To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Apr 13, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 08:46:19 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

8:00 PM Eastern

 PBS - NOVA - "Bombing of America" - Scientists help in
   the fight against criminal bombings.(CC)(TVPG)

 A&E - BIOGRAPHY - "Jacques Cousteau: Bold Man and the
   Sea" - Jacques Cousteau reveals the magic of the oceans to
   mass audiences.(CC)(TVG)

 DISC - SPYTEK - "The Real 007" - New technology helps FBI
   agents track a traitorous CIA employee.(CC)(TVG)

 HIST - ANCIENT INVENTIONS - Ancient man
   innovates.(CC)(TVG)

9:00

 PBS - FRONTLINE - "The Terrorist and the Superpower" -
   International terrorism; embassy bombings in Africa; Osama
   bin Laden.(CC)

 DISC - THE NEW DETECTIVES: CASE STUDIES IN FORENSIC SCIENCE
   - "Unlikely Sources" - Clues may arise from unlikely
   places.(CC)(TVPG)

 HIST - THE CENTURY: AMERICA'S TIME - "Boom to Bust:
   1920-1929" - The Roaring '20s; radio becomes a national
   phenomenon; woman gain more independence; Lindbergh flies
   across the Atlantic; the stock market
   crashes.(CC)(TVG)

  Very intersting:
 TLC - SEEKING NOAH'S FLOOD - Scientists probe the
   mysterious waters of the Black Sea.(CC)(TVG)

10:00

 PBS - JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH - "The Urban Explosion" -
   Population; urbanization; Mexico City; Istanbul; Shanghai;
   New York.(CC)(TVG)

 HIST - PANAMA CANAL - The linking of the Atlantic and the
   Pacific is a cooperative, technological
   achievement.(CC)(TVG)

 TLC - IN PURSUIT OF THE SHROUD - Scholars subject the
   Shroud of Turin to a battery of tests to identify its
   mysterious image.(CC)(TVG)

--- BPR

BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Approaching solar maximum expected to change climate
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 08:56:02 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

via: Portents2@aol.com

End Times Update
Re: Signs in the Sun
Scripture: Luke 21:25
News Source: Explorezone.com
URL: http://explorezone.com/archives/99_04/12_solar_climate.htm
Date: 4-12-99
================================================
Approaching solar maximum expected to change climate

Effects don't account for global warming, study says

04/12/99: As the Sun approaches a peak cycle in the massive energy it
flings toward Earth -- due in 2000 -- a new report confirms that such
a solar maximum not only agitates Earth's upper atmosphere but can
also effect our climate at the surface.

During the Sun's roughly 11-year cycle, from a minimum of activity to
a maximum, the energy released varies by about one-tenth of a percent.
This energy is currently on the upswing and expected to peak sometime
next year. As with past solar maximums, which are measured by an
increase in sunspots, expected effects range from damaged satellites
to disruptions in power grids on the ground.

The new study adds another effect to the list: The increase in
high-energy solar radiation produces more ozone in Earth's upper
atmosphere, said NASA scientist Drew Shindell in a report last week in
the journal Science.

In turn, the increased ozone warms the stratosphere, a region from
about 6 to 30 miles up in the atmosphere, by trapping heat energy.
This changes wind patterns there and causing a ripple effect all the
way to the surface.

"The change in wind strength and direction creates different climate
patterns around the globe," said Shindell, a climate researcher at
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Scientists had suspected a
connection between solar activity and Earth's climate, but had not
figured out where the link was.

"When we added the upper atmosphere's chemistry into our climate
model, we found that during a solar maximum major climate changes
occur in North America," Shindell said.

The North American changes are caused by stronger westerly winds,
Shindell said. Other changes in wind speed and direction occur all
over the Earth. He goes on to conclude that the effects, while
significant, are not enough to account for global warming.

Shindell's model agrees with other research that has shown solar
increases do not have the ability to cause large global temperature
increases, leading Shindell to conclude that greenhouse gasses play
the dominant role, as many scientists have suspected.

The general circulation model used in the study included solar
radiation data from NASA's Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite,
launched in 1991.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (4/13/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:04:01 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

*** Opposition to circumcision growing

(AP) - Tim Shane has grown used to parents at baby fairs making snide
comments as they pass his booth, or recoiling from his pamphlets as
though they might be subversive. After all, his is no ordinary
crusade. For years Shane has been fighting something American society
takes for granted: circumcision. Parents have routinely circumcised
their sons in the U.S. since the 1940s, motivated by deeply rooted
medical, religious and social beliefs. By 1970, more than 90% of
newborn boys were circumcised. But things are changing. About 65% of
infant males are now circumcised in the U.S., the only industrialized
nation where it remains routine. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559136871-201

*** European cities remember Holocaust

BERLIN (AP) - Volunteers began reading aloud Monday names of 56,696
Berlin Jews who perished in the Holocaust as part of International
Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom Hashoah. Members of the public were
invited to read the names at Berlin's Jewish Community Center, a
program expected to last 28 hours until Tuesday evening. Afterward,
Cantor Estrongo Nachama, a survivor of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz
and the head of the Jewish center's choir, will sing the Kaddish, or
Jewish prayer for the dead. In Moscow, President Boris Yeltsin paid
homage Monday to the victims of the Holocaust, while Moscow Mayor Yuri
Luzhkov voiced concern that Russians' equal rights were under threat
from fascists and other extremists. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559141684-d14

*** Yugoslavia approves Russia alliance

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - The Yugoslav federal parliament voted
Monday to join an alliance with Russia and Belarus, apparently with an
eye toward getting Russia's military involved in stopping NATO
airstrikes. Serbian Premier Mirko Marajnovic said after the vote that
the proposal is "another way to resist NATO aggression," adding it was
normal for Yugoslavia to join a union with its historic Slavic
Orthodox allies. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Moscow
regards the idea of Yugoslav membership in the union positively and
will study it. But he cautioned Yugoslavia that membership can't be
granted quickly. NATO operations against Yugoslavia were likely to be
over before the country could be included in an expanded union, Ivanov
said last week. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559139588-cb6

*** Free lunches offered for tattoo

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Some people will do anything for a free burrito.
A Mexican restaurant offered a lifetime of free lunches to anyone
willing to get a tattoo of its logo, Jimmy the Corn Man, a
sombrero-wearing mariachi boy riding a blazing corncob. Just show the
cashier the tattoo - any size, on any part of the body - and get a
free meal. Since word of the promotion got out six months ago, 38
people have braved the tattoo needle for a permanent coupon at Casa
Sanchez. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559137352-130

*** Fund-raisers shedding their clothes

SKIPTON, England (AP) - Members of the Women's Institute, famous for
making jam and baking cakes, are stepping out of their kitchens - and
their clothes - to raise money for charity. The institute, an
85-year-old icon of traditional British domesticity and charity, is
publishing calendars for next year with provocative photos of their
members. Each month shows 45- to- 60-year-old members of the Rylstone
District Women's Institute in North Yorkshire taking part in various
homely pursuits - in the raw. But all the photos include artfully
arrange knitting or cooking utensils to prevent them from being too
explicit. January features Beryl Banforth, a 65-year-old retired
secretary, chairing a meeting of members wearing nothing but hats. The
year ends with the women singing carols in nothing but Santa hats. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559141035-d68

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Inside China Today items (4/13/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 10:43:06 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

NATO SLIDES INTO EVIL ROAD, SAYS NEWSPAPER
BEIJING -- NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia present a threat to the
stability of the whole of Europe, a state-run Chinese newspaper said
on Tuesday. http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999041307.html?text

BEIJING TO HOST MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COMMUNIST GALA
BEIJING -- China's capital will host a week-long, multi-million-dollar
gala party replete with fireworks and a military parade to mark the
50th anniversary of the founding of the Communist state, city
officials said on Monday.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999041310.html?text

CHINA CONCERNED OVER INDIA'S MISSILE TEST
BEIJING -- China on Monday expressed regret and concern over India's
test of a medium-range ballistic missile, saying it could trigger a
new arms race in South Asia.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999041311.html?text

CHINA SIGNS $420M IN DAM DEALS
BEIJING -- China signed $420 million worth of deals on Monday with ABB
Asea Brown Boveri of Switzerland and Siemens of Germany to provide
power transmission equipment for the controversial Three Gorges dam.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/business/news/1999041308.html?text

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Palestinians hope to revive 1947 partition plan
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 12:46:22 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

PALESTINIANS HOPE TO REVIVE 1947 PARTITION PLAN
The Palestinian Authority has launched an international diplomatic
campaign to revive the 1947 United Nations partition plan. Israel's
Foreign Ministry has recently received reports that Yasser Arafat has
been conducting numerous meetings around the world on the subject, and
will attempt to bring before the General Assembly a draft resolution
to vote once again on UN Resolution 181 of 1947 on the partition of
the Land of Israel. Sources in Jerusalem are apparently greatly
concerned over the initiative and the support it may receive at the
United Nations. In a meeting two days ago with U.S. Undersecretary of
State Martin Indyk, Prime Minister Netanyahu requested that the United
States take a firm position against the renewed introduction of the
resolution. Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon said today that the idea is
totally unacceptable.

Arab studies expert Professor Mordechai Nisan of Hebrew University
told Arutz-7 today that Arafat has been building what he hopes will be
the new "pan-Palestinian infrastructure" for some time now. "The 1947
UN Partition Plan would have placed towns of the Western Galilee, such
as Acre and Nahariyah, as well as Safed and Nazareth, in the hands of
the proposed Arab state," Nisan explained. "Arafat is hoping to
foster the renewal of Palestinian nationalism to link towns such as
Jenin, Ramallah and Gaza City with Arab centers inside the Green Line,
i.e., Israel proper. Given the Palestinian success in recent years in
obtaining sovereignty over various sections of the Land of Israel,
this latest initiative is hardly surprising."

"On the contrary," countered Arutz-7 News Editor Haggai Segal,
"Arafat's tactics are somewhat surprising and foolish. Israelis who
would otherwise be willing to let the Palestinians take over Judea and
Samaria will reconsider their positions when they hear that he also
seeks sovereignty over places such as Jaffa and Safed." Nisan
responded: "For this reason, Arafat is working first within the
international arena. He assumes, perhaps correctly, that the UN will
feel that it is obligated to abide by the decision it once made and to
ensure that it is implemented."

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, April 13, 1999 / Nisan 27, 5759 - Day 12 of the Omer

--------------------

Israel Information Service Gopher
United Nation General Assembly Resolution 181 (65k)
gopher://israel-info.gov.il:70/00/un/unhist/471129.unh

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - What is the gender of God?/Dogma
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 19:34:00 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Jack Van Impe Presents
4/13/99 broadcast

"Is God really a man? What is the gender of God? and the gender of
Jesus? In a new movie Miss [Alanis] Morisette (sp) plays the part of
God in Kevin Smith's upcoming "Dogma." And in St. John the Divine
Cathedral in Manhattan NY, and it's not the Roman Catholic
cathedral, the cathedral displays a female Christ on the cross,
complete with shapely hips and full breasts. The Very Reverend James
Parkes Morton, Dean of the cathedral, stated that the response to the
crucifix is very positive.

"Do you know that this is going on in England? Just now one of the
Christian denominations according to the London Telegraph has in
their new books for the millennium, put in it, Our Mother, God in
heaven. Not only that, but at the reimaging conference here in the
USA, women from all Christian denominations came together and they
declared Sophia the goddess."
--------------------

In "Dogma,'' Ben Affleck and Matt Damon play angels who try to return
to heaven after they are banished. The film also stars Chris Rock, who
plays a trash-talking 13th apostle.

Among the picture's plot elements: a female descendant of Jesus works
in an abortion clinic; a Skeeball-obsessed God; a Christ figure giving
a thumbs-up salute.

Religious groups, including the Catholic League for Religious and
Civil Rights, have complained about the film.

Smith, who directed "Clerks'' and "Chasing Amy,'' has described
himself as a practicing Catholic and said, "`Dogma' is in no way
blasphemous or worthy of the mild controversy that seems to be brewing
around it.''

Excerpt of an AP article:
Skittish Disney Drops 'Dogma'
Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press
Thu, 8 Apr 1999

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - PLO Body to Decide on Statehood
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 19:56:44 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

07:02 AM ET 04/13/99

PLO Body To Decide on Statehood

 PLO Body To Decide on Statehood
 By IBRAHIM BARZAK
 Associated Press Writer

           GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) _ The Palestinian leadership will
 decide April 27 whether to declare a state in the West Bank and
 Gaza Strip a week later or heed the world's advice and wait, a
 senior official said today.
           The final decision will be up to the Palestinian Central
 Council, a 124-member PLO body stacked with loyalists of
 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
           Arafat has been meeting with world leaders to learn whether they
 would support him if he declared statehood unilaterally on May 4, the
 end of the five-year interim period of autonomy.
           The Palestinian leader was told he should wait for a peace
 agreement with Israel because a unilateral move could lead to the
 collapse of the Mideast peace process. Israeli Prime Minister
 Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that he would annex parts of the West
 Bank in response to a unilateral declaration of statehood.
           Today, Arafat returned from a trip that included stopovers in
 Pakistan, India, Turkey, Russia, Japan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam,
 Bangladesh and Yemen.
           He was to convene his Cabinet later in the day.
           Several months ago, Arafat said he would declare statehood on
 May 4, but has since softened his position under pressure from the
 United States, the European Union, Egypt and Jordan.
           It is now widely expected that Arafat will postpone a
           statehood
 declaration, in part because he fears a unilateral move could help
 Netanyahu, a hard-liner seeking re-election May 17.
           Various Palestinian institutions will meet later this month to
 give such a delay broader backing and legitimacy. Among those
 expected to convene are the PLO Executive Committee and the
 Palestinian legislative council.
           On April 27, the Palestinian Central Council, a PLO body, will
 meet in Gaza City and make the final decision, said Salim Zanoun, a
 leading member of the panel. Zanoun said it was not clear yet whether
 there would be a vote or approval by acclamation.
           He said invitations would be sent out Saturday, adding that
 two-thirds of the members live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559146430-8ea

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China News Digest items (4/14/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:25:20 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

 China Suffers by Not Joining WTO: Economists

[CND, 04/13/99] Despite fears of officials and academics that joining
the World Trade Organization (WTO) would be harmful to China, some
researchers and economists are now predicting that China's entrance
will, in the long run, both protect the country from foreign influence
and strengthen its internal economic base, reported the Associated
Press on Sunday.

The recent concessions offered during Premier ZHU Rongji's visit, such
as lifting bans on U.S. citrus and wheat imports, have the potential
of causing some initial hardship for Chinese farmers. At the same
time, scholars, such as CHI Fulian, now predict that the competition
brought by the WTO membership will spur China, which will ultimately
be of enormous benefit to the country.

Speaking by phone from Haikou, Mr. Chi, Director of the China
Institute for Reform and Development, told the AP that "Joining the
WTO will do more good than bad, although China will face more
competition and risks ... In the long term, this will help to promote
agricultural modernization."

Some analysts have feared that WTO accession will put the Chinese
political leadership and ideology in a compromising position by
subjecting it to foreign influence, international laws, and the
"spiritual pollution" that Beijing has often deemed to come as the
unpleasant by-products of Western products and ideas. But now, some
individuals, like LI Kui Wai, a City University of Hong Kong
economist, feel that the same potentially stringent regulations will
also provide a measure of protection for China.

While becoming a member of the WTO will subject China to increasing
scrutiny over issues such as human rights, it will also go a long way
toward assisting Zhu Rongji in his efforts to push forward broad-based
economic reforms. According to Mr. Li, "Joining the WTO would have
forced China to reform at a faster pace. Zhu Rongji can still do it,
but China will have to move at its own pace and reform bit by bit."

Mr. Li added that the financial arena remains one key forum where the
Chinese government is still quite reluctant loosen its grasp from the
domestic monopoly currently in place. Some regulators fear that a
large movement of savings from state banks to foreign financial
institutions will have the effect of causing a financial collapse that
would reignite the Asian financial crisis. Yet, the lack of such
financial regulations ultimately keep away beneficial foreign
investment in China. (Jennifer HYMAN, YIN De An)

Different Versions of WTO Statement Highlight Sino-U.S. Gap

[CND, 04/13/99] Beijing on Sunday released a four-paragraph Sino-U.S.
joint statement reached in Washington last week on China's entry to
the World Trade Organization (WTO), which differs sharply in both form
and substance from the version released by Washington on the same
subject, AFP reported.

The brief statement, as carried by the Xinhua News Agency and other
state media, said substantial progress has been made by both sides
towards the goal of China's accession to the WTO this year.

"This agreement and the significant consensus achieved on a broad
range of market access and protocol issues have further advanced that
goal," said the statement. However, the statement stopped short of
details on concessions made by China, and unresolved issues.

In sharp contrast, Washington released a lengthy version of the joint
statement on Thursday, available on the White House web site. The
Washington version covered the full details of the agreement, such as
the lifting of import bans on U.S. wheat and citrus fruits, rules
related to trading rights, state enterprises and subsidies, technology
transfer and offsets, and issues on tariff and quantitative
restrictions.

"President Clinton and Premier ZHU recognize the complexity of WTO
accession negotiations," the Washington statement said. "In this
regard, they note that agreement has been reached on market access for
agricultural and industrial goods, as well as a wide range of services
sectors ... but that certain matters remain to be resolved in banking,
including consumer auto finance, as well as securities and
audio-visual services," the statement added.

The Washington statement has received angry responses from China. "The
things that the U.S. side put on the Internet haven't yet received
agreement from the Chinese side," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
ZHU Bangzao said in Washington Friday.

SHI Guangsheng, China's Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation, said agreement has been reached only on agricultural
cooperation, and the earlier joint statement was not an agreement, but
a draft of issues for discussions, the People's Daily reported Sunday.
(Xiayi KE, WU Yiyi).

Chinese-Developed Software "Nuwa" to Take on Microsoft's
Venus

[CND, 04/13/99] The Software Engineering Center of the the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences has developed an operating system to
compete with Microsoft's Venus as a cheaper solution for Internet
access by millions of television owners in China, AFP reported on
Sunday.

The news came right after Bill Gates unveiled Venus as a platform for
Chinese TV owners to cyber-surf during his March trip to China.

The software, named after an ancient Chinese goddess "Nuwa," who
bravely mended a worn-out sky, can be inserted into a VCD player to
facilitate Internet access via a TV set.

"We are pinning our hopes on Nuwa to lift the fledgling domestic
software industry, which is a key to the country's long-term
development since current PC and network operating systems are all
introduced from abroad," said ZHONG Xichang, the center's director.
The center has established partnerships with some 20 domestic
electronics companies.

Zhong acknowledged that Microsoft does enjoy a high reputation that is
hard to compete with. "However, the market competition not only
benefits consumers but also contributes to the rapid development of
information technology in China," he added.

The Nuwa is scheduled to be released to a market of 317 million TV
owners and users of 40 million VCD players by the end of the year,
about the same time as Microsoft's Venus. (Bo XIONG, YIN De An)

C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t
(Global News, No. GL99-049)
Wednesday, April 14, 1999

--- BPR

BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (4/13/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:32:03 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Operation of electric link Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey in December

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Tue Apr 13 , 1999 -- Commercial operation of the second stage of the
electric network project linking the eastern Arab states was for the
end of December after linking the European network with Syrian
network, which is currently linked with the Turkish network, is
completed. Turkey started a project to link its electric networks with
the Greek network to complete the electric link circle for networks of
the Mediterranean Sea basin countries that will allow exchanging
electric energy between the Arab states and Europe through Turkey in
the east and Morocco in the west. An Egyptian report said the cost of
the project, which comprises its third stage to be implemented in the
year 2000 in Iraq, Turkey and Egypt, reaches nearly $560 million and
that the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development will provide
the necessary financing for the project among the Arab states while
the Islamic Development Bank presents financing to Turkey and that
Lebanon will join the link with the eastern countries.

Middle East - EU partnership meetings to start tomorrow

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Tue Apr 13 , 1999 -- Meetings on the Middle East - European
partnership will start tomorrow in Stuttgart, Germany on the experts
level to pave the way for the meetings of the Arab foreign ministers
on Thursday under the chairmanship of Arab League Secretary General
Esmat Abdul Meguid. Libya is participating in these meetings for the
first time after the suspension of UN sanctions. Egypt presents to the
meetings a security cooperation initiative to agree on mechanisms for
early alarm and monitoring pollution from dangerous substances,
especially poisonous radioactive substances in the area of the
Mediterranean Sea basin. The conference will discuss the peace charter
and stability in the Mediterranean Sea to settle disputes, as the
charter reflects a comprehensive and balanced concept of security in
each country. The meeting tries to create trust among the Arab and
European states as well as discussing conveying technology to
countries south of the Mediterranean Sea through financing loans with
limited interests.

Russian - Egyptian deals worth $200 million

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Tue Apr 13 , 1999 -- Egypt and Russia agreed yesterday to sign an
agreement for exchanging goods worth $200 million divided equally
between them. The agreement took place during the meetings of the
second session of the Egyptian - Russian trade joint committee, which
is currently underway in Cairo. Egyptian Minister of Trade and Supply
Ahmed Goweili said the Russian and Egyptian private sectors are going
to carry out the deals, adding that this is the perfect way to upgrade
trade between the two countries. He also emphasized that the volume of
trade between the two countries amounted to $400 million, $20 millions
of which is in Egyptian exports.

Syria, Iraq agree to organize Euphrates' waters

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Tue Apr 13 , 1999 -- An Iraqi weekly has said that Syria and Iraq have
agreed to organize the waters of the Euphrates river which springs
from the Turkish territories and flows in the lands of the two states.
An Iraqi paer quoted the director general for the national program for
irrigation Quteiba, Muhammad Hassan, who also leads the Iraqi
delegation for discussions with Syrian officials in this regard, as
saying that views and expertise were reviewed and exchanged between
Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon and that the questions of waters was
debated as well as the impact of this issue on relations with
neighborly countries and international agreements in this regard. He
added that the specialists discussed water shares between each of
Iraq, Syria and Turkey, and they reviewed the history of water
agreements among these countries. He went on that the treaty signed
between Iraq and Turkey in 1946 stated that Iraq has the right to
delegate specialists and engineers to Turkey in order to obtain
information about water status and the river's length and width
measures. Several experts and officials from the water departments in
Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon held a meeting in the middle of last
week in Damascus to discuss these issues in light of the scarce
rainfall for this season and in order to take practical measures in
order to obtain the set water shares.

Abdullah to visit Libya

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Tue Apr 13 , 1999 -- Jordan's King Abdullah Bin al-Hussein will head
to Libya in coming week to fulfill an official invitation from Libyan
President Moammar Gaddafi to discuss bilateral relations, the current
Arab situation and regional, international and Arab issues. Libya
sources say that Libya will inform the Jordanian monarch and his
accompanying delegation about the results of investigations made into
the suspects in the Lockerbie case, the support received by Libya from
the Arab and Islamic states and the Non-Aligned Movement. The sources
added, "Libya will ask the Jordanian monarch to make a comprehensive
review of the peace process and the signed agreements with Israel,
especially as Libya opposes the peace process." The sources said the
two leaders will discuss bilateral relations, Arab reconciliation, the
situation in Iraq and urging Yemen to convene an Arab summit.

Israel aware Russia continues to supply Iran

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Tue Apr 13 , 1999 -- Defense Minister Moshe Arens on Monday stated
that Israel is aware that the Russian government is continuing to
supply the Iranians with advanced missile technology. Speaking to the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the minister stated he
is trying to send a message to the government of Syria to take action
to curtail the continued Hizbullah attacks in the security zone of
southern Lebanon. Arens stated he asked US Undersecretary of State
Martin Indyk to act as an agent between Israel and the Syrians. The
defense minister told reporters, "It was time to call a spade a spade.
They know that we know they know they control all Hizbullah
activities," stated Mr. Arens. "We expect the Syrians to restrain the
Hizbullah," added the minister. Minster Arens added that he has asked
the IDF chief of staff to look into reducing the number of IDF
soldiers serving in the security zone of southern Lebanon and to
replace them with Israel-allied Southern Lebanese Army troops. There
were mixed responses to the minister's presentation to the Knesset
committee, with MK Yossi Sarid, of the left-wing Meretz Party calling
the plan an "election balloon." "We have no knowledge whatsoever about
his intentions or details of the so-called new plan," added Sarid, who
insisted the entire report was an election ploy by the Likud Party
minister.

via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (4/12/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:37:26 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Nazareth: Pope may cancel visit over land dispute

Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Ha'aretz

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- The explosion of a land dispute between Christian
and Muslim residents of Nazareth last week, coupled with fear that
Christians will suffer under proposed solutions, has prompted Pope
John Paul II to reconsider visiting the Holy Land in 2000, according
to a top Religious Affairs official. Local Muslims say the area
belongs to the Waqf, which hopes to build a mosque on the site. City
representatives, on the other hand, headed by Christian Mayor Ramez
Jeraisi, say the site is owned by the Israel Lands Administration.
Jeraisi hopes to turn the lot into a plaza for year 2000 pilgrims

Anti-Semitism rises in 1998

Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Ha'aretz

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- The number of anti-Semitic incidents throughout
the world edged up in 1998, following a progressive decrease over the
past three years, according to a report released on the occasion of
Holocaust Remembrance Day. The findings were presented at a news
conference as part of the annual report on anti-Semitism throughout
the world published by the Institute for the Study of Racism and
Anti-Semitism at Tel Aviv University. Researchers also found it
impossible to survey the vast amount of anti-Semitic material
appearing in print and electronic media, as well as on the Internet,
according to Dina Porat, the report's author. While the number of
violent anti-Semitic incidents actually fell, from 38 in 1997 to 36 in
1998, their severity was notably greater, Porat said. Violent
incidents were recorded in typically "quiet" countries such as Greece,
Serbia, Uruguay and South Africa. Nearly one-third of all major
attacks took place in the former Soviet Union.

Abdullah will support Palestinians during final status talks

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Dateline Isreal

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- Jordan's King Abdullah pledged he would never
pursue relations with Israel "at the expense" of relations with fellow
Arab countries, including Iraq, Syria, Egypt, or with the Palestinian
self-rule government. "With the new reign, we are opening a clean
sheet with everyone based on mutual respect," Abdullah told the
London-based Arab- language newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi in an interview
published over the weekend. "Jordan is Arab first and last and cannot
shed its skin." He also said that Jordan would throw its full support
behind the Palestinians during final- status negotiations with Israel.

Isreali high court to decide on legality of revoking Palestinians
residency of Jerusalem issue

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- The Israeli High Court of Justice will hear this
April 22 a petition tabled by five human rights organizations on the
legality of Israel's policies regarding residency rights of
Palestinians of East Jerusalem. According to an Israeli human rights
organization, "Betselem," Israel's policies have caused thousands of
Palestinians to lose their status as residents of the city, as well as
the social welfare benefits to which they are entitled. All
Palestinians who live abroad for a period of time, those who move to
the West Bank, even meters outside the municipal boundaries are liable
to lose residency. According to the organization, this policy clearly
discriminates between Palestinians and Jews, as Jews can move to
settlements in the West Bank without endangering their status

Jordanian measures to deal with water shortages

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- Jordanian Water Minister Karnel Mahadin has
announced short and long-term programs to deal with all water
challenges in order withstand drought. In a press conference he held
in Amman on Sunday, the Jordanian minister said this plan calls for
drilling, operating and treating water sources in all parts of the
kingdom, adding that a program for guidance in water consumption by
citizens will be also embarked upon. Mahadin added that most water
sources in Jordan rely on rainfall, noting that the precipitation
average for this year reached 35% of its annual average. The concern
raised in Jordan over the decrease in precipitation has increased
following Israel's announcement on March 14 that it will not be able
this year to provide Jordan with the amount of 50 million cubic meters
of water as called for in the peace agreement signed between the two
countries in 1994. Jordan announced total rejection of any reduction
in the amount of water. According to official figures, the Jordanian
population is increasing at 3.5% per year and will be by the year 2000
in need of 1.25 billion cubic meters to cover its water requirements,
while its actual water resource capacity is 960 million cubic meters.

Jordanian FM to visit Damascus

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- The Jordanian weekly al-Hadath quoted
well-informed sources in Amman as saying that Jordanian Prime Minister
Abd al-Ilah al-Khatib will visit Damascus during the current month to
meet with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa. The paper added
that the sources described the visit as falling in the context of the
new page opened in the chapter of bilateral Jordanian - Syrian
relations. The paper reported that accordance to well-informed sources
in Amman, "Our brothers in Syria are preparing a huge reception for
King Abdullah who will visit Damascus in the near future." The sources
added that Syria and Jordan are trying to invest any official occasion
for the two countries to strengthen their bilateral relations.

President al-Assad's visit to Moscow postponed

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: ArabicNews

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- The Russian news agency Interfax on Sunday
received the following news that the press bureau of the Russian
President Boris Yeltsin said the official visit which was scheduled by
Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to Moscow on April 12 and 13 was
postponed for unlimited period of time. The agency added that the
postponement was made in accordance with a bilateral agreement and at
the request of the Syrian side. The new date for al-Assad's visit will
be made via diplomatic channels and very soon, Interfax said.

Jewish community refuses non-Jewish applicants and charged with
discriminatory policy

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- According to Irna and Anatoli Zuvinki, the
Samarian Jewish community of Eli has taken a "discriminatory" and
"racist" approach to them regarding their application to move to the
community of about 400 families. According to the report, the family
insists they were accepted to the community, but when officials
realized that Anatoli was a gentile, they were told, "Look for another
place to live." The new immigrant family, from the Ukraine, currently
lives in a Jerusalem rental. They visited Eli before Passover, and
then made the decision the affordable housing and attractive community
was for them. Irna stated that her son was a Zionist and stated the
importance of living in Israel and serving in the military. According
to the head of the town council, Lior Shtul, the community is only
following the directives set forth by the Jewish Agency Settlement
Department, namely, not to accept non-Jewish or mixed families. Shtul
added that Eli is a small community and while it makes every effort to
provide a mixed balance of the population, it aims at the Jewish and
not gentile community. The community's director of absorption of new
families, Svietka Rivilis was unwilling to comment on the story.
Activists of the Tikvah new immigrant party called the community's
decision "racist," adding that families are moving to Israel to build
their new lives and are being prevented from doing so. Eli is located
in the Benjamin Regional Council in the area known as Gush Shilo

FM of Israel to prevent land sales to PA

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- According to a Ma'ariv report, Foreign Minister
and Minister of National Infrastructure Ariel Sharon on Friday gave
the order to officials in the Israel Lands Authority to prevent the
planned sale of lands in the Port of Ashdod to the PLO Authority (PA).
According to an exclusive report in the Friday edition of Ma'ariv, two
foreign companies had agreed to cut a deal with two brothers, Eliezer
and Ehud Elkan, to purchase 118 dunams (29.5 acres) of land for $34.5
million. According to adjuster Ze'ev Cohen, the sum being offered was
about twice the value of the land in question. The foreign firms
conducted negotiations with the PA, knowing the PA was willing to pay
a handsome sum to acquire the land to use as a port for loading and
unloading goods. According to Ma'ariv, the PA planned to employ about
1,000 Arab laborers in the dock and fly the PA flag. Senior officials
in the Israel Land Authority told Ma'ariv they received orders from
Sharon to block the planned deal

Israeli cabinet votes on emergency water measures

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Mon Apr 12 , 1999 -- The cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of taking
emergency measures in light of the lack of rainfall this winter. The
limited rain of this past winter was the driest season in about sixty
years, prompting the government to take emergency actions governing
the supply and consumption of water, and to immediately submit a bill
to the Knesset which will extend the validity of said regulations
until the end of 1999. The Cabinet also decided that a commission will
be appointed to present within two weeks its proposal for the payment
of compensation to farmers, many of whom were ordered by the
government to permit crops to die to save the large amounts of water
needed for irrigation in light of the lack of rainfall

via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - 1980s stamps to depict video games, Berlin Wall
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:43:02 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

01:34 PM ET 04/13/99

1980s: Video Games, Berlin Wall

 By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
 Associated Press Writer
           WASHINGTON (AP) _ Americans have chosen video games as the topic
 they most want to see on a postage stamp commemorating the 1980s. The
 fall of the Berlin Wall was a close second.
           Ballots were cast throughout February to choose 15 topics for
 stamps commemorating that decade, to be released in January. The set
 is one of 10 recalling each decade of this century.
           A Postal Service advisory committee picked subjects for the
 first five decades of the century and the public has now voted on
 subjects for the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Subjects for the
 1990s will be selected during nationwide balloting scheduled for May.
           ``The Celebrate The Century program continues to give the
 American public a voice in how the 20th century will be remembered in
 years to come,'' Postmaster General William Henderson said in a
 statement. ``Once this one-of-a-kind collection of stamps is
 completed next year, it will serve as a unique chronicle of American
 history, providing decade-by-decade glimpses of our past, as we head
 into the future.''
           In the 1980s voting, video games collected 268,746 votes to
 become first choice.
           The end of the Berlin Wall earned 265,147 votes and Washington's
 Vietnam Veterans Memorial was third with 258,515. Fourth was the
 movie ``E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,'' with 239,189 votes, and Cabbage
 Patch Kids were fifth at 207,505.
           The rest of the 1980s stamps will be personal computers, 205,527
 votes; compact discs, 199,925; figure skating, 198,841; ``The Cosby
 Show,'' 194,517; cable TV, 190,533; the National Football League's
 San Francisco 49ers, 188,845; American hostages freed in Iran,
 182,784; Space Shuttle program, 177,138; the Broadway show, ``Cats,''
 169,357 and hip-hop culture, 158,509.
           In September, 1998, the public voted on which subjects would
 best commemorate the 1970s. The yellow smiley face topped that
 voting, followed closely by ``Sesame Street,'' disco music and
 Earth Day.
           The 1960s stamps were voted on in May, 1998. Winners included
 the first Moon walk, the integrated circuit, lasers and Martin
 Luther King's ``I Have a Dream'' speech.
           Stamp subjects for the 1950s were determined by popular vote in
 February, 1998. The public's top choices were drive-in movies, teen
 fashions, cars with tail fins and chrome and 3-D movies.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559150343-ee8

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Central Europe Online items (4/14/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:45:12 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

U.N. RIGHTS BODY CONDEMNS SERB ABUSES IN KOSOVO
RUSSIA THE ONLY COUNTRY TO VOTE AGAINST RESOLUTION
GENEVA -- The United Nations' main human rights body on Tuesday
condemned Serbian authorities for ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and
demanded a halt to killings and expulsions.
http://www.centraleurope.com/ceo/news/1999041407.html?text

ALBANIAN PRESIDENT WARNS SERBS ON FURTHER INCURSIONS
PARIS -- President Rexhep Meidani said, after a foray by Serb troops
into Albania on Tuesday, that his country would not be drawn into
conflict with Belgrade but his army would respond to further taunts.
http://www.centraleurope.com/ceo/news/1999041408.html?text

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Russia Today items (4/14/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:47:06 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

YELTSIN NAMES EX-PM CHERNOMYRDIN YUGOSLAVIA ENVOY
MOSCOW -- President Boris Yeltsin on Wednesday named former Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin as his personal envoy to lead Russia's
peace efforts in Yugoslavia, the presidential press secretary said.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999041401.html?text

DUMA FINALLY POSTPONES YELTSIN IMPEACHMENT
MOSCOW -- Russia's lower house of parliament voted after crisis
consultations on Wednesday to postpone until May 12-15 a vote to start
impeachment proceedings against President Boris Yeltsin.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999041402.html?text

RUSSIA TO SEND NINE NAVAL SHIPS TO MEDITERRANEAN
ANKARA -- Russia plans to send nine naval vessels through Turkey's
Bosphorus Strait into the Mediterranean as part of its monitoring of
the situation around Kosovo, the Turkish General Staff said on
Wednesday. http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999041403.html?text

PRIMAKOV HALTS TRIP TO NATO-MEMBER POLAND
WARSAW -- Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov has postponed an
official visit to NATO-member Poland for domestic political reasons,
the Polish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999041407.html?text

BELGRADE TURNS TOWARDS BIG BROTHER RUSSIA
BELGRADE -- Yugoslavia, which once shunned the Soviet Union and
presented itself as the most Westernized country of the Eastern bloc,
has now tightened its links with big brother Russia in its standoff
with NATO. http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999041411.html?text

PRIMAKOV WANTS RUSSIANS TO INVEST 'MATTRESS' MONEY
MOSCOW -- Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov told bankers in the
crisis-hit country on Wednesday that he wanted to persuade people to
invest in the economy the billions of dollars they keep under their
mattresses.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/business/news/1999041401.html?text

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Y2K and U
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 10:18:57 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

From Zola Levitt

April 1999

Y2K and U

As I prepared to go to the God's News Behind the News prophecy
conference in Florida, I was asked to speak on subjects I never learned from the
Bible. The most interesting topic was "Y2K Chaos - Fact or Fiction? I
am more accustomed to explaining Passover, the Tabernacle, and the
types and shadows of the Lord, etc., but the computer is a matter of
concern these days. We are all, more or less, dependent on these
machines.

To that end I started looking into the Hebrew language and certain
computer designations. I've said some of this before, but it probably
bears repeating. In any case, here is the information I contributed
to the workbook handed out at that conference. I hope it gives you
food for thought.

The Hebrew language has always been the best clue to understanding
Biblical affairs. Not only is it the original text of most of the
Bible, but it is full of hidden clues to meanings. It is rich in
describing spiritual things, for which it was originally conceived. an
example of the hidden clues might be the recent book of Bible codes,
which seems to reveal some prophetic material established by looking
at the arrangement of Hebrew letters in the text. while I'm not
ruling favorably or unfavorably on that particular example, it does
serve to show that the Hebrew language can guide us to greater
knowledge of Scripture.

The conclusions below are not dogmatic, but merely interesting. They
pertain to Y2K and how looking at certain computer terms, as they
would be rendered in Hebrew, might elucidate it.

To begin with, the familiar symbol for the Internet, World Wide Web or
"www", would be rendered in Hebrew as vav, vav, vav (the Hebrew
alphabet does not have a "w" and Hebrew-speaking people use the vav,
or "v", in place of our "w"). The interesting part is that since
Hebrew letter also have numerical values (Hebrew speakers donot prefer
Arabic numerals), we have a number for the letter vav. since it is
the sixth letter of the alphabet, the expression "www", in Hebrew, is
666.

In addition, most Bible commentators agree that Adam was born about
6,000 years ago. If we assume that he was born in exactly 4000 B.C.
on our calendar, then we have spent 5,998 years to the present day.
(We deduct one year when adding A.D. years to B.C. years since 1 B.C.
and 1 A.D. were the same year.) What we now call 1999 is really 5998.
 5998 in Hebrew is heh, tet, tet, peh, which would be "http", another
computer address.

And further, September 9, 1999, could conceivably be the day that
marks what the disciples called "the end of the age." According to
computer researcher Michael S. Hyatt, "On this date, many computers
will encounter the infamous "99" problem. For decades, programmers
designated the end of a file, or the termination of a program, by
entering a series of four nines in a row (i.e., "9999") in a date
field. This code, like the millenium bug, is embedded in millions of
computer programs throughout the world. Unless it is tracked down and
removed, these programs will abruptly terminate, often with unexpected
results.

This year, on September 9, 1999, computers will confront the date just
that way, 9 9 99, but the results don't have to be so unexpected to
Bible students. Those familiar with the schedule of the seven feasts
realize that the Rapture of the Church may occur on the Feast of
Trumpets, or Rosh Hashana. This year, that festival will begin at
sundown on September 10! Could it be that the Age of Man, that is, the
time from the creation of Adam to the end of the Church Age, will
indeed terminate on September 9? And then will the Kindom Age for
believers, and the day of God's wrath for the world, begin with the
catching up to heaven on September 10?

Finally, the popular search engine, Yahoo, is an important Hebrew word
repeated often in the Scriptures. The name Yahweh is shortened to Yah
in names; and hu, in Hebrew, stands for the pronoun "he". Thus,
"Yahoo" on the end of a name in Hebrew, such as Netanyahu, means
"he...God" in English. In the case of Netanyahu, since netan means
"gift", his entire name means "He is the gift of God." The prophets
Isaiah (Yeshayahu) and Jeremiah (Yirmeyahu) also had yahu on the ends
of their names. these were meant in complimentary terms, but in the
case of the Antichrist, Yahoo by itself expresses exactly his
counterfeit: "he is God."

There might still be more to learn from the Hebrew equivalents of
computer terms, but a message might be gleaned from the above
information like this: 5,998 years after Adam, the one who claims "he
is God" will control all men through the designation 666, or some
similar idea.

The above reasoning would place the coming of the Antichrist later
this very year, 1999 A.D., and would agree with expositors who say
that the year 2000 will mark a huge change in human affairs - Y2K and
the start of the Tribulation Period, etc.

We could guess at the Antichrist's delusion by which he explains away
the Rapture. He could simply say, "The survivalist nuts have departed
because of the oncoming Y2K problems." The missing church will be
characterized as screwballs who ran into the hills. They will not be
particularly identified as Christians since certain "Christian"
denominational churches will still be full after the Rapture.

All the above is, of course, speculation. It is interesting, though,
that the Hebrew equivalents produce so convincing a display. One such
clue might be interesting, and two a coincidence, three is noteworthy,
but four seems especially convincing since they all pertain to the
computer and its tremendous influence in modern affairs.

One more caution: I am not a datesetter and am only offering the
above speculations as just that - speculations. Our Lord tells us
that "No man knows the day or the hour..." In the Jewish wedding, the
bride did not know the wedding day.

As this millenium is drawing to a close, nore and more people are
becoming concerned with Israel and biblical prophecy about the End
Times. The number of inquiries that our ministry has received
concerning the End Times gives me cause to ponder the verse that says
"In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men...shall take hold
of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we
have heard that God is with you."
 (Zec. 8:23).

(ADDED NOTE: About Zola Levitt: Zola Levitt is a Jewish believer
thoroughly educated in the synagogues and brought to the Messiah in
1971. He holds degrees from Duquesne University, Indiana University,
and an honorary Th.D from Faith Bible college. He has, in his
Christian walk, addressed millions of people concerning the facts of
the Bible through his national television program, Zola Levitt
Presents, which is carried on the major Christian networks, CBN, PTL,
TBN, and LBN, and numerous large city broadcast stations.

Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc. is a teaching and evangelistic
association guided by the standard of Romans 1:16, "To the Jew first,
and also to the Gentile." Like the Apostle Paul, his ministry works
through the Gentiles to reach the Jews. It works to inform the
Gentile viewers andlisteners of those principles of the faith which
will be most helpful to them in understanding and witnessing to their
Jewish friends. It offers a wide variety of teaching materials
including books, cassette tapes, music, video tapes, and some imported
gift items from the Holy Land. A current list of these materials is
available at no charge by writing to: Zola, Box 12268, Dallas, TX
75225. Zola Levitt's webpage is http://www/levitt.com/main.html)

via: End-Times Mailing List
end-times@associate.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Yahoo
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 11:06:01 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

This post adds a little to the "Y2K and U" post where the name
"Yahoo" is mentioned. Here are a few other things about that name
from "Worlds in Collision" by Immanuel Velikovsky.

"The Chinese annals...say that in the time of Emperor Yahou the sun
did not go down for ten days. The world was in flames, and 'in their
vast extent' the waters 'over-topped the great heights, threatening
the heavens with their floods.' The water of the ocean was heaped up
and cast upon the continent of Asia; a great tidal wave swept over
the mountains and broke in the middle of the Chinese Empire. The
water was caught in the valleys between the mountains, and the land
was flooded for decades." [This supposedly corresponds to the same
time frame as the Exodus.]

"At the time of the flood [Exodus], the Emperor of China was named
Yau (Yah-oo)."

According to the Hebrews, alll nations heard the lawgiving. The
earth's groans in the Papyrus Ipuwer were called "years of noise."
"Years of noise, There is no end to noise...Oh, that the earth would
cease from noise, and tumult (uproar) be no more."

"The great king-lawgiver of China, in whose times a dreadful
cataclysm took place and the order of nature was disturbed, bore the
name Yahou. In the Preface to the Shu King, attributed to Confucius,
it is written: 'Examining into antiquity, we find that the Emperor
Yaou was called Fang-heun.' Yahou was a surname given to him in the
time following the flood [Exodus], apparently inspired by the sound
of the earth's groaning."

"The same sound was heard in those years in the Western Hemisphere or
wherever the ancestors of the Indians then lived. They relate that
once when the heavens were very close to the earth, all mankind
lifted the sky little by little at the repeated shouting 'Yahu,'
which rang all over the world."

In the times of Yahou:
1. sun did not set for a number of days
2. forests set on fire
3. vermin filled the country
4. a high wave 'reaching the sky' inundated the land for many years
5. the king sent his astronomers out to chart the four quarters of
the heavens as they had been disrupted
6. a new calendar marking year, month, seasons was established

"Chinese chronciles record that 'a brilliant star appeared in the
days of Yahu [Yahou].'" It is Velikovsky's theory that this star was
the comet/planet Venus/Phaethon/Morning Star which had not been part
of the heavens according to antiquity before this time.

The comet/planet Venus came close to the earth pulling the waters
towards it, setting the earth on fire in places, the heat causing the
propagation of insects (or were brought along in the tail of the
comet), and causing the earth to reorient itself. The historical
records of many peoples around the world are cited to corroborate
different aspects of this theory.

This all happened around the Exodus and giving of the law and is
especially interesting at this time of year when Shavuot/Pentecost is
going to be celebrated soon and is the day on which the Jews believe
Moses received the law. Also, some people believe the book of
Revelation is a "second Exodus" scenario.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Oct 1, 1999 Communist China's 50th Birthday
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 11:10:49 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

                            China Bans Extravagance On Communism's
                            50th Birthday

                            BEIJING, Apr. 14, 1999 -- (Reuters) China
                            has banned extravagant spending for the
                            50th anniversary of the founding of the
                            Communist state, Chinese state media said
                            on Wednesday.

                            The Oct. 1 celebrations should be "solemn
                            and warm" with the emphasis on
                            "effectiveness and frugality," they quoted
                            a Communist Party central committee
                            circular as saying.

                            Officials should not use the anniversary
                            as an excuse for construction, collecting
                            donations or hosting huge banquets.

                            And the only parade or military review
                            allowed would be the one scheduled for
                            Beijing.

                            No commercial souvenirs would be allowed
                            and Chinese not resident in Beijing would
                            be barred from the capital during the
                            occasion, the circular was quoted as
                            saying.

                            On Monday, Beijing's Executive Vice Mayor,
                            Meng Xuenong, said the capital would host
                            a week-long, multi-million-dollar gala
                            party replete with fireworks and a
                            military parade.

                            Meng would not put a price tag on the
                            event, but said it would cost "two to
                            three times more" than the "hundreds of
                            millions of yuan" spent to mark the 45th
                            anniversary. ( (c) 1999 Reuters)

http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999041410.html?text

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Vatican Warns Israel Over Plan to Build Nazareth Mosque
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 14:54:55 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

                 Wednesday, April 14, 1999: The Culture Channel

                 Vatican Warns Israel Over Plan to
                 Build Nazareth Mosque

                 JERUSALEM (AFP) -- The Vatican warned Israel
                 Wednesday against allowing the construction of a
                 mosque next to the Basilica of the Annunciation in
                 Nazareth, the main Christian holy site inside Israel.

                 The Vatican envoy in the Holy Land, Monsignor Pietro
                 Sambi, said he told Israeli officials here Wednesday
                 that construction of the Nazareth mosque would
                 "disturb" Church plans to mark the 2000th anniversary
                 of Jesus' birth.

                 Churches in Nazareth, Israel's biggest Arab city
                 where according to the scriptures Jesus spent his
                 youth, closed for two days earlier this month to
                 protest the mosque project and a rash of attacks on
                 the local Christians by Muslim radicals.

                 Sambi said that all Christian denominations had
                 agreed that if Israeli authorities allows the mosque
                 to be built, "we would resume and expand that
                 action."

                 The conflict centers on demands by local Muslims to
                 build a large mosque on a plot of land adjacent to
                 the Basilica of the Annunciation, where the
                 scriptures say the Archangel Gabriel told Mary she
                 was pregnant with Jesus.

                 Ramez Jeraisi, Nazareth's Christian mayor, plans to
                 build a plaza on the plot to improve access to the
                 basilica for millions of pilgrims expected to visit
                 the Holy Land for the millennium.

                 But Muslims have set up a big tent and occupied the
                 site, which is next to the grave of a local venerated
                 Islamic cleric.

                 The row worsened after Muslim groups gained control
                 of the city council in elections last November and
                 pressed claims that the disputed plot had in the past
                 belonged to the Islamic waqf, or trust, a position
                 denied by municipal officials.

                 Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Katzav, who is in
                 charge of affairs regarding Israel's million-strong
                 Arab minority, angered Christians by proposing the
                 Muslim be allowed to build a small mosque on the site
                 but after the millennium celebrations.

http://www.arabia.com/content/culture/4_99/vatican14.shtml

--- BPR

BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Pope Receives Miniature Menorah
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 18:36:32 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

11:09 AM ET 04/14/99

Pope Receives Miniature Menorah

 By VICTOR L. SIMPSON
 Associated Press Writer
           VATICAN CITY (AP) _ Pope John Paul II received a miniature
 menorah today, given in memory of the 6 million Jews who died in the
 Holocaust and in tribute to the pope's efforts to fight
 anti-Semitism.
           The 12-inch menorah, presented by Jewish and Catholic leaders
 during John Paul's general audience, was a replica of the
 4-foot-high bronze menorah erected Tuesday night as the first
 permanent Holocaust memorial on Vatican territory.
           ``He said he was very appreciative,'' said Rabbi Jack Bemporad,
 an American long involved in interfaith conferences.
           The ceremony Tuesday took place in a courtyard of the Pontifical
 North American College, a seminary that overlooks St. Peter's
 Basilica and is Vatican property. Cardinal Edward Cassidy,
 president of the Commission on Religious Relations with Jews,
 represented the Vatican.
           Both Catholics and Jews spoke of the progress in Catholic and
 Jewish relations, particularly under John Paul, but there was also
 acknowledgment of recent strains. John Paul was the first pope ever
 to visit a synagogue, and he established formal relations between the
 Vatican and Israel, eliminating a major point of contention by Jewish
 groups.
           Several Jewish organizations have complained about lack of
 access to the Vatican's archives relating to the papacy of wartime
 Pope Pius XII, accused by some of not doing enough to call attention
 to the extermination of European Jews.
           In return, some Catholics have complained that Jews have
 interfered in church affairs by their opposition to any plans to
 beatify Pius.
           ``There is a bitterness against the church,'' said Bemporad, who
 is the director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding at
 Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J.
           Others in the group meeting with the pope today included Gunther
 Lawrence, executive director of the Interreligious Information
 Center in New York, and Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, a
 major force in promoting Catholic-Jewish relations.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559162070-dc6

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (4/14/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 18:41:46 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

*** China premier: Don't fear china

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji Wednesday told
Americans not to fear economic competition with China as he pushes for
inclusion in the World Trade Organization. Zhu also downplayed the
size of the U.S. trade deficit with China. "Don't make such a big deal
out of this trade deficit," Zhu said in a speech at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. "This is not such a serious problem." In the
last stop on his nine-day, six-city tour, Zhu said Chinese estimates
place the trade deficit at $21 billion, significantly less than U.S.
estimates of $57 billion. He added that independent academic analysts
have it at about $35 billion. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559163713-c6a

*** Chinese media target Clinton, NATO

BEIJING (AP) - In the Chinese media, President Clinton is a
Hitler-like figure leading a ruthless NATO. Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic is a hero. Kosovar refugees are the victims of NATO
bombing, not Serb-driven ethnic purges. Chinese leaders have loosed
the state-run media to build support for their opposition to the NATO
air attack on Yugoslavia. The result has been a demonization of the
West rarely seen in Chinese propaganda in recent years. The emotional
pitch has surprised even the communist leadership that unleashed it -
and could backfire. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559163403-60d

*** Israel religions official demoted

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's top religions official was stripped of his
authority Wednesday after he claimed churches throughout Israel would
close for the millennium year if a mosque is built next to a major
pilgrimage site. Avi Blustein, director-general for the Religions
Ministry, told a parliamentary committee that senior Christian
officials had written Israeli authorities to say they would shut down
churches if Muslims in Nazareth build a mosque next to the Church of
the Annunciation. Hours after a Roman Catholic office denied the
claim, Religions Minister Eli Suissa stripped Blustein of his
authority, a step short of firing him. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559163951-bea

*** Pa. offering organ donor incentives

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Families of Pennsylvania organ donors will be
eligible for $300 state contributions for the donor's funeral expenses
in what is believed to be the first incentive program of its kind.
"This is quite controversial," said Kevin Sparkman of the Delaware
Valley Transplant Program, which oversees donations in southeastern
Pennsylvania. "Until now, we have always depended strictly on altruism
to drive organ donation." The three-year pilot program, to begin as
early as September, will be funded with donations from Pennsylvanians
renewing their driver's licenses, Sparkman said. The plan doesn't
violate federal law barring payment for organs because no money goes
directly to the donor, supporters say. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559159944-5d4

*** Archeologists unearth Roman ships

ROME (AP) - Eight virtually intact Roman ships discovered near Pisa
will be unearthed in June and restoration will begin soon afterwards,
the archeologist in charge of the dig said Wednesday. The wooden
vessels, which include at least one warship, date from the first
century B.C. to the fifth century A.D. They were first discovered in
December by surveyors examining a plot of land set aside for the
construction of a new railway line near downtown Pisa. Stefano Bruni
of Tuscany's cultural department said the ships provided a unique
opportunity to find out more about the Romans' commercial practices
and naval routes. Bruni said restoration of the vessels would take
from four to five years to complete. ###

*** Radio competition newlyweds split

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) - A couple who married after winning a
blind-date radio competition have announced they are splitting up less
than three months after tying the knot. The Church of England demanded
Wednesday that the radio station apologize to the couple, who met for
the first time at the altar Jan. 25 after a team of relationship
counselors and astrologers matched them in what station BRMB called a
"social experiment." Greg Cordell, 28, and Carla Germaine, 23, blamed
intrusions from the news media for their problems, saying it had put
the relationship under unbearable pressure. A film crew and newspaper
reporter accompanied them on their free honeymoon in the Bahamas. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559161823-351

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Earth set for close asteroid encounter
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 18:45:12 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

End Times Update
Re: Signs in the Heavens
Scripture: Luke 21:11
News Source: The BBC
URL:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_318000/318969.stm
Date: 4-14-99
 ==================================================

Wednesday, April 14, 1999 Published at 15:48 GMT 16:48 UK
Sci/Tech

Earth set for close asteroid encounter

A strike would have global implications

By BBC News Online Science Editor Dr David Whitehouse

Astronomers have discovered a mile-wide asteroid that could collide
with the Earth in 40 years time. If it did, the devastation would be
continent-wide, with massive global effects for decades. Hundreds of
millions of people would die and many animal species would be wiped
out.

The object is called asteroid 1999 AN10 and it was discovered on 13
January. It was picked up by the Linear telescopic survey that scans
the sky for so-called Neo's - Near Earth Objects.

1999 AN10 circles the Sun every 643 days and twice each year the Earth
comes close to the giant rock.

From almost a hundred observations made of it since its discovery,
astronomers have determined its orbit. Close approaches to Earth occur
in 2027, but no impacts are possible then according to Andrea Milani
and Steven Chesley of the University of Pisa.

But 2039 is a different matter.

Close monitoring
In calculating the orbit for 1999 AN10, the Italian astronomers say
that for August 2039 "a collision solution actually exists."

It is important to note that this is different from a definite
prediction of a collision.

In fact, from what is known at the moment, the probability of 1999
AN10 striking the Earth must be less than the probability of being hit
by an undiscovered asteroid on a given day.

Nonetheless, now that the asteroid has been found, its orbit is
attracting attention. The Italian astronomers say it will have to be
monitored closely.

They add that it is conceivable that at some time in the future a
decision could be made to deflect or destroy it just like in the movie
Armageddon.

Website publication
Where has this announcement of major importance been made? Not in a
press release but without much fuss on the astronomers' own Website.

Nasa is concerned about the way in which information gets out

Dr Benny Peiser of Liverpool's John Moores University, an expert in
Near Earth Objects, has expressed concern that the news of 1999 AN10
was released on a Website without going through normal review
procedures.

"There is no reason whatsoever why the findings about 1999 AN10 should
not be available to the general public - unless they have not been
checked."

He adds that, if they have not been verified, they should not have
been posted on the web in the first place.

The reason why the Italian astronomers have released their worrying
findings this way may be a reaction to stringent Nasa rules regarding
the reporting of potential asteroid impacts.

Asteroid scare
Following a scare last year, when it was thought that asteroid 1997
XF11 may strike us, a claim retracted 24 hours later, Nasa has clamped
down on what it calls the premature release of sensitive data.

1997 XF11 was a false alarm. It is unlikely that 1999 AN10 will hit us
- but it cannot be ruled out completely at this stage.

Calculations suggest that this asteroid will remain "dangerously
close" to Earth for the next 600 years.

According to Barry Peiser, what is worrying is not the chances of 1999
AN10 striking the Earth but the "unnecessary and detrimental secrecy
that surrounds this object."

Other astronomers have said that the Italian astronomers have followed
the correct procedure to distribute information about 1999 AN10 and
that there is no reason at this stage why they should have made their
observations public.

via: Portents2@aol.com