BPR Mailing List Digest: 04/13/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
April 13, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | April, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The latest tornado stats
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 08:21:59 -0500

The latest tornado stats

explorezone.com . 03.20.00

With another tornado season imminent, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration has place a trove of
historical twister statistics online.

The report shows that both 1998 and 1999 were above
average for tornado activity and related deaths.
Researchers noted, however, that better observation and
reporting may contribute to the increasing numbers.

SOURCE: NOAA Through September of 1999, 1,351 tornadoes
touched down in the United States, compared with 1,424 in
1998, which was a record since reliable data have been
kept. Though the 1999 data is not complete, it covers the
most active portion of the year.

Tornadoes killed 95 people last year, and 130 in 1998.
More details of the report are available at

<http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html>

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Japanese experts withdraw prediction of big volcanic eruption
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 08:24:10 -0500

Japanese experts withdraw prediction of big volcanic
eruption

TOKYO (April 12, 2000 10:41 a.m. EDT
http://www.nandotimes.com) - Experts monitoring Mount Usu
in northern Japan said on Wednesday that a large-scale
eruption by the recently awakened volcano may not be as
likely as first feared. "Current data shows no phenomena
indicating movement toward a large-scale eruption on the
mountain's peak," the Coordinating Committee for Prediction
of Volcanic Eruption said in a statement. Since stirring
from a 22-year slumber on March 31, the 7,320-foot Mount
Usu has erupted several times, spewing ash and gas from
craters. Though quick evacuations prevented injuries to
residents, authorities feared a larger blast would send a
searing mix of gas and rock down the volcano's slopes.

The prediction committee, a team of scientific advisers to
Japan's Meteorological Agency, warned on April 5 that a
violent eruption could occur within two weeks. They pointed
to a swelling dome of hardening lava atop the volcano as a
sign of danger. But the state of alarm was lowered after a
four-hour meeting on Wednesday, when the advisers analyzed
the latest seismic and other data.

http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/0,1080,500191915-5002596
05-501336560-0,00.html

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - What's New at BPR?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 14:02:34 -0500

Bible Prophecy Research
Additions and updates made since Mar 17, 2000
Issue #43
April 13, 2000
===================

Hi everyone...

We have a few files that were added to the web site
recently, as well as a book recommendation we hope you
like. Any problems, corrections, comments, etc. please let
me know.

On a celebratory note, this month marks the 2nd Anniversary
of Philologos and its associated sites. We thank God for the
opportunity to share our "notes" from the various resources that
we have with you. We have never likened ourselves as teachers or
scholars, and trust that, as you look over our material, you'll see our
hearts' desire is to only learn and share the truth. If you find
something on our site that helps or enriches your studies, that's
great. If, on the other hand, you have to "spit out a few bones" --
well... that's ok too. <g> Moza wrote something at the end of one of her
files last year that sums up nicely what I'm trying to say:

"Remember what is of God, and forget the rest."

Baruch Hashem
owner-bpr@philologos.org

===================

> Added: Pesach/Passover
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Jewish_Feasts/js009.htm

Scriptures and links to various articles dealing with
Pesach.

-----

> Added: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms061.htm

Is the Roman Catholic Mary the same Mary, mother of Jesus,
in the Bible?

-----

> Added: Creature of Jekyll Island
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms060.htm

"This is a transcription of a two tape set provided for
free by Firefighters for Christ of a talk about the Federal
Reserve System. Place and person names will probably be
incorrect but the overall gist of what is going on is
fascinating enough so that you will hopefully be able to
overlook my errors. This work has been edited to make it
more readable." -- Moza

-----

> Updated: Mark
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/m002a.htm

> Updated: "...a great earthquake..."
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/e006.htm

===================
BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
by Paul Brand, Philip Yancey (Contributor)
Paperback - 224 pages
Reissue edition
(October 1987)
Zondervan Publishing House
ISBN: 031035451X

In His Image
by Paul Brand (Contributor), Philip Yancey
Paperback - 304 pages
(October 1987)
Zondervan Publishing House
ISBN: 031035501X

In both these books the authors take us into the world of
medicine as seen through spiritual eyes. The parallels
between our own bodies and the Body of Christ are
fascinating to say the least. Read, for example, how when
one area of our physical body is injured an urgent call
goes out and hundreds of thousands of cells respond by
plugging the holes in the walls, protecting the weak,
cleansing the area and rebuilding itself. Read also how the
body responds when there is rebellion loose within it. The
list includes the workings of: (Fearfully and Wonderfully
Made) cells, bones, skin, motion, (In His Image) image,
blood, head, spirit and pain.

The reading style is very relaxed and everything is
explained simply so that you don't need a degree in
chemistry to understand what's going on. A special bonus is
Dr. Brand's focus on his life's work with lepers which is
interwoven throughout both books. If you've got an interest
in how the physical body works and how it relates to
biblical concepts, get these books--you won't be
disappointed. -- Moza (moza@butterfly.mv.com)

For further information and a Table of Contents for both
books please visit the book section of our BPR Reference Guide:
http://philologos.org/guide/books.htm

===================
JEWISH CALENDAR

Nisan 5760
April - May 2000

The zodiacal sign of this month is Aries. The tribe of
Naphtali is associated with the month of Nisan. It
consists of 30 days, and the 1st of Nisan never falls on a
Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The Mishnah calls the first
of Nisan the "new year for kings and festivals." Reigns of
monarchs in biblical times were reckoned from that time,
but later it was made the seventh month of the civil year.
(Ency. Judaica)

Theme: redemption

SELECTED DATES FOR THE MONTH OF NISAN

2 Nisan 2449 (March 19 1312 BCE) - Traditional date for
the setting up of the Tabernacle set up by the Israelites
in the wilderness. The Tabernacle built by Bezallel and
Oholiab was made of acacia wood and covered in gold. There
were fine woven materials used in various coverings and
curtains. Most of the vessels (candelabra, table, Alters
etc.) were made of either pure gold or wood with gold
coverings. After crossing the Jordan it was moved to Shilo.

April 11, 1909: Tel Aviv, the first modern Jewish city,
is founded on the sand dunes north of Jaffa with the
building of 60 houses. The actual name Tel Aviv was given
only the next year (Hill of Spring) and was taken from a
Babylonian city (Ezekiel 3:15) and used by Nahum Sokolow as
the title for his translation of Herzl's book Altneuland.

April 14, 1859: In Galatz, Rumania, Jews were accused of
taking blood from a Christian child (for the baking of
matzos) though not of killing him. Fifteen "culprits" are
arrested. The next day a mob broke into the synagogue,
killing some of the worshipers, destroying some fifty
scrolls and demolishing the synagogue. The 15 were soon
released with no convictions, yet the government refused to
allow the synagogue to be rebuilt for nearly 20 years.

11 Nisan 5030 (March 28, 1270): This date marks the
anniversary of the death of Moses ben Nachman (born 1194) -
also known as Nachmanides or as the RamBaN. He is famed for
his commentaries on the Bible and his prowess in debating
(Pablo Christiany, a heretic Jew, in Aragon 1263). Although
King James I decided the debate against him, Nachmanides
was favored by the court. He was banished from Spain after
papal pressure was brought against him. He later settled in
Eretz-Israel where he established a synagogue and school
for Talmudic studies.

April 19th is one of the blackest days on the Jewish
calendar. From the 11th (1014) through the 20th (1903)
century, this date is remembered for the atrocities which
took place. (Source: The Hagshama Department The World
Zionist Organization, http://www.wzo.org.il)

Pesach - 15 Nisan - April 20, 2000 - Passover
"Israel's redemption in future days will happen on the
fifteenth of Nisan, the night of Israel's redemption from
Egypt, for thus did Moses say, 'In this night God protected
Israel against the Angels of Destruction, and in this night He
will also redeem the generations of the future.'" (Legends
of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg, Book 2)

Apr 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak

21 Nisan 2448 (April 7, 1312 BCE): The traditional date
for the parting of Red Sea for the Israelites on their way
from Egypt.

Yom Hashoah - 27 Nisan - May 2, 2000 - Holocaust Remembrance Day

28 Nisan 2488 (April 14 1282 BCE): Traditional date
marking the fall of the walls of Jericho.

May 05 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak

===================

Bible Prophecy Research: http://philologos.org/bpr
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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:14:57 -0400

*** Israel: UN to determine border

JERUSALEM (AP) - Prime Minister Ehud Barak is ready to let the U.N.
determine the final border between Israel and Lebanon, a senior
Israeli official said Wednesday. The offer - a rare Israeli
concession - is aimed at pressing Lebanon to secure the border once
Israel pulls out. Barak has said he will withdraw Israeli troops from
Lebanon by July, preferably as part of an agreement with Lebanon and
Syria - the main power in Lebanon - but unilaterally if need be.
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon since a 1982 invasion. The
Israeli official said Israel regards the international border as the
line to which it withdrew its forces after a brief invasion of
Lebanon in 1978. At that time, the U.N. affirmed the legitimacy of
that border, said the official. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565654490-301

*** 28 electrocuted in eastern India

NEW DELHI, India (AP) - An 11,000-volt electricity cable snapped and
electrocuted 28 Hindu devotees Thursday during a midnight chariot
procession, injuring eight others, domestic news agencies reported. A
tall flagstaff being carried in the procession to celebrate the birth
of Lord Rama, one of the most revered Hindu gods, rammed into the
electricity wire. The cable split and fell on the crowd below,
setting fire to a colorful chariot that was the highlight of the
procession, United News of India reported. The accident in Daltongunj
town in the eastern Bihar state occurred a little after midnight.
Four of the injured were reported to have suffered serious burns. Few
other details were immediately available from the area, 500 miles
south east of India's capital New Delhi. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2565663902-840

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Lucent bets on data beaming
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:14:57 -0400

LUCENT BETS ON DATA BEAMING

Lucent Technologies has hooked up with startup TeraBeam Networks to
collaborate on laser technology capable of beaming data through the air at
high speeds. The two plan to create a new company, called TeraBeam
Internet Systems, to develop the technology, which will then be used to
deliver TeraBeam Networks' high-speed wireless Internet service. The laser
technology will provide a "last-mile" solution for linking homes and
businesses to high-speed fiber-optic networks used for carrying Internet data.
"This is an enormous breakthrough," says TeraBeam CEO Daniel Hesse,
former head of AT&T's wireless division. "The industry has been trying to
solve the last-mile issue for years and this is the solution." The new
technology will enable Lucent to gain a stronger foothold in the burgeoning
broadband market, which is expected to increase to $33 billion in annual
revenue by 2003. (Wall Street Journal 13 Apr 2000)
http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB955578499487522739.htm

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

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (4/13/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:14:57 -0400

WELCOME BACK, GOLAN!

"The Syrian story is over," Prime Minister Barak told his coalition partners
last night, "and will be so for a long time." As a result, the Prime Minister's
Office has informed the Golan Regional Council that the government will now
remove all obstacles to continued construction and development in the
Golan. Projects that had been halted within the past few months in light of
the talks with Assad include new neighborhoods in Ramat Magshimim,
Kanaf, and other Golan communities, as well as the expansion of Hamat
Gader and a new hotel on the eastern Kinneret's Kurasi Beach.

Eli Malka, Chairman of the Golan Residents Committee, has sent a letter of
thanks to the residents of Judea and Samaria for their part in the struggle
against the abandonment of the Golan Heights. "You were among the most
dedicated in the struggle - a struggle that the Prime Minister was unable to
ignore," Malka wrote. "The inhabitants of the Golan will continue, with you,
to wave the banner of Zionist settlement in the Land of Israel."

The Syrian government, via its media, has returned to threatening Israel. "The
few meters that Israel refuses to turn over to Syria," writes the Al-Baath
government newspaper, "will cost it dearly, and the Barak government will
bear the responsibility." The paper adds that Syria will not be deterred from
using all means to protect its territory.

Hizbullah mortar shells, fired from southern Lebanon, again landed in
northern Israel this afternoon, though they caused no damage. Israeli and
Southern Lebanese forces exchanged fire all afternoon with the Hizbullah
terrorists.

THE FIVE NO'S

The closing of the Syrian option and the almost simultaneous release last
night of a periodic report by Israel's intelligence establishment place Israel's
diplomatic position in a somewhat new light. None of Israel's fronts - the
Lebanese, Palestinian, or others - are particularly stable, according to the
report, and the months ahead could well bring military friction between Israel
and her Arab neighbors. Hizbullah has accelerated the pace of its training
program in Iran, which continues to provide unprecedented levels of financial
support. This, together with Syrian frustrations at Israel's plans to withdraw
from Lebanon, will lead to intensified Hizbullah attacks against Israel.

Within Judea and Samaria, warnings of imminent terrorist attacks are
received daily, and several such attacks have reportedly been thwarted.
Hamas has been solidifying its cooperation with Israeli-Arabs, and has also
recently rebuilt much of its terror infrastructure, according to the report.
Arafat is expected to declare a Palestinian state even without Israeli consent
by September, in a move which is liable to lead to a military clash with
Israel. Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler reports that the IDF conducted an extensive
military exercise this week simulating an armed conflict with the Palestinians
in Judea, Samaria and Gaza - including a "re-conquering" of various Yesha
areas from the PA. The exercise involved armored troop vehicles,
helicopters, and tanks. Upon the release of the report last night, an Israeli
spokesman said that there is a reasonable likelihood of the exercise
becoming a reality in the near future.

It has now been learned that the Palestinians recently hardened their
negotiating positions, and presented their "Five No's" to the Israelis at the
last round of talks in Washington. The Five Palestinian No's include: * No
giving up on any of Judea and Samaria, including Jerusalem; * No Jewish
settlements in Yesha; * No putting off the discussion on Jerusalem and
refugees, and no partial framework agreement; * No Israeli military presence
between Palestinian areas and Jordan, and between Palestinian Gazan
areas and Egypt; * No Palestinian refugees outside their homeland.

Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (National Religious Party) responded
today to Barak's remarks that the Palestinian track is to be "sped up:" "We
don't know yet what this means... I hope that Barak is smart enough to
know that the Israeli public will not accept any concessions around
Jerusalem [where it has been reported that Barak would give control to the
PA over such neighborhoods as Azariya, A-Ram, and Anata]. This would
almost totally cut off Israeli access to Jewish areas around Jerusalem..."
Asked about his party's commitment to the coalition, Rabbi Levy said: "Our
red lines are very clear, and they include, first of all, the condition that
settlements not be uprooted or harmed. A withdrawal of more than 1%
would almost certainly hurt some Yesha towns, such that we would leave the
government if that happens."

PA OWES ISRAEL OVER 570 MILLION SHEKELS

The Palestinian Authority and Arabs who live there owe Israelis well over 570
million shekels (over $140 million). In addition, it is assumed that many
other debts have simply been forfeited by private Israelis who do not wish to
wage legal battles for the money, knowing that their chances of success are
nil. The Justice Ministry compiled the data following complaints by Arafat
that Israel is not transferring required funds to the PA.

TEHRAN TIMES AND THE HOLOCAUST

The rejection this week of Holocaust-denier David Irving's law suit against a
historian who called him a "falsifier of history" has not fazed the Tehran
Times. An editorial yesterday in the Iranian paper begins, "One of the
biggest frauds of the outgoing century... is the story of the Holocaust made
up by the Zionists to blackmail the West." The paper cites writers who have
"proved with logic and evidence" that there was no Holocaust, bemoans the
"reparations [paid] by the West to the Zionist regime for some baseless
claims," and blames Israel for the "millions of Palestinian homeless."

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, April 13, 2000 / Nissan 8, 5760

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - April 14, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:14:57 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

DISC - HEADLINE DISCOVERY: EVIL AMONG US: HATE IN AMERICA -
Contemporary extremist group events and trends; World Church
of the Creator; Aryan Nation; Ku Klux Klan.(CC)

HIST - WORLD TIMELINE - "Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs" - Great
Pyramid of Giza; temples of Karnak and Luxor; treasures of
King Tut.(CC)(TVG)

9:00

PBS - GREAT AMERICAN SPEECHES: 80 YEARS OF POLITICAL
   ORATORY - "America at War" - Speeches from World War II;
   Franklin D. Roosevelt; sound-film recording; Douglas
          MacArthur.(CC)(TVPG)

HIST - WORLD TIMELINE - "Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs" - The
pyramid complex of Pharaoh Snefru; ancient burial ground of
Abydos.(CC)(TVG)

TLC - IN PURSUIT OF THE SHROUD - Scholars subject the
Shroud of Turin to a battery of tests to identify its
mysterious image.(CC)(TVG)

10:00

ABC - 20/20 FRIDAY - Controversy addresses Southern
Baptist evangelical conversions.(CC)

HIST - WORLD TIMELINE - "Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs" -
Ikhnaton the heretic king; Queen Nefertiti; King Seti
I.(CC)(TVG)

TLC - MYSTERY OF THE ISLAND MUMMIES - Pyramids, cave
dwellings, mummies are all that remain of the Gaunche
civilization.(CC)(TVG)

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Futurist Update items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:14:57 -0400

A NINE DAY WEEK?

Switching to a nine-day week--six working days with three days off--may
help alleviate a variety of economic ills and social irritations,
proposes noted educator Harold Howe II.

The key to this plan is that people will have different "weekends" off:
Workers would take their three-day weekends in shifts, with one-third of
them being off duty at any given time. This would relieve the stress and
strain that comes from everyone having to cram most of their leisure
activities and errands into a two-day weekend. "During those two days,
it is difficult to get your car fixed, your tooth ache attended to, or
your attorney's help with some emergency," writes Howe, who served as
U.S. Commissioner of Education under President Lyndon Johnson.

The idea actually originated with the late Argentinian astrophysicist
Carlos M. Varsavsky, Howe notes. It calls for 10 months each consisting
of four nine-day weeks. That's a total of 360 days, with five major
holidays rounding out the 365-day year. "In the process, our economy
would become more efficient, our leisure time more rewarding, our
schools and colleges less crowded, our religious activities more
meaningful, and our family lives more successful for both children and
adults," Howe says.

Howe details his idea on the World Future Society's new Web site
feature: the Social Innovation Forum, which posts proposals from a
variety of futurists and offers visitors the chance to give their
comments. http://www.wfs.org/innovate.htm.

REPLACING NEEDLES WITH ULTRASOUND

New research on a way to draw blood without needles may lead to
wristwatch-type biomonitoring devices that could, for example, check a
diabetic's glucose levels and deliver insulin without ever breaking the
skin.

Scientists at MIT have figured out how to check glucose levels using
ultrasound instead of a needle. When applied to the skin, ultrasound
slightly loosens the bonds between skin cells so that the fluid between
cells can be drawn through the skin with a small glass vacuum cylinder.
This fluid is not actually blood, but it contains the same
concentrations of glucose and other substances found in blood.
Cholesterol, for example, could also be checked with this technique.

The procedure is not only painless, according to the researchers, but it
can work in reverse, delivering drugs through the skin. Although the
initial application of this technology will probably be a palm-sized
glucose monitoring device, the MIT scientists envision a
wristwatch-typed "ultrasound sonicator" that could withdraw and analyze
bodily fluid, then deliver the necessary drug, all the while informing
the wearer of its actions through a display. For more information, visit
http://web.mit.edu/news.html.

DAUGHTERS WANTED

Most parents who have any preference at all about the gender of their
children tend to want an equal mix. But a team of German demographers
studying gender preference in Europe recently found an unexpected
preference for girls in Portugal, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. The
researchers also cited a previous study that found a preference for
daughters in the Caribbean.

One possible explanation for the daughter-preference might be that
modernizing societies have fewer economic reasons for preferring sons
and more emotional reasons for preferring daughters. "Daughters are
thought to be more reliable in providing old age assistance," note
researchers Karsten Hank and Hans-Peter Kohler of the Max Planck
Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany. A similar study
in Japan found that girls may be preferred because parents see them as
cuter and easier to handle. (See http://www.womenasia.com;
http://www.isiswomen.org.)

Strong gender preferences in a society could lead to distortions of the
sex ratio, causing delayed marriages and possible increases in numbers
of people who never marry, Hank and Kohler warn in their paper, "Gender
Preferences for Children in Europe," published in the January 25, 2000,
issue of DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH (http://www.demographic-
research.org).

FUTURIST UPDATE
News & Previews from the World Future Society
April 2000

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Gore Endorses Roman Homosexual Celebration
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:53:31 -0400

April 13, 2000 -- 7:49 pm

Gore Endorses Roman Homosexual Celebration

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNS -- Vice President Al Gore has endorsed the
world's first international homosexual celebration according to the
organizers of the event in Rome this summer despite unease over the
matter by the Roman Catholic Church.

The Democratic Party's presidential hopeful sent a letter to the
organizers of World Pride 2000 on March 23rd after the Vatican had
expressed its displeasure about the week-long event that will culminate
in a massive street demonstration.

"As you renew your commitment to promoting equal protection under the
law for every citizen and opposing all forms of discrimination, I stand
ready to ensure gay and lesbian Americans have the opportunity to
participate fully in a nation and a world that is united in those goals
of importance to us all," Gore wrote.

"I look forward to strengthening our working relationship throughout the
21st Century," Gore added, and sent his "warmest regards."

Along with First Lady Hillary Clinton, Gore was criticized by the
Republican Party last month for not distancing himself from supporters
engaged in a campaign to have the Vatican lose its permanent
representative status in the United Nations.

The Vatican has asked Italian authorities to ensure World Pride 2000 -
which it would rather see scrapped -does not conflict with church events
linked to the Jubilee year.

Millions of pilgrims this year are visiting the Vatican, a sovereign
enclave located within the city of Rome.

Roman Catholic commentators and media in Italy have called the
celebration an attack on the church, some labeling it "anti-Jubilee,"
although the organizers deny this is the case.

"It's not an event against the Jubilee," Andrea Guiliani, spokesman for
the World Pride 2000 convening committee, told CNSNews.com on Wednesday.

He said the event had been announced at a press conference in 1998, and
the Vatican had only come out against the celebration two months ago.

"We think that this year, 2000, we're going to start the new millennium
with a message for the world ... it's not really a protest against [the
Vatican.]

"Of course, we're asking for an end to cultural oppression because the
church in Italy ... always did [practice] cultural oppression against
gay people. This is what we need to stop."

Guiliani confirmed that "religious gay groups," Roman Catholic and
otherwise, would participate in the July 1-9 event and that the program
includes "a conference on homosexuality and religion - not with the
intention of knocking the church - but with the intention to discuss and
see the different positions."

Gore's support came after Vatican complaints

Guiliani said the organizers regarded Gore's message of support as a
significant victory.

"This is an important message to our governments. The USA, the most
important in the world, and the vice president and candidate for the
next election, is supporting World Pride 2000 despite all the things
said and written against it," Guiliani said.

'The letter arrived on March 23rd after all the negative things said by
the Vatican," Guiliani added.

In February, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano was
quoted as telling reporters the Holy See believed the homosexual rights
event "would not do honor to Italy."

Speaking after a meeting with Italy's ambassador to the Vatican, Sodano
said the event could be a breach of the Lateran agreement that governs
relations between the church and state.

While the Vatican was not asking the Italian authorities to ban the
event, it wanted them to insure there would be no conflict with church
events, Sodano added.

The relationship between the Vatican and homosexual advocates has long
been tense. Recently, activists complained that Pope John Paul II had
not cited the church's attitude towards homosexuals when he asked for
pardon for past errors.

Two years ago, a homosexual immolated himself in St. Peter's Square,
leaving a suicide note saying he could not cope with the rejection he
felt from the Roman Catholic Church. Alfredo Ormando became a symbol for
the campaign by homosexuals to have their lifestyles recognized by the
church.

The head of the center organizing the World Pride 2000 program, Imma
Battaglia, is quoted in the current edition of a Toronto homosexual
publication, Now, as saying of her response to Ormando's suicide: "I
said 'This is really enough. [DELETED] the Pope and all the rest ... You
cannot impose on our life.' "

"World Pride must be 2000," Battaglia told the magazine, "because of the
Jubilee."

The Now article focuses on the in-your-face nature of the planned event,
which it says is "scheduled for smack in the middle of this special
Roman Catholic Jubilee year when believers are summoned to Rome."

"Christian pilgrims will have to share the city with gays and lesbians
from Greenland to Afghanistan who are to converge on Rome to party,
parade and polemicize ... no wonder the Vatican is scared," the Now
article said.

Among other high-profile figures who have endorsed the event, according
to the conveners, are several members of the US Congress.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) wrote: "I applaud this creative effort to
celebrate diversity while reinforcing all the qualities that unite the
human race."

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said she was "delighted" to hear about World Pride
2000, which she called "a historic international event" and a "truly
momentous occasion."

"Allow me to take this opportunity to extend congratulations to you and
the people of Rome for hosting this historic event," said Jerrold Nadler
(D-NY).

The organizers are ambitious in their goals. According to their Internet
website, organizers hope to "start a gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual
and straight people's movement.

"Our alliances give us the power to change the world, and we must be
coordinated in our struggle to achieve universal civil rights.

"We will take back the meaning of the rainbow flag that represents all
of us and march in the streets of Rome declaring peace," the World Pride
2000 organizers stated.

Apart from the mass march and conference on religion and homosexuality,
the program includes seminars, fashion and music shows, and a host of
parties, including a "leather party" and one marking Independence Day on
July 4th.

The city of Rome contributed the equivalent of $136,000 for cultural
events in the program.

http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00/20000413a.htm

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Seized missile parts 'were bound for Libya'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:51:53 -0500

Thursday, April 13, 2000

Seized missile parts 'were bound for Libya'

ASSOCIATED PRESS in Bern

Swiss authorities have arrested a Taiwanese businessman on
suspicion that he was trying to deliver missile components
to Libya, the federal prosecutor's office said yesterday.

Mechanical parts for Russian-developed Scud missiles were
found in the 44-year-old's luggage when he was stopped at
Zurich airport last Thursday, the office said. The parts
have been identified as rocket motor components. The man,
who was not identified, had arrived in Zurich from Taiwan,
via Hong Kong, and was travelling on to the Libyan capital
Tripoli at the time.

He was put into investigative detention following the
issue of orders from the federal prosecutor's office which
has opened an inquiry into suspected violations of weapons
laws.

The arrest followed a tip-off from "non-proliferation
circles", the prosecutor's office said. The missile parts
were seized.

http://www.scmp.com/News/China/Article/FullText_asp_ArticleID-20000413
031813861.asp

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Children are damaged by 'quality time'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:53:49 -0500

BRITAIN April 13 2000

Children are damaged by 'quality time'
BY ALEXANDRA FREAN,
SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

WORKING parents who have short, intensive moments with
their children in the evening are in danger of producing
offspring who find it difficult to concentrate or make
friends, according to new research. The brains of babies
and toddlers can develop at a slower rate if they are over-
stimulated by parents in snatched moments of "quality
time". Matthew Melmed, a child development expert from the
United States, told a conference in London yesterday that
young children learnt better from the magic of everyday
moments, such as hearing a new sound or seeing new things
in the supermarket, rather than through structured two-hour
sessions. Mr Melmed said that he had been disturbed by the
results of a recent American survey showing that 87 per
cent of parents thought that the more stimulation a baby
received, the better off he or she would be. "Stimulation
isn't always good for babies," he told the conference,
organised by the National Family and Parenting Institute.
"It is much more important for parents and other care-
givers to carefully match the type of stimulation to the
baby's level of development, temperament and mood at the
time." In Britain, the proportion of married couples where
both parents work has risen from about 50 per cent to more
than 60 per cent in a decade. Mr Melmed was concerned that
the new attention now given to early brain development was
making some parents push their toddlers and babies "much
further than they are developmentally capable of going, -
often to the child's longer-term detriment". Research by
his own organisation, Zero to Three, which provides support
for parents of young children, has found that over-
stimulating a baby or toddler or stimulating them in an
inappropriate way can make their brains "hard wired" for
negative behaviour and poor cognitive development. He cited
two girls, Clara and Jade, from a deprived neighbourhood in
Chicago.Both children were healthy and had normal
developmental abilities. Clara's mother bombarded her
daughter with information, seldom taking cues from her, and
did not give the child sufficient opportunity to develop
her own communication or thinking skills. Jade's mother
gave her the opportunity to generate responses to questions
on her own, rather than just repeating information, and was
sensitive to her daughter's needs. At age 3, both girls
had a normal intelligence. By the time she was 6, Clara had
dropped 26 points to a score of 89 points - considered
dull. This dropped to 76 by age 10, a score considered
borderline. Jade's scores remained in the average range
throughout. Parents needed to find a middle way in
responding to their children and between under and over-
stimulation. The key to achieving this was through taking
cues from the baby's non-verbal behaviour, such as crying,
looking away or arching the back - a classic sign of over-
stimulation. Mr Melmed said: "We must expose parents to
the basic tools of careful observation and thoughtful
reflection, what we call the three Ws: Wait, Watch and
Wonder. Infants and toddlers need unhurried time with those
who are important to them - and lots of it." A second
reason time was essential, he added, was that it signalled
to children that they had value and were not simply being
"fitted in".

MORE...(SEE INDEX) @ http://www.the-times.co.uk/

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Religion Today: Current News Summary - April 13, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 19:57:14 -0500

C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y
by the Editors of ReligionToday

April 13, 2000

Despite opposition, Lutherans will press on toward "full
communion" with Episcopalians, an Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America governing body has decided. The 5.2
million-member denomination's Church Council, meeting in
Chicago last weekend, voted overwhelmingly to implement an
agreement with the 2.4-million-member Episcopal Church on
Jan. 1, The Chicago Tribune said.
...Full communion means the two mainline Protestant
denominations agree to share their clergy and
congregations, and to express a common core theology. The
ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved the agreement last
summer, and the Episcopal Church is expected to approve it
this summer.
...There has been persistent opposition to the pact. The
agreement has been commended as an important move toward
Christian unity, but a sticking point is the role of
bishops. Episcopalians elect bishops for life and believe
their authority stretches back in an unbroken line of
succession to Jesus' disciples. The pact requires that new
ELCA bishops be consecrated by Episcopal bishops who are in
that historic succession, known as the "historic
episcopate," and that all clergy be ordained by the laying-
on of hands by properly consecrated bishops.
...More than 1,000 Lutherans who object to the change in
the role of bishops met last month in Mahtomedi, Minn., as
part of the WordAlone Network (see link #1 below). They
don't oppose the Lutheran-Episcopal alliance, but said they
believe the historic episcopate weakens the Lutheran
tradition of the priesthood of all believers, news reports
said.

South Korean Christians are opposing a modern-day revival
of pagan mythology. They are protesting the placement of
statues of the ancient mythical king Tangun in hundreds of
public places, the South China Morning Post said. Thousands
of people have been marching in the streets and calling on
the government to force the Han Munhwa Movement Federation
to remove 369 statues it placed on the grounds of primary
schools and public parks.
...Followers believe Tangun is a godlike figure who came
from heaven in 2,333 B.C. and ruled Korea for 1,500 years.
Some believe Tangun returned to his celestial home, while
others say he resides in the mountains as a spirit. North
Korean officials say they have Tangun's bones and display
them in a public tomb, the Post said. DNA evidence proves
the bones are authentic, they say.
...Christians say the tale of Tangun is a myth and that
the statues promote paganism. Members of the Christian
Council of Korea are sponsoring a rally to remove the
statues; police say protesters have beheaded 38 of the
statues.

-----------
RELATED LINKS:
1: http://www.wordalone.org/index5.htm
2: http://www.serve.com/irr-tv/

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