To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Witches Seek Tolerance for Pagan Worship
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 06 Nov 1999 12:42:39 -0500

From: owner-bpr@philologos.org

Witches Seek Tolerance for Pagan Worship

By Melissa Charbonneau
November 1, 1990

-- The influence of pagan religion is growing more visible in
books, movies, and on TV, but behind the surge in popularity is
a concerted effort by pagan groups to boost their public
encounters. Nationwide this Halloween weekend, many pagans held
public rituals, including two in the nation's capitol. At the
foot of the Jefferson Memorial, a group of witches and druids
came out of the broom closet to promote pagan unity.

Many here have discarded Christianity to pursue their own
religious paths. Charles Butler, a demonstrator at the event,
said, "The gods, the goddesses, the divine presence is meant to
be celebrated. What language we use is completely unimportant to
god."

The spiritual battle, according to the demonstrators, is
against public misperception about what witches really are.

An organizer with Blessed Be Pagan Unity, Arachne (her craft
name) says the group's goal is educating Americans about the
diversity of the pagan religion.

"I don't know any witches who can actually stop time or twitch
their nose and make dinner and things like that. That's not how
witchcraft works. It is an earth reverence, a belief in the
natural tide. It can be a very polytheistic religion. It
depends. There's also a respect for diversity and a tolerance
for all people's beliefs and a desire for freedom of expression."

Increasingly, more teenagers are being attracted to pagan
worship, teens like 19-year-old Ashtura Rose, who says she's
been persecuted since childhood about her belief in witchcraft.
She hopes this event will help dispel negativity about the
craft. "I found peace and harmony and acceptance and what I want
to believe in. It's an eclectic religion, and they don't tell me
what I have to do. It's something within me that makes me feel
closer to life and the energy in the universe."

Universal acceptance now seems what pagans and witches want as
they step up efforts to revamp their public image.

http://www.cbn.org/newsstand/stories/991101.asp

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today (11/5/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1999 17:25:24 -0500

From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>

Nebraskans have not had measurable rain for months

Weekend News Today
By Weekend Staff
Source: Weekend Discussion Groups

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- "As a farmer, we watch the weather with a
close eye. We have not had measureable rain here for nearly
three months." said Michele, a Nebraskan and a regular at
Weekend Discussion Groups. "We have also had many battles with
wild fires in the area and I don't ever remember that being such
a problem. It is unbelievably dry. What is really interesting is
to look at a national radar map and see that it is not raining
anywhere in the continental United States. These weather
patterns of late seem most interesting. It also makes it a
stressful time to be a farmer." "A couple of weeks ago, I saw
the radar clear across the entire U.S. for the first time I can
remember," said Nelson a meteorologist and a Wedgie. "Right now,
there are a few showers over the Pacific Northwest and some over
the Northast...but 2 weeks ago the whole country was totally
clear," Nelson said. "I had never seen that before...doesn't
mean that it has never happened...I just had never seen it."

Tanzania: Big cats kill 21; Other animals injure people;
Drought blamed

Weekend News Today
By Weekend Staff
Source: Yahoo!

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Lions and leopards have killed 21 people in
southern Tanzania this year, largely because a severe drought
has killed their normal prey, AP reported. "Drought has forced
older animals to move closer to human settlement in search of
food and into killing people they come across during late
hours," Natural Resources Minister Zakia Meghji said. She said
the government has sent armed scouts to the area to hunt down
the man-eaters. Other animals, including crocodiles and
hippopotamuses, have injured 22 people along Tanzania's coastal
region this year, Meghji said. The government has no plans to
target crocodiles and hippopotamuses. While crocodiles sometimes
go for people washing clothes along river banks, she said, they
do not leave their natural habitat to attack humans.

I would have never guessed that you could speak Arabic

Weekend News Today
By Weekend Staff
Source: Weekend Discussion Groups

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- A good friend of mine, named Rosanne, was at
work one morning. (Rosanne is a very charismatic, spirit-filled
woman) She looked out her office window and saw a woman passed
out in the parking lot. She felt very strongly that God was
telling her to go down and pray for her. She resisted at first,
then went down and knelt beside her and started praying in the
spirit in this woman's ear. Then the ambulance showed up, took
the woman away, and Rosanne went back to her desk, thinking
nothing more of it. A week later, this woman (who was muslim, by
the way), came looking for Rosanne. She came to Rosanne's office
and said "I would have never guessed that you could speak
Arabic, that's my native language" Rosanne, said that she didn't
know Arabic, that she was just speaking in tongues and really
had no idea what she was saying while she was praying. The
muslim lady said that she told her that Jesus was there and
everything was going to be okay. The muslim lady gave her life
to Christ that day! Tongues is still what it was back when the
apostles used it! God is still the same today, tomorrow and
forever! (Submitted by Kimberly)

Taiwan's President Lee urges world to accept Taiwan as separate
state

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Reuters

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui has again
stirred up the issue of his country's relationship with Beijing,
urging the world in an American journal to accept the reality of
Taiwan as a democratic state in its own right. In an article in
the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs, Lee repeated his
stand of last summer demanding that any talks across the Taiwan
straits should be on the basis of equality and on a state-to-
state basis. "The facts have been distorted by Beijing and
overlooked by the international community for many years," Lee
wrote. "Cross-strait ties now form a 'special state-to-state
relationship'," he said. He said it was a "fiction" to claim
that the Chinese nation was not divided and rejected Beijing's
claim to sovereignty over Taiwan. Stressing the differences in
political, economic and social structure between the mainland
and Taiwan, Lee said relations could only be improved if China
dropped its threat of force to ultimately reunite China.

Not-so-wet winter seen in Israel

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- The precipitation in Israel this year will be
a little bit less than the annual average of 347 millimeters,
according to estimates by the Meteorology Service in its
precipitation forecast for December-February which was published
yesterday. The annual rainfall in Israel has clearly been going
down over the last 20 years, weather experts said yesterday.
Even an average rainfall will not cover the groundwater deficit
that was caused this year, sources in the water management
authorities said. Moreover, after a dry year, more rainfall than
usual is required to create runoff water (water flowing on the
surface of the soil), which is needed to improve the water level
in the Sea of Galilee. This means that a significant cut in
water quotas for agriculture may be necessary this year as well,
they said.

26,000 Jews said stuck in Ethiopia

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Around 26,000 Jews still remain in Ethiopia,
mostly in the two largest cities of Addis Ababa and Gundar. This
according to the first comprehensive report on the number of
Jews in Ethiopia, conducted by a public committee headed by
David Efrati, the former head of the census administration in
the Interior Ministry. The census, held between February and
August this year, showed that 65 percent of the Jews still
living in Ethiopia reside in the two main urban areas, with the
rest scattered in about 150 villages. The Jews in the cities are
concentrated in transit camps where they face severe economic
and health conditions. In the last year, 580 people died of
disease, most of them children. The study also showed that most
of the Jews in Ethiopia have relatives in Israel.

Israel to pay to build a mosque??

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- The Islamic Movement is claiming that the
government has agreed to pay for a mosque to be built next to
the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Salman Abu-Ahmed
claims that Internal Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami promised
to examine the possibility of the government funding the mosque.
Abu-Ahmed and Ben-Ami met yesterday in the Israel police
northern district headquarters. Ben-Ami denies making such a
promise, stating that only a written agreement on the matter
would be binding and that there had been no real meeting between
them. "He came over to shake hands. There were no negotiations
between us," said Ben-Ami. The two sides were, however, in
agreement on the following facts: -- A mosque will be built on
700 square meters of the disputed site. -- The state will
transfer NIS 400,000 to shopkeepers in the area in compensation
for the shops that will be torn down. --The Islamic Waqf will
receive another 10 dunams (2.5 acres) from the government for
the construction of other institutions. --The protest tent will
be removed next Monday evening. --The cornerstone foundation
ceremony will be held on November 23 in the presence of
government representatives. In response, the Christian churches
in Israel have announced that they will shut down Christian holy
sites on November 23 and 24 in protest over the government's
decision to allow the construction of a mosque in such close
proximity to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazereth. The
purpose of this unprecedented step is to encourage the Israeli
government to reconsider its decision to build the mosque on the
site where according to Christian tradition, the angel Gabriel
told the Virgin Mary that she was pregnant and of the impending
birth of Jesus. Interior Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami expressed his
sorrow over the decision of the Christian churches to close
their holy sites in protest. He reiterated the commitment of the
State of Israel to the freedom of religion for all people in
Israel.

Sabbath in Hevron

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Artuz7

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Several thousand Jews are expected to arrive
in Hevron this afternoon, to spend the Sabbath at the site of
the Machpelah Cave. The weekly Torah portion read aloud in
synagogues all over the world tomorrow recounts the purchase of
the Cave by the Patriarch Abraham. The Machpelah Cave is open
exclusively to Moslems today, and to Jews tomorrow.

Israeli official to help increase religius drop-out rate

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Education Minister Yossi Sarid said yesterday
that he would provide funding to the organization Hallel -
established to help religious people become non-observant.
Sarid, who met with Hallel leaders yesterday, said that the
funding would be provided according to accepted criteria and
available resources. Hallel was founded in 1991 by a formerly-
religious man, who later returned to an observant lifestyle. In
interviews with the press, he has expressed strong criticism of
the ways in which the organization works to attract religious
people to its activities. "I know their methods," he said. "--I
originated them!"

Showdown planned in Israel's Maon

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- The army is preparing to forcibly evacuate
the Maon farm, south of Hevron, next week. The ultimatum issued
by the Prime Minister to the Yesha Council - "either you
evacuate them, or we will" - has been extended until Sunday.
Barak said today that the evacuations are a difficult matter for
the State of Israel, "and it will not be a catastrophe if they
are pushed off for 24 or 36 hours." Yesha Council leaders
announced that if outposts are evacuated next week, they will
erect "refugee tents" outside the Prime Minister's home in
Kokhav Ya'ir. The residents of Mitzpeh K'ramim near Kokhav
HaShachar are apparently willing to leave on their own, but
those of Maon are calling upon supporters to arrive at the farm
to back their struggle.

Georgia refuses Russia military bases request

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Reuters

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Georgia's defence minister, worried his
country might be dragged into Russia's campaign in Chechnya,
said on Friday the government had refused a request from Moscow
to activate Russian military bases on its territory. Georgia and
Russia have had a quarrel over Georgia's border with Chechnya,
where Moscow wants to set up joint patrols to stop infiltrations
by guerrillas. Russia has said that Georgia would not cooperate
over the request and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin threatened to
demand visas from Georgians to travel to Russia.

U.S. prepares for possible 'electronic Pearl Harbor'

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Yahoo

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- The US government is readying to defend
itself against the growing threat of an "electronic Pearl
Harbor" or sneak attack on the nation's computer systems,
officials said Thursday. "There are people out there preparing
their electronic fleets to attack us," Dick Clarke of the
National Security Council (NSC) told a conference on cyber
threats at the State Department. Clarke, the council's
coordinator for transnational threats, told the conference of
government officials and businessmen that the potential for what
he termed an "electronic Pearl Harbor" was real. "We could wake
up one morning and find a city, or the country or a section of
the country without power because of a surprise electronic
warfare attack," he said, lamenting past inattention by both the
government and the private sector. Tests such as the

well-publicized "Eligible Receiver" operation in which the
government hired 35 computer hackers to try and break into
government data bases proved all too well the danger of the
threat, officials said. In that case the hackers were able to
access only 36 of 40,000 highly-protected networks -- but in
four days they were able take control of major power grids and
could have disrupted electricity service in Chicago, Los
Angeles, New York and Washington, according to David Carpenter,
assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security. Computer-
driven disruptions in telecommunications services, for which
there is also precedent, could increase dramatically the
destruction caused by a traditional terrorist attack, he added.
"Obviously, the potential to use cyberterrorism in conjunction
with such events can magnify the damage cause as a result,"
Carpenter said. Ironically, steps taken to protect computer
systems from being disrupted by the so-called Y2K millennium bug
may in fact increase the odds for terrorist cyber attacks. With
computer experts working feverishly over the past year to guard
against Y2K problems, access to computer systems has increased
along with awareness of the weaknesses of nearly all computer
networks.

North Korea plans missile sales to Iran and Syria

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: World Tribune

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- North Korea will likely export intermediate-
range ballistic missiles to Iran and Syria, a congressional
report says. A report by the nine-member North Korea Advisory
Group said North Korea is seeking to export missiles with a
range that is longer than Scud-class missiles. The assertion
confirms those of Asian diplomats who said Pyongyang has decided
to export the Taepo Dong 1 missile, with a range of up to 2,000
kilometers. The report said North Korea is one of the world's
leading suppliers of ballistic missiles and missile technology,
and has developed, produced, deployed and exported a broad range
of missiles. This includes sales of both complete missile
systems and components to such countries as Iran, Syria, Egypt,
and Pakistan. "It is probable that North Korea will also export
the longer-range missiles it is developing to countries such as
Pakistan, Iran, Syria, and perhaps Libya, if political or
economic developments do not intervene," the report says. The
report was released by the North Korea Advisory Group, composed
of nine senior members of Congress and formed at the request of
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. The report focused on the
North Korean ballistic missile and nuclear threat to the United
States, saying Pyongyang has made significant strides over the
last five years.

Schroeder sees EU deal with China by month's end

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: AP

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said
today he expects the European Union to reach agreement with
China on its entry to the World Trade Organization, perhaps
before month's end. China is negotiating an agreement with the
EU as part of its 13-year-long bid to join the global trade
system. It also has to fix terms with the United States. The
Western nations have made certain demands of China, including
tariff reductions, before it can join the WTO.

China convoy carrying missiles seen heading toward Taiwan's coast

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: South China Morning Post

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- A large group of military vehicles carrying
guided missiles and equipment was seen yesterday heading towards
the Taiwan Strait coast in Fuzhou, where a top PLA general has
recently visited. At least eight vehicles, each loaded with an
unidentified missile, and four trucks carrying unknown military
supplies, were spotted on the outskirts of Fujian's provincial
capital, witnesses said. The vehicles were escorted by four
police vans at the front and another four at the rear, which had
their sirens on as the motorcade headed towards southern Fuzhou.
Only the tails and the wings of the missiles were seen under
heavy camouflage. Analysts said the size and shape of the
missiles suggested they were either medium-altitude ground-to-
air guided missiles, known as Hongqi-2B, or some sort of short-
range ground-to-ground missiles. The vehicles' licence plates
suggested they belonged to the Nanjing military region, which
commands the eastern mainland, including Fujian.

Dutch interest in Israeli Arrow missile

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- The Netherlands is interested in the command
and control system installed in the Israeli Arrow anti-missile
missile, Haaretz reported. Dutch Minister of Defense F. H. G. de
Grave arrived in Israel on Monday on an official visit as the
guest of Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. De
Grave has also expressed interest in anti-tank missiles
manufactured by RAFAEL.

PA seeking Israeli assurances regarding Y2K bug

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Officials in the PLO Authority (PA) are
seeking guarantees from Israel that the Y2K bug will not cause
interruptions in the flow of electricity, especially to
Bethlehem, where many Christian pilgrims are expected during the
Christmas – New Year season. "It is our responsibility to make
sure that we rank high in their priority, or we get some kind of
an assurance or a promise that we will be ranked high," Ghassan
Kadah, senior technology adviser at the PA Ministry of Planning
and International Cooperation, told Reuters on Wednesday. Kadah
called upon Israel to understand the needs of the PA and to
allocate a high priority to the electric lines feeding Bethlehem.

Israeli Deputy FM Masalha to attend Europe and the peace
process conference

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Deputy Foreign Minister Nawaf Masalha will on
Friday leave for Paris to attend a conference on “Europe and the
Peace Process” hosted by the French Parliament, under the aegis
French Zionist movement, “The Yitzhak Rabin Committee for Peace
and Tolerance”, the French Socialist Party and Jean Jaures
Society. The objective of the conference is to adopt a motion
for the agenda that will be submitted to the President of the
Socialist International Pierre Mauroy and the Socialist
International convention that is being held next week and which
Prime Minister Ehud Barak will attend. Deputy FM Masalha will
also meet advisors to President Jacques Chirac, members of
parliament and representatives of the Jewish community and may
meet Minister for European Affairs Pierre Moscovici.

Turkey defends its rights toward full EU membership

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Turkish Daily News

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- President Suleyman Demirel said Turkey was
determined to defend its contractual rights towards full
membership in the European Union which he said emanated from the
country's 1963 Association Agreement with the European group.
Speaking at the Fifth Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and
Social Councils, the Turkish president said Turkey's 1963
Association Agreement with the European club of democracies
clearly stipulated full membership for Turkish eventually and
underlined that the Customs Union deal established between the
EU and Turkey three years ago was one of the stages of the
transition toward full membership that was stipulated in the
1963 agreement. Demirel said Turkey, as the only country in a
customs union with the EU and because it is moving on the road
to full membership, wanted the European club to abandon its
prejudices, double standards and discriminatory practices.
Demirel said the Luxembourg Summit decision against Turkey was
perceived by many as an attempt to define EU along religious
lines. He said though it acted slowly, the EU has begun to
"correct the historic mistake of the Luxembourg Summit." "What
we have expected all along from the EU has been equal treatment
with the other candidates," Demirel stressed. Stressing that
Turkey's full membership in the EU would strengthen the
Mediterranean dimension of the EU, Demirel said Turkey's
membership would contribute to the peace, prosperity and
stability of the whole Mediterranean basin. Demirel listed
Turkey's possible contributions to the EU and Euro-Mediterranean
partnership as: "1- Turkey is one of the largest economies in
the broader Mediterranean region. In fact, it is the largest one
in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Black Sea basin, the Caspian
Basin and the Middle East. 2- It is the European Union's sixth
biggest trading partner. 3 - The three-and-a-half-year-long
experience of customs union proves that our economy can adapt to
the competition within the EU. 4- Turkey's annual trade volume
has reached $75 billion. Around 70 percent of this volume is
with Europe and with the Mediterranean countries. 5- Turkey is a
partner with European as well as Mediterranean countries for
business and trade in the Black Sea and Caspian basins. 6- Our
financial services, stock exchange and insurance institutions
are fully integrated with the global markets. 7- As a global
city, Istanbul has become the financial and commercial center of
Eurasia. 8- The new energy geography that has emerged in the
Caspian Basin will be linked to the global markets with the new
natural gas and oil pipelines that will be built through Turkey.
9- Currently the Turkish industry exports its products to 135
countries around the world. 10- Today, Turkey has become a
global state with its achievements and potentials; it has also
become an important economic powerhouse in its geography. Turkey
is the initiator and a founding member of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation [BCEC], Economic Cooperation Organization [ECO] and
the D-8. Therefore, it is in the center of an economic
cooperation network covering three continents and 24 countries
spanning all the way from this Atlantic to the Bering Sea. 11-
As a global economic actor, Turkey has been taking bold
initiatives to contribute to the idea of the expansion of free
trade. In fact, the underlying concept of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation is the goal of promoting the free flow of goods,
capital services and peoples in the Black Sea basin.
Furthermore, through the free trade agreements we have concluded
with many countries in Eastern, Central and Southeastern Europe
and in the Mediterranean basin, a free trade area is emerging
from the Baltic Sea all the way to the Black Sea and the
Mediterranean Sea. This vast region offers new and bright
opportunities for higher prosperity in the next century."

Two guerillas killed and injured in IAF raid over Lebanon

Weekend News Today By Andra Brack Source: IsraelWire

Fri Nov 5,1999 -- Two guerillas were killed and one injured as
the result of an Israel Air Force raid over southern Lebanon on
November 2. According to the IDF spokesman, the raid was carried
out north of the eastern sector of the security zone of southern
Lebanon. The guerillas were preparing for an attack against IDF
and SLA troops when the IAF raid was carried out. According to
the IDF report, the accuracy of the pilots' averted the planned
Hizbullah assault.

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Vicar urges genetic plan to wipe out gays
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1999 17:29:47 -0500

From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>

From The Electronic Telegraph,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=02Ns0XNq&atmo=02Ns0XNq
&pg=/et/99/11/6/ngay06.html
-
ISSUE 1625 Saturday 6 November 1999

Vicar urges genetic plan to wipe out gays
By Nigel Bunyan

  A VICAR incurred the wrath of gay rights activists yesterday after
suggesting that genetic engineering could be used to eradicate
homosexuality.

The Rev Jonathan Anders, vicar of St Anne's, Aigburth, Liverpool, said:
"There must be something wrong in the genes if a male cannot function as a
male. Male and female are the norm. Why should I accept [homosexuality] as a
norm when it isn't in the animal kingdom?"

Mr Anders made his remarks after being told that an evangelist church in
Knutsford, Cheshire, had withdrawn its support of the Children's Society
because it allows gay and lesbian people to adopt. He said his own church
would not be withdrawing from the Children's Society but he added: "My
concern is for the child. They [homosexuals] want the child but what does
the child want?"

Mike Homfray, a spokesman for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in
Merseyside, said: "I am almost dumbfounded. No one knows the causes of
homosexuality and to suggest something like this is like Nazi-style
eugenics. It is utterly abhorrent."

Peter Tatchell, of the gay rights pressure group OutRage, said Mr Anders
should be sacked. He said: "It does not strike me as a very Christian
attitude. I thought the Gospel was about love and compassion."

via: isml@onelist.com

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