To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (10/17/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 08:53:09 +0000

From: research-bpr@philologos.org (Moza)

Vatican hosts international meeting on inter-religions dialogue

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: ArabicNews

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- The Vatican will host on Oct. 24-28 an
international meeting on dialogue between religions on the eve of the
21st century, organizers said. The encounter, to be attended by more
than 200 representatives of 50 countries, seeks to "consolidate
inter-religions dialogue for a future of peace and solidarity among
all humankind," the organizers said. The meeting features
side-meetings among the representatives of the different religions.
The encounter will be crowned with a final declaration.

Washington plans on a purchase of the Golan

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: ArabicNews

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- The London based al-Zaman paper said on Friday in a
report from Washington that the US is preparing the deal to buy the
Golan at a cost of US $20 billion from Israel in order to hand it over
to Syria. The paper added that the governments of the US and Israel
started discussions on "US $20 billion" as a special deal for the
Golan. The paper added that this came in a message by Yuram Itinger,
who worked at the Israeli embassy in Washington as responsible for
relations with the US Congress during the former Likud government. The
message, which was circulated in the US with the objective of reviving
opposition against Israel's withdrawal from the Golan among the
American Jews as well as those who back Israel in the US, said that
Israel's withdrawal from the Golan under pressure from the US
administration will convert Israel from a remarkable strategic region
into an area that increases the US strategic and financial risks and
burdens. However, such pressures may be explained that it is an
obligation by the US to spend billions of US dollars to withstand
costs of military and civilian redeployment as well as other
expenditures that will be necessitated by conditions implied as a
result of withdrawal from the Golan. The report added that while the
US Congress is about to agree to a "Wye deal with the Palestinians"
estimated at US $1.3 billion requested by the US administration to
tempt Israel to more concessions of lands (for the Palestinians),
Washington and Tel Aviv are now discussing about a sum of US $20
billion for the Golan deal. The Golan deal, which is an attempt to
compensate Israel over losing the Golan, is composed of the following
elements: US $5 billion to finance two constant fighting contingent
and armored soldiers conveyers of Bradley type, including artillery,
electronic telecommunications and other equipment; US$ 3 billion for
100 Apache helicopters; US $400 million for 20 helicopters; US $500
million for a light contingent that can be transported by air, anti
tanks and equipped with Hellfire missiles; US $6 billion for two
multipurpose contingents, equipped with large scale warplanes to back
anti-missiles missiles; US $2 billion for five or six early warning
planes, reconnaissance planes and tactical units; besides the above
mentioned, there will be a need for US $5 billion every year to keep
the Israeli armed forces on alert as well as another US $10 billion to
resettle the Israeli civilians. The paper explained that Itinger's
purpose in circulating this message and this information to the
American people is to ring the "bell of danger to the taxpayers in the
US." Itinger concluded his message with the following phrase: "Prepare
yourself for the Syrian deal."

Arafat, Barak may meet in Oslo in a month

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: ArabicNews

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- Well-informed sources in occupied Jerusalem
expected on Friday that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak may meet in November in Oslo on the
occasion of convening the Middle East summit which is organized by
Norway. A Palestinian official who asked not to be identified stressed
that Arafat had received an invitation and he accepted it, as recently
stated by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile, the spokesman for
Barak, Meirav Tzadouk, said the Israeli prime minister also received
the invitation, but he has not yet announced his decision, adding that
Barak is expected to agree to the invitation. The Norwegian Foreign
Ministry announced that besides Arafat and Barak, invitations were
also extended to take part in the summit to US President Bill Clinton,
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah of Jordan and the
current President of the European Union, Finnish President Martti
Ahtisaari. This comes as a summit meeting for Arafat and Barak with US
President Bill Clinton will be held, which will be convened on the
margin of the summit meetings of the European security and cooperation
organization that will be held in Istanbul on November 17.

Cairo to host Russian - Arab discussion

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: ArabicNews

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- The second session for Russian - Arab discussions
will be held on November 3 and 4. The session is organized by the
Egyptian - Russian friendship association and headed by Fathi Serour,
head of the Egyptian parliament. The conference, which will be held
under the slogan "Russia and the Arab countries," will discuss
developing bilateral cooperation in all fields between the Arabs and
Russians and establishing a secure regional system in the Middle East.
The famous cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who currently occupies the
post of head of the Russian Center for Cultural and Scientific
Cooperation in the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Water discovered in Israel

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Arutz7

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- A comprehensive hydrological survey carried out by
the Water Commission recently found that a heretofore-unknown 150
million cubic meters of water are stored in the Coastal Aquifer. The
finding, which has not been officially confirmed, represents one-tenth
of Israel's annual water consumption. The level of the Kinneret Sea
today is 213.05 meters below sea level - five centimeters below the
"red line."

Arab states want UN to play role in peace talks

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- Arab states have joined the Palestinian Authority
in demanding that UN special envoy Terje Larsen be involved in the
final status negotiations, something which Israel opposes. Senior
sources at the Foreign Ministry were quoted as saying, "It's now clear
why we opposed broadening Larsen's authority and his high-profile
position, in comparison to previous envoys, who only dealt with
economic aid to the Palestinians." According to sources, UN
participation in the negotiations would mean recognizing all UN
resolutions regarding the Israel-Palestinian dispute, most of which go
against Israel.

Israel pushing for better status at UN

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- Israel is trying to take advantage of the
improvement in its diplomatic status since the change of government in
Jerusalem in order to be accepted into the group of "western and
other" states at the United Nations and in other international bodies.
Israel is currently the only member-state of the United Nations that
does not belong to a regional group. As a result, it is barred from
serving as one of the rotating members of the Security Council and
from holding positions in the management of international
organizations. Israel tried in the past to join the Western group but
was rejected because of the opposition of several European countries.
Senior diplomatic sources think that this year there is a good chance
to overcome such opposition. "The achievement will be of a theoretical
nature, and it will be a long time before we can be elected to the
Security Council, but it will be of considerable symbolic importance
for Israel no longer to be the only ostracized country in the United
Nations," a senior Foreign Ministry source said. The Western group
consists of the 15 members of the European Union, Canada, Australia
and New Zealand, with the United States (which is a permanent member
of the Security Council) having observer status. A general consensus
is needed for a new member to join a group, as each country has the
right of veto. Foreign Minister David Levy raised the possibility of
having Israel join the Western group in his meetings with his European
counterparts last week in Luxembourg. Levy made the trip after getting
a promise from French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine that Paris would
reconsider its position and probably not oppose Israel's membership in
the group. According to sources in the Foreign Ministry, the last two
obstacles are Ireland and Italy, and lobbying efforts are underway to
persuade them to support the move. Washington is also supporting the
Israeli case with the encouragement of U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations Richard Holbrooke. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright also
raised the issue in meetings with foreign ministers from the Western
group at the UN General Assembly session in New York. The British
Commonwealth is also considering the possibility of asking Israel to
join its ranks. Israel meets the criterion of having been under
British rule, but a second criterion is that the country must set
English as its official language.

Ecuador volcano could erupt any day

Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: AP

Sun Oct 17,1999 -- Tungurahua volcano, which looms over the tourist
town of Banos, could erupt any day, the government said Saturday as it
began evacuating nearby communities. Authorities said increased
volcanic activity had forced them to declare an orange alert, which
meant the mountain could erupt within days or weeks. For a month
Tungurahua had been under a yellow alert -- predicting an eruption
within weeks or months. Officials said at least 12,000 of the 25,000
people threatened by the volcano already had left the area. One
hundred buses were evacuating the remaining inhabitants on Saturday.
Banos, a town famed for its hot springs and mountain trekking, is
wedged into a narrow valley directly at the foot of the volcano, 75
miles south of Quito. For several days, the volcano has been expelling
gases, steam and ash, which has fallen on nearby villages. Experts
have calculated there is an 80 percent chance Tungurahua will erupt,
as it has done 13 times since 1534. The last eruption was in 1920.

via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Oct 18, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 08:53:09 +0000

From: research-bpr@philologos.org (Moza)

8:00 PM Eastern

 HIST - THE TRUE STORY OF THE UNTOUCHABLES - Eliot Ness
   and his team are determined to wrest control of Chicago from
   Al Capone.(CC)(TVG)

9:00

 PBS - RED FILES - "Soviet Propaganda Machine" -
   Archival film traces the history of the communist and
   capitalist propaganda machines.(CC)(TVG)

 A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "Celebrity Close
   Encounters" - Celebrities talk about their belief in
   extraterrestrial visits.(CC)

 DISC - THE BALD TRUTH - Social and scientific investigation
   of baldness.(CC)(TVG)

 HIST - HITLER'S GENERALS - "Erwin Rommel: The Hero" - Erwin
   Rommel is the legendary ``Desert Fox.''(CC)(TVPG)

10:00

 PBS - CITIZEN KURCHATOV: STALIN'S BOMB MAKER - Physicist
   Igor Vasilevich Kurchatov makes bombs under Stalin's
   reign.(CC)(TVPG)

 HIST - FORTS - Fortifications defend territory from
   attack.(CC)(TVG)

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Smart camera leads to sharp drop in crime
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 08:53:09 +0000

From: research-bpr@philologos.org (Moza)

From The Times,
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/10/18/timnwsnws01025.html?999
October 18 1999 BRITAIN

Smart camera leads to sharp drop in crime

BY STEWART TENDLER
CRIME CORRESPONDENT

A NETWORK of smart cameras using the latest closedcircuit television
technology is being credited with bringing about a dramatic reduction
in crime in one of Britain's toughest inner-city areas.

The cameras scan the faces of passers-by then match them to police
photographs of suspects. The headquarters of the network, in a
nondescript warehouse on an industrial estate in Newham, East London,
has become the proving ground for technology that is expected to
transform policing in the next century. Within a few years the
technology could stop banned football thugs sneaking into grounds and
terrorists travelling through airports.

The possibilities of using smart cameras to fight a rise in property
crime is already being considered by the Government. Last week Tony
Blair and chief constables discussed using networks such as the Newham
project to harness a new generation of super CCTV to cut crime rates.

Set up a year ago using a fibre optic network linking 240 cameras to a
control room and to local police, the project is being run by the
London council. The cameras record in real time and the network is not
hindered by time lapses found on many CCTV schemes.

The face recognition system is based on details of 100 of the most
prolific criminals operating in the area and responsible for 85 per
cent of crime. These "prominent nominals" have been convicted in the
past 12 months for offences such as mugging and robbery and are
suspected of continuing their operations.

The face recognition link is attached to cameras in crime "hotspots",
where repeated attacks or thefts have occurred. Local criminals know
that face recognition computers and cameras operate in Newham but not
which cameras are connected to the face recognition data and when.

The criminals are known to the CCTV operators by a code. Only the
police know who they are. The criminals do not know if they are
included in the data-bank although they have the right to check under
computer legislation. So far none have asked.

The computer can make a match in little more than half a second from a
high resolution image. An alarm goes off in the control room and the
local police station is also alerted. The cameras can be set to follow
suspects until they get out of range.

The network also includes a dozen mobile cameras and the unit can also
hide cameras on the streets in waste bins, lamp posts and street
signs. The unit includes undercover video cameras which can be hidden
on an investigator.

If a criminal decides to avoid the cameras by driving or steals a
vehicle he can still get caught out. The network includes an automatic
numberplate recognition computer programme based on details of suspect
vehicles supplied by the police.

In the first six months of the operation of the CCTV network crime
fell by 34 per cent across the six areas in which the cameras were
operating.

Residential burglary in one area fell by 72 per cent and shop
break-ins by 33 per cent while muggings went down by 26 per cent.
Criminal damage dropped by 56 per cent and there were no reports of
stolen vehicles. Thefts from cars fell by a third. The whole network
cost =A32 million.

Bob Lack, Newham's security operations manager and a former London
policeman, said the system is the first of its kind in the world.

Heathrow airport is now experimenting with a system to scan passengers
who check in against people who arrive at boarding gates. In the
United States there are also computer units to check faces on driving
licence and ID cards against the people holding them.

via: isml@onelist.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (resend) Oskar Schindler news
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:05:14 +0000

From: research-bpr@philologos.org (Moza)

[Modnote: may be a duplicate message for some. Sorry]

*** Schindler's original list said found

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - An original list of Jewish employees drawn
up by Oskar Schindler to save them from Nazi death camps has been
discovered in a suitcase full of papers left to a German couple, a
newspaper reports. The Stuttgart couple, relatives of close friends of
Schindler, found the list of 1,200 workers among the papers, which
deal mainly with his life after World War II. The papers were donated
to the newspaper, the Stuttgarter Zeitung. They include a speech
Schindler gave on May 8, 1945, as the war ended. In it, he urged the
Jews who worked for him not to pursue revenge attacks, the paper's
editor in chief, Uwe Vorkoetter, said Friday. The list obtained by the
newspaper is on letterhead for Schindler's enamelware factory in
Krakow, southern Poland. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561654483-81e ***
Also: Schindler's letters reveal fears, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561676049-9b9

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - What's New at BPR?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 10:46:57 -0500

From: owner-bpr@philologos.org

Hi everyone,

There will not be a newsletter/update issued this week as normal, but
we did want to share with you a book recommendation:

A Book of Evidence
by N. L. Kuehl
Online at: http://members.tripod.com/~nkuehl/evidence.html

From the book:

"The historicity attached to the evidence, arrest, trials, and
execution of Yahshua is paramount to any significant spiritual
understanding of the man and his mission. While the focus of
this book is the passion event, it is essential to entertain
some notion of first century religious thought, both Jewish and
gentile, in order to give the events meaning. Some earnest
attempt is made within the totality of this book to show who
Yahshua is through the eyes of his first century contemporaries;
that is, through the eyes of 1) the ruling class Jew in Israel;
2) the general mass of Jewish population; 3) the Herodian
Dynasty; 4) the Roman authorities garrisoned in the land; and 5)
the remainder of pagan gentiles living in and near Judea. Was
Yahshua the Hebrew Messiah, or was he the gentile Christ? As we
shall soon learn, there is a world of difference."

I can't do justice to the wealth of information contained in
this book. Many of my nagging questions surrounding Christ's
trial and death have been answered through the reading of this
well-researched, scholarly work. This is not a "hard" read where
there is so much technical jargon that the underlying meaning is
lost, but is written so that everyone can benefit from it. I
consider it a must read for anyone looking to add to their
understanding of 1st century Jewish life/thought. -- Moza

-----------

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Britain plans Holocaust memorial day
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 18:42:39 +0000

From: research-bpr@philologos.org (Moza)

*** Britain plans Holocaust memorial day

LONDON(AP) - Britain announced plans Monday for an annual Holocaust
Remembrance Day to honor the victims of Nazi atrocities and other acts
of genocide around the world. "As we enter the next millennium it is
fitting that we should allocate a day in our national calendar to
reflect upon these tragedies in world history," Home Office Secretary
Jack Straw said. "Sadly in some areas of the world, acts of ethnic
cleansing are still occurring and people suffering." A consulting
group of government officials and Jewish community leaders recommended
the memorial day be Jan. 27, the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of
Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561685318-963

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