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1999 |
May, 1999
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - May 6, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 08:52:50 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
DISC - SUBWAYS - Subways evolve from horse-drawn underground
carriages to complex mechanical systems.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - THE BOY WHO GAVE AWAY THE BOMB - Declassified data
suggests a Harvard teen who worked on the Manhattan Project
gave A-bomb secrets to Russia.(CC)(TVG)
8:30
TBN - INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING - Hal Lindsey
9:00
A&E - AMERICAN JUSTICE - "Deadly Force" - The use of
deadly force by law-enforcement
officers.(CC)(TVPG)
DISC - RAGING PLANET - "Tidal Wave" - Computer
graphics illustrate the causes and effects of tidal
waves.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - SCIENCE AT WAR - "Echoes of War" - Radar
technology.(CC)(TVG)
TLC - THE FINAL BATTLE - Declassified World War II
documents show plans for an Allied invasion of
Japan.(CC)(TVPG)
10:00
PBS - WAYFINDERS: A PACIFIC ODYSSEY - Polynesians navigate
canoes using the sun, moon and stars.(CC)(TVG)
A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "The War Room: NATO vs.
Milosevic" - The war in Yugoslavia and Milosevic's struggle
for power.(CC)
DISC - DIVINE MAGIC - "The Restless Dead" - Documentary
examines historical and cultural legends of the restless
dead.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - ROBOTS - The history of robotics is traced over 2,000
years; archival interview with Isaac Asimov.(CC)(TVG)(Ends
midnight)
TLC - GULF WAR: MEDICAL MYSTERY - Scientists at Kings
College Medical School reveal results of a Gulf War syndrome
study.(CC)(TVPG)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - G-8 to call for dispatch of int'l force to Kosovo
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 09:02:47 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
End Times News Update
Re: Ten Kings (G8 news)
Scripture: Rev 17:12-14
News Source: AP
Date: 5-5-99
===================================================
G-8 to call for dispatch of int'l force to Kosovo
.c Kyodo News Service
BONN, May 6 (Kyodo) -- The foreign ministers from the Group of Eight
(G-8) major powers will call for the end of fighting between Serbs and
ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from the
province, and the dispatch of an international peacekeeping force to
the area, diplomatic sources said Thursday.
The ministers will reach the agreement at a meeting later in the day
in Bonn.
The eight major powers will also call for setting up a temporary U.N.
governing body, the safe and free return of ethnic Albanian refugees
to the area, the establishment of a political framework for realizing
autonomy in the province, and efforts toward the economic
stabilization and development of Yugoslavia, they said.
The United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and
Russia reached those accords in a working-level session held prior to
the ministerial meeting.
The seven-point agreement, which will be announced as the G-8
chairman's statement at the end of the meeting Thursday evening, is
expected to form the centerpiece of a U.N. resolution, according to
the sources.
Changes to the resolution are possible, however, the sources said.
Of the eight powers, six are NATO members. Russia has close ties with
Yugoslavia and strongly opposes NATO's air strikes, while Japan has
expressed understanding of the NATO military campaign.
Russia and other G-8 member states have yet to agree on the
organization of the international peacekeeping force and the scale and
speed of withdrawal by the Yugoslav military, the sources said.
The G-8 meeting may release an equivocal statement if the conflict
remains unresolved, the sources said.
The emergency meeting of the G-8 foreign ministers was proposed by
Russia.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began the ongoing air
raids against Yugoslavia on March 24 in an attempt to force the
Yugoslav military and Serb security forces to cease their attacks on
ethnic Albanians in the Serb province of Kosovo in southern
Yugoslavia.
The NATO air campaign began after Yugoslavia refused to accept a peace
plan by the Contact Group of major European nations, Russia and the
U.S.
Ethnic Albanian rebels have endorsed the proposal.
via: End_Times_News@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (5/5/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 09:10:50 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
PA official, Husseini, to occupy Orient House around-the-clock
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Wed May 5 , 1999 -- Faisal Husseini, who holds the PLO Authority (PA)
Jerusalem portfolio, together with his security personnel and staff,
spent the night in the PA Jerusalem headquarters known as the Orient
House. The move comes in anticipation of the execution of three
closure orders issued by the government. Husseini and his staff stated
they plan to remain in the building around-the-clock to avoid the
closures and indicated their willingness to use force if necessary to
stop the government's plans of closing down the offices.
Palestinians threaten war is Orient House is closed
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Jerusalem Post
Wed May 5 , 1999 -- If the Israeli government closes down Palestinian
offices in Jerusalem's Orient House headquarters today they will be
"pushing the Palestinian people to war," claimed PA Minister for
Jerusalem Affairs, Faisal Husseini. The Minister, whose remarks were
made in Arabic, was addressing hundreds of Arab dignitaries and
visitors who came to Orient House yesterday to show support for the
institution. The lawyer for Orient House, Jawad Boulos, who also
attended the gathering, is due to have a hearing this morning to
review the closure orders with Israel's Internal Security Ministry
representative, Yossi Levy. "In the hearing, I will show that nothing
has changed in the way we are working [now] from the way we did in the
past," Boulos said. Two weeks ago, Israeli police, under government
orders, announced they would be closing three offices in Orient House
because they were operating on behalf of the PA. "It is a well-known
fact that Mr. Husseini, as the executive commissioner of the PLO is
higher ranking than any PA member and he does not work for them,"
Boulous said. Fatah leaders, Palestinian Legislative Council Members,
Palestinian human rights leaders and religious leaders, such as Latin
Patriarch Michel Sabbah, all gathered on the Orient House lawn
yesterday, as did Canada's consul-general. Husseini told the crowd
that he does not need Israel's permission to invite anyone to Orient
House. "This is the house of the Palestinian people, it represents the
ambitions of the people. It hosted emperors and heads of state before
Israel existed, and Netanyahu cannot come and tell us who we can and
cannot receive," he said. The Palestinian Minister added that if
Netanyahu closes Orient House, 'he does not want peace.'
PA postpones statehood decision until July
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Wed May 5 , 1999 -- The PA has decided it will postpone its decision
regarding declaring Palestinian statehood until July 1999. Senior PA
officials have explained they realize it would be prudent to wait
until the clearing of the fog being created by the Israeli elections,
and the July date is based on the premise there will be a June 1
runoff election for prime minister.
Jordanian unions make stand against Israel
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Wed May 5 , 1999 -- Jordan's powerful professional unions that oppose
the Arab-Israeli Oslo process have imposed a boycott on a 5-star hotel
in Amman, for hosting an Israeli celebration. The unions' committee
urged urged more than a dozen professional syndicates to stop dealing
with the Radisson SAS hotel becuase it was normalizing relations with
Israel. The committee said the decision to boycott the hotel came
because it hosted a celebration reception for the embassy of the
Zionist enemy last month to mark Israel's independence. Jordan's
professional associations are strong opponents of the 1994
Jordan-Israel peace treaty and have banned their members from
normalizing relations with Israel. Union leaders said they were also
looking into imposing "disciplinary" measures against Jordanians who
took part in the Israeli Embassy's celebration. The association's
anti-normalization committee has been compiling a list of Jordanians
who work with Israelis "to expose them in our society which does not
accept Israel and to include them in the mass boycott." Despite
Jordan's official normal relations with Israel, most Jordanians are
reluctant to deal with Israel or Israelis not only because of the
strong anti-normalization lobby, but because many still regard Israel
as an enemy. Although the unions are almost unanimously against the
Middle East peace process, about half say they could normalize
relations with Israel only if it gives up all of Judea, Samaria and
Gaza for an independent Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as
its capital. (UPI)
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Aliens in Israel?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 06:54:34 -0500
From: skip007@sprynet.com
An Alien Touch
Jerusalem Post - 5/6/99
By MICHAEL S. ARNOLD
(May 5) - A Rishon Lezion engineer, who claims he is in contact with
extraterrestrials, is drawing the attention of believers and skeptics
alike.
<Picture>Adrian Dvir is a huge man, burly and bearded, but at this moment
he must feel something like a teenage girl.
It is already 9:20 on the evening of Remembrance Day for the Fallen of
Israel's Wars and, while most of the nation has settled down in front of
the TV, Dvir is waiting by the phone for a call that was supposed to come
on the hour.
He is growing somewhat anxious. Every few minutes he checks his cellular
phone and random attachments to make sure they are properly connected. They
are, but still there is no sign of Fenix. It could be that Fenix is
standing Dvir up.
"I can't promise that he'll call," Dvir says. "I told him that a journalist
was coming, and he's also interested in public relations. But I'm not his
top priority. Sometimes they have crises or other things come up."
As the minutes tick by one wonders how much grace to give Fenix before
thanking Dvir politely and mentioning the long ride back from his Rishon
Lezion home to Jerusalem. Eyes wander the walls, taking in the artwork and
noticing how curiously appropriate it is to the environment: ghoulish faces
appearing out of tree trunks; a bald, hydrocephalic woman with a passing
resemblance to Sinead O'Connor; designs of refracted light and interlocking
geometric shapes; distorted faces with several levels of eyes. Seventies
basement playroom art, in other words.
Finally, at 9:30, Dvir's cell phone rings. The screen registers "private
call" but the slow, metallic croak of a voice is unmistakable: he says he
is Fenix. The voice is audible over a speaker Dvir has attached to the
phone.
He does not apologize for the delay, but his manners can be excused. He is,
after all, hurtling in his spacecraft at 18 times the speed of light from
Uranus back to his home solar system of Arcturus, and it's reasonable to
assume that Cellcom's reception is spotty that far out in the galaxy.
Dvir, who has developed a friendship with Fenix after three months of
frequent phone calls - he has recorded some 40 hours of the calls on video
- begins the conversation by announcing that a journalist is present and
wishes to ask Fenix some questions. That deviance from the normal rules
will not be allowed, however.
"It is incumbent on me to bring my regrets," Fenix says, his speech slow
and halting, his guttural native language translated awkwardly into Hebrew
through some kind of synthesizer on the mother ship. "Permission for direct
contact, in real time, outside the contact person, does not exist. Please
bring questions through you if his desire is in receiving answers."
So begins The Jerusalem Post's first known contact with extraterrestrials.
For Dvir, however, such close encounters are the stuff of everyday life. An
engineer who develops hand-held military computers for Tadiran Com., Dvir
says he has spent the last five years in close contact with aliens.
First they opened a medical clinic in the workroom of his Rishon Lezion
home, one of several such supposed alien-run health clinics operating in
the city. Those aliens, Dvir says, were of a particularly developed and,
apparently, benevolent race.
Fenix's species, the Kliendcontlar, are less advanced but also
well-intentioned. Their purpose is to warn us earthlings of the mortal
danger we may face in another 50 years from the fearsome Morgolius, a race
of cosmic bullies who even now are trying to exterminate the Kliendcontlar
and have their sights set next on Earth.
True, the Kliendcontlar do appear to have ulterior motives: they believe
Earth's atmosphere is favorable and would like to transfer to Dvir their
genetic code for a possible future migration to our planet. Dvir warned
them off, Earth being already too crowded. But it would seem the
Kliendcontlar wouldn't pose such terrible competitors for the planet's
scarce resources - they appear to exist, after all, only in a parallel
dimension, imperceptible to most of us humans sadly limited to just five
senses.
Dvir's training as an engineer and his methodical work habits may make him
an ideal conduit to publicize the exploits of Fenix and his race, but he
certainly is not alone in his belief in extraterrestrial beings.
A 1996 Gallup poll purported to show that 40 percent of Israelis believe in
the existence of aliens, according to Avi Greif, chairman of the Israeli
Center for the Study of UFOs. That still makes us much more skeptical than,
say, Americans, some 70 percent of whom believe in extraterrestrials, Greif
says.
Surely, contact with aliens has figured prominently in many of the movies
that have most profoundly influenced our generation, from Close Encounters
of the Third Kind to Star Wars, Star Trek to ET.
Grief, who is not in contact with aliens himself but gathers information on
the phenomenon, says nearly 70,000 sightings of aliens and unidentified
flying objects are reported around the world each year.
Many of these are recorded in various ways, though their authenticity
obviously is disputed. It's anyone's guess what role pop culture images of
aliens play in the alleged sightings.
"I'm 100 percent sure that aliens exist," Greif says. "In the end I believe
it will be accepted by everyone. There is a lot of proof, but the problem
is that this proof isn't known to a lot of people."
The reason for that, Greif and other believers insist, is a conspiracy of
silence on the part of governments, militaries and scientists. Greif
alleges a history of contact between aliens and representatives of the US
government, a collaboration that may even include the transfer of
other-worldly technology.
The US, however, keeps such information under tight wraps, Greif says -
"and if the American government denies it, of course the Israeli government
will deny it too."
Israel, for its size, appears to have quite frequent contact with aliens.
In Rishon Lezion alone, for example, aliens allegedly run at least three
medical clinics, treating an assortment of ailments from disc problems to
toothaches to anorexia to lupus. Much of the actual work is done by humans
who channel the aliens' energy, laying on hands or projecting force with
their hands held three to four centimeters above the patient's body.
Sometimes the aliens supposedly do the work all by themselves, while the
"healer" sits on the side. That can anger patients, who feel they are being
ripped off when the healer then pockets NIS 150. But in fact the aliens
work up to 10 times faster than their human conduits, Dvir says, and such
hands-off treatment thus is more efficient.
When Dvir became aware of his abilities several years ago, he attended an
institute for spiritual healing in Holon, and in 1995 received diplomas in
energetic healing and advanced spiritual healing. His first book, Healing,
Yeshuyot Vehutzanim (healing, beings and aliens) has just been published by
Gal and is available at Steimatzky's. His clinic is mostly closed now while
he concentrates on writing a book on his experiences with the
Kliendcontlars.
For demonstration purposes, however, Dvir does a bit of work on his wife,
Adriana, who often feels that her left arm is falling asleep. Dvir
maneuvers his hands above her body, guided, he says, by the aliens, who
intuitively find the trouble spot. After a few minutes of energy
transference, Adriana says she feels pins and needles in her arm, a sign
that circulation is returning.
Greif says he is not sure of the veracity of Dvir's alien contacts, though
they seem credible. What inclines him to believe is the fact that four
other people have reported contact with the same race and back up Dvir's
account of their appearance, location and social structure.
In any case, the UFO group will meet at the Netanya library on May 18 to
discuss Dvir's claims.
"It's hard to prove whether it's true," Greif says. "I want it to be true,
but I need proof. The question is what would be [Dvir's] motivation, what
does he get out of it. He's a serious person, he's not trying to make a
living off this. But it could be that tomorrow we'll find out that someone
is just playing around with him. Even today I'm not 100 percent sure about
it."
Dvir was born in Bucharest and moved here in 1965, at the age of eight. As
a child he was a science fiction fan, but his psychic abilities did not
manifest themselves until he was an adult. Dvir's first experience with the
paranormal was a dozen or so years ago, when he was lying on a bed at his
parents' house and felt something cold on his leg.
It was a dead aunt, asking Dvir to look after her children.
Dvir says he didn't think about the experience much. "I figured I had a
fertile imagination," he says.
But the encounters with dead relatives continued. Several years later,
shortly after his grandfather died, Dvir encountered the old man shuffling
around his apartment, looking for a newspaper. After his father died of
cancer, Dvir came out of work to find his spirit sitting in Dvir's car.
Lucky thing, too, because his father warned him to be careful, and Dvir
says he then escaped a collision with a truck that seemed to materialize
out of nowhere.
Dvir's psychic connection was not just with his loved ones. Working on his
computer one Shabbat, Dvir began to feel that he was a medium for messages
from other-worldly beings, asking them questions and then typing out their
answers, a sort of human Ouija board.
Dvir needed someone to talk to and turned to his mother, who believed in
these sort of things. Rather than dismissing him as crazy, she urged him to
visit a professional medium in Rishon Lezion, Valerio Burgosh.
Burgosh also saw the spirit of Dvir's father, conversed with him and told
Dvir personal facts that he could not otherwise have known.
"It was very difficult for me to accept this, but [Burgosh] helped me,"
Dvir says. He began reading and taking courses to develop his psychic
abilities.
At one such course, in 1993, Dvir says his encounters with aliens began in
earnest. Looking up, he saw all manner of strange beings walking around
him, imperceptible to most people but visible to Dvir with a sort of
extrasensory perception.
"I think they tagged me as a sort of contact person," impressed by his
charisma and perceptivity, Dvir says.
Since then, it seems, the aliens have never left Dvir alone. Day and night
he is accompanied by a shifting cast of at least two aliens, even while
talking in a seemingly normal and solitary manner with a reporter.
Around 1992, Dvir went to visit Haya Levy, a healer who had opened an
alien-run clinic in her Rishon Lezion home. Indeed, upon entering her house
Dvir saw a gallery of aliens. He found her treatment effective and her
support important. The aliens began negotiating with Dvir to open another
clinic in his apartment.
Levy's contact with aliens began some 15 years ago on the Negev moshav,
Sadot, where she lived at the time. Sitting with her children in the garden
of her home, Levy received a telepathic SOS from a spaceship that needed a
spot for an emergency landing. She invited them to land at Sadot.
A little while later, Levy was in her kitchen when she felt a strong
impulse to go outside. There she found a small, petrified man with a
strange accent. She invited him in for a cup of tea.
After the tea, the man disappeared without a trace or even so much as a
thank you, but Levy's contact with aliens had begun. Most of the aliens
with whom Levy has contact look like human beings, she says, but not all.
Prof. Bach, for instance, has skin like a lizard and is completely bald.
Maya has silver skin and blue eyes like those of a fish.
About eight years ago, when Levy was suffering from disc problems that had
confined her to bed, the aliens offered to treat her, she says. She was
skeptical, but after just an hour of treatment she was able to walk again.
After five days of treatment she was fully mobile and able to carry things.
When the aliens proposed the joint-venture clinic, Levy accepted. Alien
treatment has an 87 percent success rate, she claims.
"My ex-husband is my No. 1 client. He's the biggest believer," Levy says.
"The results speak for themselves."
Levy's importance for Dvir goes beyond her status as a role model. When the
Kliendcontlars began calling, Dvir was skeptical. He asked his cast of
resident aliens, who said Fenix and crew were legitimate, but Dvir wanted
more corroborating evidence.
He spoke to Levy, who did not know of the Kliendcontlars but ran a
background check with her aliens. They supposedly vouched for Fenix and his
race, confirming certain crucial details such as Arcturus' red sun and the
planet's ecological problems.
On January 22, Dvir and Adriana were on their way to a restaurant when his
cellphone rang. It was Dvir's 41st birthday and it might have been a
wellwisher, but the caller kept hanging up.
During dinner the phone rang again, and this time the caller stayed on the
line. He identified himself as Forth, a 358-year-old Kliendcontlar whose
job it was to make contact with other civilizations, according to Dvir.
Dvir spent most of the dinner talking not to his wife but to the alien.
Dvir asked Cellcom to check the origin of the calls, but the company said
the number was blocked. In any case, as the telephone connection continued
and the aliens offered consistent answers to Dvir's questions, he began to
believe.
"At first I thought someone was making fun of me, but when he kept calling
I realized it was serious," he says. "You know it's not someone from here
doing it, because they would do it for one day, two days, and then get
tired of it."
Forth initiated the first few conversations and then, being near retirement
age - the race's life expectancy is some 400 years - he handed the Dvir
file to his deputy Fenix, who at 200 is just entering the prime of
Kliendcontlar life. (Forth died this week, alien sources informed Dvir.)
Certain details about the race and Kliendcontlar society emerged from
Dvir's inquiries, he says. The Kliendcontlars stand about one meter tall -
"above ground level, of course," in Fenix's words - have gray skin, two
arms and two legs, three fingers on each hand, green blood and DNA composed
of four basic building blocks.
Their society is rather totalitarian: religion is outlawed on pain of death
and the government determines each newborn Kliendcontlar's spouse and
profession, performing genetic improvement surgery shortly after birth to
prepare him for his career.
Our conversation with Fenix proceeds on two tracks. Dvir asks more
sophisticated questions fit for an anthropologist: what is the
Kliendcontlar's justice system like, do they have the death penalty (yes),
does the Whole Universe Organization's charter require member states to
help a starship in distress (yes), can workers in different tasks be
identified by uniform (yes).
My questions are more prosaic: does Fenix have a family (wife and children,
all of whom work in communications), does he laugh (yes, although he hasn't
told a joke in 100 years), does he speak English (no), does he know
anything about Israeli politics (no), what does he eat (the microwave
story), what proof can he offer that he really is an alien (it's not his
concern, "facts will come about," whether humans believe him or not).
Fenix appears baffled when I ask if he will have to pay for the 85-minute
phone call from the environs of Uranus. Dvir has to explain to him that on
our planet one pays the makers of telecommunications equipment for their
service, a concept foreign to Arcturus, where there is no money.
Fenix appears delighted to hear of The Jerusalem Post's international
circulation - "this is excellent," he says - but declines the invitation to
deliver a message to the human race on its pages.
At one point Fenix grows tired of my questions, many of which he has
answered in previous conversations with Dvir.
He lights into Dvir in his slow, tortured, alien way. "At this moment it is
my wish to give you a sort of friendly advice," he tells him. "If
additional contact will be made with you, with extraterrestrial contact
people, my advice is, it is upon you to prevent rhetorical questions. This
thing does not add anything.
Information that you ask a question on, and you know the answer to it, this
thing bears witness, thus the extraterrestrial contact man thinks about you
as a character lacking understanding, lacking culture, lacking principles.
Because this thing is very important, it is upon you to prevent rhetorical
questions."
Dvir accepts the reprimand with grace. At the end of the conversation, they
make a date for another conversation the following morning.
"This is real," Dvir says to me at the end of the conversation. "This is a
real alien."
His colleagues at Tadiran have mixed feelings about his alien contacts,
Dvir admits. Some come to him for treatments. Others grow visibly
uncomfortable when he begins to discuss his experiences and ask him to stop
talking about it. A company spokesman declined to be interviewed.
Dvir's wife Adriana is a little skeptical too. She does not see the aliens
who traipse around her apartment day and night.
"I'm more rational. I want to see proof," she says. "But who knows, maybe
it's true? Maybe I'm the limited one and I'm missing out. He's always been
more sensitive."
Dvir's 9-year-old son, Effi, appears a little confused by it all. Asked if
he believes in the aliens, at first he says no. Asked to elaborate, he
doesn't answer.
Asked again if he believes, he is noncommittal. Adriana asks Effi whether
or not he believes, and this time he says yes.
"Of course he believes," she says, then turns back to Effi. "What, do you
think your father is talking nonsense?"
Effi shakes his head no.
Considering how unusual his ideas sound, Dvir has gotten a surprising
amount of attention from the media, appearing in television, radio and
print interviews. The publicity has apparently reached across the heavens;
shortly after the first news article appeared, Dvir says he got an
introductory e-mail from an alien named Ayami from the solar system Sirius.
Ayami bore greetings from his King Agnemnon, and said he would contact Dvir
again in five years.
Perhaps the media attention can be explained because of the seriousness of
Dvir's day job and his obvious intelligence; he does not come across as a
flake. This week Dvir appeared on Judy Shalom Nir Mozes' television program
on Channel 2, Jude Morning, but Shalom Nir Mozes came away unconvinced.
"I made fun of him with all my strength, but very gently," she says. "It's
nonsense. I don't believe in any of these things. But I'm in favor of
freedom of expression and letting anyone speak."
It is tempting to see Dvir as a lonely man of faith. It is not considered
outlandish in this day and age to believe in God, who doesn't even bother
to telephone. But mention aliens - even those considerate enough to call on
your birthday - and you're immediately dismissed as a little wacky.
"People have quirks," Shalom Nir Mozes says simply when asked how she
thinks Dvir himself can believe in aliens.
Tel Aviv University psychiatrist Ilan Kutz says the phenomenon of alien
contact is the same experience that in former times might have been called
prophecy.
"If you look at what these people are really saying and you take the aliens
out of it, the message is that I've been chosen by a special power and
endowed with a special force," Kutz says. "It's very reminiscent of stories
we hear throughout ancient times. This experience requires an external
entity to make the experience whole. In former times this used to be the
experience of revelation or the religious experience. It has to be somebody
not only far away but far above."
Part of the move from religious terminology to the realm of science fiction
stems from shifting cultural references over time, Kutz says.
"These claims are not new, it's the language that is new," Kutz says.
"The language today has changed from religious language to scientific
language. In former times paranoids used to say that they are Napoleon or
that somebody speaks to them in a holy voice; now they say the TV speaks to
them. Napoleon is out of fashion."
This is not to say, Kutz stresses, that aliens do not exist; he believes
the chances are as good as not that they do. Yet without firm proof of
their existence, the choice to believe in them is essentially a highly
religious one.
"We all need to believe in a higher being in one form or another," Kutz
says. "From an evolutionary point of view it gives us a big advantage.
It allows us to withstand difficulties, even at times against all odds,
because there is all the time the promise that there is somebody out there
looking out for us and safeguarding the world order. I think it's built in
in humans to turn to a mightier power because it really maximizes
survival."
Kutz dismisses the physical descriptions Dvir and others offer of the
aliens they see.
"It's always the same story, always the same lack of evidence," Kutz says.
"People are feeding off each other. When I was a child, aliens were green
and had big antennae. Once the pictures of aliens with big eyes were shown,
then everyone started seeing them."
Dvir and Levy say their belief in aliens is not a matter of faith, but of
proof - proof that the rest of us can not see because of our limitations.
"It's all a question of openness," Levy says. "If you're open, you can
believe in things you can't see physically. If you're not open, you trust
only your five senses. Those people are limited, in my opinion."
Dvir believes the day will come when interaction with aliens will be
considered normal.
"People who had contact in previous incarnations, they know it's possible.
Others are scared and they don't want to know about it," he says. "But
there are aliens out there. One day we'll have to meet. We'll have no
choice but to get to know one another."
Jerusalem Post
5/6/99
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Y2K - The Real Disaster
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 13:02:24 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
The Berean Call - May, 1999
Y2K - The Real Disaster
by: Dave Hunt
This subject was forced upon us by the many letters and phone calls we
received from frightened people. Some were on the verge of panic
because of the disastrous consequences of the alleged worldwide
computer crash predicted in some circles to occur January 1, 2000. So
we addressed Y2K in a feature article and two subsequent Q&As.
We presented facts showing that the Y2K problem was largely overstated
and would for all practical purposes be solved in time. Readers warned
that I was ignorant of the subject, and that my skepticism...may cost
lives and countless opportunities for the body of Christ to minister
to...unsaved. It was obvious that more had to be done to calm the
rising panic in the church. To that end, I wrote Y2K: A Reasoned
Response to Mass Hysteria, released in February. It documents fully
what we can only summarize here.
My point of view on Y2K is no more welcome in many circles than my
critique of psychology or of positive confession or of Catholicism.
How appropriate for today were Christs words to the Jews, And because
I tell you the truth, ye believe me not (Jn 8:45). One of my
interviews was for a Y2K national TV special. The film crew was
enthusiastic, but Steve Hewitt of Christian Computing Magazine and I
were cut out because our research undermined what the other experts
said as well as the planned advertisements for Y2K survival supplies.
A lot of money is being made. Sadly, some of the Christian leaders
sounding the alarm the loudest are profiting from their connection to,
and even ownership of, firms selling freeze-dried food, generators,
gold coins and other survival supplies. Already resentment and
disillusionment are surfacing among those who have cashed in lifes
savings to buy what they will soon discover wasnt needed. Worst of all
will be the backlash against Christianity and the gospel when January
1, 2000 reveals that Y2K is nothing like Christian alarmists have
warned it would be.
Out of great concern for the damage which misinformation and alarmism
are creating within the church, we reluctantly address this issue once
again. Mounting evidence makes it clearer each day that the predicted
worldwide computer crash is not going to occur. Major manufacturers
have notified their suppliers that if their products are not Y2K
compliant their contracts will be canceled. No one will buy
noncompliant product; and those who sell it are being sued.
In addition to nearly 200 out-of-court settlements, more than 50
Y2K-related lawsuits are working their way through the courts, with
significant damages being awarded against manufacturers of equipment
that wont work beyond1999. No electric utility, bank, phone company or
911 service will be able to plead on January 1, 2000 that they just
didnt get around to fixing their computers! Theyve had 25 years to
take care of that problem and not to do so would be criminal
negligence, against which theres no insurance coverage.
Reflecting irrational fears in the church, InterVarsity canceled its
Urbana Conference for the end of December 1999, concerned that flying
wont be safe. Yet Jerry Greenwald, CEO of United Airlines, has
promised, We will make sure that you experience the start of the new
millennium feeling as safe boarding our aircraft as you do every other
day of every year. Greenwald must be absolutely certain to make such a
statement. The FAA has announced that all critical components of U.S.
air traffic control will be ready for Y2K by June 30, 1999; and the
FAA is working with other nations to bring them into compliance.
Canadian airports just passed a critical Y2K test: It was really
boring, said a spokesman. All the systems worked well.
The American Bankers Association announced in early April that 97
percent of the nations banks are ready for Y2K and that the 3 percent
which are not will soon be forced by regulators to merge with those
which are. The New York stock exchange and major brokerage firms have
passed several Y2K tests. Senator Robert Bennett, whose pessimistic
statements once supported alarmists, now admits that Y2K at worst will
be a mere bump in the road. Likewise, Peter de Jager, among the first
to sound the alarm and once very gloomy, now says, ...the year 2000
problem no longer exists. As of March 31, 1999, the deadline set by
Clinton, only about 500 of the estimated 6,123 critical systems in all
24 U.S. government agencies were not yet Y2K compliant, but soon would
be.
Media reports are often sensationalized to excite the public. An
article in papers across the country in mid-March, 1999, was
headlined, Glitch at nuke plant shows perils of Y2K tests. It reported
that testing for Y2K shut a nuclear plant down for seven hours. In
fact, the shut-down had nothing to do with Y2K; an engineer had
improperly set a test clock. There was no peril, the problem was
discovered and fixed, and power continued to flow. Most local power
companies are electromechanical, not computerized, and the large
hydroelectric projects depend upon gravity flow of water and could be
operated manually.
The truth about the unlikelihood of significant Y2K problems and the
thoroughness with which the experts are nevertheless providing for
every contingency is found in the technical journals. Therein we
discover how the real experts view Y2K, and it doesnt resemble at all
what some Christian leaders are saying. The information provided by
these journals rarely finds its way into the popular media. The
following is from recent editions of just a few of these publications:
Pshaw. This stuff is beginning to look like a blatant attempt to
deceive the public into fixing something that probably isnt broken. If
I see many more releases blowing the whole Y2K thing out of
proportion, I wont be responsible for my actions...! (y2k: much ado
about not a lot, Computer Technology Review, January 1999 editorial)
Major manufacturers are well underway with year 2000 software bug
fixes. (Control Engineering: Covering control, instrumentation, and
automation systems worldwide, January 1999, in two articles listing
numerous Y2K solutions and dealing with the high-tech developments
expected to launch the next millennium)
Year 2000 battlefield simulation [tests] ...at White Sands Missile
Range...the Apache Longbow, Apache and Kiowa Warrior helicopters each
fired laser-guided Hellfire missiles to successfully verify rollover
of five critical Y2K dates. (Boeing News, Feb. 19, 1999
Department of Defense is in hyperdrive to solve Y2K problem....1,673
of 2,300 critical systems were Y2K compliant last December...[NORAD
ran in December a] successful three-day exercise involving...five
midnight crossings [12/31/99] which simulated 30 missile events
ranging from mass attacks to single missiles. NORAD was able to
respond....A similar exercise was successful for the Trident
submarine-launched strategic missile system...94 percent [of DODs
mission-critical systems] will be ready by the end of [February 1999].
(Military & Aerospace Electronics, February 1999)
The high-tech journals seem almost contemptuous of Y2K. The media are
catching on and further playing down the issue. In April, CNNs
Headline News repeatedly ran the same clip about computer chips in
autos (Christian experts have warned that trucks supplying grocery
stores wont run). Mechanics and automakers explained that chips
running cars [and trucks] dont care what year it is. It was suggested
that owners of cars that wont start on January 1, 2000, might check
the gas gauge! In the face of all the evidence to the contrary,
Christian leaders keep sounding the alarm. As a result the church is
being led into the real disaster of Y2K: the ruined lives and
testimonies, the disillusionment and shattered faith. Consider the
backlash discrediting the church, our Lord, the gospel and Bible
prophecy when Y2K turns out to be so much less than many have warned
it could be. The cost will be incalculable in discredited testimonies
and disrupted lives. If it doesnt happen, you can eat or give away
your freeze-dried food, is the standard disclaimer. That doesnt help
those who were driven by fear to cash in retirement plans to buy a
whole range of survival equipment and supplies.
Who will any longer believe those who were so certain of disaster that
they organized neighborhoods, persuaded family and friends to buy
generators, huge stores of food and supplies and tied it all in with
Bible prophecy and evangelism? Who will restore the shattered faith of
disillusioned Christians who sold their homes to move into a country
hideaway or into some safe, self-contained Y2K Christian community
they saw advertised in a Christian publication such as Falwells
National Liberty Journal? We know of churches already dividing and
families breaking up over Y2K, and worse could follow.
There has been a serious abuse of Scripture. A major mantra for
Christians sounding the alarm is A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and
hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished (Prv 22:3,
27:12). That scripture has no bearing upon Y2K. Solomons prudent man
knows the evil thats coming and thus what to hide from. But the
alarmists, after telling us how disastrous it might be, themselves
hide behind this specious phrase: No one really knows what will
happen. Yet they want everyone to prepare for what? This uncertainty
breeds a spirit of fear (2 Tm 1:7).
Another verse is used to make us feel guilty for not storing up vast
amounts of food and supplies: But if any provide not for...those of
his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel
(1 Tm 5:8). Yet how is one to provide for ones house without knowing
the extent of the problem? If we were to prepare for six months and it
were to last a year, what then?
Possible scenarios are presented from a mild bump to total disaster
lasting anywhere from a few days to years. Gary North predicts that
1.5 billion people could die from cold, starvation, riots, etc. In
What Will Become of Us? (The International Crisis Management Center,
1998, pp. 111-16), Julian Gregori declares,
I predict...every developed nation will fall into a
seven-to-eight-year economic collapse....serious y2k computer ambushes
will begin surprising Americans in mid-1999...a drastic correction in
the stock market (by the end of September, 1999), and the closing of
some banks. The closing of some nuclear power plants in October...the
end of American lifestyles as we know them.... I predict...failures
of electrical power. ...Most y2k victims will be refugees who are
attempting to flee anarchical conditions in the cities...by April
2000, at least seven out of every ten Americans will lose their jobs
or their present level of income. ...martial law may be imposed in
late 1999....
Senator Bennett has publicly compared [Y2K] to Tower of Babel
catastrophism.
Such outdated quotes continue to be offered. To cover all bases, they
hold open the possibility of anything from mild to meltdown. Dont
panic, they tell us, even while they lay out as at least possible
scenarios that offer more than enough cause for panic. Hope for the
best, and prepare for the worst, were told. But who could possibly
prepare for the worst? Not the elderly in retirement homes or
convalescent hospitals nor even the average Christian! What are we to
do? Pray about it, they say. Thus prayer is turned into divination:
seeking a message from God about what to do, when action should be
dictated by facts. It is like praying for what stock to invest in on
Wall Street or asking God to reveal whether one should get out of bed
in the morning. Christian alarmists cant tell us which of their
scenarios will actually happen, but God is supposed to tell us.
Spurred on by such advice, many Christians testify that God has told
them to sell their homes and move out into an isolated place far from
any city because Y2K is going to break down social and civil order.
Abandoning friends and neighbors, they have opted for the ultimate in
self-interest; some even unashamedly buying guns and fortifying their
hideaways and communicating only by email. They argue that they dont
have the means to feed all the hungry around them when Y2K comes and
must provide for their families. Some Christians, unable to change
their residences, have plywood ready to nail over windows and an old
car they will park in their driveway and burn January 1, 2000, so that
the rampaging mobs will think the house has already been looted and
will pass it by.
Yet such Christians claim to have prayed and been led of God to adopt
these measures. What will happen to their faith, the faith of their
families and friends, and what message will it send to the unsaved
when this guidance from God turns out not only to be a falsehood but
folly?
Other Christians are convinced this will be the churchs finest hour,
that Y2K will provide the greatest opportunity in history to win the
lost to Christ. It is supposedly up to Christians to feed their
unsaved friends and neighbors and when they come for food and warmth
theyll be open to the gospel and will be won to Christ. However,
starving people are interested in food, not religion; and when
desperate enough theyll do anything to get it.
The early church was specifically told by a true prophet of a coming
great dearth throughout all the world (Acts 11:27-30). Yet under the
Apostles leadership they did not store up food to feed unsaved
neighbors nor seek to use this disaster for evangelism. Nor is it
biblical (or logical) to attempt to do so today.
The truth is that the world right now contains millions of sarving and
dying people who need help and the gospel. What a delusion to wait for
Y2K to provide the greatest opportunity while neglecting the
challenges we already face!
So what should we do as Christians? Prudence requires a reasonable
stock of supplies on hand for any emergency (earthquake, hurricane,
flood). At all times we should diligently be witnessing to family,
neighbors, and the wider circle of unsaved with whom we come in
contact. We can trust the One who wrought our eternal salvation to
bring us through this earthly scene and to our heavenly home in
triumph.
TBC
Notice: - Responses to this article should be mailed to TBC's PO
address
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Please note: This article was e-mailed by "A Voice in the
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a couple years ago & VW took it over as a service to you who prefer to
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forward your e-mails to Dave or other TBC staff. Thus, your
communications to them need to be mailed via the 'snail' postal
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A complete collection of the TBC articles, since 1994, is available
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"They received the word with all readiness, and searched the
Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts
17:11)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Sinead O'Connor Begs Pope to Endorse Her as Priest
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 13:06:17 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Thursday, May 6, 1999: The Culture Channel
Sinead O'Connor Begs Pope to
Endorse her as Priest
LONDON (AFP) -- Irish singer Sinead O'Connor has
written an open letter to the Pope asking the Roman
Catholic Church to allow women priests, the Daily
Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday.
O'Connor, 32, who was ordained as a priest by a
dissident Catholic group last month, wrote: "I beg
you in all humility before God to endorse me and
women generally for the priesthood."
In a long and rambling missive to Pope John Paul II
from a "very naughty Irish girl," she also apologized
for her past behavior, which included once publicly
ripping up his portrait, the newspaper said.
http://www.arabia.com/content/culture/5_99/irish6.shtml
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Int'l power brokers meet to discuss global future
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 14:08:36 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
05/01/99
http://www.the-news.net/archives/bilburg01-5.htm
International power brokers meet to discuss global future
World's most secret society to meet in Sintra
Bilderberg, reputedly the most secretive organisation in the world,
comprising presidents, royal families, ministers, top industrialists
and financial leaders are set to meet in Sintra at the beginning of
June. Francisco Pinto Balsamao, former Portuguese PM, media baron and
frequent attendee of the meetings is listed as the member for
Portugal. The security for the Bilderberg meetings, which are held at
irregular intervals and prompted by the state of world affairs, is the
responsibility of the host country. According to sources in
Washington, Bilderberg will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to
reimburse the Portuguese government for deploying military forces to
guard their privacy and for helicopters to seek out intruders.
Bilderberg have ordered the resort to be shut down for a full 48 hours
before the conference.
The Bilderberg delegates, comprising some of the world's most
powerful decision makers, will be here to discuss highly classified
issues which are not supposed to be disclosed to the public by the
press before or after the meeting.
Initially alerted to this meeting by a New York reader who requested
anonymity, The News contacted the Caesar Park Penha Longa resort in
Sintra to verify the information that the secret meeting will be held
at their resort. The only confirmation we received was that an
organization 'wishing for the utmost privacy' would be in Sintra and
that the hotel was fully and exclusively booked by this organisation
from June 2 to June 7.
The agenda for the meeting is said to include a "globilaztion summit",
during which nations which cling tenaciously to their sovereign
identities will be denounced by its leadership.
The principal feature of Bilderberg is that it seeks one global
government, (a structure similar to the European Union), while
counteracting nationalist sentiment is supposedly its greatest battle.
Renewed calls for the United Nations to be able to directly tax all
people of the world is said to be another major topic to be tabled for
discussion in Sintra.
The Bilderberg meetings are only held when and where the hosts can
provide the highest levels of security for their guests. All
Bilderberg participants, their staff members and resort employees will
wear photo identification tags. They will have separate colours to
identify the wearer as participant, staff member or employee. A
computer chip "fingerprint" will assure the identity of the card's
wearer.
According to the Washington based investigative newsletter,
Spotlight, who claims to have a contact inside Bilderberg, any
intruders are to be manhandled, cuffed and jailed and if the intruders
resist arrest or attempt to flee, they will be shot.
International and national media are said to be welcome only when an
oath of silence has been taken, news editors are held responsible if
any of their journalists 'inadvertently' report on what takes place.
Bilderberg members are immune to all forms of bureaucracy that face
ordinary citizens on a daily basis. No visas are required and a free
and safe passage is provided by the government hosting the Bilderberg
rendezvous. They travel to and from the airport to the resort in
armoured vehicles with a police escort.
Meetings are said to be held at random intervals, and rarely at the
same locations for obvious security reasons.
The first Bilderberg conference was held in May 1954, and the
organization was said to have been established as a secret and
supportive wing of NATO and the Marshall plan which was launched in
the 1940s.
International conspiracy
The News having researched various sources on the Bilderberg
meetings, discovered that PSD co-founder, Francisco Pinto Balsemao,
allegedly attended at least the previous two Bilderberg meetings held
in Scotland (1998) and Georgia in the United States (1997). Balsemao
is said to be the only Portuguese representative on the Bilderberg
steering committee. Other prominent figures listed to have attended
previous meetings are Ricardo Salgado chief executive officer at Banco
Espirito Santo, Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair (who attended the meeting
held in 1995) and Giovanni Agnelli who is the owner of the Fiat Motor
Corporation.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - May 7, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 21:43:27 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
6:00 PM Eastern
HIST - High Points in History
Hitler: The Criminal.
Explores Hitler's macabre philosophy, from the birth of
his anti-Semitic views to his state-sanctioned mass
murder. Previously unpublished documents and startling
new film footage create a shocking psychological
portrait. [TV G]
8:00 PM
HIST - Witchcraft
Once upon a time that cackling crone on a broomstick
held the exalted position of a healing woman who
harnessed nature's secrets for humanity's good. What
happened in the Middle Ages to transform her into a
Christian symbol of evil? We'll study the psychological
and social causes of the European and Salem witch
trials. [TV G]
9:00 PM
HIST - Science at War
Full Spectrum Dominance.
The U.S. is now pursuing the most massive ever
marshalling of raw science to the needs of warfare. No
area of physics, chemistry, or biology is left
unexplored in a thrust to win the next war before it
happens. Science fiction is becoming physical reality.
We examine the next generation of weapons that will
make nuclear arms seem obsolete. [TV G]
PAX - Bible Code: The Future Beyond
In keeping with the highly popular November special, this PAX TV
original production examines the latest implications of what has
been called the greatest scientific discovery of all time:
a mathematically precise system of encoded messages in the Bible
that are said to precisely predict the future, from the time of the
Old Testament to Y2K and beyond. Going beyond the language of the
Bible, this program will actually break the codes of the future.
Learn what they predict for the new millennium in this documentary
presentation, which combines actual interviews and historical
footage with recreations set in the Holy Land to tell this
remarkable story.
TLC - Genocide: Survivors describe the atrocities of Nazi camps.
10:00 PM
HIST - Science at War
Russia's Nuclear Patriot.
In a state of urgency after America bombed Hiroshima in
1945, Soviet scientists matched their enemy's atomic
achievements in only four years. So began a nuclear
tit-for-tat that lasted for 40 years. Using previously
unseen archive film and first-time interviews, here is
the story of the Russian men and women who developed
the H-bomb. [TV G]
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Robot butler
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 21:43:27 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1999
Robot butler, a Jeeves for the cyber-age
Nicole Gaouette (gaouetten@csps.com)
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
TOKYO
The P3 surveys the room, slim and astronaut-like in head-to-toe white.
The audience gasps as it swings one chunky foot forward, then another,
a curiously graceful gait that takes him to the center of the room.
The closest these people have ever come to a humanoid robot is C3PO in
"Star Wars," but that was Hollywood magic. This is real.
The P3 is a world first. There have been other robots built to
resemble human beings, but none has ever been able to walk. The P3 not
only strolls, he waves, shakes hands, bows (essential for a Japanese
machine), picks things up, and walks up and down stairs. One day, if a
Japanese consortium succeeds, the P3's descendants could help with the
vacuuming or baby-sit on Friday nights. In the West, researchers are
working on mechanical creatures for the future domestic robot industry
- an R2D2 to feed the pets, for instance. The P3 would be more like a
butler, a Jeeves for the cyber-age.
Picture:
GREETINGS: Chinese Premier Li Peng, visiting Honda's Technologies
Center in Tokyo in November 1997, greets the P3. Developed by Honda,
the robot spoke Chinese. (ITSUO INOUYE /AP)
The P3 stands at the center of a government-backed project designed to
make robots part of daily life. The humanoid is a good example of the
way Japan develops new technology through high-level cooperation among
government, researchers, and corporations. Those involved say it will
change robotics and launch a new era in Japanese science and business.
Japanese friendly toward androids
The project is driven less by these lofty goals than the hard reality
of Japan's dwindling labor force. Even so, it points toward a future
of consumer, industrial, and military androids only imagined in films
and fiction. While the benefits and questions related to the P3
concern everyone, some scientists say that this particular invention
could have been made only in Japan.
In Western culture, distrust of man-made men can be traced from Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein to the Terminator. Indeed, Czech writer Karel
Capek coined the word "robot" in a disturbing 1920 play about slave
androids rising up against their human masters.
That disquieting image doesn't exist in Japanese culture, which
depicts artificial beings as cute or noble. Tamagotchi, the
computerized pet-toy phenomenon here and in the US, is just the latest
example. Prof. Kazue suggests that comfort with artificial life may be
due to Japan's animist tradition, which sees spirits within inanimate
objects like rocks. "Westerners seem to think humans can only be
created by God," he says. "But here, we respect many gods, and we feel
we can make humans."
Japan's unwavering love affair with robots began long before the debut
of high technology. In the 17th century, mechanical dolls called
karakuri ningyo fascinated audiences. Animated by springs and finely
calibrated gears, they could be made to serve tea to waiting guests.
In recent years, Japan has led the world in the use of industrial
robots - used to rivet car parts together, for instance - though that
advantage is slipping because of Asia's economic troubles. In 1997,
for every 10,000 manufacturing workers in Japan, there were 277 robots
working on the line, according to the Geneva-based International
Federation of Robotics. (The US figure is fewer than 50.)
Still, Japan's robot use hasn't been as high as people here expected.
Anticipating this, bureaucrats and firms got together in the mid-1980s
to discuss how to expand the market.
"We looked at the problems of the 21st century," explains Nariaku
Ohyu, the executive director of the government's Manufacturing Science
and Technology Center, which oversees the P3 project's research and
development. "We have a graying population with fewer kids and more
women wanting to work," he says, referring to statistics that show 25
percent of Japanese will be older than 65 by 2010. "That's when we
thought of shifting our attention from commercial-use robots to
private use in the home. They might chaperone older people when they
go out shopping."
In 1998, the companies and universities involved in those talks formed
the consortium that is working on the P3 today. They include
industrial heavyweights like Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and
Honda, and top-flight schools like Tokyo University.
The participants work separately on different aspects of the project -
Honda is developing a four-fingered hand - and they meet regularly to
share problems and progress. The group has $85 million in government
funding, but got a boost when Honda announced it had already been
working on a humanoid robot that could walk.
"By 1986, there was a growing consensus within Honda that our future
lies in business other than autos," says Hideki Hirate, of Honda. "But
we wanted to stay with the concept of mobility."
An early version of the P3 was unveiled in 1997. The next year, Honda
videotaped the presentation of a slightly more advanced model to the
families of Honda employees - the demonstration in which the humanoid
walks across the room.
Live sightings of the P3 are rare. "We can't show you one," Mr. Hirate
says sternly. "It's a corporate secret."
'It looks so human'
Hirate can't enter Honda's robotics lab without permission, but his
glimpses of the P3 have been memorable. "It's weird!" he says,
forgetting his spokesman's reserve. "It looks so human when it walks
or when it's going up and down stairs. It's not as perfect as "Star
Wars" C3PO, but it almost seems as if someone were inside it." There
isn't, of course, and for a long time the P3 won't even be able to
"think" independently. While US scientists are working on robots that
can interact with humans, learning from them and adapting to their
behavior, the consortium decided not to pursue that route for now.
"We're going to use a remote-control technique," says Kazue, the
Tsukuba University professor, who explains that giving the P3 adequate
"brain power" would require an immense computer. "In future, we'll
connect the robots to a powerful fiber-optic network so we can control
them from some central location," he says. "We won't need to install
powerful intelligence in each one."
Other challenges include lowering the P3's 286-pound weight, enabling
it to use its eyes independently, and making it safe enough to work
around people. Right now, consortium members say that when the project
is done in 2002, the humanoid could participate in earthquake rescue
work, chemical spills, and more mundane work like watchman duty.
"People often talk about Japan imitating and improving Western
research and development," says Ohyu. "That's not the case here, and I
want people to recognize that. The humanoid was developed here, and
we'll commercialize it as well."
With the market for robot toys already in sight - Sony has developed a
robot dog - and researchers the world over working on domestic robots,
the commercial opportunities will be immense.
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1999/05/06/fp18s1-csm.shtml
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Kremlin scrambles after Yeltsin outburst
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 08:50:19 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
http://www.msnbc.com/news/265966.asp
Kremlin scrambles after Yeltsin outburst
MOSCOW, May 6 _ Russian President Boris Yeltsin, denouncing
President Bill Clinton as "impudent" and warning of quick retaliation
if NATO's war escalated, caught his audience of Moscow business
leaders, western diplomats and his own diplomats by surprise and
sparked a Kremlin campaign to quash the statements.
IN THE LATEST in a series of what the Kremlin characterizes as
"misstatements," Yeltsin abruptly stopped delivering a scripted speech
to an audience of Russian writers and business leaders and launched
into an attack on the NATO war against Yugoslavia.
"Just let Clinton, a little bit, accidentally, send a missile,"
Yeltsin said. "We'll answer immediately. We don't want war in
Yugoslavia. We don't want to ... Such impudence. To unleash a war in a
sovereign state without Security Council, without United Nations. It
could only be possible in the time of barbarism."
Yeltsin's comments sent the Kremlin scurrying to limit damage.
Kremlin aides informed Reuters, which had videotaped the speech under
a media pool agreement, that distributing it could affect its
participation in pool events _ a powerful threat in the competitive
picture agency industry. Reuters had not fed images of the speech as
of 1 p.m. ET Thursday, but did provide NBC News with raw footage.
Dmitri Yakushkin, Yeltsin's press secretary, told NBC the report was
being discouraged because "it's not an official comment." Pressed
further, he said, "Look, we would just rather this go away and people
not use it."
MANAGING BORIS
Since suffering a stroke in 1996, Yeltsin has had a penchant for such
statements. Several times on foreign visits, he has become confused
about which country he was in. Only last week, Yeltsin thanked
visiting South African President Nelson Mandela for his work bringing
reconciliation to Yugoslavia. He quickly corrected himself.
Last month, the Communist Speaker of the Duma, Russia's lower
chamber of parliament, quoted Yeltsin as saying that Moscow was
thinking about retargeting missiles on targets in the United States _
a comment that briefly sent a shudder through western capitals. The
United States and Russia, in a move of great symbolism, "de-targeted"
their Cold War arsenals at the end of the 1980s.
His Kremlin aides in recent years have kept close tabs on the
president and most of his public appearances have been scripted.
Requests for interviews have rarely been granted and foreign reporters
who shout questions at Yeltsin's speeches have been threatened with
ejection from the coverage pools.
Until recently, Yeltsin's spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky would
regularly stand behind the president at speeches and other events and
jump in to "paraphrase" or "clarify" when his boss appeared to be
straying from the point.
However, Yastrzhembsky was late last year when he publicly suggested
that it might be time to consider an early transition to an interim
president, throwing his support behind Moscow's powerful Mayor Yuri
Luzhkov.
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Win a computer
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 09:18:50 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Win a New 450MHz Pentium III Compaq PC Worth $3,000!
Throw your senses into overdrive with the 450MHz Compaq
Presario 5686 PC, equipped with the Pentium III processor,
12GB hard drive, 96MB of RAM, 32X CD-ROM, a digital camera
-- the works! Visit NCBuy to WIN one of your own today!
http://www.ncbuy.com/computing/contest/?ref=10020
via: <the-free-stuff-news@mail-list.com>
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China was ready to attack Taiwan in 1996
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 10:25:38 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
(Special Section: Taiwan )
China Was Ready To Attack Taiwan In 1996
TAIPEI, May. 07, 1999 -- (Agence France
Presse) Taiwan Defense Minister Tang Fei
told legislators Thursday China would have
invaded a Taiwan-controlled islet near the
mainland during a 1995-96 crisis if the
weather had permitted, it was reported
Thursday.
Tang said People's Liberation Army (PLA)
troops had marched from Hangzhou to Fuzhou
on the mainland as part of a planned
attack on the islet which lies just off
the Chinese coast in March 1996.
"But the weather was not favorable for
them to act as scheduled. The PLA was
later forced to alter the plans and
conduct live fire drills on nearby Pingtan
Island" instead, Tang said when briefing
legislators visiting the National Security
Bureau and Military Intelligence Bureau.
The defense ministry released a statement
late Thursday confirming the reports.
"Judging from the size of PLA forces
involved then, they were capable of
attacking the islet," the statement said.
"With the aid of missile drills, they were
intended to undermine the morale of the
people here and thus affect the
presidential elections" on March 23, 1996,
it said.
Following an historic visit to the United
States by Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui
in mid-1995, China launched a barrage of
words followed by a series of live missile
drills in the waters near Taiwan to show
its fierce opposition to the trip.
Beijing claimed the trip was part of Lee's
efforts to split the island from the
"motherland." Taiwan and the mainland were
split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
The strait crisis did not end until
Washington sent two battle carrier groups
to waters near Taiwan. ( (c) 1999 Agence
France Presse)
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999050713.html?text
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (5/6/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 19:17:11 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Clinton fights pressure to move Embassy to Jerusalem
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz
Thu May 6 , 1999 -- The White House is holding talks with senior
congressional leaders in an attempt to avert pressure to move the U.S.
Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Administration officials
fear that progress on the embassy's planned move could heighten
tensions over the Jerusalem issue in the election campaign, and
postpone the beginning of permanent status negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinian Authority. U.S. National Security Adviser Sandy
Berger was expected to give Senator Patrick Moynihan a letter on the
subject yesterday. Moynihan wrote President Bill Clinton a letter in
March, demanding that the president declare his support for a
Jerusalem united under Israeli sovereignty - and that he move the
embassy. The White House's official position is that the
administration plans to comply fully with the bill to move the
embassy, passed by both houses of Congress in 1995.Berger reportedly
plans to convene a meeting soon to talk about "ways to implement that
administration's policy," apparently with the intent of deferring the
issue until after Israel's elections. The embassy bill, which received
strong majorities in both the House and Senate, requires the
administration to begin the process of moving the embassy to Jerusalem
no later than May 31 of this year. Specifically, the law also requires
the construction of the new building to begin during the 1999 fiscal
year - otherwise, half of the State Department's budget for building
and maintaining American diplomatic missions around the world will be
frozen. Construction on the Jerusalem embassy has not begun.
Accordingly, Clinton is preparing to sign an order indemnifying the
State Department against the sanctions. Clinton opposed the embassy
bill when it came up in Congress on the grounds that it had the
potential to blow the peace process out of the water. At Clinton's
request, legislators included an amendment in the bill granting the
president the power to scrap the sanctions against the State
Department, should they be imposed. The president already used his
power to head off the sanctions last October, delaying them for six
months, as the law allows. The amendment also allows him to obtain a
second stay, provided that he explain his reasoning in detail to the
Congress and demonstrates that the delay is vital to U.S. security
interests. Sources said they believed a document detailing such an
explanation would be given to the Congress next month.
Israel complies with US to give Orient House time extension
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Thu May 6 , 1999 -- United States Ambassador to Israel Ned Walker
requested a meeting on Thursday morning with Minsiter of Internal
Security Avigdor Kahalani. The ambassador was delivering a message
from US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, requesting Israel delay
its planned closing of illegal offices operating in the PLO Authority
(PA) controlled Orient House. Kahalani has agreed to the US request
and Orient House officials were informed that no steps to shutdown the
illegal offices would be taken before Friday
Jordan's king to visit Germany next week
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News
Thu May 6 , 1999 -- King Abdullah of Jordan will pay an official visit
to Germany next monday, a Jordanian authorized source said on
Wednesday. During the visit, king Abdullah is scheduled to hold talks
with German president Roman Herzog and chancellor Gerhard Shroeder on
bilateral relations and the middle east peace process. King Abdullah
will then visit Britain on his way to the United States. Earlier on
Wednesday, the jordanian monarch held talks with visiting British
foreign secretary Derek Fatchet.
Canada, Greece, and Italy join rally at Orient House
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arabic News
Thu May 6 , 1999 -- On Tuesday a solidarity rally was held in Beit
al-Sharq (Orient House). It was attended by several officials
including the consuls of Canada, Greece and Italy. Several speeches
were delivered during the rally stressing solidarity with Palestinian
officials in rejecting the Israeli threats to close down three offices
in Beit al-Sharq.
NATO and Russia agree on Kosovo plan
Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: (AP)
Thu May 6 , 1999 -- Russia and the major Western powers set aside
their differences over NATO airstrikes Thursday and drafted a joint
plan to end the Kosovo conflict, including the deployment of an
international force to keep the peace after the withdrawal of Yugoslav
forces. President Clinton and other Western officials welcomed
Russia's backing for "effective international civil and security
presences" in Kosovo, where a NATO campaign has failed to halt the
expulsions of one-third of the ethnic Albanians in the southern Serb
province since March. Clinton described the draft agreed to in Germany
as "a significant step forward...increasing the likelihood that there
will ultimately be a resolution of this that will actually work." NATO
hopes getting Moscow on board in a common front will increase the
diplomatic pressure on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to drop
his resistance to an international military presence in Kosovo. To
bring in Russia, the Western powers agreed on a statement that makes
no reference to any NATO role in Kosovo peacekeeping and stresses the
importance of U.N. backing for the operation. However, NATO ministers
insisted they had not dropped demands for an international force that
is strongly armed, equipped with a mandate to use force and
spearheaded by alliance troops.
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Earthquakes
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 19:18:18 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
End Times News Update
Re: Quakes [Iran (6.8)/Japan (4.9)/Alaska (6.1)]
Scripture: Matthew 24:7
News Source: AP
Date: 5-7-99
===================================================
Earthquakes in South Iran Kills 26
.c The Associated Press
By ANWAR FARUQI
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A powerful earthquake followed by
about 50 aftershocks demolished village after village in southern Iran
on Friday, killing at least 26 people and injuring 100, Iranian media
reported.
Most of the dead were children buried under the rubble of their homes,
the head of the Natural Disasters Headquarters, Hasan Momtahen, was
quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
The news agency, monitored in Dubai, said two quakes of magnitude 6.8
and 5.7 struck near the cities of Shiraz and Kazerun in Fars province
at 3:30 a.m. and 3:41 a.m. local time. The United States Geological
Survey, however, measured one quake at 6.3 magnitude, and said the
second tremor was an aftershock with 5.2 magnitude.
About 50 aftershocks of more than magnitude 3 hit the area, the news
agency said. It quoted Fars governor, Gen. Gholam Reza Sahraian, as
saying that 800 houses in 25 villages were destroyed or partially
damaged, water pipes were ruptured, power lines were cut off and roads
and schools were damaged.
More than 700 tents, 1,000 blankets, 3,300 pounds of sugar, 2,000 tins
of preserved food, medicine, clothing and first aid kits were sent to
the area, the news agency said.
Tehran radio said aid organizations and soldiers were helping with
rescue operations. More than 120 bulldozers and trucks have begun
clearing the debris.
Most of the damage appeared to have been in the villages surrounding
Shiraz. The city, 400 miles south of the capital, Tehran, escaped
relatively unscathed, residents said.
``The earthquake made the windows rattle and the ground shake,'' said
a telephone operator at the Homa Hotel in Shiraz's city center who was
reached by telephone from Dubai.
``The city itself seems normal and I haven't seen much damage,'' said
the operator, who refused to give his name.
Some of Iran's most impressive antiquities lie near Shiraz. It was not
immediately known whether they were damaged.
AP-NY-05-07-99 1356EDT
========================================================
Earthquake Shakes Eastern Japan
.c The Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) -- A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of
4.9
shook parts of eastern Japan today. There were no immediate reports of
damage or injuries.
The Meteorological Agency said the 9:48 p.m. local time quake was
centered about 12 miles underground in central Yamanashi Prefecture,
about 60 miles west of Tokyo.
The temblor was felt as far away as central Tokyo.
There was no danger of tsunami, undersea waves triggered by volcanic
activity or earthquakes, the agency said.
A quake of magnitude 4 can shake houses and cause hanging objects,
such as lamps, to swing.
AP-NY-05-07-99 1002EDT
==========================================================
Strong Quake Shakes Alaska Island
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A strong earthquake shook the Kodiak Island region
of
Alaska this morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 and
occurred at a shallow depth at 10:14 a.m. EDT (6:14 a.m. local time).
The quake was centered about 85 miles south-southwest of Kodiak, 340
miles south-southwest of Anchorage, the Survey reported.
via: End_Times_News@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - New Bible Translation
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 08:28:47 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Broadman & Holman Publishers announces new Bible translation
By John Perry & Linda Lawson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Broadman & Holman Publishers is producing
a new Bible translation expected to be on bookshelves by 2004.
Named the Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB), the translation
will combine commitment to accuracy in communicating the original text
and modern-day readability, said Kenneth H. Stephens, president of
Broadman & Holman, the trade publishing arm of LifeWay Christian
Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
"Up until now, every English translation of the Bible has been a
tradeoff between accuracy and readability," Stephens said. "The
more accurate it was, the harder it was to read, and the more
reader-friendly it was, the more it drifted from a precise
translation of the original text. With our Bible, we've
eliminated the tradeoff."
The Holman Christian Standard Bible will be a fresh, precise
translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek of the Old and New
Testaments, using the latest research in textual criticism along
with sophisticated computer technology to check the accuracy of
meaning in each word, B&H officials stated.
The Gospel of John has been completed, with all four gospels and
the Book of Revelation set to be finished by the end of 1999. The New
Testament is targeted for completion by the end of 2000, with the
entire Bible to be released by 2004.
Holman CSB general editor Edwin Blum of Dallas is working with a
78-person team of translators, lexicologists, stylists and other
scholars around the world. A smaller six-person team is
headquartered in Dallas. Team members represent 20 denominations,
including Southern Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, Presbyterians (PCA),
Congregationalists, Church of England, Church of God, Evangelical Free
Church, Methodists, Evangelical Mennonites and Episcopalians.
Work on the new translation began in 1984 as an independent
project of Arthur Farstad, who served as general editor for the
New King James Version. Broadman & Holman joined forces with
Farstad in 1998. Only months after beginning his collaboration
with B&H, Farstad died. Leadership of the editorial team then
passed to Blum, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary who had been
an integral part of the team.
To reach people effectively, Blum said he believes a Bible
translation should be accurate to the original text, but
conversational.
"A conscientious translator has to render the meaning exactly,
but present it in a form his readers find inviting and naturally
expressive. We work using a word-for-word translation philosophy, but
we always keep our contemporary American English reader in mind."
The new translation will maintain use of traditional,
theologically significant words such as "grace" and
"justification" and it will offer word studies to help readers
grasp their full meaning, Blum said. Additionally, it will
provide footnotes to show alternate translations and alternate
textual readings, cross references and explanatory material.
In trying to make the Bible more reader-friendly, more relevant
and more politically correct, many contemporary translators have
sacrificed accuracy and precision of the original text, said
David R. Shepherd, vice president of Bible publishing for B&H.
"Some recent translations have reinterpreted the Bible to make it
consistent with current trends and their own way of thinking,"
Shepherd said. "Current trends in Bible translation have been a real
wake-up call for everybody who's concerned about preserving the
integrity of Scripture. The Holman Christian Standard will be under
the stewardship of Christians who believe we should conform our lives
and culture to the Bible -- not the other way around."
LifeWay President James T. Draper Jr. said he sees a "serious
need for a 21st-century Bible translation in American English
that combines accuracy and readability."
"The Holman Christian Standard Bible is an accurate, literal
rendering with a smoothness and readability that invites
memorization, reading aloud and dedicated study," Draper said.
Broadman & Holman Publishers is the trade publishing division of
LifeWay Christian Resources based in Nashville, Tenn. Holman,
America's oldest Bible publisher, is B&H's Bible imprint.
Messengers attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Atlanta
in June are invited to pick up a free copy of the Book of John at the
LifeWay exhibit.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scholarly training, modern technology meet in new LifeWay Bible
translation
By Linda Lawson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Directing a Bible translation project is
more a privilege than a job for Ed Blum.
It's a perfect way to study the Bible "in very great detail,"
said Blum, general editor of the Holman Christian Standard Bible
being developed by Broadman & Holman Publishers of LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Blum is at home with Scripture and with the languages of the
Bible, having taught 17 years at Dallas Theological Seminary
where he earned master's and doctoral degrees in theology. He
also holds a doctorate from the University of Basil in
Switzerland and has done post-doctoral studies at Rice University in
Houston.
But Blum is also experienced in management and technology. He was vice
president, management services, for Fletcher Pacific Construction Co.,
based in Honolulu, from 1990-96.
His perpetual tan and his background in technology belie the
stereotype of a Bible translator.
"I think God uses all of our training and experience," said Blum, who
directs the translation process using computer software that makes
formerly lengthy research processes almost instantaneous.
A computer program, Accordance, developed by Roy Brown, a
physicist from Orlando, Fla., enables a translator to view a
verse of Scripture in 50 different versions or to find out within
seconds how many times a comma is used after the word "therefore" in
different translations. Grammatical searches, a harmony of the gospels
or a concordance can be developed very quickly with the software.
A team of 78 scholars from around the world is involved in the
project with a six-person editorial team based in Dallas and in
constant communication with B&H editors in Nashville, Tenn.
Translations in various stages are sent by e-mail from writers to
editors, English stylists and reviewers.
"This is the first translation I'm aware of that's had this level of
technological sophistication," Blum said. "With earlier translations,
lots of money was spent getting scholars together. Our team members
can do most of their work at their locations."
Blum envisions the Holman Christian Standard Bible as a blend of
the accuracy of the New American Standard Bible with the
readability of the New International Version.
It's a word-for-word translation from the original Hebrew, Greek
and Aramaic languages, Blum said. The Gospel of John has been
completed, with all four gospels and the Book of Revelation
slated to be finished by the end of the year. The New Testament
is targeted for completion by the end of 2000, with the entire
Bible to be released by 2004.
Footnotes and word studies will be unique features of the Holman
Christian Standard Bible, Blum said.
"We're using footnotes to show alternate translations, alternate
textual readings, cross references and explanatory material. To
some extent, this will have some features of a study Bible before it
becomes a full-fledged study Bible."
The word studies will help readers understand terms common in the
Scriptures that "are not easily grasped today," Blum said. Examples
include glory, propitiation, justification and redemption.
"In the ancient world, everyone knew what it was to be a slave.
People were constantly buying and redeeming slaves. Redemption
was happening every day," he said. "But today the word redemption
doesn't ring any bells."
A complex, multi-step editorial process involves writing,
editing, reviewing and more editing. Various team members went
word for word through the Greek text of the Gospel of John a
total of 21 times in preparing their translation.
While Blum sets deadlines for translations to be finished, he
quipped, "Finished is an interesting word." He noted reviews
would be ongoing with improvements and corrections made from one
printing to the next, a common practice in translations.
"With LifeWay owning the copyright and the database, there can be
continuing improvements," Blum said.
While the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation is still in the
early stages, Blum is the second general editor. The first was Art
Farstad, who also served as executive editor for the New King James
Version.
Work on the new translation began as an independent project of
Farstad. Broadman & Holman then purchased the project that
continued to be directed by Farstad until his sudden death in
August 1998. Blum had worked with Farstad and was named to
succeed him.
Blum and the Dallas team begin each session with prayer. "We're
always thankful we're being paid to do what we love to do, study
the Bible," he said.
"We want this Bible to be a spiritual success. We want it to be a gift
to the church and a legacy for our children and grandchildren."
----------------------------------------------------------------
10-step process recounted for LifeWay Bible translation
By Linda Lawson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Developing the Holman Christian Standard
Bible at the highest levels of accuracy and readability is a
complex process, according to the general editor, Ed Blum. It
takes a team of 78 translators, a six-person editorial team,
Broadman & Holman editors and others involved in styling and
review.
While the translation process for Old and New Testament books
differs slightly, Blum outlined 10 steps from creation to
completion. The gospel of John is complete, with Matthew, Mark,
Luke and Revelation slated to be finished by the end of 1999. The New
Testament will be completed by the end of 2000 and the entire Bible by
2004.
Steps for each Bible book include:
1. A base translation of a book is developed from the original
Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic text.
2. The translation receives a first review from a New or Old
Testament editor.
3. The Dallas editorial team reviews the translation on a
word-by-word basis against the original language and makes needed
changes.
4. The edited translation is sent to an English stylist who
suggests changes to enhance readability.
5. The stylist returns the manuscript to the general editorial
team, which then considers the style recommendations and
integrates accepted style changes into the translation.
6. The translation is transmitted by e-mail to LifeWay Christian
Resources in Nashville where it receives technical and
theological reviews by Broadman & Holman editors and others.
7. While the translation is undergoing review in Nashville, an
external review for style and accuracy is taking place.
8. Changes proposed by B&H and by the external reviewer are sent
to general editors for consideration and integration into the
translation.
9. The manuscript is returned to Nashville where it receives
another review.
10. A final English style review is conducted.
Baptist Press
May 7, 1999
http://www.religiontoday.com
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Message to Buddhists from Vatican
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 12:50:21 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
http://www.ewtn.com/ewtn/news/getstory.asp?number=15259
4-May-99 -- Vatican Information Service
MESSAGE TO BUDDHISTS FOR THE FEAST OF VESAKH
VATICAN CITY, MAY 4, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was the
message from Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical
Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, on the occasion of the Vesakh,
the annual Buddhist feast that commemorates the main events of the
life of Buddha.
Theravada Buddhism, widespread in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos
and Timor, celebrates this feast on the day of the full moon of the
sixth lunar month (Vesakh).
Given below are extracts from the message entitled: "Christians and
Buddhists: In Renewed Solidarity for the Good of the Humankind."
"On this occasion, the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus
Christ, Son of God made man and our Lord and Saviour, we invite you to
share in our joy. The Catholic Church also takes this opportunity to
renew her friendship and commitment to dialogue with the various
religious traditions of the world so that, working together for the
good of humankind, we may all experience greater purification and
conversion of heart. ... In spite of the differences which exist
between Buddha dharma and the Christian faith, there are many
possibilities and potentialities for dialogue, and the results so far
recorded are not inconsiderable."
"Our world can legitimately boast of many achievements: Scientific,
technological and especially medical progress in the service of human
life, a greater awareness of our responsibility for the environment,
efforts to restore peace and justice wherever they have been violated,
a desire for reconciliation and solidarity among different peoples,
particularly in the complex relationship between the North and the
South of the world."
"But our world is also marked by numerous painful and alarming
conditions. ... Denial of objective moral norms of right and wrong,
moral decadence, erosion of family values, ... discrimination based on
sex, race, religion, etc., are just a few expressions visible in our
society which are contrary to the teachings of our respective
traditions. They tarnish the very image of religion. Building on the
friendly relations which already exist between our two religious
traditions both at the global and the local level, cannot Buddhists
and Christians collaborate more closely and work in solidarity to
alleviate these problems?" CON- DIR/BUDDHISM:VESAKH/ARINZE VIS 990504
(370)
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Bible Codes
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 14:05:25 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
A few people wrote and said they do not receive the PAX channel and,
therefore, couldn't watch last night's "Bible Code: The Future &
Beyond" program. Here is a little synopsis of the program followed by
another post from another email list regarding other codes found.
The PAX program was partially based on the following books:
The Mysterious Bible Codes by Grant Jeffrey
Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from Eternity by Chuck Missler
Yeshua: The Name of Jesus in the OT by Yacov Rambsel
The following subjects were discussed:
1. AIDS matrix including words/phrases such as "in the blood,"
"death," "virus," "immunity," and the Hebrew abbreviation for HIV.
2. Middle East Peace Process including "peace," "treaty," "Israel,"
"Arafat," "Yitzak (sp?) Rabin," "PLO," "Shimon Peres."
3. Everyone's future is in the codes. They took a volunteer named
Paul Bershon and found over 4000 Bershons in the Bible, his first
name, grad school, undergarduate school, projects he has worked on,
daughter's name, ex-wife's name, mother and father's name,
grandfather's name, etc.
4. "Baruch," "Goldstein," "revenge," "Cave of Patriarchs,"
"El-Fatah," "5689." Baruch Goldstein killed many muslims in 1994 at
the Cave of the Patriarchs. He was a direct descendant of those Jews
killed in a massacre in 1929 (5689=1929).
5. All 25 trees that are mentioned throughout the Bible have been
found in Genesis chapter 2 along with the word "Eden" which appears
16 times.
6. In Genesis chapter 1 over 1000 biblical names of people throughout
the old and new testament were found.
7. In one matrix, 57 seperate items were found concerning Edison--his
wives' names, places, inventions, etc.
8. Twenty-seven items regarding the bombing of the US embassy in
Nairobi were found including the day/month/year/time.
9. Einstein is said to have found his "Theory of Relativity" (E=mc2)
by deciphering a code in Genesis.
10. Many, many instances of the word "Yeshua" clustered with related
words.
11. Someone claims to have found the longitude and latitude where the
ark of the covenant is hidden.
12. Hurricane Georges, Hurricane Mitch, John Glenn's return to space,
the home run race in baseball last year with those 2 guys (I don't
remember their names), a lot of baseball players and their averages,
and exactly where to search for oil in Israel are all things that
have also been discovered.
"When Rabbi Solomon suggested that everything that ever was or ever
will be can be found in the Torah he wasn't speaking in generalities.
He insisted it was there in minute detail implying that your name and
mine, as well as our life history and possibly even our life destiny,
was to be found there. Could such a thing be possible? In Psalm 139
we read: 'All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.' Could it be the book referred to is
the very Bible we hold in our hands? Dr. [Eliyahu] Rips believes we
are currently dealing with only the two dimensional aspect of the
code and that even that is much more than we could ever decipher. But
he also believes the code is more like a hologram with at least three
and perhaps four dimensions in which all the world's academic,
spiritual, and scientific knowledge might be stored."
I have just skimmed the info that deals with that last thought. There
is some info that seems to point to the fact that nothing is
permanently fixed in the codes and, therefore, there is some human
factor involved in exactly how things play out. For more info, please
get a copy of the books cited at the beginning of this post. I would
also like to recommend "Cracking the Bible Code" by Jeffrey Satinover
(please see our bookstore for more info:
http://philologos.org/bookstore/Listings/satinover.jeffrey.1.htm)
If you would like to obtain a video of the program you can either go
to http://www.biblecodesecrets.com or call 1-800-413-8900. $19.95
plus shipping and handling. They also have the first PAX TV special
entitled "The Bible Codes Revealed" for the same price. The first
video goes into more background info.
Another little bit of info is that the Greek NT is now being looked
at to see if the same phenomenon exists.
==============================
Note from Bill Koenig:
-----edit-----
Richard Wiles and I are actively working on code research and have
uncovered some remarkable things. We are in contact with one of the
top Bible code scholars in the world, Yacov Rambsel, author of the
book Yeshua (The Name of Jesus Revealed in the Code in the Old
Testament), to confirm our findings. I might add Yacov does not use a
computer for his research; all his research is done by hand, and
comes from the Hebrew version of the Old Testament.
We will also be in contact with another top author who has written
extensively on the Torah / Bible Codes and who also has some
incredible findings. We will be sharing this information with you in
the next week or so.
In our initial research we have uncovered the following: When April
20, 1999, was entered, "Denver," "school" and "murder" showed up.
When July 4, 1999 was entered, "America" and "horror" showed up. On
September 11, (some think this is our 6000th anniversary; it is also
Rosh Hashana) the words market, depression, beast, holocaust, blood
(6 times), abortion, pandemonium, refugees, famine, sin (three times),
Daniel, chaos, terrorists, Russia, judge, war, plague, destruction and
Tokyo all showed up. It also provided the words "rest on the seventh
day." (At this point no other significant dates have come up from
April 20, 1999 (excluding July 4th) to September 11, 1999.)
When the words "computer" and "rapture" were entered together they
came up together in the form of a cross, with Jesus' name next to the
top of the cross and the word "mercy" next to each of the crosses that
were found (there were five crosses, but with the small computer
screen we couldn't tell if there were more crosses to the right).
These findings were also confirmed by Yacov Rambsel.
Does this mean the rapture could come at the same time as a major
computer related event? Maybe, we will continue the research on this.
We do not intend in any way to date set, but we do plan to take the
material being uncovered and 'share and compare' with the Bible Code
experts. We will then present the findings to you for your review and
prayerful consideration.
For information purposes, when the word searches are performed,
the computer results come back with the chapter and verse from the Old
Testament where the words were found. I might add, all searches are
done from the original Hebrew version of the Old Testament.
Koenig's International News - Bill Koenig - http://watch.org/
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Computer=666
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 14:05:25 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
On Jack Van Impe Presents this past Wednesday (5/5/99) he spoke to
the following:
Seeing 6 is the number of man if you take the alphabet and assign
each letter a multiple of 6 you come up with the following--
A=6
B=12
C=18
D=24
E=30
F=36
G=42
H=48
I=54
J-60
K-66
L-72
M-78
N-84
O-90
P-96
Q-102
R-108
S-114
T-120
U-126
V-132
W-138
X-144
Y-150
Z-156
C=18 + O=90 + M=78 + P=96 +U=126 + T=120 + E=30 + R=108
COMPUTER = 666
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Geography Newsletter items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 14:05:25 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Wales and Scotland Elect Parliament
Voters in Scotland and Wales elected parliaments on Friday, bringing
the two regions of the United Kingdom closer to autonomy. For
Scotland, the new parliament, which convenes this week in Edinburgh,
is the first Scottish parliament since 1707. In Wales, the Assembly
will meet in the Welsh capital of Cardiff later this month. Visit
these two BBC sites for more information:
Scotland - http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/events/scotland_99/news/
Wales - http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/events/wales_99/news/
La Nina Influenced Tornadoes
La Nina conditions, which are caused by a large basin of
cooler-than-normal water in the eastern Pacific Ocean, are likely
responsible for creating the thunderstorms that resulted in deadly
tornadoes in Oklahoma last week. Dozens of tornadoes, including one of
a magnitude F-5 on the Fujita scale, devastated Oklahoma and the
Oklahoma City metropolitan area, killing at least 41 people. La Nina
is the opposite of El Nino, indicated by warmer-than-normal water in
the eastern Pacific Ocean.
La Nina/El Nino - http://geography.miningco.com/msubnino.htm
Tornadoes - http://geography.miningco.com/msub32.htm
East Timor Will Vote August 8
The U.N. Security Council approved a vote for the people of East Timor
to decide their own future. The U.N. will assist in the vote, which
will allow the residents of East Timor to decide whether to become
independent or join Indonesia. Despite the fact that Indonesia
occupied East Timor in 1976, following Portugal's withdrawal from the
colony, the annexation is not recognized by the international
community. Since January, when Indonesian President B.J. Habibie
announced a plan to allow the Timorese to decide their own fate, there
has been a tremendous amount of violence and murder on the island.
New "Saddam City" in Iraq
A new city, Saddamiat al-Tharthar, located 85 miles west of Baghdad
was unveiled last week on Iraqi television. The new city, named for
the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, is a lakeside vacation resort that
took just under a year to build. The city includes 625 homes, an
amusement park, and a stadium.
Matt T. Rosenberg
Geography Guide at MiningCo.Com
geography.guide@miningco.com
http://geography.miningco.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Possible Earth-Crossing Asteroid Belt Identified
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 14:15:53 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Saturday, May 8, 1999: The Living Channel
Possible Earth-Crossing Asteroid
Identified
LONDON (Reuters) -- British astronomers have
calculated the position of a possible near-Earth
asteroid belt which could increase the possibility of
a disastrous collision. | N. Wyn Evans and Serge
Tabachnik of Oxford University said the heavenly
bodies could orbit anywhere under the right
conditions, even quite near the Earth.
Although the research published in the science
journal Nature on Wednesday is theoretical, the
scientists said objects had recently been discovered
in the near-Earth asteroid belt.
"These near-Earth objects are a mixture of objects
ejected from the main belt and possibly primordial
objects too," Evans said in a telephone interview.
"There is a possibility that they may, at some point,
come close to the Earth," he added.
The researchers used numerical simulations of
stability zones in the inner Solar System to pinpoint
areas, other than the two known belts, where
asteroids might orbit without being perturbed by the
gravity of the other planets.
One is a narrow band between the Sun and Mercury. The
other is between Earth and Mars, but much closer to
Earth.
Asteroids are defined as pieces of space debris a
kilometer or more in diameter, and scientists
estimate the chances of such a body smashing into the
Earth would be about one in 100,000 years. But if one
did, it could kill a quarter of the world`s
population.
A collision 60 million years ago is thought to have
wiped out the dinosaurs by changing the global
climate.
Scientists have called for the establishment of a
global monitoring system using six telescopes set up
around the globe to track near-Earth asteroids and
predict any possible collisions with our planet.
http://www.arabia.com/content/living/5_99/earth_8.shtml
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China Calls UN Meeting Over Blast
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 18:11:28 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
End Times News Update
Re: Ten Kings (Security Council news)
Scripture: Rev 17:12-14
News Source: AP
Date: 5-8-99
=================================================
China Calls U.N. Meeting Over Blast
.c The Associated Press
By NICOLE WINFIELD
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- China called an emergency meeting of the
Security Council on Saturday to condemn what it called the barbaric
``NATO attack'' on its embassy in Belgrade. The United States
expressed regret over the incident but vowed to continue bombing.
Chinese Ambassador Qin Huasun circulated a draft statement to the
press -- which would eventually have to be agreed upon by the entire
council -- that calls for the United Nations to investigate the
bombing and for NATO to provide an explanation.
China's official Xinhua news agency said two people were killed and
more than 20 injured.
After more than two hours of consultations, council members were still
reworking the Chinese draft so that they could come up with something
all 15 could agree upon, diplomats said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
The statement, which carries no legal weight and is merely a
reflection of the council's thinking, was expected to be issued before
members conduct an open meeting, during which ambassadors could speak
publicly.
Heading into consultations, Deputy U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh said
he had spoken to Qin Huasun, and told him that he had no confirmation
that what struck the embassy was a NATO bomb.
``But in case it was a NATO bomb, it is obviously something we deeply
regret and we apologize for,'' Burleigh said. ``We would never target
civilians and we never target an embassy.''
NATO said Saturday it did not intentionally target the Chinese Embassy
in the Yugoslav capital as part of its most concentrated attacks to
date on central Belgrade.
At the U.S. State Department, spokesman Kenneth Bacon would not
confirm that a NATO missile went awry. However, he said NATO was
targeting at least one building across the street from the embassy.
``Despite this event, it's very important to keep our eye on the big
picture and the big picture is that Slobodan Milosevic is responsible
for what's going on in Yugoslavia now,'' Burleigh said, adding: ``We
will continue to take action until he agrees to the NATO demands.''
Qin said China was ``greatly shocked,'' by the bombing.
``We strongly condemn NATO's act and will express our indignation.
NATO's barbarian act is a gross violation of the United Nations
Charter, international law and the norms governing international
relations,'' Qin said.
He warned that NATO would bear responsibility for the consequences of
the blast, and he called on NATO to stop the bombing.
China has consistently voiced strong opposition to the NATO attacks,
saying they were launched without authorization of the council and
violate international law.
Yugoslavia's U.N. representative, Vladislav Jovanovic, said the
bombing was not an accident.
``This is one accepted crime by those who have decided to stage a
total war against Yugoslavia, against a part of Europe, against Europe
as a whole,'' Jovanovic said.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was ``shocked and distressed'' by
the strike on the embassy and an earlier cluster bomb attack that hit
a residential area in the Serbian city of Nis, reportedly killing 15
people, his spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
``He reiterates his conviction that an urgent political solution must
be found to the present crisis in the region,'' Eckhard said.
via: End_Times_News@onelist.com
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