BPR Mailing List Digest: 08/07/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
August 7, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | August, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Aug 7, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 08:18:14 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

A&E - BIOGRAPHY - "Tammy Faye Bakker" - Tammy Faye
Bakker and husband Jim revolutionize evangelism, become
superstars.(CC)(TVG)

HIST - WHERE IS JIMMY HOFFA? - The Teamsters kingpin
vanishes.(CC)(TVPG)

9:00

A&E - CITY CONFIDENTIAL - "Scottsboro: Foul Play in the
          Bible Belt" - The Rev. Summerford causes his wife to be
          bitten by vipers and forces her to write a suicide note, but
          she lives to tell about it.(CC)(TVPG)

DISC - SCI-TREK - "NASA Explores the Ice" -
Researchers explore the watery environments of Mars and
Europa.(CC)(TVG)

TLC - DAWN OF MAN - "Out of Africa" - A paleontology
student's discovery binds hominids in a close
relationship.(CC)(TVPG)

10:00

DISC - U.F.O.S OVER PHOENIX - In March 1997, hundreds report
strange lights over central Arizona.(CC)(TVG)

HIST - GREAT INVENTIONS - Wheel; steam engine; railroad;
          automobile; airplane; printing press; electric light;
          wireless telegraph; telephone; television;
          computer.(CC)(TVG)

TLC - DAWN OF MAN - "Contact" - Scientists believe France's
painted caves to be the oldest existing symbolic
communications.(CC)(TVPG)

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Do Comets Cause Forest Fires?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 09:09:05 -0400

Do Comets Cause Forest Fires?

The disintegration of Comet LINEAR was a unique astronomical event and
has been accompanied by the most violent rash of forest fires in the last fifty
years! In the words of noted Comet LINEAR expert Mark Kidger, there is a
"curious and unpleasant symmetry."

This article goes straight to the heart of this "curious and unpleasant
symmetry" and discusses the official and unofficial reasons why this comet
disintegrated so dramatically. Then, it presents a very disquieting
possibility that can no longer be ignored.

http://yowusa.com/index.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The Solar Threat
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 09:10:28 -0400

In October of 1998, The Millennium Group published an article called
"Unexplained Solar Anomaly"

http://www.millenngroup.com/repository/solar/anomaly.html

Well, almost two years after their article, this anomaly reappeared on
August 5th, 2000 courtesy of the LASCO camera aboard the SOHO
spacecraft.

Visit The Solar Threat for more information!

http://www2.50megs.com/timedwards/solar.htm

Tim Edwards
The Solar Threat

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Microchips require for adopted animals
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 08:57:22 -0500

Microchips require for adopted animals
L.A. requires electronic
implants for pets leaving shelters

By JoAnn Kohlbrand
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_kohlbrand_news/20000807_xnkoh_micro
chip s.shtml

WorldNetDaily.com

The City of Los Angeles' animal shelters now require all animals adopted
from their facilities be given an identification microchip implant.

After several years of debate and study, the Los Angles City Council
approved a measure to require that, as of Aug. 1, adopted animals be
given a small electronic implant that would identify the owner of the
pet. While the program has been discussed for many years, cost
considerations for increased staff and computer equipment held up its
implementation until now.

A $15 fee covering the cost of the microchip and the implant procedure
will be charged to the new pet owners. Current pet owners can bring
their animals in for the implants for a $25 fee. Private veterinarians
usually charge between $25 and $45 for the procedure.

Positioned just beneath the skin on the back of the neck, the chips will
contain information about the owner, the animal's attack history and
whether the animal has been picked up before. The chip can also hold the
medical history of the animal, allowing animal workers to care for
special medical conditions in the event the owner cannot be contacted.
This information is read by an electronic wand carried by animal service
employees.

Using these implants, animal services hope to reduce the number of
animals put to death each year by improving owner identification of lost
animals.

"People forget to put collars on after giving their pet a bath, or a dog
gets loose and loses its collar," Gini Barrett of the American Humane
Association told the Los Angeles Daily News. "With microchips, you can
find out who this animal belongs to.

"And, when it becomes universally applied, it will help on the
public-safety level in controlling dogs that are allowed to run free.
How many times is there a case where a dog gets free and bites someone
and everyone denies being the owner? This will solve that. It is the
future."

Approximately 3 million animals nationwide and about 7 million worldwide
have been implanted with the chips. Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia and
other cities across the United States require that impounded dogs be
implanted with the microchip. Los Angeles will join other areas,
including its neighboring Ventura County, in requiring the implants for
all adopted animals.

While the animal microchip implant has existed for over 10 years, new
technology employed in these electronic chips has also been modified for
human use. As WorldNetDaily has reported, a device called the Digital
Angel® is a human implant whose manufacturer claims it has the capacity
for everything from monitoring organ functions to user identification
for e-commerce.

One of the touted applications for the Digital Angel® is strikingly
similar to pet-tracking -- namely, tracking lost or kidnapped people.

"Ideally, the device will bring peace of mind and an increased quality
of life for those who use it, and for their families, loved ones, and
associates who depend on them critically," states the "Digital Angel®'s
patent. "Adults who are at risk due to their economic or political
status, as well as their children who may be at risk of being kidnapped,
will reap new freedoms in their everyday lives by employing the device."

While privacy and morality concerns have been raised regarding the use
of microchip implants in humans, no opposition has been voiced for what
is being described as "electronic pet tags."

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China Says Provinces Setting Up Internet Police
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 09:17:12 -0500

http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=186224

China Says Provinces Setting Up Internet Police

BEIJING, Aug 6, 2000 -- (Reuters) At least 20 provinces and cities are
moving to set up special Internet police to "administrate and maintain
order" on China's fast-growing computer networks, the official Xinhua news
agency said on Saturday.

China's pioneer Internet police force, set up recently in the eastern
province of Anhui, has dealt with "criminal cases, such as cheating,
property embezzlement and pornography", it said.

Anhui's Internet Police had also publicized information about computer
viruses and worked to develop Internet filter programs for young children.

Internet cops had helped local banks identify and close loopholes in their
electronic information networks and trained volunteer "electronic security
guards", the report said.

Internet crime and fraud has climbed the list of China's concerns as its
online population spirals, propelled by a surge in computer sales and an
incremental drop in telephone and Internet access fees. Security concerns
also stifle e-commerce.

The number of Internet users in China nearly doubled to 17 million in the
first half of this year, the China National Network Information Center
(CNNIC) said last month.

The Xinhua report did not refer to policing political content on the
Internet, perhaps the chief worry of Communist authorities amid China's
headlong rush into the digital age.

China routinely blocks Websites of Westerm media outlets, human rights
groups, Tibetan exiles and other sources of information it deems politically
sensitive or harmful.

Stung by the spread of reports from unfettered Hong Kong media about
domestic politics and corruption scandals, Beijing also forbids increasingly
popular local portals from posting news reports from sources other than
state-controlled media.

In the country's top case, Huang Qi, a man fom Sichuan who published
information on the Internet about the 1989 military crackdown at Tiananmen
Square faces trial for subversion.

Huang could face life in prison if convicted on charges of "subverting state
power", the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy
said.

He angered authorities by operating a website, www.6-4tianwang.com, which
published information on human rights and corruption in China, including the
June 4, 1989 Tiananmen killings in which hundreds of unarmed civilians were
shot.

In March 1998 the government jailed Shanghai entrepreneur Lin Hai for
furnishing 30,000 Chinese e-mail addresses to an overseas electronic
dissident newsletter. He was released in September last year.

Members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group have also been arrested for
using the Internet to spread information about their faith and about
government efforts to crush the movement.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - "The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Roots of the English Language"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 10:06:09 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: 6 Aug 2000 21:21:17 -0000
From: "Hebrew Word" <HebrewWord-owner@listbot.com>
Subject: Special Edition - Hebrew Word Issue #200

[.. snipped..]

What do the English words SCARF and SCRUFF have in common? Would you
believe they related to Orpha in the book of Ruth?

If we spelled her name ORFA (or actually ORPA) as AYIN RESH PE HA,
would that give you a hint?

How about another clue? The English word "GIRAFFE".

I bet you are starting see the similarity now!

ORPA's name may be related to OREF, the Hebrew word for "neck".

You know that in Hebrew, PE and FE are the same letter, with and
without a Dagesh. They are called "labials" because they are said on
the lips.

So now, can you see how SCARF, SCRUFF, and GIRAFFE might all come
from the HEBREW word "OREF"? OREF is spelled "AYIN RESH FE", and
some may slightly pronounce the gutteral AYIN to make this word sound
like "KHOREF" or "GHOREF". Hmmmm... doesn't that sound a like
Giraffe?

Remember how I always emphasize that words come from a three letter
verb root? The root of OREF (neck) is ARAF (break the neck)? Is that
what a dog does when he goes 'ARF ARF'?

The extra letters are just extra baggage. Look at the following
English words: CRANE, EGRET, and HERON (birds with long necks). What
about the GROAN of a CROONER? [to "Croon" means to sing intimate
songs or "murmer"].

I can't take credit for these word relationships. Professor Isaac
Mozeson is a linguist with a Hebrew Heart. Apparently, he is on a
trek to prove that all words of all languages have roots in the
Hebrew language.

Did you know that the Hebrew motto of Yale College, and the first
dissertation at Harvard was "Hebrew is the Mother Tongue"?

He has written a book called "The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals
the Hebrew roots of the English Language".

He claims that "The Word" will prove that all languages link up, and
only then, through variations of the universal language (Hebrew). He
says: "Every word ever thought or spoken is merely a disguised from
of Hebrew!"

Need more examples?

OGRE - from OG King of Bashan, a giant

See Deuteronomy 3:11 - For only OG, king of Bashan, remained of the
remnant of the giants; behold, his bedstead ... nine cubits was the
length...

COLLUSUS - a Greek version of the Hebrew word "GOL'YAS" (when
pronounced with Ashkenazi Hebrew, because it ends with a TAV with no
Dagesh). Can you guess the English corruption of this guy's name?
Hint: I Samuel 17:4

ALBINO - from LABAN (Hebrew: "LaVaN") - which means "white" Gen 24:29

DIRECTION - from Hebrew: DeReCH meaning "road" or "way"

ENGLISH, ENGLAND, ANGLO-SAXON, ANGLE, and ANKLE -The Indo-European
root "ANK" (to bend) is from an nasalized form of the Hebrew "AK", as
in the Hebrew: AKEF (round about), EKAL (bend, twist, pervert), AKAM
(curve). Furthermore, "YANKLE" is a nick name for the Hebrew name
"YA'AQOV" (JACOB). Thus, YANKEE probably also comes from this root.
A KNUCKLE, allows you to bend or curve your fingers. An ANCHOR is
also a bent piece of metal.

What are the experts saying about this book?

Rabbi Pinchas Stolper, Executive V.P., Union of Orthodox
Congregations of America says "Fascinating...you have gone further
than anyone in developing the concept of Hebrew as the mother of all
languages."

Bernard Casserly, Catholic Bulletin says "..that joy permeates this
remarkable report on the aftermath of the Tower of Babel".

One last example: Often the letters "B" and "V" are interchanged in
languages, and other languages interchange the letters "B" and "P".
If we look at words that have the BaL root:

BaLL, BaLLoon (did you ever even relate these two words!), BowL,
BaLLot, BuLLet, PeeL, eVoLve, Lub, PeLLot, or in Spanish a BaLL is
called a "PeLota".

Now, do you want to know more? Professor Mozeson's book, "The Word:
The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Roots of the English Language"
has been out of print, and is going to be republished in late August.

I can make a special order by August 15th, and get the books at a
special pre-publishing price. But I don't know how many books to
order. So, I'm allowing you to order now, and prepay by credit card.

The post-publication price will be approximatley $30. For now till
August 15th, I'm accepting orders for ONLY $23.95.

To order or to read more about "EDENICS" go to this web page:
http://HebrewResources.com/edenics.html

As a matter of fact, I'll even throw in a Win 98 version of my Hebrew
tutorial "At Home With Hebrew" for 1/3 off. Order by the Edenics Book
and my tutorial for $59.95, a combined savings of almost $30.

Remember, orders must be in by August 15th!!!

------- End of forwarded message -------

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Victims of Holocaust were sinners says rabbi
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 10:11:53 -0500

Monday 7 August 2000

Victims of Holocaust were sinners says rabbi
By Alan Philps in Jerusalem

ISRAEL'S leading political rabbi was condemned by millions of people
yesterday after claiming that the victims of the Holocaust were
reincarnated Jewish sinners who had to die to atone for their
misdeeds.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: remarks "do not befit a rabbi of his stature",
said Ehud Barak

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef appeared to absolve Hitler of blame for the
death of six million Jews. He upset not only Holocaust
survivors but also the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, whom he
called brainless, and the Arabs, whom he described as "snakes". Rabbi
Ovadia said in a sermon on Saturday night that Hitler's victims were
"reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and
did all sorts of things which should not be done. They had been
incarnated in order to atone."

Mr Barak, who lost one set of grandparents in the Holocaust, said
that the remarks "do not befit a rabbi of his stature" and were
liable to harm the memory of those who had died. Tommy Lapid, the
head of a small secular party who escaped the Nazis as a child,
called the 79-year-old rabbi "an old fool" who had given support to
Hitler's view that the Jews were sinful.

He said: "He has killed for a second time my father, who died in
Mauthausen concentration camp, and my grandmother who died in the gas
chambers of Auschwitz. If the Austrian nationalist leader, Jörg
Haidar, had said this, we would have declared war on Austria."

The Rabbi's sermon opened up the most painful split in Israeli
society: between the Ashkenazi Jews of European origin and the
Sephardim, who come from the Middle East and north Africa and were
generally beyond Hitler's reach. Rabbi Ovadia is the spiritual leader
of the Shas party, which represents Sephardic Jews and has 17 seats
in parliament, giving it the balance of power between Left and Right.

His weekly sermons, blending an explosive mixture of religion and
politics, are broadcast all over Israel by radio. The sermon was a
rebuff to Mr Barak, who has been hoping for help from Shas to rebuild
his defunct ruling coalition so that he can reopen stalled peace
talks. Referring to Mr Barak's offer to share Jerusalem with the
Palestinians as part of peace settlement, the rabbi said: "Where are
his brains? He runs a mad dash after [the Palestinians]. Is this
peace? There should be security for the people of Israel."

He said to Mr Barak: "You are bringing snakes close to us. Will we
make peace with a snake?" God, he said, regretted every day that he
had created the sons of Ishmael, as the Arabs are known in the Bible.
Yasser Abd-Rabbo, the Palestinian information minister, said: "Every
Israeli stands accused of racism until he condemns this racist and
idiot."

The rabbi's defenders said that he was giving a spiritual explanation
of the Holocaust and that European Jews did not have a monopoly on
interpreting the tragedy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?
ac=000118613908976&rtmo=fqaDrl3s&atmo=fqaDrl3s&pg=/et/00/8/7/wrab07.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Real World News - 08/07/00
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 11:31:46 -0500

Selected Items from:

REAL WORLD NEWS 08/07/2000

Visit Real World News online at http://www.realworldnews.net

IS PUTIN CREATING A TV MONOPOLY?
Senior Putin administration officials have confirmed that the
government is attempting to acquire controlling stakes in ORT and
NTV, the two dominant Russian TV channels. The Kremlin already fully
owns Channel 2, known as The State TV and Radio Co., GTRK. If its new
moves are successful, it will consolidate exclusive ownership of all
three national TV channels, and will enjoy a virtual monopoly on
televised news. That could have a serious impact on the prospects for
freedom of speech and the media in Russia.
http://www.vny.com/cf/news/upidetail.cfm?QID=107853

U.S. FIRES MARCH ON AS 1 MILLION ACRES BURN
One million acres are now ablaze as fires continue to rage across 11
western US states - a 25% leap since Saturday. But officials
co-ordinating the fight against brush fires say they are making some
progress, thanks to a pause in the weather conditions - strong winds
and lightning strikes - which had started many of the earlier fires.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_869000/869099.s
tm

GRASSHOPPERS PLAGUE TEXAS
They lurk everywhere, from the remotest of pastures to the thickest
of woodlands, the hottest stretch of downtown asphalt to the neatest
of lawns. They wait on their six-legged perches, staring with
unblinking eyes and plotting ways to annihilate crops and
pastureland, devour lawns and bushes and leap from the shadows to
terrify the squeamish. And they're only getting worse, Texas
officials say. Grasshoppers, in what could amount to a $200 million
plague in 2000, are ravaging Texas this year in unprecedented
numbers.
http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/0,1080,500236336-5003455
96-5 01988951-0,00.html

ARAFAT SEEKS MANDELA'S HELP IN MIDEAST PEACE EFFORTS
Former South African President Nelson Mandela has turned down an
appeal by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to help mediate in
bilateral talks aimed at settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, the Nobel peace prize laureate said he would help in efforts
to revive the peace process that stalled at the recent Camp David
summit in the United States. Arafat also won formal South African
support for the state he has vowed to declare, with or without
agreement by Israel, in mid-September.
http://www.virtualholyland.com/channels/israel_n/cns.htm

RABBI TONES DOWN HOLOCAUST SLUR
Israel's most politically powerful rabbi, Ovadia Yosef, has been
trying to calm outrage over a sermon in which he said the Nazi
Holocaust was God's retribution against Jewish sinners. Rabbi Yosef,
the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, said he was
only trying to provide a theological explanation for the Holocaust -
adding that he believed all six million Jewish victims were pure and
complete saints. The eminent scholar, with tens of thousands of
followers, also angered Arabs by calling the Palestinians evil-doers
and snakes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_869000/86955
3.st m

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES FLAT INCOME TAX
President Vladimir Putin announced Monday the signing of a new tax
code that introduces a flat income tax of 13 percent. He also
announced other measures designed to boost the lagging Russian
economy. Putin told a meeting of senior ministers and aides that he
had signed the new tax code Sunday. Government leaders say the new
tax code will be a major step in reviving stalled market reforms.
"This is an important event in the life of the country," Putin told
the meeting, according to Russian news agencies.
http://www.nandotimes.com/global/story/0,1024,500236759-500346450-5019
9751 5-0,00.html

ASIAN FLOOD TOLL RISING
Rescue workers in Bhutan have recovered nearly 200 bodies from
several villages which have been struck by landslides and heavy rain
in the past three days. Many others are feared missing in the rubble
of hundreds of houses and buildings which have been buried or
destroyed. Millions have been left homeless as heavy rain continues
to fall in the Himalayan region, across Bhutan, Nepal and north east
India.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_869000/869265
stm

PERFECT FOSSIL SHOWS WHAT DINO HAD FOR SUPPER
Scientists have discovered the near-complete fossil of a 15ft-long
ichthyosaur, a marine reptile that lived 185m years ago, in a quarry
near Whitby in North Yorkshire. The specimen, one of the best
preserved ever found in Britain, is in such good condition that
palaeontologists have been able to work out what it had for its last
meal: a long-extinct squid-like creature.
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Sunday-Times/stinwenws02013.h
tml

NINE NEW PLANETS FOUND
Astronomers have found nine new planets circling nearby stars, an
astronomical conference was informed on Monday. It brings the total
number of planets discovered circling other stars, so-called
exoplanets, to 50. The second known example of a star orbited by more
than one planet was also announced.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_868000/868975.stm

JELLYFISH INVASION THREATENS GULF
Scientists fear millions of Australian spotted jellyfish invading the
Gulf of Mexico will threaten coastal sea life from Florida to
Louisiana. "I can´t remember seeing any marine organism in
concentration like that," said Vernon Asper, a marine science
professor from Biloxi, Miss., after seeing hundreds of thousands
-maybe millions - of the jellyfish while flying over the Mississippi
Sound. "I´ve never seen a school of fish that was that big that had
that much biomass. Anything. That´s a large number of anything for
the ocean," he says.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/jellyfish000806.html

EVANGELISTS TAKE ON RELATIVISM IN AMSTERDAM
A conference of evangelical Protestant leaders, the largest ever,
reaffirmed old-time religion yesterday in an "Amsterdam Declaration"
to defend against attempts to water down the Gospel under assault by
modern pluralism and relativism. The participants renewed their
belief that Jesus Christ is the "one and only Savior," and that the
only path to salvation is belief in His death on the cross to redeem
human sin. The Bible, the declaration says, is God's "totally true
and trustworthy" revelation.
http://www.washtimes.com/world/default-200087215550.htm

CHRISTIANS FACE 'ELIMINATION' ON ISLAND OF AMBON
Twenty-three Christians were massacred in Indonesia as they fled from
their village in late July and early August, The Hindustan Times of
India has reported. Christians are under threat of extermination by
thousands of Jihad troops that have entered from outside the region.
The troops have announced over loudspeakers that they will kill all
Christians who remain after July 31, Ambon church leaders told U.S.
church workers. The killings were the latest Muslim-Christian
violence that has swept the Malukus Islands since January 1999,
leaving about 4,000 dead.
http://www.lifelinenews.net/candm/candm4/candm4.html

RABBIS PUT OFF DEBATE ABOUT SYNAGOGUE ON TEMPLE MOUNT
Israel's top rabbis put off discussion on Monday of a proposal to
build a synagogue at one of the most sensitive spots in the Middle
East - the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The hill where
the holy Jewish temples once stood is now the site of the Dome of the
Rock shrine and Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
The mufti of Jerusalem, Ikrema Sabri, who is the senior Islamic
official in the holy city, warned that building a synagogue on the
hill would set off major chaos in the region and start a war "that
only God knows where it would lead.''
http://www.foxnews.com/world/0807/i_ap_0807_19.sml

CHRISTIANS NOT PC IN AUSTRALIA: ARCHBISHOP
Australia is a secular country where it has become almost politically
incorrect to have a Christian religious philosophy, Anglican
Archbishop of Sydney Harry Goodhew said here yesterday. Society is
now much easier on those of non-Christian religious beliefs, he told
Amsterdam 2000, the conference of 10,000 evangelists from around the
world, being sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
http://theaustralian.com.au/common/story_page/0,4511,1036461%255E2702,
00.h tml

CHRISTIAN ASTRONOMERS BALANCE SCIENCE AND RELIGION
In 1633, Roman Catholic astronomer Galileo Galilei was punished for
suggesting that Earth revolves around the sun, a scientific theory
that threatened the Church´s place in the universe. Since then,
scientists and theologians alike have jealously guarded their domains
like a mother protects her child from infection. Today, the Christian
Association of Stellar Explorers (CASE) is mending the rift between
science and religion. This amateur astronomy club in the mostly
Christian town of Siloam Springs, Arkansas is teaching Christians
that they don´t have to be afraid of science.
http://www.lifelinenews.net/candm/candm1/candm1.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - A Call for a New Planetary Humanism
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 11:46:58 -0500

[THE FOLLOWING PROVIDED FOR CONTRAST/SCRUTINY, NOT SUPPORT...]

Humanist Manifesto 2000
A Call for a New Planetary Humanism
Drafted by Professor Paul Kurtz,
International Academy of Humanism, USA
http://www.secularhumanism.org/manifesto/index.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Preamble

Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook that has
changed the world. Its heritage traces back to the philosophers and poets of
ancient Greece and Rome, Confucian China, and the Charvaka movement in
classical India. Humanist artists, writers, scientists, and thinkers have
been shaping the modern era for over half a millennium. Indeed, humanism and
modernism have often seemed synonymous for humanist ideas and values express
a renewed confidence in the power of human beings to solve their own
problems and conquer uncharted frontiers.

II. Prospects for a Better Future

For the first time in human history we possess the means provided by science
and technology to ameliorate the human condition, advance happiness and
freedom, and enhance human life for all people on this planet.

III. Scientific Naturalism

The unique message of humanism on the current world scene is its commitment
to scientific naturalism. Most world views accepted today are spiritual,
mystical, or theological in character. They have their origins in ancient
pre-urban, nomadic, and agricultural societies of the past, not in the
modern industrial or postindustrial global information culture that is
emerging. Scientific naturalism enables human beings to construct a coherent
world view disentangled from metaphysics or theology and based on the
sciences.

IV. The Benefits of Technology

Humanists have consistently defended the beneficent values of scientific
technology for human welfare. Philosophers from Francis Bacon to John Dewey
have emphasized the increased power over nature that scientific knowledge
affords and how it can contribute immeasurably to human advancement and
happiness.

V. Ethics and Reason

The realization of the highest ethical values is essential to the humanist
outlook. We believe that growth of scientific knowledge will enable humans
to make wiser choices. In this way there is no impenetrable wall between
fact and value, is and ought. Using reason and cognition will better enable
us to appraise our values in the light of evidence and by their
consequences.

VI. A Universal Commitment to Humanity as a Whole

The overriding need of the world community today is to develop a new
Planetary Humanism-one that seeks to preserve human rights and enhance human
freedom and dignity, but also emphasizes our commitment to humanity as a
whole. The underlying ethical principle of Planetary Humanism is the need to
respect the dignity and worth of all persons in the world community.

VII. A Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

To fulfill our commitment to Planetary Humanism, we offer a Planetary Bill
of Rights and Responsibilities, which embodies our planetary commitment to
the well-being of humanity as a whole. It incorporates the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, but goes beyond it by offering some new
provisions. Many independent countries have sought to implement these
provisions within their own national borders. But there is a growing need
for an explicit Planetary Bill of Rights and Responsibilities that applies
to all members of the human species.

VIII. A New Global Agenda

Many of the high ideals that emerged following the Second World War, and
that found expression in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, have waned through the world. If we are to influence the
future of humankind, we will need to work increasingly with and through the
new centers of power and influence to improve equity and stability,
alleviate poverty, reduce conflict, and safeguard the environment.

IX. The Need for New Planetary Institutions

The urgent question in the twenty-first century is whether humankind can
develop global institutions to address these problems. Many of the best
remedies are those adopted on the local, national, and regional level by
voluntary, private, and public efforts. One strategy is to seek solutions
through free-market initiatives; another is to use international voluntary
foundations and organizations for educational and social development. We
believe, however, that there remains a need to develop new global
institutions that will deal with the problems directly and will focus on the
needs of humanity as a whole. These include the call for a bicameral
legislature in the United Nations, with a World Parliament elected by the
people, an income tax to help the underdeveloped countries, the end of the
veto in the Security Council, an environmental agency, and a world court
with powers of enforcement.

X. Optimism about the Human Prospect

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, as members of the human community on
this planet we need to nurture a sense of optimism about the human prospect.
Although many problems may seem intractable, we have good reasons to believe
that we can marshal our talent to solve them, and that by goodwill and
dedication a better life will be attainable by more and more members of the
human community. Planetary humanism holds forth great promises for
humankind. We wish to cultivate a sense of wonder and excitement about the
potential opportunities for realizing enriched lives for ourselves and for
generations yet to be born.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - DODI'S DAD DOES A DEAL WITH 'EXORCISM' CHURCH
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 12:16:38 -0500

DODI'S DAD DOES A DEAL WITH 'EXORCISM' CHURCH

By LAURA ITALIANO

http://www.newyorkpost.com/news/34808.htm

How we told the story of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.Dodi
Fayed's wealthy father has helped a controversial international Pentecostal
church gain a foothold in London - to the alarm of British authorities.
Mohamed Al-Fayed, owner of the famed Harrods department store, has sold his
radio station, Liberty Radio, to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
for an undisclosed sum.

The church has been criticized in New York and abroad for allegedly using
high-pressure tactics to collect an estimated $1 billion a year from its
worshippers.

"Already, two senior staff members at the station have gone [quit], because
they're dismayed about being taken over by a cult," said Jeevan Vasagar, who
covered the sale for London's Guardian newspaper.

"The radio authorities here are keeping an eye on them," Vasagar said of the
Brazilian-based Universal Church.

In an investigative report published last month, The Post revealed that
Universal Church preachers at branches in four boroughs here told
worshippers that God would bless them - and their "demons" would be
exorcised - but only if they made hefty donations.

Radio is how the sect's Brazilian founder got his start.

Edir Macedo Bezerra, who now lives in Purchase in Westchester County,
launched his empire back in 1977 by preaching on a weekly religious show.

Bezerra and his converts were so persuasive, the church has been able to
expand to more than 2,000 branches in nearly 50 countries, according to
Brazilian press accounts.

Representatives in the church's Manhattan headquarters declined to comment
on the sale of the station, which has 50,000 listeners.

But the station's new chief executive, Bishop Renato Cardoso, assured the
Guardian's Alex Bellos that broadcasts would not be used to propagandize for
the church.

The station has not as yet switched from its old talk-and-music format, but
Cardoso conceded, that late at night, it would begin targeting people "in
difficult situations."

"They will find there a voice of hope and they will be able to contact a
number in order to receive help," Cardoso told The Guardian.

Radio regulators will watch the station closely, Vasagar said, because the
United Kingdom bans religious proselytizing on its airwaves.

"It's forbidden by our radio code - you can't convert someone or attempt to
spread your religious messages," although broadcasts of religious services
and music are permitted, Vasagar said.

"It's very different from Brazil and the U.S.," he said.

The church owns no radio stations in the United States, but does air
advertising programs, some of them on Spanish-language radio and television
stations in New York.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - ARAFAT HEDGES ON STATEHOOD
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 12:17:29 -0500

ARAFAT HEDGES ON STATEHOOD

By URI DAN

http://www.newyorkpost.com/news/34817.htm

JERUSAELM - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may postpone his threat to
unilaterally declare a Palestinian state until after the U.S. elections in
November to gain leverage with the United States, an Israeli military report
shows.

The report, parts of which were obtained by The Post, concludes that Arafat
is guessing that President Clinton will be more sympathetic to the
Palestinian demand for full sovereignty over East Jerusalem once the U.S.
presidential election - and the need for Jewish votes - has passed.

For the past week, Arafat has been traveling from capital to capital in the
Middle East, trying to forge a coalition in support of his plan to declare a
Palestinian state next month.

In the wake of the peace-talk stalemate at Camp David, Clinton went on
Israeli television and warned Arafat that if he moves to declare statehood,
the U.S. will reconsider its tenuous relationship with the Palestinians.Uri
Dan

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - .. AND CNN DISCOVERS JERUSALEM
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 12:18:56 -0500

.. AND CNN DISCOVERS JERUSALEM
http://www.newyorkpost.com/postopinion/editorial/34802.htm

Nice to see that CNN has put Jerusalem back where it belongs - in Israel.
Since February, the Israeli city has been cast out on its own on CNN's
online weather pages - the only city in the world not listed with a country.
A spokeswoman said Jerusalem was treated that way because it's disputed.

In the end, the TV news service apparently couldn't weather its cloudy
policy.

"When, I ask you, was Jerusalem removed from Israel?" the American Jewish
Congress' executive director, Phil Baum, asked in a letter to CNN's chief
executive officer, W. Thomas Johnson.

"Certainly not in battle; certainly not at Camp David."

Indeed, the western part of the city has been a part of Israel since the
country's inception in 1948. Israel annexed the eastern part, which legally
had belonged to no one, after capturing it in 1967 in the Arab-initiated
Six-Day War.

In 1995, Congress enacted the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which states as the
"policy of the United States" that Jerusalem "should remain an undivided
city" and "should be recognized as the capital of the state of Israel."

President Clinton, meanwhile, has been trying to divide the city, referring
to "West Jerusalem" as the site where he'd eventually move the American
embassy. To him, there's already an East Jerusalem and a West Jerusalem,
despite what is called for in the law. (Under that law, by the way, the
embassy should have been moved by 1999.)

The CNN flap recalls a similar one last year over how to refer to the Holy
City. Disney's EPCOT Center was being threatened with an Arab boycott if its
new Israel pavilion referred to Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish
state. Disney bowed to pressure and refrained.

Will CNN be similarly threatened now that it's put Jerusalem back in Israel?

That's not clear, but this much is: CNN's weather page is only the latest
evidence that - when it comes to attacks on Israel's claim to Jerusalem -
when it rains, it pours.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (8/7/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 13:59:32 -0400

OBSERVANT JEW TO RUN FOR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT
U.S. Vice President and Democratic party Presidential hopeful Al Gore has
chosen Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Ct.) to be his running mate in the
coming national American elections. Lieberman is the first Jew to ever be
so much as nominated for one of the two top spots in American
government. An openly-religious Jew, he is well-known for his insistence
on keeping the Shabbat laws such as the prohibitions on driving and
writing. He is similarly known for expressing the "moral voice" of the
Senate, as when he sharply criticized his party colleague President Bill
Clinton's behavior in the Monica affair.

Rabbi Yisrael Deren, a rabbi in Lieberman's hometown of Stamford, Ct., and
someone who is close to Lieberman and his family, was asked by Arutz-7's
Yosef Zalmanson if the choice of an observant Jew for such a high office
"is, as the phrase goes, good for the Jews or bad for the Jews?" Rabbi
Deren said, "This is, without a doubt, a positive development. I am of
course not giving a political endorsement, but Lieberman as a man is simply
a walking, talking Sanctification of G-d's Name. He has set an example for
Jews all over that it is possible to make a difference and be active in the
world, without having to compromise at all in matters of principle. He
himself has made many sacrifices. For instance, when he was first
nominated for the Senate by the Democratic party in Connecticut, he did not
appear for his own nomination, because it was on Shabbat, and sent his
pre-recorded acceptance speech by video cassette instead. This was
considered political suicide at the time, because he was in a very close
race with an incumbent Senator... He has a very fine reputation amongst
his colleagues in the Senate that he will always act in a principled manner."

Rabbi Deren did not think that having a Jew in a position of prominence
would increase anti-Semitism in the U.S.: "There will always be Jews in
positions of prominence here, for better or for worse, and under such
circumstances I can't think of a better Jew than Lieberman to have in this
position... I don't think that there is any comparison between
[anti-Semitism in] Eastern Europe of previous centuries, and the situation
in the United States, which is a 'country of kindness...'

EGYPT RETURNED THE WRONG SEFER TORAH
It now turns out that Egypt's "gesture" to former President Ezer Weizman
was nothing more than a scam. Journalist Aharon Granot reports that
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in a grand ceremony recently, officially
returned the Torah scroll that was taken by Israeli soldiers into Egyptian
captivity in the 1973 Yom Kippur war. The scroll had been kept in a museum
in Cairo. The Chief Rabbinate has now confirmed, however, that the scroll
that was received in Israel was not only incomplete, but was not the right
one. "The Rabbinate people were able to tell by the Atzei Chaim - the
scroll's wooden handles - that it was the wrong one," Granot said. "In
addition, only two of the five Chumashim (Pentateuch books) - Leviticus and
Numbers - were returned. The Egyptians apparently found some abandoned
old
Torah remnant and gave it to us instead of the original one. Possibly
worst of all, the Director-General of the President's Home knew about the
trick, and instead of protesting it, exerted heavy pressure that this
report should not be publicized."

RAMAT GAN IS MOST PREPARED
The city of Ramat Gan is the safest in the world. So has determined a
United Nations panel that examined the preparedness of various cities
around the world for a terrorist attack or natural catastrophe. Ramat Gan,
near Tel Aviv, was unanimously declared to be the number-one city in this
respect, based on its emergency services and the manner in which it has
implemented the lessons learned from past experience.

KINNERET DROPS DANGEROUSLY
The level of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) has dropped below the official
"red line," 213 meters below sea level. Water will be continued to be
pumped from the Kinneret, however, and many experts feel that the 213-
meter
level is no longer relevant. The official "red line," beyond which it is
forbidden to pump, may soon be changed to 214 meters below sea level.

YEAR'S LARGEST JERUSALEM CONVENTION OPENS NEXT WEEK
The largest conference to be held in Jerusalem this year will begin next
Sunday, with the participation of 1,800 librarians from Israel and 80 other
nations. The gathering, to be held at Binyanei HaUmah, will be the 66th
General Conference of the International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions. The conference, which has never before been held in the
Middle East, will be boycotted by Arab countries, which had pressured the
organizers not to hold it in Jerusalem. The theme of the week-long event
will be the "Global Library of the Future." The impact of growing,
high-technology, international communication on libraries and librarianship
will be emphasized, and an exhibition of high-tech equipment and programs
for libraries will be held alongside the conference.

TISHA B'AV SITES
Tisha B'Av, which will be commemorated this Wednesday night and
Thursday,
marks the climax and end of the three-week mourning period over the
destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem. Mayor Ehud Olmert will lead
a march around the Old City walls on Wednesday night, following the
traditional reading of the Book of Lamentations (at 7:30 PM) outside the
American Consulate on Agron St. The 45-minute walk will begin at 9PM, and
will pass the New Gate, Damascus Gate, the Flower Gate, Lion's Gate, and
end at Dung Gate near the Western Wall. Jacob Richman
(http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdayav.htm) has provided a list of 18 Tisha
B'Av websites, including the following:

OU: Tisha B'Av: http://www.ou.org/yerushalayim/tishabav/default.htm
Aish HaTorah:
http://aish.com/holidays/tisha_bav_and_the_3_weeks/last/main.htm
Ohr Somayach: http://www.ohr.org.il/special/9av/index.htm
Project Genesis: http://www.torah.org/learning/yomtov/3weeks/
613.ORG: (audio) http://www.613.org/3weeks.html
The Virtual Bet Midrash: http://www.vbm-torah.org/3weeks.htm

Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, August 7, 2000 / Av 6, 5760

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Bible Review Jots & Tittles (8/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 14:59:48 -0400

Jots & Tittles

Religion in the News

You were twice as likely to find a religion story in the news in the '90s
than you were in the '70s and '80s. And the stories in the '90s were
longer, too, according to a recent study of the media's coverage of
religion in America.

In all, about 23,500 stories appeared in the major news media over the
past three decades. This translates into 285,000 column inches in the New
York Times, the Washington Post, Time magazine, Newsweek and U.S. News &
World Report combined, and more than 80 hours of air time during the
evening newscasts prepared by ABC, CBS and NBC. And just about half of
those inches and hours date to the '90s, according to a random sampling of
2,365 stories conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, in
Washington, D.C.

What are journalists writing about? Most of the stories written between
1969 and 1998 were uncontroversial: Twenty-three percent offered accounts
of routine church/synagogue events, such as religious observances or the
promotion of clergy. Seven percent reported on the activities of laypeople
and included profiles of church members or reports on how ordinary people
express their faith in the course of their everyday life. Six percent of
the reports dealt with sexual conduct, whether homosexuality, adultery,
extramarital affairs (coverage of which saw a boom during the Clinton-
Lewinsky saga), divorce or clerical celibacy. Three percent were concerned
with abortion and birth control.

Crime and sex scandals involving religious figures and institutions made
up 5 percent of the stories. These included accounts of financial
improprieties, child abuse and parents who refused medical treatment for
their children because of their religious beliefs. Another 10 percent of
the stories dealt with the roles of women and minorities within particular
religious faiths.

Over the past three decades, 38 percent of religious news stories were
related to Protestantism, 27 percent to Catholicism and 12 percent to
Judaism. Islam and new religious movements each received 3 percent of the
coverage, eastern religions 2 percent. The proportion of coverage of
Protestants and Catholics has declined slightly over the past 30 years, in
favor of Eastern religions and new movements.

Coverage of religion and crime has nearly quadrupled since the '70s. The
number of stories relating to religion and politics has tripled. In the
same period, stories about church governance and women and minorities have
sharply declined.

But despite the recent increase in religious news, very little coverage
(only about 7 percent of all the stories on religious life in America)
actually deals with religious doctrine or theology. "If there is a single
leitmotif in religious news, it is the media's tendency to emphasize the
political elements of religious ideas and institutions," conclude
researchers S. Robert Lichter, Linda Lichter and Daniel Amundson.
"Theological and spiritual questions are rarely presented as newsworthy."
The report quotes Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, who recently
reported that while covering the Pope, a frustrated colleague looking
through a packet of papal addresses complained: "There's nothing but
religion here."

When beliefs are discussed by the major news media, it is usually to
explain the practices of a religious group with few adherents in the
United States. The authors of the study note: "Such explanations may be
deemed unnecessary for the mainstream Christian faiths that claim the
great majority of Americans as members. Yet this presumes that people are
aware of how different Christian traditions influence the positions taken
by their churches on various issues." Despite the increased awareness of
religion in the news media, they warn, "the absence of references to
spirituality in news coverage may marginalize the role of faith, both
individual and institutional, in the public sphere of debate."

The full report, "Media Coverage of Religion in America 1969-1998," is
available on-line at www.cmpa.com/archive/Relig2000.htm or by calling the
Center for Media and Public Affairs at 202-223-2942.

Jesus on Trial at Harvard

A Harvard Divinity School classroom was transformed into a courtroom last
spring as professors and students conducted a mock trial of Jesus.
Professor Harvey Cox, chair of the school's Department of Religion and
Society, presided as Justice Pontius Pilate; his colleague, New Testament
scholar Allen Callahan, prosecuted the case. Boston lawyer and Harvard
professor Alan Dershowitz—better known for his defenses of O.J. Simpson,
Claus von Bulow and Leona Helmsley—acted as Jesus' pro bono lawyer.

"Jesus is the one client I've always wished I could have represented,"
Dershowitz told the Boston Globe.

When Callahan reminded the jury of students that Jesus reportedly told one
Mathias, "I have not come to bring peace but a sword" (Matthew 10:34),
Dershowitz responded with charges of hearsay: "No one has even seen Jesus
with a sword." And he requested that Mathias (that is, Matthew) be called
as a hostile witness.

Dershowitz also complained that the Romans questioned Jesus after his
arrest—without his lawyer being present.

As Callahan told BR, the trial format was, of course, "a fiction." In
Jesus' time, "the Roman governor was prosecutor, judge and jury in the
provincial administration of the Empire." Nevertheless, the format allowed
the teachers to present the evidence on both sides in a way that "a
contemporary audience is more likely to understand."

The trial was not simply a gimmick to keep students awake but a serious
presentation of recent scholarly understandings of the reasons why Jesus
was crucified. Pilate (a.k.a. Cox) told the jury that the "rabble-rousing
rabbi from Galilee" was threatening the peace. Callahan went even further,
complaining that Jesus' claims of kingship posed a threat to the power of
the Roman emperor Tiberius. "[Jesus'] popular following made him a
security risk. The Roman prescription for such nuisances was the cross,"
said Callahan.

According to Callahan, the Romans used crucifixion and other forms of
imperial violence "to terrorize and pacify the native populace of
Palestine." Crucifixion was used to execute "criminals convicted of crimes
against the Roman state, that is, criminals like Jesus."

But when class was dismissed, the jury remained divided.

Nevertheless, Dershowitz quipped: "Just think of all the trouble the world
would have been spared if Jesus had had a good Jewish lawyer."

http://www.biblereview.org/br800/jt.html#rel

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Moses: The Private Man Behind the Public Leader
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2000 15:01:46 -0400

Moses: The Private Man Behind the Public Leader
J. Daniel Hays

EXTRA=97Available Only On-line: Did Moses Marry
a Cushite? Early Traditions Suggest He Did

     Moses was not always the leader of the Israelites. Raised as an
     Egyptian prince, he then spent his early adult years in Arabia,
     shepherding the flocks of a pagan priest. Before he could emerge as
     the key figure of the Exodus, he had to disentangle himself from
     these foreign connections.

http://www.biblereview.org/br800/moses1.html

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

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