To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Russians worship at the shrine of Putin
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2000 02:16:31 -0000
Russians worship at the shrine of Putin
http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/11/30/putin.cult/index.html
November 30, 2000
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Tattoos, text books, and tourist shrines.
These are the symbols of a growing personality cult in Russia
surrounding its president Vladimir Putin.
CNN's Moscow correspondent Steve Harrigan said that after almost one
year in power, Putin's popularity is still over 60 percent.
It is a popularity, he added, untouched by war, poverty, or a string
of disasters -- including the sinking of the Kursk submarine and the
loss of its crew in August.
The President is the hero of a new text book for young schoolchildren
in which he is depicted as a man who flies fighter jets, does not
smoke, and loves his family.
The ancient city of Pskov has a new tourist attraction -- the site
where Putin's motorcade stopped to buy a local pickle. A brief stroll
he took in the city has now been memorialised for tourists ... step
by step.
And some citizens are illustrating their devotion to their leader in
a permanent way, by adorning themselves with tattoos of the
President's image.
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) [imra-l] Official PA Wesbite editorial
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 09:49:50 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: "IMRA Newsletter" <imra-l@lyris.vcix.com>
Subject: [imra-l] Official PA Wesbite editorial: THE BEGINNING OF =
WISDOM (Barak returns to talks)
Date sent: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 08:14:50 +0200
Official PA Wesbite editorial: THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM (Barak returns to
talks)
http://www.pna.net/beginning_wisdom.htm
After two months of massacre, more than two hundred and fifty Palestinians
killed, nearly ten thousand wounded, the Palestinian territory sealed and
cut into isolated ghettoes, huge material destruction and invaluable
psychological damage, the Israeli leadership has started to =93internalize=
=94 (a
word it relishes) the lesson of its failure, and the message we never
stopped asserting: there is no military solution, force will not help, the
Palestinian people will not bow, there is no alternative to negotiations,
and one does not choose one=92s partner.
On the background of Ehud Barak=92s zigagging political tactiques to save h=
is
government, of growing international pressure and of the slow but visible
escalation of the Palestinian response to violence, something hapenned in
the Israeli cabinet last week, after the last wave of devastating bombing o=
f
Gaza and several West Bank cities. The raids were conducted after two
settlers were killed, and several wounded, in a bus explosion in the
occupied and besieged Gaza Strip. They were followed all at once by the
sending of strong international messages and by the death and injury of
Israeli civilians in a bomb attack in Hadera, inside Israel. The dilemma wa=
s
clear, and so was the discourse of the Israeli army: without a serious
escalation in the means employed to crush the Palestinian Intifada, there
was no way to win. But such an escalation =96 killing thousands of
Palestinians instead of hundreds, using planes instead of combat
helicopters, destroying neighborhoods instead of houses =96 threatened to
jeopardize the protection and complacency of the US administration, and
certainly went beyond the limits of European and Arab patience. The
withdrawal of the Egyptian ambassador in Tel-Aviv, the US insistence on the
need for the International fact-finding mission to start its work
immediately, and the European and Russian involvement in diplomatic efforts=
,
including some sort of international monitoring mechanism with permanent
staff on the ground, all pointed in that direction. Surprisingly enough
after two months of military barbary and colonial arrogance, those signs
were properly deciphered by the Israeli cabinet, within which division has
been growing for several weeks. After two days of debate, they took the
formal decision not to do anything. Not to react.
Of course, they did not stop the killing on the ground, and they have even
undertaken to intensify their terrorist campaign of assassination against
Palestinian political leaders and militants. They haven=92t lifted the clos=
ure
or loosened the siege of Palestinian controlled-areas, nor given up the
discourse of incitement and accusations against the PLO, the PNA,
Palestinians in general and President Yasser Arafat in particular. But they
have stopped the =93technical=94 escalation. The Israeli official discourse=
,
which from the beginning of this Intifada has consisted in accusing the
Palestinians of provoking the violence used against them, now explains that
this =93low=94 profile is meant to frustrate the Palestinian hopes for
international intervention ! In other words, that they will refrain from
bombing our cities, not because it is criminal, or forbidden, or even
useless, but because this is the ultimate anti-Palestinian trick !
Never mind the miserable excuses and cover-ups. Never mind the residual
ill-will. The decision is a wise one, it goes in the right direction.
Rejected by the Likud, Barak has given up his =93total war=94 discourse, an=
d one
month after having declared the PNA was no longer a partner, he has resumed
direct negotiations with the PNA, proposing to study a series of issues
rangeing from some sort of undeclared ceasefire and de-escalation
understandings to a full fledged political agreement with a recognized
Palestinian state.
Of course, nothing is sure, nothing is guaranteed, and certainly not Baraks=
=92
s political future. And if he sees no other way to save his personal career=
,
he might very well opt for war and escalation once again, as the Likud and
its allies constantly demand. The hate-producing ideological machine has no=
t
been dismantled in Israel, and can still be put to work at any time. The
battle is far from finished: the killing goes on, hundreds of political
militants have been captured by occupation forces, the closure continues,
settlement colonization keeps on spreading like cancer, ethnic cleansing
policies in Jerusalem are more than ever in vigor, the ruined Gaza strip is
still cut in two and and the right of return of Palestinian refugees is
still denied in theory and in practice. But the resistance of the
Palestinian people in the course of these two months, its amazing capacity
to endure and to sacrifice, has taught this Israeli government a lesson
Israeli leaders periodically forget, as do all tyrants, occupiers and
settlers: that popular will, popular unity and the thirst for freedom is
always stronger than repressive armies, whatever the cost and however long
it takes. A lesson they had learnt in Lebanon in 1982-1984, and that they
had to learn again in South Lebanon in the late nineties. A lesson the late
Yitzhak Rabin had clearly learnt from the first Intifada, and that Ehud
Barak is now daily learning.
But the Palestinian people has also learnt, in this new chapter of pain and
suffering, that one could not count on Israeli rationality, or on the
occupyer=92s goodfaith. The peaceful Intifada of our people, but also the
resistance and response of our organized political forces to settler
terrorism and military aggression will continue until something changes on
the ground. =93Until the independence of the Palestinian state, with East
Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of the exiles=94, chants the stree=
t.
Until the agreements signed are implemented, and international law
respected: until settlements are dismantled, and until occupation forces
withdraw from the Palestinian occupied territory. There can be no other
stable status quo worth =93returning to=94. Until then, we will continue to
demand international intervention, protection and mediation.
28.11.2000
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========
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] TMF: Elections in Israel - a Godly end-time event.
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 09:49:50 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date forwarded: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 21:26:39 -0500
To: tmf-list@templemountfaithful.org
From: Temple Mount Faithful <gershon@templemountfaithful.org>
Elections in Israel - a Godly end-time event.
The Israeli Knesset passed the first reading of a bill to call for new elec=
tions
in Israel only 18 months after the previous elections when Ehud Barak was
elected as the Prime Minister of Israel. According to the law in Israel,
elections are only required every 4 years. Prime Minister Barak did his bes=
t
to avoid the decision but he did not succeed and at last he decided to join=
accede to the demands. It now appears that Israel will hold new elections i=
n
the coming Spring.
This decision occurred despite the fact that Israel is now being attacked b=
y
the so-called =93Palestinian Authority=94 and the terrorists of the murdere=
r,
Yasser Arafat. Their goal is not only to take Jerusalem away from Israel bu=
t
to fulfil their historical goal to completely destroy Israel. From the nort=
h,
Israel is attacked by the Hisb=92allah terrorist organisation which has the=
same
goals. Arab and Islamic conferences which took place over the last weeks
took anti-Israeli decisions.
This is not a simple time in Israel and, as I wrote in a previous article, =
it
looks like the first stages of the end-time Gog and Magog war that the G=96=
d
of Israel told us in Scripture would take place during the end-time redempt=
ion
of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39; Zechariah12,14). But everyone in the world should=
know that Israel is very strong with G=96d and everything is in His control=
. At
the same time, all the world should know that they are tested by the G=96d =
of
Israel as to on which side they will stand=97with G=96d and Israel or with =
their
enemies. I advise everyone, especially the politicians who lead all the
nations at this time, to read and pay very close attention to the Word of G=
=96d
in prophecy and not to have any illusions about the intentions of the G=96d=
of
Israel and His plans for the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel=
.
He is determined to completely accomplish His redemptional plans for Israel=
that he started putting into effect 52 years ago when He founded the modern=
State of Israel. I advise everyone in the world to raise their eyes to Isra=
el, the
Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Great godly events of redemption, end-time
war and the judgements of G=96d on the all enemies of Israel and the natio=
ns
all over the world which persecute the people of G=96d and Israel and conti=
nue
to do so now are soon to take place here.
Perhaps here or there a break will occur in the war that the so-called
=93Palestinians=94 are cruelly waging against Israel. If this should happen=
it will
be of only a very short duration and temporary. There is only one real
process: the redemption of Israel and then of all the world. The Word of G=
=96d
and His law will go out to all the world from Zion, the rebuilt hill and th=
e
house of G=96d on the Temple Mount and from Jerusalem, the capital of Israe=
l.
If anyone has any doubts about this, I advise that person to read the
Scriptures. The Word of G=96d is very clear and over the last 52 years He h=
as
fulfilled most of the prophecies and there is no reason why He will not ful=
fil
the remainder as He promised in the near future. In any case, this is a goo=
d
time and a right time to read the Scriptures. So often we see at this terri=
ble
and complicated time that this is the only truth that we can find in an
embarrassing and hypocritical mankind.
As a result of the decision of the Knesset, Prime Minister will end his ter=
m of
office. This is also an important part of these end-time events. He was
elected at this special time to be a part of and protect G=96d=92s end-time=
plans
with the land and people of Israel. He was elected to be faithful and to fu=
lfil
G=96d=92s end-time plans and the redemptional process which he is now leadi=
ng
in Israel and not to join and to be faithful to the false anti-godly so-cal=
led
=93peace=94 process of Oslo and all the other places where evil anti-godly=
conferences and summits took place. The plans of the murderer, Arafat,
Clinton, the UN, Barak and everyone else are anti-godly and contrary to His=
prophetic end-time plans with the people and land of Israel and full of evi=
l and
a revolt against the G=96d of Israel. Thousand s of years ago G=96d decided=
that
the promised land was given to Israel alone and not to anyone else,
especially not to His enemies. He made an eternal covenant with Israel
concerning this before all the nations. The so-called =93Palestinian Author=
ity=94,
=93Palestinians=94, Yasser Arafat and all the Arab enemies of Israel are no=
t in the
plans of G=96d and they are going to disappear from history like the old
Philistines which tried to take away Jerusalem and the land from Israel. =
From the moment that Prime Minister Barak joined himself to this false
process and went to Camp David to meet the Amalekite leader, Arafat, he
lost his power exactly as happened to King Saul when he saved and had pity=
on the cruel murdering king of the Amalekites. It was much more evil in the=
eyes of G=96d when Barak was ready at Camp David to give away 95% of
Judea Samaria and Gaza, the main Biblical part of the land of Israel, to th=
e
Amalekites of the murderer, Arafat. He was even ready to compromise on
Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel which is the heart of this nation =
which
cannot exist with it because the G=96d of Israel dwells in the midst of it =
on Mt.
Moriah. This was terrible in the eyes of G=96d and the anger of G=96d was e=
ven
greater when Barak was ready to compromise on the Temple Mount. He
even tried to manipulate this compromise when he understood that the G=96d =
and people of Israel will never accept the giving away of sovereignty of th=
e
G=96d and people of Israel over this holy of G=96d. He suggested to the ene=
mies
of Israel to give them what is on the surface of the the Temple Mount and t=
o
keep what is under the ground under Israeli sovereignty. But G=96d hardened=
the heart of the murderer, Arafat, like Pharaoh and Arafat refused this
suggestion. Then Barak made another terrible suggestion. He suggested that=
the Temple Mount be placed under the control of the UN. Here again, G=96d
hardened Arafat=92s heart as well as that of the UN and they refused to acc=
ept
this suggestion. Thanks to G=96d and the long struggle of The Temple Mount=
and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, Barak eventually understood that he
could give the Temple Mount to so-called =93Palestinian=94, Arab or Islamic=
sovereignty and all the negotiations at Camp David failed and the summit
exploded. The hand of G=96d was so clearly on this evil summit. Barak
returned to Israel with no results and immediately the so-called =93Palesti=
nian=94
war against Israel started.
As we see, this war started because of the Temple Mount and on the Temple
Mount. As a continuation of this, G=96d placed on the heart of the leader =
of
the opposition, Ariel Sharon, to go up to the Temple Mount and to
demonstrate and declare Israeli sovereignty over this holy hill of the G=96=
d and
people of Israel. The enemies understood the significance of this act but t=
hey
did not want to understand that that is what G=96d expected of Barak and
every Israeli to do: to demonstrate and to openly and very clearly declare =
the
sovereignty of the G=96d and people of Israel over the Temple Mount which i=
s
the heart, the symbol and the flag of the G=96d, the people and the land of=
Israel. It is no accident that the enemies are calling this war against Isr=
ael
the Al Aqsa Intifada after the name of the mosque which they built on the
Temple Mount against the will of the G=96d of Israel and as a revolt agains=
t
Him. This evil name and war as well as the foreign pagan =93Palestinian=94=
presence and abomination on the holy hill of G=96d will soon be removed by=
the G=96d of Israel and a real Israeli government with vision and will disa=
ppear
like dust in the wind. This is the word of G=96d from Jerusalem, his holy h=
ill
and who can change it?
Prime Minister Barak made a sinful mistake when he joined with this false
process and not with the real godly redemptional process with Israel. This =
is
the reason that G=96d is removing him from office as happened with other
Prime Ministers in Israel before him who did the same.
The time of professional leadership by politicians in Israel who are not le=
d by
the Word of the G=96d of Israel and His end-time prophetic plans has passed=
away. We pray and look forward to a completely different type of leadershi=
p:
leadership which is faithful to the G=96d of Israel, to His Word, to the co=
venant
that He made with Abraham and Israel, to the vision and cause that he gave=
to Israel through His prophets and to His great end-time redemptional plans=
;
a leadership which will rebuild the temple and prepare the holy ground of
Israel for the coming of Mashiach ben David which in any case is soon to
occur. As in the time of King David when the Philistines attacked and made=
war against Israel and even occupied most parts of the land, we are looking=
for and praying that G=96d will again send a great godly leader, the seed o=
f
David who will redeem us, thanks to G=96d and His battle for Israel. This
leadership is soon to come. If not in the coming elections then soon
thereafter because this is the will of G=96d and this is the way in which H=
e
leads the history of Israel and He declares it so clearly in His Word
throughout Scripture. Soon the great and really godly Prime Minister of Isr=
ael
will be the king of Israel, Mashiach ben David.
Everyone should know that every event that is taking place in Israel is a p=
art
of the prophetic godly end-time events. The ways of G=96d are not our ways=
but far above us. But everyone with normal eyes, besides the enemies of
Israel whose eyes are blind and judged by G=96d, can clearly see what G=96d=
is
doing with Israel and its leadership in these days. The hand of G=96d is
constantly on what is going on in Israel and He is preparing another great=
revolution in Israel, a revolution of leadership.
The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement calls on everyone in=
these great and critical time to be with the Faithful Movement which is act=
ing
intensively with the G=96d of Israel to fulfil His prophetic end-time plans=
in our
lifetime as He expects of us. Time is short and everything is soon to come.=
Give us your help and your support and be a part of this great event and
campaign. This is the time for righteous people to be together with us and=
Israel and very soon we shall see the light at the end of the tunnel and th=
e
great godly fulfilment. Together let us trust in the G=96d of Israel and be=
lieve in
His Word and in what He is doing with Israel in these exciting and critical=
days.
------- End of forwarded message -------
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Tailored genes manufactured for skinny mice
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 09:49:50 -0500
Tailored genes manufactured for skinny mice
November 29 2000 at 03:45PM
Paris - Mice engineered to lack a gene that protects fat stored in the
body's cells could open the way to new treatments to fight obesity,
scientists believe.
The fat-free mouse was created by US researchers, who knocked out a gene
that controls a protein called perilipin, the team reports in December's
issue of Nature Genetics, a specialist monthly journal.
Perilipin is a coat that swathes droplets of fat stored inside the body's
cells.
It protects them from hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), a substance that
helps to convert fat into energy.
Their body's levels of fat were nearly 50 percent lower than non-modified
mice Without perilipin, the HSL broke down the fat as soon as it was made,
enabling the mice to remain skinny yet tuck into as much food as they
liked.
Their body's levels of fat were nearly 50 percent lower than non-modified
mice which had been fed a similar high-fat diet.
The researchers, led by Javier Martinez-Botas from Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston, Texas, suggest an effective anti-obesity medicine
could be devised by blocking the perilipin gene in humans.
Obesity in developed countries, especially the United States, is rising
steadily as a result of higher living standards, high-fat and high-sugar
diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
About 20 percent of adults and 15 to 20 percent of children in the United
States suffer from obesity. About 300 000 Americans die each year of
illnesses and complications linked to the condition. - Sapa-AFP
http://www.iol.co.za/html/frame_news.php?click_id=117&art_id=qw97550550
1805B 243
via: isml@egroups.com
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========
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] VOP incitement
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 09:49:51 -0500
SHORTLY BEFORE THE MAIN FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICE, VOP [Voice of
Palestine radio] BROADCAST SEVERAL ITEMS IN ITS 10 AM NEWS
SUMMARY TO THE EFFECT THAT ISRAEL HAD BEGUN USING POLICE
DOGS TO ATTACK PALESTINIANS. VOP SAID MUSLIM GUARDS AT THE
AL AQSA MOSQUE HAD REPELLED ISRAELI ATTEMPTS TO INSTALL
POLICE DOGS TODAY AT THE MOSQUE.
NOTE: MUSLIMS CONSIDER DOGS TO BE UNCLEAN ANIMALS, AND
ANY ATTEMPT TO PUT DOGS ON SACRED SOIL WOULD BE EVEN A
WORSE AFFRONT THAN ANY "POLLUTION" COMMITTED BY ARIEL
SHARON BY HIS VISIT TO THE AREA ON SEPTEMBER 28.
Excerpt from:
Voice of Palestine Analysis and Excerpts: Nov 30/ Dec.1, 2000
Prepared by Michael Widlanski, lecturer at the Hebrew University, doing
doctoral research at Bar Ilan on Palestinian broadcast media.
via: IMRA Newsletter <imra-l@lyris.vcix.com>
Fri, 1 Dec 2000 13:43:57 +0200
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] PM back to scrapping Religions Ministry
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 09:54:54 -0500
Friday, December 1, 2000
PM back to scrapping Religions Ministry
By Shahar Ilan
Ha'aretz Religious Affairs Correspondent
Prime Minister Ehud Barak yesterday ordered the dismantling of the Ministry
of Religious Affairs to be resumed. The decision will go to the cabinet for
confirmation in nine days when the Justice Minister and acting Religious
Affairs Minister, Yossi Beilin, returns from abroad.
The scrapping of the ministry was suspended last month when the Shas
Party provided the Barak government with a "safety net" to survive no
confidence votes. Barak decided to proceed with dismantling the ministry
when the Shas safety net agreement ended and he decided to call early
elections.
It was originally decided to abolish the Religious Affairs Ministry last when
Shas left the government coalition and Beilin took over the religious affairs
portfolio. The decision won the support of the chief rabbinate and of Orthodox
MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism). But the initial approval of religious
politicians and rabbis was withdrawn after Barak announced his intentions to
launch a wider "secular revolution." The abolition of the Religious Affairs
Ministry was then assumed to be part of the secular revolution.
The ministry's unraveling was scheduled for mid October but was deferred
when Beilin forged the safety net agreement with Shas MK Yair Peretz.
Beilin's office made it clear the halt in scrapping the ministry would last only
as long as Shas protected the Barak government's majority against Knesset
no confidence votes.
If approved, the ministry's departments will be dispersed as follows:
l The Education Ministry will absorb the yeshivas department.
l The Housing and Construction Ministry will take responsibility for physical
development of religious structures.
l The Interior Ministry will incorporate the department for non-Jewish
communities.
l The Justice Ministry will run the rabbinical courts.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=12/01/00&
id=102465
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========
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Thread: Landlord offers 'Christmas-free zone'
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 10:08:41 -0500
This thread is now closed. For anyone wishing to continue the discussion,
please do so in private by contacting interested list members. Archived
messages can be found at: http://www.egroups.com/messages/bprlist
Thank you!
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Infobeat News items (12/1/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 10:34:53 -0500
*** Former U.S. Mint employee sentenced
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A former employee of the U.S. Mint was sentenced
Wednesday to six months in prison followed by six months home
detention for stealing defective coins and selling them for $74,000.
David D'Angelo, 46, of Broomall also was fined $80,000 and sentenced
to two years probation in federal court after pleading guilty last
month to theft of public money and property. D'Angelo admitted to
stealing defective pennies, nickels, dimes and other coins from
December 1998 until last March while he was employed as a mechanic
at the U.S. Mint. He sold them over the Internet and directly to
collectors, who value the coins because they are rare, prosecutors
said. D'Angelo was arrested March 21 when police caught him leaving
the Mint with several coins. Mint officials have never explained how
D'Angelo was able to remove the coins from the secured Mint
buildings for more than a year. Collectors and dealers have noticed
some incorrectly stamped coins coming out of the Philadelphia Mint
in recent years, including new Sacagawea dollar coins with a
Washington quarter stamped on one side.
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405209921
*** Warning messages to men on world Aids day
GENEVA (AP) - AIDS campaigners across the globe prepared to mark
World AIDS Day on Friday with a message to men that they must take
responsibility for their behavior to stop the spread of the deadly
virus. "Broadly speaking, men are expected to be physically strong,
emotionally robust, daring and virile. Some of these expectations
translate into ways of thinking and behaving that endanger the
health and well-being of men and their sex partners," the United
Nations AIDS agency said in a statement. Campaigners planned
marches, vigils, religious services, promotions and entertainment
events to bring home the importance of AIDS awareness. This year's
theme is "Men make a difference." "Men can make a particular
difference - by being more caring, by taking fewer risks, and by
facing the issue of AIDS head-on," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
said in a statement. According to a U.N. report issued this week,
36.1 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, and there
will be 5.3 million new infections during 2000. It is expected that
3 million people will die from AIDS, 80% of them in Africa.
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405209758
*** Campaign launched against UN court
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Top Republican lawmakers led by Sen. Jesse
Helms have launched a new campaign against the world's first
permanent war crimes tribunal, which they say will threaten American
sovereignty. Helms, R-N.C., plans to make passage of a bill barring
U.S. cooperation with the court a top priority next year, a
spokesman said Wednesday. House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas,
spoke out Wednesday in favor of the bill, which Helms introduced
earlier this year. It also won backing from a bipartisan group of a
dozen former U.S. administration officials from Henry Kissinger to
ex-CIA director R. James Woolsey. The International Criminal Court,
which supporters predict will start operating in two years, was
created to deal with the world's most heinous crimes - genocide, war
crimes, and crimes against humanity. It would step in only when
countries are unwilling or unable to dispense justice themselves.
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405210015
*** China, U.S. OK military exchanges
BEIJING (AP) - China and the United States tentatively agreed
Thursday to more exchanges between their militaries, helping bring a
semblance of stability to often rocky ties between the distrustful
defense establishments. Two days of talks between U.S.
Undersecretary of Defense Walter Slocombe and a raft of Chinese
generals exhibited the wavering dynamics that now characterize
overall relations. China's pledge last week not to help Pakistan,
Iran and others build nuclear-capable missiles brightened the
atmosphere, Slocombe said. At the same time, a recent Chinese
defense policy paper - discussed in the talks - directly and
indirectly singled out the United States and its military alliances
in the region as a threat to China. Slocombe said he told the
Chinese such remarks are "unhelpful."
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405209814
*** Israel faults Haider Vatican trip
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel on Thursday condemned a planned visit by
Austrian right-wing politician Joerg Haider to the Vatican this
month. "Haider is a politician who is ostracized by the enlightened
world. The granting of honor to a man of this kind is liable to send
a wrong and inappropriate message, unintentionally," the Israeli
Foreign Ministry said. Haider, the governor of the southern province
of Carinthia, is likely to lead a delegation presenting a Christmas
tree to the Vatican on Dec. 16, the Austria Press Agency reported.
Such a visit would cause "considerable disappointment and
displeasure to the government of Israel," the ministry said.
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405210011
*** Britain forces through consent law
LONDON (AP) - After three defeats in the House of Lords, the
government resorted to rarely used powers Thursday to pass
legislation lowering the age of consent for homosexuals from 18 to
16. House of Commons speaker Michael Martin said he was invoking the
Parliament Act to force through a Sexual Offenses Bill that makes
the age of consent the same for both homosexuals and heterosexuals.
It became law after being given Royal Assent by the queen. Lawmakers
in the House of Commons overwhelmingly approved the bill earlier
this year, but the House of Lords this month rejected it for the
third time. The Lords' powers, however, are limited to delaying
legislation by blocking it and bouncing it back to the House of
Commons. The Parliament Act was created to ensure that the will of
the country's elected lawmakers prevails. The bill brings Britain in
line with most other European Union nations.
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=40521000
*** Sanction fears sink Afghan currency
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan lashed out at the United States on
Thursday, accusing it of using its hunt for terrorist suspect Osama bin
Laden as an excuse for new sanctions against Kabul's Islamic rulers. The
United States believes bin Laden is in Afghanistan and wants the country's
Taliban rulers to hand him over for trial in the 1998 bombings of U.S.
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people. "Osama has no
activity against anyone," said Taliban's deputy finance minister,
Arifullah Arif. "Osama is just an excuse of America which is really
opposed to an Islamic system in Afghanistan." Arif was alluding to a new
resolution being prepared at the United Nations calling for an arms
embargo against Afghanistan's Taliban militia to pressure its leaders to
close terrorist training camps, stop the flow of drugs and to surrender
bin Laden. Fears of more sanctions have sent Afghanistan's beleaguered
currency, the Afghani, plunging and food prices soaring, he said. The
Afghani dropped to 70,000 to the U.S. dollar, down from 65,000 a week ago.
Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405209806
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BFP items (12/1/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 10:34:53 -0500
TERRITORIES CLOSURE INCREASES ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEFT
The continued closure of the territories, which prevents Palestinians getting
to their jobs in Israel, has caused many of them to turn to smuggling ancient
artifacts and rustling cattle as alternative livelihoods, the Antiquities Authority
said on November 28.
"I don't know if it is out of hunger or not, but we are seeing dozens of them
sneaking over the border now. Some are coming to steal cattle and some are
pillaging ancient sites for artifacts," said Amir Ganor, the head of the
authority's unit for the prevention of antiquity theft. "We haven't seen this sort
of movement on the Green Line for a long time,"
Major targets for the robbers are archaeological sites and ancient burial
caves, said Ganor, who added that before the current wave of unrest his unit
had identified two or three grave robbing attempts a month. "Now we have
about 15 in a month," he said.
He went on to say that most of the pillaging is taking place along isolated
stretches of the Green Line in the Judean hills, an area peppered with
ancient sites, most dating to the Second Temple era. The Palestinians are
mainly in search of burial caves where they hope to find ancient pots, coins,
glasswear and oil lamps, which are sold to dealers.
Last weekend, authority agents and border policemen came across a group
of men from the West Bank village of Idna near Beit Guvrin as they were
digging up an ancient site. They captured one of the suspects, but the others
fled. The robbers had been digging at a site called Hirbet Shem-Tov, causing
irreparable damage to remains there and to adjacent terraces, dating to the
Second Temple and Byzantine eras.
Ganor said that the site, northeast of Moshav Amatzya, also included
tunnels dating from the Bar Kochba revolt. The intruders had apparently been
working for three nights before they were detected.
"This is one of the richest archaeological areas in the country," he said. "We
have caught some, but it is difficult. There are also fears that those crossing
might be terrorists. We know there are terror cells in Idna and other villages
just inside the West Bank." The suspected grave-robber was taken to the
Kiryat Gat police station, where he was questioned and released on bail. If
convicted, he faces up to three years in prison, but Antiquities Authority
officials say the courts are often too lenient and often just fine offenders. (By
Arieh O'Sullivan, the Jerusalem Post, November 29, 2000)
NEW ISRAELI LAW ON PALESTINIAN RIGHT OF RETURN
On November 27, a bill barring the right of return for Palestinians who
became refugees in 1948 and in 1967 was yesterday approved in its third
reading. The bill, submitted by MK Yisrael Katz (Likud), was supported by 90
MKs against nine, and was supported by all parties except the Arab ones.
The bill says: Refugees will not be allowed to return to the State of Israel
without the approval of the Knesset majority, namely, a majority of 61 MKs
out of the total 120. The bill defines a refugee as anyone who left the country
because of war and is not an Israeli citizen, including the 1948 and 1967
refugees. (By Gideon Alon, Ha'aretz, November 28, 2000)
Weekly News Update and Prayer Focus from Israel
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] IDF: Summary of Today's Events (11/30/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 10:34:54 -0500
IDF Spokesperson: Summary of Today's Events (Correct 19:00 30 November
2000)
30 November 2000
The West Bank:
Shots were fired towards an Israeli civilian bus travelling near the
"Tunnels" roadblock south of Jerusalem. There are no casualties.
Shots were fired towards a military roadblock near the settlement of Mount
Adar. The sources of the fire were not identified, so fire was not
returned.
An Explosive charge was thrown towards a Border Guard patrol at the
Shalalot St. in Hebron, the charge exploded. There were no casualties and
no damage was done. The force fired into the air in response.
Shots were fired towards the Jewish settlement in Hebron, there are no
casualties and no damage was done. The IDF returned fire towards the
sources of the shooting.
Violent riots took place at the following locations:
The 250 roadblock near Jenin, stones and molotov cocktails were thrown
towards IDF forces in the Shalalot St. in Hebron. Our forces responded
with crowd dispersing means.
Near Arab Tkoa Palestinians threw stones towards Israeli vehicles and IDF
forces. IDF forces responded with crowd dispersing means.
The Gaza Strip:
There were several shooting incidents towards IDF forces on the border
fence north of Kissufim today. IDF forces responded with direct fire
towards the sources of the shooting. A Palestinian terrorists was
identified to have been hit.
Shots were fired towards an IDF forces east of the Erez crossing. There
are no casualties and no damage was done. IDF forces returned fire towards
the sources of the shooting.
IMRA Newsletter <imra-l@lyris.vcix.com>
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To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (12/1/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 10:34:54 -0500
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Dec. 1, 2000 / Kislev 4, 5761
As we go to press:
SHOTS FIRED ON ANOTHER JERUSALEM NEIGHBORHOOD
According to initial reports from Pisgat Ze'ev, a northern-Jerusalem
neighborhood, Arab terrorists fired at an Israeli vehicle traveling on the
outskirts of the neighborhood. No injuries were reported. Pisgat Ze'ev
is situated adjacent to the Arab village Shuafat. Pisgat Ze'ev is the
second neighborhood of the nation's capital to be fired upon in the Rosh
HaShana Arab Assault.
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. FORMER RABIN AIDE SENTENCED TO 2-YEAR IMPRISONMENT
2. ARAFAT FORCES SECURE FRIDAY PRAYERS
3. PLO AIRPORT BACK ON TRACK
4. BARAK DOES NOT NEED PLEDGE TO "END CONFLICT"
5. WEEK-END ARAB ASSAULTS
6. TEACHING CHILDREN TO HATE AND KILL
7. CAPTIVE SOLDIERS WERE TRICKED
8. BARAK POPULARITY AT LOW POINT
1. FORMER RABIN AIDE SENTENCED TO 2-YEAR IMPRISONMENT
Tel Aviv District Court Judge Edmond Levy sentenced Shimon Sheves,
Former
Director-General of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's office, to a two-year
jail term, a one-year suspended prison sentence, and a 50,000 NIS
($12,500) fine. Sheves was convicted in late October of fraud, breach of
trust, and soliciting a bribe in a security matter - many details of which
have been barred from publication. The court acquitted Sheves of two
other bribery charges and part of a third charge related to his activities
while serving as Director-General of the Prime Minister's office. Most of
the trial hearings were held behind closed doors, due to the secret nature
of the charges.
Sheves was convicted of cooperating with industrial giants in Israel who
were trying to open a new market for business deals between Israel Defense
Industries and an unnamed "east-Asian country." He reached an agreement
with the industrial entrepreneurs; according to the deal, Sheves was to
receive a percentage of the earnings via an investment firm that was to
have been established to negotiate the contracts. At the time, the
unnamed east-Asian country was suffering from diplomatic and industrial
isolation, and in an attempt to improve its international image, insisted
that, as a condition for the deal, its President would receive an official
invitation to visit Israel. Sheves pressured Former Prime Minister Rabin
to extend the invitation, despite strong opposition from Foreign Ministry
officials who warned that Israel's ties with other countries would be
damaged, if an invitation was issued. Many details of the case remain
classified, lest Israel's relations with the east-Asian country - probably
Taiwan - be harmed.
In his sentencing, the judge wrote: "Public servants in general and
high-level officials, in particular, are obligated to behave with
integrity and honesty. The accused failed in both... And even if we
assume that Sheves was attempting to aid the financially-ailing Israel
Defense Industries, the accused wrapped his actions in crimes that a moral
society cannot tolerate." The court declared that the crimes for which
Sheves was found guilty were "crimes of moral turpitude."
Sheves denies the findings of the court and has announced that he will
appeal the decision.
2. ARAFAT FORCES SECURE FRIDAY PRAYERS
Thousands of policemen and IDF soldiers were situated on the Temple Mount
today for the first Friday prayer service of the month-long Moslem
festival of Ramadan. A senior member of the Jerusalem District police
told an Itim reporter today that a group of Yasser Arafat's "Force 17"
soldiers arrived at the Temple Mount early in the day and remained
throughout the services. For the first time since the onset of the Rosh
HaShanah Arab Assault, Moslems of all ages who are Jerusalem residents
and
Israeli citizens were permitted to attend services there. Tens of
thousands were in attendance. Voice of Palestine reported on Israeli
police preparations for the Temple Mount Moslem prayers by saying "dogs
were brought in to attack Palestinian worshippers."
3. PLO AIRPORT BACK ON TRACK
Israel has re-opened the Palestinian airport in Dahaniya, Gaza. It was
closed a month ago for security reasons. The reason for the decision: A
"good will gesture" and "confidence-building" measure offered by the Barak
government to Arafat's PLO.
4. BARAK DOES NOT NEED PLEDGE TO "END CONFLICT"
Influential Palestinian Authority officials continue to reject Ehud
Barak's new diplomatic initiative, despite the fact that Barak has waived
his Camp David demand that the PLO end its long-standing conflict with
Israel. According to the latest Barak proposal, Israel will agree to a
"graduated final-status arrangement" to include the immediate transfer of
yet more Judea and Samaria lands to the PLO, Israeli recognition of a
Palestinian state, and the postponement of negotiations over Jerusalem and
Arab refugees for several years. PLO spokesmen say the organization wants
the Jerusalem and refugee issues dealt with now. "Without this, there will
be no peace and no security," an Arafat aide asserted today. Key figures
in Washington have indicated that the US would also prefer a complete
final-status deal over another interim agreement.
5. WEEK-END ARAB ASSAULTS
Residents of the Gaza Jewish community, Netzarim, are resorting to
emergency water tanks today after a Palestinian bomb last night punctured
the town's water pump; the bomb targeted a local IDF patrol. In a
separate incident, a roadside bomb exploded last night adjacent to an IDF
base near the Binyamin community of Bet El, but nobody was injured. PLO
attacks continued last night, as terrorists shot on homes in the Jewish
community of Hevron, the Har Hevron town of Bet Haggai, and on IDF bases
near Neve Dekalim and Bet El. No injuries were reported as a result of
any of the above shootings.
6. TEACHING CHILDREN TO HATE AND KILL
The peaceful intentions of the Palestinians came into question again in
light of the Palestinian Media Watch's (PMW) latest report on the
activities of Arafat's official media. PMW Director Itamar Marcus writes:
"The scene has been replayed over and over during the past two months:
Palestinian children going up against Israeli soldiers, even in situations
involving gunfire and life-threatening situations. Many children are
wounded or even killed as a result. What motivates children to place
themselves in such dangerous situations, so that at times it seems that
they are seeking death? From the PA media and education the apparent
answer is that the children are pushed by their parents, teachers, friends
and the education they receive in the Palestinian Authority schools
glorifying death as Martyrs ["Shahid" death for Allah] as a supreme
virtue."
The following are a number of stories among many that were prominently
reported in the Palestinian media:
A November 9th edition of the official PA paper Al Hayat Al Jadida
included the following item: "When I become a Martyr, give out Kannafa'
[sweet cake]. These are the words that 14-year-old Wajdi Al-Hattab often
said to his friends and teachers in the days prior to his death in the
riots." The Arab paper went on to report on Al-Hattab's ninth grade
friends' reaction to his death: "They swore they would carry on, down the
road of shahada [Martyrdom for Allah]."
A headline in the Nov. 30 edition of the paper read: "The Boy Martyr Karam
Al-Kard [age 12] announced of his own death on the walls of his home."
The article stated: "The hand-written notice read: 'The Al-Kard family
announces the death of its courageous Martyr Karam Fat'he Al-Kard...'"
Another PA-controlled paper Al Ayyam reported in its November 1 edition
that the paralysis and permanent disability of "the boy Saber Al-Ashkar
(aged 18)... just added to his mother's determination to encourage her
sons to participate in the Intifada riots... She said that she had
[previously] lost her older son Iyad, and described him as the first
flower that appeared in her life. She is not interested in anything but
encouraging her sons to self-sacrifice and Martyrdom for the land of
Palestine=85"
An October 19th Palestinian Authority TV broadcast conducted conversations
with 2nd grade school children. The interviewer spoke with a child who
had thrown stones [in the riots]: Interviewer: "You threw stones at the
army and injured your leg. Will you throw again?" Child: "Yes."
Interviewer: "You aren't afraid to die?" Child: [embarrassed, hesitant]
Interviewer: [indicates "No" to the child by shaking her head in the
negative] Child: "No."
An October 27th Palestinian Authority TV broadcast featured schoolgirls
reciting a poem which appears in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade PA school books:
"I will take my soul in my hand and toss it into the abyss of death. And
then either life that will gladden friends or death that will anger the
enemy. The honorable soul has two objectives: Achieving death and honor."
7. CAPTIVE SOLDIERS WERE TRICKED
The Hizbullah terrorists who kidnapped three IDF soldiers on the Lebanese
border some two months ago disguised themselves as UN peacekeepers,
and
were driving an official UN vehicle. So says a special investigation
conducted by IDF Northern Command. The details of the report will be
released next week with the approval of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul
Mofaz. According to the report, the soldiers noticed the UN vehicle on
the Lebanese side of Har Dov, and for reasons that are not yet known,
voluntarily approached it. Shortly thereafter, they were kidnapped by the
UN-uniformed terrorists.
8. BARAK POPULARITY AT LOW POINT
A recent Gallup Poll has found that if elections to be held today, former
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would trounce incumbent Prime Minister
Ehud Barak by over 17% of the vote. According to the same survey, Sharon
would defeat Barak - but only by a margin of 2%. Speaking in today's
Jerusalem Post, veteran pollster Rafi Smith says that support for Barak is
at a low point, and that nearly half of Barak supporters in 1999 elections
would not vote for him today.
Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal
English News Editor: Ron Meir
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To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Do Public Schools Have a Prayer?
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 1 Dec 00 12:28:08 EST
Vol. 16, No. 26
December 18, 2000
http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2000/12-18-2000/vo16no26_prayer.htm
Do Public Schools Have a Prayer?
by Robert W. Lee
Supreme Court rulings have sought to stifle prayer at school-related
activities, but students, parents, and school officials have found ways to
continue to pray.
On June 19, 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court rendered the latest ruling in its
lengthy litany of anti-school prayer decisions, dating back to 1962. By a
divided six to three vote, the High Court held in Santa Fe Independent School
District v. Doe that student-led prayer at high school football games, even
when initiated by students themselves, violates the First Amendment's
Establishment Clause. The school district had adopted a two-step policy that
authorized student elections (by secret ballot) to determine if an invocation
should be delivered prior to a game, and, if so, which student should deliver
it. A federal district court subsequently upheld the policy, with the proviso
that only nonsectarian and nonproselytizing prayer could be allowed.
Nevertheless, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the policy did not
pass constitutional muster, and the Supreme Court's Santa Fe decision upheld
the circuit court's finding. The majority opinion claimed that "the delivery
of a message such as the invocation here - on school property, at
school-sponsored events, over the school's public address system, by a speaker
representing the student body, under the supervision of school faculty, and
pursuant to a school policy that explicitly and implicitly encourages public
prayer - is not properly characterized as 'private' speech."
In a stirring dissent, Chief Justice William Rehnquist (joined by Associate
Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia) asserted that the tone of the
majority opinion "bristles with hostility to all things religious in public
life," and that "neither the holding nor the tone of the opinion is faithful
to the meaning of the Establishment Clause, when it is recalled that George
Washington himself, at the request of the very Congress which passed the Bill
of Rights, proclaimed a day of 'public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed
by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty
God.'" (For more information regarding the intent of the Founding Fathers, see
page 37.)
Finding a Way
In the wake of Santa Fe, students, parents, and school officials in a number
of states sought to conjure up ways to continue prayer prior to football games
and similar events without transgressing the Supreme Court's increasingly
stringent litmus test. For instance:
* Prior to a high school game in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on August 25th, a
few students holding hands in the bleachers began reciting the Lord's Prayer.
As reported in the next day's New York Times, "by the time they got to
'deliver us from evil,' most of the crowd of 4,500 was standing, proudly
reciting the Lord's Prayer, insisting that God cannot be removed even from a
Class 4-A high school football game." School officials "carefully stayed out
of the way, in order not to violate" the Santa Fe decree. No loudspeaker was
used, and there was no official leader of the spontaneous incident.
* The next day, prior to a game in Columbia, South Carolina, the student body
president of one of the competing schools read a four-sentence prayer over the
public address system, as allowed by a school board resolution the day before
that sought to protect the right of students to "speak religiously or
otherwise" at school events, so long as such speech does not disrupt school
activities.
* The previous week in Asheville, North Carolina, more than 25,000 people
gathered at a high school football stadium for a rally sponsored by a group
called "We Still Pray," which is promoting the recitation of the Lord's Prayer
at games. And an organization called "No Pray, No Play" began advocating the
same idea in Texas, with the support of pastors throughout the state.
* At about the same time, members of the school board in Searcy, Arkansas,
voted to allow a nonprofit interdenominational group to engage in prayer
around a stadium flag pole before high school games.
And in one especially ingenious response to the Supreme Court's edict, a
Forest City, North Carolina, radio station allowed a pastor to say a prayer at
the beginning of a high school football broadcast, and urged fans attending
the game to turn up their radios during the invocation.
High Court Hypocrisy
The hypocrisy of the High Court's anti-prayer obsession becomes apparent when
it is compared to the court's approval of many anti-biblical and culturally
corrosive school policies. That point was underscored on September 1st when,
prior to his school's first home football game of the season, Principal Jody
McLoud of Roane County High School in Kingston, Tennessee, read a brief
statement over the public address system. Here is what he had to say:
It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games to
say a prayer and play the National Anthem to honor God and Country. Due to a
recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a prayer is a
violation of Federal Case Law.
As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to
approve of sexual perversion and call it an alternate lifestyle and if someone
is offended, that's okay.
I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity by dispensing condoms and calling
it safe sex. If someone is offended, that's okay.
I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn
baby as a viable means of birth control. If someone is offended, no problem.
I can designate a school day as earth day and involve students in activities
to religiously worship and praise the goddess, Mother Earth, and call it
ecology.
I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depict
people with strong, traditional, Christian convictions as simple minded and
ignorant and call it enlightenment.
However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and ask Him to bless this
event with safety and good sportsmanship, Federal Case Law is violated.
This appears to be at best, inconsistent and at worst, hypocritical.
Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and everyone except God and
His Commandments.
Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to
abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do
otherwise would be, at best, inconsistent and at worst, hypocritical. I suffer
from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an
intentional transgression.
For this reason, I shall, "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's," and
refrain from praying at this time. However, if you feel inspired to honor,
praise and thank God, and ask Him in the name of Jesus to bless this event,
please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that's not against the law yet.
Principal McLoud aptly summarized the dilemma that he and other educators face
as they strive to cope with the increasingly anti-Christian tropism of our
government schools. Asked about the response to his comments, he told The New
American that most of those in attendance, including members of both teams,
"were appreciative, and ... responded with applause." Asked if there were any
boos, he recalled, "No. None whatsoever," adding that the "responses that I've
gotten from all over the country ... have been overwhelmingly positive."
Indeed, of the 300-500 communications he had received, only four or five were
negative in tone.
____________________________________________________________________
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To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Confronted by evidence that demands a supernatural Creator
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 1 Dec 00 12:29:17 EST
Vol. 16, No. 26
December 18, 2000
http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/2000/12-18-2000/vo16no26_divine.htm
Divine Design
by Dennis J. Behreandt
As scientists delve deeper into the mysteries of nature, they are being
confronted by evidence that demands a supernatural Creator.
''If I should seek to prove God or to argue about God you would rightly swe=
ep
up my words and deposit them in the wastebasket," wrote the great poet and
essayist E. Merrill Root. Root was no atheist, nor was he an agnostic. He w=
as
a believer. But like Frederick Copleston said of St. Augustine in his A
History of Philosophy, "he was not so much concerned to prove to the atheis=
t
that God exists...," as he was concerned about "the dynamic attitude of the
soul towards God."
Still, both Root and Augustine recognized the value of pointing to God's
effects as a method of encouraging spirituality. So Root says, "God, beyond
phenomena, makes the universe a living order full of reason...," just as
centuries earlier Augustine proclaimed that "the very order, disposition,
beauty, change and motion of the world and of all visible things silently
proclaim that it could only have been made by God, the ineffably and invisi=
bly
great and the ineffably and invisibly beautiful." According to Copleston, S=
t.
Augustine tried to show that, like signposts, the evidence of God's actions
inherent in Creation "points upward to the living God who must be sought
within."
Toward Atheism
Modern science, the systematic investigation of the natural world which got
its start in the Renaissance, had as its original aim the noble goal of
uncovering the signposts pointing to God that He left in his creation. Paul
Davies, professor of mathematical physics at the University of Adelaide in
Australia, in his book The Mind of God, gives a brief history of this early
scientific search for God. "[T]he early astronomers such as Tycho Brahe and
Johannes Kepler, in deducing the laws of planetary motion, believed that in
studying the orderly processes of nature, they were uncovering God's ration=
al
design," he says. "This position was further articulated by the French
philosopher-scientist Ren=E9 Descarte, and adopted by Isaac Newton...." God=
,
these early investigators knew, could not be Himself purely rational, as He
most certainly is, and create an irrational universe. "In Renaissance Europ=
e,"
says Davies, "the justification for what we today call the scientific appro=
ach
to inquiry was the belief in a rational God whose created order could be
discerned from a careful study of nature."
By the mid-19th century, though, it began to seem as if the apparent order =
in
nature could be explained solely through the workings of natural processes
over a very long period of time. This view was solidified by Charles Darwin
when he published On the Origin of Species. The book was a bombshell,
presenting a model which described how the diversity of life on Earth could
have come about solely through the workings of the process of natural
selection. For those leaning toward atheism, Darwinian evolution was the
clincher, for there was precious little place in such a scheme for God.
Evolution through the process of natural selection has since become biologi=
cal
dogma, an unassailable paradigm upon which the orthodox scientific communit=
y
brooks no question.
It would be a mistake to blame Darwin entirely for the atheistic view that =
has
dominated science since his day. Other branches of scientific inquiry
contributed to the view that the universe had no need of God, none more so
than cosmology. To the physicists and astronomers concerned with cosmology,=
it
had begun to look as though the universe was infinite. No matter how far on=
e
looked out from earth, space seemed to remain the same. The prevailing opin=
ion
was that the universe had always existed and in the future would continue t=
o
exist without much chance of anything upsetting the cosmic apple cart. "The
Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be," said Carl Sagan, neatly
summing up this view. Taken together with Darwinian evolution, the static
model of the universe formed the core of the seemingly powerful "scientific=
"
argument against God. If the universe always existed and always will exist,
and if the existence of life can be ascribed to the whims of natural
selection, then what need is there for a Creator?
Discovering God Again
"It is true," Francis Bacon said, "that a little philosophy inclineth man's
mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to
religion." A little science had done what Bacon said a little philosophy wo=
uld
do: It helped turn mankind toward atheism. But science has continued to loo=
k
ever deeper into the mysteries of the universe. And in that deeper, more
thorough probing, it is finding signposts pointing directly to God. Depth i=
n
science, it seems, also "bringeth men's minds about to religion."
The first signs that something was amiss with the 19th century understandin=
g
of the natural world came in the field of cosmology, where, in 1913, Vesto
Melvin Slipher, an astronomer, stumbled onto something extraordinary. Sliph=
er
noticed that about a dozen galaxies seemed to be moving away from the earth=
at
great speed. Then, in 1917, along came Einstein and his equations for a
general theory of relativity. "William de Sitter, a Dutch astronomer, found=
a
solution to them almost immediately that predicted an exploding universe, i=
n
which the galaxies of the heavens moved rapidly away from one another," say=
s
astronomer Robert Jastrow in his book God and the Astronomers. The concept =
of
an everlasting, static universe was now in deep trouble. Einstein himself w=
as
discomfited by his own findings. "The circumstance [of an expanding univers=
e]
irritates me," he said in a letter to de Sitter. In another letter to de
Sitter on the concept of an expanding universe, Einstein again argued that =
"to
admit such possibilities seems senseless." Einstein would stubbornly resist
the idea of an expanding universe until 1930. In that year, the acclaimed
physicist traveled to Pasadena, California, to visit astronomer Edwin Hubbl=
e.
Hubble had been present in 1914 when Slipher announced his discovery that
other galaxies were moving away from Earth. Subsequently, Hubble had become
aware of the solutions for the equations of general relativity that predict=
ed
an expanding universe. Slipher never connected, intellectually, his results
with the predictions of Einstein's equations. Hubble did. Along with Milton
Humason, he put what was then, in 1925, the world's largest telescope to wo=
rk
looking for an expanding universe. Humason and Hubble "probed the depths of
space out to a distance of more than 100 million light years...," says
Jastrow. Every galaxy they looked at confirmed Slipher's earlier discovery:
Each galaxy was retreating from the Earth at high speed. Hubble's astoundin=
g
discovery confirmed the prediction of an expanding universe de Sitter had m=
ade
many years earlier using the equations of general relativity. "Now both the=
ory
and observation pointed to an expanding universe and a beginning in time,"
said Jastrow. When Einstein in 1930 looked at Hubble's data, he was finally
convinced. "New observations by Hubble and Humason concerning the red shift=
of
light in distant nebulae [what are now called galaxies] make it appear like=
ly
that the general structure of the Universe is not static," he said.
Finding a distinct beginning to the universe was something that most
scientists did not anticipate and which made most of them, like Einstein,
enormously uncomfortable. "There is a kind of religion in science," says
Jastrow, "it is the religion of a person who believes there is order and
harmony in the Universe, and every event can be explained in a rational way=
as
the product of some previous event; every effect must have its cause; there=
is
no First Cause." But here it was, a First Effect. The universe, most
astronomers and physicists now agree, had a distinct beginning. There
therefore must be a First Cause, a Prime Mover - God - that set the univers=
e
in motion. "For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of
reason, the story ends like a bad dream," Jastrow remarks. "He has scaled t=
he
mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pull=
s
himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who hav=
e
been sitting there for centuries."
God in the Details
This cosmological signpost, remarkable as it is, was only the beginning.
Science is now finding signposts at a more frenzied pace, both in cosmology
and, surprisingly and controversially, in biology, the domain of the seemin=
gly
imperturbable Darwin. As it turns out, the universe is beginning to look le=
ss
and less like a lucky accident. In an article for the November 2000 issue o=
f
Discover magazine, writer Brad Lemley succinctly sums up the quandary that =
is
increasingly shaking the stubborn secularism of science. "The universe is
unlikely," Lemley points out. "Very unlikely. Deeply, shockingly unlikely."
How unlikely? Consider the findings of Martin Rees. Rees is Royal Society
Research Professor at Cambridge University. A physicist of great internatio=
nal
standing, he explains that there are six numbers that "constitute a 'recipe=
'
for the universe." "Moreover," he says, "the outcome is sensitive to their
values: if any one of them were to be 'untuned,' there would be no stars an=
d
no life."
To see the incredible importance of just one of these numbers, consider the
one Rees labels e. This number describes the amount of energy released by a
star when it fuses its fuel, hydrogen, into helium, and has a direct impact=
on
both the life of stars and the creation of the heavier elements, such as
oxygen, carbon, iron, and others, that life depends upon. When hydrogen is
fused in a star's core, the nuclei of the resulting helium atoms weigh only
99.3 percent as much as the four subatomic particles, two protons and two
neutrons, out of which they are composed. The remaining 0.7 percent is
released mainly as heat. "So the fuel that powers the Sun - the hydrogen ga=
s
at its core - converts 0.007 of its mass into energy when it fuses into
helium," says Rees.
Why does this matter? If, for example, e were to equal 0.006 rather than
0.007, helium could not be made from hydrogen in stellar cores. It takes tw=
o
steps for a star to make helium. First, hydrogen, which consists of one pro=
ton
and one electron, must bind with a neutron to make deuterium, otherwise kno=
wn
as heavy hydrogen. Rees notes that if e was less than 0.007, "a proton coul=
d
not be bonded to a neutron and deuterium would not be stable. Then the path=
to
helium formation would be closed off. We would have a simple universe compo=
sed
of hydrogen...." Similarly, Rees points out that if e were more than 0.007,
then protons would fuse far too quickly. "This would have happened readily =
in
the early universe so that no hydrogen would remain to provide the fuel in
ordinary stars, and water could never have existed," Rees points out. Heavi=
er
elements are made in stars as well, after the formation of helium. "The act=
ual
mix of elements would depend on e," says Rees, "but what is remarkable is t=
hat
no carbon-based biosphere could exist if this number had been 0.006 or 0.00=
8
rather than 0.007." Discover magazine science writer Lemley points out that
this is "just one of Rees's six numbers. If you toss in the other five, lif=
e
and the structure of the universe as we know it become unlikely to an absur=
d
degree."
If it seems unlikely that the universe could exist, by accident, in such a
finely tuned state, then consider everyday biology here on earth and prepar=
e
to be amazed. Life, no matter how complex, depends on the cell, a structure
which once was thought to be supremely simple. However, the functioning of =
a
cell, we know now, depends on the existence of molecular machinery of
wondrous, ridiculous complexity. This complexity, some biochemists are
beginning to show, cannot be explained by evolution.
A good case in point, and only one of a myriad such examples, is the cellul=
ar
structure known as cilia. Cilia seem like simple structures: small hair-lik=
e
projections from the surface of a cell that provide motile ability to
single-celled organisms or material transport in multicellular organisms.
Cilia function much like oars; they have a power stroke and a return stroke=
.
But how? Cilia are composed of rod structures called microtubules sheathed =
in
a membrane. The microtubules are linked by two different kinds of proteins,
nexin and dynein, with nexin acting as a connecting agent tying everything
together and dynein acting as a motor when provided with a molecular fuel
known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Lehigh University biochemist Michael
Behe provides the details of how this structure causes cilia to repeatedly
bend in his valuable book, Darwin's Black Box:
The dynein arms on one microtubule attach to a second, neighboring
microtubule, and dynein uses the biological energy of ATP to "walk up" its
neighbor. When this happens the two microtubules begin to slide past each
other. In the absence of nexin, they would continue to slide past each othe=
r
until they separated; however, the protein cross-links prevent neighboring
microtubules from sliding by more than a short distance. When the flexible
nexin linkers have been elongated to their limit, further walking by dynein
makes the nexin linkers tug on the microtubules. As dynein continues its wa=
lk,
strain increases. Fortunately, the microtubules are somewhat flexible, so t=
he
dynein-induced sliding motion is converted to a bending motion.
This is a much simplified depiction of the workings of cilia. But it serves=
to
illustrate the complexity of even the simplest of biological processes.
Further, the humble cilia has thrown a serious monkey wrench into the
Darwinian notion of evolution. Behe explains that cilia are irreducibly
complex. For instance, for cilia to function, they absolutely must have
microtubules, dynein motors, and nexin linkers, all of which are proteins m=
ade
through the mind-numbingly complex system of cellular protein synthesis, to
say nothing of the ATP fuel which is generated through the Krebs cycle, its=
elf
a labyrinth of complexity. "All of these parts are required to perform one
function: ciliary motion," says Behe. "Just as a mousetrap does not work
unless all of its constituent parts are present, ciliary motion simply does
not exist in the absence of microtubules, connectors, and motors."
How could such a system have evolved? Behe presents his own guess as to how
the cilia evolved, then dismisses it as insanely unlikely. He then points o=
ut
that ciliary function is much studied because of the important role the
structures play in human physiology. Since it is frequently studied, one wo=
uld
think that the scientific literature would be filled with papers describing
cilia evolution. Instead, there had only been two such papers published by =
the
time Behe's book came out in 1996. Presumably this remained the case until =
at
least 1998, when a paperbound edition of Behe's book was published. Neither=
of
those papers, Behe points out, presented a useful hypothesis which could be
tested. Both papers were, instead, meant to provoke further thought on the
subject of ciliary evolution. Interestingly though, Behe notes that the
authors of the two papers "have clashed in print in recent years. Each poin=
ts
out the enormous problems with the other's model...." So, how did cilia
evolve? "Nobody knows," says Behe.
Indeed, it seems unlikely that an evolutionary pathway to cilia will be fou=
nd,
because, as Behe points out, cilia are irreducibly complex. "An irreducibly
complex system cannot be produced directly (that is, by continuously improv=
ing
the initial function, which continues to work by the same mechanism) by
slight, successive modifications of a precursor system, because any precurs=
or
to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition
nonfunctional.... Since natural selection can only choose systems that are
already working, then if a biological system cannot be produced gradually i=
t
would have to arise as an integrated unit, in one fell swoop, for natural
selection to have anything to act on." We are then left with the specter of
design and, necessarily, of a designer.
The deceptively simple cilium is only one example of the myriad intricacies
that are required for life. Like physicist Rees' six-number recipe for the
universe, alter one aspect of one of these sophisticated biochemical proces=
ses
and life becomes radically different and, in many cases, impossible. Brad
Lemley's observation that the universe is "deeply, shockingly unlikely," no=
w
must take on an even deeper meaning.
Martin Rees, toward the end of his book, cites a metaphor he attributes to
philosopher John Leslie. "Suppose you are facing a firing squad. Fifty
marksmen take aim, but they all miss. If they hadn't missed, you wouldn't h=
ave
survived to ponder the matter. But you wouldn't just leave it at that - you=
'd
still be baffled, and would seek some further reason for your good fortune.=
"
By the very fact of our existence, we have been very lucky. Can the fine
tuning of the universe and the complexity of life really be accounted for b=
y
mere time and chance?
Rees, despite the fact that his work points to a creator, thinks we can
attribute our existence to chance. But not simply within the bounds of this
universe. He subscribes to a theory of the multiverse, whereby ours is just
one of an infinite number of universes and that given an infinite number of
universes, ours is bound to exist. But even he admits that this "may not se=
em
an 'economical' hypothesis - indeed, nothing might seem more extravagant th=
an
invoking multiple universes...." Rees is referring to the principle of
parsimony, also known as Occam's razor, that the simplest explanation is th=
e
best. The multi-universe hypothesis, however, "flies in the face of Occam's
razor," says physicist Paul Davies, "by introducing vast (indeed infinite)
complexity to explain the regularities of just one universe. I find this
'blunderbuss' approach to explaining the specialness of our universe
scientifically questionable." Davies concludes: "In the end, Occam's razor
compels me to put my money on design...."
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him: a=
nd
without Him was made nothing that was made," begins the Gospel according to
St. John. Once, science would have dismissed the Gospels as nonsense. But
science is finding what the poet E. Merrill Root knew to be true, that only=
"a
theistic universe has sense...." Indeed. According to Vera Kistiakowski, a
physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "The exquisite orde=
r
displayed by our scientific understanding of the physical world calls for t=
he
divine."
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========
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] The Poles Wearables Expedition
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 18:42:25 -0500
The mission
In the winter of year 2000 and 2001 a small expedition, a man and a woman,
will make an attempt to reach the south- and north Poles of the earth. Alone
without outside assistance. Their means of communication with the world will
be computers worn around their waists and monitors built into eyepieces on
their heads.
They will ski for 120 days, pull sledges excessive of 220lb (100kg) in
temperatures averaging minus 31F (-35C). They will face Polar Bears, giant
crevasses and tall walls of migrating ice. There will be storms, but also a
horizon of seven suns, estranged meteorites and eternally dry desserts.
The couple will travel in the steps of human history: Where Amundsen
celebrated victory and Scott succumbed to defeat, in his final days leaving
behind remarkable letters of reflection to the world.
The aim of the expedition is to experience the awes, report them back home
and to push boundaries - those of humans and those of technology - working
together in an environment of outmost difficulties.
The technology unites various communication technologies in search of
unlimited global communication, accessible by a self-powered system and
small enough to wear on the body.
To achieve this, a team with several of the worlds leading communication-
and wearable computing companies has been formed. Many of the satellites,
computers and displays are new to the market or the purpose, some not
even yet launched.
Technical volunteers have been rewriting code and in other ways helped to
unite the systems for the purpose.
The resulting technology is a trial on the extremes today, and perhaps a
blueprint for the future of urban streets tomorrow.
http://www.thepoles.com/netscape/themission.shtml
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Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.