To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Milosevic and Saddam??
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 09:13:49 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Milosevic in arms pact with Saddam
Daily Telegraph
3/27/99 Con Coughlin
Milosevic in arms pact with Saddam By Con Coughlin
Milosevic and Saddam plot joint revenge
PRESIDENT Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia and Iraq's Saddam Hussein have
joined forces in an alliance to help them continue their defiance of
allied air strikes.
In a dramatic development which poses a serious challenge to the West,
two of the world's most reviled dictators have agreed a mutual
assistance pact to enable them to withstand the effects of allied
bombing raids.
Last night a Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the
reports that there is a connection between the Iraqi and the Serbian
regimes. We believe that they are accurate and based on good
information. Obviously this is a cause for concern and demonstrates
the sort of company that Milosevic is now keeping."
Milosevic and Saddam have authorised their officials to work closely
to fulfil their joint goal of shooting down allied aircraft involved
in bombing raids against Serbia and Iraq. Their alliance was initiated
shortly before Nato commanders last week launched Operation Allied
Force, when a Serbian delegation visited Baghdad earlier this month.
In return for receiving Serb assistance in rebuilding Iraq's air
defences and making its jet fighters airworthy, Saddam has promised to
provide Milosevic with oil and cash to sustain the Serbs' battered
economy. Last night Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "The Prime
Minister is aware of these reports. Nothing would surprise us about
Saddam or Milosevic."
=====================
Stratfor's Weekly Analyses
GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE UPDATE
Rising Danger of Simultaneous Crises in Iraq and
Kosovo January 25, 1999
SUMMARY
Something odd is going on. The Iraqis are not
allowing the latest crisis to die down, but are
challenging U.S. aircraft with missiles and are
deploying forces southward. Their newspapers are
full of threats directed toward Kuwait and Saudi
Arabia. At the same time, the Serbs deliberately
carried out a massacre that was intended to be
detected, and then intentionally exacerbated the
crisis by trying to expel a senior diplomat. There
is now the real possibility that Baghdad and
Belgrade are coordinating their actions to
simultaneously pose challenges that strain U.S.
military capabilities. At the same time, Russia
has taken on a much more assertive role, demanding
that the U.S. not attack either Iraq or Serbia.
The U.S. Post-Cold War coalition has completely
broken down. Russia, France and China are all
resisting the U.S. A window of opportunity has
opened here for the Iraqis and Serbs. We see signs
that they are now taking advantage of it, perhaps
in concert.
ANALYSIS
One of the major predictions STRATFOR made in the
Annual Forecast was that Russia would become much
more assertive in 1999. One of the consequences of
this new assertiveness would be an increased
willingness on the part of Russia to challenge the
United States. We went on to say that, "the first
confrontation will come, we think, over Serbia,
where we expect Russia to increase direct aid to
Serbia openly, thereby challenging U.S. policy in
Bosnia and Kosovo. Serbia, watching U.S. fumbling
over Iraq, and emboldened by Russian support, is
clearly preparing a new challenge to the United
States over Kosovo. Serbia is calculating that the
United States will not risk a major confrontation
with Russia, and France may choose to oppose a
full-scale anti-Serbian intervention. The dangers
of a new confrontation with Serbia rise as Russian
nationalism intensifies. There is particular
danger if Serbia and Iraq challenge the United
States simultaneously." Barely three weeks into
the new year, we are now witnessing a crisis with
Serbia over Kosovo at the same time as U.S.
warplanes are engaged in almost daily combat
against surface to air missile launch sites in
Iraq. The game's afoot.
Let's first consider the old game, since there is
a new one starting. The old game was built around
George Bush's New World Order doctrine. According
to this doctrine, the collapse of the Soviet Union
meant that great power conflict had been
effectively abolished. The United States was the
only superpower and all other major powers (the
Europeans, Japan, China, Russia) basically shared
a common interest in international peace and
prosperity. Major international conflicts were no
longer possible. There were only two types of
military problems. There were nations that would
suffer internal instability, which required the
international community to intervene in order to
prevent suffering. Then there might be some
nations that might seek to create regional
hegemonies. Somalia was an example of the former;
Iraq, the latter.
The solution to these problems was the same. The
international community had a common interest in
preventing regional conflict and national
instability and in alleviating human suffering.
Therefore, when such problems occurred, the
international community, using multilateral
institutions like the United Nations or NATO,
would intervene in order to maintain the status
quo. The United States would take a major role in
such interventions, as was its obligation as the
only superpower, but it would share responsibility
with other nations. Most important, it would only
act where there was an international consensus
that such intervention was necessary.
This led to a series of operations including Iraq,
Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia to name the most
important. The tempo of interventions carried out
by the United States actually increased after the
end of the Cold War. More important, the
geographical distribution of these interventions
was, under normal circumstances, extremely
dangerous. The United States was committing troops
both simultaneously and sequentially throughout
Eurasia, Africa and the Western Hemisphere. Under
the best of circumstances, the frequency of these
operations and their geographical diversity would
have strained the logistical capabilities of the
United States. Given the fact that the United
States was simultaneously decreasing resources
available to the military while increasing the
tempo of operations, the strain on the U.S.
military was quite intense.
The strategic reality alleviated these dangers to
a great degree. Because there was general
consensus in favor of intervention, the target
country was isolated. Its military capabilities
could only decrease. Second, since there was no
major power supporting them, the probability of
coordinated action was minimal. The great risk was
always that two geographically diverse powers,
like Iraq, North Korea, or Serbia, would
simultaneously strike at U.S. forces. This would
pose a dangerous problem for the United States.
With U.S. troops simultaneously engaged in combat
in three different theaters, it was not clear that
the United States could reinforce and resupply all
theaters. However, under the strategic reality for
most of the nineties, this was a theoretical, not
a real problem. The overwhelming international
consensus supporting these interventions
guaranteed that target nations would lack the
resources with which to initiate intense
operations on their own, let alone coordinate
their actions with nations continents away. Thus,
even though two of these interventions, Serbia and
Iraq, have turned into long-term commitments,
joining Korea in dispersing U.S. forces, the
actual risks appeared small.
It is interesting that Iraq and Serbia have
adopted almost identical strategies for dealing
with the U.S.-led interventions, which is
reasonable since both want to achieve similar
goals: to become the dominant power in their
region. Without U.S. intervention, this goal was
in the reach of both nations. After the
intervention, not only wasn't that goal attainable
any longer, but the very survival of the regimes
and the territorial integrity of their nations
were in doubt. It would have appeared rational for
both to capitulate to the international coalition
arrayed against them. Neither did.
Both Serbia and Iraq adopted the same view. First,
both regimes felt that capitulation would mean
their destruction as well as the abandonment of
their dream of regional hegemony. Their perception
was that any attempt at conciliation with domestic
minorities or enemies across their borders would
mean their utter destruction, and that continued
conflict actually protected their interests better
than a genuine peace. Second, they felt that time
was on their side. The United States and its
allies did not have fundamental interests at
stake. Having viewed U.S. behavior elsewhere, it
was both Iraq's and Serbia's perception that, over
time, the United States would lose interest and
drift away. They simply had to wait.
More important, they read the U.S. coalition as
inherently unstable. If only one major power were
to break away from the coalition, then both Iraq's
and Serbia's isolation would be done away with.
Moreover, at that point, the ability of the United
States to act under the cover of the international
community would dissolve, leaving Baghdad and
Belgrade with room for diplomatic maneuver, trade
opportunities, and even access to arms. The key
for both Iraq and Serbia, therefore, was simply to
survive without capitulating. This meant
maintaining the state of belligerence without
conceding anything substantial and without
triggering an overwhelming military action.
Both Iraq and Serbia adopted the same strategy.
They would press forward continually until
challenged. On being challenged, they would make a
concession that would forestall military action.
After a while, they would break whatever promises
they made and continue to press forward. At times
they miscalculated, triggering an easily endurable
series of air strikes, which actually helped
perpetuate the regime by creating a sense of
embattlement and victimization among the populace
and increasing support for the regime. This
strategy was facilitated by the inability of the
United States to put forward any meaningful
demands beyond that Iraq and Serbia stop doing
some particular thing. This allowed them to stop
doing whatever was demanded, causing the U.S. to
stand down its forces. When the carriers and
planes went home, they resumed their actions in an
endless series of challenges designed to exhaust
the United States. All the while they waited for
the coalition to break.
The coalition has broken. This is a very different
situation than before. Russia is no longer part of
the U.S. led coalition, but is now crafting its
own independent foreign policy, one strongly
opposed to military actions against both Iraq and
Serbia. China is supporting the Russian position.
France, although it has backed off somewhat in the
case of the Serbs, following the recent massacre,
is also opposed. Following the unsanctioned
bombing of Iraq in December 1998, the United
States lost the cover of its coalition. More
important, it moved into a period of grave danger.
Madeleine Albright is heading to Moscow on January
24 to repair the damage. There will undoubtedly be
toasts and a warm communique. But Albright has
nothing to offer the Russians. Nothing will come
of the meetings.
The hidden nightmare of U.S. strategy has been the
possibility of coordinated action between Iraq and
Serbia. Imagine the havoc if Iraq moved south into
Kuwait at the same moment that Serbia launched an
offensive against Bosnia. In both cases, U.S.
troops would be immediately involved. Which would
receive priority for reinforcements? Could the
U.S. fight two high-intensity conflicts
simultaneously without allied support and with the
active opposition of Russia, perhaps with it even
shipping weapons to both Iraqis and Serbs?
It is not clear to us that the Iraqis are
explicitly coordinating with the Serbs, although
these two pariahs would be foolish not to begin
some sort of secret coordination. We have no
direct evidence of such coordination, but it if
this is all mere coincidence, it is inspired
coincidence from the Iraqi and Serbian point of
view. Our guess, for what it is worth, is that
this is not coincidence and that we are seeing
skillful coordination between Baghdad and
Belgrade.
Something is going on. The Iraqi crisis did not
end as such crises normally do, with Iraq standing
down. Rather, Iraqi SAMs are locking on to U.S.
aircraft daily, while reports persist of Iraqi
troop concentrations along the Kuwaiti border. The
Iraqi press is filled with claims against Kuwait
and condemnation of Saudi Arabia. Thus, rather
than ending the last crisis, the Iraqis have
deliberately prolonged the crisis. They are
behaving very differently than before. At the same
time, the Serbs have decided to challenge the
United States in Kosovo. The perpetrated a
massacre that was clearly intended to be detected.
They threatened to expel a diplomat, deliberately
infuriating the United States. They have gone out
of their way to make it clear that they intend to
do everything necessary to keep Kosovo inside
Serbia, whether the United States likes it or not.
Suddenly and simultaneously, Iraq and Serbia are
doing everything possible to provoke the United
States. What has happened?
Time has run out on U.S. post-Cold War policy. The
coalition has shattered and both Serbia and Iraq
see a window of opportunity. The outcry against
the December bombing of Iraq was not only intense,
but seems to have broken the coalition
permanently. Most important, Russia is now taking
a much more active role, demanding that the United
States not repeat its bombing of Iraq or Serbia.
While working publicly to calm the crisis, there
are continual reports coming from the region of
Russian weaponry flowing into Serbia. In effect,
the Russians, committed to working with China and
France to limit U.S. global power, see an
opportunity to block U.S. power in two critical
regions.
If the simultaneous Iraqi and Serbian crises are
not pure coincidence, then there is a tremendous
danger emerging. Iraqi military behavior over the
past few weeks is extremely hard to explain. They
are clearly both more confident and more
aggressive. Their apparent deployment of forces
seems to indicate some sort of aggressive
intention. The Serbs have deliberately provoked a
crisis with the United States at the same time.
Both situations could explode at any minute. Both
countries have a reason to want the situation to
explode, since this is very much the situation
they have been waiting for since their
confrontation with the United States began.
Neither country is in a position to confront the
United States alone. They stand a much better
chance of achieving their goals if they challenge
the United States simultaneously. With overt and
covert Russian support, they have the ability to
pose a tremendous challenge to American military
capabilities.
The Iraqis and Serbs are clearly up to something.
What has changed? The Russians are no longer
passive. We are now passing out of the post-Cold
War world into a new, longer-lasting era in which
the United States is no longer leading a passive,
subservient international coalition in crusades
against isolated rogue nations. A coordinated
resistance to U.S. power has begun to emerge and
function. U.S. military deployment is based on the
assumption that there will be no geographically
dispersed, coordinated resistance to U.S. military
actions. The U.S. is even less prepared for
coordinated initiatives by its enemies that places
the U.S. on the defensive and in which military
action takes place at the time and choosing of
Washington's opponents. It appears to us that we
are moving into such a period. If there is
Serbo-Iraqi coordination going on, or if this is
mere coincidence, the U.S. may find itself in a
two-theater confrontation which could strain its
military resources to the limits. The problem:
whether this happens is not up to Washington but
to planners in Baghdad and Belgrade. This is a
very new game that's afoot.
http://www.stratfor.com/services/giu/012599.asp
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Israel in the News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 09:21:45 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
This Week: Israel in the News
Tzemach News Service
Week Ending: 27 March 1999 / 10 Nisan 5759
EU BACKS PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD: The European Union (EU)
issued a declaration on Thursday that endorses a Palestinian state in
the midst of Israel. It calls for a target date for the reaching of a
final-status solution, within one year. EU leaders seemed to be trying
to compensate PLO leader Yasser Arafat for his apparent willingness to
postpone a unilateral declaration of statehood in Judea, Samaria and
Gaza (Yesha) beyond May 4, the end of the five-year period of the Oslo
Accords. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily attacked
the 15-nation EU for the declaration. Invoking the memory of the
Holocaust, Netanyahu said, "It is a shame that Europe, where a third
of the Jewish people was killed, should take a stand which puts Israel
at risk and goes against our interests". [Editor's note: Contrary to
popular belief, even on Israel's behalf, the PLO did not change its
Charter to eliminate the clauses calling for the destruction of
Israel. What it did was reaffirm the decision it made in Gaza in 1996
to form a committee to look into changing the Charter. The Charter can
be changed only by a ratification of "two-thirds of the total
membership of the National Congress" of the PLO (Article 33-PLO
Charter). The vote in December 1999 was short by 29 members and was
not called for that purpose, which is another requirement for changing
the Charter. In November, the Chairman of the Palestinian Legislative
Council (PLC) stated that there would not be any vote on the annulment
of the articles of the PLO Charter. The PLO continues to call for the
elimination of Israel. In December the PLC passed a law making it a
crime punishable by death for an Israeli citizen to hold ownership in
'Palestinian real estate'. Fatah, the Arafat-controlled faction of the
PLO, continues to call for the complete destruction of Israel. They
have continually organized violent demonstrations in Yesha to stir-up
the Palestinian population against Israel.]
The leaders of Jordan and Qatar have both endorsed a PLO state as have
many others. However, the Foreign Minister of Japan stated that his
country does not support a unilateral declaration of independence by
Yasser Arafat.
Meanwhile, in the coming weeks US President Clinton is expected to ask
Arafat to extend the interim period for one year during which time the
President will be active in advancing final status agreements between
the sides, including determining a target date to finalize the
agreements. On the issue of a Palestinian state, Clinton is likely to
announce that following the extended period, the US will support the
Palestinians' rights to freely determine their future on 'their' land
(despite objections by the US Senate and House of Representatives).
Arafat met with Clinton in the US on Tuesday. (ICEJ, AP, JTA,
ARUTZ-7, ISRAEL LINE)
FUNDS APPROVED FOR JERUSALEM: The Cabinet on Wednesday
granted $18 million for Jerusalem in a special meeting at the
Jerusalem Municipality, the JERUSALEM POST reported. This sum is in
addition to the $49 million allocated to the city each year. PM
Netanyahu and Mayor Ehud Olmert outlined plans to build up the city to
ensure a unified capital. (ISRAEL LINE)
PA/PLO WELL ESTABLISHED IN JERUSALEM: The PA/PLO has
stepped up its activities in Jerusalem and is running a virtual
parallel government in the eastern sector of the city, according to a
confidential report by the Israeli secret service. In violation of
peace accords which bar it from operating in the city, the PA/PLO is
running schools, clinics, police services and even an insurance plan
for Arab residents, it said. The secret service report, which HA'ARETZ
said had been submitted to Netanyahu, charged that the long-time PLO
headquarters in east Jerusalem, Orient House, had become the
"Palestinian Authority executive" in the city. Other institutions
presented in the Israeli report as run by the PA/PLO include Al Quds
University, a tourism bureau and a prisoner support organization. The
PA/PLO has also located its own mufti (Islamic cleric) of Jerusalem on
the Temple Mount and controls its own Islamic religious institutions
as well. In the area of transportation, the PA/PLO has begun to
reorganize passenger-carrying vans, collecting license fees and
demanding that the vans be painted a uniform identifiable orange
color. The PA/PLO has its own emerging judicial system, as well.
Journalist Nadav Shragai writes: "Judges are routinely dispatched from
the Orient House in order to broker civil and criminal cases. The
most amazing innovation is the takeover of the Sharia [Islamic
religious] court . . . by the Authority. Over the past few months, the
entrance has been guarded by plainclothes PA policemen." (AFP,
HA'ARETZ, ISRAEL LINE, ARUTZ-7)
HILLARY WORKING FOR THE MUSLIM CAUSE: US First Lady Hillary
Clinton's claim that Yitzchak Rabin implicitly supported the creation
of a Palestinian state is "clearly contradicted by Rabin's lengthy
record of statements opposing a Palestinian state", according to the
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). The NEW YORK TIMES reported
last Friday that Mrs. Clinton allegedly said that "her remarks [in
favor of a Palestinian state] were a 'reflection of her discussions'
with Yitzchak Rabin, the late Israeli Prime Minister". The ZOA points
out, however, that Rabin consistently opposed the creation of a
Palestinian state: When Labor Party official Nissim Zvilli made a
statement in February 1994 which seemed to accept the idea of a
Palestinian state, Rabin emphasized that he (Rabin) was "firm in my
opposition to statehood", and pointed out that statements in favor of
Palestinian statehood "contradict decisions by the [Labor] party
convention and do not reflect the party's positions". Several times
afterwards, Rabin again declared his opposition to a Palestinian
state. ZOA National President Morton A. Klein condemned Ms. Clinton
for misrepresenting Rabin's position, and said, "Prime Minister Rabin,
and all Israelis, have good reason to be concerned about the possible
establishment of a Palestinian state. If such a state were created,
Israel would be reduced to its precarious, nine- miles-wide borders of
1967, and enemy tanks would be able to cut Israel in two at its
mid-section . . . A PLO-Hamas state - a veritable mini-Iraq - would
be situated on Israel's doorstep." (ARUTZ-7)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Japan uses robots to keep elderly company
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 09:35:21 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Japan uses robots to keep elderly company
Copyright c 1999 Nando Media
Copyright c 1999 Agence France-Press
By KAZUHIRO SHIMAMURA
TOKYO (March 27, 1999 9:45 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) -
Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. is developing robotic
bears, cats and tigers as pets to comfort the growing number of old
people in the country.
With 27 percent of the population expected to be over 65 by 2025, it
expects a growing and increasingly lucrative market for a gadget that
can even save its owners' lives.
Weighing just one kilogram, the furry robot, available in cat, tiger
and bear varieties, smiles and delivers verbal greetings when touched,
according to Matsushita spokesman Yoshihiro Kitadeya.
A microship inside the pet stores every interaction with its owner and
analyses the log to decide for itself when to wake up and kick off a
conversation with a friendly "good morning," Kitadeya said.
"Its eyes are composed of a liquid crystal display panel so the robot
can smile at you or act like a living pet by simulating sleepy eyes,"
said the spokesman.
The robotic pet's information logs can be accessed through
telecommunication links such as mobile telephones
to monitor interactions with owners living without human company.
"Depending on how you program it, the pet can start conversations when
a room is quiet and help monitor the user's health," said the
spokesman for Matsushita, maker of brands such as Panasonic, Technics,
National and Quasar.
A long period of silence from an owner can trigger the pet to make a
mobile telephone call informing caretakers or relatives of a possible
problem, he explained.
"In the past, robots like this could only mimic the motions of real
animals solely for the purpose of entertainment," said Kitadeya.
Now the questionable fortune of having a robotic pet for company is
available at a cost of about 50,000 yen ($420) each and 500,000 yen
with the whole remote-monitoring system.
The pets are scheduled for release in 2001.
Matsushita isn't the only company seeking to prise open the wallets of
the elderly.
At least one company has been featured in the media for offering an
ash-storage system for land-short Japan.
Once your relative has passed on, the firm offers to store the ash in
a warehouse.
At a special shrine, visiting mourners simply key in their own code
and the right ashes are automatically delivered to the spot ready for
prayers to be offered.
On the Internet, home pages are available for relatives to pay virtual
visit to ancestors' graves from anywhere in the world.
Matsushita Electric Works Ltd., a leading electric equipment and
construction materials maker, already sells
products targeted at the older market, from special bathtubs to
"friendly" stairways.
It built a high-tech nursing home last year with each of its 80 rooms
equipped with monitoring systems and "barrier-free" furniture.
"We expect making products for the elderly to become one of the
company's major businesses in the near
future," said the company's general manager of public relations, Tomio
Kado.
via: Insane Science Mailing List
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News tidbits (3/28/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 12:21:08 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*[I]t has now been learned that the European Union's stance in
support of a Palestinian state was coordinated with the United States
after secret negotiations between the two. The Europeans asserted
last week that the Palestinians continue to merit "the undeniable
right of self-determination," including the right to a state.
*Shimon Peres predicts that after the coming elections, a
national-unity government would be formed, without the participation
of any religious parties.
* LIKUD PROTESTS BEILIN CONSENT TO PALESTINIAN STATE
The Likud has requested an urgent special session of the Knesset,
following reports that Labor MK Yossi Beilin held talks four years ago
with a top PA figure on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Likud Knesset faction head MK Ruby Rivlin has delivered the 30
signatures necessary for such a special session. Palestinian
Authority senior Nabil Sha'ath told the French newspaper Le Monde that
Beilin, with the apparent consent of then-Prime Minister Yitzchak
Rabin, agreed to the declaration of a Palestinian state. The paper
states that in the spring of 1995, Beilin and Shaath "examined the
possibility of the Palestinian state being declared and recognized by
Israel as soon as the problems of the settlements and of the borders
had been dealt with. Along with this [the sides] would continue
talking about other subjects like Jerusalem. 'We talked about the
creation of settlement-blocs on an area that would not exceed 5% of
the West Bank, in exchange for which Israel would cede 5% more
territories in Gaza', Sha'ath revealed."
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, March 28, 1999 / Nisan 11, 5759
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Make temporary US Embassy in Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 20:18:55 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
From: Portents2@aol.com
End Times Update
Re: Covenant With Many
Scripture: Daniel 9:27
News Source: Jerusalem Post
Date: 3-28-99
=================================================
Moynihan: Make temporary US Embassy in Jerusalem
By HILLEL KUTTLER and DANNA HARMAN
WASHINGTON (March 28) - With the approach of a congressionally imposed
deadline for moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, New York Senator
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Dem.) has proposed a temporary compromise. He
believes it will preserve the American role in the peace process,
while also declaring the administration's ultimate intent.
In a letter he sent on March 17 to National Security Adviser Sandy
Berger, Moynihan suggested that the administration could acknowledge
this month that the legislation "is the law of the land" and "stress
the US's commitment" to moving the embassy once final-status
negotiations are concluded.
Until the embassy is actually constructed in Jerusalem, the US would
designate "an appropriate site" for holding "ambassadorial functions"
in the city, Moynihan wrote. Sources here believe that such a site
would be the Laromme Hotel.
In taking such steps the administration "would give all sides a clear
understanding of the intentions of the US in a way that none should
find surprising nor objectionable," Moynihan stated. It would also
honor "the spirit and letter" of the law, he said, while "avoiding
actions or statements that may have negative repercussions on the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the current Israeli election
campaign."
Berger's aides did not return calls Friday for comment on the
proposal.
However, based on past administration statements, it is unlikely
Moynihan's ideas would be acceptable. In the regular reports it is
required to submit to Congress, the administration has stressed the
sensitivity of the Jerusalem question and offered no indication it is
prepared to move the embassy to either permanent or temporary
quarters.
Congress passed the embassy-relocation bill in October 1995 to
coincide with celebrations of Jerusalem's 3,000th anniversary. It
automatically became law several weeks later after President Clinton
refrained from signing it.
Under the law, the US must move the embassy to Jerusalem by the end of
this May. If it does not, Congress will not release half of this
year's State Department's budget for acquiring and maintaining foreign
properties. A waiver built into the law at the administration's urging
allows the president to waive the relocation requirement, on a
six-month basis, if he determines it to be in the US's "national
security interests."
Sources here expect Clinton to utilize his waiver authority by the end
of this month, when the foreign property penalty becomes effective.
Meanwhile, the administration expressed reservations Friday with the
European Union's statement earlier in the day that it might recognize
a Palestinian state if the PA withdrew its threat to declare
independence unilaterally.
State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters that the EU view
is one that the Americans "do not share."
"Our views are clear," he said. "We believe Oslo is based on the
principle that all permanent status issues can only be resolved
through negotiations. We are thus opposed to a unilateral declaration
of a Palestinian state."
In Tel Aviv, US Embassy spokesman Larry Schwartz said that Washington
"does not share" the views put forward by the EU with regard to
recognizing a future Palestinian state.
"We [the US] believe Oslo is based on the principle that all
permanent-status issues can be resolved only through negotiations. We
are thus opposed to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state,"
Schwartz added.
Early reports indicated that the US and the EU had coordinated their
statements. Schwartz said that while "we have regular consultations
with the EU on Middle East issues... we did not negotiate with the EU
on this text."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised the US position and
lambasted the European one. He said in an interview with Channel 2
that "when someone shows up on the eve of the most crucial
negotiations in our history... when they show up and try to dictate
our destiny, our future, our security needs and our very existence,
the only thing we can say is - No!"
MK Yossi Beilin also criticized the EU position.
"For the past five years, since the signing of the Oslo accords, the
world did not dare to tell us how the final-status talks should turn
out. The problem that has been created now is that the Europeans are
now saying this is how it should turn out," Beilin said. "My problem
is not with the content of what they are saying - I, too, am for
self-determination for the Palestinians - but the question is how this
is reached: through negotiations or through decree. We have gone
backwards to the period of decree."
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Vendyl Jones guest appearance
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 20:28:01 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Dr. Vendyl Jones (aka "Indiana Jones") is scheduled
as a featured guest on Jeff Rense Show ~ Sightings
on Monday, April 5th, 7-10:00 pm Pacific Time.
You can listen live on Real Audio. (Also archived
after the show.) Feel free to use our linked site
at http://www.immunotex.com/show/
This is a Jeff Rense interview exclusive with
one of the most controversial figures in our time!
Dr. Jones' areas of expertise include the Land of
Israel's mysteries and anomalies, his ongoing
search for the Ashes of the Red Heifer and the Ark
of the Covenant, and the conspiracy and cover-up
concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Monday, April 5th! Mark your calendar!
The call in line will be 800 850-5043
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Stratfor Global Intelligence Update -- March 29, 1999
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 23:47:49 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
STRATFOR's
Global Intelligence Update
March 29, 1999
Kosovo Crisis Points to Global Realignment
Summary:
Stratfor predicted both the Kosovo crisis and Serb-Iraqi
collaboration in our January 1999 Annual Forecast. We also said
that the Russians were critical to these situations. Our
reasoning: the world is in a massive realignment designed to
create an international system that can limit U.S. power. The
Kosovo crisis is not so much a Russian trap for the Americans as
an American created trap for itself, a gift to those who want to
bring the U.S. down several notches.
Analysis:
On January 4, 1999, our Annual Forecast stated that: "The Serbs,
supported by the Russians, will test the United States in Kosovo.
There is increasing danger of a simultaneous challenge from
Serbia and Iraq, straining U.S. military capabilities
dramatically." Then, on January 25, 1999, we wrote the
following: "Something odd is going on. The Iraqis are not
allowing the latest crisis to die down, but are challenging U.S.
aircraft with missiles and are deploying forces southward. Their
newspapers are full of threats directed toward Kuwait and Saudi
Arabia. At the same time, the Serbs deliberately carried out a
massacre that was intended to be detected, and then intentionally
exacerbated the crisis by trying to expel a senior diplomat.
There is now the real possibility that Baghdad and Belgrade are
coordinating their actions to simultaneously pose challenges that
strain U.S. military capabilities. At the same time, Russia has
taken on a much more assertive role, demanding that the U.S. not
attack either Iraq or Serbia. The U.S. Post-Cold War coalition
has completely broken down. Russia, France and China are all
resisting the U.S. A window of opportunity has opened here for
the Iraqis and Serbs. We see signs that they are now taking
advantage of it, perhaps in concert."
Today's British Sunday Telegraph is reporting that Yugoslavia and
Iraq in fact signed a secret cooperation treaty. Under the
agreement, Iraq would provide Yugoslavia oil and money in return
for Yugoslavian help in rebuilding Iraq's air defenses.
According to a British Foreign Ministry spokesman quoted by The
Telegraph: "We are aware of the reports that there is a
connection between the Iraqi and the Serbian regimes. Obviously
this is a cause for concern and demonstrates the sort of company
that Milosevic is now keeping. The Prime Minister is aware of
these reports. Nothing would surprise us about Saddam or
Milosevic." In other words, the British are confirming the
reports.
The point here is not simply to demonstrate how right we were,
although we don't mind if anybody notices. Rather, it is to try
to demonstrate that things are not as chaotic as they appear.
There are broad, global forces at work that have led the world to
this current crisis in Yugoslavia and which point the way to
events beyond. When we consider why Stratfor reached the
conclusions it did in January, it will be easier to understand
what these forces are and what they portend.
Stratfor has been focusing for several years on the
disequilibrium of the international system. Like everything
else, the international system seeks equilibrium. Ever since the
collapse of the Soviet Union, the system has been unbalanced.
The United States was not only overwhelmingly powerful, but no
conceivable group of nations could resist the basic thrusts of
U.S. policy. Given U.S. political and economic supremacy,
virtually all nations, save a small group of "outlaw" nations,
were prepared to collaborate with the United States. Put
differently, any nation not prepared to collaborate with the
United States was, by definition, an outlaw or rogue state.
Over time, it was inevitable that other nations would seek to
create a counterbalance to the United States designed to create
room for maneuver for themselves. Creating such a counterbalance
was extremely difficult. The economic advantages of
collaboration with the United States were so great, that
political or military resistance to American initiatives was
irrational. Neither Russia nor China, for example, would
collaborate with each other if the consequence of such
collaboration would be American economic retribution. Thus,
since 1991 an extremely strange and even unnatural disequilibrium
dominated the world. The United States presided over a global
coalition and isolated any nation that would not participate.
The Asian economic crisis and the Russian economic collapse were
only barely connected economically. Yet, they were profoundly
connected politically. As Russia's and China's economies
struggled under the burdens of economic contraction, each began
to experience a degree of internal political instability. Each,
in its own way, sought to stabilize its economy by reigning in
liberals (those who sought collaboration with the United States)
and increasing dependence on conservatives (those who sought to
pursue a course simultaneously more nationalistic, and more
political and military in nature). The liberals and economists
grew weaker. The conservatives, apparatchiks and generals grew
stronger.
For a year now, China and Russia have been cautiously moving
toward entente. However, the Russian situation, which is both
more grim economically and more powerful militarily, evolved
faster. Nationalists, conservatives, apparatchiks and generals
essentially seized control of Russia, ousting westernizers,
liberals, technocrats and economists. The new faction --
realizing that economic help from the West was not forthcoming,
insufficient or actually irrelevant to Russia's economic problems
-- sought to create a political space within which Russia could
reassert its geopolitical interests.
The United States, believing that the events of 1989-1992 had
permanently transformed the world so that only the American
geopolitical understanding was viable, resisted the Russian
attempt to redefine its sphere of influence. The Russians became
more uneasy and aggressive. It appeared logical to us that
Russia would find it in its interests to create a new bloc partly
to defend itself, partly to assert itself and partly as a
bargaining chip against the IMF and the United States. Few
nations would initially collaborate with Russia. The rogue
states were the exception and three rogue states were of
particular interest: Serbia, North Korea and Iraq. North Korea
was dangerous to Russia because of proximity, and because of
potential Japanese and Chinese responses. So the Russians put
that one on the back burner.
Serbia and Iraq, however, were perfect. What made them perfect
was that they were completely isolated, would rapidly move into a
position of dependency on Russia, were of marginal importance to
Russia so that they could be abandoned if need be, and most
important, their behavior would drive the Americans up a wall,
increasing Russia's leverage. Given Russia's position, it was
obvious to us that if the Russians were rational, they would
quietly align themselves with Serbia and Iraq and create a
coordinated crisis designed to psychologically stun the United
States and open the door to a redefinition of the international
system.
In examining the options, it seemed clear to us that two things
would happen. First, the Russians would do everything to
encourage the Iraqis to pin U.S. forces in Iraq. Second, the
Russians would encourage Serbian intransigence over Kosovo. By
covertly supplying critical military supplies and providing
public political support, Russia created a space in which both
the Serbs and Iraqis could resist U.S. military pressure.
Ideally, from the Russian point of view, the United States would
find itself in a position where, for the first time since World
War II, it was conducting air campaigns simultaneously in two
widely dispersed theaters. The ideal for the Russians was an
ineffective, prolonged campaign in Iraq and an intensive one in
Serbia. Neither can succeed, neither can end, both will together
sap U.S. military strength while straining the American alliance
system.
This should not be thought of as some conspiracy theory. The
Russians did not create the current situation. All they did was
provide limited resources and encouragement to two isolated
nations that the United States, of its own volition and inertia,
was committed to redefining. Russia did not create the American
obsession with Iraq and Serbia. All that the Russians did was to
provide them with sufficient material and confidence to be
willing to reject American ultimatums.
Therefore, Iraqi-Serbian cooperation is a given in two senses.
First, they would have to be idiots not to cooperate. And in
spite of the nasty U.S. tendency to underestimate its opponents,
neither Milosevic nor Saddam is even slightly stupid. Second,
and more important, they now have a sponsor for their
cooperation: the Russians. The Russians want to bring down the
Americans several notches in order to increase their leverage.
Coordinating two rogue states is a Russian specialty. They are
doing it well.
This puts the Russians in an excellent position. The head of the
IMF is in Moscow today. A Russian delegation is in Belgrade,
having first met with Richard Holbrooke, architect of the current
U.S. Serbian policy. Having demonstrated their willingness to
resist the United States and their ability to do so, the U.S.
must either dramatically escalate the air war and introduce
ground forces, or it must negotiate from a much weaker position
than before. Now, the U.S. needs the Russians to speak to the
Serbs and possibly to guarantee the peace, a role the Americans
have normally reserved for themselves. The coincidental presence
of the IMF in Moscow is not really that relevant, because
Russia's economic problems are beyond redemption. Nevertheless,
there will have to be a payoff.
But the big story now is Russia's relationship with China. In
1972, China and America ganged up on Russia in order to stop its
tremendous momentum. Today, the players shift their partners but
the game remains the same. Russia and China have a joint,
strategic interest in hemming in the United States. With U.S.-
Russian relations in terrible shape and U.S.-Chinese relations in
nearly as bad disarray, the danger to the American global
position is substantial. China and the U.S. are having a summit
in a few weeks. With Russia on the knife's edge of hostility or
cooperation with the U.S., China is an extraordinary position to
demand concessions, and failing to secure them from the U.S. to
then realign itself with the Russians.
These are the fundamental issues facing the U.S. The Kosovo
issue is and was a side issue. The key to the lives of the
Kosovars is not in Washington but in Belgrade and Moscow. Serbia
wants guarantees of a unified, sovereign nation. Russia wants a
sphere of influence. So does China. The real issue is does the
United States know what it wants, and knowing it, is it
achievable and at what cost? There are far greater stakes on the
table than Kosovo. That was obvious in January and that is
obvious today.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Mar 29, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 08:29:39 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
7:00 PM Eastern
HIST - 20TH CENTURY - The Changing Face of Warfare. Examines the
ways that weaponry has changed since World War II. Focuses on the
smart bombs, stealth planes, and anti-missile missiles used in the
Persian Gulf War, and explores the ways in which TV has become a
powerful propaganda weapon. [TV PG]
8:00
HIST - THE NAZI BOMB - Nobel laureate Werner
Heisenberg leads the World War II German atomic-bomb
project.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - SUPERSTORMS - Hurricanes and typhoons can cause
devastating damage.(CC)(TVG)
9:00
ABC - THE CENTURY - Pivotal factors and people shape the
20th century; Charles Lindbergh flies solo across the
Atlantic; Neil Armstrong steps on the moon; space
exploration.(CC)
A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "Stolen Identities" -
High-tech thieves can steal a person's identity without so
much as a birth date.(CC)
HIST - THE LAST DAYS OF WORLD WAR II - After Germany loses
the Battle of the Bulge and the Allies bomb Dresden, Hitler
orders railroad tunnels flooded, then commits suicide;
war-crimes trials take place at Nuremberg.(CC)(TVG)(Ends
midnight)
TLC - EARTH STORY - "Crater of Death" - (CC)
10:00
DISC - DISASTER PROOF? - Large-scale feats of construction
and engineering.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - PALEOWORLD - "Dinosaur Doomsday" - Scientists
suggest reasons for the dinosaurs'
extinction.(CC)(TVG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (3/29/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 08:49:48 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** U.S. says Israel can stay in West Bank
JERUSALEM (AP) - In a sharp change of emphasis, a U.S. official said
Sunday Israel does not have to resume troop withdrawals in the West
Bank until the Palestinians meet their commitments under the Wye
agreement. U.S. Embassy spokesman Larry Schwartz stressed the U.S.
still expects Israel to act on other aspects of the U.S.-brokered Wye
River accords. Until recently, Washington had blamed Israel for the
current deadlock in the peace process, saying the Palestinians have
gone a long way towards fulfilling their obligations. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu halted implementation of the accord in December,
accusing the Palestinians of failing to contain anti-Israel violence.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558974053-60d
*** Also: U.S. selling Israel 50 F-16 jets, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558956819-e98
*** Fuel cells could change power source
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Thirty years from now, millions of American
homes and businesses may get their electricity from small on-site
generators that create no pollution and require no power lines. Fuel
cells - electrochemical generators now used to run spacecraft - could
revolutionize the way homeowners get their power, especially in remote
areas, backers say. "Fuel cells have the potential to change the way
we look at electricity in fundamental ways," said Bob Rose of the U.S.
Fuel Cell Council, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association. There
is enormous potential for residential fuel cells worldwide, said Peter
Bos, director of the Fuel Cell Commercialization Group, a San Mateo,
Calif., consortium of U.S. and Canadian utilities. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558970975-5be ***
Also: How a fuel cell works, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558971820-05b
*** Activists want to save Easter lambs
ROME (AP) - Every Easter around 2 million baby lambs end up on
Italian dinner tables, animal rights activists say. This year,
they're asking the pope to stop the slaughter. People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals asked Pope John Paul II Saturday to "appeal to
the faithful ... and save the lives of millions of lambs, symbols of
innocent love, candor and tenderness." The letter from PETA's Italian
representative, Walter Caporale, said around 2 million newborn lambs
are slaughtered every Easter in Italy. Roast baby lamb accompanied by
potatoes and artichokes or asparagus is a traditional Easter meal in
Italy, along with a dove-shaped cake. ###
*** 7 volunteer to be crucified
SAN FERNANDO, Philippines (AP) - Seven penitents in a northern
Philippine village have agreed to be nailed to wooden crosses on Good
Friday, a gruesome ritual that draws large crowds of tourists every
year. More people are expected to sign up to have four-inch nails
driven into their hands and in some cases feet as well, in a
reenactment of Jesus Christ's sufferings, Zoilo Castro, an official in
the city of San Pedro Cutud said Sunday. Last year, men dressed as
Roman soldiers nailed 14 men and a woman to crosses on a hill in the
village. The ritual has continued for more than 40 years in Asia's
only predominately Roman Catholic nation. The grimacing penitents
usually stay on the cross for a few minutes before being helped down.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558970311-377
*** Teen-age boy wears dress to prom
PIERSON, Fla. (AP) - An 18-year-old senior walked into his high
school prom in high-heeled shoes that matched his red satin evening
gown. Charles Rice had worn women's clothing before, but he had to
fight to wear a dress to the dance Saturday night. The principal at
Taylor High School had said earlier in the month Rice could not attend
the dance in drag, citing concerns for the teen's safety and the
potential for a major disruption of the prom. Rice, who is gay, said
he felt he was being discriminated against because of his sexual
orientation. He was in the process of hiring an attorney when the
school reversed its decision last Wednesday. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558970919-6db
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arab offices in Jerusalem to be closed
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 08:52:28 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
ARAB OFFICES IN JERUSALEM TO BE CLOSED
The Ministerial Committee for Jerusalem Affairs decided today to close
three Palestinian Authority offices in eastern Jerusalem. It was also
decided to tighten the supervision over Palestinian officials who are
working towards Palestinian sovereignty in the eastern half of the
Israeli capital.
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Monday, March 29, 1999 / Nisan 12, 5759
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Balkans and Yugoslavia info
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 08:57:36 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
The Balkans and Yugoslavia
Geography Net Links
Mining Co
http://geography.miningco.com/msubbalkans.htm
Balkan States
From your Mining Co. Guide, maps and geographic
information about the Balkan States.
The Balkans Regional Atlas
The CIA has produced this excellent atlas of Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Serbia. The maps for each state
include land use, ethnic populations, energy, and more.
Balkans Report
The latest news on the Balkans from Washingtonpost.com.
BBC News: Kosovo
The latest news about Kosovo from the BBC.
Beginner's Guide to the Balkans
Basic information from ABCNEWS.com. Includes brief
geographical information, mini-biographies, a timeline and
more.
Former Yugoslavia
From your Mining Co, Guide, an overview of fall of
Yugoslavia and the new countries of the Balkans.
Geographical Dictionary of the Balkans
From your Mining Co. Guide, background and information
about Kosovo, Serbia, Yugoslavia, and more.
History File: Yugoslavia and the Balkans
A great site from the BBC that provides maps and historical
information about Yugoslavia at eight critical points throughout
the twentieth century.
Kosovo
Official U.S. government information from the United States
Information Agency.
Kosovo and Metohija
The official site of Kosovo's Serbian Democratic Movement.
Daily updates and extensive information.
Kosovo and the Holocaust
From the Mining Co.'s Holocaust Guide, an overview of this
cauldron of conflict.
Serbia Info
The official site of Serbia's Ministry of Information. Daily
updates and extensive information.
Serbia and Montenegro: The Crisis in Kosovo
From the U.S. State Department; statements, briefings, and
more.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Tiny cells in the eye "predict" the future
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 10:21:19 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Saturday, March 27, 1999 Published at 16:49 GMT
Everybody can see the future - official
Tiny cells in the eye "predict" the future
Seeing the future is not limited to clairvoyants and fortune-tellers -
we can all do it, according to scientists at Harvard University.
Researchers have been looking at the human ability to respond to an
object that is travelling literally too fast for the eye to have time
to transmit its image to the brain.
Tennis players and cricketers, for example, routinely react to balls
travelling at up to 100mph, when technically their brains should not
be able to register them before they are gone.
Now, Professor Markus Meister and his colleagues at the Harvard
University Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology have
discovered that our eyes contain cells called ganglions that can
calculate the future position of a moving object.
In-built advantage
The ganglions then fire off an alert message to the brain thousandths
of a second before the object actually arrives in that place.
The finding revolutionises many previous models of the eye, which
assumed that it acted simply as a camera - capturing the image
presented directly in front of it.
It also suggests that top athletes may have the ability to see
fractionally further into the future than the average individual,
giving them an in-built advantage.
The discovery was made using an instrument developed by the Meister
Lab that uses microelectrodes to record the action of about 100
ganglion cells in the retina of the human eye.
The project aims to decipher the entire "neuronal circuit" of the
retina and the optic nerve, which contains about one million fibres.
via: Insane Science Mailing List
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Russia Today items (3/29/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 10:23:24 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
PRIMAKOV TO VISIT YUGOSLAVIA
MOSCOW -- Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov may visit Belgrade
on Tuesday to seek a way to end NATO air raids on its traditional Slav
ally Yugoslavia, a government spokeswoman said on Monday.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999032901.html?text
HUNDREDS OF POLICE SURROUND US EMBASSY IN MOSCOW
MOSCOW -- Hundreds of police ringed the U.S. embassy in Moscow for the
second day on Monday, after a botched weekend grenade attack on the
building still stained by ink bombs from a wave of anti-NATO protests.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999032902.html?text
DUMA, GOV'T TO CONSIDER BOOSTING MILITARY
MOSCOW -- Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament and
senior ministers will meet in closed session to discuss "preliminary
measures" to boost the military
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999032903.html?text
YELTSIN TO ADDRESS RUSSIANS ON KOSOVO, FINANCIAL CRISIS
MOSCOW -- President Boris Yeltsin is to deliver a difficult address to
parliament in which he must explain Russia's plans for Yugoslavia and
its strategy to end a financial crisis.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999032905.html?text
SOLANA CALLS ON RUSSIA TO KEEP LINES OPEN
BRUSSELS -- NATO chief Javier Solana said Friday he wanted to "keep
communications open" with Russia after Moscow expelled the alliance
ambassador there in anger at the air strikes against Yugoslavia.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999032906.html?text
IMF HEAD SEES 'GOOD NEWS' IN RUSSIAN TALKS
International Monetary Fund chief Michel Camdessus spoke with Russian
President Boris Yeltsin and met parliamentarians on Monday as the
crisis-hit country tried to pry more loans from the Fund. Camdessus,
due to meet Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov later, said no concrete
sums had yet been determined on a day which the government hopes will
be decisive after talks lasting more than six months.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/business/news/1999032901.html?text
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - FYI: "Melissa" Virus
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 07:51:41 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Sunday March 28, 4:33 pm Eastern Time
"Melissa" virus hits Internet, may
cause havoc Monday
(Recasts, adds quotes, detail throughout)
By Dick Satran
SAN FRANCISCO, March 28 (Reuters) - A virus that spreads
a list of pornography sites via e-mail hit computers over the
weekend and threatened havoc Monday as workers return to
offices and begin opening messages sent over the Internet.
The virus, called ``Melissa,'' comes in the form of a document that lists
pornography sites on the
World Wide Web.
Computer experts said the virus was aimed at widely used Microsoft
Windows-based e-mail
address book software, Outlook and Outlook Express, and it can send up to 50
additional versions
of the e-mail to other users, threatening a widespread infection of computer
systems.
That could create a flood of unwanted e-mails around the Internet as the
program perpetuates itself using pre-programmed ``macros,'' software embedded
in the Windows operating system that sets off complex computer functions with
one command.
``It could grow explosively and shut down e-mail systems as a side effect,''
Eric Allman, co-founder
of the Emeryville, Calif.-based Sendmail, a widely used provider of e-mail
services, said in an
interview Sunday.
A number of leading software security firms and academic experts posted
warnings about the e-mail threat, including Network Associates, the leading
anti-virus software maker.
``Melissa is widely reported and spreading quickly via mass e-mail, a function
of the viral infection,''
said Network Associates based in Santa Clara, Calif.
Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute issued an advisory,
which said, ``The
number and variety of reports we have received indicate that this is a
widespread attack affecting a variety of sites.''
The only damage the virus causes is that it replicates itself and creates a
flood of e-mail, though it
apparently does not hurt the computer itself, experts said.
The real danger is that the virus will overwhelm the server computers that
handle computer
messaging systems, which could lead to system shutdowns as each e-mail
multiplies itself 50 times.
Already, a wave of the e-mails has been sent out and awaits office workers
Monday morning.
``It's not doing malicious things or removing files or anything like that,''
Allman said. ``I've heard
claims that it has been doing more but I haven't seen any substantial
verification of that. It's really
more of a wake-up call, that shows us how you could take a malicious virulent
virus and reproduce it all over the place very quickly.''
Computer experts warned users to be wary of documents sent from any senders
asking them to
open up a file for Microsoft Word. That file, in turn, asks for a prompt asking
users whether they
want to initiate a ``macro,'' and requires users to approve its use. Those
checkoffs make it relatively easy to avoid the problem.
Microsoft itself has simply warned users to ``be careful about what runs on
their machine,'' the New
York Times reported. Carnegie Mellon said, ``our analysis indicates that human
action (in the form
of a user opening an infected Word document) is required for this virus to
activate.''
The virus can be identified, Network Associates said, because it will read
``Important Message
From [Application.UserName].'' The body of the text reads ``Here is that
document you asked for
.. don't show anyone else'' and contains a list of pornographic Web sites.
Melissa creates the following entry in the registry:
HKEYCURRENTUSER/Software/Microsoft/Office/``Melissa?''
Network Security said that to avoid the risk of contracting the Melissa virus,
``it is recommended
that network administrators and users upgrade their anti-virus software to
include detection and
cleaning for W97M/Melissa.''
Network Security posted information about the virus on its the Web site of its
Avert Labs division
(http://www.avertlabs.com), Sendmail also posted advice on the Melissa problem
at
http://www.sendmail.com and Carnegie Mellon posted information on its site as
well
(http://www.cert.org).
Computer experts said that if advisories were followed, the problem would
probably not become a
widespread worry.
``I suspect we'll see a day or two of extremely high e-mail loads and then it
will just die out, so in
some sense this virus is not that critical but it's one what demonstrates what
could happen if a truly
malicious virus were released,'' Sendmail's Allman said. ``The ability to
spread something so broadly
is scary.''
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Inside China Today items (3/29/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 12:55:01 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
The Chinese press gets to the point with headlines like, "NATO, Hands
Off!"(http://www.insidechina.com/china/pressrev/news/pressrev.html#gu
angmin g).
FBI QUESTIONS RESEARCHER LINKED TO ALLEGED NUKE SPY CASE
WASHINGTON -- FBI agents have tracked down and questioned a Chinese
researcher linked to the case of alleged theft by China of U.S.
nuclear secrets, the New York Times reported Saturday.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999032910.html?text
CHINA BLASTS U.S. FOR SPONSORING CRITICAL U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS
RESOLUTION BEIJING -- China blasted the United States on Saturday for
deciding to sponsor a U.N. resolution criticizing the country's human
rights record, and demanded Washington reverse the move.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999032914.html?text
WTO NEGOTIATIONS ENTER LAST LAP
BEIJING -- U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley said on Monday the
United States and China were getting down to the final stages of
negotiations on Beijing's 13-year bid to enter the World Trade
Organization.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/business/news/1999032901.html?text
LIBERATION DAILY: DAQING OIL FIELDS TO RUN DRY IN 3 YEARS
SHANGHAI -- Pumps at China's biggest and most strategic oilfield,
Daqing, will run dry within three years due to decades of heavy
exploitation, the state-run Liberation Daily reported Monday.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/business/news/1999032914.html?text
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Wheat Tells a Story of Beginnings
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 16:03:26 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
DNA "fingerprinting" helps with investigations beyond the criminal
courtroom. In one recent case, this research technique was applied to
the study of agriculture's origin, and the results provide a
significant corroboration of biblical historicity. According to that
study, which compared the genes of wild wheat to those of cultivated
wheat, the earliest domestication of grain occurred near the
Karacadag Mountains, in southeast Turkey, where the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers run close together.
Does that location ring any bells? For anyone who has studied
geography and archeology it does. This site is identified by physical
anthropologists and historians as the cradle of civilization.
Biblical scholars identify it as the most likely location for the
Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:10-14) and, thus, for the post-Flood
population...Both the site and the date this study suggests for the
launch of agriculture align closely with the biblical location and
dates for the dawning of human culture after the Flood, roughly
between 8000 and 9000 BC. The same DNA analysis also outlines the
spread of agriculture throughout Mesopotamia's fertile crescent and
beyond.
Connections Newsletter
First Quarter 1999
http://www.reasons.org
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - "Blue" Moon/Pesach
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 16:32:18 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
March 31, 1999 Full "blue" Moon; the second full Moon in this
calendar month (exactly full at 5:49 p.m. Eastern Standard Time).
Second "blue" moon this year (January and March have two full moons,
February has none).
March 31, 1999/April 1,1999 Pesach/Passover
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - What's New at BPR?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 00:33:56 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Bible Prophecy Research and Study List
Additions and updates made since Mar 21, 1999
Vol 1, Number 19
March 30, 1999
--------------------
Hi everyone...
We have several items to mention this week. If you have
any problems with the site, or if you have questions or
suggestions, please feel free to email me.
===========
> Added: News Item: Canada Mulls Taking Russian Plutonium
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/Ezekiel/ez-2-8.
htm
"Ezekiel 39 speaks about the Gog/Magog war and states that
the
weapons used in this war will be used for fuel after the
war. The
following article discusses Canada taking Russia's
plutonium off
warheads to burn in nuclear reactors."
-------------
> Added: Ebooks Download Page
http://philologos.org/downloads/downloads.htm
Several requests were made for us to make our online books
available in a downloadable form, e.g. bundled text and/or
html files in zip format. We currently have three available
for download now. More to come.
-------------
> Added: Edersheim's "Bible History, Old Testament" Vol IV.
http://philologos.org/__eb-bhot
"The History Of Israel Under Samuel, Saul, And David, To
The Birth Of Solomon"
-------------
> Updated: "A woman clothed with the sun"
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/w-007-01.htm
Added a couple of outside links to interesting articles
dealing with this Revelation 12:1 "sign."
--------
> Updated: Clouds
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/c-002-01.htm
---------
> Updated: Mark
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/m-002-01.htm
Added excerpts from an A&E show on the topic of money.
---------
> Updated: Ten Crowns/Horns/Kings
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/t-005-01.htm
Did an extensive update to this file.
-------------
> Updated: Jewish Calendar
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Calendar/A.htm
Continous updates are being made to the Jewish Calendar.
In addition, some "cosmetic surgery" is going on as well.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Mail Crash
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 00:37:43 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Hi folks...
Some of you may have received duplicates or even
triplicates of some mail, for which I apologize. Apparently
our ISP's mail server has crashed or is limping along. I
suspect it's due to the Melissa Virus.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - "BRITISH UNIVERSITY BANS JEWISH AUTHORS"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 02:01:31 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
To: freemanlist@lists.io.com
Subject: "BRITISH UNIVERSITY BANS JEWISH AUTHORS"
By Jane Hughes, Independent on Sunday newspaper, London, 28
March 99,
"BRITISH UNIVERSITY BANS JEWISH AUTHORS"
One of Britain's newest universities, the University of Lincolnshire
and Humberside, has banned Jewish authors, to protect its
"franchises" in the United Arab Emirates.
The University of Lincolnshire and Humberside has confirmed that
BOOKS BY JEWS AND THOSE WITH BIBLIOGRAPHIES
MENTIONING JEWS ARE BANNED BY ITS AFFiLIATES IN THE
UAE.
Moreover, the British Council also admits IT TOLERATES THE
CENSORSHIP OF JEWISH WORKS IN ACCORDANCE WITH "
LOCAL POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS OR MORAL PUBLISHING LAWS".
The statemement horrifies the Board of Deputies of British Jews,
which accused the university of putting "profit over principles". It
will seek to have the matter raised in the British parliament..
The university has been warned by the British academic Quality
Assurance Agency against "excluding its students from a body of
scholarship on the grounds of author's race or creed." Derek Crothall,
the Lincolnshire & Humberside pro-vice chancellor first insisted that
"it has never allowed censorship of its degrees and courses in the
UAE", but later he admitted that "there is a small amount of
censorship which applies to all universities in the UAE, which is
regrettable. "It is a matter of procurement".
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - KOSOVO - LAST STOP BEFORE JERUSALEM by Barry Chamish
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 02:01:31 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
[Mod Note: Barry Chamish is an Israeli "investigative" journalist who's
written extensively about the supposed coverup of the Rabin
assassination.]
KOSOVO - LAST STOP BEFORE JERUSALEM
by Barry Chamish
Barely a few days before the EU and the US, collectively called NATO,
sent their flying dogs of war against Serbia, Israeli prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu was in Berlin meeting with the leaders of the
European Union. You would think with the attack on the Balkans
pending they'd be too busy to have time for a little tete-a-tete with
Bibi...But, no; they organized their most fateful meeting with an Israeli
leader since the beginning of their continental unity. They told him
he'd better not stand in the way of a PLO state with East Jerusalem as
its capital or watch out. The watch out part was Kosovo.
Netanyahu got the message and like the Yugoslav president
Milosevic before him, flew to Russia for some counterweight. And lo
and behold, the Kremlin greeted him like visiting royalty. When the
meetings were over, Bibi and Boris agreed to make a united stand
against "Islamic fanaticism." What they meant to say, but could not,
was that both Israel and Russia were sick of the New World Order
plots against their nations and they were forming a, probably futile,
little alliance against the Trilateral Commission, Council On Foreign
Relations (CFR), Bilberberg group and all those who were now heating
up the Balkans, and Chechnya, and Turkey and everywhere else
where ethnic tensions could be turned into massacres.
Undoubtedly, both leaders are well aware of how it's done. Take a
busload of Christian Lebanese children, blow it up, blame it on the
PLO and before long you've got perfectly civilized Christians killing
Moslems out of raw bloodlust. Or take a Serb village, or more if
necessary, have some Bosnian Muslims kill every living being within
and before long, you'll get just the right kind of savagery from the
Serbs.
Then you make the Lebanese Christians the bad guys with a stage-
managed media campaign portraying them as bloodthirsty fascists
determined to wipe out the hapless, innocent Palestinians who tried to
carve out their own fiefdom out of Lebanon. Apply the same formula
to Kurds, Tutsis, Israelis, Afrikaaners and Serbs. The important thing
is to back Marxist Moslems over democratic Christians and Jews. And
once the world has been indoctrinated enough to think there is an
issue of right and wrong to be dealt with, send in the planes followed
by the ground troops of the New World Order armed services.
And once the white Christians and Jews are out of power in Africa, it
becomes so much easier to take control of the wealth and resources of
a whole continent. All you have to do is install more Marxist dictators,
stir up wars, spread epidemics of incurable diseases and now you're
talking real easy pickings.
Around 1992, the CFR decided to begin a campaign of worldwide
"peace processes" all formulated to result in ghastly wars. After
manipulating the fall of the Soviet Union a few years before,
innumerable opportunities awaited them behind the former Iron
Curtain. After such NWO personalities as Henry Kissinger and Lord
Carrington eliminated the last bastions of wealth and security in
Africa, it was a piece of cake for them to initiate bloodbaths in Somalia
and Rwanda. Soon the NWO planners will turn their attentions to
other "peace processes" they started in Northern Ireland and Israel,
but first they must dispose of Yugoslavia.
It all began around 1990 when the CFR sent Kissinger Associates
partner Lawrence Eagleburger to Belgrade to corrupt and worm his
way into the Yugoslav leadership. He bought a controlling interest in
the country's largest bank for his bosses, he even introduced the
Yugo car to America, bankrolling a large chain of dealerships.
Once the ruling classes were corrupted, the standard methods were
employed to stir ethnic rivalries and force the Serbian hand. As usual,
peoples who had drifted to historical Serb lands to seek improved
economic opportunities were propogandised and heated up enough to
declare their desire for independent breakaway states. This, no
sovereign nation could tolerate and like the Russians in Chechnya or
the Israelis in Jerusalem, the governments had no choice but to draw
the line to save the souls of their nations.
So, armed and organized challenges to the government had to be
funded. And like the PLO, Afghanis, half a dozen Latin American rebel
groups before them etc. etc. the European drug trade was opened to
the Kosovo Liberation Army. Today NATO is fighting on behalf of
one of the largest heroin suppliers of Western Europe. But that's par
for the NWO course.
Once the fighting began, in came the NWO "peacemakers:" Vance,
Christopher, Holbrooke, Albright, every one of them a loyal CFR
member, to impose conditions the Serbs could never possibly accept.
Milosevic's unforgiveable crime was standing up to the NWO and
refusing to allow its army to roam his land at will.
And for this he is being punished. And Netanyahu has got the
message.
If he doesn't play ball, he will be demonized just like Milosevic, the
world will be primed to despise him and in will come the NWO's air
force. If he doesn't give the PLO its state on historical Jewish territory
this year here is what will happen:
The PLO will unilaterally declare a state and Israel will annex the
remaining West Bank territories in her possession. A wave of Arab
terrorism will force Israel to retaliate and a cycle of violence will begin
which will duplicate that of Yugoslavia. The "peacemakers" of the
NWO will arrive and insist that Israel accept every clause of the Oslo
Accords, give up its history and heritage to the PLO and divide
Jerusalem. When Israel refuses to relent, it will be painted quickly as a
mortal danger to the peace of the planet. In order to "save" Israel from
itself, the NWO forces will attack and impose its solutions on her.
And to most of the world, the events that lead to this war will seem
totally logical. Like, in Kosovo today, the media will stage-manage
every step of the war and a world under televised anaesthesia will
believe the boradcasters, generals and military experts. And this world
will simply sleep through Israel's destruction. When it awakes it will
change channels.
end
The author's new book Israel Betrayed can be ordered in the US by
calling 1 877 RABINYY (7224699). In Israel at I 800 RABINY (722469).
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Stratfor: Greece/Turkey
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 02:01:31 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
STRATFOR's
Global Intelligence Update
March 30, 1999
http://www.stratfor.com
Greco-Turkish Dispute Threatens to Deepen Fissures in NATO
Summary:
Turkey has alleged that Greek air defense radar systems locked on to a
Turkish fighter aircraft earlier this month, nearly causing an
international incident. Turkey warned Greece that a repeat of the
incident would be answered with a Turkish attack. While relations
between Turkey and Greece have been contentious for some time, the
timing of this particular incident is cause for concern, given the
current situation in the Balkans.
Analysis:
On March 29, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported an incident
that took place earlier this month between Greece and Turkey. Turkey
claimed that at 0030 GMT on March 19 one of its F-16 fighter aircraft
flying in international airspace was illuminated by Greek radar. Turkey
stated that the radar signal originated from a missile site on the island
of Limnos. According to the report in Hurriyet, when the pilot realized
the radar was tracking him he radioed for instructions and was told to
return to base. Turkey later sent Greece a warning stating that pilots
would be instructed to destroy missile sites in the future if they were
tracked by air defense radar. The report in Hurriyet claimed that the
two countries had nearly gone to war over the incident.
Relations between Turkey and Greece have been simmering for some
time now, having been on the verge of armed conflict more than once
in the past few years over the location of their border in the Aegean
Sea. What makes this latest incident noteworthy is the timing of the
incident in relation to the crisis unfolding in the Balkans. While both
nations are members of NATO, Turkey has committed aircraft to the
bombing campaign in support of co- religionists in Kosovo, whereas
Greece recently voiced its opposition to NATO's military action. On
March 26, Greek government spokesman Yanis Nicolau said, "It is time
to return to political discussions to find a political solution for Kosovo
and to end the bombings." He added that his country indicated its
position to NATO clearly and that "it was not alone in calling for [a]
halt to the air raids."
Another notable opponent to military action against Serbia is Russia,
with whom Greece has become quite friendly. Russia has provided
training for Greek pilots, and is selling Greece S-300 surface-to-air
(SAM) missiles for deployment on behalf of Greek- dominated Cyprus.
The planned sale of the S-300 missiles to Cyprus nearly sparked a war
between Greece and Turkey, as Ankara vowed to destroy them before
they could be deployed. Additionally, earlier this year the U.S.
accused Greece of having supplied the Russians with NATO aircraft
jamming codes. These codes would enable Russia to jam weapons
guidance systems on NATO aircraft. While this allegation has yet to
be proven, the mere fact that NATO secrets may have been
compromised certainly casts doubt on Greek commitment to the West.
This latest incident between Turkey and Greece exposes what is
perhaps the deepest fracture within NATO. Although NATO officials
continue to affirm that the organization is of one mind concerning
military action in the Balkans, Stratfor believes this may not be the
case. Greece is not comfortable with a war on behalf of a Moslem
population to its north -- a potential ally of the Turks. Turkey, in turn,
has apparently seized on Greek opposition to NATO action over
Kosovo to push for U.S., European, and NATO support for Turkey's
side of the feud. Publicizing a Greek action that threatened the
stability of NATO just as the organization was preparing for action
against Yugoslavia may be a Turkish attempt to win points with the
West, but it also reminds Russia of the powerful lever it has against
NATO. Russia has used that lever before through the Cyprus missile
sale, and given the current state of affairs in Kosovo, Russia and the
Serbs will no doubt want to pry at this fracture in NATO's armor some
more.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Mar 30, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 08:50:25 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
PBS - NOVA - "Volcanoes of the Deep" - Undersea
volcanoes offer clues to the beginnings of
life.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - PROJECT UNDERWORLD: THE MILITARY AND THE MAFIA - The
government/mafia liaison during World War
II.(CC)(TVG)
9:00
A&E - INSIDE STORY - "Body Guard Training Camp" - The
people and activities involved in U.S. counterterrorist
training.(CC)(TVPG)
HIST - MILITARY BLUNDERS - "Desert One; The Bay of
Pigs" - U.S. forces try to rescue hostages during the Iranian
Revolution; the Bay of Pigs invasion against
Castro.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - STORM OF THE CENTURY - In October 1991, three storm
systems merge, causing disasters at sea.(CC)(TVPG)
10:00
HIST - MODERN MARVELS - "Battlefield Medicine" -
Medics, nurses struggle to keep pace with the advances of
war.(CC)(TVG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - An end to Federal Reserve Board?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:03:40 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
An end to Federal Reserve Board?
Rep. Paul sponsors bill to abolish economy's policeman
By Stephan Archer
c 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
In an attempt to spur on public discussion about how to handle
impending dips in the nation's economy, Rep. Ron Paul, R-TX,
introduced a bill that would repeal the Federal Reserve Act and
abolish the Federal Reserve Board, an entity which the congressman
blames for the negative aspects of the country's economic cycles. H.R.
1148, which was referred to the Committee on Banking and Financial
Services last week, has a general plan for the phasing out of the
Federal Reserve Board. Although Paul doesn't believe the bill will
pass, it is his hope that the bill will bring the problem of the
country's national debt and the impending recession to the forefront
of political discussion.
Paul believes that the current Federal Reserve Board system has been
the reason for much of the nation's economic problems in the past,
including the Great Depression, and wants to go back to a money system
as described in the U.S. Constitution.
"I believe in sound money, that is, constitutional money," Paul said.
"The Constitution says that we must have commodity money such as
silver or gold. It's something that Alan Greenspan agreed with most of
his life, and it's still something he has a lot of sympathy for." Paul
went on to say that, although the nation is enjoying an economic
"boom" now, it won't last forever. According to Paul, what happened to
Japan's economy will eventually happen in the U.S., and the only way
to fix it would be to get rid of the Federal Reserve Board that
creates "money out of thin air."
Paul explained that, in the 1800s, the U.S. followed a gold standard
that kept the nation's economy generally stable. Problems that did
occur tended to creep in because the nation drifted away from the gold
standard.
Now there is no gold standard, and money can literally be created "out
of thin air" to bolster the economy. Paul referred to this creation of
money as "counterfeiting" and believes that it will eventually come
back to haunt the U.S. as the existing units of money lose their value
thus creating inflation.
Paul also explained that government officials like the creation of
money from nothing because it enables them to finance the deficit
while bragging about a budget surplus in spite of the $113 billion
which was added to the national debt last year.
"All this is, is the creation of a huge, financial bubble which is
going to end," said Paul. "Someday, we'll have to address the subject
of why this (financial) problem came to be."
If his bill were to pass, Paul told WorldNetDaily the government would
be forced to get money by doing what most Americans do already -- save
it. No more printing of paper money would be allowed because there
wouldn't be any more Federal Reserve Board to do it. At the same time,
the national debt would be reduced by half a trillion dollars since a
good portion of the national debt is owed to the Federal Reserve Board
which would have been abolished, he said.
Paul said that a good number of people across the nation already
support the idea of a bill that would abolish the Federal Reserve
Board, but he wants more people to be educated about the subject. Only
when a majority of the U.S. population knows about the happenings
within the Federal Reserve Board does he believe a bill such as H.R.
1148 will catch on and have a chance of being ratified by both the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
Summarizing his belief about the issue, Paul said, "If one is
interested in preventing all inflation, deflation, business cycles
such as booms and busts, recessions, depressions and unemployment, you
must get rid of the central management of money because it is the
engine of the inflation which produces the recession."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19990326_xex_an_end_to_fe.
shtml
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Russia Accuses USA of Testing New Bomb in Yugoslavia
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:05:44 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
RUSSIAN MILITARY ACCUSES USA OF TESTING NEW SECRET
BOMB IN YUGOSLAVIA
Russian military officials late on Monday night accused the United
States of testing a new secret weapon in Yugoslavia -- a weapon that
is somewhere between conventional and nuclear!
"The United States is using Yugoslavia as a test range for its latest
secret means of destruction," representatives of the Russian Defense
ministry told reporters late Monday night.
The Pentagon refused immediate comment.
Russia claims that a bomb tested in Yugoslavia radically differs from
conventional weapons. "It was created in Los Alamos and is aimed to
destroy radio electronic equipment," the TASS newswire reported in
Tuesday flashes.
The military said that the bomb generates an electric impulse similar
to electromagnetic fluctuations caused by a nuclear explosion.
They added that the bombs are being carried by two strategic B-2
bombers of the Stealth technology. Russian military officials provided
no other details.
FOOTNOTE: This late night report from Russia's newswire service
continues a strange trend that has developed in the past week. By
night, the ITAR-TASS wire moves provocative scare stories -- many on
Russian plans for military maneuvers. [On the first night of NATO
bombings in Kosovo, TASS shocked with a report that Moscow was
considering moving nuclear weapons to southern regions of Russia. Late
night reports that Russian ships were maneuvering also created
intrigue.] But during daylight hours, TASS, the official state news
agency for Russia, turns more diplomatic, most military talk vanishes.
There appears to be two forces at work inside of the Kremlin, the main
source for TASS military reports. A dark and cold-warlike force
appears to be operating at night when Yelstin and his close advisers
are sleeping. Due to expanding information technology, these
provocative late night stories quickly move outside of Russia and
instantly bounce throughout the world. In the morning, Yelstin and
others rush news releases that completely counter the reports that
surface on TASS at night. May the sun always rise.
http://www.drudgereport.com/matt.htm
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Flood waters could spread Chernobyl contaminants???
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:15:39 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Flood waters could spread Chernobyl contaminants???
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Nando Times
Sat Mar 27 , 1999 -- Floods now affecting many parts of Belarus
contaminated by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion may pollute
rivers flowing into the Baltic andBlack seas with waste from
radioactive sources, AFP reported Belarussian leader Alexander
Lukashenko as warning. The water will carry radioactive particles and
cause them to "migrate" to "Ukraine, the Black Sea, Turkey and
beyond," said Lukashenko, quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency. About 200
towns and villages in 28 regions of Belarus are affected by floods,
ITAR-TASS said, quoting the authorities. The Chernobyl accident
spewed radioactive pollution over a wide area encompassing territory
in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
via: Weekend News Today
[And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from
heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part
of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of
the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters
became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were
made bitter.--Rev 8:10,11]
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Hostile Media Against Serbia
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:32:52 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
HOSTILE MEDIA AGAINST SERBIA
by Elyakim Ha'etzni
Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio
Broadcast on March 29, 1999 / Nisan 12, 5759
In This Article:
1. We're in the Same Boat
2. Even if They All Die
3. The Serbs Fought the Nazis
4. Renewing the Cold War
5. Aid to Both Sides
WE'RE IN THE SAME BOAT
It is certainly unnecessary to explain to the listeners of Arutz-7 all
about "hostile media." But did you ever realize that there is another
group suffering from similarly hostile media? The Serbs, for example?
Without condoning the terrible war crimes no doubt committed by the
Serbs, we and they basically find ourselves in the same boat. The
world press under-states each of our respective sides, while it
embellishes the Arab-Moslem case, and sweeps under the carpet its
faults, crimes, and inherent dangers. Both the Serbs and the Israelis
are given to American-European pressure on behalf of the Moslems. We
were forced in Wye Plantation to give over portions of our homeland to
the Arabs, and the Serbs are being forced right now to hand over a
sovereign region of theirs, Kosovo, to the Moslem Albanians. The
Serbs, in fact, call Kosovo their "Jerusalem" - would it be that we
would learn from them how to stand fast in conviction and
determination and strength when the time comes for us to fight for our
Jerusalem.
[Ed. note: Arutz-7 commentator Rabbi Avraham Wasserman noted that the
Kotzker Rebbe said that we should learn strong steadfastness even from
Pharaoh, who did not give in for the duration of nine terrible
plagues.]
EVEN IF THEY ALL DIE
The Serbs lost their holy Kosovo to the Turks 600 years ago, and have
dreamt and sung about it ever since then. They have woven their
national identity around Kosovo. We have pined for Zion and Jerusalem
more than three times as long, and with it all, tell me if there is
one politician amongst us who would say about Jerusalem what Serbian
Deputy Prime Minister Draskovitch said about Kosovo. Draskovitch, it
should be noted, does not agree with his Prime Minister, but he and
the entire Serbian nation are united around the Kosovo issue.
Draskovitch said: "Our faith was born there, as was our language, our
nationhood, our pride. It is incumbent upon us to defend Kosovo even
if we all die." An American reporter asked him if he does not want
his hungry country to become a part of the West and to share in its
wealth. He answered, "Not if the price is Kosovo."
THE SERBS FOUGHT THE NAZIS
The hostile press does not tell us who the Serbs really are. From
amongst all the Yugoslavian peoples, they bore the main brunt of the
fight against the Nazis in World War II. The Croatians established a
Nazi state, and murdered hundreds of thousands of Serbs and tens of
thousands of Jews. Jews and Serbs are buried together in the
Yasenovatz destruction camp. >From within Muslim Bosnia, with
inciteful encouragement by the Mufti of Jerusalem, a Jew-killing SS
Division arose. The Serbs kept dozens of German divisions occupied in
battle, and caused them great losses. Serbia was the only country in
Europe that threw off the German conquest on its own, paying a
terrible price along the way: 1,700,000 dead - 11% of its total
population. The partisan army numbered a quarter of a million,
including many Jews, and it saved thousands of Jews. How could
Clinton possibly think that a people who went through all this would
surrender to an air attack of the type of which Saddam Hussein made a
mockery?
The hostile media hide from the public the fact that "ethnic
purifications" have taken place all over Yugoslavia. The Croatians
expelled 200,000 Serbs from the Krajna district. From Kosovo itself,
the Moslems - beginning the moment they received autonomy there in
1974 - pushed out a half-million Serbs, while 400,000 Albanians
spilled over the border, turning the Serbs into a 10% minority in
their own homeland.
What are the Serbs fighting about? Milosevich agreed to restore the
autonomy to the Moslems. He merely refused the NATO demand to bring
in 30,000 foreign troops to his country. What self-respecting country
would have accepted such a dictate? Clinton had great difficulty
explaining why he attacked a sovereign country simply because of an
internal dispute within its own borders. The situation there is not
at all the same as Iraq's attempt to wipe out a foreign country. If
the present attack is justified, why didn't NATO intervene in China
against the oppression of the Tibetans? What about when Sudan
slaughtered 2.5 million Christian blacks in Khartoum? Why doesn't
NATO force its member state Turkey to give to the Kurds what it
demands for the Kosovo Albanians? These are merely a few of the many
similar examples all over the globe.
RENEWING THE COLD WAR
In truth, the attack has nothing to do with ethics. Only pure
political pro-Arab interests are at stake - oil. The U.S. intervened
in Afghanistan on behalf of the Moslem extremists - who are now
engaged in blowing up American embassies and using their
American-supplied Stingers to endanger aviation all over the world.
Even worse, the Americans, all for the sake of Kosovo, are themselves
endangering American-Russian relations and the precious gift that
Gorbachev gave the world - the lifting of the Iron Curtain. Russia
and the Serbs are bound by a historic alliance. When NATO armed the
Croatians and the Bosnians against the Serbs, and even bombed the
Serbs from the air, Russia renewed its diplomatic and military
relations with Iran, Iraq, and Syria - and we, Israel, are the victims
of the renewal of the Cold War in the Middle East. This is a direct
result of the defective American policy in Yugoslavia.
American diplomatic failures have left their blood-stained marks of
destruction all over the world: in Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Beirut,
Somalia, Panama, Bosnia, Arafat's Palestine, and now Kosovo. This new
method of forcing a country to give up parts of its territory under
the threat of international attack is now being tested. *Are we next
in line?*
Israel's media are acting as if this has nothing to do with us. The
contrary appears to be true: just as the press here is against us and
in favor of Arafat, it is also in favor of the Moslems in Yugoslavia.
At the behest of Yossi Sarid of Meretz, our left-wing government of a
few years ago sent humanitarian aid to the Bosnians, of all people,
and even absorbed Bosnian refugees. We, the listeners of Arutz-7, are
in favor of the Jews! We will be alert and attentive to what is
happening in Kosovo, as it may be a general rehearsal for what could
happen here if we don't give the Palestinian terrorists a state with
Jerusalem as its capital.
AID TO BOTH SIDES
But not only our own self-interest is at play here. The gratefulness
that we have to the Serbs for their actions in World War II also
demands that we listen to both sides, and to send aid also to the
Serbian victims. Sarid is again insisting that the Foreign Ministry
send aid only to the Moslems. I call upon the listeners to demand that
Foreign Minister Sharon (fax: (972-2) 530-3506; sar@mofa.gov.il) put
an end to the one-sided leftist aid only to the Moslems, and send aid
also to the Serbs. A public committee should arise to send aid to the
Serbs, as well.
Happy holiday of freedom.
[Ed. note: It was reported last night that Foreign Minister Ariel
Sharon has decided not to express support for the NATO attack or
explicitly condemn Serbia. Sharon will suffice with a blanket
condemnation of all "violence against innocents" and urge the renewal
of negotiations. Israel announced that it would send humanitarian
assistance to Moslem Albanian refugees from Kosovo.]
* * * * * * *
Former Techiya Knesset Members Elyakim Ha'etzni is an attorney living
in Kiryat Arba.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Russia Today items (3/30/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:32:52 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
HIGHLIGHTS OF YELTSIN ADDRESS
MOSCOW -- The following are some of the highlights of Russian
President Boris Yeltsin's 18-minute state of the nation address on
Tuesday as translated by Reuters:
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999033005.html?text
COMMUNIST CHIEF SLAMS YELTSIN ADDRESS
MOSCOW -- Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov branded Boris
Yeltsin's state-of-the-nation address Tuesday as final proof that the
Russian president must be impeached for incompetence.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999033006.html?text
GORBACHEV SAYS KOSOVO COULD LEAD TO NEW COLD WAR
COPENHAGEN -- Mikhail Gorbachev, last leader of the former Soviet
Union, warned on Tuesday of a new Cold War unless a diplomatic
solution was found to resolve the crisis in Yugoslavia.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999033007.html?text
YELTSIN SAYS RUSSIA WILL NOT BE DRAWN INTO KOSOVO CONFLICT
Russia will not be drawn into the Kosovo conflict, President Boris
Yeltsin said Tuesday in his annual state of the nation address.
http://www.russiatoday.com/rtoday/news/1999033002.html?text
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today environment/nature items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:32:52 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Zambia: 70 percent of country's population infected with tuberculosis
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Mon Mar 29 , 1999 -- The Zambian Ministry of Health reports that over
70 percent of the country's population is infected with tuberculosis.
The announcement came as part of last week's World TB Day events. The
deputy minister of health, Ernest Mwansa, said that the country has
the highest TB rate in Southern Africa and that the disease has become
a major health problem in part due to Zambia's high rate of HIV
infection, with 30 percent of TB cases associated with HIV. Mwansa
urged people who show symptoms to seek treatment as early as possible,
although he noted that the government has no resources to buy drugs
for individuals infected with drug-resistant TB. (Source: PANA Wire
Service)
Disease ravages Iraq's live stock and source of protein, threatens
region
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News
Mon Mar 29 , 1999 -- The general manager of veterinarian department in
the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, Fadel Abass, announced that Iraq
requires urgent help to combat hoof and mouth disease that has led to
the death of more than million sheep till now. He also stated that the
germ causing hoof and mouth disease is spreading quickly, and he
called on international organizations to present urgent aid. The UN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today expressed grave concern
on February 10 "that the outbreak of animal diseases in Iraq may
spread to other countries in the Near East seriously undermining food
security in the region." FAO warned "The multitude of diseases
afflicting livestock in Iraq threatens the health of people living in
infested areas and could seriously undermine food security in the
countries of the Near East." The UN agency added "FAO is gravely
concerned that the outbreak of animal diseases in Iraq may spread to
other countries in the Near East. The diseases include the Old World
screwworm, foot-and-mouth disease, peste des petits ruminants (PPR)
and brucellosis. Except for brucellosis, which is endemic to the
region, the diseases may easily spread to neighboring countries." The
UN agency said "Iraq would need to import the vaccines required to
fight foot-and-mouth disease and PPR. The vaccines are made from
inactive or incapacitated disease agents, which cannot be used for
other purposes. Procurement of the vaccines and their timely delivery
is vital to safeguarding animal health, which is an essential
component of food security in the region. The animal disease situation
in Iraq has been aggravated by the collapse of the veterinary
infrastructure and disease investigation, surveillance and diagnostic
services in the country. The government has been unable to adequately
monitor and control the spread of these diseases, partly because of
the difficulties it has in obtaining equipment and supplies,
particularly vaccines. As a result the Iraqi government has repeatedly
sought the assistance of FAO to deal with the outbreaks. Given the
potential adverse repercussions of the animal diseases on the
countries that border Iraq, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf met
with permanent representatives to FAO from concerned countries on 29
January. The meeting, at FAO Headquarters, discussed the current state
of the epidemic diseases in Iraq and measures taken by the
Organization to contain and eradicate the diseases. It also urged
countries in the region to be vigilant and to step up precautionary
disease monitoring and control measures." The Iraqi official Abass
said that since several months ago the disease caused the ruin of more
than one million sheep and 150,000 calves. He added that inspection
and supervision groups affiliated to the United Nation in charge of
disarming Iraq (UNSCOM) destroyed the facilities producing the vaccine
for this disease. He said this disease has afflicted sheep and quickly
spread due to a lack of protective and treatment requirements
resulting from economic sanctions.
Villagers flee volcanic eruption in Cameroon
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: AP
Mon Mar 29 , 1999 -- Villagers fled their homes Monday in the Central
African nation of Cameroon after a volcanic eruption caused violent
quakes and sent fiery lava streaming down the rocky slopes of Mount
Cameroon, state radio reported. No casualties were immediately
reported and the scope of the damage was unclear around the volcano,
180 miles west of the capital of Yaounde. An unknown number of huts
were destroyed in the lava flows, the radio said. Tremors began at the
volcano, also known as Mount Faka and ``Chariot of the Gods,'' on
Saturday night, officials said. By Sunday, lava began flowing down its
southern slopes toward the villages of Edenau and Bakingele and a
state-owned oil refinery 15 miles away. Government officials called
for calm. But a Cameroonian geology professor said several thousand
residents in the lush, forested region faced danger from the burning
magma and poisonous gases. The volcanic lava could ``bury anything it
finds in its way, cause bush fires and forest fires, destroy farmland
houses and kill by incineration,'' he said. Njilah said the lava was
flowing in two streams, one heading towards the Sonora state oil
refinery on the outskirts of Limbe, an oceanside resort town.
Provincial government officials said the situation was under control,
but added the lava could flow a long way before solidifying. The
13,428-foot volcano, one of Cameroon's main tourist attractions, draws
thousands of people every year for a race up its black, rocky slopes.
It is the highest peak in West and Central Africa, and has erupted
five times in the past century, the last time in 1982.
Sea of Galilee continues to fall
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Mon Mar 29 , 1999 -- With little to no chance of the year's drought
condition being alleviated by rainfall as spring approaches, the level
of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is approaching the danger level with
the reported water level being 212.03 meters. The 'red line' is 213
meters. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Mekorot Water
Company, the level is approaching a new sixty-year record. The
government plans to declare a drought in April, thereby clearing the
path for making compensatory payments to farmers whose crops were
damaged as a result of the insufficient rainfall
India hit by 6.8 earthquake; Strongest in 94 years; 10 killed
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Yahoo!
Sun Mar 28 , 1999 -- A powerful earthquake with magnitude 6.8 followed
by strong aftershocks hit northern India early Monday, killing at
least 10 people in two north Indian towns, Reuters reported. Monday's
earthquake appeared to be the strongest in the seismically sensitive
Himalayan foothills in 94 years. In April 1905 an earthquake with an
intensity of 7.2 on the Richter scale killed thousands in the state of
Himachal Pradesh. There were a series of aftershocks Monday ranging
between 2.4 and 4.9 on the Richter scale. Residents in the Indian
capital New Delhi were jerked awake by two strong tremors. Furniture
swayed and windows rattled. More casualties were expected as rescuers
started to travel by road to the region, the report said.
Southern Tajikistan hit by 6.0 earthquake
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Nando Times
Sun Mar 28 , 1999 -- A earthquake with magnitude 6 struck southern
Tajikistan over the weekend, injuring two people and damaging 27
homes, AP reported. The quake hit Saturday night, with the epicenter
about 12 miles south of Dushanbe, the capital of the Central Asian
nation, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said.
Bangladesh: Deadly tornado leaves thousands homeless
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Nando Times
Sun Mar 28 , 1999 -- A tornado ripped through scores of northern
Bangladeshi villages this weekend, killing at least two people and
leaving thousands of villagers homeless, AP reported. The 20-minute
twister late Friday blew down thousands of mud huts, uprooted trees
and knocked down telephone and electricity poles in Panchagarh
district, 215 miles north of Dhaka, the capital.
Malaysia to destroy more than 1,000,000 pigs
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Yahoo!
Sun Mar 28 , 1999 -- Malaysia said Sunday it would have to destroy
more than a million pigs, three times the number previously planned,
to control the outbreak of a pig-borne killer virus, Reuters reported.
Authorities said they were also giving top priority to fighting the
spread of a second virus, which also lived in pigs and was suspected
to be as deadly as the Japanese encephalitis (JE) blamed for the 63
deaths. A national task force battling the two viruses said at the
weekend it would destroy an additional 700,000 to 800,000 pigs from an
earlier target of 350,000.
India: Elephants 'turning into man-eaters'???
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: South China Morning Post
Sat Mar 27 , 1999 -- Two witnesses have reported sighting man-eating
elephants in the northeastern jungles. Professor Kushal Konwar Sharma,
of the College of Veterinary Science in Guwahati, Assam state capital,
claims to have seen two people being eaten in separate districts of
the state. "The elephant first lifted the victim with its trunk and
threw him against a tree. Once he was dead, the elephant devoured
parts of the body," The Week magazine quoted Professor Sharma as
saying of one of the incidents. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, who heads the
charity Nature Club, told the magazine that he had received similar
reports from villagers in December last year. "It is now clear that
elephants, badly hit by encroachment and illegal felling of trees in
forests, are turning their wrath on humans." Other experts, too, have
blamed the escalating man-animal conflict for the normally vegetarian
elephants' behaviour. Recently, elephants attacked an Indian Air Force
base near Tezpur, 200km from Guwahati, destroying barbed wire fences,
airfield lights, cables and radar equipment.
Christmas Island: 'Crazy ants' killing crabs
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Nando Times
Fri Mar 26 , 1999 -- Killer ants on Christmas Island in the Indian
Ocean are reportedly killing the island's renowned crab population, AP
reported. The "crazy ant" - so-called because of its frenetic
movements - was attacking the famed red crab population at a
phenomenal rate Monash University ecologist Dennis O'Dowd said Friday.
"I have never seen a single invader have so much impact in such a
short time," said O'Dowd, one of several researchers on a long-term
study of the crabs. In the past 18 months, the ants have attacked the
crabs, killing about 3 million. About 100 million red crabs live on
the island. O'Dowd said the sudden carnage by the ants was a mystery,
but might be linked to the recent El Nino weather phenomenon.
Hong Kong: TB infection rate reaches highest level in 12 years
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Thu Mar 25 , 1999 -- The acting Director of Health in Hong Kong
announced on Wednesday, World Tuberculosis Day, that the TB infection
rate in the city reached its highest level in 12 years, with 7,673
reported cases. Dr. Paul Shaw Thian-aun noted that the rates could
continue to rise due to the aging population. While infection rates
have increased, mortality seems to be declining due to improved
treatment. According to World Vision, 65 percent of the world's TB
population lives in Asia, with over two-thirds of new cases occurring
in China and India. (Source: South China Morning Post Online)
New Zealand jolted by earthquake
Weekend News Today
By Staff Writer
Source: Earth Alert
Thu Mar 25 , 1999 -- A magnitude-5.7 earthquake jolted New Zealand's
North Island on Wednesday. The quake was centered about 24 miles (40
km) northeast of the town of Whakatane. Its origin was 85 miles (140
km) beneath the earth's surface.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Inside China Today items (3/30/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 09:36:11 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
CHINESE NEWSPAPER SLAMS U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS DECISION
BEIJING -- A state-run Chinese newspaper lambasted the United States
on Tuesday for deciding to sponsor a U.N. resolution critical of
China's human rights record, saying the move was biased, short-sighted
and doomed to failure.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999033003.html?text
PRESIDENT JIANG SENDS ORAL MESSAGE TO MILOSEVIC
BEIJING -- President Jiang Zemin on Monday demanded an end to NATO air
strikes on Yugoslavia and urged a return to negotiations over the
future of Kosovo.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999033005.html?text
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TO BE MILLENNIUM BUG-FREE BY JUNE
BEIJING -- China's air traffic control systems will be freed from any
problems arising from the millennium computer bug by June 30, the
state-run China Daily said on Tuesday.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999033007.html?text
FEATURE: FORTUNE TELLING THRIVES ON ECONOMIC WOES
CHANGCHUN -- Fortuneteller Liu Laoxian thrives on despair.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999033011.html?text
SPY CHARGES CLOUD U.S. TECH SALES IN CHINA
BEIJING -- Allegations that China stole U.S. nuclear technology have
cast a cloud on American technology trade in China, Commerce Secretary
William Daley said on Tuesday.
http://www.insidechina.com/china/business/news/1999033001.html?text
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Sharon: Israel's security is Israel's prerogative
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 10:33:34 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
SHARON: ISRAEL'S SECURITY IS ISRAEL'S PREROGATIVE
(Jerusalem Post 3/30/99) Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon stood before a
group of ambassadors from the European Union yesterday with a pointer
and maps and gave them a one and half hour briefing on Israel's
outlook on security, and the strategic importance of security zones.
In addition, the minister invited the ambassadors to tour the
settlements and see the situation on the ground for themselves.
Although Sharon promised personally to guide the tour, the
ambassadors have yet to accept the invitation. During the briefing,
Sharon said that in any future agreement withthe Palestinians, Israel
would need to retain an eastern border along the Jordan River, and a
western one along the hilltops overlooking the coastal plain and its
cities. In addition, Sharon said Israel would insist on retaining
control of a number of strategic transit routes that connect between
the east and west security zones. Responding to questions posed by
the ambassadors regarding Palestinian demands to realize United
Nations Security Council Resolution 181 of 1947, Sharon emphasized
that Israel totally rejects the UN partition resolution. The
resolution, he said, "became null and void due to its rejection by
the Arab states and the invasion by seven Arab armies and the
resulting war that they declared against the State of Israel."
Regarding last week's EU declaration to the effect that a viable
Palestinian state would serve Israel's security, Sharon said that on
all matters regarding the security of Israel and its citizens, Israel
relies solely on itself. "Israel cannot rely on Palestinian
supporters, not on the Europeans nor on any outside body, but only on
itself, as all other countries in the world have done in these
matters" Sharon said, according to a statement put out by his office.
Sharon repeated this message in a different meeting yesterday with a
delegation of US congressmen led by Ben Gillman. Sharon thanked the
congressmen for their support in the fight against a unilateral
Palestinian declaration of statehood, and told them that Israel
greatly appreciates the efforts of US President Bill Clinton to
forward the peace, but that Israel alone will make decisions
regarding its security needs.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 items (3/30/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 12:34:37 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
NO CHANGE IN AMERICAN POSITION
Contrary to earlier reports, the official U.S. position in favor of
continued Israeli withdrawals from Yesha has not changed. U.S.
Embassy spokesman Larry Schwartz was quoted yesterday by an Associated
Press reporter as saying that Israel need not resume withdrawals until
the Palestinians meet their Wye commitments. "The handover of
territory is the last step," AP quoted Schwartz as saying, "[after]
other conditions [are] met first by the Palestinians." Schwartz
listed the collection of weapons from Palestinian opposition groups
such as Hamas, the prosecution and imprisonment of murderous
terrorists, and consistent security cooperation with Israel. He
stressed, however, that the United States still expects Israel to act
on other aspects of the Wye agreement, such as releasing Palestinian
prisoners from Israeli jails, opening a 'safe passage' between Gaza
and Hevron/Ramallah, and allowing a seaport to be operated in Gaza
City.
However, State Department spokesman James Rubin denied yesterday that
there had been a change in the American stance. Rubin said it was not
correct to say that because the Palestinians have not done what is
expected of them, the Administration does not currently expect Israel
to pull back. Rubin said, "The issue is not who goes first. The
parties should be focusing on a serious process of implementation. If
we had a serious process underway, one in which both sides were
fulfilling their obligations, we would not be having this discussion."
Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA interviewed Schwartz today, and the latter
said that the AP reporter, through no fault of his [the reporter's],
misunderstood the interference-racked cellular phone call. When
Lerner asked Schwartz what he really meant to say, Schwartz repeated
Rubin's above-quoted words.
PALESTINIAN TAX AGAINST YESHA COMMUNITIES
A new tax will be imposed by the Palestinian Authority on its workers:
a tax to finance the struggle against Jewish settlements in Yesha.
The tax will be 5% of their salaries. An additional 1% tax on
imported goods will be levied for the same purpose. PA "Finance
Minister" Muhmad El-Nashashibi has called upon private entrepreneurs
within the PA to support projects to stifle the growth of the
settlements. El-Nashashibi is not alone: Director-General of the PA's
Agriculture Department Mahmad Abu Samrah has just completed a proposal
to discourage Palestinian laborers from working in the Yesha
communities, with the aim of halting construction there. Arutz-7
correspondent Ariel Kahane reports that roughly 2/3 of the Palestinian
Authority's yearly budget is financed by Israel.
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, Mar. 30, 1999 / Nisan 13, 5759
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - US Donations to Hamas
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 08:41:33 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
US DONATIONS TO HAMAS
The New York Post reported that the militant Islamic
organization, Hamas, who carried out past destructive suicide bombings
in Israel, has been soliciting funds in the United States with the
help of the "Frequent Flyer" program of American Airlines. According
to the paper, Hamas, with the help of an organization it established
in the United States, is offering miles for every donation over 100
dollars.
The larger the donation, the more miles offered. The
organization is called "Fund for the Expansion and Development of the
HolyLand" and is based in Texas and New Jersey.
It has reportedly received two million dollars a year on the
premise that the money is for refugees in Gaza and the West Bank.
However the American Justice department is investigating the
suspicion that behind this organization is Hamas who is using the
money for themselves. American Airlines confirmed they're working with
this Palestinian organization, but denied knowing of any connection to
the terrorist organization of Hamas. (Yediot Achronot, MED, March 29,
1999)
via: Bridges for Peace
March 31, 1999
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Bird upstages supermodel Fabio
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 08:45:55 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** Bird upstages supermodel Fabio
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) - Busch Gardens touted Fabio's ride on a new
roller coaster called Apollo's Chariot as "Modern-Day Adonis vs.
Ancient-Day Sun God." But a bird upstaged the supermodel and the ride.
The animal hit Fabio on the nose and cut him, sending blood streaking
down his chin and cheeks. Several women sitting near him in white
tunics, portraying goddesses, were splattered with blood. Fabio was
treated for a one-inch cut on the bridge of his nose and released from
a hospital. "He's fine, no serious injuries," park spokeswoman Deborah
L. DeMarco said. "I don't know about the bird's plight." She added,
"We're very sorry that it happened. It was an act of nature." ###
via: Infobeat News
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