To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (11/26/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 08:53:18 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

                         From Israel: A public declaration

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: Dateline Israel

Fri Nov 26,1999 -- This declaration is being distributed by a number
of right-wing organizations, including Women in Green, Gamla Will
Not Fall a Second Time, and others. The Hebrew version will be
printed in the Israeli press sometime next week. Anyone wishing to
support this declaration and sign it is asked to email Elyakim
Haetzni ehaetzni@netvision.net.il immediately. Please pass this
on by email, websites, etc.

A PUBLIC DECLARATION

On the threshold of fateful decisions, we do declare: The Land of
Israel is the homeland of the Jewish People by virtue of our
Forefather's legacy. Recognition of a Palestinian State contradicts
the very purpose of a Jewish State creating a mechanism for
evicting Jews from their land and planting an alien regime within her
boundaries. An endorsement by an Israeli government of the
premise that Eretz Yisrael is the sovereign homeland of an alien
people will not obligate the Jewish people, nor will it recognize the
legality of such a decision.

We call upon every coalition party with a sense of duty towards the
Jewish People not to share responsibility for such a decision. We
call upon the citizens of Israel to refuse to participate in this
betrayal of trust in any way. Do not become accessories to this
crossing of the red line, which even a majority cannot cross without
violating the rules that hold us together as one nation in one state.
We view the very notion of uprooting Jewish men, women and
children from their homes as an act of brutality, violence and
barbarism that is palpably illegal as a violation of fundamental
rights of human dignity and liberty.

The world has never witnessed an act of ethnic cleansing
perpetrated by a nation upon itself. No nation would tolerate such
an action and no democracy would acquiesce to it. We express
our readiness to make our stand in a totally not-violent struggle,
against anybody who dares to transfer Jews from their homes
anywhere in the Land of Israel, on order to hand it over to
foreigners. We call upon the political parties of Israel to deny a
majority to any government which conspires to such action, and
thus to prevent a tragic and irreparable rift in the Jewish people.

We call upon every person and citizen of Israel to avoid taking part
in any capacity whatsoever in the criminal acts which the uprooting
of Jews represents. Each one of us in each and every generation
bears his share of responsibility for the Jewish fate. Everyone is but
a link upon which the fate of the entire chain is dependent.
Therefore, we are obligated to participate in this struggle. We will
not allow a Jewish Prime Minister to bring upon the Jewish people
in the Land of Israel what foreign conquerors perpetrated upon us
during our history.

We will not allow the government of Israel to cause a third
destruction and a third exile from our land, during our lifetimes.
With the aid of G-d of Israel, we shall be delivered.

                         A Voice from Hebron: 'Signs of
                         Redemption'

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: Dateline Israel

Fri Nov 26,1999 -- Editor's note: The following is an interesting
editorial from Dateline Israel.

by Gary M. Cooperberg

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting over forty "Christian
Zionists" from the United States on a visit to Hebron. The group
arrived on Wednesday evening and left on Friday morning giving
them a full day for an in-depth visit to Kiryat Arba and Hebron. The
phenomenon of Christians becoming increasingly interested in
examining the Biblical process of Zionist redemption, aside from
raising eyebrows, is actually an indication of the furtherance of that
process. Indeed, such expressions of support for the Zionist
process on the part of Gentiles is fulfillment of Biblical prophesy.

Having recently returned from a speaking tour in the states, during
which I came into contact with several such groups, I am more
convinced than ever that the Redemption is moving ever more
swiftly to its climax. While there have been examples of Christians
supporting the concept of Jewish return to the Land of Israel at
least one hundred years ago, today the number of such Gentiles is
rapidly increasing. Clearly, by observing the reality of the reborn
Jewish State and the ingathering of the exiles thereto, any Bible
scholar can recognize genuine fulfillment of Biblical prophesy.

On Wednesday evening two men from this Christian group
approached me and asked if it would be possible for them to
accompany me to the Cave of Machpelah the following morning.
They knew that I pray there every morning just before dawn. It was
a most unusual request, and, I could tell that it was made in
reverent sincerity. They were ready when I arrived at 5:20 in the
morning and both donned Kipot in respect. When we got into the
building and joined the minyan, the two men sat quietly in silent
meditation.

Toward the end of prayers a few of the locals became aware of the
fact that non-Jews had joined our minyan. One fellow even came
over to me suggesting that this was not proper. Just at this point I
noted a sentence in my prayer book. "And all the goyim that He
made came to pray to Him and give honor to His Name". I showed
it to my friend and he was taken aback. His best response was to
suggest that this sentence was referring to time of redemption. I
smiled at him and suggested that perhaps that is why this is
happening now.

Of course all of these things are open to debate, but no one can
deny that unusual things are happening and that the Jewish State
is central to it all. That alone is an amazing phenomenon. In this
age of Jet planes and internet why should anyone care about or
even notice the tiny State of Israel? What do we have that makes
us so important as to be constantly on the front pages of all the
newspapers in the world? Why is every major world power so
concerned about "peace" in our little corner of the world when there
are conflagrations in so many other places? Clearly this is all
beyond logic and nature. It is all further verification of the Divine
nature of the resurrection of Israel in her ancient homeland and the
ongoing process of Zionist redemption.

http://www.upway.com/cgi-bin/went

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Time, Space, Obsolete in New View of Universe
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 19:26:39 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

Time, Space, Obsolete in New View of Universe

Many physicists are embracing a revolutionary, still mysterious
idea called string theory. The concept rejects several familiar
notions and includes the existence of 11 dimensions.

By K.C. COLE, LA Times Science Writer

Ever since early astronomers yanked Earth from center stage in
the solar system some 500 years ago, scientists have been pulling
the rug out from under people's basic beliefs.

"The history of physics," says Harvard physicist Andrew
Strominger, "is the history of giving up cherished ideas."

No idea has been harder to give up, however--for physicists and
laypeople alike--than everyday notions of space and time, the
fundamental "where" and "when" of the universe and everything in
it. Einstein's unsettling insights more than 80 years ago showed
that static space and fixed time were flimsy facades, thinly veiling
a cosmos where seconds and meters ooze like mud and the
rubbery fabric of space-time warps into an unseen fourth
dimension. About the same time, the new "quantum mechanical"
understanding of the atom revealed that space and time are
inherently jittery and uncertain.

Now, some physicists are taking this revolutionary line of thinking
one step further: If their theories are right, in the words of Edward
Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, space and
time may be "doomed."

Concurs physicist Nathan Seiberg, also of the institute: "I am
almost certain that space and time are illusions. These are
primitive notions that will be replaced by something more
sophisticated."

That conclusion may not affect anyone's morning commute. But it
is rocking the foundations of physics--as well as causing
metaphysical reverberations that inevitably follow major changes in
our fundamental understanding of how the universe works.

The impetus behind this tumult is an idea that has become
increasingly dominant in modern physics: string theory. According
to string theory, the most basic igredients in the universe are no
longer point-like particles, the familiar electrons and quarks.
Instead, they are unimaginably small vibrating strings of some
unknown undamental stuff.

String theory suggests that different configurations of strings
produce different harmonic chords--just as a piano produces a
sound different from that of a flute. The vibrating string gives rise to
the particles, and the way the string vibrates determines each
particle's properties. This all takes place in a convoluted landscape
of 11-dimensional space. It is a concept so strange that even
theoretical physicists struggle to understand it. String theory offers
a universe bizarre beyond imagining: Under powerful enough
magnification, every known particle in the universe would resemble
a complex origami folded out of sheets or strings of the three
familiar spatial dimensions, plus one dimension of time, plus seven
extra dimensions of space.

While string theory is far from proven, or even well formulated, its
consequences would be enormous. Among other things, it would:

* Reshape fundamental notions of space and time, energy and
matter, expanding the number of dimensions to 11.

* Give the first comprehensive list of all the ingredients that make
up the universe.

* Reveal that every tick of a clock, every barking dog, every dying
star, can be described by one master mathematical equation.

Being Involved in a 'Scientific Revolution'

Which practical fruits will flow from the new view of the universe
remain unknown. But in the past, fundamental revolutions in
physics have--against everyone's wildest expectations--flowered
into everything from cell phones to brain scans.

"I've been in physics for 35 years, and this is the first time I've felt
I'm involved in a scientific revolution," said Stanford physicist
Leonard Susskind. "In the last five or six years, I really have the
feeling we're doing something as crazy, as interesting, as new as
the revolution that Einstein wrought."

Perhaps most revolutionary of all, it appears that space and time
aren't essential ingredients of a universe ruled by strings. To grasp
the extent of the current upheaval in physics, consider what has
happened to our basic understanding of space and time over the
past hundred years.

Until the early 20th century, scientists, like laypeople, assumed
that space and time were fixed--like huge, metaphysical clocks
and rulers in the firmament. Objects that moved in this unchanging
background could be pinned down to definite positions.

"Everything was where it was when it was supposed to be, and that
was all there was to it," said Strominger. "Space-time was out
there. You could count on it."

Then, Einstein revealed that space and time were woven into a
single fabric that deforms like so much Silly Putty; indeed, it is the
warping of the fabric of space-time by massive objects that
produces the force of gravity. We perceive gravity as a "force" only
because we can't directly perceive the fourth dimension.

Because gravity affects everything, everything gets warped by its
pervasive influence--including the clocks and rulers we use to
measure time and space.

Even more unsettling, Einstein's now well-proven theories showed
that the fabric of space-time, with its three dimensions of space
and one of time, is not a passive backdrop for the events and
objects in the universe. Space-time also creates objects and
events.

Imagine the universe as a performance on a stage. The stage of
space-time does not act like a static floor. It also pulls and pushes
the actors around.

Quantum mechanics introduced even more uncertainty. In the
subatomic realm, the entire concept of fixed particles in time and
space fuzzes out into an ever-shifting haze of probabilities. Trying
to pin down a subatomic particle's location or motion is like trying
to put your finger on a snowflake; the very act of measurement
destroys the thing being measured.

"That means . . . space-time is an uncertain concept, so you've
lost your firm footing," said Strominger. "And that is a deep
conceptual issue we have not yet come to grips with."

Now string theory appears to be propelling this evolution one
drastic, perhaps inevitable, step further.

Certain approaches to string theory dispense with the notion of
space-time completely. Yet, they seem to produce the same set of
results as string theories with normal space and time.

To some theorists, this strongly suggests that space and time are
superfluous. Space and time as fundamental concepts may be
about to disappear altogether--literally pulling the floor out from
under physics.

"The notion of space-time is something we've cherished for
thousands of years, and it's clearly something we're going to have
to give up," said Strominger.

Even before string theory enjoyed its recent successes, physicists
knew they would have to grapple again with the inadequacy of our
understanding of space and time. The reason is a glaring mismatch
between gravity, which rules large-scale events in the cosmos, and
quantum mechanics, which rules small-scale happenings.

Both gravity and quantum theory are well understood and have
survived decades of experimental tests. Quantum mechanics gave
rise to lasers and computers; Einstein's theory of gravity predicted
everything from black holes to the bending of light by stars,
insights since proved by observations. The problem is, the two
theories are mutually exclusive. The space and time of quantum
theory don't mesh with the space and time of Einstein's theory of
gravity, or General Relativity. In the language of gravity, the
quantum mechanical aspects of the universe turn into
gobbledygook. And vice versa.

"We can describe the world that we see and experience
completely," said UC Santa Barbara physicist Sean Carroll, "but
the explanations are internally inconsistent."

Some Things Don't Affect Everyday Life

Until recently, physicists found it easy to sweep this
unpleasantness under the rug--in part because they didn't know
how to deal with it, in part because it doesn't make a difference in
our everyday lives.

The inherently uncertain behavior of subatomic particles affects
only things as small as atoms, not everyday objects like chairs;
the warping of space and time shapes the orbits of planets, but is
too diluted to make itself felt on the scale of our own backyards.

Where the large-scale fabric of space-time gets tangled in the inner
lives of atoms, however, chaos erupts; space and time fail to make
sense. And increasingly, physicists find themselves face to face
with situations where quantum mechanics and the extreme warping
of space-time collide.

For example, physicists won't be able to understand either the
innards of black holes or the origins of the universe until they come
to grips with how gravity behaves at extremely small scales.
Indeed, the ultimate laboratory for studying the collision of these
two opposing realms is the infinitely compressed dollop of space-
time that gave rise to the Big Bang.

That cataclysmic speck, physicists believe, contained everything
now in our universe, so it would have packed a huge gravitational
wallop. At the same time, it would have been small enough to
behave according to quantum mechanical laws. Because
physicists can't study the Big Bang directly, they wind back the
clock with equations and thought experiments--imagining what
might happen, for example, if time really reversed.

The results are disturbing: As the universe gets smaller and
smaller, the warping of space-time gets stronger and quantum
uncertainties get progressively larger.

Finally, the uncertainty becomes larger than any time interval that
could possibly be measured. Measurement becomes meaningless.
 

Time at the first moment dissolves into nonsense.

"If you ask questions about what happened at very early times,"
said Harvard physicist Sidney Coleman, "and you compute the
answer, the [real] answer is: Time doesn't mean anything."

Or consider what happens inside a black hole--a region where
gravity is so strong that space-time curls in on itself, in effect,
shutting out the rest of the universe. Black holes are swirling pits of
pure space-time. And according to Einstein's theory, their
enormous gravity causes them to collapse to an infinite point of
zero size--what physicists call singularity.

Is there such a nonsensical thing as infinite density packed into
zero size?

"I remember puzzling about that when I was a kid," said Gary
Horowitz of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa
Barbara. "I thought when I went to college I would find out the
answer . . . I'm still waiting."

In the pinched-off centers of black holes, space-time appears to
simply stop. "The singularity acts like an edge," said Horowitz.
"You run into it, and it's the end. There's no time after that; there's
no space after that. But we don't think physics should end [there].
That's why we're trying to" find new laws of physics, which will
describe what happens beyond that edge.

Black holes, said Princeton physicist John Archibald Wheeler,
"[teach] us that space can be crumpled like a piece of paper into
an infinitesimal dot, that time can be extinguished like a blown-out
flame, and that the laws of physics that we regard as 'sacred,' as
immutable, are anything but."

Space, Time May Be Doomed as Concepts

String theory has emerged as the only viable candidate to reconcile
the differences between gravity and quantum mechanics. It does so
by eliminating the notion of infinitely small particles. The loop of
string is the smallest allowable size.

"You never get to the point where the disasters happen," said
Seiberg of the Institute for Advanced Study. "String theory prevents
it." But rather than rescuing space and time, string theory only
seems to make their doom as fundamental concepts more
imminent.

When they are incorporated into string theory, "space and time get
confused," said Seiberg. "It's telling us that the traditional
understanding of space and time will evaporate and there will be a
more interesting and subtle result."

Some string theorists believe that space and time somehow
emerged in the early universe out of the disorganized, 11-
dimensional strings. The strings are "shards" of space and time,
said physicist Brian Greene of Columbia University.

Imagine grains of sand on the surface of a drum. If you tap the
surface over and over at the same place, the sand falls into
patterns--like iron filings around a magnet.

Did space and time emerge in the same way, as resonant patterns
of vibrating strings?

Trying to make sense of such an idea is a struggle even for
theorists. "String theory has been giving us a lot of clues," said
Strominger, "but we haven't been able to put them together into a
unified picture."

Even philosophically, the challenge of replacing space and time is
daunting. What does it mean to inhabit a spaceless, timeless
universe? Clocks and rulers not only measure hours and inches;
they tell us where we've been and where we're going.

"When we talk about space and time, we think there is something
there, and we live in it," said David Gross, director of the Institute
for Theoretical Physics. The idea that space and time might be
illusions, he said, "is very disturbing. Where are we? When are
we?"

The almost unfathomable scenario of a universe without space and
time in turn calls into question the very connection between cause
and effect. If time can break down, how can one event be placed
clearly "before" or "after" another?

Hypothetically, if there is no clear difference between now and the
instant after, how can we say whether the gunshot caused death--
or death caused the gunshot? "We normally think of causality as a
basic property," said Horowitz.

"Something effects something else. But when you're getting rid of
space and time . . . are we sure that causality is going to be
preserved?"

New views of time could lead to even more bizarre consequences--
for instance, more than two dimensions of time, a theory being
worked on by USC physicist Itzhak Bars, among others.

Whatever the outcome of these efforts, it's clear, said Greene, that
"space is undergoing a drastic rearrangement of its basic pieces;
we will not understand string theory until we make a major
breakthrough in notions of space and time."

If Greene and his colleagues are right, expanding the universe into
11 dimensions and looping it into strings are only the beginning.
On the horizon looms a new kind of physics, where space and time
melt down completely.

"The real change that's around the corner [is] in the way we think
about space and time," said Gross. "We haven't come to grips with
what Einstein taught us. But that's coming. And that will make the
world around us seem much stranger than any of us can imagine."

* * *
Next: Caltech's savior of string theory
* * *

The Fabric of Space-Time

As the eye sees them, space and time are woven into a smooth
"fabric" of four-dimensional space-time. At close magnification,
however, the inherent uncertainty of the subatomic realm (quantum
mechanics) disrupts this smooth landscape, creating
submicroscopic chaos.

* * *
Source: The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
* * *

String Theory

According to string theory, unimaginably small vibrating strings
form the building blocks of everything in the cosmos. This differs
from prevailing theories of subatomic physics, in which particles
meet and exchange energy at specific points in space and time.
Under string theory, strings spread out these interactions over
space and time. This "spreading out" eliminates the mathematical
problems that crop up when infinitely small points collide.
Researched by NONA YATES/Los Angeles Times

* * *
Adding Dimensions

In string theory, each point in everyday space-time also contains
an extra seven dimensions curled up so small that we can never
perceive them. The exact forms of these curled-up dimensions
determine all the particles and forces in the universe. One
possibility for the geometry of the curled-up dimensions is shown
here; because only two dimensions can be shown on a flat piece of
paper, this only hints at its complexity. If string theory is right,
each movement of your finger travels not only through the familiar
three dimensions of space and one of time, but also through seven
curled-up dimensions.

* * *
Source: The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene; Researched by
NONA
Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Times

via: isml@onelist.com

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