To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Revelation 13:11,15
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:33:57 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon...And he had power to
give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the
image of the beast should be killed. Revelation 13:11,15

--------------------------

*"...Nebuchadnezzar endeavored to persuade Daniel by gentle means to
worship an idol. He had the golden diadem of the high priest inserted
in the mouth of an idol, and by reason of the wondrous power that
resides in the Holy Name inscribed on the diadem, the idol gained the
ability to speak, and it said the words: 'I am thy God.' Thus were
many seduced to worship the image. But Daniel could not be misled so
easily."

*"By means of magnetism he [Gehazi] made the golden calves at Beth-el
float in the air, and many were brought to believe in the divinity of
these idols. Moreover, he engraved the great and awful Name of God in
their mouth. Thus they were enabled to speak, and they gave forth
the same words God had proclaimed from Sinai: 'I am the Lord thy
God--Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.'"

The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, volume 4

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - What Have We Done to the Cross?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:33:57 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

The Berean Call - September, 1999

What Have we Done to the Cross?

At least in part, the theme of this article was occasioned by a
full-page national magazine ad for Christian jewelry. Slick color
photos offer an enticing display from "The Inspired Cross Collection."
The ad boasts "A beautiful line of contemporary designs for women and
men in pendants, rings, earrings and tie-tacs in a choice of precious
metals with or without diamonds." Credulity is strained in relating
this chic indulgent jewelry to Golgotha's blood-stained cross where
our Savior hung in agony for our sins!

One is aghast at the shameless commercialization which brazenly makes
merchandise of the Cross and perverts it in the process. One is
equally perplexed that Christians by the thousands would gladly wear
such trivializing misrepresentations of eternity's most solemn and
important event. Paul rejoiced that by the Cross "the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal 6:14). Yet these crosses
the world proudly wears! What have we done to the Cross!

The shape of a cross has become the universally recognized insignia of
Christianity. Multitudes superstitiously imagine some magic power in
making the "sign of the cross" and that the mere form of a cross will
put demons to flight. However, it is the "preaching of the cross"
wherein lies "the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18), not in its display. And
the power has nothing to do with the shape of the cross but everything
to do with the awesome fact that upon it the spotless Lamb of God died
for the sins of the world (Jn 1:29).

The biblical preaching of the Cross is "to them that perish
foolishness" (1 Cor 1:18), but it revolutionizes the thought patterns
and lives of sinners who believe the gospel. With Paul they truly
confess that they and all their selfish interests and ambitions have
been "crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20)--and the only life they now
desire is that of Christ living within. That was, of course, before we
revised the "old, old story" to make it fit contemporary culture.

A mysterious metamorphosis has transformed the "old rugged cross,"
once "the emblem of suffering and shame," into the trademark of an
accommodating apostate "Christianity" whose adherents are increasingly
difficult to distinguish from the world. In well-intentioned folly, we
have redefined Christianity in order to offer a spiritual package
appealing to worldly taste. Tragically, "converts" are often left
unconverted and under the deadly delusion that they have become
Christians--a misconception to which many will likely awaken only when
it is eternally too late.

How did the blood-stained cross upon which our Lord was nailed and
where, hanging naked, He was mocked by those He came to save, become
associated with ornate jewelry in one's "choice of precious metals,
with or without diamonds"? Pondering that question, I was confronted
by another, no less distressing: Why is my own understanding and
appreciation of Christ and His cross so shallow and dispassionate? Why
is my love and gratitude so seldom and so feebly expressed to Him?

In facing this deplorable deficiency, one easily falls into the error
of turning to the physical in order to fill a spiritual void. We focus
on Christ's physical sufferings which, far from saving us, would only
add to our condemnation because that is what man did to Him. What our
Lord endured went infinitely deeper. God's perfect righteousness had
to be vindicated, His justice satisfied, the full penalty paid, so
that God "might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in
Jesus" (Rom 3:26). We need to deepen our understanding and
appreciation of redemption.

The shallow, repetitive choruses which are fast replacing the majestic
old hymns are inadequate to this challenge. We need once again and
much more deeply to contemplate, "O, the love that drew salvation's
plan,/ O the grace that brought it down to man,/ O the mighty gulf
that God did span,/ At Calvary!" To understand and appreciate what
Christ accomplished for eternity upon the cross, we must see beyond
the physical into the spiritual.

Paul said, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor 4:18).
Obviously, Paul did not refer to physical seeing. But we have become
so materialistic that we have great difficulty seeing beyond the
visible. That problem plagues today's church; and there is nothing
more pitiful than "worship" which finds its inspiration and expression
in physical forms and rituals. It is astonishing how many have come to
equate "worship" with loud and fast-paced music where the tragic
poverty of the lyrics isn't even noticed because the rhythm excites
the soul. Such music is essential, we are told, to attract the new
generation. Will they rise to the low level of our estimation of them?

An ad for "Jerusalem 2000" in Charisma offers "The event of the
millennium," a "worship experience" available only to the "relatively
few" who join this particular tour to Israel. It promises "praise and
worship...in dramatic reenactments...of the baptism of Jesus in the
River Jordan, Jesus walking on water at the Sea of Galilee...."

The ad continues, "Flexible installment payment plan....Commissioned
by The Millennium Council...[a] coalition of Christian leaders
including Pat Robertson, T.D. Jakes, and Bill McCartney...."

It sounds so special, but what the ad promises--an exclusive worship
experience only for those on the tour--presumes that the spiritual is
inspired by the physical. It once was quiet meditation upon the true
meaning of Christ's incarnation and Cross which brought tears of
inexpressible gratitude and joy. Now we must travel to Israel for a
cheap "reenactment."

It is simply not true that being in Israel "at the turn of the
millennium" on this particular tour creates true worship. One could
have been alive in Christ's day, heard Him preach, been miraculously
fed and healed by Him, yet have missed the truth He spoke. Much less
will that truth grip the soul by any "reenactment" of events in
Christ's life. The Holy Spirit's work of grace and power comes not by
any physical stimulus. Yet, having lost the spiritual reality of the
faith, and having rejected the enticing pomp, outrageously rich robes
and bewitching ritual of Rome, Protestantism seeks its own visible
religious arousals.

Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:24). True worship is not evoked by
physical means. In fact, physical objects and rituals are a hindrance
to worship. This is the insidious error of sacramentalism.

Pope John Paul II plans to open a "holy" door at St. Peter's in Rome
for the year 2000 and promises special indulgences reducing suffering
in "purgatory" for those who pass through it. Common sense unmasks the
"God" who offers grace for walking through a physical door most people
could never afford to reach. Even a child understands that Christ
clearly said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved..." (Jn 10:9). The door to eternal life is a spiritual one, and
to look to a physical door robs one of the eternal life Christ offers.
Nevertheless, millions are expected to make costly pilgrimages to Rome
in order to walk through that "holy" door.

Unable to think deeply enough to see beyond the visible, our
generation is losing the meaning and value of words. Television,
videos, films and computer games have become a way of life today.
Medical doctors have begun warning parents not to allow children under
two years of age to watch television and to carefully supervise and
limit it for others. The American Academy of Pediatrics now considers
the child's "media history" to be as important as its medical history
because "watching TV can affect the mental, social and physical health
of young people...." (New York Times, 8/4/99)

The Bible is written in words, not in pictures. The first of many
books written (in words, of course) to refute The Seduction of
Christianity criticized us for opposing the growing practice of
visualization and insisted that our brains think in pictures, not in
words. That simply isn't true. What picture does "simply" or "isn't
true" produce in one's mind? What image is evoked by words such as
justice, truth, hope, holiness, God? None!

God strictly forbids any attempt to represent Him by a physical or
even a mental image. God is a spirit, and man, made in His image, is a
spirit living in a body. The "image" of God in which man is made is
not visible; much less is it mirrored in man's physical body. We feed
our physical bodies but neglect the spirit which God desires to
nourish. God told His people Israel through Moses (and Christ quoted
the same passage in resisting Satan), "man shall not live by bread
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord
doth man live" (Dt 8:3).

God's Word sustains spiritual life. Christ is that Word (Rv 19:13).
Jesus said, "...the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven,
and giveth life unto the world....I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst" (Jn 6:33-35). Obviously, He was speaking spiritually,
not physically. Our life now and eternally depends upon understanding
and believing what He said!

Boasting that communism was "scientific atheistic materialism," Lenin
insisted that man is a physical stimulus-response organism and all he
knows is through the stimulus of physical phenomena. Lenin knew that
we cannot even think of anything that doesn't exist. (Try to imagine a
new prime color for the rainbow.) Then what "stimulus" evokes the idea
of God if God does not exist? Lenin couldn't answer that question.

That we are more than our physical bodies is proved by our ability to
hold non-physical ideas of truth, justice, holiness, mercy, grace,
love, etc. A man complains, "There's no justice in this world!" How
does he even have the concept of "justice" (or of grace, truth,
holiness, selfless love, etc.) if it doesn't exist in this world? He
judges what he sees on the basis of the invisible standard of justice
which he knows innately because he is made in the spiritual image of
the God who is perfect in justice and truth.

As spirits made in God's image, yet living in physical bodies and
surrounded with the spiritually stifling materialism of a world that
has rejected God, we desperately need the nurture of God's Word.
Instead of the spirit, however, we are nurturing the carnal man ("And
I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto
carnal... ye are yet carnal..." - 1 Cor 3:1-3) and hardly know we are
thirsting and starving. Sadly, these days in popular Christian
literature, more froth than substance masquerades as drink for thirsty
souls.

We need what Jeremiah experienced: "Thy words were found, and I did
eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine
heart..." (Jer 15:16). Job, too, testified, "I have esteemed the words
of his [God's] mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12).
Abundant life is produced in anyone who meditates upon God's word day
and night (Ps 1:1-3)!

Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He
that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn 7:37:38). What He meant and to
what extent each of us has experienced the fullness of which He spoke
must be carefully weighed. John explained, "But this spake he of the
Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive" (Jn 7:37-39).
Thus, to drink of Christ means to believe on Him, and the water He
gives is the Holy Spirit comforting and empowering within. We clearly
understand that Jesus was speaking spiritually, not physically, to the
woman at the well: "Whosoever drinketh of this [well] water shall
thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (Jn
4:13-15).

When Jesus told Nicodemus that to enter the kingdom of God he "must be
born again" (Jn 3:7), He didn't mean physically, but spiritually. The
same was true when Jesus said, "He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life....Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you...he that eateth me, even he
shall live by me..." (Jn 6:47,53,57). When some disciples abandoned
Him, offended at the thought of eating His flesh and drinking His
blood, Christ explained, "It is the spirit that quickeneth [giveth
life]; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, and they are life (Jn 6:63). The eating of Christ,
who is "the living bread which came down from heaven" (6:51), is no
more physical than is the eating of "every word that proceeds from the
mouth of God"--and to imagine otherwise robs one of the spiritual
truth and life Christ gives to all who believe.

One of Roman Catholicism's most deadly errors is in insisting that
Jesus meant we must literally eat His physical body and drink His
blood. To that end, the priest allegedly turns wafer and wine into the
body and blood of a "Christ" who is still dying for our sins, though
He said, "It is finished!" (Jn 19:30; Heb 10:10-18). "Christ" is
repeatedly ingested into the stomach to obtain further infusions of
grace, instead of by faith once and for all receiving Him and the
eternal life He gives.

Even without a belief in "transubstantiation," a similar error can
arise among evangelicals. At a "communion service," how many dutifully
partake of the bread and cup as though the physical eating and
drinking were an end in itself? Jesus said, "This do in remembrance of
me" (Lk 22:19). How often is there only the ritual, with little
remembrance and appreciation of the Cross? May God's Word and Christ
the Living Word truly be the spiritual nourishment we delight in and
count more necessary than physical food--and may we rejoice
continually in the invisible truth and consummated triumph of the
Cross!

TBC

http://www.thebereancall.org

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Daywatch news items (9/3/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:33:57 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

WASHINGTON -- Russia has agreed to resume talks on a
proposed joint center in the United States aimed at dodging
any missile miscues caused by the 2000 computer glitch,
U.S. officials said Thursday. The talks on the temporary
"early warning" center are to take place in Moscow on Sept.
13 during a visit to Russia by Defense Secretary William
Cohen, the officials said.

JORDAN -- Israel and the Palestinians scheduled had talked
late into the night Wednesday in a race to seal a deal on
implementing their stalled Wye River peace accord. Thursday
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat called his negotiators
to Egypt as hopes diminished for the signing of that deal.
The fate of 44 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel remains
at the heart of the stalled talks. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright begins her Mideast tour Thursday and is
scheduled to enter the negotiations.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Army Secretary Louis Caldera Thursday
demoted retired Maj. Gen. David Hale to brigadier general
and stripped him of one of his two stars for having affairs
with the wives of subordinate officers and lying about it.
The general had earlier been reprimanded, forfeited a flat
$12,000 in retirement pay and fined $10,000 after being
convicted of adultery in a court martial at Fort Lewis,
Wash., on March 17.

Issue #70 http://www.mcjonline.com 09/03/99

--- BPR

BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (9/3/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:33:57 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

*** Iraqi groups oppose visit by pope

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Iraqi opposition leaders want Pope John Paul II to
drop any plans to visit Iraq, saying the trip will be exploited by
Saddam Hussein's government for propaganda purposes. John Paul hopes
to make a pilgrimage later this year to holy sites in the Middle East,
including the Biblical city of Ur, believed to be the birthplace of
the patriarch Abraham, which is in Iraq. The pontiff says the visit
would be religious in nature, not political. But Iraqi opposition
groups say the papal visit will lend credibility to President Saddam
Hussein's government and help it break the international isolation
imposed since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Iraq has been under U.N.
economic sanctions since the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560984451-0ee

*** Man receives gene therapy injection

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A 36-year-old traffic controller from South
Dakota received a gene therapy injection for muscular dystrophy
Thursday, the first to receive the injection. Dr. Jerry Mendell,
chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Ohio State University
Medical Center, injected Donavon Decker's foot with genes for a muscle
protein missing because of a genetic flaw. Decker suffers from
limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a disease he has had for more than 20
years. Decker is the first of an expected six participants to receive
the injection in the MDA-funded trial. Gene therapy is the insertion
of a working gene to compensate for genetic flaws like those that lead
to muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle that causes muscle
weakness. It is often fatal. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560987149-7fc

*** HUD finds home for kidney donor

WASHINGTON (AP) - Marian Neal is moving out of a homeless shelter
thanks to an outpouring of help when people learned her plight after
giving her kidney to a 7-year-old neighbor. Neal, 40, will get the
keys Friday to a recently renovated one-bedroom townhouse in the
nation's capital. "She was a heroine who should be treated decently,"
said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, who
directed his staff to cut through the normal red tape and find her a
house. Deborah Vincent, a HUD spokeswoman, said Neal's new home will
be in the 239-unit James Creek Complex in southwest Washington. HUD
selected the townhouse for Neal "because it was ready, it was recently
redone, it's in a good area and it was available." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560986680-749

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - US & Canada dropped from undersea mining council
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:39:58 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

U.S. & CANADA DROPPED FROM UNDERSEA MINING COUNCIL

KINGSTON, Jamaica, September 2, 1999 (ENS) - The United States and
Canada have lost their places on the 36 member Council of the
International Seabed Authority which is writing the world's first
mining code for the oceans. The code covers crucial environmental
protections for the marine environment. Copyright Environment News
Service (ENS) 1999 For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/sep99/1999L-09-02-01.html

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arafat announces agreement
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 12:55:45 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

ARAFAT ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT
U.S. Secretary of State Albright met with Foreign Minister David Levy
early this afternoon, after meeting with Prime Minister Barak last
night for over three hours. Though claiming that the U.S. is taking a
back seat in the contacts between the sides, she is pressuring both
Barak and Arafat to come to an agreement before she leaves on Sunday.
The main sticking point is the Palestinian demand for the release of
convicted Arab terrorists who murdered Jews. Yasser Arafat announced
at 2 PM today that an agreement had been reached, and that it would be
signed tomorrow night. Both Minister Levy and Secretary Albright,
speaking at a joint press conference shortly afterwards, would
not confirm the announcement, although Levy said that the two sides
are only "a small effort" away from finalizing the agreement.

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org>
Friday, Sep. 3, 1999 / Elul 22, 5759

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Newscan items (9/3/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 13:00:13 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

MEDICAL PRANK AT EBAY?
Internet auctioneer eBay has put a stop to bidding on a human kidney,
saying that sale of body parts is against not only company policies
but also a serious violation of federal law. The sale, which may have
been a hoax, was described in these terms: "Fully functional kidney
for sale. You can choose either kidney. Buyer pays all transplant and
medical costs. Of course only one for sale, as I need the other to
live. Serious bids only." An eBay executive says, "Any time you have
an open trading environment with almost 6 million registered users,
you're likely to see somebody to tries to bend the rules, or to pull a
prank on their fellow users." (AP/USA Today 3 Sep 99)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctg022.htm

ANOTHER VIRUS, THIS ONE TARGETED AT DECEMBER 13TH
Several anti-virus companies are offering free programs to detect and
remove a new virus called "Thursday" that could attach itself to
Microsoft Word 97 documents and spread by e-mail or network. Experts
believe there is plenty of time to prevent most damage from the virus,
which is intended to wipe out computer hard drives on December 13th.
(Reuters/San Jose Mercury News 3 Sep 99)
http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/018037.htm

SHOPPERS CAN USE THEIR PCs TO TRY ON CLOTHES
Women who shop at Macy's department store will be able to buy a $49.99
Broderbund software package that will allow them to create
three-dimensional models of themselves which can be fitted with
different clothing styles and viewed from different angles. Industry
analyst Ken Cassar, who says that several other retailers have
developed similar systems, injects a note of skepticism about Macy's
plans: "The real question is whether consumers will pay $49.99 to be
marketed to by Macy's. It sounds like a tool that has the same intent
as other tools that are being offered on Web sites for free." (Atlanta
Journal-Constitution 3 Sep 99)
http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/epaper/editions/today/busine
ss4.html

via: "NewsScan" <newsscan@newsscan.com>

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Misc. news (9/3/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 13:34:58 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

AMERICAN 2000 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TALK MORE ABOUT
GOD September 2, 1999

The International Herald Tribune reported yesterday: "Presidential
candidates have always made a point of having themselves photographed
they step out of church on Sunday, carrying a Bible perhaps, and
shaking the minister's hand. But in the early campaign for the 2000
elections, the rite of political piety has moved far beyond the
sacramental photo opportunity. The candidates are engaging in 'God
talk' that is more explicit, more intimate and more pervasive than at
any time in recent decades, historians and political analysts say. In
a Houston church, Governor George W. Bush of Texas describes his
decision to 'recommit my life to Jesus Christ.' At a convention of
black Baptists, Vice President Al Gore declares himself 'a child of
the Kingdom and a person of strong faith.' And at a prayer breakfast
in Philadelphia, Elizabeth Dole recounts a talk she had with God. This
is now common language on the campaign trail. 'In this presidential
contest there is much more discussion of personal faith than there has
been in the past,' said John Green, who studies how politics
intersect religion as director of the Ray Bliss Institute of Applied
Politics at the University of Akron, in Ohio. 'I suppose if you went
far back enough in American history you'd probably find a year like
this one. But if you just think of the last 20 years, more candidates
are talking more openly about their personal faith now.'..."

CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR PLANT NOT LIKELY TO BE SHUT DOWN
September 2, 1999

Reuters reported yesterday: "Ukraine is likely to miss an early
2000 deadline to close its troubled Chernobyl nuclear power
plant because it needs its energy supply for the coming winter
months, officials said on Tuesday. 'We will not have enough
time to complete all construction works
which might allow the safe shutdown of the Chernobyl nuclear
power plant by January 1, 2000,' Mykola Dudchenko, president
of Energoatom, the state nuclear power agency, told a news
conference. Dudchenko said Ukraine first
had to live through the difficult winter when the cash-strapped
former Soviet republic could face energy shortages. Only after
the winter could it make a final decision on the closure. Ukraine
promised the Group of Seven leading industrial nations in 1995 to
close Chernobyl by 2000 in exchange for aid to finish building two
replacement reactors in western Ukraine."

AMERICAN DEFENSE COMPUTERS HAVE EXTENSIVE SECURITY GAPS
September 1, 1999

CNN reported: "Despite countless warnings dating to 1996, the
Defense Department's information networks continue to be plagued by
serious security flaws and weaknesses that have opened up almost every
area of the department to cyberattacks and fraud, according to a new
General Accounting Office report. Released today, GAO's report, 'DOD
Information Security: Serious Weaknesses Continue to Place Defense
Operations at Risk,' comes just weeks after deputy secretary of
Defense John Hamre officiated over the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the
Joint Task Force for Computer Network Defense. The JTF-CND, which was
formed last December, serves as the focal point for DOD to organize
the defense of DOD computer networks and systems. When cyberattacks
are detected, the JTF-CND is responsible for directing department wide
 defenses to stop or contain damage and restore DOD network functions
operations..."

via: pre-trib-news <pretribnews@listbot.com>

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - NASA ocean radar watches giant iceberg
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 13:41:18 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

NEW NASA OCEAN RADAR WATCHES FOR BREAKUP OF
GIANT ICEBERG

    A NASA satellite instrument is keeping an eye on an iceberg
the size of Rhode Island, the first time this space technology has
been used to track a potential threat to international shipping.

     NASA's new orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument, flying aboard the
QuikScat satellite, will monitor Iceberg B10A, which snapped off
Antarctica seven years ago and has since drifted into a shipping lane.

    Iceberg B10A, which measures about 24 miles by 48 miles, was
spotted by the instrument during its first pass over Antarctica,
demonstrating SeaWinds' all-weather and day-night observational
capabilities. The massive iceberg extends about 300 feet above
water and may reach as deep as 1,000 feet below the ocean's
surface. It is breaking up into smaller pieces that could pose a
threat to commercial, cruise and fishing ships if the pieces are blown
back into the shipping lane by high winds.

    "Although the iceberg isn't posing a threat to ships in the
area right now, pieces of B10A could be blown back into the
shipping lane and become a danger to ships using the Antarctic's
Drake Passage," said Dr. David Long, a member of the SeaWinds
science team from Utah's Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.
Long said that the SeaWinds instrument will be able to help
scientists at the National Ice Center, Suitland, MD, track pieces of
the iceberg down to about 2.5 miles in size.

    B10A, which took hundreds of thousands of years to form, broke off
the end of the Thwaites glacier of Antarctica in 1992, and has been
drifting in the ocean ever since, driven by ocean currents and wind.
In 1995, the iceberg broke in half, but was being tracked on a regular
basis. Although conventional methods of tracking sea-surface ice --
using ships' radar, shipping reports, optical images from satellites
and microwave sensor data -- are usually sufficient for tracking large
pieces of ice, icebergs can sometimes disappear in the poor visibility
of dark, cloudy Antarctic winters.

    "That happened earlier this year, when we lost track of B10A's
exact whereabouts," Long said. "Even though a ship was dispatched to
the iceberg's last known position, we were unable to find it until we
started receiving data from the SeaWinds instrument in July."

    Scientists were surprised at its location when they found
B10A, but it was clearly identified as a very large iceberg that
posed a considerable threat to ships in the area. A check with
the Naval Ice Center confirmed the iceberg's identity and has
enabled scientists to continue tracking its journey through the
Drake Passage. When it was rediscovered earlier this month
heading northeast between Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of
South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, the National Ice Center
issued an iceberg navigation warning to the Argentine government.

    Ironically, the iceberg that took many millennia to form is
expected to break up within about three months because it is
drifting into warmer waters, Long said. "We will be able to watch the
iceberg's breakup for the first time with daily radar observations and
better understand the effects of ocean winds and climate on melting
polar ice," Long said. "The polar regions play a central role in
regulating global climate and it is important to accurately record and
monitor the extent and surface conditions of Earth's major ice
masses."

    More information about the SeaWinds mission and observations
is available at the following URLs:

               http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov

        http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/news/newsindex.html

    The orbiting SeaWinds radar instrument is managed for NASA's
Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC, by NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, which also built the SeaWinds radar
instrument and is providing ground science processing systems. NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, managed development of the
satellite, designed and built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.,
Boulder, CO. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has
contributed support to ground systems processing and related
activities.

    NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and
technology program designed to examine Earth's land, oceans,
atmosphere, ice and life as a total integrated system.

via: SEDSNEWS@listserv.tamu.edu

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Aug 11, 1999 Eclipse Path Revisited
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:45:07 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Early last month we sent out info on the citites where the eclipse
was going to be total. It was mentioned that the eclipse seemed to be
going on a tour of Gothic cathedrals in Europe. On further research
it seems that almost every town/city had either a cathedral, castle
or some medieval fortification such as a tower. (The file is still
not finished as my computer is dying, the monitor has a twitch and
the mouse has developed a hiccup.) This phenomena came to the fore
today as I was reading "Scarlet and the Beast" by John Daniel. In it
he states:

"The original 'masons' were stone masons, carpenters, draftsmen,
workmen, and others who traveled throughout Europe and England
building the massive cathedrals of the Roman Church, as well as
various fortifications, abbeys, castles, etc. A conglomerate of
workingman guilds, equivalent to unions today, these masons date
their origin to the first millennium after the birth of Christ.
Masonic workmen lodged together while building cathedrals, hence the
term 'masonic lodge.'"

I thought at first of a strictly religious angle to what the
eclipse was pointing to but this illustration of Freemasonry seems to
fit better because it also takes into account all the castles,
towers, etc. along the way--religion coupled with strength. That
seems to be what Freemasonry is all about; their lodges are the
temples where the intrigue of global conquest is plotted and put into
motion.

This notion of lodge as temple (worshipping any god the initiate
chooses) is illustrated in their own publications. One example of
this is the way the structure of the organization is shown in
pictures. Basically, the masons are split into two groups: the
Scottish Rite of 30 degrees and the York Rite of 10 degrees. This is
shown as a pyramid with 30 steps on one side and 10 on the other
leading to a flat top which equals the highest degree called the
Shriners. The make-up of this pyramid is interesting in light of the
following: to get to the platform where an ancient temple stood,
worshippers would be confronted with a platform surrounded by steps
on all sides. Some of the sides had very high steps (some as high as
1.6 feet) and others had smaller, easily negotiated ones which led to
the top. This lay-out symbolized the entry into a sacred precinct and
is thought to have surrounded the Temple Mount at one time. (Biblical
Archaeology Review, Sept/Oct 1999).

Another tie-in is that the eclipse went through Batman, Turkey. When
I first saw the name of the town I've got to admit I started singing
the Batman and Robin theme, but that's not as crazy as it seems. One
of the appendices to "Scarlet and the Beast" is about the Shriners
(the top of the pyramid). Apparently the first Shriner Temple in
America was named Gotham Temple and "it is alleged that the stories
of Batman and Robin from Gotham City (New York City) is based upon
the Gotham Shrine Temple's alleged war against evil-doers." The
Gotham Temple was renamed Mecca "when it was decided that all Temples
should have an Arabic or Egyptian title."

I think the tie between the cities/towns that experienced 100% total
darkness and Freemasonry is a valid one and should be considered when
interpreting what the solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 meant.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Asia Awaits Nines on Calendar
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:55:27 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

05:05 AM ET 09/03/99

Asia Awaits Nines on Calendar

Associated Press Writer

TOKYO (AP) _ In Japan, nine is bad. Usually. In China, it's
good. Most of the time. In Myanmar next week, it could spell
trouble.

For computer specialists around the world, the string of nines
on the calendar next Thursday _ Sept. 9, 1999 _ is being watched
as a potential Y2K-style bug that could prompt some older
programs to shut down automatically.

But for many Asians, computers are hardly the concern. It's
luck _ or the potential lack of it.

Four Nines Day, 9-9-99, presents a bit of a paradox for the
superstitious in Asia.

Nine, pronounced ``ku'' in Japanese, is a homonym with the word
for pain and suffering, and is thus a very inauspicious number,
especially at hospitals.

``Patients feel uncomfortable in rooms that end with the
unlucky numbers,'' said Kenichi Muto, a spokesman for St. Luke's
Hospital in central Tokyo.

So St. Luke's, one of the most modern hospitals in Japan,
doesn't have a single room for patients that ends with a nine,
or for that matter, with a four (a homonym in Japanese for
death) or a 13.

But despite the bad cache of a nine by itself, many
superstitious Japanese appear to see a string of nines as lucky
_ and businesses are rushing to cash in.

Japan Travel Bureau, the country's largest travel agency, is
offering a package tour on Thursday to commemorate the date. The
package, limited to 99 people, includes airfare to New York or
Orlando for 99,999 yen (about $909).

``It's a great deal, and we've had a lot of interest,'' said
Tsuyoshi Kurata, manager of corporate communications at JTB. He
said both tours have sold out.

Many Japanese couples are also planning to get married on Sept.
9, according to Marie Sakurai, an editor at Zeksy, a popular
bridal magazine.

``It's a unique date, and it's really not seen as a bad date at
all. Far from it,'' she said.

Sakurai added that a similar, but bigger, nuptial rush occurred
Aug. 8, 1996, which was the year Heisei 8 _ or the eighth year
of the reign of the Heisei emperor, according to the traditional
Japanese calendar. The string of eights was seen as lucky since
eight on its side is the symbol for infinity.

In China, Sept. 9 is also seen as a good day for love. Or for
remembering the death of Mao Tse-tung, who died on Sept. 9, 1976.

The love connection in Chinese derives from the fact that nine,
``jiu,'' has a homonym meaning long, and is considered
auspicious for couples wanting to stay together a long time. To
send a woman 99 roses on Sept. 9 would be a tender sign of
affection.

But not this year.

Next Thursday falls within the inauspicious ``ghost month,''
which is traditionally believed to be a time when dead ancestors
return to the world of the living for an annual visit. Sept. 9
isn't always part of ghost month because the month's observation
is based on the lunar calendar.

Despite offers of better services and more luxuriously
decorated dining rooms, all except a few superstition-snubbing
foreigners in Taiwan will shy away from getting married on Sept.
9, Taipei hotel officials said.

``No one would risk having their marriage harmed by any
inauspicious elements,'' said Liang Su-chia, a manager of Hotel
Grand Hyatt. Business at restaurants is also expected to be slow.

In Myanmar, meanwhile, rumors are brewing that activists might
be plotting a Four Nine Day uprising.

Sixteen pro-democracy activists have been detained there for
fear they will demonstrate against the ruling military regime on
Sept. 9.

The National League for Democracy said those detained included
nine of its members and has expressed concern there would be
more arrests. Myanmar exiles in Bangkok began a protest outside
the Myanmar Embassy on Wednesday linked to the date.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560990844-9fd

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (9/3/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:55:50 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

*** Mideast talks near peace accord

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders said they hoped to
sign a deal Saturday to restart a long-delayed West Bank pullback by
Israel and release of Palestinian prisoners, clearing the way for an
overall peace accord within a year. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright, presiding over an emerging diplomatic triumph with the two
sides close to agreement Friday, said the onset of the Jewish Sabbath
"has delayed somewhat the possibilities of signing" right away. She
registered renewed optimism that had faded as the two sides faced off
over how many Palestinian prisoners Israel would release and over a
provision in the accord to discourage unilateral moves, such as the
establishment of a Palestinian state, without negotiations. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560996317-e0c

*** German mark to be Kosovo currency

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - In a major step toward severing Kosovo's
remaining ties with Yugoslavia, the United Nations announced Friday
that the German mark will replace the Yugoslav dinar as Kosovo's
official currency. Bernard Kouchner, head of the U.N. mission, signed
a new regulation allowing the use of the mark, the U.S. dollar, the
Swiss franc and other convertible currencies. But although other
Western currencies can be used, the German mark will become the
undisputed king. Taxes are to be collected in marks and if fees are
paid in dinars, the United Nations said an extra fee, which will be
set later, will be tacked on to the bill. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560994586-1e4

*** Compensation urged for WWII kids

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) - A new group will press for more
adequate compensation for Jews who survived the Holocaust as
children, organizers said Friday. The group - the European
Organization of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust - will put
pressure on governments and international Jewish organizations to
compensate even those Jews who have no proof of persecution during
World War II, group member Susan Fried-Preiss said. She said Jews who
survived the Holocaust as children usually don't have the necessary
documentation to prove what happened to them during the war, and often
have not been compensated properly. The new organization was founded
in Prague during the 12th annual conference of Jewish child survivors
of the Holocaust. Nearly 700 participants are attending the four-day
meeting, which began Thursday and is taking place in Prague and at the
former Nazi concentration camp at Theresienstadt. ###

*** Judge orders HIV test for baby

LONDON (AP) - A British judge ruled Friday that the 4-month-old
daughter of a woman who is HIV-positive should be tested for the AIDS
virus against her parents' wishes. Judge Sir Nicholas Wilson called
the case for testing "overwhelming." "This baby has rights of her
own," said Wilson, sitting in the family division of the High Court.
The baby's parents, who have not been identified, refused to have
their daughter tested, contending she is perfectly healthy and that
they should be able to decide what is best for her. The girl's mother,
who was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1990, believes scientists are
mistaken in viewing HIV as AIDS' sole cause. Her father, who has
tested negative for the virus, practices alternative medicine. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560994130-d57