To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Sept 13, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 08:32:18 +0000

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

8:00 PM Eastern

 DISC - WORLD'S LARGEST MALL - The Edmonton, Alberta, mall
   has a water park, a bungee jump, submarines and a roller
   coaster.(CC)(TVG)

 HIST - THE TRUTH ABOUT SCIENCE FICTION - Visionary
   authors, historians and scientists reveal how fiction and
   reality merge.(CC)(TVG)

9:00

 PBS - AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE -
   "It's Another New Year and I Ain't Gone"

 HIST - THE GREAT SHIPS - "High Tech, High Seas:
   Arament" - The evolution of weaponry affects the evolution of
   warships.(CC)(TVG)

 TLC - UNIVERSE 2001: BEYOND THE MILLENNIUM - "Planets" -
   Saturn's rings and moons tell a violent story of cosmic
   collisions.(CC)(TVG)

10:00

 HIST - THE ATLANTIC WALL - Fearing invasion from the sea,
   the Nazis construct 3000 miles of
   fortifications.(CC)(TVG)

 TLC - UNIVERSE 2001: BEYOND THE MILLENNIUM - "Life" -
   Martian rock contains fossils; preparation for alien
   contact.(CC)(TVG)

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Geography News items (9/13/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 08:59:43 +0000

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

JORDAN ADVOCATES "GREATER SYRIA"
According to Jordanian news sources, King Abdullah II of Jordan plans
to work toward a unification relationship between Jordan, Syria and
Lebanon in culture, politics, economics, and security.

  [For history of "Greater Syria" please see:
  http://philologos.org/bpr/files/List_Studies/Daniel/dan-1-8.htm ]

JAPAN TO MOVE CAPITAL
The Japanese parliament voted in 1990 to relocate Japan's capital from
Tokyo to a brand-new capital city to prevent destruction of the
capital in a major earthquake. Once the perfect site is selected this
fall, a "Parliament city" will be constructed as home to the country's
seat of government and 100,000 people. Tokyo is very much against the
plan but the idea of moving administrative functions out of the city
started to circulate in 1964.

UV INCREASE IN NEW ZEALAND
A study published in the journal "Science"last week revealed the
ultraviolet radiation in New Zealand had increased 12% over the past
twenty years. This increase in harmful UV radiation is likely due to
the thinning of the Ozone Layer over Antarctica.

Matt T. Rosenberg
About.com Guide to Geography
http://geography.about.com
geography.guide@about.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China News Digest items (9/13/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 09:04:59 +0000

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

Taiwan Wants United States to Pay for F-16 Crash

[CND, 09/12/99] The malfunction of its U.S-made engine was the cause
of a Taiwan F-16 crash last month, and Taiwan is to seek compensation
from the U.S. suppliers, AFP reported on Saturday.

An investigating task force, comprised of aircraft technology and
safety experts from both sides, concluded that the malfunction at the
mouth of the engine's exhaust duct led to a lack of power and the
plane's ability to balance. The pilot ejected to safety before the
crash.

This is the Taiwan air force's fourth F-16 crash in 17 months. Taiwan
purchased 150 F-16s from the U.S. in 1992 and the last batch of F-16s
are due to be delivered by the end of this year. (Yan WANG, YIN De An)

9/9/99 "Date Hiccup" Major Suspect for Computer Exchange Failure

[CND, 09/12/99] A computer failure, which is suspected to be caused
by the "all nines" date glitch, shut down Shanghai's automated
Corporate Shares Exchange, said Exchange officials on Friday, AFP
reported.

Most people believe last Thursday's 9/9/99 date is to blame. Some old
computers and programs can mistake the all-nine date as an end-of-file
command and bring some computer processes to an end, shutting down the
systems.

The Exchange, the only one in China, was indefinitely closed while
engineers work on the computer problem. A company engineer said that a
problem developed on Thursday with an IBM model AS400 from 1992, but
said that so far they are not sure if it is "nines" related.

The fear of "nines" bug, a relative of the Y2K bug, proved largely
unfounded. There have been worries that it would cause widespread
havoc and disruption. (XU Ming Yang, WU Yiyi)

U.S. Report Criticizes China Over Religious Persecution

[CND, 09/12/99] In its first annual report reviewing international
religious persecution, the U.S. State Department criticized Beijing's
extensive crackdown on religious groups that are not officially
recognized by the government, and concluded that China has "a serious
problem" in violating international norms of religious freedom, the
South China Morning Post reported on Saturday.

The report said that China used to tolerate traditional Chinese
religions such as Taoism and Buddhism more than Christianity, but it
has tightened its control, as the rapid growth of such sects may
challenge its authority, noting the crackdown on Falungong as an
example.

In addition, the report described China's abuse and torture of Tibetan
Buddhist monks and nuns, and persecution of Muslim Uighurs,
Protestants, and Catholics, who are independent of officially
recognized churches.

The State Department officials were not sure what, if any, action
would be taken. But U.S. President Clinton said that he would raise
the concern over religious freedom with Chinese President JIANG Zemin
during their summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum in
Auckland. (LIU Weimin, WU Yiyi)

International Prosecutors Meet in Beijing

[CND, 09/12/99] About 400 members from 83 countries of the
International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) exchanged mutual
concerns, particularly about how to contain the global spread of fraud
and corruption, and concluded their one-week conference in Beijing on
Saturday, reported the China Daily.

During the conference, a fourth annual meeting of the IAP, prosecutors
discussed not only the root causes of international crime, but also
the need for extradition treaties and judicial assistance. China
already has agreements with 20 nations. Negotiations with more
countries are ongoing.

The head of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), HAN Zhubin,
stated that because of the international scope of illegal activities,
"procuratorial divisions in different countries need to strengthen
exchanges to effectively contain the spread of corruption,
embezzlement, fraud, and manipulation of power for personal gain."

In the course of the conference, Australian Prosecutor Nicholas
Cowdery was elected the next President of the IAP. (Sue Bruell, WU
Yiyi)

via: CND-Global Editors <cnd-editor@cnd.org>

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Religion Today items (9/13/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 09:13:32 +0000

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

The U.S. State Department's first report on religious freedom got
mixed reviews from a religious freedom organization. It is a milestone
that "shows the world that religious freedom is an American foreign
policy priority and underscores the importance of religion in world
events," but has serious gaps, Nina Shea, director of the Center for
Religious Freedom (see link #3 below) at Freedom House, said. ...The
1,000-plus-page document summarizes the state of religious freedom in
every country. It will prompt foreign governments to review their
treatment of religious groups, possibly leading to reforms, she said.
It is the first of what will be annual assessments of religious
freedom around the world. ...The report is disappointing in its
evaluation of several countries, Shea said. Many profiles accentuate
the positives and give the governments, particularly those that are
U.S. trading partners, the benefit of the doubt, she said. The report
fails to conclude whether governments are actually persecuting
religious believers. ...The report's section on Sudan fails to state
that the Islamic government in Khartoum is trying to wipe out
Christians and animists in the south (see link #4 below), Freedom
House said. "It is regrettable that the State Department failed to
seize the opportunity -- to spotlight the catastrophic scale and
magnitude of religious persecution in Sudan," Shea said. ...China,
Egypt, and Saudi Arabia also escape critical judgments. The section on
China provides many examples of persecution (see link #5 below), but
stops short of accusing the government of persecution. The persecution
of Egyptian Coptic Christians in the town El-Kosheh last year (see
link #6 below) is presented in such a way "that it leads to the
conclusion that religion was not a factor," Shea said. The Saudi
Arabia section misleads readers to believe that non-Muslims can
worship in private. In fact, religious police have been known to
search private homes and arrest people for non-Muslim worship, she
said.

An adoption agency is seeking parents for frozen embryos. Ron
Stoddart, director of Christian Adoption and Family Services, is
looking for families for the estimated 150,000 embryos frozen in
cryogenic laboratories and clinics in the United States. He
founded the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program (see link #7
below) last year to unite childless couples with unused
fertilized eggs left over from infertility treatments. Doctors
often fertilize as many as 30 eggs during in-vitro fertility
treatments, and often more than 20 are left over when the
treatments end. Stored embryos are sometimes used later by the
same couple or donated to other infertile couples, but most
remain inactive, the Washington Times said. Stoddart said he
believes that the embryos are "pro-born babies" that should be
protected and treated with the same dignity as a child being
carried by a mother.

RELATED LINKS:
3: http://freedomhouse.org/religion/

4:http://www.religiontoday.com/Archive/FeatureStory/view.cgi?file=3D19990601.s1.html

5:http://www.religiontoday.com/Archive/FeatureStory/view.cgi?file=3D19990712.s1.html

6:http://www.religiontoday.com/Archive/NewsSummary/view.cgi?file=3D19990513.brf.html

7: http://www.snowflakes.org/

http://www.religiontoday.com
Sept 13, 1999

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - 5760/Tower of Babel
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 15:22:59 +0000

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

Each week a different portion (parashah/parshah) of the Pentateuch
(first 5 books of the Bible) is read in Jewish synagogues. They
either complete reading the entire Pentateuch within a one year or
three year cycle. Weekly portions have different names (i.e. Ki
Saitzai). Plural of parshah is parshios. (There is no uniformity in
the transliteration of Jewish words.)

The readings from the book of Deuteronomy are said "to correspond to
what will happen in each one hundred years of the sixth
millennium--ten [portions] corresponding to ten periods of one
hundred years."

The seventh of these 10 portions from Deuteronomy corresponds to the
years 5600-5700 of the Jewish calendar and 1840-1940 of our
calendar and is called Ki Tavo. The portion read is Deuteronomy
26:1-29:8. This portion ended "in the middle of WWII and includes
curses for straying from the Torah, describing in explicit detail
what can be construed as a Holocaust."
 
  [For more on what is read on which days, please see BPR file
  entitled "Chronology of the Book of Revelation? at
  http://philologos.org/bpr/research.htm]

This year the eighth portion is read on the Sabbath right before Rosh
Hashanah 5760. It corresponds to the years 5700-5800 on the Jewish
calendar and 1940-2040 on our calendar and is
called Nizzavim/Va-Yelekh. Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 is read.

"Parashas Nitzavim begins with a mood of Final Redemption, moving
from a discussion of Divine wrath and punishment for Jewish
disobedience, and the wonderment that will result from the extent of
this wrath, to talk of a renewed covenant with G-d, national
repentance, and the final ingathering of the exiles from the four
corners of the earth. We have seen all aspects of this, if only in
part, in our day.

"This parshah ends with encouraging words of the availability of
Torah (certainly enhanced by the Internet today), which also acts as
a warning for those who would try to make Torah appear a 'closed
book' and inaccessible. We are reminded, at the end, that to forsake
Torah is to forsake free-will, the purpose of life in This World in
the first place.

"Parashas Vayailech begins the final phase of the transference of
leadership from Moshe [Moses] to Yehoshua [Joshua], and therefore, it
is also the beginning of the entry into Eretz Yisroel [land of
Israel]. It is also at this time that Moshe Rabbeinu finished writing
the Torah for the nation, and all the generations to come, and left
us all with this final warning:

"'I know that after I die you will become corrupt and turn away from
the path that I have told you to follow. In the end of days you will
be beset with evil, since you will have done evil in G-d's eyes,
angering Him with the work of your hands.' (Devarim [Deuteronomy]
31:29)

"However, just as the parshios in Sefer Devarim mirror the Sixth
Millennium, so, too, do the verses of the entire Torah echo history
since the beginning of man's existence. For example,

"Let all your elders and officers gather together before me [Moshe]
that I may speak these words in their ears ... (Devarim 31:28)

"is the 5,750th verse in the entire Torah (there are 5,845 verses in
the entire five books), which might not be significant if not for the
fact that there is a tradition that each verse corresponds to one
year of history (at least until the year 5845). If so, then each
verse, potentially, can shed light on its corresponding year.

"For example, the 5,698th posuk (from Parashas Ki Savo) reads as
follows:

"G-d was angered and brought upon you all the curses that are written
here. (Devarim 29:26)

"It 'happens' to be, that, when the Hebrew year '5698' is written out
in Hebrew letters (as we are accustomed to do), it spells the Hebrew
word, 'tirtzach' (tav, reish, tzaddik, ches), which means, 'you will
murder.' For those who do not recognize the year 5698, it
corresponded to the Western year, 1938--the year of the infamous
'Kristallnacht Pogrom' in Germany, and pretty much the official
beginning of Hitler's 'Final Solution' to what he saw was the 'Jewish
problem.' The connection to the above verse, many feel, is
self-evident.

"Going further in the Torah, and therefore in time, we arrive at the
5,750th verse, quoted first above. In the Torah, Moshe is commanding
this gathering of the leaders to teach them the 'song' (found next in
Parashas HaAzinu), created to act as constant reminder and warning to
the Jewish people of how to avoid Divine wrath; this is why it begins
with an overview of mankind's dismal start.

"For this reason, many want to say that the 5,750th verse is one that
alludes to potential redemption in the year 5750, and there are other
predictions and sources to that effect. Clearly, historically, the
year 5750/1990 was a watershed year in Jewish and world history, one
in which Jews were finally allowed to emigrate from Russia. The
Persian Gulf War also began that year, and ended the following year on
Purim, after the Israeli population was 'saved' from Iraq's scud
missiles quite miraculously.

"Before leaving this idea for now, it is also an interesting
occurrence that the two parshios, which are considered one parshah,
together have seventy verses. As is pointed out so many places, the
gematria of Gog u'Magog, the name of the final war that leads to the
Final Redemption, is also 70. Another allusion to redemption?"

The material quoted above was from an explanation of Parashah
Nitzavim-Vayailech/Rosh Hashanah from Rabbi Pinchas Winston that was
sent out a couple of weeks ago. The following is also from Rabbi
Winston and is from Parashah Ha'Azinu and it was sent out today.

"When the Most High divided up the sons of man, and gave them each
their inheritance, He made many distinct peoples, corresponding to the
number of the Children of Israel. (Devarim 32:8)

"In Parashas Ki Seitzei, we spoke about the concept mentioned by the
Vilna Gaon that each parshah from the fifth book of the Torah, Sefer
Devarim corresponds to one hundred years in the Sixth Millennium.
Therefore, one could, theoretically, find allusions to events of a
century in its corresponding parshah.

"We also spoke about a different system of comparison, in which one
verse from the Torah corresponds to a year of history from the time of
creation onward (eg. Bereishis 1:1, year, etc.). This, too, allows one
to look for spiritual 'roots' for historical events in the
corresponding verse for that time. At the very least, such
correlations create wonderment for the observer, and is just more
evidence of Ben Bag Bag's statement:

"'Turn over in it [Torah], turn over in it, for everything is in it
[Torah] ...' (Pirkei Avos 5:26)

"So, based upon this, we spoke about the 5,750th verse in the Torah
(Parashas Vayailech), and how it could easily be an allusion to the
events that occurred in the Jewish year, 5750 (1990). This is
especially so since, according to tradition, 5750 represented a
turning of a spiritual corner. For, just as we divide up the Jewish
day into four parts, so, too, do we divide up the millennium into four
parts, because one millennium is equal to one day of creation (six
days, six millennia).

"Hence, just as the sixth day of the week is called 'Erev Shabbos,'
[Eve of the Sabbath] so, too, is the Sixth Millennium called the
'Erev Shabbos' of history. And, just as the last quarter of Friday
has special halachic and philosophical status because of its close
proximity to Shabbos, so, too, does the last quarter of the Sixth
Millennium--from 5750 until 6,000--have special philosophical status,
being in such close proximity to the year 6,000, and the 'Shabbos' of
history.

"So, here we are in the new year of 5760, thank G-d. There are
several sources that speak about this year, and what may be in store
for the Jewish people and the world in general. The truth is, even
without these sources, a spiritually-sensitive person can't help but
wonder what is coming up, given the historical significance of the
year 2000 to so many groups, the historical change of weather, and
the unusual amount and scope of 'natural' events and disasters that
seem to keep occurring around the world.

"And, being in the year 5760, I thought it would be interesting to
look at the 5,760th verse in the Torah, to see what it said and how
it might relate to this year, for interest's sake alone (or, so I
told myelf). So I counted the verses from the 5,760th one:

"Verse five thousand, seven hundred and fifty one ... verse 5000, 700
and 52 ...

"... And what I 'discovered' sent chills up and down my spine.

"Now, at the risk of causing many to say, 'Oh no, not again! Doesn't
this guy know that Y2K is a thing of the past? Is he still harping on
this issue? I think I'll change the channel ...' I have the following
to say.

"Just about everyone knows of the Tower of Bavel (Babel). In the year
1996 from creation, four years before the year 2000, humankind
embarked upon a bold new project: the first sky-scraper in the history
of the world, if you will.

"... 5000 ... 700... and 53 ... 5000 ... 700 ... and 54 ...

"According to the Midrash, there were three reasons why the people of
that time invested their life's energy into this venture. The first
reason was to do battle with G-d, and to 'confine' him to Heaven, so
that man could rule the earth. How naive, right?

"The second reason for building the tower, says the Midrash, was to
create a cosmopolitan center, a place around which mankind could rally
and unite. They wanted to create a 'New World Order,' an era of
international brotherhood. How noble, right?

"The third reason for the tower, explains the Midrash, was to avoid
future floods. You see, this group did not view the Flood as an act of
Divine retribution, for living spiritually-destructive lives. Rather,
this group of heretics wanted to believe that the Flood was just the
result of a defect in creation, a leaky faucet, so-to-speak. According
to this philosophy, every 1,656 years, Heaven leaks ... in a major
way, and the tower, they hoped would 'plug' that leak
once-and-for-all, and save the world from future disasters.

"At that time, all the earth spoke one language, and was united in
speech ... (Bereishis [Genesis] 11:1)

"--the Torah begins. Their strength? They all spoke one language.
Their 'achilles heel'? They all spoke one language.

"... Verse 5000 ... 700 ... and 55 ...

"... As they journeyed from the east, they found a valley in the land
of Shinar, and settled there. Then, each man said to his neighbor,
'Let's make bricks and burn them thoroughly.' They had brick for
stone, and they used slime as mortar. Then they said, 'Let's build a
city, with a tower whose top will reach into Heaven. We'll make
ourselves famous [to prevent ourselves] from being scattered over the
face of the earth.' (Bereishis 11:2-4)

"Three intentions--three levels of destruction. According to the
Midrash, upset with Mankind's ambitions once again, G-d completely
destroyed one-third of the tower and He left one-third partially
submerged and partially visible. The final third of the tower was
allowed to remain entirely, for a reason. In fact, says the Midrash,
the remaining third was so high that if one were to stand on the top
and look down, even the tallest tree would appear like a butterfly
from that point of view!

"... 5000 ... 700 ... and 56 ... Verse 5000 ... 700 ... and 57 ...

"Now that's high! In fact, it is so high that the American troops who
fought against Iraq in 1990 should have stumbled over it on their way
in and on their way out. At the very least, it should be a major
tourist attraction to this very day! 'So, why don't I know about this
tower?' you may be asking yourself.

"The answer is, the explanation of Rabbi Nissan Alpert. Rav Alpert
explained the Midrash as follows: G-d dealt with the three different
philosophies in three different ways.

"The first philosophy, explains Rav Alpert, was the one about going
to war against G-d, and it was completely eliminated. After all, when
was the last time anyone was reckless enough to challenge G-d at
anything? (True, the Titanic did fly a banner that read: A ship that
even G-d can't sink! However, they didn't mean to actually challenge
G-d ...)

"No, today people don't go to war against G-d, they go to war (and
murder innocent people) in the NAME of G-d. 'Here,' they say, 'I'm
going to murder these innocent people on your behalf G-d, so don't
take it personally.' You have to admit, it is a more sophisticated
approach than the one the people of the tower used.

"The second philosophy, of creating a new world order? Says Rav
Alpert, that one comes-and-goes. There are times when man becomes
inspired and ambitious enough to try to unify the world around one
central point and philosophy, and then there are times when every
nation just goes off on its own. That philosophy remains partly
'submerged,' partly 'visible' throughout the history of the world.

"However, said Rav Alpert, the philosophy of minimizing the hand of
G-d in daily life to make life appear random? That, said Rav Alpert
(and society concurs), is alive, well, and standing tall. In fact, if
you 'look' at the world and history through this philosophy's 'eyes,'
then even the biggest miracle seems like a mere 'butterfly' from that
vantage point! Disasters? Divine Retribution? Nope--just a leaky
'faucet' ... Here, we can fix that ...

"But we don't want to fix ourselves ...

"Verse ... 5000 ... 700 ... and 58 ...

"Now, I am not a computer expert, and my opinion about Y2K, from a
technical standpoint, is amateurish at best. Maybe the fear about a
domino-effect computer-chip problem is a lot of hype (one Y2K-worried
site also supports the right to own fire arms ... Hmmmmm). On the
other hand, maybe the picture is not as rosy as the government makes
it seem. (Can they really fix EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE in time? Besides,
presidents and governments do lie, you know, when they deem it in the
public's best interest to do so.)

"However, from a Torah, philosophical outlook, I am impressed by the
phenomenon, and somewhat equipped to ask, 'I wonder what the message
is in all of this?'

"After all, the banks (read: depositors and investors) alone will
have spent over three billion dollars to solve the problem of two
zeroes--that's right, two zeroes. How humbling. And who knows how much
the governments (read: taxpayers) will have spent in the end?!
Whatever the truth about Y2K may be, it certainly has become a major
focus in the eyes of twentieth century man as we put the wrapper on
this Western millennium.

"'It is from G-d, that which is wondrous in our eyes.' (Tehillim
118:23)

"Verse 5000 ... 700 ... and 59 ...

"And, then, I reached the 5,760th verse ... in this week's parshah of
all places ... in the first week of the new year. You know, the posuk
(verse) that corresponds to the 5,760th year from creation, which, in
turn, corresponds to the 2,000 year according to the Western calendar.
The verse reads:

"... When the Most High divided up the sons of man, and gave them
each their inheritance, He made many distinct peoples, corresponding
to the number of the Children of Israel. (Devarim 32:8)

"Comments Rashi:

"'When the Most High divided up the sons of man ... That is, when He
dispersed the generation of the Dispersion ...' (Rashi)

"That is, the generation of the Tower of Bavel--the 5,760th posuk is
talking about the generation that built the Tower of Bavel, whose
greatest technological asset was a single language, and whose drive
was to control 'nature' and to minimize Divine Providence, and whose
technological asset turned out to be their spiritual disadvantage.

"What a coincidence, no?

"I guess it depends upon which of the three philosophies one uses to
build his or her 'tower.' THAT, is a matter of free-choice. And THAT,
is why G-d left the final third of the tower standing until this very
day.

"Oh, and, incidentally, the 5,761st verse?

"However, G-d has His own people-Ya'akov is His inheritance."