agreement or
the Oslo agreement or any other agreement. It is just a way to
provide housing for young couples in Jerusalem where they sorely need
it. And that is all there is to Har Homa. It is just as legitimate
as the building of houses in the Jewish sector or the Arab sector of
Jerusalem or in any one of the Arab towns in the West Bank.
"It should not irritate anyone. After all, building and housing is
part of peace. There can be nothing more peaceful than building on a
barren hill and providing apartments for young couples. We hope that
it will not in anyway retard or impede the realization of the Wye
agreement."
--------------------------------------------------------
III. Address by Israeli Prime Minister to CJF
General Assembly in Jerusalem to be
Broadcast Live on the Internet
--------------------------------------------------------
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will
address the General Assembly of the Council of
Jewish Federations [CJF] in Jerusalem on Monday,
November 16th at approximately 8:45 pm Israel
time [1:45 pm EST].
The Prime Minister's speech at the GA Plenum will
be broadcast live on the Internet using RealMedia
in cooperation with ORT. Some 2,500 people are
expected to attend the session.
The 20-minute address to the CJF General
Assembly, the largest annual gathering of Jewish
organizations in North America, can be viewed by
visiting http://www.ga98.ort.org.il.
This will be the first time in its history that the
General Assembly will be held outside North
America. The significance of Israel as a venue is
twofold: 1) to mark and celebrate the State of
Israel's 50th anniversary and, 2) to mark and
celebrate the beginning of a new era in the
relationship between Israeli and North American
Jews.
From: The Prime Minister of Israel <pmr@pmo.gov.il>
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: News: This Week in Germany excerpts
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 13:42:56 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
OIL IMPORTS UP, PRICES DOWN
Germans are buying a lot more oil these days and spending a lot less
for it. Crude petroleum imports through September were up 12.3
percent, to 82.1 million tons, above the same period of 1997, the
Federal Economics Agency reported Wednesday (November 11). The bill
for all that oil fell, however, by 19.7 percent to DM 14.7 billion.
Russia has been Germany's biggest oil supplier this year, closely
followed by Norway and Britain. Together, Norway's and Britain's North
Sea wells provide Germany with 39 percent of its petroleum. The OPEC
nations, by contrast, account for 29 percent of German oil imports.
SURVEY: GERMANY IS TOPS FOR BUSINESS
If you're doing business in Europe, Germany's the place to do it,
those in the know say. The real estate firm Healey & Baker recently
asked representatives of 515 European companies to rank the countries
and cities of Europe as business locations. Germany was named Europe's
most favorable manufacturing location for the foreseeable future,
Healey and Baker reported Monday (November 9). Germany also had more
cities in Europe's business top 30 than any other country, according
to the survey. Frankfurt place third behind London and Paris. Munich
(11), Berlin (12), Duesseldorf (16) and Hamburg (17) likewise earned
high marks as commercial centers. Those surveyed were also in broad
agreement that of all European cities, Frankfurt stands to profit most
from the arrival of the euro this coming January 1.
GERMANY'S POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS OBSERVE THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY
OF KRISTALLNACHT
History weighed heavily on the nation this week as political and
religious leaders commemorated the 60th anniversary of the
Kristallnacht pogrom against the Jews of Germany. During a Berlin
memorial ceremony held by the Central Council of Jews in Germany on
Monday, President Roman Herzog referred to the night of November 9,
1938 as "one of the worst and most shameful moments in German
history." It was on that date that the Nazi government orchestrated
its first nationwide attack on Germany's Jewish community, as storm
troopers burned more than 250 synagogues and ravaged some 7,500 Jewish
businesses. At least 91 Jewish citizens were killed and 25,000 were
forced into concentration camps during the pogrom. Calling on German
citizens to renew their effort to understand and learn from history,
Herzog also challenged the notion that public reminders of the past
were losing their force through repetition. "Repression, forgetting,
and 'letting the matter rest' will not help us put this catastrophe of
civilization behind us," he warned. Herzog's words of caution were
directed in part toward tensions that have developed in recent weeks
over how the country should continue to keep alive memory of its Nazi
past. Ignatz Bubis, president of the Central Council of Jews in
Germany, responded to the debate even more adamantly, contending that
right-wing attitudes are spreading from the fringes to Germany's
intellectual center. Bubis once again criticized writer Martin Walser
for his objections to plans to build a Holocaust memorial in Berlin.
In accepting the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade last month in
Frankfurt, Walser had asked German leaders to put an end to what he
called "the incessant presentation of our disgrace" (see October 16
issue, p. 6). Walser's speech sparked a controversy that has gained
momentum in recent weeks, and on Monday, Bubis accused the author of
"spiritual arson." At an earlier gathering in Mainz (Rhineland-Pfalz),
Bubis also charged the nation with forgetting the lessons of the past
and looking the other way as right-wing extremism gains ground in
Germany. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder promised to steer the country
away from such tendencies by providing education and jobs. "Our task,"
he said in a statement issued to mark the anniversary, "is to shape
the present and the future so that the past cannot be repeated."
Schroeder's party, the SPD, has declared November 9 a day of
commitment for all citizens to take an active role in democracy and
fight discrimination against minorities. On Monday evening, several
thousand people took part in a silent march through Berlin in memory
of the Jewish victims of Kristallnacht. Cities elsewhere in Germany
found their own ways to observe the day. Munich sponsored a seven-hour
reading of the names of 2,400 of the city's Jewish citizens who lost
their lives under the Nazi regime. In Dachau (Bavaria), an exhibition
documenting the pogrom was presented to remind visitors of the
suffering tied to that city's name. The Jewish community in Dresden ,
meanwhile, remembered past losses by looking toward the future as they
started construction on a new synagogue. Roman Koenig, president of
the Jewish congregation, called on Dresden to embrace the new building
as "an everlasting sign of tolerance and respect and of our new
unity."
GOETHE INSTITUTE CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF EAST-WEST DIALOGUE IN BEIJING
As the only independent foreign cultural organization in China, the
Beijing Goethe Institute has reason to consider itself special. Those
who helped establish the Beijing outpost, celebrating the tenth
anniversary of its opening this month, recall that it owes its
existence to an apparent misunderstanding. Former communist party
chief Deng Xiaoping is said to have been caught off guard when then
Chancellor Helmut Kohl, on a visit to the city in 1985, suggested
opening a Goethe Institute there. The Chinese leader was reluctant to
refuse his friend Kohl and agreed to the proposal without realizing
what it would entail. According to Michael Kohn-Ackermann, the
institute's first director, when China's Ministry of Education learned
what it had gotten itself into, "it came as rather a shock." Although
China was opening up at the time, the communist party's central
committee had resolved to ban foreign cultural organizations in order
to stem influence from the West. "It was rather a prickly affair,"
says Kahn-Akermann. The offices in charge of the paperwork stalled,
and Kohl had to remind Deng Xiaoping of his promise when he returned
to Beijing in 1987 to get the project out from under the proverbial
red tape. After getting passed around "like a hot potato," the
proposal finally landed in the lap of the Education Ministry, where an
agreement was produced and signed in March 1988 by former German
Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. In November 1988 the
institute set up shop in its current location on the grounds of
Beijing's school for foreign languages. Despite China's initial
attempts to limit the Goethe Institute's activities to language
instruction, the organization managed to move beyond those restraints
by gradually winning the government's trust,. A cultural exchange
program from 1994 to 1996 earned the institute the right to sponsor
cultural activities throughout China, albeit with the prior approval
of the government. Since the Beijing Goethe Institute opened its
doors, it has been offering regular German language instruction to 400
to 500 students a year. Another 2,000 students yearly receive
intensive preparation for residence in Germany. The cultural
department has organized a wide variety of events, including a jazz
festival, productions of Goethe's Faust and Brecht's Threepenny Opera,
and numerous artist's seminars, readings, and women's programs. Herwig
Kempf, the institute's current director, sees its presence in China
above all as an opportunity for dialogue. "Our guiding principle," he
says, "is to learn from each other."
This Week in Germany email list
November 13, 1998
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Re: News: This Week in Germany excerpts
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 16:55:49 -0600
From: Alan <rookie@wf.net>
FINGERPRINT SCANNERS GET ON THE BUS
Digital Persona has announced a $99 fingerprint scanner
that attaches to the Universal Serial Bus. Most of the
earlier fingerprint scanners used serial ports.
Fingerprint scanners let you forego using the traditional
password process for security. Still, the added expense of
these devices would only be worth it for a PC storing highly
confidential data.
You can contact Digital Persona at
http://www.digitalpersona.com
I just this little tidbit might interest many of you.
Alan
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Re: News: This Week in Germany excerpts
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 16:55:49 -0600
From: Alan <rookie@wf.net>
FINGERPRINT SCANNERS GET ON THE BUS
Digital Persona has announced a $99 fingerprint scanner
that attaches to the Universal Serial Bus. Most of the
earlier fingerprint scanners used serial ports.
Fingerprint scanners let you forego using the traditional
password process for security. Still, the added expense of
these devices would only be worth it for a PC storing highly
confidential data.
You can contact Digital Persona at
http://www.digitalpersona.com
I just this little tidbit might interest many of you.
Alan
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Leonids
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 20:34:02 -0600
From: skip007@sprynet.com
**New Website Announcement**
Leonids, Live! http://www.LeonidsLive.com
Next week during the Leonid meteor shower NASA scientists
will launch a helium-filled weather balloon from the Marshall
Space Flight Center. The payload will include a video camera
to record the Leonid meteors. High above the clouds, at 100,000 ft,
and far from city lights the view could be spectacular.
Transmissions from the balloon will be broadcast on the web at
http://www.leonidslive.com/
AOL customers click <a href="http://www.LeonidsLive.com/">HERE</a>.
Linda Porter
Code ES94
Data Systems Branch
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville AL 35812
(256)544-7588
(256)544-7128 (fax)
linda.porter@msfc.nasa.gov
http://science.nasa.gov/
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Leonids
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 20:34:02 -0600
From: skip007@sprynet.com
**New Website Announcement**
Leonids, Live! http://www.LeonidsLive.com
Next week during the Leonid meteor shower NASA scientists
will launch a helium-filled weather balloon from the Marshall
Space Flight Center. The payload will include a video camera
to record the Leonid meteors. High above the clouds, at 100,000 ft,
and far from city lights the view could be spectacular.
Transmissions from the balloon will be broadcast on the web at
http://www.leonidslive.com/
AOL customers click <a href="http://www.LeonidsLive.com/">HERE</a>.
Linda Porter
Code ES94
Data Systems Branch
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville AL 35812
(256)544-7588
(256)544-7128 (fax)
linda.porter@msfc.nasa.gov
http://science.nasa.gov/
========
To: ephai@graphix.com
Subject: 11/14/98 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 11:20:42 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
9:00 PM Eastern
A&E - WHERE ARE ALL THE UFOS? - UFO sightings, at their
apex after World War II, decrease dramatically with the end
of the Cold War; Michael Dorn narrates.(CC)(TVG)
DISC - THE WRATH OF THE SEA - Exploring the ecosystems of
the oceans.(CC)(TVG)
========
To: ephai@graphix.com
Subject: Magog Is Not Russia
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 11:19:15 -0500
From: Ed <ejt@ncinter.net>
[Mod Note: I read this article from Ed yesterday and asked if he would
forward it to the list. I believe it's worth considering, as I personally
have begun to question the Magog = Russia connection in my own
studies of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Thanks Ed for your input...]
http://www.ncinter.net/~ejt/PForum/Moscow7.htm
Miscellaneous Insights
Magog Is Not Russia
GOG AND MAGOG - WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
Though I don't support his doctrines at all, at the Jack van Impe web
site is posted an article (Dec 1996),
<<http://www.jvim.com/IntelligenceBriefing/Dec1996/wars.html>AND RUMORS
OF WARS, Moshe Kohn, a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, writes of the
"New interest in Ezekiel in Israel." The article says the he "recently
linked the prophecies of Ezekiel and Zechariah with the explosive
situation in the Middle East today." This site then posts this excerpt of
Moshe's "All a-Gog" column in an October edition of the Jerusalem Post:=20
<excerpt>"The war to end all wars is to be launched against Eretz Yisrael
by 'Gog of the land of Magog, chief prince of Meshech and Tuval' as
foretold in Ezekiel 38 and 39. ...
"We don't know what or who Magog, Meshech, Tuval and Gog are; we only
know that Gog and his allies are to come down on Eretz Yisrael from the
north. God will then destroy the invaders, and 'I will restore the
fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole House of Israel ... and I
will not hide my face from them any more.'
"The New Testament also mentions the Gog/Magog War, in Revelation 20, as
the final battle between the rulers of Earth led by Satan and the forces
of God. In that version, this war may also be what is known in Christian
tradition as the Battle of Armageddon, a place mentioned in Revelation
16:16.
"I don't know about ... prophecy, or about Gog/Magog, or about
Armageddon. I do know that the evidence seems conclusive that our
neighboring Arab states and our PLO 'peace partner' are itching for 'the
mother of all wars' in which they will once and for all remove the Jewish
sovereign presence from 'Holy Palestine' and establish the everlasting
dominion of Islamic Araby in the land."
Kohn also pointed out that, with the exception of King Hussein of Jordan
and the late Anwar Sadat of Egypt, "no Arab leader, no Arab spokesperson,
no Arab intellectual or mediacrat has indicated publicly that he or she
has a long-range vision of peace with Israel or considers such a vision
legitimate." (Ezekiel 38 & 39; Dan. 11:40)
</excerpt><flushright>
<flushright>I thought this last paragraph was also particularly
interesting because Hussein is the only only with visions of peace for
Israel, a stance that the antichrist will take at the beginning of
Daniel's 70th week. Furthermore, he has cancer and the prognonsis is not
good, which could possibly pave the way for the man who finally
accomplishes Hussein's desire.
MAGOG IS NOT RUSSIA
Many are saying God and Magog are Russia, the king of the North that
comes down against Israel in the last days. But, there are those who say
they are not Russia, such as this informative web site of
<<http://www.chn-net.com/ezekiel.html>The Church of the Harvest:
<excerpt> THE NATIONS OF EZEKIEL 38
By Staff Writer
. . . . We contend that if the story line in Daniel is read literally the
drama described therein can be found on today's stage of history.
To demonstrate the truth of that, the nations of Ezekiel 38 must also be
taken literally. When that is the case, you find that Magog, the place
where Antichrist comes from, is right in the heart of the territory that
Satan has always controlled.
That territory has come down through history in the hands of many
nations; Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, Rome, Muslim and
Hashemite. Those are the Empires and Kingdoms that have occupied the land
of the Bible.
Daniels' prophecy concerns the final days of the Jews, and their holy
city Jerusalem. The story is very complete, as it starts you out by
developing the land area on which the drama is going to play out, along
with the information of who the spiritual influences are that are over
those lands. He brings us to the end time days, and describes a new
kingdom growing up in that very same land, with the very same capital,
and the king that sits upon the throne in that kingdom becomes possessed
by one of those spiritual influences.
Revelations 13 and 17 directs you at who the spiritual leader is. [Read
the Beast behind Antichrist]
But the point of this story is to demonstrate that by taking the
territory of Magog, for where it has always been, and right where it
still is today, and leave it there, then Daniels' whole story is as clear
as a bell, just as God said it would be in it's time. The circumstances
evolving in the lands of the Bible on today's stage of history are
playing out Daniels' story to the letter.
The following is taken from the work of Carl Ludwigson:
Ezekiel's Gog / Antichrist is the enemy from the north. In the Old
Testament, the king of the north has reference to the areas of Syria,
Turkey, and Iraq. The word north is used of Syria or the Old Seleucid
Empire six times, of Babylon sixteen times, of Assyria one time, and of
Iran one time. These are the lands once occupied by Magog, Gomer,
Togarmah, Meshech and Tubal.
Meshech, Tubal, Togarmah, Dedan and Syria traded with Tyre six centuries
before Christ [Ezek.27:13-16]. These lands clearly define the north. The
fact that some scholars equate the names of ancient Middle East cities
with modern English cognates is appalling. Meshech is NOT Moscow; Moscow
just had its 850th birthday.
Some have interpreted the Hebrew word 'rosh' in Ezekiel 38:3, which is
translated 'chief', to be a reference to Russia. In the Massoretic text
the words 'chief prince' carry the accents Tiphha and Zaqeph-gadol. [See
Hebrew text on which the following statements are based on this web
page.]
The Tiphha appears under the resh of the Hebrew word 'rosh'; the
Zaqeph-gadol appears on top of the sin of the Hebrew word 'nish'.
The Tiphha to the right, underneath the initial consonant of the word
'rosh', or chief, is prepositive and does not mark the tone syllable. See
Kautsch and Cowley's *Grammar*, page 61 item 9.
The word 'nish' or prince has the accent Zaqeph-gadol which is
disjunctive and indicates a pause. See Kautsch and Cowley's *Grammar*,
page 60 item 4b.
So Ezekiel 38:3 should be read as follows: "Behold, I am against thee, O
Gog, the prince, {pause} chief of Meshech and Tubal:" Rosh is not
Russia.
The Hebrew word 'rosh' is translated head or chief 423 times in the Old
Testament. Again, it is absolutely appalling how some scholars can equate
the English cognate 'rosh' with Russia. Rosh is not Russia.
Thank you Carl Ludwigson for that lesson.
All atlases of the Bible printed before the 1940's [and the Russian
scare] show the land of Magog to be in the Northern part of modern day
Iraq, just north of Bagdadd.
Meshech and Tubal are in the area that today is Turkey and portions of
northern Syria as well as northern Iraq.
It is clear that the leader, Gog / Antichrist, will be from Iraq and that
he will become the chief prince of that portion of Turkey and the
northern part of Syria along with Iraq, which is a good part of the Old
Hashemite Kingdom [Hussein of Jordan].
The Hashemite Kingdom is the Kingdom of Muhammad, the prophet of Allah,
the other side of the regions spiritual coin. The direct descendent of
Muhammad, and the present ruling king of a pseudo Hashemite Kingdom, has
vowed to regain his ancestral land, since it was stolen from him in a
military junta in 1958. . . .=20
Gog, from Magog will become Gog when the false deliverer has risen to his
power position, and as Daniel puts it, he becomes the eighth ruler out of
the seventh kingdom in the succession of kingdoms who had authority over
the Jews, and flowed through Babylon. The kingdoms were; Egypt, Assyria,
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, Rome, Hashemite [the seventh, modern day
kingdom] and out of it, the eighth ruler ascends the throne, but as the
possessor of the little horn, seventh king, who is the Hashemite King. .
. .
I think we have demonstrated that Magog is not Russia, and that since it
is Magog, it is right in the center of today's stage, and will become the
seventh kingdom in the succession of kingdoms flowing through Babylon,
and when the evil spirit possesses the King of that seventh kingdom,
Antichrist will be on the scene, and the second half of the Great
Tribulation, the Great, will be underway.
</excerpt><flushright>
<flushright>MOSCOW - HOW OLD IS IT, AND WHAT ARE RUSSIA'S ORIGINS?=20
At another web site titled <<http://www.moscow850.ru/index-e.html>Moscow
turns 850 and keeps living on, we read that it was in 1147 that "Moscow
[was] first mentioned in chronicles." At another site, we are told the
origins of Russia itself:
<<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/douglashartman/862ad.htm>History
of Russia and the former USSR:=20
<excerpt>Pre-862 AD (in the beginning) -- Origins of the Russian People
-- The vast territory that became Russia was sparsely inhabited by
various nomadic tribes prior to the 9th century AD. Among the peoples
present in the steppe north of the Black Sea were the Cimmerians, which
were conquered by the Scythians in the 7th century BC. The Scythians, in
turn were displaced by the Sarmatians in the 3rd century BC. In the early
centuries AD, a succession of tribes ruled the area, from the Goths to
the Huns, Avars, Khazars, and Bulgars. Prior to 862 AD, the northern
region or present-day Russia, which was primarily a region of vast
forests, was inhabited by tribes collectively known as Slavs. Scholars
differ, but the Slavs probably appeared somewhere between the 1st and 6th
centuries AD in ancient Russia. As a result of invasions and possibly
demographic influences, the Slavic tribes began a series of migratory
movements. The western tribes eventually evolved as the Moravians, Poles,
Czechs and Slovaks. The southern tribes became the Serbs, Croats,
Slovenes, and the slavicized Bulgars. The Eastern Slavs were
differentiated into Great Russians (or simply Russians), Ukrainians, and
Belorussians. Though these ethnic groupings became rather permanent
identities, different tribes within each group continued to exist. . .=20
.
At some point, Viking merchant-adventures from Scandinavia who were
called "Varangians" by the Slavic tribes also began to use the waterborne
trade routes through Eastern Slavic regions. It cannot be ascertained
whether the successes of the Eastern Slavs attracted the Varangians or
whether they had been using these waterways during the time of the
settlements of the Eastern Slav. Nevertheless, the Varangians were
better-armed and more-organized than the Slavic tribes. The Varangians
used their superior military skills to exact tribute from the Slavs and
to consolidate their rule at key points along the river trade routes from
nearly the Baltic Sea to the Byzantine capital of Constantinople
(present-day Istanbul), which was at the time (as it is today) a
significant international trading hub between Asia and Europe. At some
point, the Varangian settlers either voluntarily adopted the name Rus',
were identified as Rus', or merged with Slavic settlers, who may have
been known by the collective name of "Rus'". The preponderance of leading
historians assert that Rus' was another name for Varangians, but some
accounts suggest the Rus' people were Scandinavians other than the
Varangians. To this day, the origin of the word Rus' and the exact
composition of the Varangians are hotly disputed topics in academic
circles. Irregardless, by the middle 800s AD, both the Varangian settlers
and the Eastern Slavic tribes had become known as Rus', and, accordingly,
this area was coined the "Land of Rus'." From the Scandinavian rulers
came the name Rossiya, or Russia, meaning "land of the Rus'. . . .
<flushright>At the <<http://www.russia-travel.com/rushis02.htm>Official
Site of the Russian National Tourist Office site, we read that
originally, Russia was a conglomeration of various tribes and people,
with no mention of God or Magog:=20
<excerpt>The early history of Russia, like those of many countries, is
one of migrating peoples and ancient kingdoms. In fact, early Russia was
not exactly "Russia," but a collection of cities that gradually coalesced
into an empire. I n the early part of the ninth century, as part of the
same great movement that brough the Danes to England and the Norsemen to
Western Europe, a Scandanavian people known as the Varangians crossed the
Baltic Sea and landed in Eastern Europe. The leader of the Varangians was
the semilegendary warrior Rurik, who led his people in 862 to the city of
Novgorod on the Volkhov River. Whether Rurik took the city by force or
was invited to rule there, he certainly invested the city. From Novgorod,
Rurik's successor Oleg extended the power of the city southward. In 882,
he gained control of Kiev, a Slavic city that had arisen along the Dnepr
River around the 5th century. Oleg's attainment of rule over Kiev marked
the first establishment of a unified, dynastic state in the region. Kiev
became the center of a trade route between Scandinavia and
Constantinople, and Kievan Rus', as the empire came to be known,
flourished for the next three hundred years.
It hardly seems appropriate to say prophetically that Russia is Gog or Magog,
when God would have us see the truth of His prophetic word.
Ed
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: Test please ignore
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 21:23:44 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.