BPR Mailing List Digest: 12/22/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
December 22, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | December, 2000

To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] RE: 33 Clans
From: tracy
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 03:13:07 -0500

[Moderator Note: With this message will we close the discussion on this topic (re: 33 clans). As Tracy comments below, anyone wishing to discuss it further can contact members privately if they so wish. Also, as Tracy notes, please don't flame, either on this list or in private email please. We have 130+ members on the list which means that we have 130+ views on any given topic and there are sure to be disagreements. Those disagreements do not have to be a source of contention, however. Thanks]

I know that this is not a debate group so I will not write anything
else on this subject. I have not found anything in the first 3 chapters
of hebrews that even hints that only the decedents of Adam and Eve would
be saved. Now there is a hint (big one) that says others were on the
earth when seth killed cane. Or was he imagining the others that would
kill him.

One possibility would be that Adam and Eve represent groups of humans.
Different enough that they received different names. I that would
explain how they could multiply and not have genetic freaks. Otherwise
brother and sister would have had to have children together. Then their
kids would have to have children together. Inbreeding is disastrous now
I have to assume it was then. Not to mention it was not until after
seth was born did it mention that there were any daughters born.

So who did cain have as a wife? In any event, if cain laid down with
his sister (who has no name) and had a son enoch how was cain building a
city? Gen 4:17 There would not be enough people for a village. You
should still be able to count the people of the Earth on two hands. If
cain built a city the that would support the theory that the names of
the children of Adam and Eve, along with Adam and Eve are actually
peoples. Maybe a big enough change in the DNA that they could be called
a different name.

My e-mail is tschill@home.net if anyone would like to discuss this
further. Please don't flame me I am only seeking truth as is anyone
else.

Tracy.

> Had other humans lived on earth, no means of redemption would have
> been possible for them. Hebrews 1-3 tells us that Godn is concerned
> with the salvation of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve only.
>

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======= To: <bprlist@egroups.com>, "tracy" <tschill@home.net>
Subject: Re: [bprlist] RE: 33 Clans
From: "pnj"
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 11:58:13 -0800

If as some people believe, that God created more than just one man (Adam) &
one woman (Eve) then since everything God made was perfect before the fall,
how did the other people lose their perfection? We know what happened to
Adam & Eve. Shoulden't there still have been perfect people on the earth
before the flood. Of course we know there were not. A lot to concider.
Sincerely pnj
----- Original Message -----
From: Pam Baker
To: tracy <tschill@home.net>
Cc: <bprlist@egroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 5:45 AM
Subject: [bprlist] RE: 33 Clans

> Dear Tracy:
>
> In your response to the 33 Clan concept you wrote:
>
> "Remember when Cain killed Able that he was forced to wander the Earth.
> He was afraid that he would be killed by the others. God told that he
> would put a mark on his forehead and if anyone else killed him he would
> be avenged seven fold. Now that brings up a question. WHAT OTHERS?
> There should only be Adam Eve and Cain. But cain is worried about
> anyone killing him. The point is, if cain is worried about "anybody"
> killing him as he wanders the Earth then obviously there were other
> people developing in other areas."
>
> The Bible tells us God CREATED males and females on the sixth day.
> We do not know how many were created, in pairs, presumably. It could
> have been 33 pairs or only 4 pairs, only God knows, for sure. Then,
> AFTER He had rested on the seventh day, we do not know how long after,
> God MADE Adam from the dust of the ground and He MADE Eve from one of
> Adam's ribs. Researchers recently, using the Y chromosome, traced all
> males back to one male. (Adam?). then using DNA they traced the roots
> of all females to four females. (Four created females? - Eve was a part
> of Adam.) There could well have been 'MANY OTHERS' at the time Cain
> started to wander the earth. His wife would have come from one of thse
> and I think Cain, and other male descendants of Adam and Eve, were the
> Sons of God who went in unto the daughters of men. It all fits!
> Praise the Lord!
>
> God Bless you. Charlie Baker.
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
> Bible Prophecy Research
> URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
>
>
>
>
>
>

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) TNS: EXCESSIVE FORCE AND HYPOCRISY
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:13 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: 20 Dec 2000 02:19:49 -0000
From: "Tzemach News Service" <tns@tzemach.org>
Subject: TNS: EXCESSIVE FORCE AND HYPOCRISY

Tzemach News Service - http://www.tzemach.org/fyi

EXCESSIVE FORCE AND HYPOCRISY
By Alex Safian

(December 12) - Soldiers manning a combat bulldozer are suddenly attacked
by armed militiamen; a civilian mob joins the attack, providing cover for
the gunmen. The soldiers call for help and soon Cobra helicopters are
firing volleys of anti-tank missiles and 20-mm cannon on the crowd below.
Within minutes almost 100 of the attackers, mostly civilians, are dead.

A military spokesman justifies the high civilian toll, explaining that,
"Everyone on the ground in the vicinity was a combatant, because they
meant to do us harm."

Attacking hostile civilians as if they were combatants would seemingly
guarantee "excessive force" condemnations from the UN and human-rights
groups.

But there was no condemnation.

This was because Israeli forces weren't involved, and ironically enough,
UN "peacekeepers," mostly from the US, were.

The attack on the bulldozer crew and the intervention by US Cobra
helicopters occurred on September 9, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia. The
attackers were Somali militiamen and civilians. The person defending the
use of helicopters to cut down almost a hundred Somalis was a UN spokesman
named Maj. David Stockwell.

There is no record that the UN ever disavowed Stockwell's statement, and
even if they had, the battle's very high death toll was the rule rather
than the exception during the UN intervention in Somalia. Indeed, the UN
had, three months earlier, passed a resolution under Chapter 7 of the
Charter, requiring member nations to supply heavy weapons to the UN forces
deployed in Somalia.

Security Council Resolution 837 condemned "unprovoked armed attacks
against [UN personnel]... which appear to have been part of a calculated
and premeditated series of cease-fire violations... [and urged] member
states to contribute, on an emergency basis, military support and
transportation, including armored personnel carriers, tanks and attack
helicopters to provide... the capability appropriately to confront and
deter armed attacks..."

Member states did not forsake this UN call, and as the weaponry arrived it
was put to use, never more violently than in the aftermath of a botched US
raid to capture Somali warlords. The mission, undertaken by army rangers
and Delta Force commandos, went seriously wrong when two US helicopters
were shot down by RPGs, leaving the soldiers encircled by Somali
militiamen and civilians.

The ensuing battle and the eventual rescue of the soldiers, employing
tanks and armored personnel carriers, was described by US officials as
"carnage."

Up to 500 Somalis were killed and 1,000 injured in the fighting; press
reports indicate that "hundreds of women and children" were among those
treated in hospitals afterwards.

Despite these very high casualties, US Army spokesmen asserted that
excessive force had not been used nor international law breached, and that
the Somalis themselves bore ultimate responsibility for the bloodshed.

"It is they who initiated the firefight and who bear ultimate
responsibility for this tragic loss of life."

Compare this with a more recent encirclement: Israeli soldiers manning the
enclave at Joseph's Tomb are attacked by a similar mix of armed
Palestinian militiamen and civilians.

The surrounded and besieged troops report that one of them has been shot
and needs medical attention.

Senior officers refuse to send in nearby armored forces, and the wounded
soldier dies, waiting for a rescue that never comes. The officers later
explain that "if we had sent in tanks and heavy weapons to take out a
wounded soldier, it would not only have caused an escalation in events,
but imagine how it would look to the rest of the world."

Despite almost unimaginable restraint in this incident, and in the
conflict with the Palestinians generally, it is Israel that has faced
condemnation - condemnation that was never leveled at the US and the UN in
Somalia, despite admitted carnage there.

And Somalia is far from the only instance of this double standard.

For example, after tensions had risen between the US and Panama, an
off-duty US soldier there made a wrong turn and was shot dead by
Panamanian forces.
The US invaded and deposed President Noriega, in the process killing as
many as 3,000 Panamanians, the majority apparently civilians.

Compare this to Israel's reaction to the lynching of its two soldiers
after they made a wrong turn into Ramallah - a three-hour warning before
retaliatory strikes against empty buildings.

Why then have Amnesty International and similar groups singled out Israel
for reproach? A hint, perhaps, can be found in Amnesty's kangaroo-court
approach to the conflict.

Reversing the usual process of investigating before reaching conclusions,
Amnesty on October 3 charged Israel with using "excessive and
indiscriminate force," then two days later announced the departure of its
delegates to "investigate" the matter. The unwarranted charges spring from
extreme hypocrisy and bias.

(The writer is associate director of the Boston-based Committee for
Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, Camera).

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

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Qadhafi's Daughter and the Strain in Libyan-PLO Relation
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:13 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 21:18:51 -0800
To: MEMRI <memri@erols.com>
From: MEMRI <memri@erols.com>
Subject: Qadhafi's Daughter and the Strain in Libyan-PLO Relations

Special Dispatch
December 20, 2000

No. 167

Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 7837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-mail: MEMRI@erols.com
Website: www.memri.org

[MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be cited
with proper attribution.]

Qadhafi's Daughter and the Strain in Libyan-PLO Relations

An article in the Saudi weekly Al-Majallah about 'Aysha, the daughter of
Libyan ruler Mu'amar Al-Qadhafi, has led to a deterioration of the PLO=92s
relations with the Libyan leader. In November an article in Al-Majallah
claimed that 'Aysha Qadhafi is the leading candidate to succeed her father.
(1) A picture of 'Aysha in jeans and dyed blond hair on the cover of
Al-Majallah, gathered various critical comments. "'Aysha does not represent
our peoples' culture," stated a letter on an internet site of Libyan exiles ,
"It contradicts our religion as Muslims." (2)

However, it was an article in another issue of Al-Majallah (3) which sparke d
Qadhafi's ire. The humorous article, written as a "love letter," to 'Aysha ,
harshly criticized Mu'amar Qadhafi and his dictatorial regime. The author,
Jihad Abdallah identified himself as a Palestinian.

According to the London-based Arabic weekly Al-Quds Al-Arabi the Libyan
ruler "went berserk" and decided that Palestinian officials were responsibl e
for the publication of the article. He instructed his "popular committees"
to demonstrate outside of the Palestinian embassy in Tripoli threatening to
burn it. The Palestinian ambassador acted immediately and summoned Arafat
to Tripoli to appease Qadhafi and to prevent the planned deportation of
Palestinians from Libya.

Arafat travelled to Tripoli and told Qadhafi that he views 'Aysha as his ow n
daughter. He shifted responsibility for the article to the Saudi journal
and added that, with the Intifada going on, now is not the time to come
forward with allegations against the Palestinians.

Qadhafi relented, only demanding, that the editor of Al-Majallah be fired.
The editor was fired and Qadhafi also dismissed 500 Palestinians from the
Libyan army. (4)

This episode provides a unique glimpse into the political culture of the
Arab world, particularly the role individual personalities play in national
events. Following are excerpts from Jihad Abdallah's humorous critique of
the Qadhafi regime, entitled =93I love You, 'Aysha:=94

"Ever since I saw her picture for the first time, coming off of a plane in
Baghdad, with her delicate figure and her [Cindy] Crawford-like blond hair,
and until I saw the second picture on the cover of Al-Majallah, where the
headline stated that she will become the first female president of an Arab
republic since that moment, I have been crazy about her and captivated by
her charms and her beauty. Her picture does not leave my mind. I publicly
admit that I love her. Yes, I love 'Aysha Mu'amar Qadhafi. I am in love
with her and crazy about her. I am a prisoner of her beauty and I aspire t o
marry her."

"I have given up all the women in the world for her including the two
Madeleines, Tipper [sic.] and Albright. I will give up all the world's
riches... I would do anything to be engaged to the first female president
of an Arab republic. Would it make sense then, as part of this adventure,
that I serve as Libya's representative to the next Arab 'Other Half' summit ,
(5) and make Suha Arafat's life hell?"

"The song goes, 'Love is a decision,' and I say, that I have decided to lov e
you, oh 'Aysha, and to ask you directly and officially for your hand in
marriage, because you are the decision-maker, according to the terms of the
'Third World Theory,' [devised by Qadhafi to liken capitalism with
communism]. (6) I say to you already: I am willing to do anything for you t o
become my wife, even if it requires that I admit that your father is the
most rational of all the Arab leaders.'"

"I am willing to go to the courts of history and to testify that your
father, the revolutionary leader, Mu'amar Qadhafi, did not oppose the
decision to stop the flow of oil to the West in 1973, and that that is just
a cruel rumor."

"I am prepared to swear that when your father took it upon himself to
support all of the revolutionary organizations except for the Palestinian
ones, what he really meant was to recruit all the world's armies, including
the Japanese Red Army and the IRA, for the sake of the liberation of
Palestine=85."

"I will gather all of my conscience to testify in the courts of history tha t
your father, oh my love, stood by the Arabs in every conflict between an
Arab country and a non-Arab country."

"All I ask for in return, oh 'Aysha, is that you become my wife. Our
marriage will protect the reputation of Libya and the Libyan revolution,
because it will prove that Libya supports the Palestinian people..."

"I promise already, that I will not forbid you to use make-up instead of
your brain. I promise not to be angry if you use Cindy Crawford hair
instead of your brain. Is there anything more beautiful, my love, than a
woman without brains? Is there a thing more delicious than a seductive blon d
with no mind?"

"I promise to help you write a new book, and I suggest calling it The Blond
Book, which will be a 21st Century version of The Green Book [Mu'amar
Qadhafi's political manifesto]. We can also change the... color of Libya's
[green] flag to blond. What do you think, my love, of my calling you from
now on, 'The ideologist of the One and a Half World Theory'"?

"But, 'Aysha, I can tell you straightforwardly, that I will put some limits
on you. Is it conceivable that the future leader of the revolution wears
jeans and American clothing? I will not have my 'future' wife wear jeans,
so that no one can accuse her of Americanization. So that you will be able
to deny this accusation, I ask the popular committees to change the name of
jeans. From now on, they will be called ''Aysh-eans.'"

"And you, my dear uncle, [Qadhafi] have granted the world with the greatest
accomplishment of the 20th century, by giving birth to 'the future leader'
'Aysha."

"Many thanks to you, because you have made my mission to marry her all the
easier. Do you know, 'Aysha, why I thank your father? According to the
'Third World Theory,' and according to The Green Book, I do not need your
consent in order to marry you. All I must do is declare that I have become a
popular or revolutionary committee and then take control of you. Here, I am
doing it. Now you have become my wife. Now move it - to the kitchen!"

(1) Al-Majallah, (Saudi Arabia) November 19, 2000.
(2) Libyanet.com, December 13, 2000.
(3) Al-Majallah, December 12, 2000.
(4) Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), December 15 & 16, 2000.
(5) =93The Other Half=94 was a recent convention of Arab first ladies held in
Cairo.
(6) One of the theories invented by Mu'amar Qadhafi.

The Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization providing translations of the media of the Middle
East and original analysis on developments in the region. Copies of articl es
and documents cited, as well as background information, are available upon
request.

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

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Zenit News items (12/19/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:13 -0500

FRENCH MUSLIMS PREFER CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Consider Them More Open and Tolerant Than State Schools

PARIS, DEC. 19, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- A new educational phenomenon has
been discovered in France: Many Muslim parents prefer to send their
children to Catholic schools.

According to a report published by Simona Serafini in the Italian newspaper
Avvenire, Muslims students are increasingly attending Catholic schools,
which are considered more tolerant than the state institutions.

One of the Muslim parents interviewed for the article said that "the spirit ual
values, respect for God and for others, are things we don';t find in public
schools." Because of this, this Muslim father sends his children to a
Catholic school in Marseilles.

The Catholic school of Saint-Mauront in Marseilles, the French city with th e
largest number of Muslim inhabitants, has 104 students, half of whom are
French. All of their parents are foreigners, 90% of them Muslims. Some do
not speak French and attend special courses. A few girls have been expelled
from public schools for wearing the Islamic veil, since the state schools
insist on laicism, which prohibits any external sign of confessional
membership.

Half of the 4 million Muslims in this nation of 59 million people hold Fren ch
passports. Curiously, many Muslims turn to Catholic schools to help their
children integrate into French society.

"I prefer my children to go to a Catholic school than to a Koranic school,"
said one parent. "In fact, the majority of Muslim religious leaders do not
speak French, and their Islam, imported from rural zones of the Maghreb, is
not adaptable to the reality in which we live. In a Catholic school, on the
contrary, the children have a greater chance to integrate." The parent adde d:
"Is it not true that Muslims and Christians believe in one God who has
created the world and leads his creatures to perfection?"

Many Muslim parents are convinced that the Catholic school, as opposed to
the public state school that ignores and rejects the religious fact, can he lp
their children accept, understand and integrate into daily life their origi n and
cultural and religious tradition.

The Avvenire report mentions the case of Alina, who went to a nuns'; school
in her native Algeria when she was little. "I have enrolled my daughter in a
Catholic school because she is looked after better and receives a good
education," Alina said.

Given this new phenomenon, Catholic schools are beginning to prepare
themselves better to receive these students. Two years ago, the French
bishops published a document entitled "Catholics and Muslims: A Way to
Meet and Dialogue." It outlined two fundamental principles: The first is to
witness to the Catholic faith and avoid proselytism; the second is to study
carefully the cultural and religious roots of students to prepare them to w ork
together for the common good.

Father Benoit Riviere, episcopal vicar of Marseilles, pointed out: "The sch ool
much teach coexistence among religions. It is the only way the dialogue wil l
lead to the consolidation of one';s own creed."

ZE00121901

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

FOR CUBANS, GRATITUDE TO ST. LAZARUS COMES NATURALLY
Pilgrims Walk, or Crawl, to an Honored Shrine

HAVANA, DEC. 19, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Nilson Torres walked barefoot for 21
days to the St. Lazarus shrine, lugging bags of food and clothes and a
cardboard box filled with cigars, rum and oil.

It took 43-year-old Jos=E9 Emilio Bolboyera five hours from his home to the
shrine crawling on his belly, wiggling and writhing along a country road an d
dragging three cement blocks chained to his right leg -- mostly as a sign o f
penance, an Assoicated Press report noted.

Tens of thousands of other Cubans made the trek by bike or car beginning
Saturday night, paying tribute to St. Lazarus, a patron saint of lepers to
whom Cubans give annual thanks and praise for fulfilling wishes and
miracles, AP said.

Most Cubans have made the journey at least once in their lives, the news
service said. By Sunday morning, thousands of pilgrims had convened at the
El Rincon church, 20 miles outside of Havana, to offer their praise and
thanks. The annual tribute is called St. Lazarus Day, a local Catholic fest ival
which is celebrated here every Dec. 17.

Alberto Rodr=EDguez made the trip for a third time this year -- this time o n his
stomach, because he was especially grateful, the AP said. After praying las t
year to St. Lazarus -- known in Spanish as San Lazaro -- he said his
daughter miraculously recovered from an ailment described by doctors as lif e-
threatening. It took him 13 hours.

"She was deathly sick but this year was cured,';'; said Emilio Garc=EDa, a friend
walking alongside Rodriguez, urging him to keep twisting his dirt-caked bod y
toward the church entrance. "This is his sacrifice to San Lazaro for his go od
fortune.';';

As Rodr=EDguez neared the church steps, friends and family urged him on wit h
chants of "You';re almost there!';'; and "Be strong!';'; Rodr=EDguez clutch ed a
cigar as another friend cleared dirt and debris from his path with a tree
branch. Like others, Rodr=EDguez hoped to deliver San Lazaro gifts of flowe rs,
oil, wine, cigars and other tokens of appreciation.

Tears welled in Rodriguez';s eyes, his face twisted in pain. Once inside, h is
body trembled as a priest pressed his hands on Rodriguez';s head to bless
him.

The religious procession has been a long-standing tradition, despite Cuba'; s
only recent acceptance of religion since the revolution. The Cuban
government has never banned the annual pilgrimage, although heavy security
is usually deployed as past years have attracted dozens of dissidents.

ZE00121921

http://www.zenit.org

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Hack the hackers
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:13 -0500

Hack the hackers
Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

Since the Pokhran blasts, Pakistani hackers have been regularly attacking
websites of Indian organisations. The homepages of the Prime Minister=92s
Office, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the Ministry of Information
Technology and Videsh Sanchar Nigam were hacked into and defaced with
anti-India obscenities.

Pakistani hacker groups like Death to India, Kill India and G-Force
Pakistan openly circulate instructions for attacking Indian computers. The
websites http://www.f**kindia.org, run by Nicholas Culshaw of Karachi, and
http://www.f**kindia.com, run by Arshad Qureshi of Long Beach, California,
contain malicious anti-Indian propaganda along with step-by-step
instructions for hacking into thousands of Indian websites.

Surprisingly, the Indian Government has not attempted to disable these
websites. The Ministry of Information Technology has not even demanded an
explanation from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) as to how domain names like http://www.f**kindia.org and
http://www.f**kindia.com could be registered at all.

Indian defence and intelligence officials dismissed these activities as
the handiwork of Pakistani adolescents who did not have the backing of
Pakistani military and intelligence forces. However, the former additional
secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, B. Raman, cautioned that India should not
underestimate the havoc that can be wrought even by unorganised teenage
hackers.

India=92s security establishment has also ignored information warfare
capabilities possessed by Islamic militant organisations. Rand Corporation
recently warned that Osama bin Laden=92s Egyptian followers can immediately
cripple the information infrastructures of Russia and India. Clark Staten,
Executive Director, Emergency Response and Research Institute, Chicago,
warned that Ikhwan-al-Muslimoon, Jamaat Islami, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Khilafah,
Izz al-Din Al-Kassam and Nida=92ul Islam had developed offensive
capabilities in information warfare.

More serious than Pakistan and Islamic militants is the threat posed by
China. According to Timothy Thomas of the US Army=92s Foreign Military
Studies Office in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, China=92s leaders reckon that i t
can achieve hegemony in Asia only by integrating information warfare into
its geopolitical strategies. Thomas stated that China is quickly
integrating the latest information warfare techniques into its People=92s
War concept. This development has been ignored by the West but will have
far-reaching strategic and operational implications.

In mid-1999, China established a special task force on information warfare
composed of senior politicians, military officers and academics, headed by
Xie Guang, Vice-Minister of the Commission of Science, Technology and
Industry for National Defence. This task force has prepared detailed plans
to cripple the civilian information infrastructures of Taiwan, the United
States, India, Japan and South Korea. Two members, Qi Jianguo and Dai
Qingmin, have formulated a comprehensive scheme.

First, China will not attack military or political targets in these
countries but would target their financial, banking, electrical supply,
water, sewage and telecommunications networks. Second, Chinese
companies
will establish business links with private companies in these countries.
After carrying on legitimate business for some time, they would insert
malicious computer codes and viruses over commercial e-mail services.

Third, the viruses and malicious codes would be sent through computers in
universities in third countries so that they could not be traced back to
China. Fourth, the attacks would be launched when the political leadership
of the target countries is preoccupied with election campaigns.

The People=92s Liberation Army (PLA) has conducted several field exercises
recently. An Informaticised People=92s Warfare Network Simulation Exercise
was conducted in Echeng district of Hubei province. Five hundred soldiers
simulated cyberattacks on the telecommunications, electricity, finance and
television sectors of Taiwan, India, Japan and South Korea.

Ten functions were rehearsed in another exercise at Xian in Jinan Military
Region: planting information mines, conducting information reconnaissance,
changing network data, releasing information bombs, dumping garbage,
disseminating propaganda, applying information deception, releasing clone
information, organising info- defence and establishing network spy
stations.

In Datong, 40 PLA specialists are preparing methods of seizing control of
networks of commercial internet service providers in Taiwan, India, Japan
and South Korea. They held demonstrations for the Beijing Region Military
Comm!, Central Military Commission and General Staff Directorate. In
October, Chief of General Staff Fu Quanyou presided over an exercise in
Lanzhou and Shenyang Military Regions which simulated electronic
confrontation with countries south and west of Gobi Desert. This focused
on electronic reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, electronic
interference and counter-interference.

It tested the battle readiness of PLA=92s command automation systems,
command operations, situation maps, audio and graphics processes and
controls, and data encryption systems. Smaller exercises were carried out
in July in the Chengdu Military Region and in August in the Guangzhou
Military Region.

The PLA has also enlisted support from universities. It established the
Communications Command Academy in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in
collaboration with Hubei=92s engineering universities. The Navy Engineering
College, headed by Shao Zijun, also in Wuhan, is collaborating on secret
projects on information warfare with the Communications Command
Academy.

The PLA established the Information Engineering University, headed by
Major General Zhou Rongting, in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province. It
did this by taking over and combining Henan=92s civilian Institute of
Information Engineering, Electronic Technology College and Survey and
Mapping College. This will specialise in remote image information
engineering, satellite-navigation and positioning engineering, and map
data banks of the regions from India to Indo-China.

The PLA also established the Science and Engineering University, headed by
Major General Si Laiyi, by combining the civilian Institute of
Communications Engineering, the Institute of the Engineering Corps, the
Air Force=92s Meteorology Institute and the Research Institute of General
Staff Headquarters. Si Laiyi attracted over 400 civilian professors from
universities all over China. He also announced the establishment of a new
Institute of Computer and Command Automation and persuaded 60 experts of
Chinese origin settled in the West to return to work there.

A fourth PLA institute is the National Defence Science and Technology
University in Changsha, under direct supervision of the Central Military
Commission, where the Yin He series of supercomputers has been
developed.

To counter cyberthreats from China, Pakistan and militant Islamic groups,
the Indian Government should immediately establish a national centre for
information systems security. It should tap the expertise of universities
and private software and internet companies.

In addition to the Government and defence sectors, it should cater to the
banking sector, stock exchanges, telecom and internet networks, power and
water supplies, and transportation. It should be structured on the lines
of the American President=92s Commission on Critical Infrastructure
Protection which was created by Bill Clinton in 1996 and in which several
US corporations and universities are partners =97 principally IBM, Dell,
BellSouth, GTE and Carnegie Mellon University.

India should also provide support to the numerous dissident Chinese hacker
groups formed to avenge the Tiananmen Square massacre. One is headed by
Lemon Li who operates from St Nazare, France. Another is headed by
Michael
Ming and functions out of College Station, Texas.

The most successful hackers have been Yellow Pages and Blondes. Blondes
was founded by Blondie Wong who operates from Toronto. Mao Zedong=92s
men
had killed his parents. But since he was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and
Martin Luther King, Wong decided to use only peaceful means to overthrow
the Beijing regime.

The Bangkok chapter of Blondes is headed by an Englishwoman, Tracey
Kinchen, who was earlier an MI5 agent. Her team disabled a PLA spy
satellite by sending spurious signals using cellular modems. Another
Englishwoman, Ashton Tyler Baines, heads the Kowloon chapter of Blondes.
Her team has launched over 72,000 cyberattacks against PLA.

Baines claimed that Blondes and Yellow Pages have already placed over 40
computer operators as moles inside PLA=92s cyberspace divisions. =93We can
infiltrate, alter and even crash their communications satellites, space
program, supercomputers and networks. We are putting in backdoors and
writing bad code into their servers. We have already infected off-site
copies of their CD-ROMs,=94 said Baines.

Could that provide the Indian Government with some ideas of how to counter
a Chinese infotech attack?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/191200/detOPI01.asp

via: cyberwar@egroups.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] EU Bank to help European media
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:13 -0500

*** EU Bank to help European media

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A bank better known for financing roads and
railways said Tuesday it is earmarking $445 million to help European
media companies compete with Hollywood and Silicon Valley. The
European Investment Bank, the financing arm of the European Union,
will provide the money over three years via loans, credit lines and
backing for venture capital funds. The first deal was signed Tuesday
with a commitment to invest up to $14.7 million in the Finland-based
Venture Fund for Creative Industries, which targets music, sports
and new media companies across northern Europe. European leaders
have long fumed about the largely one-way nature of trade with the
United States in areas like movies, television and music, which many
view as threat to Europe's own cultural identity and diversity. EU
countries run a $6 billion trade deficit in such goods with the
United States each year, and the imbalance risks becoming even
greater with the advent of digital technologies, said EU
Commissioner Viviane Reding, who is responsible for culture and
education.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405415687

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: IDF angry Barak puts political agenda
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:14 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:45:05 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: IDF angry Barak puts political agenda
ahead of security - ramifications of series of capitulations

Ha'aretz: IDF angry Barak puts political agenda ahead of security -
ramifications of series of capitulations

Disunity among the ranks

By Amos Harel - Ha'aretz 20 Dcember 2000

Had the members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this
week invited the IDF's top brass - the chief of staff, his deputy, the head
of intelligence unit or the head of its research department - and posed some
pointed questions to them, it is possible that the MKs would have heard
several surprisingly sharp remarks.

There is always a certain tension between the political and military
echelons, but it seems that it has been a long time since the top brass were
so skeptical of politicians, as is the case now with regard to the prospects
for the Barak government's last peace initiative.

Even within the defense establishment, there is no complete agreement.
Military Intelligence, the national forecaster, is split with Shin Bet
security service experts and the Civil Administration on the reasons for the
outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada and over the question of the involvement of
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat in guiding it.

Other senior officials - including deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh,
senior officials in the Shin Bet, those involved in coordinating activities
in the territories and to a lesser extent, officers in the various
territorial commands - doubted the effectiveness of some of the hard-line
measures toward the Palestinians. However, it seems that most of the top
brass is speaking more or less in one voice. What troubles them, one may
speculate, is that the politicians are now talking in a totally different
voice. The process that was perceived until the start of the political
whirlwind as a combined, multi-faceted struggle to end the Palestinian
violence is changing its colors.

As elections approach, it seems that the officers will be left alone in the
arena. It seems that as much as the officers are angry at having "tied
hands," they are more troubled about the loss of interest - in the
government as well as among the public. Some are already suggesting a new
slogan, "this is not the way to build a wall," meaning: The political
echelon, through its decisions, must also contribute to the struggle.

The resumption of negotiations in Washington cost Israel a concession on the
demand it made forcefully after the rioting started - talks only after a
cease-fire. Now they are talking and shooting at the same time, when it
seems that the PA has no real incentive to stop the violence, which has
proven to pay off. It is a fact: Ehud Barak is now going to attend talks and
his opening offer is more generous than what he offered at Camp David,
before the battles.

Who still remembers the tense Israeli expectation for a declaration by
Arafat ending the violence at 2:00 P.M. on November 2, the day after his
meeting with Minister Shimon Peres in Gaza? That same evening a car bomb
exploded in Jerusalem and that night a record (that still stands) number of
shooting incidents was registered. The chairman sufficed with a vague call
not to shoot from Area A, several weeks later. Israel forgot, just as it
went back on its demand to disarm the Tanzim of its weapons, after the Nakba
(catastrophe) riots in May.

A senior officer serving in the territories claims that the "instructions
we're receiving now border on negligence, in the best case." According to
him, "two weeks ago we said we wouldn't tolerate shooting at settlements.
Now it's a daily occurrence. We take risks that have no purpose, while
Arafat is not positioning his system to prevent attacks."

"No one is deluding themselves by thinking that the solution is purely
military," says the officer. "But at the moment what we are able to do is
only to minimize the damage." If on the outside they see primarily the
excessive force used by the IDF, the army feels the opposite, the weakening
of the "leverage" against the PA, while the elections in Israel give Arafat
room to breathe.

No one in the IDF will specifically say so, especially when the chief of
staff cautions his generals against making any political statement in light
of the elections, but some of Barak's moves are interpreted by many officers
as a political survival tactic whose chances of success are slim and whose
results may be catastrophic. In this context, the assessment of Military
Intelligence is a sharp one (contrary to the opinion of some ministers
involved in the contacts): Arafat has no incentive nor intention of
achieving a political compromise now.

Throughout the clash with the Palestinians, the IDF has proposed steps aimed
directly at senior PA officials, such as retracting the VIP cards of the
heads of the security agencies, Muhammad Dahlan and Tawfiq Tirawi, whose
officers were involved in terrorist attacks. These proposals were not
approved. Along with economic sanctions against the PA, they argued (and
this is controversial) that a distinction can be made between "punishment"
for a people and its leadership, that it is possible to harm the PA
financially, while not starving the residents.

In practice, most of the sanctions have disintegrated or been lifted: the
supply of construction material for PA use was resumed and gasoline was
allowed to be brought in. The Karni crossing is open, as is the airport in
Rafiah and the border crossing to Egypt. The export of goods from Gaza is
resuming (regarding the entry of workers, incidentally, there is no
disagreement at the moment, so long as the Shin Bet oversees the security
permits). Israel also recanted its decision to withhold funds from the PA.

Arafat is currently paying the salary for October to his policemen, and
Military Intelligence believes that, with a considerable and belated effort,
he will manage to also pay the following month's salaries. That is the case
even though the contributions promised by the Arab states have yet to
arrive: thus far the PA has received only $30 million (plus another 20
million euros) of $1 billion that was promised.

Some IDF officials question the "unfortunate Arafat" image that he is
playing up and see it as his pulling a fast one by the man who had already
considered ending the violence, but then discovered that it still pays off
and decided to keep it up. The right-wing cry to "Let the IDF win" is still
seen as an idiotic slogan, but apparently the political echelon's denials
that the IDF's hands were tied are less strongly voiced.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Intifada prompts rash of bad checks
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:14 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 01:01:27 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Intifada prompts rash of bad checks - NIS100 million

Ha'aretz: Intifada prompts rash of bad checks - NIS100 million

By Ora Coren Ha'aretz Industry Correspondent Ha'aretz 20 December 2000

Palestinian businesses have refused to honor checks paid to Israeli
businesses worth a total of NIS 100 million, since the disturbances in the
territories began in September.

The head of the Manufacturers Association, Yoram Blizovsky, said the
organization reached the figure by conducting a sample survey of 15
factories that trade with the Palestinian Authority.

Some 28 percent of the checks were drawn on the Egyptian Land Bank; 17
percent were drawn on the Palestine Bank and 16 percent were drawn on the
Arab Bank. A further 12 percent were drawn on the Arab Land Bank; 7 percent
on the Bank of Jordan and 5 percent on Bank Hapoalim. The remainder were
drawn on 12 other Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian banks.

Blizovsky has asked the director-general of the Finance Ministry, Avi
Ben-Bassat, to examine ways to help Israeli factories to collect their
debts. "There's no doubt that most of the debt was born with the diplomatic
crisis and the events that followed, which left no way for these factories
to defend themselves ahead of time from such events," Blizovsky said.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BreakingNews-Israel 1,2,3 (12/20/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:14 -0500

1. Important Notice
2. Firebomb attack between Ariel and Tapuach Junction=09
3. Attack on Hizme Anatot road=09
4. PA=92s Tirawi calls for increased attacks against Jews=09
5. Talks get underway in Washington=09
6. Heavy rains=09

************************************************************
20-DEC-00 =96 8:00am =96 Tuesday night recap & more
************************************************************
1. Important Notice
(BNI-DEC.20) Many readers over the past 24 hours received email bulletins
that were 1 to 2 days old. The problem was that of the list distribution
system computers controlled by the Listbot Company and not in BNI=92s
control.

++++
2. Firebomb attack between Ariel and Tapuach Junction
(BNI-DEC.20) An Israeli vehicle on Tuesday night was attacked with two
firebombs on the Trans-Samaria Highway between Ariel and Tapuach
Junction.
The car was damaged but the occupant escaped injury.

++++

3. Attack on Hizme Anatot road
(BNI-DEC.20) At about 9:00pm Tuesday night, a car traveling on the
Hizme/Anatot road was hit with a barrage of stones. The car was damaged.
No injuries.

++++
4. PA=92s Tirawi calls for increased attacks against Jews
(BNI-DEC.20) PA intelligence commander Toufiq Tirawi has issued a call for
increasing the attacks against Israelis living in Yesha communities in
order to inflict more pain and loss.

Tirawi, who commands the PA=92s intelligence services in Judea and Samaria,
explained that the increase in terror attacks against Yesha residents on
the roadways over past weeks is the only reason Israel has agreed to
return to the negotiating table. Therefore, he explained, there is a need
to continue escalating attacks to obtain additional concessions from
Israel.

++++
5. Talks get underway in Washington
(BNI-DEC.20) Talks between negotiators and US officials got underway
during the night. Tonight, President Bill Clinton is expected to meet with
the Israeli and PA delegations, separately.

++++
6. Heavy rains
(BNI-DEC.20) Heavy rains are reported throughout Israel on Wednesday
morning, accompanied by thundershowers in some areas as well as with
heavy
fog and poor visibility. As a result, there are widespread traffic delays
and reports of many motor vehicle accidents, some involving injuries.
There are also reports of local flooding.

The rains are supposed to subside on Thursday and Friday.

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

1. PA: Two persons killed by IDF gunfire=09
2. PA officials report seven wounded in Intifada clashes=09
3. Lod resident shot to death on Wednesday morning=09
4. Heavy fighting at Rafiach in Gaza=09
5. Three Arabs arrested in Gush Etzion area=09

***************************
20-DEC-00 =96 11:00am
***************************

1. PA: Two persons killed by IDF gunfire
(BNI-DEC.20) PA officials early Wednesday morning reported that two
persons were killed from IDF gunfire in Gaza. PA reports accuse IDF
soldiers of opening fire on a vehicle near Netzarim without provocation,
killing two if its occupants.

The Office of the IDF Spokesman reported the one person was killed and a
second gravely wounded as a result of IDF gunfire. No additional details
are available at this time.

++++
2. PA officials report seven wounded in Intifada clashes
(BNI-DEC.20) PA officials early Wednesday morning reported seven persons
were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces, four at the Erez
Crossing in Gaza and three at the Rafiach border crossing to Egypt.

++++

3. Lod resident shot to death on Wednesday morning
(BNI-DEC.20) A Lod resident was shot to death on Wednesday morning in
front of his HaChilutz Street home. The 23-year-old Arab citizen was
transported to Assaf HaRofeh Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police have indicated the motive for the shooting appears to be =91criminal =92
and not =91terror=92 in nature.

++++

4. Heavy fighting at Rafiach in Gaza
(BNI-DEC.20) Israel Radio at 11:00am reported heavy exchanges of gunfire
are taking place at the Rafiach border crossing in Gaza at 11:00am between
Israeli forces and PA residents and security forces.

PA sources are reporting a 14-year-old teenager was killed and over 20
persons injured by IDF fire.

An IDF outpost near Rafiach came under fire, as did a military vehicle.
There were no injuries in those attacks.

++++

5. Three Arabs arrested in Gush Etzion area
(BNI-DEC.20) Israeli security forces during the night arrested three
residents of the el-Aroub refugee camp in the Gush Etzion area of Judea.
The three are suspected of having participated in stone-throwing and
firebomb attacks against Israeli motorists traveling area roads as well as
inciting others to do the same.

Additional arrests are expected.

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

1. Peres announces he will run for prime minister=09
2. No injuries in shooting attack at hitchhiking post at Ofra=09
3. High Court rejects request for extension of draft deferment
legislation 4. Two soldiers lightly injured near Rafiach in Gaza 5. IDF
armored vehicle attacked with hand grenades=09

*************************
20-DEC-00 =96 1:40pm
*************************

1. Peres announces he will run for prime minister
(BNI-DEC.20) In what is an undeniable challenge to Prime Minister Ehud
Barak, Minister of Regional Development Shimon Peres has announced his
intention to submit his name as a candidate for prime minister in the
February 6, 2001 elections.

Persons close to Mr. Peres have indicated that the former prime minister
will now wait to hear if he enjoys the support of the left-wing Meretz
Party as he believes he does. Mr. Peres needs to acquire the necessary
number of signatures from Members of Knesset to run, and if Meretz decides
not to support his bid, it appears he will withdraw his candidacy.

If Meretz supports Peres, he will most likely run as a Meretz candidate
since Peres=92 native Labor Party has already closed its primaries and
declared Prime Minister Ehud Barak its candidate for the premiership.

Polls indicate that in the elections, Peres would defeat Barak at the
polls.

Peres=92 aides added that if PM Barak secures a peace agreement with the PA
prior to the January 20th inauguration of President-elect George W. Bush
Jr., he would withdraw his candidacy.

++++

2. No injuries in shooting attack at hitchhiking post at Ofra
(BNI-DEC.20) Shots were fired from a passing car at Israelis standing on
Route 60 at a hitchhiking post. Shots did hit the protective concrete
blocks but there were no injuries.

The attackers fled to the nearby Arab village of Silwad. Route 60 is
closed in both directions at this time as a result.

++++

3. High Court rejects request for extension of draft deferment legislation
(BNI-DEC.20) An 11-justice panel of the High Court of Justice on Wednesday
rejected a request from Prime Minister/Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
seeking to extend the date for implementing the High Court=92s decision
which called for the cancelation of draft deferments for yeshiva students.

Not wishing to incite the Hareidi (ultra-Orthodox) community prior to
elections, Barak was seeking an extension but the High Court ruled there
were not sufficient grounds to grant the request, adding there was ample
time to prepare the necessary groundwork surrounding the court=92s earlier
decision.

In accordance to the High Court=92s decision, the drafting of yeshiva
students must begin immediately.

The leader of the anti-Orthodox Shinui Party, MK Tommy Lapid, called upon
Barak to immediately order the drafting of yeshiva students.

Officials of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party responded to the High Court=92s
decision explaining it was a declaration of war against Torah Jewry.

++++
4. Two soldiers lightly injured near Rafiach in Gaza
(BNI-DEC.20) Two IDF soldiers sustained light injures from shrapnel
fragments following gunfire directed at them as they were engaged in
border fence repairs along the border between Israel and Egypt. The
injured soldiers were transported to a hospital for medical care.

++++

5. IDF armored vehicle attacked with hand grenades
(BNI-DEC.20) An armored military vehicle involved in engineering work
along Israel=92s border with Egypt, in Rafiach, Gaza, was attacked with
three hand grenades on Wednesday. In addition, anti-tank fire was directed
from the PA against the armored vehicle.

There were no reported injuries. Soldiers returned fire.

++++

News items published by BNI (BreakingNews-Israel) may be distributed,
copied, posted providing the websites and other forums carrying the
stories display the footer below in plain view on the same page with the
news.

++++

To subscribe to the BreakingNews-Israel list, send a blank email message
to 44828-subscribe@listbot.com

To contact the list owner, send an email to BNI1@netvision.net.il

++++

If you feature BreakingNews-Israel reports in your newsletter or on your
website, please let us know so we may add your name to the list below.

++++

BNI reports are now featured by:
1. The USA Jewish website - http://www.usajewish.com/
2. Israel News - http://www.morashanetwork.com/
3. United Jerusalem.com http://www.unitedjerusalem.com/
4. Efrat - http://www.efrat.org/
5. Shosh's Gleanings Daily - Suwomyn26@aol.com
6. Breaking News - http://www.folksites.com/waisobiken/
7. Dateline Israel - http://www.datelineisrael.com/
8. "In Depth News-2000!" - inhislove@triad.rr.com-
http://www.thedepot.com/groups-inhislove
9. atp_us_news http://www.egroups.com/members_add/atp_us_news
10. The Matzav - sherer@actcom.co.il
11. Virtual Holyland =96
http://www.virtualholyland.com/channels/israel_n/index.htm

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BreakingNews-Israel items (12/17/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:14 -0500

Cattle thefts during Ramadan (BNI-DEC.17)
Over 2,000 head of cattle have been stolen from their Israeli owners into P A
autonomous areas during the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, Israel Radio
reported. Damages estimated at over NIS 10 million.

Congress turns down extra funds promised Israel (BNI-DEC.17)
The outgoing United States Congress rejected the Clinton administration
request to grant Israel and additional $750 million in aid designed to assi st in
absorbing the cost of Israel=92s unilateral troop withdrawal from southern
Lebanon and other peace initiatives. The Congress did approve the $450
billion aid package for Israel without the special addition prior to adjour ning
on Friday.

OC IDF Intelligence reports on uncertainty in the area
(BNI-DEC.17) In his Sunday address to the Knesset Foreign Affairs &
Defense Committee, OC IDF Intelligence Corps Major-General Amos Malka
described the =93uncertainty=94 of the situation in the area, explaining th at
while PA officials are calling for the resumption of peace negotiations,
they are also ordering the continuation of shooting attacks.

Did you know?
(BNI-DEC.17) It costs $300,000 dollars to manufacture one armor-plated
bulletproof bus. b. The cost of a bulletproof ambulance is $100,000.
c. The cost of a bulletproof school van is $100,000.

Former policeman shot and killed in Samaria
(BNI-DEC.17) An Arab man who in the past served as a member of the Israel
Police was shot and killed in Samaria on Sunday afternoon. His brother who
was seeking emergency medical care for him brought the victim to the city
of Ariel.

According to the victim=92s brother, Arabs shot him because of his former
affiliation with Israel Police. The victim died of his wounds despite
efforts to save him.

++++

To subscribe to the BreakingNews-Israel list, send a blank email message
to 44828-subscribe@listbot.com

To contact the list owner, send an email to BNI1@netvision.net.il

++++

If you feature BreakingNews-Israel reports in your newsletter or on your
website, please let us know so we may add your name to the list below.

++++

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: 1,300 tourists cancel due to strike
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:38:14 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:55:47 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: 1,300 tourists cancel due to strike at Interior Ministry
(IMRA - coverage ignores Minister Ramon)

Ha'aretz: 1,300 tourists cancel due to strike at Interior Ministry (IMRA -
coverage ignores Minister Ramon)

By Charlotte Hale Ha'aretz 20 December 2000

(IMRA: For some reason the reporters of Ha'aretz, Israel radio and
television have declined to mention Minister of Interior Haim Ramon (Labor
Party) in any coverage of this story. Ramon instead is only asked about
the elections and negotiations with the Palestinians. Minister of
Environment Dallas Itzik (Labor Party) enjoys the same detachment from her
ministry.)

Some 1,300 Christian pilgrims due to arrive in Israel this week for a
conference in Jerusalem will not be coming because the Interior Ministry
strike has prevented many of them from obtaining the necessary entry visas.

Last minute attempts by Tourism Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shahak to pressure
Interior Ministry officials into making an exception in this case and
granting their visas have failed.

On Sunday, Lipkin Shahak also presented to the cabinet a proposal that would
allow for group tourist visas to be issued via consulates abroad, thereby
circumventing the Ministry of Interior. Lipkin-Shahak says the "considerable
efforts" of the Tourism Ministry to combat the current near-halt in tourism
to Israel were "going down the drain" as a result of the ongoing stoppages
at the Ministry of Interior.

The strike by Interior Ministry workers, now in its fourth week, has halted
the issuing of Israeli visas to tourists from countries whose citizens are
required to obtain one. Lipkin-Shahak says that numerous tour groups have
been affected. Ministry of Interior officials failed to respond to the
criticism leveled against them yesterday.

Gordon Pettie, organizer of the Celebrate Messiah 2000 Conference, which was
due to begin next week, said yesterday that his office in Jerusalem had the
atmosphere of a "wake," following the decision to cancel the conference on
Monday evening. He said that five years of work preparing the conference had
been lost.

Pettie, a British citizen who spent several months in Jerusalem this year
planning the conference, said that though many people, including senior
Israeli officials, had assured him the visas would eventually come through,
"nobody was prepared to commit themselves [in] writing."

He added, "I just can't understand why nobody has found a way to make this
conference happen, especially when the hotels are desperate for people,
along with the bus companies and the tour guides."

The pilgrims were scheduled to arrive from over 100 countries, including
many in Africa, Asia and Latin America, whose citizens require a visa to
enter Israel. Conference organizers had issued special safety bulletins to
delegates in the run-up to the conference, urging them to come to Jerusalem
despite recent violence in the region.

--------------------------------------------
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] REAL WORLD NEWS 12/20/2000
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 14:39:19 -0000

Selected items from...

REAL WORLD NEWS 12/20/2000

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

U.S. MONITORS NEW IRAQI TROOP MOVEMENT
The incoming administration of President-elect George W. Bush might
have its first crisis as soon as it enters office -- Iraq. U.S.
intelligence sources have confirmed reports that Iraqi troops have
again moved west toward the Syrian border. They said more than a
division appears to be deploying with several hundred tanks but
without air power. The sources said the Iraqi deployment demonstrates
the eagerness of President Saddam Hussein for an Arab war against
Israel.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2000/december/headline12_20_10.html

U.N. TO AFGHANISTAN: SURRENDER BIN LADEN OR ELSE
The Security Council voted Tuesday to impose broad sanctions on
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they close "terrorist'' training
camps and surrender U.S. embassy bombing suspect Osama bin Laden. The
resolution, sponsored by the United States and Russia in a rare show
of cooperation, won approval despite opposition from U.N. Secretary-
General Kofi Annan and aid groups. China and Malasia abstained,
expressing concern that the new measures would only further harm the
Afghan people, already suffering from a 20-year war, poverty and
drought. http://www.foxnews.com/world/1219/i_ap_1219_101.sml

LEADING ISRAELIS CONCERNED ABOUT NATION'S SURVIVAL
Leading Israeli defense officials and diplomats are quietly voicing
concern over the viability of the Jewish state. The concern has been
voiced in both official forums as well as in meetings over the past
few months to review Israel's defense and diplomatic strategy. "There
were many people who began voicing doubts about Israel's long-term
viability and staying power," said Uzi Arad, a former senior
government official and director of the Herzliya-based Institute of
Policy and Strategy, which organized the conference. "These doubts
were voiced in closed quarters. When this became prevalent, we
said 'Let's do something about it.'"
http://www.worldtribune.com/tout-3.html

QUIETLY, ISRAEL IS FORMING DEFENSE TIES WITH GREECE
Greece is quietly and cautiously expanding nascent defense ties with
Israel. The defense relationship includes mutual visits, Israeli
training of Greek troops and negotiations on arms procurement.
Officials said the activity constitutes is the most serious effort to
implement a 1994 military agreement. Greek officials said Israel is
one of three countries that is training a newly-established air force
unit to respond to earthquakes and other natural disasters. The unit
was established in November after Athens was struck by an earthquake.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2000/december/headline12_20_3.html

CLINTON SET TO UNLEASH EXECUTIVE ORDER ONSLAUGHT
As President-elect George W. Bush prepares for the transition, some
of the final actions of the outgoing administration are going largely
unnoticed. According to The Washington Post, President Clinton will
have issued a blizzard of orders and regulations that will add nearly
30,000 pages to the federal registry in his last three months.
There's not much President Clinton can get through Congress between
now and January 20. But a lame duck president still has the power to
make far-reaching policy, and without fear of political backlash.
http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/1,1183,PTID25
46 |CHID101025|CIID216069,00.html?wnd

JOURNEY TO THE GALACTIC CORE
Astronomers have unveiled the biggest, most detailed and most
sensitive map ever made of the centre of the Milky Way. It shows
giant streamers and huge clouds of interstellar gas where stars are
being born. Astronomers say it sheds new light on the exotic
structures found at our galaxy's core, 26,000 light-years from Earth.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1078000/1078352.stm

SCOTLAND FIRST WITH MEDICAL 'SMART CARDS'
Patients in Scotland are to have "smart cards" containing their
medical history and health records for the first time under plans to
be announced tomorrow. By 2003, all patients will be able to carry
the cards, the size of an ordinary credit card, so their health
records can be accessed in hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies
across the country. The move is one of a series of measures to be
unveiled as part of the new NHS plan, which aims to put patients at
the heart of the national health service.
http://thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=31886

PARTIAL ECLIPSE TO TAKE PLACE ON CHRISTMAS
Consider it a gift from Mother Nature: On Christmas Day, we'll be
able to see a partial eclipse of the sun. But as rare as such
sightings are - the last was May 1994, and the next is due November
2013 - it's nothing you want to see without protection. "Even
though we're 93 million miles away from the sun, its light is so
intense that if we look at it directly it can burn our retinas,"
cautions Jim Sweitzer, director of astrophysics education at the Rose
Center for Earth and Space in New York.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/121900/eclipse_post.sml

WHAT WAS THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM?
The Star of Bethlehem has left its mark on the gospels as well as a
constellation of holiday songs. Was it purely a divine sign, created
miraculously to mark Jesus' birth? Or was it an astronomical event in
its own right? John Mosley, program supervisor for the Griffith
Observatory in Los Angeles, explains what he sees as the most likely
scientific scenario. http://www.msnbc.com/news/226081.asp?cp1=1

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES GET WIN RULING
The Jehovah's Witnesses have won a second chance from Germany's
highest court to prove they should be recognized in the country as a
religion. The high court on Tuesday lifted a 1997 lower court
verdict that denied special tax status to the group because it urges
followers not to vote in elections. The court said fresh proceedings
must establish whether to recognize the Jehovah's Witnesses as a
religion. Tax status for religious groups is particularly important
in Germany because authorities collect and distribute taxes to
recognized groups.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001219/wl/germany_witnesses_1.html

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON CHRISTMAS?
I know I shouldn't be amazed, but I still am when more and more
people fight against any display of Christian symbols at Christmas
time. America is truly changing fast. The world is definitely in a
post-Christian era. But even here in America a near majority of
people have not only rejected Christianity but are attempting to
remove even the memory of the Christian origins of the country.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_lindsey/20001220_xchal_what_reall
.shtml

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Barak to Give Up Jerusalem
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 09:46:19 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: BSaphir
Date sent: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 13:47:00 EST
Subject: Barak to Give Up Jerusalem
To: freemanlist@lists.io.com

Barak to Give Up Jerusalem
Amidst both the continuing war with the Palestinians and the political
uncertainty, an Israeli delegation departed last night for Washington
to resume talks with the Palestinians. Minister Yuli Tamir, a member
of the delegation, said today that a "historic moment of very painful
compromise in Jerusalem is approaching." The transition
Barak-government is prepared to give away the entire old city of
Jerusalem - excluding the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter, but
including the Temple Mount - in exchange for pushing off the refugees
issue. The government has already made plans to "spin" the idea to the
public by claiming that the Palestinians already have de-facto control
of the Temple Mount.

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Saying a Prayer for Science
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 20 Dec 00 13:53:59 EST

Saying a Prayer for Science

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24502-2000Dec18.html

By Pamela Gerhardt
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, December 19, 2000; Page T08

Prayer may be the most universally applied form of treatment for sickness,
injury and disease. It's used around the world, across cultures and for at
least as long as reports of human suffering reach back. But, well . . . nobody
seems to know whether it really works.

A surprising number of researchers, some representing mainstream institutions
and applying standard research protocols, have taken up this controversial and
provocative question in recent years. Studies that have found associations
between religious activities or beliefs and good health fail to prove cause
and effect. And studies targeting the act of prayer are harder to do and have
so far been inconclusive. While some research has demonstrated health benefits
from praying for oneself and -- perhaps more arrestingly -- being prayed for
by others (which is known as intercessory prayer), most of these studies have
problems that leave experts questioning their validity. Many use too few
participants to produce statistically accurate results or apply imprecise
measures to such variables as pain and recovery.

And most important, events that believers would consider manifestations of God
can be maddeningly difficult to account for in a way that satisfies science.

"Trying to scientifically determine prayer's effect on health is nearly
impossible," says Adriane Fugh-Berman, assistant clinical professor of health
care science at George Washington University School of Medicine and author of
the book "Alternative Medicine: What Works" (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins).
"Prayer studies are interesting, but from a public health point of view they
are not the best place to put our dollars."

Researchers who head many of the studies acknowledge the topic's inherent
challenges, but believe its importance outweighs its problems.

"Can prayer heal? Probably not. And [it's] difficult to prove," says David
Larson, president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR), a
think tank in Rockville that focuses on spirituality and health. "Is prayer
associated with [relieving] illness? Yes. And that's why we're interested in
prayer studies."

Say a Little Prayer for You

In one of the earliest objective studies of prayer, an English researcher in
1872 found no measurable effects. A double-blind clinical trial of 19 patients
in 1965 also found no effects from prayer. Then in 1988, R.B. Byrd, a San
Francisco physician, concluded that intercessory prayer had therapeutic
results on a group of 393 coronary care patients in a test that was supposedly
double-blind and randomized.

The results were published in the Southern Medical Journal, and criticism came
immediately. For one, critics said, the study included patients with too wide
a variety of illness levels. What's more, Byrd measures outcomes on a
nonstandard scale that used such vague terms as "good," "intermediate" and
"bad." More conventional yardsticks are number of days hospitalized and number
of deaths.

"Byrd used a scale that he made up," says Fugh-Berman, whose book evaluates
the science behind dozens of alternative care modalities. "I suspect he
created the groupings after the data came in."

Criticism also stemmed from the fact that intercessors were mostly born-again
Christians. The study, in other words, was thought to have a pro-religion
agenda.

Fast-forward to 1999. In a highly publicized study, researchers at the Duke
Clinical Research Institute found that prayers had a positive effect on health
outcomes -- even prayers from strangers, even when patients did not know they
were being prayed for.

One hundred fifty patients with unstable angina (recurrent chest pain) or
acute infarction (serious heart attacks) were randomly assigned to five
treatment groups. One group received standard medical therapy only. Others
received standard treatment plus healing touch, relaxation, imagery or
off-site intercessory prayer. The names of those to receive prayer were given
to strangers of a variety of religious persuasions -- Carmelite nuns living
near Baltimore, Buddhist monks in Nepal, a Unity Church congregation in
Missouri and others. Using three medically validated scales -- visual analog
(a verbal test that rates pain or well-being), the Spielberger instrument (
for measuring mood and anxiety) and the Koenig Spiritual Activity assessment
(which characterizes the patient's personal prayer rituals and involvement in
community-based spiritual activities) -- researchers found that patients
receiving nonstandard treatments showed a 30 percent reduction in "adverse
outcomes" compared with people in the standard-care-only group. Patients in
the prayer group fared best, with adverse outcomes reduced 50 to 100 percent
relative to the standard therapy group.

Results of this pilot study were considered significant enough to provide a
basis for further research, but insufficient to support any conclusions. Now
underway at the same clinic is a 700-patient, randomized, double-blind study.
This time, researchers will ask people in the prayer group whether they
believe they are being prayed for. Such information might take into account
the influence of positive thinking -- in other words, those who believe
they're being prayed for -- even though they are not -- may show similar
results to those who are actually being prayed for.

Praying for Good Results

Some researchers are critical of intercessory studies altogether. Larson,
co-author with Harold Koenig and Michael McCullough of the forthcoming
"Handbook of Religion and Health" (Oxford University), has been examining
spirituality and health for 10 years, and he warns that this area of study is
rife with complications. "How do you include God in a study? How do you
randomize God?" he asks Larson.

Other complications: If a heart patient agrees to join a study at 11, gets
randomized to the prayer group, successfully undergoes surgery at 11:30 but
isn't prayed for until 5 p.m., is it too late for that prayer to be considered
potentially beneficial? Also, what's a proper dose of prayer? Is it more
powerful to pray for 10 minutes than two minutes? Are 10 people praying better
than one?

Control is the real issue in conducting studies of intercessory prayer, both
ethically and practically. Some researchers might want a control group
composed of people who neither pray for themselves nor have anyone pray for
them. Such a study would raise the ethical problem of asking people who may be
deeply religious to not pray for a sick loved one. And from a practical
standpoint, slippage is common: A relative visiting a control participant
might whisper, "God help him." There goes the study. There's no such thing as
a prayer-proof room.

The National Institutes of Health is funding a four-year intercessory prayer
study at Johns Hopkins University in which 80 women with breast cancer will be
randomized into two groups after having received a lumpectomy and radiation
treatment. One group will not participate in prayer activities or be prayed
for by a selected group of intercessors for six months; those in the other
group will receive prayer one day a week (five people will join the patient in
a prayer circle) and also pray for themselves two to three times a day. The
study will measure adrenaline and cortisol levels to determine the body's
ability to generate immunity to specific breast cancer cells.

"We're not testing [to determine] if a divine power exists," says Diane
Becker, director of the Center for Health Promotion at Hopkins. "The study
will show whether meditative prayer can help us improve our capacity to heal
ourselves."

The Mind-Body Medical Institute, a nonprofit research institution founded by
Herbert Benson, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School,
is also conducting a study on intercessory prayer involving five medical
centers throughout the U.S. Benson said he expects results within 12 months.

Religion Is Good for You

While serious, large-scale studies of intercessory prayer are relatively new
and continue to be subject to challenge, recent studies have consistently
shown positive health benefits to be associated with religious activity.
Researchers have found, for example, that people who pray for themselves,
attend church regularly and/or have an active spiritual life have better
health, including lower blood pressure, lower incidences of cancer and
obesity, less heart disease, lower stress, better mental health and longer
lives.

"Studies can't prove that a supernatural being is influencing the outcome,"
says Koenig, a researcher at Duke University Medical Center who has been
studying religion and health for about 15 years. "All we know is that prayer,
or religious activity of any kind, seems to have a positive effect on health
and recovery."

Of course, these effects may have explanations more concrete than mystical.
For example, healthy people are more likely to attend church and several
religions forbid unhealthful habits, such as smoking and drinking, which might
account for longer lives.

Some look to psychosocial rather than supernatural explanations for the
apparent benefits of being religious. The medical community has long
recognized that members of social groups benefit psychologically from group
interaction, which then benefits physical health. Also, much has been written
about the consequences of mental relaxation and well-being (through prayer,
yoga or meditation) on the immune and endocrine systems. So those who go to
church may benefit for reasons unconnected to the power of prayer.

"The effects of prayer," says Koenig, "could be strictly psychological."

Most recently, neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in how the
brain functions during spiritual experiences and how such functions are
related to other parts of the body. Almost half of all medical schools in the
United States have or will soon begin teaching courses in how spirituality and
religion relate to medicine. In a 1998 random survey of 750 U.S. family
practice physicians, more than half said they were willing to collaborate with
religious professionals in the care of their patients, according to the NIHR.

Which brings us back to God. Future studies may address the healing power of
prayer by finding people who have been cured and then investigating their
level of religious involvement. Others will look at prayer as a coping
strategy rather than a cure. Scientists also hope to understand the
differences between the spiritual experiences of, for example, going to
church, climbing a mountain and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Larson says he hopes to look at whether members of any group sharing a
collective belief system and camaraderie -- members of Greenpeace, for example
-- might show identical results as the churchgoers.

Like any unbiased scientist, he also intends to examine the negative sides of
prayer. "People turn to God when they are ill and often get disappointed when
they get more sick" rather than better, says Larson. Their subsequent
disappointment or depression affects the immune system and other physiological
systems.

Asks Larson: "Does their condition actually worsen as a result of
prayer?"Pamela Gerhardt last wrote for the Health section about creating
memoirs.

____________________________________________________________________
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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] CELEBRATING THE SOLSTICE
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 20 Dec 00 13:54:59 EST

12/20/2000 - Wednesday - Page B 6
CELEBRATING THE SOLSTICE
Rituals with ancient roots honor the darkness and welcome the return of longer
days

http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/fanfare/wednesday/nd4116.htm

by Katti Gray Staff Writer

THE CEREMONY BEGAN with a sprinkling of water to consecrate, sage burned to
clear the air and Lydia Fishbaugh, a pagan priestess, mouthing a meditation
for the moment:

"By the air that is her breath and the fire that is her bright spirit and the
water that is her living womb and the earth that is her body, we have made
this place sacred and apart."

She and five of her followers were in the back room of a Mastic boutique that
sells implements of pagan living. At least twice a month, often during the
full moon, these so-called Wiccans assemble there for worship. And last
Sunday, four days before the celestial clock moved into the Northern
Hemisphere's longest night, the priestess and her flock encircled an altar of
sea salts, dried flowers, a glass sphere cast in shades of clouds and sky and
an assortment of candles. They would be lit to honor that extended darkness
known as the winter solstice and the light to come during another season.

"This represents the start of something new. We say it's like a child being
born," said Patrick Von Raven, one of the Mastic celebrants, as they wound
down their ceremony with an exchange of hugs and the wish, "Blessed be."

Officially, the solstice begins at 8:37 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, when the
sun is at its farthest from this hemisphere's latitude and its closest to the
equator. Then the cycle is reversed.

Tomorrow, the night will stretch across 16 hours. In an agrarian age before
science revealed what we now understand about the heavens, the lingering night
was climactic. The ancients had harvested and stored their crops. They were
preparing to settle into lazier days and wait to see if nature, in its mystery
and grace, would bring another planting season.

If the prior year were any gauge, the light would surely return. But the
ancients assumed nothing. They paid homage to the solstice by firing what is
known today as the yule log. Flames broke the darkness and symbolized one
season folding into another, seeds sown and reaped, a coaxing back of the
longer, warmer days of summer.

The Mastic coven's celebration of the solstice, called Yule, is one of eight
high holy days on the pagan calendar. The solstice predates and, some scholars
argue, has maintained a link to Christianity. Some in traditional religion
have crafted solstice observances of their own. It is impossible to precisely
measure the growing popularity of solstice rituals. But, by casual
calculation, an array of solstice candles, greeting cards and other
accoutrements have found their place in e-commerce and at specialty shops.

Diane Dobry of Bethpage measured the surge in last week's appearance of
kiddies from Hollingsworth Nursery School on parade in a cafeteria at Columbia
University.

"They were all snowflakes and white balloons. They were celebrating the
solstice with wreaths hung around their necks. There was no tree or Santa,
just winter," said Dobry, communications director at Columbia's Teachers
College and a master's degree candidate in its international transcultural
program.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, the largest gothic
cathedral in the world, last weekend closed out its 21st annual Paul Winter
Consort solstice concert series, a three-day event. It is not a supplanting of
the church's Christian tradition but an attempt to tap what believers and
nonbelievers alike hold in common, said the Very Rev. Harry Pritchett, the
Episcopal cathedral's dean.

"One great moment of the solstice celebration is when, as a giant globe hangs
above the stage, we sing 'Silent Night, Holy Night.' What we are celebrating
is the human spirit and that which is beyond us. There are those who call that
entity God. There are those who define it in more abstract terms," Pritchett
said. "What we are struggling to reach is the same: peace, a better
environment, a place of hope."

What is secular and sacred has always been a matter of interpretation, and the
two subjects seemingly are wrapped up in each other, said the Rev. Barbara
Lundblad, a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary, a few blocks
from St. John the Divine.

It can legitimately be argued that Christmas pre-empted the older rituals of
solstice, Lundblad said. But Christmas was intended as a wholly religious
affair whose real meaning, amid a popularized blending of so many religious
and secular traditions, also has gotten blurred.

"I don't have any particular sense of angst or anxiety about the solstice,"
said Lundblad, who has attended the cathedral's concert and loved it. "There
is something soothing about a celebration that asks for nothing. It doesn't
bid you, 'Feed the poor.' It is celebrating the night. And there is nothing
wrong with that. But it's my hope that people who hear the story of Christmas
know it's more than about the turning of seasons but about being drawn into a
commitment to community that is ongoing."

Paul Winter, the New Agey soprano saxophonist who created the cathedral's
annual concert series, said the gathering aims to be exactly that, a reminder
that a community, together, can accomplish much. He and Pritchett have heard
religious purists' criticisms of the event and recounted rumors that one group
had hosted a Web site claiming that St. John the Divine had done away with
Christmas altogether. That was far from the truth, Pritchett said.

"There is nothing occult about this," said Winter, one of the cathedral's
artists-in-residence. "It is as simple as the sun coming up. It is meant to
embrace all traditions."

Winter, a recording artist, also conducts the cathedral's Summer Solstice
concert in June and its Missa Gaia (Earth Mass) for October's Feast of St.
Francis. Concert patrons include Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims,
atheists, agnostics and the guy who has shown up each of the past several
years in a kilt, blowing his bagpipes outdoors as people queue up to enter for
the winter performance.

Last week's series featured musicians and singers from around the world: A
cellist who employed a kind of whole-body beating, plucking and strumming
until he broke the strings of his bow. A Brazilian woman vocalist. An
Armenian-born singer who played the mandolin and conga but opened the night
with wails from his homeland, processing slowly down the cathedral's center
aisle.

A "sun gong" 7 feet in diameter dropped by cables from the ceiling, sounded by
a man also suspended in air swinging an oversized mallet. At one point, Winter
encouraged a communal howling at the moon in honor of the audience's wolverine
brethren and their primal human selves.

Revering the already centuries-old solstice ritual, the Roman emperor Aurelian
is said to have selected Dec. 25 as the birthday of the "invisible sun," part
of the Roman winter solstice celebration. Shortly after, the Christian church
adopted that date to celebrate Jesus' birth, although no scholar has ever
pinpointed the precise time he first lay in a manger. So many solstice
celebrants continue to connect the lights of Chanukah menorahs and Christmas
trees with their own nod to the light.

Whatever one's take on paganism-its adherents say it has been unfairly labeled
a form of devil worship-it is gaining followers around the world and bringing
to the fore in popular culture a notion that every living and life-giving
thing is linked. The Mastic coven seizes that idea.

"Everything is connected. People, animals, the rocks, the seas. None is
greater than the other, there is no hierarchy," said Michael Thorn, the
coven's priest and owner of the Mastic boutique Sacred Space. Our religion
"emphasizes empowerment for women. It connects with nature and the
environment. The God and Goddess are within everyone and everything. We all
can connect to that energy."

Because he wanted to more formally adopt that philosophy, Howard Sutherland of
Richmond Hill traded his membership in a Congregational Christian church three
years ago to enroll at the Unitarian Universalist Church in the nearby Queens
neighborhood of Hollis. It will bring in Christmas and acknowledge the
solstice just past during Sunday's Christmas Eve services.

"It is a recognition that this time of year, especially, everyone feels the
need for community," said Sutherland, 81, the church treasurer. "The solstice
is a lack of light. And we light the lights again to bring some cheer into our
lives."

Carrie Wycoff, events coordinator for the New York Open Center in SoHo, said
her Circle of Soul ensemble of singers, dancers and poets will perform a range
of pieces at a solstice event beginning at 8 tonight. One song sets to music a
prayer the Dalai Lama offered in Central Park: "May the poor find wealth,
those weak with sorrow, find joy. May the frightened seek to be unafraid."

"We will do a guided meditation with the lights out, in complete darkness,"
said Wycoff, a student in interfaith ministry at New Seminary in Manhattan.

"Slowly, we will light the candles, embracing our own rebirth and the sun's
rebirth."

WNYC 93.9/FM will broadcast a recording of the St. John the Divine solstice
concert tomorrow night at 8.

____________________________________________________________________
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: Edward Djerejian pushes Syrian track,
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 14:58:30 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 10:39:24 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: Edward Djerejian pushes Syrian track,
242/338 and supports involving Europe, Russia and the UN

Ha'aretz: Edward Djerejian pushes Syrian track, 242/338 and supports
involving Europe, Russia and the UN

By Nitzan Horowitz Ha'aretz Correspondent Ha'aretz 20 Dcember 2000

WASHINGTON - U.S. President-elect George Bush is likely to shift America's
foreign policy emphasis from Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to the Syrian
track, according to members of his foreign policy team.

Edward Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria who is expected to play
a key role in the new government's Middle East policy, told the Washington
Post yesterday that in the short term, the chances for an Israeli-Syrian
agreement are better than those for an Israeli-Palestinian deal. The former,
he added, would also greatly reduce the chances of a regional war.

Senior members of Bush's foreign policy team also said that the new
president is likely to abandon the hands-on involvement of current President
Bill Clinton, preferring instead to leave the peace process to his staff,
headed by Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell. The officials charged
that Clinton's involvement had impaired the presidency's stature, as well as
his ability to influence and arbitrate between the parties.

Djerejian also told the Post that Clinton had erred in concentrating on
interim agreements, which in the end left both Israel and the Palestinians
dissatisfied. The new administration, he said, plans to return to the
principles of direct bilateral negotiations and "land for peace" in
accordance with UN resolutions 242 and 338. He said these principles were
often abandoned in the interim agreements.

Djerejian also said the U.S. could permit itself to bring Europe, Russia and
the UN into the negotiations without sacrificing its primacy.

--------------------------------------------
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) The Hidden Light of Chanukah
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 14:58:30 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 08:02:51 -0700 (MST)
From: The Temple Institute <opt-in@templeinstitute.org>
Subject: The Hidden Light of Chanukah

The Hidden Light of Chanukah

This Thursday evening is the 25th day of Kislev, the first night of the hol iday of Chanukah. This is the holiday that celebrates the rededication of t he Holy Temple. It was on this day that the Hashmonean priests were victori ous over the Greek invaders, who had slaughtered countless Jews,
desecrated the Holy Temple, and enacted decrees against the Jewish religion that were designed to conceal the presence of G-d in the world. For like o ther wars against the people of Israel, the Greeks were actually waging war against the G-d of Israel. Thus they forced the Jews to write on a
ram=92s horn, the words "We have no portion in the G-d of Israel."

But nothing can ever separate the people of Israel from that portion. Every one familiar with the Chanukah story knows that when the Hashmonaim, or "Ma cabees" (under the leadership of Judah, son of Matityahu the High Priest, k nown as the "Macabee," Aramaic for "hammer") re-entered the Temple to
cleanse it and renew the Divine service, they found only one vessel of oil that had not been rendered impure. Although it contained only enough pure o live oil to light the Temple Menorah for one day, the lamps stayed lit for eight days, and thus the eight-day holiday of Chanukah was established.

While those are the simple facts of the story, in reality there is much mor e. From the very beginning of creation, the 25th of Kislev was singled out and prepared as a special day of salvation, and on that day the highest and most pure Divine light, hidden since the beginning of time, begins to
illuminate the world. This is precisely why that great miracle took place o n this day, on not on any other day. Although the nights of Chanukah are th e longest and the darkest, the Divine blessing which begins to shine during these days, continues to illumine all through the year.

Well before there was any holiday of Chanukah, Haggai prophesized twice on this day. And in addition to the rededication of the Second Temple in the t ime of Chanukah, it was also on this day that the desert tabernacle was com pleted. This day was designated for the establishment of the Holy Temple
from the start of creation.

In this light, the timing of the new Washington peace talks that begin toda y just boggles the mind. During the very time in which we celebrate our con nection with the place of the Holy Temple, during these very days of the Te mple=92s rededication, the Israeli "peace team" is reportedly ready to
offer the Palestinians control over the entire Temple Mount. As Foreign Min ister Shlomo Ben-Ami said, "We need to explore creative interpretations of the word =91sovereignty=92." This, the statement of a man who apparently ha s never explored the meaning of the word "Jew," and acts as if he hasn=92t the
faintest idea what it means. These Temple Mount plans are in addition to 95 % of Judea and Samaria, all of Gaza, and other significant concessions.

A few days ago, Shlomo Ben-Ami said "we are not sovereigns over the Temple Mount, but hostages of the Temple Mount." He, and those of his ilk, have no interest in this place, and see it as an obstacle to the fulfillment of th eir dream of "peace." Yet these men must also celebrate Chanukah in some
way. But what is the Chanukah observance of one who does not believe in the destiny of Israel? What is the Chanukah observance of one who willingly de clares "I have no portion in the G-d of Israel?" Chanukah is not about spin ning the dreidel and eating donuts and potato pancakes. There is no such
thing as a "secular" Chanukah. Chanukah is a celebration of the constant re ality of the light of the Holy Temple. When we kindle the Chanukah lights e very evening, our faith shines through those candles. This is why we are ta ught that the spiritual level that can be reached by the simplest person
on the first night of Chanukah, as the candles are kindled, is higher than the highest spiritual !
levels achieved on the Day of Atonement. Chanukah is the real moment of tru th, and the "final sealing" of judgment. Just as the Menorah in the Temple stood at the entrance to the Holy of Holies, each of us lights our candles at the entrance to our homes, bringing the hidden light of Chanukah, and
the light of the Holy Temple, into the entire world. But that light was alr eady waiting; we just have to kindle it. When we gaze into the Chanukah lam ps we see the same light that our grandparents before us saw; the light see n by the High Priest in the Holy Temple.

Everyone knows that Israel is at war with the Palestinians. The Palestinian s shoot at night, and negotiate during the day; even at the hour of this wr iting, Palestinian police forces are engaging the IDF in exchanges of heavy fire in Gaza. The Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo has become a walled
ghetto; instead of removing the threat that fires upon residential apartmen ts and children=92s nurseries, the government will spend a fortune to try a nd bullet-proof the entire neighborhood. Is this an admission that the thre at cannot be removed, or an admission that the Barak government feels that
Jews sitting in their homes deserve to be fired upon? Roadside bombs, ambus hes against teachers returning from school, attacks against children=92s sc hoolbuses, the murder of a mother of six; all these have become commonplace occurrences that do not merit special attention. They may make the local
Israeli news (and not all the attacks are even mentioned) but they certainl y no longer receive specia!
l coverage. It has just become part of life. How can one remember everyone who has been killed? It seems that unless one personally knew someone like Aish Kodesh Gilmor, Rabbis Benjamin Herling and Hillel Lieberman, or Rena D idovsky, all murdered by Palestinian gunmen, they are simply buried and
forgotten, and only their families continue to grieve as they attempt to go on living without their loved ones.

It was the bold Jewish leadership of Judah the Macabee which brought about the miracle of Chanukah. But today we are afflicted with immoral, self-serv ing politicians who abuse their positions to promote their own agendas. Cla iming that he wanted the people to reaffirm their mandate to him through
new elections, Ehud Barak resigned...not to sincerely express his inadequac y, or give the people of Israel another chance...but to cynically manipulat e the law so as to eliminate his competition. At the close of the failed "C amp David II" talks, Ehud Barak said that he would never make
concessions regarding the holy places of Israel, referring to the Temple Mo unt. Today, after the destruction of Joseph=92s Tomb and the ancient synago gue of Jericho, Barak is ready to concede on the Temple Mount. He promised that he would never return to negotiations while violence continued; today
the Israeli team is in Washington, while Israelis at home are being fired u pon...this despite the fact that !
Barak=92s mandate has not been renewed, and he has no government behind him , and no right to negotiate in the name of the people of Israel.

In Hebrew, the Temple Mount is known as Har HaBayit, "The Mountain of the H ouse" =96 meaning, the great house, the House of the L-rd. As has been demo nstrated time and time again, for the Jewish people the Temple Mount is not just another issue...it is the issue, the only issue...it is the bayit,
the house. It is everything. Chanukah is the holiday of the renewal of that house, the holiday that each and every Jew celebrates by bringing some of that hidden light into his own home. Having a home means to have a place so mewhere; to belong somewhere.

The Jewish people will never write, not on a ram=92s horn, and not on a pea ce agreement, "We have no portion in the G-d of Israel." We know exactly wh at our portion is. We know exactly where we belong, and where that home is.

With blessings of Chanukah light

Rabbi Chaim Richman
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel
www.templeinstitute.org

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) UN Security Council Fails to Adopt Palestinian Draft
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 14:58:30 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 10:16:24 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: UN Security Council Fails to Adopt Palestinian
Draft Resolution

UN Security Council Fails to Adopt Palestinian Draft Resolution
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson)

Jerusalem, 19 December 2000

The Foreign Ministry expresses Israel's satisfaction at the UN
Security Council's rejection (December 18) of the Palestinian draft
resolution to send an observer mission to the territories. The vote
was preceded by extensive efforts to thwart the resolution, led by
Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General for International
Organizations Mordechai Yedid and the vigorous activity of Israeli
representatives in the various capitals, headed by Ambassador Yehuda
Lancry and the staff of the Israeli Mission to the United Nations.

The draft resolution failed to receive the requisite number of
affirmative votes for adoption (9 out of 15). While eight countries
supported the resolution, the United States, the United Kingdom,
France, Argentina, the Netherlands, Canada and Russia abstained.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (12/20/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 14:58:30 -0500

EUROPE MUST RECOVER SPIRITUAL PATRIMONY IN RIGHTS
CHARTER

Made public today was a Letter from Pope John Paul to Cardinal Antonio
Maria Javierre Ortas, who today is presiding at an academic meeting in the
Old Synod Hall dedicated to the 1200th anniversary of the crowning of the
Emperor Charlemagne by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day 800. The
meeting was organized by the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences.

"The commemoration of this historical event," the Pope wrote, "coincides
with the decisive phase of the drafting of the European Union's Charter of
Basic Rights" and "it invites us to reflect on the value which the cultural and
religious reform promoted by Charlemagne has even today." He highlighted
how this reform was a "remarkable synthesis between the culture of
classical antiquity, predominantly Roman, and that of the Germanic and
Celtic peoples, a synthesis based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Underscoring that "the Charter of Basic Rights is an attempt to synthesize
once again ... the basic values which must inspire the coexistence of
European peoples," he added: "I cannot hide my great disappointment for
the fact that not even one reference to God . . . was inserted into the tex t.
We cannot forget that it was the denial of God and His commandments
which created, in the last century, the tyranny of idols, expressed in the
glorification of a race, of a class, of the State, of the nation, of the pa rty,
instead of the true and living God."

"Notwithstanding many noble efforts," John Paul II went on, "the text of th e
Charter of Basic Rights, has not satisfied the just expectations of many
people. The defense of the rights of the person and the family, in particul ar,
could have been more courageous. ... In many European States they are
threatened, for example, by policies favoring abortion, which is legalized
almost everywhere, by attitudes which consider euthanasia as ever more
possible and, finally, by certain projects of law in the matter of genetic
technology which are not sufficiently respectful of the human quality of th e
embryo." In closing, the Pope recalled that "Europe, in the search for its
identity, must make an energetic efforts to recover the cultural patrimony
left by Charlemagne and preserved for more than a millennium." (Vatican
Info Service)

* The Vatican Museums have opened an exhibition honoring the 1200
anniversary of the ceremony in which Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne.
The exhibit includes displays of manuscripts, tapestries, jewelry, and othe r
objects associated with Charlemagne and his rule. These items come from
the Vatican's own collection and from other museums around Europe.
(Catholic World News)

SLOVAKIA SIGNS ACCORD, POPE WELCOMES DELEGATION

The Pope welcomed a delegation from Slovakia, in Rome to celebrate the
November 24 signing of a Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the
Slovakian Republic. The Pope addressed those present in Slovakian, telling
them that "the basic reason for collaboration between Church and State is
the good of the human person. This cooperation must care for and
guarantee the rights of man. A Church which enjoys the full liberty which i s
her due is placed in the best circumstances to cooperate together with all
the other living forces of society 'for the spiritual and material good of the
human person and the common good', as is stated in the Agreement's
preamble." John Paul II concluded in expressing the hope that the
Agreement "might contribute to the consolidation of social tiesand spiritua l
and material development of the Slovakian society." (Vatican Info Service)

GERMANY CALLS FOR FREEZE ON FOREIGN WORKERS

Germany has demanded a 7-year freeze on the free movement of foreign
workers into the country after its east European neighbours join the
community, demonstrating that it will not allow expansion of the EU to harm
its national interests. Worried that the jobs of millions of Germans along the
country's eastern borders with Poland and the Czech Republic could be
taken by foreign workers prepared to work for low wages, Chancellor
Gerhard Schroder said that the "transitional period" would have to be built
into any eventual agreement on enlargement.

The requirement will further complicate the marathon negotiations taking
place in Brussels over the terms of entry of 10 applicant states from centr al
and eastern states, plus Cyprus and Malta. Free movement of workers
across the borders of member states is one of the main principles of the
EU. But as was the case when Spain and Portugal joined in 1985, what
existing member states fear most is the effect on their own markets of
cheap labour. "If there was complete, immediate freedom of movement for
workers, Germany would be confronted with an increased influx," Mr
Schroder told an audience in Weiden, near Germany's border with the
Czech Republic. "For parts of our labour market, especially where
unemployment is high, this would not be manageable." (The London
Telegraph)

* Mr. Schroeder released a 5-point program intended to set protectionist
terms on the contentious issue of labor migration. In what his staff called a
major speech, he appeared in a Bavariantown near the Czech border,
where local activists have expressed fears about a possible flood of cheap
labor. (Poland , the biggest of the EU candidates, voiced immediate
resistance to Mr. Schroeder's proposal, foreshadowing what are certain to
be tensions when accession talks begin next year. Prime Minister Jerzy
Busek said he opposed a delay. "Our position is that labor markets should
be opened for Poles at the moment when we join the European Union.")

The EU's expansion, intended to heal a continent riven by wars and
dictators, has intensified German fears about jobs and immigration. From
their own reunification a decade ago, Germans know firsthand the
hardships that come from banging together free market democracies and
former Soviet-bloc states. German wages, among the highest in the world,
already are under severe pressure with the common currency and a new
single-market climate of competition.

Germany is passionate supporter of eastward expansion for Europe, which
could start as soon as 2004 and is expected to last a decade or longer. Suc h
a move would help secure political peace on its eastern borders and bring
the nation a step further in repairing ties that Nazi aggression shattered in
the last century. It also reopens old trade ties from Germany's pivotal
geographic locus in the center of the continent.Manufacturers eagerly await
a chance to rev the nation's export engine.

German business, from Volkswagen AG to the telecommunications giant
Telekom AG, have taken the lead in investment in the eastern region.
Enlargement will put Berlin politically and geographically in the center of
21st century Europe, even to the point of eroding France's erstwhile
leadership role in Brussels, commentators say. EU officials concur that the
Nice summit meeting positioned the German government to play a crucial
role in the project, which will be Europe's biggest endeavor since the
launching of the euro.

The issue has strained German French ties after a new EU voting system,
agreed to in Nice, makes Germany a "first among equals," EU officials say.
Germany also will take a lead role in 3 years on the next major EU
intergovernmental conference, which Germany demanded in order to
redraft power relationships within the EU. "Nice was a tragic hour for
France," the Welt am Sonntag newspaper wrote over the weekend. "A new
look at the map shows Paris on the periphery and Berlin in the center."

Given a shortage of labor, Germany will welcome the workers after the
waiting period, Mr. Schroeder said. German trade with the former "east
bloc" states generates about a tenth of German trade, growing at 17% a
year. Labor restrictions make sense for the candidate nations as well as fo r
the wealthy West, Mr. Schroeder said. "It is in the interest of the
candidates themselves that enlargement does not lead to an abrupt, massive
outflow of the best qualified people." (Int'l Herald Tribune)

* The Neue Osnabr=FCcker Zeitung thinks Chancellor Schr=F6der has been
psychologically clever to speak out now rather than later. The result - the
paper says - will be to dampen excessive expectations on the part of new
members and reduce concerns at home. It is a mistake - the paper
continues - to see any unfair discrimination of future eastern European
members. There were similar rules for Spain and Portugal in the mid-80s
which turned out fine. And the paper warns, co-operation in an enlarged
EU, even the whole European ideal, would only be harmed if the new era
were to be launched with a huge labour market problem. It's not hard, for
example, to imagine how attractive Germany would be with its
comparatively high wages and social benefits.

Bonn's General Anzeiger writes in similar vein saying that what looks at
first sight like a brush-off to candidate countries is in fact in line with
community tradition. It also reminds readers that Spanish and Portuguese
workers had to make do with a 7-year transition period. And within the
Schr=F6der government, the paper continues, there are those who would like
a much longer period. Seen in this light, the chancellor's proposal is a
realistic compromise between desire and necessity. (Deutsche Welle)

SCHARPING, EGYPTIAN LEADER STUDY MILITARY
COOPERATION

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and German Defense Minister Rudolf
Scharping on Monday discussed military cooperation and bilateral relations
during 60 minutes of talks. No details about the meeting were available.Mr.
Scharping was scheduled to meet with his Egyptian counterpart, Hussein
Tantawi, later on Monday. The German defense minister is on a 2-day visit
to Egypt, and is due to later visit Israel and the Palestinian territories.
(Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

COURT HEARS CHALLENGE OF CHRISTMAS AS HOLIDAY

An Ohio man will have his challenge of Christmas as a federal holiday
heard by the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Richard Ganulin, a city
attorney, contends that the holiday violates the separation of church and
state as determined by the US Supreme Court, calling Christmas a
"sectarian celebration." Justice Boyce Martin told Ganulin he must show
how nonbelievers are harmed by the holiday. "You don't have to celebrate
Christmas. You can ignore it," he said. The case had been thrown out by a
lower court. (Catholic World News)

MAY THE E.U. & U.S. GO FORWARD TOGETHER

Taking as our base an alliance that is 50 years old, the time has come to
build a new partnership between the United States and a European Union
that was reformed in Nice and thereby will soon be enlarged. This implies
that each partner will assume the responsibilities incumbent upon it. While
the EU, in cooperation with the US, already is sharing the major part of th e
burden in the Balkans, the European Council in Nice made major decisions
to better assume its defense and security responsibilities.

In particular, the EU plans a rapid reaction capability that will enable it to
field a force of as many as 60,000, together with air and naval support, by
2003. Each of the European countries has made a firm and precise
commitment in order to have these decisions effectively implemented.
Europe's rapid reaction force is intended for deployment where NATO as a
whole is not engaged. It will be a major contribution to the burden sharing
long sought by the US. These developments will further strengthen NATO,
because a strong NATO needs a strong Europe. The US has welcomed
this new phase in European integration.

The goal of having a new trans-Atlantic partnership implies that the US wil l
continue to be involved in world affairs. Today, as in the aftermath of
WW2, the world needs an America that exercises the global responsibilities
incumbent upon it. It needs an America that is not tempted to turn its back
on the world or be seduced by unilateralism and that plays its full role in the
main international organizations, from the United Nations to the World
Trade Organization.

America's commitment remains necessary in this uncertain post-Cold War
world. Only by acting together can Europeans and Americans find solutions
to the many common challenges they face. In addition to crisis
management, I am thinking of efforts against proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction and their delivery systems, threats to our environment,
drug trafficking, money laundering, organized crime cartels and terrorism.

Europeans and Americans further have a special responsibility to promote a
more humane side to globalization. This implies greater effort for the
poorest countries, especially those in Africa. France and its European
partners are spearheading these efforts by reducing the debt burden of the
poor countries and providing them with aid. Development assistance is
more necessary than ever to enable these countries to have access to
international trade circuits.

We must tackle together the AIDS pandemic and the critical problem of
access to care in poor countries. I would like to renew my call for an
international conference with representatives from pharmaceutical
companies to convene as soon as possible with a view toward making
significant reductions in the cost of medications.

The EU and the US already are principal partners in trade and investment.
Trade disputes, which involve only about 1% of the trade volume between
them, must not cloud their fast-growing economic relations. It is legitimat e
for each partner to defend its interests, but both should do so in complian ce
with existing multilateral procedures. Cooperation also should intensify in
the monetary area with the successful launch of the euro. Everything
favors a renewed trans-Atlantic partnership anchored in shared values and
destiny as one of the cornerstones of world stability. (Int'l Herald Tribun e -
Opinion by President Jacques Chirac of France, who was in Washington on
Monday for an EU-U.S. summit conference)

MICHAEL TURNER =0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Watch out, the gaze-tracking equipped computer is watching you!
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 14:58:31 -0500

Copyright 2000 FT Asia Intelligence Wire All rights reserved.
                   Copyright 2000 The Jakarta Post.
                       THE JAKARTA POST
                       December 18, 2000

Watch out, the gaze-tracking equipped computer is watching you!

ALMADEN, California (JP): "Try to fix your gaze on the opposite corner of the
screen," said David Koons, an MIT Media Lab PhD, to Tony Waltham from
Bangkok Post. The cursor was sitting on the bottom left corner of the
screen, so Tony fixed his eyes at a point on the top right hand corner.

The moment he touched the mouse the cursor jumped across the wide 18-
inch TFT monitor to the spot he was gazing at. He did not have to drag the
mouse at all to move the cursor, thanks to an application called Manual
Acquisition with Gaze Initiated Cursor, or MAGIC.

Tony and I and about a dozen other IT journalists from Asia-Pacific countries
were trying out a gaze-tracking technology called BlueEyes that the
researchers at the BIM Almaden Research Center had been working on for
some time. We were visiting the lab, which is the second largest of IBM's
eight research facilities throughout the world. It was the second day of my
recent trip to the U.S.

The eye-tracking technology uses a video camera and two infrared light
sources that illuminate the eyes. One light source is placed on the axis of
the camera's lens, while the other source is placed a bit off-axis.

When the on-axis source illuminates the eye, it will produce a bright image
of the pupil. It is rather like the red-eye effect you get if you take a picture of
someone's face with the flash and you forgot to turn on its red-eye control.
The off-axis light source, which needs to be calibrated for each user, creates
an ordinary image of the eyes. The system then uses the difference between
the two images to determine where the eyes are looking.

Immediately a number of possible applications come to mind. Can, for
example, this eye-tracking technology be used by a quadriplegic to control
the screen cursor and type his message on the computer just by using his
eyes? What about stroke patients who have become paralyzed, can this
technology be used so that they can somehow communicate with doctors
and family members just by gazing at the keys on the image of keyboard on
a computer screen?

There is a challenge here, as a lot of the movements of the eyes are
involuntary, and the jitters make it impossible for the cursor to land precisely
on a narrow spot on the screen.

Still, there are things that can be done to improve the possibilities. A
quadriplegic can use a chin rest so that his head can be held steady. The
keyboard image can be made large enough so that the cursor will have some
leeway to accommodate any jitters. So, in theory, the possibility is there.

Other possibilities

Would it not be better if our toll roads and highways were free from
sleep-deprived drivers? We certainly would have far fewer traffic
accidents and a lot of lives would not have to be lost so
tragically. And, incidentally, just the night before the Almaden visit I
had been so irritated by the Indian cab driver who was taking me back to
my hotel from Radio Shack because, while driving, he constantly turned his
head and looked at me as he talked proudly about the successes of the
Indian entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. So I asked Dave whether automobile
manufacturers would be interested in incorporating this technology into
their cars to improve safety on the road.

"Mercedes has shown their interest in this technology. BlueEyes can
certainly help monitor whether the driver is paying attention to the road in
front of him or whether he is drowsy and is falling asleep on the wheel. It can
also be combined with other sensors in the exterior of the car that, for
example, can determine whether he is coming too close to the car in front of
him for the speed he is traveling at," Dave said. "The issue is then whether
the car should take action by slowing down or simply warn the driver."
Whichever it does, I cannot wait until these technologies become
commonplace in our cars and trucks.

In this column last week, I wrote about one of the applications of this
technology in human face recognition, as shown during the presentation of
alphaWorks. Now imagine you are in a smart apartment, surrounded by
hordes of voice-activated appliances and control devices.

When you say "Start" to your microwave oven, your DVD player, your
WebTV set, your juice extractor, your coffeemaker, your food dispenser,
your robot pet, your washing machine, your Internet appliance and your car
key may all hear the same command and may wake up at the same time.
You can imagine the commotion.

"In the future, we communicate with these intelligent appliances and devices
not by just talking to them, but also by looking at them," said Dave. So,
when you say "Start", the robot vacuum cleaner, for example, will first check
whether you are looking at it. If you are not, it will know that you are not
telling it to start vacuuming.

Attentive Environment

David Koons is the head of the BlueEyes team within the USER group at the
Almaden center. The name USER is capitalized here because it stands for
User Systems Ergonomics (or Experience) Research. By adding the
capability of visual perception to smart machines, Dave's team aims to
create an attentive environment in which human and machines can
communicate more like two friends who can read each other's minds.

Is the BlueEyes technology very expensive to implement? "Not really," was
the answer. "We do not need high-quality cameras for tracking the human
eyes." A low-resolution camera may be even better for safeguarding privacy,
as we never know how people may be dressed when they are in front of their
home PCs. "A CMOS camera costs only about US$10.00 a piece, and the
128 by 128-pixel that Nintendo uses in its gadgets costs about $6.00," Dave
added. Even with these rather crude components, BlueEyes can detect
human eyes from up to five meters away, even when the person is wearing
glasses. This robust technology can also detect the presence of more than
one person at the same time.

When are we going to see BlueEyes embedded in ThinkPads and
NetVistas? Dave thinks that in two years the technology will be ready for
implementation in PCs and notebooks. At that time, the interaction between
humans and computers will be richer than ever, as the machines will have
the ability to anticipate users' next requirement by following the movements
of their eyes.

SUITOR, or Simple User Interest Tracker, is an application developed by
Dave's group that provides a good example of how this can be implemented.
When browsing, for example, the computer can follow the user's eyes as
they scroll down the page. The moment the eyes hit a link, the computer
anticipates that the user will jump to the Web site indicated by the link after
he finishes reading the entire page. It will then proactively cache the Web
page and display it in on another window for the user to read. It will save a lot
of time and increase efficiency.

Already proven to be a very robust technology, BlueEyes has a lot of
potential applications, including the detection of the user's emotional state.

"There are just a few key features of the human face that can sufficiently
show his or her feelings," said Dave. "Just look at comic strips, you can
somehow detect the emotion of the figures although the pictures are not very
detailed." Once the computer knows what psychological and emotional
states you are in, it can respond accordingly. A computer used in training,
for example, can offer more help if it senses that the user is frustrated
because he still cannot comprehend a topic.

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/more/designnews/20453/6674577/4

via: transhumantech@egroups.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (12/20/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 15:12:15 -0500

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000 / Kislev 23, 5761

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. SUPREME COURT FORCES KNESSET TO ACT
   2. QUIET NIGHT - FIGHTING DURING THE DAY
   3. PERES LIKELY TO RUN
   4. YESHA RESIDENT HELD FOR ANOTHER DAY
   5. TALKS TO BEGIN
   6. ISRAEL AND THE INTERNATIONAL COURT
   7. IN PRAISE OF YESHA, FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
   8. PETITION FOR MISSING ISRAELI SOLDIERS
   9. HIZBULLAH BROADCASTS COURTESY OF ISRAEL

1. SUPREME COURT FORCES KNESSET TO ACT
The 52-year-old unofficial arrangement by which full-time yeshiva students
receive yearly military exemptions has come to an end - at least according
to today Supreme Court ruling. The Court decided against granting another
extension to the existing arrangement; it has granted three such
extensions over the past two years. For lack of a legislated arrangement,
the existing one ceases to exist, and yeshiva students must now be
drafted. Nine out of eleven Supreme Court justices ruled that even the
current uncertain political and security situation does not justify the
Knesset's failure to complete the legislation of an agreed-upon
arrangement.

Political reactions were quick in coming:
* MK Tommy Lapid, whose Shinui party was founded largely on the issue of
ending the yeshiva exemptions, demanded that the Prime Minister
immediately order the army to begin drafting yeshiva students, and to stop
all National Insurance payments to the students.
* The Shas party reacted to the Court's decision with fury, saying that
the Supreme Court had "declared war on the world of Torah."
* United Torah Judaism MKs, on the other hand, reacted with derision. MK

Rabbi Avraham Ravitz told Arutz-7 today, "Thousands of yeshiva students
will willingly go to jail with their Talmudic texts if they have to... I
think that the Supreme Court simply made a mistake, in that it relied on
papers and technicalities instead of taking note of the reality outside:
For one thing, the Knesset is about to go on a pre-election break, and
with the elections - and election-related special interests - around the
corner, the Court should have granted the extension. But - it's still
possible to pass an interim period law that will put the situation on hold
until after the elections. Because everyone knows that there will not be
one extra soldier from this - the soldiers will fill the jails and will
study there... The army and the government themselves know that they will
not send police to start arresting students... Not one yeshiva student
will close his books. What, the State of Israel will be the only country
in the world not to allow yeshiva students to dedicate their lives to
Torah study?!'

As these words are being written, it appears that another temporary
solution is in the works: The Knesset began a rushed legislative process
this afternoon to extend the current situation by four months.

2. QUIET NIGHT - FIGHTING DURING THE DAY
An Israeli taxi driver was stabbed in his chest near Moshav Shoresh,
northwest of Jerusalem, early this evening. The driver was able to make
his way to Shoresh, where he was taken in very serious condition to
Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital in Jerusalem.

Possibly because of the stormy and rainy weather, Palestinian terrorists
gave Yesha residents last night a relatively easy time. An IDF outpost on
the Egyptian-Israeli border was shot at last night and again this morning;
an army tractor was hit, but no one was hurt. Shots were fired also at
Kfar Darom, IDF forces near N'vei Dekalim, and on an Israeli car between
Elon Moreh and Itamar.

This morning, however, heavy fighting developed in the Rafiach area
between Palestinians - including Palestinian policemen - and Israeli
soldiers. Two soldiers were wounded from shrapnel today when automatic
fire was directed at them from the Israeli-Egyptian border, not far from
Rafiach. The two were taken to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva for
treatment... Earlier, two Palestinians - including one PA police officer
- were killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces near Netzarim...
Three grenades and an anti-tank missile were shot at Israeli forces near
Rafiach... Palestinians shot at a bus stop at the entrance to Ofrah and
towards an IDF roadblock south of Jericho; no one was hurt... Later
today, shots were fired towards Israeli vehicles near N'vei Tzuf and near
Itamar; one vehicle was damaged... A roadside bomb exploded between Elon
Moreh and Itamar in the Shomron; no one was hurt... Palestinians fired at
an IDF position near the Gush Katif town of Gadid, and large stones and
firebombs were hurled at IDF positions in Gaza.

Israeli security forces arrested three Arabs last night from the village
of El-Aroub, south of Gush Etzion. The three confessed to throwing
firebombs and rocks on Israeli cars in the area; they named some of their
accomplices who were involved in similar hostile acts.

3. PERES LIKELY TO RUN
The final list of candidates for the Prime Ministerial elections has not
yet been finalized, and on both the right and the left there is talk of
another candidate. Shimon Peres is still deliberating over the decision
whether to run; he has apparently been buoyed, however, by a poll released
today showing that he could actually become Prime Minister. The poll
results show that in a three-way race with Barak and Ariel Sharon, Peres
would garner 29% of the vote, compared to Ehud Barak's 18% - and then, on
the second round between himself and Sharon alone, he would emerge
victorious by a 2% margin.

Barak is making great efforts to convince Peres not to run. He met with
Meretz leader Yossi Sarid for an hour this evening trying to convince him
not to support Peres. Housing Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said that a
Peres candidacy would mean a sure victory for Ariel Sharon and the
disintegration of the Labor party. Minister Ra'anan Cohen said that Barak
must offer Peres a senior Cabinet position in order to head off his
candidacy.

It will be recalled that Peres, 77, has served as Prime Minister twice,
yet never won an election; the Labor list he headed lost twice to the
Likud led by Menachem Begin (1997, 1981), reached a tie with the Likud in
1984, leading to a national unity government in which he and Yitzchak
Shamir served as Prime Minister for two years each, and then lost to
Shamir's Likud in 1988. In 1996, Peres lost the direct election to
Binyamin Netanyahu, after serving as Prime Minister for several months
following the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin. Peres also lost the
Presidential election in the Knesset to Moshe Katzav earlier this year.

In the nationalist camp, National Religious Party head Rabbi Yitzchak Levy
and Yisrael B'Aliyah head Natan Sharansky are considering offering their
candidacy, as a means of pressure upon Ariel Sharon to take clearer
positions on behalf of the Yesha settlement enterprise. Levy will meet
with Sharon tonight. Sharon opened his campaign last night at a building
dedication ceremony in Tel Aviv, where he said that he would "form a true
national-unity government [i.e., including both major parties] that will
bring peace with the Palestinians and deal with the pressing issues of
education and housing."

The deadline for submitting one's candidacy is tomorrow (Thursday) night
at midnight, and the election will be held Tuesday, Feb. 6th.

4. YESHA RESIDENT HELD FOR ANOTHER DAY
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court extended the custody of N'vei Tzuf
resident Ya'ir Ben-Ami for yet another day last night. He is suspected of
involvement in the death of an Arab boy three days ago; a second man who
was arrested in connection with the same incident was released to house
arrest. Ben-Ami reported to the army that he had shot in the air at
rock-throwers. One of the Palestinian attackers was later found dead.

5. TALKS TO BEGIN
The Israeli-Palestinian talks will begin this afternoon in Washington,
with American mediators transferring messages back and forth between the
sides. The talks will continue until Friday. Yasser Arafat said in Gaza
today that he will not give up on the "right of return" for Arab refugees
from 1948, and that the IDF continues to purposely target Palestinians.

6. ISRAEL AND THE INTERNATIONAL COURT
Israel, the United States, and a host of other countries face a deadline
of Dec. 31 for the signing of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court. At issue is an international initiative for a permanent
court that will try individuals accused of committing genocide, war
crimes, and crimes against humanity. Sixty countries are required not
only to sign the Statute, but also to ratify it; although over 100 have
signed, only 25 have ratified. In Israel, Justice Minister Beilin and
Foreign Minister Ben-Ami are in favor of signing; they say that
ratification can be put off until later. Atty.-Gen'l Rubenstein, however,
as well as Israeli's defense establishment, are very much against any form
of approval for the initiative. Prof. Eitan Gilboa, of Bar Ilan
University's Political Science Department, explains why:
"Israel would simply become a victim of such a court. We all know the
anti-Israel record of the world community - all the anti-Israel
resolutions that have been passed in the UN in recent years, and the like.
The Palestinians are already claiming that we are guilty of war crimes...
There is definitely the danger that the court will be politically driven,
and will not deal with the real issues... In the U.S., there is great
pressure on Clinton not to sign, and in any event, the Senate will not
ratify it. Should we then approve it and not the U.S.? Many people in
the U.S. are trying to get Israel not to sign, partially out of genuine
concern for Israel... Beilin's trick of signing-but-not-ratifying is just
that - a trick that may be good for internal Israeli politics but not for
the international stage. If the idea of the ICC is not good - and it's
not - then let's simply say so!"

Senator Jesse Helms, Chairman of the U.S. Senate's Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee, wrote recently, "Israel must stand up for its own
interests, and refuse to sign the Rome Statute, because otherwise Israel
is likely to regret supporting this flawed institution... It would be
worthwhile for every Israel to watch the news, and see the brave Israeli
soldiers defending themselves from Arab rock-throwing mobs, and try to
imagine them being tried as 'war criminals' in some future international
court..."

7. IN PRAISE OF YESHA, FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Brig.-Gen. Effie Fein, the army's highest-ranking religious officer who
was recently informed by Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul Mofaz that he
would be promoted no higher, is considering entering the political arena -
possibly in the National Religious Party, where he is much admired. He
has not yet resigned from the army, however, in the hope that a victory by
Ariel Sharon in the coming election may improve his prospects. In the
meanwhile, he has been making the rounds of, and lecturing in,
religious-Zionist communities. Speaking in Ofrah this past week, he said
that army officers are very impressed by the unyielding and brave stand
taken by the residents of Yesha in the light of the difficulties they
face:
"This is based on what I see among the people and among the army. Many
army officers say that for them [this behavior] is an enigma, a wonder -
something to be taken as a model. And it is true: on the one hand, it is
strange how [you] continue to travel the roads, even [as the attacks
continue], while on the other hand, it is something that arouses great
admiration. There is a deep change among the lower-level and mid-level
officers in the army in the way they relate to the settlement enterprise
and in the way they relate to the fighting here - and it stems from the
way in which you look at yourselves."

He said that a similar phenomenon existed before 1967 in his hometown of
Kibbutz Ein Gev, on the then-border with Syria on the eastern shore of the
Kinneret:
"Our town was considered the height of chutzpah, military absurdity,
stubbornness, and everything else. My father, even though he was an
intellectual who knew several languages, found fulfillment in fishing for
Ein Gev on the Kinneret... I would see him far up shore getting shot at
by the Syrians, and then our Navy gunship would fire back, and there he
would be, in the middle of a navy battle... I asked him once why he has
to fish there - and he said very simply, 'What do you mean? There has to
be Jewish fishing on the Kinneret!'... Some kibbutz members were killed
by the Syrian fire, and the situation looked totally hopeless, it did not
seem as if we had a chance to survive... But I remember clearly that we
were a proud community, we saw it as a great privilege for us to be a
'border town' - and I remember that when we would go into the nearby city,
people didn't pay us much attention; if you think that people paid us more
attention or were more admiring of us than they are of Ofrah today - you
are mistaken. *We* chose how to relate to ourselves, and this itself was
largely the solution to the problem."

8. PETITION FOR MISSING ISRAELI SOLDIERS
A petition for the missing Israeli soldiers can be seen and signed at
<"http://www.mia.org.il/petition/">. On October 7th, 2000, Hizbullah
terrorists penetrated the Israeli border and kidnapped three Israeli
soldiers - Adi Avitan, Binyamin Avraham and Omer Souad. Eight days later,
Hizbullah announced that another Israeli citizen, 54-year-old Elchanan
Tannenbaum, had also been taken captive. The four were thus added to a
list of other Israeli soldiers whose whereabouts remain unknown:
Zechariah Baumel, Yehuda Katz, and Tzvi Feldman - who were captured in a
battle in 1982 with Palestinian and Syrian forces near the Lebanese
village of Sultan Yaaqub - and Capt. Ron Arad, who was captured four years
later. The International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers is
attempting to attract sorely-need international intervention, and is
sponsoring an Internet petition in support of Israel's kidnapped and
missing soldiers and their families. The goal: at least 1,000,000
signatures.

9. HIZBULLAH BROADCASTS COURTESY OF ISRAEL
The State of Israel permits the Hizbullah to broadcast its propaganda
using Israeli communication services, namely, the satelite dishes in Emek
HaElah. So reports Roni Shaked in Yediot Acharonot. The Hizbullah
television station "Almanar," very popular in PA-controlled territories,
transmits its signals via relay stations in Gaza and Ramallah - which
belong to a daughter company of Ronald Lauder - and then to Emek HaElah,
and from there to media satellites. The station encourages the
continuation of the confrontation with Israel, and its programs include
footage of the confrontations and shooting battles in Judea, Samaria, and
Gaza, as well as interviews with Hamas and Islamic Jihad members. Dr.
Pauz Camel, head of the Arab department of the Government Press Office,
confirmed to journalist Shaked that Hizbullah uses Israeli communication
services.

Hebrew News Editor: Ariel Kahane
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Benny Elon stops Knesset from going into recess
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 18:17:10 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 16:06:46 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Benny Elon stops Knesset from going into recess

Benny Elon stops Knesset from going into recess

Aaron Lerner Date: 20 December 2000

Acording to Basic Law: The Knesset

"31. The Knesset shall hold two sessions a year; one of them shall
open within four weeks after the Feast of Tabernacles, the other
within four weeks after Independence Day; the aggregate duration of
the two sessions shall not be less than eight months."

Unless the Knesset amends this Law, the Knesset cannot take a break
for the remainder of December for the elections.

Uri Bank, spokesperson for MK Benny Elon, told IMRA that the
amendment was stopped tonight before the second hearing after MK
Benny Elon tacked on a reservation that would require the Knesset to
also meet during breaks if 61 MKs demand that the Knesset meet to
deliberate a proposed law.

MK Elon said "It is inconceivable that the national camp would take a
break while the prime minister works overtime to sign an agreement
that is opposed by most of the Knesset and most of the nation."

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-548-0092
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
pager 03-6750750 subscriber 4811

--------------------------------------------
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Harpazo News items (12/20/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 18:24:53 -0500

MPs Give Go Ahead For Embryo Research

Controversial research involving the cloning of human embryos was backed
by MPs after an impassioned Commons debate last night. After a rare free
vote MPs supported an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryo
Act by 366 votes to 174. It could pave the way to finding a cure for chroni c
degenerative diseases such as Parkinson=92s and Alzheimer=92s. The decision
came after Yvette Cooper, the Public Health Minister, appealed for scientis ts
to be given the go-ahead for stem cell research, denying that it was a
=93slippery slope=94 to human cloning. The vote came in the face of fierce
opposition from =93pro-life=94 campaigners. the times

Husseini: Peace Deal Very Close

Israelis and Palestinians are very close to reaching a final peace agreemen t,
Faisal Husseini, in charge of Jerusalem affairs for the PLO, said yesterday .
When asked whether he thought Israel and the PA could reach an
agreement within 30 days, Husseini told The Jerusalem Post, "It is not far
from reality... it is very close. But it needs courage and hard work."
Comparing the negotiations to climbing Mount Everest, Husseini said,
"You've reached the last 100 meters. You are very close, but you are at the
most difficult part." Jerusalem Post

Annan Warns UN Council To Be United On Mideast

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Tuesday he had warned the 15-
member Security Council not to take action on sensitive issues, like a U.N.
observer force for the Middle East, unless it was united. Annan answered
queries at a news conference hours after the council defeated a Palestinian
demand for a U.N. observer force to help calm the worst regional violence i n
years.

The resolution calling for military and police observers in the West Bank a nd
Gaza received eight votes late on Monday, one short of the minimum
required for adoption. Had the measure received more votes, the United
States would have used its veto power to kill it. Annan said he had appeale d
to the council earlier that "on these difficult issues like the Middle East , the
council should try and act together." Ha'aretz

UN Sanctions On Taleban

A range of tough sanctions are imposed on Afghanistan's Taleban rulers in
an attempt to force the handover of Osama bin Laden. BBC

Bush Defense Chief Pick Has Strong Israel Record

Israeli officials and Jewish leaders are praising President-elect George W.
Bush's top pick for secretary of defense, former Republican senator Daniel
Coats of Indiana, as an outspoken friend of Israel and an aggressive
proponent of the Israeli-US bilateral relationship. Bush met with Coats,
currently a lawyer at a Washington law firm, on Monday. Aides said the
president-elect could formally announce his nominee for secretary of defens e
as early as today. Jerusalem Post

Putin Wraps Up Canada Trip With Sales Pitch And Another Potshot At US

Russian President Vladimir Putin wrapped up his three-day visit to Canada
on Tuesday late, but with a vigorous sales pitch to Canada's business
community. Putin's jet was delayed by about an hour and a half because of
fog in Ottawa. He arrived too late to join the nearly 2,000 guests from
Toronto's Bay Street -- Canada's equivalent of Wall Street -- for lunch, bu t
still kept a captive audience for his abbreviated speech. Russian officials
refused to hand out the president's original speaking notes to foreign
journalists, but one Russian journalist told AFP the speech he delivered wa s
"much shorter than the original, and more diplomatic." The journalist, who
asked not to be identified, said the original version contained longer and
more detailed attacks on US plans to launch a new missile defence system.
Although Putin did repeat his basic opposition to the US plan, which Russia
and others claim would be a violation of existing antiballistic-missile tre aties,
he focused on the business and investment leaders assembled in the room.
AFP

Why Iraq's Buying Up Sony PlayStation 2s

Many American kids may be disappointed on Christmas morning because
the Sony PlayStation 2 they wanted wound up in Iraq. Both the U.S.
Customs Service and the FBI are investigating the apparent transfer of larg e
numbers of Sony PlayStation 2s to Iraq, according to military intelligence
sources.

A secret Defense Intelligence Agency report states that as many as 4,000 of
the popular video game units have been purchased in the United States and
shipped to Iraq in the last two to three months. What gives? Does Saddam
Hussein have an extraordinarily long Christmas shopping list? And why
would U.S. military and intelligence officials be concerned about such a
transfer?

Two government agencies are investigating the purchases because the
PlayStations can be bundled together into a sort of crude super-computer
and used for a variety of military applications, say intelligence sources. more
@ World Net Daily

Dutch Senate Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

The Dutch Senate on Tuesday passed legislation allowing same-sex couples
to marry and adopt children. The bills had already been passed by the lower
house of parliament and are expected to take effect next April. "As far as
possible, homosexual marriage will have the same consequences as
heterosexual marriage," the Senate said. Same-sex couples have been
recognized in Dutch law since 1998, but only one member of the couple was
allowed to have parental rights over any adopted children. ewtn

Israel Planning 'Online Soldier' Of The Future

Israel's military has a dream of an online soldier. The soldier would carry a
computer with GPS, an encoded cellular phone and tactical radio =97 all of
which can be operated with a press of a hand. The concept is being
developed by the signal corps of the Israel Defense Forces.

"This is a mockup of the future soldier," Lt. Col. Aviad Ben-Yitzhak, a
spokesman for the corps, said. "We have decided who will have this. It
depends on money."

The image of the future soldier was displayed in a recent exhibition in Tel
Aviv by the corps, where the military conducts more research and
development than anywhere else in the Israeli land forces. The corps focuse s
on telecommunications and software and its conception is of a soldier that
would never get lost and maintain direct communications with other units in
the field as well as his headquarters.

The corps, as the rest of the military, must depend on outside contractors.
The tactical computer envisioned for the soldier is Tadiran's Tacter. Anoth er
has been developed by Elbit Systems Ltd. Information is fed to units throug h
ground surveillance radar supplied by Elta Electronics Industries. The rada r
is capable of detecting infantry, heavy vehicles, helicopters and tanks.

Military sources said the key to the vision of an on-line soldier is fundin g for
Israeli development and procurement. They point to an increasing number of
assembly lines being closed in Israel and transferred to the United States.
Israel is required to use at least 75 percent of its $2 billion in annual U .S.
military aid for purchases in the United States. world tribune

Nasdaq Hits Low For Year

The Nasdaq composite index tumbled to its lowest levels in 16 months
Tuesday after the Federal Reserve delayed any interest rate cut until next
year. Saying it was concerned about the slowing economy, the Fed declined
to lower borrowing costs. The decision preserves some of the highest rates
in a decade =96 rates partially responsible for handing the Nasdaq what cou ld
be its worst year on record. cnnfn

Cannibalism Eyed in Child's Death

Prosecutors charged a man Tuesday with killing a 10-year-old boy in 1996
and said evidence suggests he butchered the child and fed the remains to
his neighbors. AP

www.harpazo.net/news.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] UN jurisdiction over 70% of earth's land area
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 18:43:48 -0500

New U.N. treaty
ratified quietly

By Henry Lamb
=A9 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification was ratified by the U.S.
Senate on October 18, but few Senators yet know that it has been ratified.
Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) introduced a package of 34 treaties, all of
which were ratified by a show of hands -- no recorded vote. Initially,
Senator Thomas' office told callers that the Senator had nothing to do
with the ratification. On December 8, his office called to explain that
Senator Thomas just happened to be on the Senate Floor late in the
afternoon of October 18 -- and was asked by the leadership to handle
procedurally, the package of treaties. Senator Thomas has asked the
Foreign Relations Committee to explain how, and why, the Desertification
Treaty was included in the package.

At the recent climate change talks in the Hague, Senator Larry Craig
(R-ID) said the treaty had not been ratified, until corrected by one of
his staff. Phone calls to Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN), and other
Senators, caught staffers off guard: Nobody knew how their boss voted on
the ratification. They could not know -- there was no recorded vote.

This treaty was signed by the Clinton administration in 1994. It has been
locked up in the Foreign Relations Committee since. Normally, treaties of
such monumental importance are debated in committee and then forwarded
to the Senate floor for further debate and disposition.

Not this time. The treaty appeared in a package of 34 treaties -- most of
which were single-issue treaties with single nations, dealing with stolen
vehicles, criminals, and the like. The Desertification Treaty, however, is
not a single-issue treaty with a single nation.

This treaty is one of several environmental treaties that emerged from the
1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.
One of those treaties, the Convention on Climate Change, was ratified in
1992. The Convention on Biological Diversity failed ratification in 1994. T he
Convention to Combat Desertification was skillfully maneuvered through the
Senate to avoid the public reaction which killed the Convention on Biologic al
Diversity.

The Desertification Treaty claims jurisdiction over 70% of the earth's
land area -- virtually all of the land that is not covered by the
Convention on Biological Diversity. Moreover, this new treaty creates a
structure through which all other environmental treaties are supposed to
be integrated under a common United Nations implementation regime. A
companion treaty is now being developed by the U.N. Commission on Water
for the 21st Century. The United Nations is, in fact, creating the
structure in international law and, through its extensive bureaucracies,
to control the use of all natural resources on earth.

The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty on October 18, 2000 -- whether or not
it knew what it was doing. On November 17, the Clinton administration
delivered the ratification documents to the United Nations. The United
States is now bound by the international law that claims the power to
dictate land use in 70% of the earth's land.

The name of the treaty implies that it is concerned about deserts -- in
fact, it is concerned about all land use. To combat desertification, the
treaty seeks to prevent land use that its enforcers think may lead to
desertification. Converting forests to pasture, for example, or pasture to
row crops, or crop land to subdivisions, are all uses that may lead to
desertification, according to literature produced by the United Nations.

There is no distinction between federal land and privately owned land when
it comes to land use under the jurisdiction of the U.N. The U.N. sees its
role to be the establishment of policy -- it is up to the participating
nations to see that the policy is implemented. The recent rash of land
acquisition measures promoted by the administration and Congress seeks to
get more land under federal ownership. The vast expansion of regulatory
control over land use by all federal agencies makes it easier for the
United States to comply with its international obligations under a variety
of international treaties. This new treaty extends even further the U.S.
obligation to control land use.

According to the treaty itself, no reservations can be included in its
ratification (Article 37). The Resolution of Ratification adopted by the
Senate contains several reservations -- all of which will be ignored by
the United Nations.

Withdrawal from the treaty cannot even begin until after three years of
participation -- and then another year must pass before withdrawal is
recognized by the U.N. -- assuming, of course, that there is some desire
in the Senate to withdraw.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_lamb/20001209_xchla_new_un_tre.sht
ml

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

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======= To: <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Re: Adam, Cain, Seth, and men becoming angels.
From: "John Brough"
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 15:37:04 +1300

Two comments on recent discussions. I am running a bit behind in my reading
of the list so I hope the discussions are still open.

1. About people becoming angels when they die.
An interesting idea, but again one that has no Biblical basis. Not one
single shred of possible evidence for such an idea can be found in
scripture.

This raises an important issue which readers would be well advised to take
note of: How do we discern truth from error as Christians? In all of the
maze of religious ideas floating around the world how do we tell which are
Christian and which are the first step to deception?

There is only one way that I know of - and that is to make the Bible the
yarkstick of truth - judge everything by what is written in the word of God
and you wont go wrong. But you undoubtedly will fall into conflict with
religious people of all persuasions - including Christian - who do not folow
this rule.

It is interesting that I heard a secular commentator on nationwide radio in
NZ make a comment about a church denominational decision 2-3 years ago that
was not in line with traditional Chrisitan understanding. This commentator
was quite strong - as far as he was concerned the church group concerned had
lost the plot - he as a non Christian could quite clearly see that if one
was going to be a Christian then one believed Christian doctrine, and not
e.g. Buddhist or Hindu doctrine. If one is going to be at all personally
consistent he, as a non Christian, recognised that a Christian should
beleive Christian things and not hybrid ideas drawn from all over.

It is amazing to me that non Christians can see this so clearly but
Christians think they can afford to be eclectic. Non Christians are not
fooled by such compromise and don't want a bar of it.

So back to angels and people - the Bible's revelation is that angels are one
form of existence and human beings are another. Just as angels do not become
men, so men do not become angels, rather when we die the Bible tells us we
are going to be resurrected as people with resurrection bodies that are
different in kind from angelic bodies. One only has to read 1 Corinthians 15
to see this clearly.

2. Second Issue: The descendents of Adam, Noah or whoever. I have already
commented on this in a prior email but a response to my comment provokes
further thought.

Again it boils back to the above question: Where do you get your Christian
doctrines from?

Some issues were raised:
a. Who were those who would find CAin and possibly kill him?
Answer - his brothers and sisters. Let us consider the facts as the Bible
says them:
Adam and Eve had three children who are named, Cain, Abel and Seth - but
they also had "other sons and daughters"Genesis 5:5. As he lived for 800
years after the birth of SEth - and we dont know how long transpired between
the birth of Cain and Abel and the birth of SEth (but it presumably was at
least 20 years as Cain and Abel had time to grow up) - and if we were to
assume a conservative rate of reproduction for two healthy people of say one
child every 4 years then conceivably Adam and Eve could have had something
like 200 children.

Thus we don't have to ask questions like "Where did Cain's wife come from?"
or "Who would have killed Cain?" as the text of Scripture gives us the clues
if we only want to look for them.

b. It was suggested by a writer to the list that the Flood may not have
killed all of human life but was more localised. But this is not what the
scripture says: Gen 6:13 and other references. The clear picture of
scripture is that all mankind except Noah and his family were destroyed and
the whole earth was inundated with a flood of universal impact - otherwise
why build an ark and save animals who could have presumably just moved
elsewhere to avoid a local flood. The idea of a local flood just makes a
nonsense of scripture as it stands.

c. It was suggested again that there is evidence of human life forms over
10,000 years ago.

Maybe, or maybe not.

There is scientific evidence available that the universe as a whole is
significantly less than 25,000 years old, in fact as low as 10,000 years by
some evidence. I personally favour a creation about 12-13 thousand years ago
on the evidence I presently have but I am prepared to see a drop in dates
to 7 to 10,000 years. One thing is sure - the ideas that cities existed 30
or 40 thousand years ago are myths - based on a false way of establishing
dates. Carbon Dating and the other methods have long been discredited as
being based on an assumption - in fact they assume the dates they want to
prove. Ice ages etc will soon have their dates revised - as soon as the
different branches of science get honest with the real evidence.

In all the jury is still out. But I am sure of one thing - when all the
evidence has come in the Bible will be vindicated.

Again I reiterate my point from an earlier email - there is a lot of twaddle
being talked in the Christian world - and the reason for this is that
Christians just don't read their bibles.

John in NZ

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======= To: <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Re Holy Spirit.
From: "John Brough"
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 16:06:39 +1300

Hi,
The idea that the Holy Spirit will be taken from the world prior to Christs
coming is very popular but is it right?
Again I must ask, "Where dies Scripture teach this?"
The answer: Nowhere.

The Doctrine is built on 2 Thessalonians 2 - "the restrainer shall be
removed" but it is by no means certain that the restrainer is the Holy
Spirit. Different interpreters identify it in different ways - some with the
Law - wrongly I think because the restrainer clearly has a personal nature.

My own view is that the restrainer is the Archangel Gabriel who we see in
Daniel 10 fighting the Prince of Persia and later of Greece and Rome. These
Princes are Satanic angelic powers behind the empires (why else would an
angel of God be fighting them?). If we admit the idea that the Antichrist is
the result of the working of a Satanic spirit (the mystery of lawlessness -
2 Thess 2) and then we go to Revelation 17 where the spirit of Antichrist
and its work is depicted we find that he/it is a 7 headed spirit that brings
to birth 7 evil empires ("mountains" - symbolic of empires in scripture).
The last of these has 10 horns on its head. By joining these ideas together
( if I am not moving too fast) we can postulate that the angels of Daniel
10 that Gabriel is fighting are the spiritual realities behind the empires.
The spirit of Antichrist then is a conglomerate of the seven Satanic angelic
powers behind the seven evil empires of Scripture (Babel, Assyria, Babylon,
Medopersia, greece, Rome, the 10 horned head).

It is this spirit of Antichrist that is being resisted, or restrained, and
the force restraining it is clearly an angel, who we can identify in Daniel
as Gabriel. (This can be deduced by comparison of this angel in Daniel where
he appears several times.)

Thus the restrainer of 2 Thess 2 is Gabriel and not the Holy Spirit.

When we accept this interpretation of the restrained the idea that the Holy
Spirit is going to be removed from the world loses its only (scriptural)
support. I put "scriptural" in bracketts here because it is dubious as to
whether or not it was ever a scriptural idea.

Can I just make a comment as a corollary of what I have just sad on the
empires.

The seven evil empires, including the 10 nation end time bloc, all are the
result of one demonic angel each - yet they were horrid.

But the Anti christ empire is different again in kind. Rev 17:11 says "the
beast is an eighth who is of the seven".

This is one of the most horrific prophecies of scripture. If each of the
horrid evil empires were the result of only one demonic angel - and they
were horrid - then what will the 8th empire be like - the result of the
working of all seven of these angels together in one person - the
Antichrist?

And it will be revealed after the 10 nation bloc collapses and gives its
power over to one man.

It's all in the book.

But the idea of the Holy Spirit being the restrainer and being removed is
not.

John in NZ.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Pink Mice and Petri Dishes
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 10:36:27 -0500

Pink Mice and Petri Dishes
Artists contemplate biotechnology

By Ronald Bailey

The genetic revolution is upon us, and artists are manning the barricades.
But which side are they on: the one that views biotechnology as a
horrifying new development or the one that sees it as a tool of
liberation? On the evidence of Paradise Now: Picturing the Genetic
Revolution, a recent exhibition of 39 artists at the downtown Manhattan
gallery Exit Art, the creative community itself isn=92t quite sure.

Some of the show=92s contributors are still invoking the hoary image of Mar y
Shelley=92s Frankenstein monster. Surprisingly, though, the majority seems
ready to celebrate the revolution. Paradise Now arguably marks a
significant shift in sentiment within the art community from opposing and
resisting progress in genetic manipulation to embracing and exploring its
aesthetic possibilities.

On the fearful side are pieces such as Christa Rupp=92s New Labels for
Genetically Engineered Food. Rupp displays 30 plastic salad bar containers
with stenciled bogus health warning labels like "Original DNA Product." In
Genomic License No. 5, conceptual artist Larry Miller offers official-
looking certificates to gallery goers so that they can "copyright" their
personal genetic codes, declaring themselves "Original Humans." Miller
claims that over 2,000 people have used his forms to declare themselves
exclusive owners of their unique genetic code. I turned down the offer to
sign a certificate. Anyone who wants to reproduce my genetic code may do
so; I=92m still the original.

The "subversive" anonymous art cooperative =AETMark produced a spoof
Powerpoint presentation called Bio Taylorism, supposedly showing the
"benefits" of biotechnology for corporations, complete with charts and
graphs, that are supposed to gloss over the purported risks to human life
posed by biotech. It=92s an exercise in clever, if routine, corporation
bashing.

Far more fascinating than such predictable protests are pieces that use
and celebrate biotechnology as a new medium for artistic expression. Take
the installation Genesis, by Brazilian-born, Chicago-based artist Eduardo
Kac. Upon walking into a darkened room, viewers see a large circle of
light on the far wall=97the projected image from a micro-video camera of a
bacteria-laden petri dish in the center of the room. On the other walls
glow various texts, including a verse from Genesis: "Let man have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moves over the earth." On a different wall, Kac has
translated the Bible verse into the dots and dashes of the first
electronic language, Morse code. He then translates the Morse code into
the ACGTs of the genetic code, assigning word spaces to adenine, dots to
cytosine, letter spaces to guanine, and dashes to thymine. The "art gene"
version of Genesis is actually produced by stringing these DNA bases
together. Then the DNA bases are inserted into the living E. coli bacteria
in the petri dish that viewers see projected before them. By activating an
ultraviolet light over the petri dish, viewers can cause the bacteria to
mutate, thus becoming co-creators with Kac.

Earlier this year, Kac, working with scientists at France=92s National
Institute of Agronomic Research, created a transgenic female rabbit, named
Alba, that glows green under ultraviolet light. Alba glows green because
the EGFG (enhanced green fluorescent gene) taken from a species of
jellyfish was inserted into her genome when she was an embryo. So now she
produces the glowing protein in her fur.

HeLa, by Christine Borland, also uses video technology and a petri dish to
raise questions of ownership related to cells and tissues. Her video
camera magnifies HeLa cells and displays them on a flat panel screen. HeLa
cells come from a 31-year-old black woman named Henrietta Lack, who died
of cervical cancer in 1951; her cells have survived her for nearly 50
years as the first and most famous "cell line" used in biomedical
research. Lack=92s family didn=92t find out about the cells until the 1970s ,
and even today there is no settled legal principle that says who owns
tissues and cells once they =92re taken from a patient: Do they belong to
the patient, or are they common property that can be appropriated by
researchers? Borland=92s treatment leaves the question open for viewers to
contemplate.

Other artists explore how biotech might shift our definitions of identity.
Kevin Clarke=92s Portrait of James D. Watson is a large-scale piece that
juxtaposes metal lab shelving reminiscent of the three-dimensional
structure of DNA with giant photographic panels of an actual DNA sequence
taken from Watson=92s own genome. (The Nobel Prize=96winning Watson, of
course, is the co-discoverer of DNA=92s double helix structure, which marks
the beginning of the genetic revolution.) In a similar vein, Portrait of
Isabel Goldsmith, by Steve Miller, starts with cultured chromosomes taken
from Goldsmith=92s white blood cells. He photographed them under an electro n
microscope and then numbered and classified them by size. Both of these
works underscore the fact that our DNA is not our identity=97thus correctin g
the confusion at the heart of Larry Miller=92s Genomic License No. 5.

There=92s another neat riposte to Miller: One Tree, by Natalie Jeremijenko,
stations cloned trees in the gallery to make the point that, while
genetically identical, "they are not the same." Clones are nothing new
(indeed, every Granny Smith apple is clonal) and each clone=92s response to
its environment makes it different from the others. Contemplating these
leafy clones, the fear of cloning stoked by hysterical headlines about
Dolly the Scottish sheep drains out of viewers.

Sculpted by Bryan Crockett, Monument to Man is a seven-foot-high, heroic
pink-marble statue of the famous Oncomouse, the first transgenic animal
ever patented. The Oncomouse has tumor-causing genes inserted in its
genome so that it can be used for cancer research. The actual Oncomouse is
hairless (thus pink-skinned) and only a few inches long. The statue is
startlingly lifelike, and its dynamic posing recalls classical works like
the Laoco=F6n. On one level an absurd statue of a giant mouse, Monument to
Man also wryly honors humanity=92s growing biological ingenuity and would b e
the perfect complement to the lobby of some brash, self-confident biotech
laboratory that wants a work of art to symbolize its creative activities.

Another artist, Brandon Balleng=E9e, is testing the line between science an d
art. His installation of photos, gurgling tanks, and texts looks very much
like the science fair project of a precocious high school student.
Balleng=E9e is trying to recover an extinct species of African frog through
a controlled breeding experiment. By cross-breeding closely related frogs,
he hopes to recreate the phenotype, or physical appearance, of the extinct
variety, which featured shortened limbs and snout. While some may feel
momentarily woozy over Alba the glowing green bunny, surely many will
applaud Balleng=E9e=92 s aesthetic attempt to revive a species. In the hand s
of humanity, biotech may restore creatures long gone, save those now here,
and create novel ones for us to enjoy.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Mary Shelley memorably and fearfully
imagined that science would beget monsters. Two hundred years later,
artists are taming those monsters and, in the process, turning them into
works of art.

Ronald Bailey (rbailey@reason.com) is Reason=92s science correspondent.

http://www.reason.com/0012/cr.rb.pink.html

via: isml@egroups.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] RAEL Offers to Clone the Japanese Emperor Who Still Has No Heir!
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 10:36:27 -0500

RAEL Offers to Clone the Japanese Emperor Who Still Has No Heir!

Story Filed: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 7:03 AM EST

LAS VEGAS, Dec 20, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The following press
release was issued today by CLONAID:

CLONAID ( www.clonaid.com ), the first human cloning company, founded by
RAEL ( www.rael.org ) is sending a letter to the future Japanese Emperor,
Prince Naruhito, who has still no heir to succeed him, offering to clone
him so the centuries long lineage of Japanese Emperors can continue.

CLONAID is preparing the laboratories in the USA for the first human
cloning attempt, for a 10-month-old American baby who was killed in a
hospital due to a medical mistake. The clone should be born between the
end of 2001 and 2002.

SOURCE CLONAID

CONTACT: Nadine Gary for CLONAID, 702-497-9186, or
nadine@vegasnet.net

URL:
http://www.rael.org

http://www.prnewswire.com

http://library.northernlight.com/FB20001220050000199.html?cb=0&dx=1006&
sc=0# doc

via: isml@egroups.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Refuting ABC's "Search for Jesus"
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 10:36:27 -0500

D. James Kennedy to counter ABC's Search for Jesus with NBC
special

By Staff

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When ABC's Peter Jennings hosted a
television documentary on the life of Jesus, the network heard
from conservative Christians who complained that the Biblical
view of Christ was not accurate.

D. James Kennedy, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and
president of Evangelism Explosion International, was one of those
conservatives.

On Tuesday, Dec. 26, Kennedy will present a response to Jennings'
"A Search for Jesus," with a one-hour primetime special on NBC.
"Who is this Jesus," is scheduled to be shown at 8 p.m. EDT and
will present a balanced view of Jesus, not the typical medial
portrayal, according to Clint Pruett, U.S. Regional Coordinator
of Evangelism Explosion International.

Pruett said the program will be an "excellent opportunity to
answer those with sincere questions about what we believe."

Pruett noted that the show is a result of what he called a
one-sided presentation by ABC.

"Instead of accurately portraying a Biblical view of our Lord,
liberal 'experts' cast doubts on the deity of Christ," Pruett
said. "No conservatives were interviewed; the information was
one-sided."

For additional information about the program, contact Pruett at
cpruett@eeinternational.org.

Baptist Press for Wednesday, December 20, 2000
Crosswalk.com <newsletters@crosswalk.com>

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

[I received the following in my snail mail last week. This is from the author of:
The Coming Last Days Temple; Jerusalem in Prophecy; In Search of Temple
Treasures; Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some of these books are on our
"favorites" list and are mentioned in the BPR Reference Guide
(http://philologos.org). I don't know if this refers to the same NBC special.]

Dearest Friends,

I am writing these words from Jerusalem only an hour after a bomb exploded
on a nearby street killing two Israelis. Yesterday while in Bethlehem at the
Church of the Nativity (the traditional birthplace of Jesus) I was arrested and
interrogated by Palestinian police as a "Christian Zionist." Later that day my
return was delayed by gunfire between Beit Jala (a suburb of Bethlehem) and
Gilo (a suburb of Jerusalem).

Why am I here at such a difficult time? Because even though violence
threatens this part of the world, it is this part of the world, at this season,
that still reminds us all that the only true peace that will ever come to this
planet came first to this place with a promise to return. For the past week I
have been here as part of a television project whose aim is to present Jesus
in His historical context. It was necessary to come at this time because we
could not postpone a response to the skewed documentary "The Search for
Jesus" that was aired by ABC TV this past summer. Viewed by more than
20 million people, the Jesus of this program fell woefully short of the Christ
we celebrate at Christmas. By contrast, our program will restore the
Christian's conviction that the Christ of faith is indeed the Christ of fact.

[...]

Randall Price
World of the Bible Ministries, Inc.
http://www.worldofthebible.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Recent earthquakes (12/19,20/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 10:39:07 -0500

Magnitude 6.4 earthquake near SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS
11.79N, 144.72E depth 33.0km Tue Dec 19 13:11:47 2000 GMT

An earthquake has occurred. Following is information provided
by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
This information is preliminary and subject to correction.

Time: GMT Tue Dec 19 13:11:47 2000
(EST Tue Dec 19 08:11:47 2000)
(PST Tue Dec 19 05:11:47 2000)

Magnitude: 6.4, determined using its body wave characteristics
Epicenter: 11.79N, 144.72E (SOUTH OF MARIANA ISLANDS)
Precision: A, where A is fine and D is coarse.
Depth of focus: 33.0km below sea level at the epicenter.

Note that the depth of focus is given as 33.0km, indicating
that the depth was known to be shallow but could not be determined
precisely.

For a map showing this event, please consult the web page
<http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/001219131147.HTML>

Further info can be obtained from the USGS National Earthquake
Information Center at <http://neic.usgs.gov/>
or the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program at <http://earthquake.usgs.gov/>
or the USGS home page at <http://www.usgs.gov/>

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

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake near OFF COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
38.89S, 74.36W depth 33.0km Wed Dec 20 11:23:57 2000 GMT

An earthquake has occurred. Following is information provided
by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
This information is preliminary and subject to correction.

Time: GMT Wed Dec 20 11:23:57 2000
(EST Wed Dec 20 06:23:57 2000)
(PST Wed Dec 20 03:23:57 2000)

Magnitude: 6.3, determined using its moment
Epicenter: 38.89S, 74.36W (OFF COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE)
Precision: B, where A is fine and D is coarse.
Depth of focus: 33.0km below sea level at the epicenter.

Note that the depth of focus is given as 33.0km, indicating
that the depth was known to be shallow but could not be determined
precisely.

For a map showing this event, please consult the web page
<http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/001220112357.HTML>

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

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake near D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION
9.18S, 154.16E depth 33.0km Wed Dec 20 16:49:42 2000 GMT

An earthquake has occurred. Following is information provided
by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
This information is preliminary and subject to correction.

Time: GMT Wed Dec 20 16:49:42 2000
(EST Wed Dec 20 11:49:42 2000)
(PST Wed Dec 20 08:49:42 2000)

Magnitude: 6.3, determined using its surface wave characteristics
Epicenter: 9.18S, 154.16E (D'ENTRECASTEAUX ISLANDS REGION)
Precision: B, where A is fine and D is coarse.
Depth of focus: 33.0km below sea level at the epicenter.

Note that the depth of focus is given as 33.0km, indicating
that the depth was known to be shallow but could not be determined
precisely.

For a map showing this event, please consult the web page
<http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/001220164942.HTML>

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

Magnitude 6.4 earthquake near NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.
5.75S, 151.15E depth 33.0km Thu Dec 21 01:01:28 2000 GMT

An earthquake has occurred. Following is information provided
by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
This information is preliminary and subject to correction.

Time: GMT Thu Dec 21 01:01:28 2000
(EST Wed Dec 20 20:01:28 2000)
(PST Wed Dec 20 17:01:28 2000)

Magnitude: 6.4, determined using its moment
Epicenter: 5.75S, 151.15E (NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.)
Precision: A, where A is fine and D is coarse.
Depth of focus: 33.0km below sea level at the epicenter.

Note that the depth of focus is given as 33.0km, indicating
that the depth was known to be shallow but could not be determined
precisely.

For a map showing this event, please consult the web page
<http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/001221010128.HTML>

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

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake near SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.28S, 154.07E depth 385.1km Thu Dec 21 02:41:23 2000 GMT

An earthquake has occurred. Following is information provided
by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
This information is preliminary and subject to correction.

Time: GMT Thu Dec 21 02:41:23 2000
(EST Wed Dec 20 21:41:23 2000)
(PST Wed Dec 20 18:41:23 2000)

Magnitude: 6.1, determined using its moment
Epicenter: 5.28S, 154.07E (SOLOMON ISLANDS)
Precision: A, where A is fine and D is coarse.
Depth of focus: 385.1km below sea level at the epicenter.

For a map showing this event, please consult the web page
<http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/001221024123.HTML>

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Blinking rings
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 10:41:02 -0500

Blinking rings

A glowing red LED on a piece of jewellery, such as a ring, could tell you
you've just lost a fortune on the stock market, say researchers at IBM. Dan
Russell at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, is
incorporating microwave radio links, conforming to the Bluetooth standard for
wireless networking, into rings. These could change colour to tell you when
your share portfolio has just dropped through the floor, or simply when a new
e-mail has arrived, he says. Russell is also working on earrings with built-in
speakers, and pendants with built-in microphones.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns227050

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Global warming hysteria
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 17:29:51 -0000

Global warming hysteria
by Joseph Farah
=A9 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_btl/20001221_xcbtl_global_war.sht
ml

"Indeed, when we wake up 20 years from now and find that the Atlantic
Ocean is just outside Washington, D.C., because the polar icecaps are
melting, we may look back at this pivotal election. We may wonder
whether it wasn't the last moment when a U.S. policy to deal with
global warming might have made the difference, and we may ask why the
party most concerned about that, the Greens, helped to elect Mr. Bush
by casting 97,000 Nader votes in Florida."

Who made that statement? A bitter official of the Democratic National
Committee? Richard Gephardt? Tom Daschle? The president of the Sierra
Club?

No. That quotation is by Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times in
his Dec. 8 column on foreign affairs. I'm not kidding. Look it up.

I cite it not to humiliate Friedman or his newspaper, but to
illustrate just how widely accepted junk science has become in the
establishment press, the media culture in general and, most
distressingly, even in our schools.

That's right. Open the average high-school physics textbook in
America today and you will find whole chapters on the dangers of
global warming. The hysterical claims made about this theory in
search of evidence are as fantastic as anything you will see in
Greenpeace propaganda. America's schoolchildren are being
indoctrinated to believe that the industrial world is actually
causing the earth's atmosphere to get warmer -- despite the fact that
there is not a shred of scientific evidence to support that notion.

Is the earth warming? Maybe. Maybe not. The long-term trends are hard
to measure -- even the most doctrinaire proponents of the theory will
acknowledge that. Not too long ago, about 30 years or so, some pop
scientists were predicting the earth was on the verge of a new ice
age.

But, more importantly, most scientists not compromised by the desire
for government grants to study global warming or some political
motivation will tell you there is little if anything man could do to
heat up the earth's atmosphere. The earth is just too big. Man's
presence is just too small. That's the way God planned it. Isn't it
wonderful?

It wouldn't make a bit of difference if we burned up all the oil
reserves in the world in a day and a night. There would be no
noticeable or measurable impact on the world's temperatures.

But there's even more to this story that few of us are hearing in the
media, during the political campaigns and from our major cultural
institutions. If -- and it's a very big "if" -- there ever was any
real global warming caused by an increase of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, many scientists agree it would generally be a good thing,
a boon to the people of the earth. It would not be the end of the
world.

So, why all the hysteria?

Because it fits a broad political agenda for further government
control -- in this case, international government control -- over the
lives of ordinary people. There is no other explanation for it. The
global-warming doomsdayers all believe Big Government is the only
answer. We need more centralized power, more command-and-control
bureaucracies, more regulations -- all of which translates, like it
or not, to less freedom.

It's December. It's cold out. The Midwest is buried in snow.
Christmas packages are being delayed all over the country due to the
weather. Maybe this is as good a time as any for a little reality
check. Global warming is not real. It is make-believe. It's fantasy.
It's, pardon the expression, hot air. It is not science. It is
politics.

The global-warming champions usually wait until 100-degree heat waves
are sweeping the nation in the middle of summer to announce their
latest pseudo-statistics. Maybe this is a good time for America to
take another look at global warming -- without the hysteria of Thomas
Friedman, the New York Times and the statist political zealots who
would use it as a hammer to smash our liberty.

I haven't heard President-elect George W. Bush sound off yet on
global warming. If he didn't use it as a political weapon against
Al "Ban-the-internal-combustion-engine" Gore in Michigan, chance are
good he's been swept up in the myths of conventional wisdom. With a
new president and a new Congress coming into power in Washington,
maybe there's a chance -- finally -- to introduce facts, reason and
science into the political equation.

Anyway, it's worth a try.

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Christmas Story Found In 3000-Year-Old Writings Of King Solomon
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 21 Dec 00 13:17:09 EST

Christmas Story Found In 3000-Year-Old Writings Of King Solomon

http://www1.internetwire.com/iwire/release_clickthrough?release_id=21246&category=Lifestyle

-- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 12/20/2000 -- Details of the Christmas story have been
found encoded together in the ancient Hebrew text of the Bible, written nearly
a thousand years before the event.

The surprisingly extensive collection of predictions was discovered beneath
the surface text of the book of Proverbs earlier this month by Bible Code
Digest researchers.

In announcing the finds, the monthly e-newsletter and web site
(www.biblecodedigest.com) noted that its researchers suspect there are many
more similar codes yet to be found in the passage.

Centered around a puzzling Christmas message, the researchers have so far
found dozens of Hebrew equidistant letter sequences (ELSs) such as Mary,
Joseph, Bethlehem, stable, manger, nativity, shepherds, star and angels.

The cryptic 14-letter focal ELS reads "Christmas is a gift to him and to the
mother," and runs backwards every 19th letter from Proverbs 15:30 to 15:22.

Researchers are not sure of the meaning of the message, although they note
that both Joseph and Mary appear near it.

The complete cluster of Christmas codes appears to span Proverbs 14 through
17.

Bible scholars believe Solomon, the son of King David, authored most of
Proverbs. He reigned as king of Israel from 970-930 B.C.

Equidistant letter sequences are Hebrew words and phrases made up of letters
with equal numbers of other letters, or "skips," between them.

According to veteran mathematician R. Edwin Sherman, director of the Bible
Code Digest, the odds against these words appearing by chance is less than one
in a trillion.

"Any small number of shorter codes could just be coincidental," said Sherman.
"But there are far too many of them in this array to be there by chance."

Sherman is a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies on
insurance risk, Sherman uses extensive statistical analysis to evaluate the
validity of Bible codes.

Researchers included Sherman, physicist and Hebrew expert Dr. Nathan Jacobi,
and Dave Swaney, editor of the Bible Code Digest.

Bible Code Digest researchers use search software developed by the pioneering
Israeli scientists whose paper announcing the significance of Torah codes was
first published in the prestigious journal Statistical Science.

The software uses the Koren version of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament.

Significant code clusters like this are typically connected thematically to
the surface text above them. For instance, another less
mathematically-significant Christmas cluster was discovered during the project
beneath Micah 5:1-2, a well-known prophetic passage about the Christmas story.

This verse reads, "But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth to me, he who is to
be ruler in Israel; and his origin is from ancient time, from days of old."

The researchers are so far baffled by the lack of such a connection for this
cluster. The Proverbs text where the Christmas codes are located is seemingly
the same advice for living given throughout this revered book, and has no
obvious link to the Christmas story.

Bible code research gained the world spotlight three years ago with the
publication of several best-selling books on the subject. But research into
Bible codes has been going on since the Middle Ages, when rabbis began
noticing remarkable ELSs in the Torah.

Code research took a quantum leap forward with the introduction of
mathematical analysis of German and Japanese codes during World War II, and
the advent of personal computers a few decades later. Bible code researchers
use the same basic methodology to search for codes in the original Hebrew.

Bible Code Digest researchers have discovered several other meaningful code
arrays in the Old Testament. The most significant is a massive cluster beneath
Isaiah 52 and 53 about the crucifixion of Christ. Another is an extremely
significant group of Holocaust clusters in Genesis and Deuteronomy.

They also recently announced discovery of a new form of code called mosaics,
which are word patterns that when analyzed statistically indicate authorship
of portions of Genesis was far beyond the abilities of humans.

The following is a partial list of the Christmas ELSs found to date:

61623; Christmas is a present to him and to the mother
61623; Son of Mary
61623; Joseph
61623; Mary
61623; Betrothed
61623; City of David
61623; Bethlehem
61623; Star
61623; Jesus the Messiah
61623; Stable
61623; Manger
61623; Angels
61623; Homage
61623; Deer of the dawn (star of the east)
61623; Son of Man
61623; Cow shed
61623; Shepherds
61623; Atonement Lamb
61623; Hope
61623; Adoration
61623; Virgin
61623; The Magi
61623; Gifts
61623; Gift of myrrh
61623; Gift of frankincense
61623; Gift of gold
61623; The root of Jesse
61623; Savior
61623; Cradle of straw
61623; A Banner for the peoples
61623; A Covenant of the people
61623; Light of the nations
61623; Holy Child
61623; Holy new-born Child
61623; Newborn King
61623; Son of the Highest
61623; He will be great
61623; Wonderful Counselor
61623; John
61623; The Baptist
61623; Carpenter
61623; Elizabeth
61623; The Word
61623; The Promised One
61623; Anointed One
61623; Ruler in Israel
61623; Seraphim
61623; Herod
61623; Prophetic
61623; Cross
61623; Immanuel
61623; Atonement
61623; Descendant of David
61623; Pilgrim
61623; Awesome Jehovah
61623; Angelic
61623; Childbirth
61623; Ephratah
61623; Astrologer
61623; Camel
61623; Camels
61623; Astrologers
61623; No room
61623; At the inn
61623; Redeemer
61623; Jehovah
61623; Miraculous
61623; Lamb of God
61623; Second Adam
61623; Son of Jehovah
61623; Peace (Shalom)
61623; Fulfillment
61623; Lord
61623; Heavenly
61623; Census
61623; Miracle
61623; Wonderful
61623; Counselor
61623; Wreath of thorns
61623; Living Jehovah
61623; Glory
61623; Glorious
61623; Foundation
61623; Roman tax
61623; Holy
61623; Caesar
61623; Gabriel
61623; Quirinius
61623; From Nazareth
61623; Simeon
Graphic (.gif) and Excel download of main portion of Christmas code cluster
available at www.biblecodedigest.com/MerryChristmas

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Eye in the sky lets Net track cars
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 21 Dec 00 15:37:03 America/New_York

12/20/00- Updated 10:02 AM ET

http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/crh800.htm

Eye in the sky lets Net track cars

By Earle Eldridge, USA TODAY

Soon, you will be able to use the Internet to observe the speed, location and
direction of your car while it is driven anywhere in the world. That could
ease the nerves of worried parents with teenage drivers and put an end to
unapproved joyrides. Adult children of older drivers could keep a watchful eye
on their parents. The vehicle can be tracked through a home computer, laptop
or cellular phone with Web access.

GeoSpatial Technologies, based in Santa Ana, Calif., plans to begin selling
the vehicle-tracking device, called GlobalTrax, next fall. It will cost $150
for installation and $50 to $70 in monthly fees.

''This basically gives consumers peace of mind, knowing they can locate their
vehicle anytime, anywhere,'' says John Lim, CEO of GeoSpatial. ''It's for
safety and protection.''

Established in 1993, GeoSpatial sells a variety of in-vehicle mapping and
tracking devices mainly to fire, ambulance and police departments. The devices
employ wireless communications, the Internet and global positioning system
(GPS) technology.

GPs uses satellites circling the Earth to pinpoint and communicate the precise
location and movement of a vehicle.

But GlobalTrax will be the first device that lets someone monitor movement of
their vehicle from any Web browser without downloading a bunch of files.

Lim says that early next year, GeoSpatial will begin a pilot test of
GlobalTrax with 500 consumers in Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Chicago
and Atlanta.

Already consumers are lining up, via the company's Web site,
www.geospatialtech.com, to join the pilot test. Linda Crown of Buffalo Grove,
Ill., says she is considering GlobalTrax for her car so she can track the
whereabouts of her soon-to-be-driving 16-year-old daughter.

''The kids all go out, and you get so worried about them,'' Crown says. ''You
end up giving them a cell phone and then hope they have it on. I would love to
be able to track the car and see where they are.''

GlobalTrax will come in two formats, either a box permanently installed in the
vehicle or a portable unit that can be carried to different vehicles. After
users log onto a Web site, they identify the vehicle and enter a password. A
map display will appear with an image of a small vehicle moving along a
street. Next to the vehicle will be its speed and direction.

On cell phones with Web access, users will see text with speed, direction and
location - but no map.

Companies see promise

Laidlaw - the world's largest bus company, which operates Greyhound and
several local school bus routes - is testing GlobalTrax on 77 school buses in
Martin County, Fla.

But it has added a twist to the system. Laidlaw wants to monitor whether bus
drivers actually stop at all railroad crossings and open the door to check for
trains as required by law.

Laidlaw's GlobalTrax also has a panic button for drivers, and it will record
all stops at scheduled pickup and drop-off points.

But probably the most interesting feature is an automated call to a student's
home when the bus is near. Under the project, special-needs students will get
an automatic phone call telling them to be ready, because the bus is 10
minutes away.

''We are excited about it,'' says Colton Graham, who heads the project for
Laidlaw.

Graham says Laidlaw also is considering use of the GlobalTrax technology to
identify students on the bus. While still in development, the idea is to
record when a student boards and leaves a bus. That could help ensure that no
student is accidentally left on a bus.

''It would be nice to know who is on the bus and where the buses are,'' Graham
says.

Public safety agencies also are interested in GlobalTrax.

Capt. Tim Riley of the Newport Beach, Calif., police, says his department
plans to install GlobalTrax in 50 squad cars.

The system will automatically give patrol officers directions to the location
of a police call.

''It will increase our ability to get to incidents. It will map the quickest
route, and it can provide one-way street information,'' Riley says.

Police dispatchers also will get information indicating the exact location of
every squad car. Riley says the Newport Beach fire department might also use
GlobalTrax.

Initially, GlobalTrax will only be available to consumers through authorized
distributors, who will use a garage or come to your home to install the
system. But Lim says that by 2002, his company hopes to have GlobalTrax
available in electronics stores.

''We have been getting a lot of interest in this,'' Lim says. ''I'm sure some
insurance companies may like it, too.''

____________________________________________________________________
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) TMF: Hanukkah Event
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:16:29 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
To: tmf@topica.com
From: Gershon Salomon <gershon@templemountfaithful.org>
Date sent: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 08:52:55 -0800
Send reply to: gershon@templemountfaithful.org

THE HANUKKAH EVENT OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT FAITHFUL ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT,
JERUSALEM AND THE TOMBS OF THE MACCABEES

During the holiday of Hanukkah, on the first day of Tevet (27th
December), from 9:00AM, The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful
Movement will hold an important event and demonstration. The event will
start at the Tombs of the Maccabees at Modi'in (40 Km,[25 miles] from
Jerusalem) and will continue to the Biblical city of Jerusalem and to
the Temple Mount, Gilo (a Jewish suburb of Jerusalem close to Bethlehem)
and then to Rachel's Tomb.

This important event takes place at a very critical time in the history
of Israel. In these days the representatives of Prime Minister Barak
are in the midst of negotiations with the most cruel enemies of Israel,
the so-called "Palestinians" who continue to do everything to fulfil
their historical goal to destroy Israel. At the same time as the
negotiations are occurring, they continue their war against Israel,
killing and wounding Israelis. For them, this is another way to destroy
Israel stage by stage. This appears as an important principle in their
so-called "National Palestinian Manifesto". What is so evil and
anti-godly in these negotiations is that they are negotiating over the
Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the most Biblical areas where Israel and the
Bible were born=96Judea, Samaria and Gaza. These negotiations are taking
place despite the fact that Prime Minister Barak has stated on more than
one occasion that he would not have any dealings with the PLO as long as
they maintained their violence and yet the violence is still continuing.
This is because he is trying to save his position as Prime Minister in
this way. Only a short time earlier he was forced to resign and go to
new elections for the Israeli Prime Minister which will now be held on
6th February 2001.

Barak believes that if he makes a "peace" agreement with the PLO, he
will be reelected as we wrote in a previous article. However he is
deluded. He does not understand that because of the negotiations which
he conducted a few months ago with the head of the modern Amalekites,
Yasser Arafat, where Barak was ready to give more than 90% of Judea,
Samaria and Gaza to the "Palestinians" and to move Israeli villages and
cities out of these areas and to give them many areas in Biblical
Jerusalem as well as to give them practical control over the Temple
Mount (he was still afraid to give them sovereignty over the Temple
Mount). Now in the current negotiations in Washington after the
"Palestinians" rejected his suggestions and wanted full sovereignty over
the Temple Mount, all Biblical Jerusalem and all of Judea, Samaria and
Gaza, he is ready to give them more. We now hear that Barak is ready to
give them practical control over the Temple Mount, most of the areas of
Biblical Jerusalem and 95% of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. This is terrible
and even poses a great danger to the existence of the State of Israel
because without the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the Biblical land of
Israel, Israel will not exist. This is a terrible evil in the eyes of
the G=96d and people of Israel and it is even more evil because he is
doing this for his own personal interests and for these purposes he is
ready to sacrifice the heart and soul of the people and land of Israel.

Barak has again even greater illusions when he believes that the actual
negotiations and such an evil agreement with the enemies of the G=96d and
people of Israel will save his "chair". The G=96d of Israel will not allow
it. Does Barak thinks that the Covenenat of G=96d with the people and land
of Israel was a temporary covenant? Does he think that the rebirth of
Israel in our time was not a part of G=96d's end-time plans to redeem
Israel, to return to them all the land which He promised to them in His
eternal covenant, to again make Jerusalem, the city of David, the
eternal capital of the G=96d and people of Israel and to remove the Arab
foreign enemies of Israel from the most holy hill of the G=96d and people
of Israel, the Temple Mount, and to rebuild the temple to forever be a
house of prayer and worship of Israel and all the nations?

The plans of Barak and the head of the Amalekites, Arafat, are nowhere
in the agenda of the G=96d of Israel. When Barak started the negotiations
with the devil at Camp David a few months ago, G=96d immediately removed
him from his office. He will remove him finally with the outcome of
these elections, especially since he is trying to manipulate the G=96d and
people of Israel by giving their enemies everything which is so dear to
them. In these days the people of Israel are shocked by the readiness of
Barak to give the enemies all this. The poles show that everyone, not
only Netanyahu, will defeat him in the elections. The G=96d of Israel is
determined to accomplish all His end-time plans with Israel, the Temple
Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel.

In this critical situation, The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful
Movement will carry the Word of G=96d, His end-time plans with Israel and
the message of the Maccabees to all the generations after them with them
on their march. The Maccabees, the Temple Mount and Land of Israel
Faithful Movement of their time, liberated the temple, Jerusalem and all
the land of Israel from foreigners and renewed the worship in the
temple. In 165 BCE under very similar circumstances when the leadership
of Israel had become Hellenised and most of the people of Israel were
very weak spiritually and practically and without hope, the Maccabees
made a godly revolution in the people of Israel and their leadership
and carried out their war of liberation. It was actually started by one
man, the High Priest Mattityahu who lived in Modi'in, a village 40 Km
(25 miles) west of Jerusalem, who destroyed the idol and its altar
which the Hellenists had placed in the midst of his village and forced
the Israelites to bow to it. He went on to kill all the Greek soldiers
who attacked and persecuted the Israelites in this village and all over
the land. He called on everyone to join his revolt and his spiritual
revolution in Israel; "everyone who is with G=96d will come to me".
Immediately his five sons, called the Maccabees, joined him and started
the great revolt. Their faces wore directed firstly to the temple in
Jerusalem to purify it from the idol that they placed in the Holy of
Holies and foreign pagan worship and then to liberate Jerusalem and all
the land.

This was so similar to what is happening in our days! Also today, the
temple is controlled by foreigners, Moslem Arabs who occupy the Temple
Mount, and on the site of the temple they built the Dome of the Rock and
a mosque and the Holy of Holies is again occupied by foreign pagan
worship. Exactly as in the time of the Maccabees Jews cannot go up on
the Temple Mount to purify it, to rebuild the temple and to renew the
worship of the G=96d of Israel. They cannot even pray there today. The
enemy who controls the Temple Mount is fighting against Israel to also
make Jerusalem and all the land of Israel into an Islamic Arab country
which they want to call "Palestine". They want to destroy Israel and, as
in the Hellenistic times, "Islamicise" Israel. Also as in the time of
the Maccabees, there is a spiritual and cultural weakness among the
Israeli leadership and some of the nation. They are called leftists or
liberals and they want to separate Israel from her Biblical Jewish roots
to be like all the nations and to establish the Western "culture" which.
as in the times of the Hellenists, covers almost all the world and
brings to mankind all its illnesses, corruption and its materialistic
values. The G=96d of the Universe and Israel is not in it centre but He is
put in the corner and replace Him in the centre of their lives with the
golden idol.

More than at any time in the past, Israel needs the Maccabees, their
values and their spirit. The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful
Movement are the modern Maccabees and years ago we decided to call on
the people of Israel exactly as they did in their time; "Who is with G=96d
will come with me". The Word of the G=96d of Israel, His commandments,
values and the culture which He gave to Israel is in the midst of the
Faithful Movement. During Hanukkah we are going to Modi'in and to the
tombs of the Maccabees to be with their spirit, to thank them for their
godly revolution which they made in Israel which completely changed the
dangerous history of their time and brought it back to the G=96d of Israel
and His holy Book. We are going there to carry with us their heroism,
courage and heritage and, as they did, bring it to the Temple Mount and
Jerusalem and amongst all the people of Israel. From Modi'in we shall
call on all the people of Israel to create a new godly biblical
leadership; to liberate the Temple Mount; to remove the foreign pagan
occupiers; to purify it; to rebuild the holy temple of the G=96d of
Israel; to again put the G=96d of Israel and the Universe in the midst of
it and in the midst of the life of Israel and all mankind; to purify
Jerusalem from the foreigners who want to make it and anti-godly capital
which the want to call El Quds, and not Jerusalem as G=96d called it; to
liberate all the Biblical parts of the land which are now controlled by
the foreigners, so-called "Palestinians" and Arabs; to dedicate all of
this to the G=96d of Israel and again to put the G=96d of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob in the midst of the land and the life of the people of Israel.

This exciting and godly event will start at 9:30AM in Modi'in. We shall
stand around the tombs of the Maccabees; we shall read their will and
testament before all present and the people of Israel; we shall swear to
carry on in their tradition; we shall light the 8-candle menorah of
Hanukkah which commemorates their heroism and the great miracle which
the G=96d of Israel caused to happen when a small minority defeated a
great majority--the army of an empire. We shall pray to the G=96d of
Israel to bless us with the spirit which He gave to them and the miracle
which he performed for them. From here, the youth of the Faithful
Movement will run with the torch which we shall light at the tombs up
the mountains of Beth Horon on the way to Jerusalem where th Maccabees
experienced their great miracles and victories. We shall pass the tomb
of the prophet Samuel which is on the way and come to the Jaffa Gate of
the Old City. Here we shall relight the Hanukkah menorah and we shall
pray to the G=96d of Israel to give Israel the spirit and courage to
defend and liberate Jerusalem and the land and not to allow the enemy to
destroy Israel and to keep Jerusalem the eternal capital of the G=96d and
people of Israel.

From Jaffa Gate we shall march with the torch and menorah to the Temple
Mount where the event will come to its climax. Over the last 2 months it
is closed to Jews and tourists and only Moslems are allowed to enter
where they repeatedly make riots , attack the Israel police on the
Temple Mount and Jews praying near the Western Wall-- such a tragedy of
weakness of our leadership who can change this violent status quo
immediately and again consecrate the Temple Mount to the G=96d of Israel.
Even if the Temple Mount remains closed to us we shall hold our event
and Hanukkah ceremony in front of the western gate of the Temple Mount.
We shall again light the menorah with the torch of the Maccabees; we
shall swear eternal faithfulness to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the
land of Israel and to our godly mission to rebuild the temple. We shall
call on Barak not to give up the sovereignty of the G=96d and people of
Israel over the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the land of Israel; to
immediately liberate them and do what G=96d expects of Israel, to rebuild
His house for Him, for Israel and for all mankind; we shall pray and
read from the prophets of Israel, Psalms and the book of the Maccabees;
we shall also blow the shofar in the direction of the holy of holies as
a prayer for the soon redemption.

From the Temple Mount we shall move to Gilo, the suburb of Jerusalem
close to Bethlehem which over the last two months has repeatedly come
under fire and which has killed and wounded its residents. The Israeli
leadership is not strong enough to stop the shooting, to liberate
Bethlehem, the city where King David was born, and its suburbs where
the shooting is coming from. We shall come there to again light the
Hanukkah menorah and to encourage the leadership to do what they need to
do and encourage the residents. Then we shall go to Rachel's tomb which
is not far from there on the way to Bethlehem. We shall pray in the tomb
that Rachel will ask and pray in heaven for her people, Israel, and the
land, for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel and that the land which G=96d
gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants forever will be
liberated from the enemy which does not stop attacking Israel in order
to destroy her.

Unfortunately we shall not take the cornerstone with us to lay it on the
Temple Mount because the authorities in Israel have refused to grant us
permission to do so because they are afraid of the Arab reaction in the
current climate of Arab attacks. Another tragedy of weakness. However,
we shall not stop with our decision to soon lay the cornerstone on the
Temple Mount and to start the great process of rebuilding the temple. If
this will not happen now at Hanukkah and the miracle does not come now,
we shall try again and again to do so in the near future.

This will be a special event. We know that, as always, the blessings and
presence of the G=96d of Israel will be with us during the whole event and
that very soon our prayers, our wishes and our beliefs will be fulfilled
and a full redemption will come to Israel and then to all the world. We
trust in the G=96d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement calls on everyone
in Israel and all over the world to be with us on this godly event with
their prayers, hearts and thoughts. Continue to be with us, to help and
encourage us. Everything that we are doing is in the name and for all of
you. We thank all our friends and members in Israel and all over the
world who put themselves together with the G=96d of Israel and us and
continue to help us to fulfil the privileged mission which G=96d gave to
all of us. May the G=96d of Israel bless you and I am sure that very soon
we shall see the fulfilment and together we shall stand hand-in-hand in
the rebuilt house of G=96d in Jerusalem and we shall thank Him for this
privilege and for being a part of his prophetic end-time fulfilment.

Thank you for what you are. We love you!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement
P.O. Box 18325
Yochanan Horkanos 4
Jerusalem 91182 Israel

gershon@templemountfaithful.org
http://www.templemountfaithful.org
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) NASA, NOAA GAIN UNPRECEDENTED VIEW OF ANGRY SOLAR CYCLE
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:18:28 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 14:20:14 -0500 (EST)
From: NASANews@hq.nasa.gov
Subject: NASA, NOAA GAIN UNPRECEDENTED VIEW OF ANGRY SOLAR CYCLE
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

Dolores Beasley
Headquarters, Washington, DC December 21, 2000
(Phone: 202/358-1753)

Susan Hendrix
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(Phone: 301/286-7745)

Jana Goldman
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver
Spring, MD
(Phone: 301/713-2483, ext. 181)

RELEASE: 00-199

NASA, NOAA GAIN UNPRECEDENTED VIEW OF ANGRY SOLAR CYCLE

As the Sun's stormy season approaches its zenith, solar
scientists have the best seat in the house, using the largest
coordinated fleet of spacecraft and ground observatories ever
assembled to observe these angry outbursts of solar radiation
and predict the impact of turbulent space weather.

According to scientists from NASA and NOAA, the Sun is near
the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity. Solar maximum is
the two-to-three year period around that peak when the Sun's
activity is most tempestuous and the Earth is buffeted with
powerful solar gusts.

"This is a unique solar maximum in history," said Dr. George
Withbroe, Science Director for NASA's Sun-Earth Connection
Program. "The images and data are beyond the wildest
expectations of the astronomers of a generation ago."

By combining sophisticated new instruments and time-tested
older ones, researchers believe their predictions and warnings
related to space weather events are becoming more accurate and
timely. "The new results from space feed directly into NOAA's
plans and programs for forecasting space weather and its
effects on Earth and technological systems," said Dr. Ernest
Hildner, director of NOAA's Space Environment Center in
Boulder, CO.

The coordinated use of NASA and NOAA technology was key in
tracking and predicting the development of an intense solar
storm nicknamed the "Bastille Day Event." With data from
ground-based observatories, the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory - a joint project of the European Space Agency and
NASA - and NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental
Satellites, scientists were able to anticipate a bright solar
flare and ensuing energetic proton shower July 13.

The flare coincided with a coronal mass ejection (CME) which
sent billions of tons of plasma into space traveling at 4
million miles per hour, two times faster than normal.

NOAA forecasters, using data from the Advanced Composition
Explorer (ACE), typically can provide about one hour notice of
prospective magnitude before the start of a geomagnetic storm.
But the July solar shower blinded key ACE detectors. Without
reliable data, scientists and forecasters had to wait until
Earth's magnetic field became distorted before they knew that
the disturbance had arrived.

A G5 geomagnetic storm - the most intense classification -
raged for nearly nine hours after the solar shower's impact.

The effects of the July storm were widespread. Cameras and
star-tracking navigation devices on several satellites were
flooded with solar particles. Measurements from particle
detectors and other instruments on several NOAA and NASA
spacecraft were either degraded or temporarily shut down. The
Japanese Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics
(ASCA) was sent tumbling in orbit.

On the ground, auroral light shows were seen as far south as
El Paso, TX. Power companies suffered geomagnetically induced
currents that tripped capacitors and damaged at least one
transformer. Global positioning system (GPS) accuracy was
degraded for several hours. "The July event was a surprise to
some of our customers," Hildner said. "They haven't seen this
kind of activity for nearly a decade."

A number of international spacecraft provided extensive data
and images showing the development and character of the July
event. "The next generation of solar missions will complement
and improve upon what scientists are learning from the
existing fleet, Withbroe said. "This will provide us with even
more capability to understand and ultimately predict solar
weather and its effect on Earth."

For additional information on the Internet, visit:

http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/GSFC/SpaceSci/sunearth/solarmax.htm

http://www.sec.noaa.gov/sec.html

- end -

* * *

NASA press releases and other information are available automatically
by sending an Internet electronic mail message to domo@hq.nasa.gov.
In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type
the words "subscribe press-release" (no quotes). The system will
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GO NASA. To unsubscribe from this mailing list, address an E-mail
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (12/21/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:33:17 -0500

Arutz Sheva News Service-
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000 / Kislev 24, 5761

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. ISRAELI OFFER NEARING COMPLETION
   2. ARAB DRIVER RAMS FOUR SOLDIERS
   3. PERES WON'T RUN...
   4. ...AND NEITHER WILL LEVY
   5. THE MACCABEES OF TODAY
   6. NO KNESSET RECESS
   7. NORTHERN CLASH FORESEEN
   8. CHANUKAH SOLIDARITY
   ***SPECIAL INSER: IDF ANGER AT BARAK

1. ISRAELI OFFER NEARING COMPLETION
It's now official: Israeli concessions to the Palestinians in the
Washington talks include permission for an undisclosed amount of Arab
refugees to enter Israel; the transfer of 95% of Judea and Samaria; the
transfer of Negev lands equivalent to the other 5%; and control of the
Temple Mount. Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami confirmed today that Israel
had gone further towards the Palestinians than in any previous talks. The
Palestinians have so far not accepted these terms. Palestinian Authority
official Nabil Sha'ath said that if the negotiations fail, "there must be
movement on all the Arab fronts for the continuation of the intifada."

Pinchas Wallerstein, head of Binyamin Regional Council, discussed the
situation with Arutz-7 today:
"A most astounding thing is happening here, that a man [Prime Minister
Barak] gives precedence to his own ego and personal interests over the
interest of the People of Israel. It is unbelievable, but it is clear
that he is doing this [making such concessions in order to reach an
agreement with the Palestinians] only out of his own personal interest...
I did not believe that this could happen in the Israeli Zionist society,
but it is happening before our eyes at these moments... There is a
complete willingness on his part to give away 95% of Judea and Samaria,
which means giving up the entire settlement enterprise of Judea and
Samaria. It doesn't matter that Barak once promised that Beit El or Ofrah
would never be given up... because giving away 95% of Yesha means that
communities such as Eli, Shilo, Ofrah, Beit El will not be able to
exist... It means the giving up of every single Yesha town, except maybe
for some that border on the Green Line, and Ma'aleh Adumim, and possibly
Givat Ze'ev... When he talks about giving away the Temple Mount, it's not
only the holiest site of the Jewish nation and the target of our prayers
for 2,000 years - it also has practical meaning: it means all the
surrounding neighborhoods, including Mt. of Olives and others, all the way
up to Ramallah, and it means that the large Jewish areas of N'vei Yaakov
and Pisgat Ze'ev [in north-east Jerusalem] become enclaves surrounded by a
Palestinian state. We're not just talking about 'settlers,' but the
detachment of whole neighborhoods within Jerusalem..."

When asked what measures the "leadership of Yesha" is taking in light of
the above dangers, Wallerstein admitted that of late, "we have been almost
totally occupied with the details of maintaining day to day security and
normal routine... " He said that there will have to be large-scale
popular protests throughout the country, "showing that this is not real
'peace,' because it undermines the very foundations of the existence of
the State." He added, however, that "we have reached the stage where
stronger and sharper measures than regular demonstrations are clearly
called for. Obviously this is not the forum in which to enumerate them,
but preparations are underway for such, and there is no other choice but
to employ them."

2. ARAB DRIVER RAMS FOUR SOLDIERS
A Palestinian Arab driver purposely drove into four Israeli soldiers this
morning at the A-Ram junction in northern Jerusalem; they were taken to
Hadassah Hospital in "light" condition. Other soldiers opened fire on the
terrorist, but he managed to escape.

A bus was shot at on the Jericho bypass road this afternoon; no one was
hurt. An anti-tank missile was shot into an IDF outpost in Kfar Darom over
the night. IDF soldiers hit two Palestinians when they returned fire
towards the attackers. Palestinians shot over the night at several
locations in Gaza: Erez Checkpoint, a military outpost in Dugit, outposts
in Gush Katif, and an IDF position on the Israeli-Egyptian border. No one
was hurt. The Yesha Council lays the blame for the continued attacks
directly at the doorstep of Foreign Minister Ben-Ami for "sitting in the
same room [in Washington] as PA Security Chief Muhammad Dahlan," who
has
organized much of the past week's terrorism.

Another road has been opened in Gush Katif to Palestinian traffic, and
Jewish residents there blocked the road for an hour last night in protest.
The road is known as the Tencher Route, and the IDF agrees that the road
should not have been opened. It had been closed since the fatal attack on
the school bus a month ago.

3. PERES WON'T RUN...
The Meretz party decided today not to back Shimon Peres' bid to run for
Prime Minister - but the decision is not yet 100% final. Party leader
Yossi Sarid said today that attempts would be made to find ways for Barak
and Peres to work together, "and the one who rejects a compromise will
lose our support." The Prime Minister's Office reported today that Barak
had proposed that Peres head the peace talks with the Palestinians - but
that Peres had rejected the offer. The deadline for submitting
candidacies is tonight at midnight.

4. ...AND NEITHER WILL LEVY
The National Religious Party has similarly decided that party head Rabbi
Yitzchak Levy will not challenge Likud head Ariel Sharon in the upcoming
Prime Ministerial election. It had been thought that a challenge by Levy
would force Sharon to take more right-wing positions, but Rabbi Levy told
Arutz-7 today that his meeting with Sharon last night "assured me that we
would pretty well be able to identify with his positions." Rabbi Levy
said that his purpose in the meeting was to clarify with Sharon three
chief issues of concern:
"The first was that of the Yesha settlement enterprise. Sharon promised
clearly that his guidelines stipulate that not one community would be
hurt. I spoke with [former Chief] Rabbis Shapira and Eliyahu, and they
also asked me to make sure of this point, and Sharon did so distinctly -
regarding not only Yesha, but also the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem. The
second point that I wanted to hear from Sharon was his position on Israel
as a 'Jewish democratic state' - does he plan to give priority to the
"democratic" part and ignore or harm the "Jewish" part, or will he... give
the Jewish aspect of the State its proper weight? ... Finally, I was very
concerned about the issue of the national unity government that he
promised to form [with Labor] and his intentions thereof. We are aware
that he has already 'given' the Defense Ministry to Ehud Barak, but Sharon
promised me that he would adhere to his own principles in forming such a
government..."

When asked whether he trusts Sharon to follow through on his promises,
Rabbi Levy answered, "I am not naive, and I know that there are often
differences between what is said before elections and what happens
afterwards. But first of all I believe that the word of a Prime
Ministerial candidate has value, and secondly -- to clash publicly with
Sharon based only on the claim that he is a liar is not something that I
would want to do... We will yet speak with him further, and he will visit
the NRP institutions, and we will ask him about these matter, and they
will become clear."

5. THE MACCABEES OF TODAY
A busload of rabbis, organized by Temple Institute head Rabbi Yisrael
Ariel, set out last night on a solidarity mission to the south Har Hevron
towns of Beit Haggai and Otniel. It was here that Rina Didovsky - mother
of six - and Eliyahu Ben-Ami, father of two, lived until they were
murdered by Palestinian terrorists in a drive-by shooting two weeks ago.
The rabbis told the residents - whom they met and addressed in the
strikingly impressive yeshiva building of Otniel and in the synagogue in
Beit Haggai - of the respect in which they are held by much of the public:
"You are the emissaries of the many generations of Jewish history. You
are not protecting your own homes, but the Land of Israel for the Nation
of Israel... We are here to tell you that you are fulfilling the
commandment of settling the land to the highest degree... You are
defending with your bodies the State of the Jews that arose following a
terrible Holocaust. You, who pay with blood for your hold here, are the
Maccabees of our day!... We are hearing now of a willingness to make
concessions on the Temple Mount - during these very days of the eve of
Chanukah, the holiday of the dedication [Chanukah] of the Holy Temple.
Here, in these mountains of Hevron [over 2,100 years ago], was the town of
Beit Tzur, from where the Maccabees set out to redeem Jerusalem and the
Temple from the Syrian Greeks... Together with you we declare that the
historic Jewish Nation has not given up - and will not give up - on any
piece of Eretz Yisrael, nor on any part of Jerusalem. We are imbued with
total faith that the day is not far off when the Holy Temple will be
established forever on the Mountain of G-d, and we will 'see Your return
to Zion with mercy.'"

6. NO KNESSET RECESS
The Knesset will not take a pre-election recess, after all. Arutz-7's
Haggai Seri reports that the Knesset was about to vote on such a recess
last night - but then MK Benny Elon (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu)
alerted those present to the fact that such a decision requires a special
majority of 61 MKs. The law stipulates that the Knesset must be in
session for a total of at least eight months during the year - a quota
that will not be reached if the MKs take a recess now. Elon said, "It is
inconceivable that the national camp should take a vacation while the
Prime Minister works overtime for an agreement in Washington against the
majority of the nation and the Knesset."

7. NORTHERN CLASH FORESEEN
IDF Intelligence Chief Maj.-Gen. estimates that the northern border will
erupt in violence soon. He said there is a "not low likelihood" that
Hizbullah, pressured by Iran, will renew the hostilities there within a
short time. Malka intimated that it will not be long before Israel is
forced to clash frontally with Iran.

8. CHANUKAH SOLIDARITY
The grass-roots Matot Arim (Cities of Israel) organization reports on the
following Solidarity-with-Yesha Chanukah activities: The town of Nof
Ayalon will host 700 people from isolated Yesha communities without charge
for four during Chanukah, including full board, entertainment and gifts
for adults and children... In Haifa, 200 children from small towns in
northern Shomron were hosted for a day of Chanukah Fun this past
Tuesday... A Chanukah candle-lighting ceremony "to drive away the
darkness of Oslo and Arafat" will be held this Sunday evening outside the
Kenyon Gadol shopping center in Ramot...

AFSI - Americans for a Safe Israel - announces that nationwide Chanukah
vigils of solidarity for Israel's peace and security will be held the
first and last nights of Chanukah, tonight and next Thursday night. AFSI
chapters in NY, Florida, San Francisco, Oregon, and many more will
memorialize Israel's 40 victims of Arab terrorism since Sept. 2000. In
New York, other participating organizations will include American
Academics for Israel's Future; American Association of Jews from former
USSR; American Friends of Likud; Ateret Cohanim; Center for Jewish
Leadership; Human Rights Forum; Jewish Action Alliance; Rachel's Children
Reclamation Foundation, Vaad of Flatbush; Vaad of Queens; Women in
Green;
Zionist Organization of America, and others.

On Sunday night, the fourth night of Chanukah, Women in Green will light
candles at 5 PM in front of the Mashbir store on King George St. in
Jerusalem, in a show of support of Yoram Skolnik and his request for
freedom. The parole board will reconsider his request for parole - which
it surprisingly turned down last spring - this coming Wednesday. At the
height of a wave of murderous terrorist attacks eight years ago, Skolnick
shot and killed a just-caught and tied-up terrorist. Skolnick and his
wife of ten years, Sigalit, have three children.

***SPECIAL INSERT
The following are excerpts from an article by Amos Harel in Ha'aretz
yesterday discussing the anger many in the IDF feel at Prime Minister
Barak for putting his political agenda ahead of security:

"As elections approach, it seems that the [army] will be left alone in
the
arena. It seems that as much as the officers are angry at having "tied
hands," they are more troubled about the loss of interest - in the
government as well as among the public. Some are already suggesting a new
slogan, "this is not the way to build a wall," meaning: The political
echelon, through its decisions, must also contribute to the struggle.
"The resumption of negotiations in Washington cost Israel a concession on

the demand it made forcefully after the rioting started - talks only after
a cease-fire. Now they are talking and shooting at the same time, when it
seems that the PA has no real incentive to stop the violence, which has
proven to pay off. It is a fact: Ehud Barak is now going to attend talks
and his opening offer is more generous than what he offered at Camp David,
before the battles.
"Who still remembers the tense Israeli expectation for a declaration by
Arafat ending the violence at 2:00 P.M. on November 2, the day after his
meeting with Minister Shimon Peres in Gaza? That same evening a car bomb
exploded in Jerusalem and that night a record (that still stands) number
of shooting incidents was registered.... "A senior officer serving in the
territories claims that the "instructions we're receiving now border on
negligence, in the best case." According to him, "two weeks ago we said we
wouldn't tolerate shooting at settlements. Now it's a daily occurrence.
We take risks that have no purpose, while Arafat is not positioning his
system to prevent attacks."
"...No one in the IDF will specifically say so, especially when the chief

of staff cautions his generals against making any political statement in
light of the elections, but some of Barak's moves are interpreted by many
officers as a political survival tactic whose chances of success are slim
and whose results may be catastrophic. In this context, the assessment of
Military Intelligence is a sharp one...: Arafat has no incentive nor
intention of achieving a political compromise now.
"Throughout the clash with the Palestinians, the IDF has proposed steps
aimed directly at senior PA officials, such as retracting the VIP cards of
the heads of the security agencies, Muhammad Dahlan and Tawfiq Tirawi,
whose officers were involved in terrorist attacks. These proposals were
not approved... In practice, most of the sanctions have disintegrated or
been lifted: the supply of construction material for PA use was resumed
and gasoline was allowed to be brought in. The Karni crossing is open, as
is the airport in Rafiah and the border crossing to Egypt. The export of
goods from Gaza is resuming... Israel also recanted its decision to
withhold funds from the PA... The right-wing cry to "Let the IDF win" is
still seen as an idiotic slogan, but apparently the political echelon's
denials that the IDF's hands were tied are less strongly voiced."

Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (12/21/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:42:47 -0500

Iran and Pakistan increase naval cooperation

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Iran and Pakistan have signed a letter of agreement on
increased naval cooperation. On Wednesday, Commander of the Pakistan
Navy, Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza said that the Iranian and the Pakistani
navies had signed a Letter of Agreement on joint naval exercises and
exchange of visits between naval personnel. "By greater interaction with our
regional partners likes Iran, the Pakistani Navy will be able to contribute to
the wider framework of achieving a more stable regional security environment
for the northern Arabian Sea," Mirza told the Iranian News Agency. "Pakistan
and Iran have a long history of joint naval exercises."

U.S. reviews Israel's theater missile defense programs

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Thu Dec 21,2000 -- The Pentagon is reviewing the future of its theater missile
defense programs with Israel. Pentagon analysts said the review is part of an
effort to streamline the various missile defense programs being developed
separately by the U.S. army, navy and air force. Put together, the programs
amount to more than $5 billion. Among the programs are the army's Patriot
Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3, program and its Theater High Altitude Air
Defense [THAAD] system. The navy's has the Theater Wide and Area
Theater Missile Defense [NAD] programs. The air force has the Airborne
Laser and, with BMDO, the Space-Based Laser.

PAC-3 and NAD are being developed to knock out shorter range, lower flying
ballistic missiles such as Scuds. THAAD and NTW are designed for longer
range, higher trajectory missiles in mid-flight or even in the descent phase.
The ABL and SBL are oriented against rockets still in the ascent phase.

Saddam revives PKK efforts in Northern Iraq

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has revived the Kurdish
Workers Party in an effort to regain control over the autonomous north,
Turkish sources said. The sources said Saddam has provided funding,
weapons and passage to Kurdistan in an effort to establish control in
northern Iraq. Much of the area is now controlled by two rival Kurdish groups.

Iraq seeks war with Israel

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Iraq seeks to launch a missile attack as part of a
regional war with Israel, Israel's military intelligence chief said. Maj.-Gen.
Amos Malka said Iraq is looking for an opportunity to join an Arab coalition
with Syria in such a war. He said Baghdad is reconciling with Syria, which
sees Iraq as providing the regime in Damascus with strategic depth. Malka
said the easiest way for Iraq to hurt Israel would be by firing medium-range
missiles at the Jewish state. He said this would be far more effective than
moving troops and air cover to the Israeli front. Malka suggested that Iraq is
expoiting the inexperience of Syria's new president, Bashar Assad.

Israel says Clinton gave Mideast Peace outline

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Yahoo News/Reuters

Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Israel said Thursday that President Clinton had given
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Washington the outline for a possible
deal to end 52 years of conflict.

"We were with President Clinton yesterday who presented what he called the
possible parameters of an agreement," Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, a
negotiator, told Israel Radio from the U.S. capital. "Israel could definitely live
with the majority of these parameters," Ben-Ami said, describing the peace
talks as "the most radical, daring, difficult procedure ever."

Internet in schools no longer enough, panel finds

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Nando Times/AP

Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Schools connected to the Internet but lacking instant,
complete access to its resources will be left behind this century, just as
those with dated textbooks were left behind in the last one, a bipartisan
panel concludes.

The report, released Tuesday by the Web-based Education Commission,
argues that it's now an ancient goal to have merely a computer - even one
with an Internet hookup - in every American classroom. Instead, broadband
networks that instantly transmit video and audio are vital for meaningful
education in the future, yet that technology is moot if teachers aren't
continuously trained in it.

http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day=00_12_21&item=#977439622

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (12/21/00)
From: tracy
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 02:21:10 -0500

This is a great example why we need a complete change in the education
format in this country and around the world. Education will never keep
up with the advancement of technology. Instead we need to teach our
kids, fist of all, ETHICS, Values, Virtues. Once the know that Teach
them how to THINK for themselves and the basics that they will need.
Math, communication skill so they can read and write. The knowledge to
find what they are looking for. They will also need true history
lessons, so they will not re-live the past horrors.

This way could save billions of dollars on education. School will be
shorter and less years involved. I cannot think of many things out side
of basic math and communication lessons that I use as an adult. I had
to learn every thing that I do for a living after school. The fact is
there is nothing taught in Americas schools that takes 12 years to
learn. It seems to me that it is more of a system to get the kids out
of the house so both parents can work and keep the economy making
profits for babylon. Throw in some liberal programming to win the vote.
(I am not cynical) 8^)

Tracy

> Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Schools connected to the Internet but lacking instant,
> complete access to its resources will be left behind this century, just as
> those with dated textbooks were left behind in the last one, a bipartisan
> panel concludes.
>
> The report, released Tuesday by the Web-based Education Commission,
> argues that it's now an ancient goal to have merely a computer - even one
> with an Internet hookup - in every American classroom. Instead, broadband
> networks that instantly transmit video and audio are vital for meaningful
> education in the future, yet that technology is moot if teachers aren't
> continuously trained in it.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Education Reform?
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 06:43:59 -0500

For those truly interested in the current state of America's education syst em, I
would recommend the book "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" by
Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt. As the following review attests to, and Iserbyt
herself came to know, the "dumbing down" of America is a very intentional a ct
-- a "plan" if you will by new age "elites." This book however is not a l ight
read -- you won't want to curl up with it in bed, for example. Its size fo r one
would prevent that. Also, if you're not seriously interested in education, you
may find this book to be bit tedious. But if you want to know why your chi ld
is being taught the way he is, then follow the "chronological paper trail" that
Iserbyt has presented for us. When our politicians talk about "education
reform" -- find out what they really mean.

The Deliberate Dumbing
Down Of America
By Samuel L. Blumenfeld
=A9 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/
12-16-99

Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt's new book, "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of
America," is without doubt one of the most important publishing events in t he
annals of American education in the last hundred years. John Dewey's
"School and Society," published in 1899, set American education on its cour se
to socialism. Rudolf Flesch's "Why Johnny Can't Read," published in 1955,
informed American parents that there was something terribly wrong with the
way the schools were teaching children to read, and my own book, "NEA:
Trojan Horse in American Education," published in 1984, explained in great
detail how and why the decline in public education was taking place.

But Iserbyt has done what no one else wanted or could do. She has put
together the most formidable and practical compilation of documentation
describing the well-planned "deliberate dumbing down" of American children
by their education system. Anyone who has had any lingering hope that what
the educators have been doing is a result of error, accident, or stupidity will be
shocked by the way American social engineers have systematically gone
about destroying the intellect of millions of American children for the pur pose
of leading the American people into a socialist world government controlled
by behavioral and social scientists.

This mammoth book is the size of a large city phone book: 462 pages of
documentation, 205 pages of appendices, and a 48-page Index. The
documentation is "A Chronological Paper Trail" which starts with the Sowing
of the Seeds in the late 18th and 19th centuries, proceeds to The Turning o f
the Tides, then to The Troubling Thirties, The Fomentation of the Forties a nd
Fifties, The Sick Sixties, The Serious Seventies, The "Effective" Eighties, and
finally, the Noxious Nineties. The educators and social engineers indict
themselves with their own words.

Iserbyt decided to compile this book because, as a "resister" to what is go ing
on in American education, she was being constantly told that she was taking
things out of context. The book, she writes, "was put together primarily to
satisfy my own need to see the various components which led to the dumbing
down of the United States of America assembled in chronological order -- in
writing. Even I, who had observed these weird activities taking place at al l
levels of government, was reluctant to accept a malicious intent behind eac h
individual, chronological activity or innovation, unless I could connect it with
other, similar activities taking place at other times."

And that is what this book does. It connects educators, social engineers,
planners, government grants, federal and state agencies, billion-dollar
foundations, think tanks, universities, research projects, policy organizat ions,
etc., showing how they have worked together to advance an agenda that will
change America from a free republic to a socialist state.

What is so mind boggling is that all of this is being financed by the Ameri can
people themselves through their own taxes. In other words, the American
people are underwriting the destruction of their own freedom and way of lif e
by lavishly financing through federal and state grants the very social
scientists who are undermining our national sovereignty and preparing our
children to become the dumbed-down vassals of the new world order.

One of the interesting insights revealed by these documents is how the soci al
engineers use a deliberately created education "crisis" to move their agend a
forward by offering radical reforms that are sold to the public as fixing t he
crisis -- which they never do. The new reforms simply set the stage for the next
crisis, which provides the pretext for the next move forward. This is the
dialectical process at work, a process our behavioral engineers have learne d to
use very effectively. Its success depends on the ability of the "change
agents" to continually deceive the public, which tends to believe any lie t he
experts tell them.

Iserbyt's long journey to becoming a "resister," started in 1973 when her s on,
a fourth grader, brought home from school a purple ditto sheet, embellished
with a smiley face, entitled, "All About Me." She writes, "The questions we re
highly personal; so much so that they encouraged my son to lie, since he
didn't want to 'spill the beans' about his mother, father and brother. The
purpose of such a questionnaire was to find out the student's state of mind ,
how he felt, what he liked and disliked, and what his values were. With thi s
knowledge it would be easier for the government school to modify his values
and behavior at will -- without, of course, the student's knowledge or his
parents' consent."

From that time on, Iserbyt became an activist in education. She became a
member of a philosophy committee for a school, was elected as a school boar d
member, co-founded Guardians of Education for Maine (GEM), and finally
became senior policy advisor in the Office of Educational Research and
Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education during President
Reagan's first term of office.

As a school board member she learned that in American education, the end
justifies the means. "Our change agent superintendent," she writes, "was mo re
at home with a lie than he was with the truth." Whatever good she
accomplished while on the school board was tossed out two weeks after she
left office.

It was during her tenure in the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. ,
where she had access to the grant proposals from change agents, that she
came to the conclusion that what was happening in American education was
the result of a concerted effort on the part of numerous individuals and
organizations -- a globalist elite -- to bring about permanent changes in
America's body politic. She was relieved of her duties after leaking an
important technology grant -- a computer-assisted instruction proposal -- t o
the press.

Another reason why Iserbyt decided to publish this book is because of the
reluctance of Americans to face unpleasant truths about their government
educators. She wants parents to have access to the kinds of documents that
were only circulated among the change agent educators themselves. She
wants parents to see for themselves what has been planned for their childre n
and the kind of socialist-fascist world their children will have to live in if we do
nothing to counter these plans.

Therefore, getting this book into the hands of thousands of Americans ought
to be a major project for lovers of liberty in the year 2000. It will do mo re to
defeat the change agents than anything else I can think of.

_____

Samuel L. Blumenfeld is the author of eight books on education, including " Is
Public Education Necessary?" and "The Whole Language/OBE Fraud,"
published by The Paradigm Company, 208-322-4440. His reading instruction
program, "Alpha-Phonics," is available by writing The Tutoring Company,
P.O. Box 540111, Waltham, MA 02454-0111.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (12/21/00)
From: B D
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 17:27:18 -0800 (PST)

Amen Tracy...this is what we are finding as well...for
all the good things we teach our kids at home...it all
seems to be undone by what they are learning...or not
learning at school...this makes it doubley hard for
the kids...but this is why home schooling is a viable
option I think...it is something I believe we cannot
leave to our government...not too mention the amount
of "worldly brainwashing" that goes on from the moment
we turn our kids over to unqualified strangers...I
agree that the whole deal is economically
motivated...so both parents go off to work and the
kids learn all this from day one...and we repeat the
same cycle our parents went through and so on...
this may all be cynical but I for one believe it to be
true...
b
--- tracy <tschill@home.net> wrote:
> This is a great example why we need a complete
> change in the education
> format in this country and around the world.
> Education will never keep
> up with the advancement of technology. Instead we
> need to teach our
> kids, fist of all, ETHICS, Values, Virtues. Once
> the know that Teach
> them how to THINK for themselves and the basics that
> they will need.
> Math, communication skill so they can read and
> write. The knowledge to
> find what they are looking for. They will also need
> true history
> lessons, so they will not re-live the past horrors.
>
> This way could save billions of dollars on
> education. School will be
> shorter and less years involved. I cannot think of
> many things out side
> of basic math and communication lessons that I use
> as an adult. I had
> to learn every thing that I do for a living after
> school. The fact is
> there is nothing taught in Americas schools that
> takes 12 years to
> learn. It seems to me that it is more of a system
> to get the kids out
> of the house so both parents can work and keep the
> economy making
> profits for babylon. Throw in some liberal
> programming to win the vote.
> (I am not cynical) 8^)
>
>
>
> Tracy
>
> > Thu Dec 21,2000 -- Schools connected to the
> Internet but lacking instant,
> > complete access to its resources will be left
> behind this century, just as
> > those with dated textbooks were left behind in the
> last one, a bipartisan
> > panel concludes.
> >
> > The report, released Tuesday by the Web-based
> Education Commission,
> > argues that it's now an ancient goal to have
> merely a computer - even one
> > with an Internet hookup - in every American
> classroom. Instead, broadband
> > networks that instantly transmit video and audio
> are vital for meaningful
> > education in the future, yet that technology is
> moot if teachers aren't
> > continuously trained in it.
>
>
>

==== PUT THE WORD OUT!!!

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Harpazo News items (12/21/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:46:19 -0500

Iraq Can Destroy Israel, Defense Minister Says

Iraqi Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashem Ahmed said his country
could destroy Israel and that it was ready to confront any aggression against
the Arabs, the weekly Al-Zawraa newspaper said Thursday. "Iraq can destroy
Israel because it possesses a large combat experience in dealing with all
possibilities," Ahmed told the newspaper in an interview to be published next
week. He said Iraq would not hesitate to send its armed forces to defend an
Arab country targeted by Israel. He said the Iraq military was prepared to
deal with any potential aggression. Ahmed also said there could be no peace
in the Middle East until Israel returned the land to the Palestinians. UPI

IDF Rounds Up 11 Fatah Members

IDF undercover forces last night arrested eleven Fatah and Tanzim members
in Hebron and Bethlehem. One of the Palestinians arrested in Hebron, Samir
el Hindawi, is a senior Fatah activist. The other ten are accused of
involvement in firebomb and stonethrowing attacks, Israel Radio said.
Jerusalem Post

Germans Attack Blair's 'Human Factories'

German leaders have condemned the House of Commons move to expand
the types of research allowed on embryos, creating the possibility of human
cloning. One, Christian Democrat MP Hubert Hueppe, described the step as
"nothing more than cannibalism." and accused Tony Blair of helping build
"human factories".

"We are united with all other European Union countries that the cloning of
embryos steps over ethical and moral boundaries," said Edelgard Bulmahn,
Germany's science minister.

Under the British plan, scientists could clone and extract so-called stem
cells from embryos for research they hope will revolutionise the treatment of
a wide range of conditions from Parkinson's disease to diabetes.

In a newspaper article, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said that cloning
embryo cells for research should remain banned in Germany until more is
known about what could be achieved using stem cells extracted from the
organs of adults. lineone

Ben-Ami: Accord With PA Possible By Saturday

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators wrapped up a session on Jerusalem and
went on to talks on territory yesterday, as Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami
expressed optimism that the sides could reach some type of agreement
before talks in Washington conclude on Saturday. But Palestinian and US
officials tried to play down expectations, saying it is premature to say
whether enough progress would be achieved by the end of the week to
warrant a three-way summit of the leaders to close a deal. "The general
feeling is that these are very, very serious negotiations with spirit, that may
lead to the conclusion of an agreement if we maintain the same spirit
throughout," Ben-Ami told reporters after meeting with President Bill Clinton
at the White House for 45 minutes yesterday. Jerusalem Post

US Jewish Leaders Question Israel's Right To Deal On Jerusalem

US Jewish leaders are wondering whether the Israeli government has the
right to negotiate the status of Jerusalem on behalf of world Jewry.

The question is raised as Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is
being faulted by some leaders in the Arab and Moslem world, among them
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, for conducting negotiations on Jerusalem
on behalf of the Moslem world. Before leaving for Washington, Foreign
Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said that proposals on the Temple Mount had not
yet been raised with the Palestinians.

On Tuesday evening in New York, however, Immigration Absorption minister
Yael (Yuli) Tamir advocated sharing Jerusalem's Old City in an address to
the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Israel's position, said Tamir, is to allow a Palestinian "presence" on the
Temple Mount. In exchange, she said, the Palestinian leadership will be
asked to renounce the right of return. The Agence France Presse news
agency quoted Tamir as saying that Israel "must make painful concessions,
renouncing one way or another our sovereignty over the Temple Mount if
necessary."

Tamir also stated that the Palestinians already have de facto control over the
Temple Mount through the Wakf. "On the ground," she said, "things wouldn't
really change." Furthermore, she stated that she sees the Palestinian right
of return as a symbolic rather than actual desire to live to Israel. In return for
renouncing the right of return, Palestinian refugees (as well as Jews that left
Arab countries) would be eligible for claims from an international fund set up
by a third party to which Israel will contribute. Jewish leaders in America
were divided over Tamir's remarks and over the question of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Post

Market Report: Fed's Interest Decision Sends Shares Plunging

The FTSE 100 was last night on track for one its worst performances in any
year since the index of leading shares was created with a value of 1000 at
the end of 1983.

Disappointment that the Federal Reserve Board left interest rates unchanged
in America was enough in a fragile market to spark a 118.3-point plunge by
the index of London's 100 leading companies. The FTSE 100 ended at
6176.7 - down by about 11pc on the year - with a respectable 1.6 billion
shares changing hands. Bigger annual falls have been recorded only in 1990
(11.5pc) and 1996 (11.6pc).

The fall in 2000 follows five years of gains during which the index more than
doubled before peaking at 6,930.2 on the final day of the last century. Tony
Jackson, equity strategist at ING Barings Charterhouse, believes London's
technology stocks in particular are still wildly overpriced and are poised for
further falls, but remains cautiously optimistic about prospects for the rest of
the market.

Mr Jackson said: "A great deal depends on Wall Street and the key question
on Wall Street is whether the collapse of Nasdaq spreads across to the
Dow. There is no evidence of that yet." However, any optimism failed to
spread to dealing desks yesterday, where traders complained of a "buyers'
strike". One said: "It's all gloom and doom out there. People want to sell on
the back on the Fed decision, but there are no buyers. They have all gone
home." telegraph

Bush Meets With Religious Leaders

President-elect George W. Bush met with religious leaders on Wednesday
as part of his plans to extend faith-based social service initiatives as he
outlined in his presidential campaign. About 20 leaders met with Bush to
advise him on ways that religious groups can help tackle a variety of social
problems. Bush has contended that social service programs such as welfare-
to-work and drug treatment should be overseen by individual states and not
the federal government. "If you recall his speech in Indianapolis in June of
1999, he focused at great length on how to find faith-based solutions to solve
some of society's greatest, deepest problems. Charitable choice. Charitable
giving," said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer.

www.harpazo.net/news.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BreakingNews-Israel 1,2,3,4,5 (12/21/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:49:31 -0500

1. Gaza residents block roadway in protest
(BNI-DEC.21) Calling upon the government to take the appropriate steps to
restore security in the area, residents of the Gush Katif area on Thursday
morning blocked area roads to Arab motorists. The area residents and
leaders explained the daily attacks aimed at Gaza=92s Jewish community can
no longer be tolerated and it was the responsibility of the government to
order the appropriate measures be taken.

****
2. One soldier moderately injured in hit and run attack
(BNI-DEC.21) An IDF soldier sustained light injuries on Thursday morning
when an Arab driver intentionally ran into him while manning posts at Aram
Junction in northern Jerusalem. Three other soldiers were lightly injured
in the attack. Soldiers fired at the fleeing vehicle.

Later in the morning, the suspect in the attack was apprehended by Israeli
forces while on his way to a Ramallah area hospital with a leg wound. He
was inside a Red Crescent ambulance when apprehended.
---------------

1. No injuries in shooting attack against a bus near Jericho
(BNI-DEC.21) A passenger bus traveling in the Jericho area near Nachal
Elisha, was attacked with automatic gunfire late Thursday afternoon. The
armor-plated bulletproof bus held up under the attack but the bus
sustained damage. There were no casualties.

An IDF soldier traveling on a bus from Tiberias to Jerusalem was killed in
a similar attack near Jericho two weeks ago.

****
2. PA: 18-year-old killed by IDF tank fire
(BNI-DEC.21) PA officials report that an 18-year-old was killed near Karni
in Gaza on Thursday afternoon by IDF tank fire. PA officials reported the
IDF fire was unprovoked. IDF officials deny having knowledge of such an
incident.

****
3. Diplomats caught in crossfire in Gaza
(BNI-DEC.21) Visiting European diplomats on Thursday were caught in a
crossfire between the IDF and the PA near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. IDF
officials pointed the finger of blame at PA forces for initiating the
gunfire but senior PA officials blamed Israel for the incident.

Senior PA official Nabil Shaath was showing visiting officials the
destruction that resulted from Israeli military strikes since the start of
the Intifada on September 29, 2000 when the officials found themselves in
the middle of a gun battle.

Shaath and other PA officials continued calls for an international
monitoring force throughout Yesha.

****

4. EMS Update
(BNI-DEC.21) The following figures provided by Magen David Adom, Israel=92s
emergency medical service provider. Figures cover the 24-hour period
ending today at 6:00pm.

In the past day, 6 persons were seriously injured in motor vehicle
accidents and 4 sustained moderate injuries. 183 persons were treated by
EMS teams that responded to 135 traffic accidents.

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

1. Roadside explosive device detonated near Tul Qarem
(BNI-DEC.21) An explosive device was detonated on Thursday evening near
the PA autonomous municipality of Tul Qarem, near the Jewish community of
Avnei Chafetz. The bomb was detonated against a border police jeep and
following the explosion; terrorists fired weapons at the Israeli patrol.
No injuries. Troops returned fire.

****
2. Bank robberies
(BNI-DEC.21) A Bank HaDo=92ar branch in the Sela neighborhood of Rechovot
was robbed on Thursday evening. A lone gunman made of with NIS 2,000 in
cash and stamps.

A Bank Mizrachi in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem was robbed
on
Thursday evening by a single robber who passed the teller a note demanding
money. He made off with NIS several thousand.

****
3. IDF Lt-Col stabbed in TA marketplace
(BNI-DEC.21) An IDF lieutenant-colonel was stabbed and seriously wounded
on Yafitz Street in Tel Aviv=92s Carmel Marketplace on Thursday evening. He
was transported to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Police established roadblocks in the area in the hope of apprehending a
man dressed in black that was seen fleeing the scene.

Police have indicated the attack seems to have been a terrorist incident
but criminal motives have not been ruled out.

****

4. IDF Ofer base attacked by PA gunfire
(BNI-DEC.21) The IDF=92s Ofer base located in the Ramallah district of
Samaria was attacked by gunfire emanating from the nearby PA autonomous
area. No reported injuries.

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

21-DEC-00 =96 8:52pm
******************
First report =96 shooting attack with injuries on Route 443
(BNI-DEC.21) There was a shooting attack a short time ago on Route 443,
between Givat Ze=92ev (north of Jerusalem), and Beit Choron. Preliminary
reports indicate that shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle two
kilometers (1.2 miles) west of Givat Ze=92ev from a passing vehicle.

Unconfirmed reports indicate one person was seriously wounded from
terrorist gunfire.

BNI will provide additional reports as confirmed information becomes
available.

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

More on Route 443 terrorist attack
(BNI-DEC.21) In the shooting attack a short time ago on Route 443 (Modi=92i n
road), between Givat Ze=92ev (north of Jerusalem), and Beit Choron, an
Israeli motorist was killed by gunfire from a passing vehicle. The vehicle
of the victim was riddled with bullets from the automatic gunfire. First
responders report it appears that the vehicle was hit on its right side
from a very close distance.

The victim managed to continue driving towards Givat Ze=92ev after being
mortally wounded, finally losing consciousness inside Givat Ze=92ev. He die d
a short time later of his injuries.

The road on which the driver was traveling is a major thoroughfare inside
=93Israel proper.=94 It is believed the attackers made their escape heading
west, towards the PA autonomous municipality of Ramallah. Police and IDF
forces have closed down the area in the hope of apprehending the
terrorists responsible.

Additional details as information becomes available.

****

Terrorist who ran over soldiers Thursday morning affiliated with Islamic
Jihad (BNI-DEC.21) Official Israeli sources are reporting that the driver
of a vehicle that intentionally ran into border police stationed at Aram
Junction in northern Jerusalem on Thursday morning is affiliated with the
Islamic Jihad terror organization.

The attacker was apprehended a short time after the attack in which one
soldier was moderately injured and three others sustained light injuries.

****

IDF officer in serious condition
(BNI-DEC.21) The IDF lt.-col. who was stabbed in the Carmel marketplace in
Tel Aviv on Thursday evening remains in serious condition in Ichilov
Hospital.

****

****
News items published by BNI (BreakingNews-Israel) may be
distributed, copied, posted providing the websites and other forums
carrying the stories display the footer below in plain view on the same
page with the news.=09=09=09=09

=93To subscribe to the BreakingNews-Israel list,
send a blank email message to <44828-subscribe@listbot.com>=94

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (12/21/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 18:55:09 -0500

KOHL'S SON FORGES LINK WITH TURKEY

Now here is a Christmas gift worth cherishing: Helmut Kohl, who once
outraged Turkey by suggesting that it did not belong to Europe=92s Christia n
club, may well end up with Turkish grandchildren. To the delight of the
Turkish press and the bemusement of the Germans, the former Chancellor
travelled to Istanbul at the weekend to celebrate the engagement of his son
to the daughter of a Turkish industrialist.

Peter Kohl and Elif Soezen, both London brokers, met while studying at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology a decade ago. Unlike monolingual
Helmut Kohl, they are a modern couple who communicate in English and
who see no difficulty in merging the traditions of Rhineland Catholicism an d
Turkish Islam.

Helmut Kohl=92s welcome would have been frostier a few years ago. As
German leader, he was identified as the main blocking force of Turkish
entry to the European Union and he described Tansu Ciller, who was then
Prime Minister, as a woman who does not inspire confidence. That dealt a
blow to the political ambitions of Peter Kohl=92s future father-in-law, who had
been planning a career in Ms Ciller=92s party, the DYP.

The prospect of Herr Kohl having Turkish grandchildren is thus garlanded
with a certain ironic charm =97 he even opposed new double citizenship
rules allowing children to bear both Turkish and German passports. Modern
realities are catching up with the former Chancellor in the most personal
manner. His ideas of what defines a German seem antiquated; his definition
of Europe as a political union based on shared Christian values has run its
course.

German policy, unopposed by any of its EU partners, boils down to: Keep
Turkey Out. Gerhard Schr=F6der, the Chancellor, made cooing noises to the
Turks after winning the election in 1998; His brother was even made the
honorary citizen of a Turkish village. The Social Democrats moved forward
on double citizenship =97 50,000 foreign residents have taken advantage of
the new regulations this year.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of Turkey. Outside the EU, insi de
NATO, it is a natural ally of the incoming Bush Administration. Suddenly it
does not matter so much what Germany thinks. Turkey has the capacity to
sabotage the planned European rapid reaction force.Ankara insists that it
must be part of any decision to deploy the Euro-troops =97 understandably
since an EU operation in Cyprus could compromise Turkish interests.

It is therefore resisting attempts to allow the EU to have so-called =93ass ured
access=94 to NATO military planning staff. If it can muster American
backing for this blockade =97 and feelers are already being put out to the
Bush team =97 the EU would have to find its own military planning staff,
undermining NATO and costing money. Support for the Euro force would
soon dribble away. Turkey sees a chance to secure de facto membership of
the EU on defence issues. The EU, and in particular Germany, has to work
something out with Turkey, to devise mechanisms which bring Ankara
more closely into European decision-making.

Turkey should be a priority for Germany not only because of its strategic
value but also because of its contribution to the internal dynamics of
German cities. The Helmut Kohl generation tended to view the country=92s
2mn Turks as Gastarbeiter =97 guest workers who one day would return to
their homeland and who would remain satisfied with low-paid, low-skilled
jobs. Instead, the Turks became one of the most dynamic parts of
metropolitan German society.Turkish enterprises now make more than
£12bn a year. The changes are coming too gradually, however, and
younger Turks in particular are frustrated. Germany needs to confront
these issues. (The London Times)

MICHAEL TURNER =0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (12/21/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:14:43 -0500

BIBI, PUTIN TO SPEND FESTIVAL WITH RUSSIAN ULTRA-
ORTHODOX JEWS

Benjamin Netanyahu is to spend the Hanukkah holiday in Moscow with
members of Russia's ultra-Orthodox Lubavich Jewish community, the Israel
embassy said Thursday. President Vladimir Putin will also join in the
community's festival of light celebrations late Thursday by Rabbi Berl
Lazar, the main rival of Russia's Chief Rabbi Adolf Chayevich, Kremlin
officials told AFP. Netanyahu was due in Moscow later Thursday and
would leave Friday after the celebrations, an Israeli embassy spokesman
said.

Lazar was elected Russia's chief rabbi last June by his own organisation,
the Russian Federation of Jewish Communities. But his position is contested
by the Russian Jewish Congress, headed by Media-Most tycoon Vladimir
Gusinsky, whose media group has been a constant critic of Putin. There has
been a marked rapprochment between the Kremlin and Lazar since Putin
came to power. In September, Putin attended the inauguration of a new
Moscow synagogue along with Lazar. Gusinsky is currently under detention
in Spain pending a ruling on an extradition demand by Russia to face
allegations of embezzling $250mn. (Agence France-Presse)

QUEEN OF SHEBA LEGEND COMES BACK TO LIFE IN YEMEN

The legendary kingdom of Sheba in the Yemeni province of Marib, dating
back 3,000 years, is coming back to life with the restoration of the ancient
"throne of Balquis," which one archeologist believes could become one of
the world's great tourist sites. "Marib was for centuries the political,
economic and religious centre of the once mighty kingdom of Sheba, the
ancient Yemeni civilisation made famous by the Queen of Sheba, Balquis,
referred to in the Torah, the Bible and the Koran," said Burkhard Vogt,
head of a German excavation team.

Of the civilisation founded in the 10th century BC and which reached its
peak between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, the only vestige to have been
unearthed so far is the throne. The site was opened to the public in
November after 12 years of German-financed restoration led by Vogt's
team. But the Marib region is considered a no-go zone for western tourists
because of the risks of kidnapping by Yemen's unruly tribes.

"Arsh Balquis has been known to be a temple since 1988," he said, using
the Arabic name for throne. A century ago, "the Austrian traveller and
scholar Eduard Glaser was the first to record and decipher an inscription
engraved on one of its pillars mentioning the God Al-Maqah," sun god of the
Shebans, explained Vogt.

Scholars say the temple was built in the 10th century BC at the time of the
Queen of Sheba, the wife of Solomon according to Christian tradition, and
access was restricted to the kingdom's elite. It was abandoned 4 centuries
later, with the kingdom's subjects starting to convert to Judaism and
Christianity around 380, renouncing polytheism. The destruction of the
famed Marib Dam in 572 completed the desertion.

"When we started excavations in 1988, there was nothing of the Arsh
Balquis apart from a 3-metre (10-foot) hill with columns jutting out and
some blocks of stone," said another German archaeologist. The 15-metre
(50-foot) temple has a podium, a courtyard, a high wall and an irrigation
canal. Six columns mark the entrance to the site.

Three kilometres (2 miles) to the east of the temple, Canadian, German and
US archaeologists are preparing to excavate another site, the Awam, or
Moon, temple, which should provide more insight on the Sheba civilisation.
The site is "rich in archaeological pieces and inscriptions, and it could
become as important a tourist attraction as the Acropolis in Athens or the
Pyramids of Egypt," said Canadian archaeologist Bill Glansman.

The work at the site, an annual pilgrimage site for residents of the Arabian
peninsula before Islam, is expected to take a decade and needs $12mn
dollars in financing. The restoration could "unlock the mystery surrounding
the legendary Queen of Sheba and prove to be the 8th wonder of the
world," Glansman said. (Agence France-Presse)

"IRAQ CAN DESTROY ISRAEL"

Iraqi Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashem Ahmed said his country
could destroy Israel and that it was ready to confront any aggression
against the Arabs, the weekly Al-Zawraa newspaper said Thursday. "Iraq
can destroy Israel because it possesses a large combat experience in
dealing with all possibilities," Ahmed told the newspaper in an interview to
be published next week. He said Iraq would not hesitate to send its armed
forces to defend an Arab country targeted by Israel and that the Iraq
military was prepared to deal with any potential aggression.

Ahmed also said there could be no peace in the Middle East until Israel
returned the land to the Palestinians. Ahmed said there was no military
coordination between Iraq and the other Arabs over a potential conflict with
Israel, but said that several states, including Syria, were satified with Iraq's
position on the violence in the Middle East. "The Palestinian cause will not
be solved until the Jews leave Palestine and its (Arab) people return to their
homeland."

Ahmed also said his country was prepared for any future escalation of
violence against the United States and Britain, which patrol the northern
and souther no-fly zones over Iraq. "Maybe the technology used by the
Americans in their continued aggressions against Iraq is highly developed,
but the field combat experience that the Iraqi forces have gained allows it
to confront and even surpass the American technology in the battlefield."
Ahmed headed the Iraqi delegation to the 1991 talks on the Kuwait-Iraq
border that resulted in a cease-fire with the US-led allied forces after 42
days of fighting during the Gulf War. (United Press International)

"AFTER US, THE DELUGE"

In the November edition of his Richebaecher Letter, the former chief
economist of Dresdner Bank, Dr. Kurt Richebaecher, presents a
devastating analysis of current economic and financial trends in the United
States.The basic attitude of America's financial elites can only be described
by the motto "After us, the deluge." As "gyrations of the stock market are
getting wilder and wilder," notes Richebaecher, one will soon "be shocked
at how quickly the US economy's strength will simply disappear once the
bull market ends." However, in a real sense, the economic "boom" of the
US economy, in particular in the "New Economy" sector, never existed.

In great detail, Richebaecher dissects the alleged extraordinary growth in
corporate profits and productivity in the American economy. A careful look
at the official National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) statistics,
reveals that corporate profit growth, during the years 1996-2000, was rather
poor. In the manufacturing sector, it averaged a mere 3.4% per year. Still,
these profit figures include: endemic "creative accounting;" the impact of
employee stock options; and slashed corporate contributions to pension
funds, due to hefty capital gains in the stock market. The alleged
"productivity miracle" is largely due to statistical manipulations.

"The US economy's weak profit performance during the 1990s is by no
means just ephemeral and fortuitous; it is endemic and structural. And this
miserable failure in profit creation has 2 chief causes that are easy to
recognize. Ironically, it originates precisely in the 2 features of the US new
paradigm economy that are generally hailed as the key sources of its
superior growth and productivity performance. The one is the shareholder
value model, and the other one is the new information technology. The old
economists would have said, both are anti-capitalistic."

The "shareholder value model" is focussed on "an unprecedented thrust
towards cost-cutting and downsizing," which, at the same time, means a
bias against any form of long-term capital investment. If one adds mergers
and acquisitions or stock buy-backs, then it becomes evident that the
alleged profit-raising corporate restructuring is simply "a vague euphemism
for all kinds of measures that tend to enhance shareholder value in the short
run, virtually to the exclusion of any other goal."

Then there is the "New Economy" paradigm, which not only claims to
create "wealth without capital formation," but actually "involves massive
capital destruction." Richebaecher emphasizes that real prosperity
absolutely requires long-term capital formation, including the building of
factories with new production equipment, creating new industrial jobs and
infrastructure investment.

Richebaecher raises the question: "What kind of capitalism is there really in
the United States? Our answer: Far from being a new and more efficient
capitalism, it is 'late, degenerate' capitalism.The essence of classic
capitalism was long-term-oriented capital accumulation out of savings, and
there was a strong sense of responsibilty of heritage for future generations.
What is the essence of this neo-American model of capitalism of the
1990s? A frantic chase of corporate management after quick and easy
profits in the stock market, through deal-making and stock buybacks, a
dissaving public and unfettered credit creation by the financial system, for
consumption and speculation.

The responsibilty of the corporate manager, under this 'new' capitalism,
begins and ends with the near-term stock price. It's late, degenerate
capitalism, in the sense that saving and capital accumulation, the key
features of a capitalistic economy, have fallen into complete oblivion.
Worse still, it is a capitalism which any educated nation should be ashamed
of, because the corporate strategies that result from the single-minded
microeconomic logic of maximizing present shareholder value, inherently
impart increasingly negative long-term macroeconomic consequences to
economic growth, income and profit creation. What really happens, is
rampant over-consumption at the expense of future generations, who are to
inherit depleted domestic capital formation, a mountain of foreign
indebtedness and lots of worthless paper assets (stocks and bonds). It might
be called 'beggar-thy-children capitalism.' The motto of this capitalism is
'After us, the deluge.'"

The consequence of such insane policies, is the build-up of "economic
imbalances and financial excesses of unprecedented size," which have
made the US economy and its financial system "more vulnerable than ever
before." There are "serious problems everywhere: in the credit markets, in
the banking system, in stock valuations, in the profit performance, in the
debt burdens of coporations and consumers, in negative personal savings,
and in the huge trade gap and the grossly overvalued dollar. Confidence in
the dollar has been the one linchpin that has held this disintegrating system
together." Therefore, "hopes for a soft landing of the US economy are
completely misplaced. We have witnessed the worst financial bubble in
history." (Strategic Alert)

MICHAEL TURNER
(mykelturner@airmail.net)

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Israeli election shaping up as referendum for peace ...
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 06:47:19 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Send reply to: <benyosef@torahvoice.org>
From: "ben Yosef"
To: "ben Yosef"
Subject: Israeli election shaping up as referendum for peace ... or war
Date sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:48:23 +0200

Shalom,

GILO, Jerusalem -- Peace at any cost with Ehud Barak or war with Ariel
Sharon. This is how the Israeli election for prime minister is shaping
up.

While Sharon has a commanding 11 to 20 point lead (depending on which
poll you give the most credence) today, the pundits here say that is
going to decline quickly as the Israeli public is made to understand
the reality of war which the nation faces with Sharon as its leader.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Barak has pulled out all of the stops
and has authorized his negotiators in Washington meeting today with
President Bill Clinton and Palestinian negotiators to go so far as to
renegotiate the borders between the proposed Palestinian State and
Israel.

Barak is hoping to present a "peace at any cost" proposal before the
Israeli public to make his re-election campaign for prime minister a
referendum on peace. On the table is 95 percent of the unannexed
territories and the same Temple Mount which Ariel Sharon earlier
ascended showing the nation OFFICIALLY that Jewish sovereignty no
longer exists there. That ascent with a delegation of Likud members is
being "keyed" to the cause of the current uprising (and you can be
sure that somehow this will surface in the Israeli election campaign
ads, which tend to be DIRTY!) but Israeli intelligence has determined
it was just an occasion USED by Arafat to bring violence into the
negotiations to get more of his demands after the negotiations came to
a stalemate when Arafat turned down 88 percent of the unannexed
territories and most of East Jerusalem. It is a sad commentary, but
Arafat has succeeded if Barak is now willing to surrender 95 percent
and the Temple Mount as well as other holy sites.

Meanwhile a majority of the Knesset (61 members) have demanded passage
of a bill that would require Barak to have majority approval (61
members) in the Knesset to go forward with any peace proposal. And a
report in today's Jerusalem Post quotes legal experts as stating that
should Barak succeed in negotiating a peace before the January 10
deadline set by President Clinton or the February 6 Israeli elections,
if Sharon is elected prime minister, Israel would NOT be obligated to
honor this peace!! This is because international law requires a
nation's ruling body to approve internationally binding legislation.

Anyway you slice it, it comes up a "peace" pie with Barak and on the
crusty side with Sharon.

Also on the political front, a MAJOR battle is shaping up within the
Left Wing that shows signs of splitting the ultra-dovish Meretz party.
This is because former Labor Party leader Shimon Peres, who has been
an active party in the peace negotiations, had hoped to get the
support of the 10 Meretz Party MKs to launch his own bid for prime
minister. But Peres was flatly refused in the Meretz Central committee
vote last night.

The word this morning is that a secret deal was struck between Barak
and Meretz Party leader Yossi Sarid to keep Peres out of the race.
Meretz did not want to be responsible for what it perceived to be
"splitting" the Labor Party vote between Barak and Peres. Peres is
perceived in the polls today to be capable of narrowly defeating
Sharon, while Barak is lagging.

There is much more to this going on behind the scenes and only a few
details have surfaced. But the Jerusalem Post reported this morning
that Barak had offered Peres the lead role in the peace negotiations
after Sarid convinced Barak that Peres would have an even more
difficult time holding together a coalition government than Barak
because, ironically, it would hinge on the support of Meretz and no
right-of-center party would enter such a partnership.

Peres perceived the offer to be "too little, too late" and one report
said Peres frankly does not believe Barak will honor his promise since
he has already broken many promises to Peres. During the few days
(since former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew from the race
after the Shas Party did not agree to his terms of voting for a new
Knesset as well), Peres widely criticized Barak depicting him as a
failure in office, an insincere negotiator, an inept leader and as
someone incapable of winning the election. This "searing personal
vindictiveness," as a Jerusalem Post columnist characterized it this
morning, between Barak and Peres may split the party and assure
Sharon's victory ... and war.

The Likud is not without its own problems. Many within Likud say they
will support Sharon but are whispering that he is not electable
because the Israeli public in the final analysis "don't want war" and
Sharon is considered to be too extreme. There is also the perception
by Netanyahu supporters that ANY prime minister's tenure elected to
govern the current Knesset configuration will be shortlived and that
prime minister will fail. Since Netanyahu has promised to enter the
race ONLY when the current Knesset is dissolved and new elections are
held, the candidate whose decisions will most speedily dissolve the
ruling body may be Barak, especially in view of the Labor Party split
emerging.

One thing seems clear in this muddled mess. Just as the American
election could have gone either way, so are the uncertainties
associated with the coming Israeli election. Which leads us all to
believe that the G-d of Israel will place the man in power who will
serve his interests. Since Sharon -- alone -- has made any move
toward re-establishing sovereignty on the Temple Mount, he is the
horse I would back in this race.

But, the likelihood of war is very real as if we did not already know
that with the escalation going on at the Lebanon border and the
jockeying of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq together with the political moves
to get out of peace treaties with Israel by Jordan and Egypt.

So as we light our second Hanukkah candle tonight (the night the
miracle was in evidence because the supply of oil was only sufficient
for the first day), we are mindful that our very existence hinges on a
miracle.

Shalom Shalom, Shabbat Shalom, Hag Sameah, Happy Hanukkah & Hashem's
love & blessings, ben Yosef

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

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Education for the New Age
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 13:11:17 -0000

An excerpt taken from...

THE RAINBOW SWASTIKA
A REPORT TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE
ABOUT NEW AGE ANTISEMITISM
by Hannah Newman -- freeway@netvision.net.il

http://homestead.virtualjerusalem.com/antisemitism/files/na_education.
html

"We need change agents in charge of those schools,
not preservers of entrenched interests and encrusted practices."
(Vanderbilt University Professor Chester Finn, Jr.,
chief architect of "America 2000")

H. Education for the New Age

The above quote from Professor Chester Finn was published in 1991, in
his article, "Reinventing Local Control" (_Education Week_, Jan.23,
1991, p.40) Under the Bush (Sr.) administration, Finn was given a
mandate to "fix" American education; his efforts were seen as
successful enough to earn him the title, "The Wizard of Education"
(name of article by Thomas Toch, _US News and World Report_, Jul.15,
1991, p.46) While the choice of a moniker associated with witchcraft
may [or may not] have been unintentional, his call for "change
agents" is both deliberate and prophetic regarding the U.S.
Department of Education's endorsement of a major tool in laying the
groundwork for the New Age. And if Finn leaves any doubt as to
which "encrusted" or obsolete practices were slated for "change", we
have only to survey the fruit of his efforts: "America 2000", later
renamed "Goals 2000". [Or simply see below.] This is merely the U.S.
version of an education being promoted worldwide. It is deeply
religious in nature, as we will see - "separation of religion and
state" in America notwithstanding.

Alice Bailey wrote an entire volume on this subject: _Education in
the New Age_. "What is man; what is his intrinsic purpose in the
scheme of things?" is the question she poses to launch the NA child
on his/her educational journey. It is a question asked repeatedly
throughout human history, yielding a rich variety of answers. Only
now, there is to be one answer only - the Right Answer. The
Hierarchy's Answer. As for the traditional "3 R's", the nuts and
bolts of education, the Hierarchy named as one of the "goals" of the
New Education: "to give true meaning to 'reading, writing and
arithmetic'" - that is, to perceive the "higher realities" rather
than to practice the basic academic skills; to recognize "the higher
mind" rather than discipline one's own mind through scholarship.
(p.16) [If anyone has been puzzled why OBE has adopted "creative
literacy" (a spell-it as-you-feel system) and other subversive
unlearning tools which are making a hash of American academic
standards, they need search no farther for an answer. But this
article is long enough without going into more detail. I leave that
to the many others who are documenting the academic failures
of "Goals 2000".]

[Note: the author's site where this book is listed has been offline
for several days now. If anyone is interested in reading this book, I
do have a copy zipped up that I can send you. For reference, please
see BPR message #693 "Book Review Wanted: The Rainbow Swastika" in
our archives.]

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] The Heart of Education (according to Lucis Trust)
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 13:27:41 -0000

[Note: Lucis Trust (www.lucistrust.org), founded by Alice Bailey, is
the publishing company for the UN. It was formerly called Lucifer
Publishing Company and until recently I believe was actually located
in the UN building. Lucis Trust also maintains the Meditation Room
located in the UN building. For more on that please see
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms023.htm]

http://www.lucistrust.org/goodwill/wgnl994.shtml

THE HEART OF EDUCATION

What is education for? A deceptively simple question, yet one which
is central to humanity's vision of its future. It can be answered in
a purely utilitarian fashion - in terms of producing individuals who
can participate in the economic structures of modern society. Or it
can be answered in terms of the ability of individuals to appreciate,
and contribute to, the cultural heritage of humanity. Finally, it can
be answered in terms of the unfoldment of the spiritual potential
which lies within each one of us. These three answers have tended in
the past to be treated like three distinct ingredients, which can be
mixed in different proportions according to the priorities of
educators. But in a world where there is an increasing sense of
wholeness, and of our integration with all other forms of life, such
a piecemeal approach is surely no longer adequate. What is needed is
an education which engages the whole person right from the start,
developing the latent powers of the individual sequentially
throughout life, so that these gifts may be freely used in service to
the world.

An education of this kind would naturally be a powerful way of
building a different kind of society, one modelled on the principles
of freedom, unity, and right relations. The role of education in the
past might be compared to the floor of an ancient Greek temple,
acting as the initial foundations on which the pillars of
civilisation and the roof of culture can be raised, producing a
relatively static, tradition-bound society. Some modern perspectives
on education suggest a role more akin to the complex data cabling in
an office building, interpenetrating every part, ferrying information
to where it is needed, so that the civilisation and culture of the
society can continually change in response to what its citizens
desire. With a metaphor of this kind, there is the danger of reducing
education to a set of standardised, technical objectives, subordinate
to a short-term, market-driven view of life. Shouldn't education be
seen as the life-blood, energising every major organ of society,
producing not only the ability to maintain the healthy functioning of
the whole, which can be equated with civilisation, but also the power
to expand the conscious horizons of culture, to sense new types of
beauty and new visions of spirit?

Other important truths about education also resonate with this latter
perspective. Just as the blood is continually vitalised by the
breath, so education must constantly be renewed by the inflow of the
living breath of the spirit. And when education is recognised as
primarily an activity of the heart, it becomes clear that educators
must be able to communicate not just mind to mind, but also heart to
heart. For an educator to establish such a deep and sympathetic
understanding of each individual learner, they must be motivated by
the loving wisdom of the heart, for no other motive is strong enough.

Another characteristic of the heart is its rhythmic pulse, varying
with the demands of the environment. At times of crisis within
society, this may produce accelerated change within education. We
seem to be passing through just such a phase at the moment, with
educational institutions adapting to the new modes of teaching made
possible by computers, and in particular the Internet. Coupled with
this are the changes taking place in the employment market, leading
to an increased demand for continuous re-training, as jobs themselves
alter more rapidly. In this newsletter, we examine some of the key
issues which arise out of this drive towards what has been variously
called "lifelong learning", "the learning society" and "the learning
age".

In a separate article, we also look at some of the foundational
principles which should condition the education of children. The
responsibility of those who educate the young is especially great -
they share with parents the custody of that crucial phase of life
when the soul unfolds its first delicate petals. We may hope that
those who accept this sacred duty recognise the full magnitude of
their vocation, so that they may wisely guide the children of the
future towards expressing the goodwill and right relations between
each other and with the planet which is their natural birthright.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Soul in Education 2000
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 13:29:59 -0000

http://www.lucistrust.org/goodwill/wgnl994.shtml#soul

Soul in Education 2000

Soul in Education 2000 Conference is an international conference to
be held at the Findhorn Foundation, Scotland, 21-27 October 2000. The
aim of the conference is "to strengthen the educational field and
help launch a new era of education, enriched with the values and
knowledge of our divine source." The organisers explain: "We are
building a network to promote the open recognition of soul inspired
qualities in our teaching..." It is intended that there will be
representation from: UNESCO; the Institute of Sathya Sai Education;
World Core Curriculum; Anthroposophy and Steiner-Waldorf curriculum;
Small Schools and home educators; the approaches of transpersonal
psychology, spiritual intelligence; cognitive development;
psychosynthesis; re-evaluation counselling; neuro-linguistic
programming; and emotional intelligence.

The conference event evolved out of the work of the Global Conference
of Soul Education, a five-year spiritual educational project inspired
by Triangles in Education - an international, spiritually motivated
group of educators from many cultures - dedicated to "the
strengthening of the inflow of the light, love-wisdom and power of
the Soul in education." Working rhythmically over a five year cycle,
1998-2002, the aim is to inaugurate a "new era in education". The
group explains: "There is a growing momentum for the shifting of
education into a newer and more enlightened developmental stage - one
which is better suited to the highest potential of the individual..."

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Dec 23, 2000 TV Programs
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:36:00 -0500

8:00 PM Eastern

HIST
Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas
Saturday , December 23 8:00 PM-9:00 PM
Fascinating story of how the bawdy Roman Saturnalia, a week-long festival
of food and drink that culminated on December 25, became the centerpiece
of the Christian year, and why the holiday is known as much for shopping as
the birth of Christ. Interviews with experts, harried bargain hunters, and
excited children round out the program. TV G

9:00

HIST
Biblical Disasters
Saturday , December 23 9:00 PM-11:00 PM
The world of the Bible was one beset by terror, when disasters of truly
biblical proportions ravaged humanity. It was a time of global flooding, fiery
destruction, plagues, earthquakes, killer epidemics, and famine. Are these
biblical accounts fact or fiction? We'll explore new and controversial evidence
as we seek to learn how ancient disasters may provide valuable insight for a
modern world besieged by similar catastrophes. TV G

DISC
Sci-Trek Saturday
Science of Christmas
DSC Dec 23 2000 9:00 PM
Scientists use insight and imagination to explain why Rudolph's nose is red,
how Santa visits every home in one night, how NASA helps make candy
canes, ensuring a white Christmas, growing a perfect Christmas tree and
more.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Chinese Capital Overrun by Plagues of Ravenous Cockroaches
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:47:36 -0500

Chinese Capital Overrun by Plagues of Ravenous Cockroaches

BEIJING, Dec 21, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Cockroaches are taking
over Beijing, invading restaurants, hotels and even hospitals under the noses
of the Chinese capital's complacent residents.

The China Daily said Thursday that 87 percent of Beijing's restaurants, 88
percent of hospitals and 75 percent of residential homes have been overrun
by roaches.

The invasion has taken city officials by surprise as cockroaches have
traditionally been viewed as a problem plaguing southern China and Beijing
has been virtually roach-free until recently.

Alarmed by the phenomenon, the communist authorities have mobilized
neighborhood committees to educate the masses about the dangers of
roaches and launched mass poisoning campaigns, said the paper.

But the paper also lamented that many residents and restaurants were not
taking the threat seriously. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)

http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=232457

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Russia Today items (12/22/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:54:43 -0500

GORBACHEV TELLS RUSSIA NOT TO FEAR BUSH
MOSCOW -- Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said on Wednesday
Russians should ignore commentators' predictions of chillier
Moscow-Washington relations under next U.S. President George W. Bush.
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232448&text

Gorbachev in Favor of Burying Lenin (21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232490

New Leader Wants Kaliningrad to Become Bridge Between Russia and
Europe
(21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232453

Russian Army Takes out of Service 18 Nuclear Submarines This Year
(21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232489

Japan, Russia Agree to Continue Work on Peace Treaty (21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=233497

Chechen Refugees Face Humanitarian Catastrophe (21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=233499

Four Dead, 10 Wounded During Grozny Shoot-Out (21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232535

Chechnya in the Eyes of Western Journalists (21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232526

Russian Soldiers Kill Civilians in Chechnya (20Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232245

Four University Students Killed in Chechen Attack (20Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232239

Truck Loaded With Explosives Intercepted in Chechen Capital (20Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232078

Belarussian Minister Proposes Weekly Flights to Baghdad (21Dec.00)
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=232452

Russian and Belguim Prime Ministers Sign Agreements
Pravda (21Dec.00)

http://www.russiatoday.com/frames/frames.php3?url=http%3A%2F%2Fc.mor
eover.com%2Fclick%2Fhere.pl%3Fx13472643

Hiv Infection is Spreading in Russia Faster Than in Africa
Pravda (21Dec.00)

http://www.russiatoday.com/frames/frames.php3?url=http%3A%2F%2Fc.mor
eover.com%2Fclick%2Fhere.pl%3Fx13472640

Moscow Threatens to Expel Salvation Army
CNN (21Dec.00)

http://www.russiatoday.com/frames/frames.php3?url=http%3A%2F%2Fc.mor
eover.com%2Fclick%2Fhere.pl%3Fx13481651

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz/IMRA: Israel ready to accept 1967 line as bo
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:57:12 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 01:24:05 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz/IMRA: Israel ready to accept 1967 line as
border basis (Ben Eliezer inconceivable give up
Jewish Quarter)

Ha'aretz/IMRA: Israel ready to accept 1967 line as border basis (Ben Eliezer
inconceivable give up Jewish Quarter)

By Aluf Benn and Nitzan Horowitz Ha'aretz Correspondents and Agencies 22
December 200

(IMRA: Minister of Communications Binyamin Ben Eliezer assured listeners on
Israel Radio that "it is inconceivable that Israel will give up on the
immediate area of the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter (of the Old City
of Jerusalem). Ben Eliezer was not asked what special arrangements he
anticipated would be set up to allow access to these areas since access
would be through areas under Palestinian sovereignty. While Prime Minister
Ehud Barak said earlier during the shooting at Gilo that this experience
would have ramifications in terms of what Israel would be able to give to
the Palestinians, Israel's current opening offer is for the quarters of the
Old City facing western Jerusalem be under Palestinian control. All Israeli
concessions have the status of "opening offers" since they will establish
the opening position of the talks which would be held between Barak and
Arafat.)

WASHINGTON - In talks with Palestinian negotiators in Washington, Israel has
accepted the principle that the international border between Israel and a
Palestinian state will be based on the June 4, 1967 lines, but with border
adjustments and an exchange of land.

Israel has always strenuously objected to considering the June 4, 1967
line - the ceasefire line from the 1948 War of Independence that became
Israel's de facto border until the Six Day War in 1967 - as a basis for
defining the international frontier.

"We have now accepted the principle of June 4, 1967. From a practical point
of view, it doesn't change much, because we want border adjustments around
settlement blocs and are willing to agree to land exchanges on both sides of
the Green Line that will slightly enlarge the amount of land in the Gaza
Strip," said a diplomatic source in Jerusalem.

Israel has also agreed to the general concept of giving the Palestinians
sovereignty over Arab East Jerusalem and religious sites holy to Islam and
Christianity, including the flashpoint Temple Mount, which Israel captured
in the 1967 war.

"We are close to achieving recognition of Palestinian sovereignty over Arab
East Jerusalem, including the holy sites," said Palestinian negotiator
Yasser Abed Rabbo said. "We may be very near to an agreement, or very far
from one. It depends on the details."

He said the "details" that remained to be discussed included how to link up
Jerusalem neighborhoods and the future status of the Jewish neighborhood.
"All these subjects are difficult ones and require a big effort. If we do
not reach agreement on them, there will be no agreement," he said.

Ben-Ami stressed that Israel wants to retain its special link to the Temple
Mount, which is flanked on one side by the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest
site. This issue was therefore left open, he said, and the negotiators
turned to other matters.

In the territories, Israel has proposed ceding an equivalent amount of
sovereign Israeli territory so Palestinian President Yasser Arafat can claim
to have achieved the goal of making Israel withdraw from 100 percent of land
captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

In a lecture earlier this week, Brigadier General Amos Gilad, head of
Military Intelligence's research division said Arafat sees things "in terms
of 100 percent minus, and not in terms of 90 percent plus - and in the
mathematics of the Middle East that makes all the difference."

Reuters reported a diplomat close to the talks as saying that Israel would
seek to retain only three blocs of Jewish settlements which it plans to
annex.

The negotiations, in their fourth day at Bolling Air Force Base in southeast
Washington, were likely to continue at least until Sunday.Albright was to
join the talks last, and an Israeli diplomat said the two delegations would
call on Clinton again today.

Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami told reporters Clinton had presented the
possible parameters for an agreement. "I think that Israel can certainly
live with most of those parameters, Ben-Ami said.

Abed Rabbo said in Washington that sharp disputes also remain over the
future of Palestinian refugees. The PA is insisting on the right of return
of Palestinians under U.N. Security Council Resolution 194. Chief
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said this must be a fundamental element
in any agreement and there could be no solution if this issues was not dealt
with.

Clinton did not adopt the Palestinian demand for "the right of return for
four million Palestinians to their original homes in Israel," as the
Palestinians stated the issue. But he said the two sides would have to
accept Resolution 194 as the basis for an agreement. Clinton raised a number
of suggestions, including allowing a limited number of refugees to return to
their original homes.

Israel refuses to recognize the right of return of the Palestinians and is
willing to allow very limited numbers of Palestinians to return under family
unification terms.

Clinton suggested to both sides that January 10 be set as a target date for
reaching an agreement. All sides have stressed that a summit would be held
only if it is sure to culminate in the signing of an agreement.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

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Subscribe at no charge: imra-subscribe@imra.org.il
Unsubscribe: imra-unsubscribe@imra.org.il

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz (rolls out old reliable): IDF concerned abo
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 08:58:14 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 01:37:35 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz (rolls out old reliable):
IDF concerned about Jewish terrorism

Ha'aretz (rolls out old reliable): IDF concerned about Jewish terrorism

By Amos Harel Ha'aretz Military Correspondent 22 December 2000

[IMRA: If anyone doubted there were concerns that Ariel Sharon is doing
well in the polls they only had to look at this headline. Such items about
the threat of settlers appear every time it appears that the Right may have
a chance to advance]

On Wednesday at two in the afternoon, it was reported that "the Palestinians
are saying that four of their people have been killed in incidents with the
IDF." This was the last item in the news broadcast, just before the weather
report. The elections are pushing what is happening in the territories to
the sidelines. If the elections are about the security situation, this is
not at all evident in the media coverage of the events in the territories,
which has been about halved.

From the Palestinian perspective, this is cause for concern; it is a
commonplace that the battlefield is the media. But the Jewish settlers
beyond the 1967 borders are no less concerned. The firing at their cars on
their way to and from work, is by now perceived almost as a natural
phenomenon.

None of the top brass in the Israel Defense Forces is talking any more about
"a situation to which we cannot reconcile ourselves," as they were during
the first days of the fighting. In this equanimity lurks a trap: In the IDF
they are now saying that the feeling among the settlers is that their blood
is of less value than the blood of other Israeli citizens, and this could
push the extremists among them to the wall and draw them into performing
acts of violence.

The relatively small number of Jewish casualties during the past two weeks
is a matter of luck, though there have been wounded. But the attacks will
continue, because they are easy to carry out: A Palestinian cell can set up
an ambush in Area B, a one-minute drive or a five-minute walk from a safe
haven in Area A.

In the Gaza Strip, a foggy night is enough to allow the laying of explosive
charges by the single, well-patrolled road about seven kilometers long that
leads to Gush Katif. Now, when the bisecting of the Strip has been stopped
by orders at the political level (and counter to the recommendations of the
Shin Bet security service and the IDF), the danger of this is apparently
greater.

In the West Bank, the situation is more complicated. There is no way of
completely securing the hundreds of kilometers of road.

Last week, the commander of the IDF in the West Bank, Brigadier General
Benny Ganz, asked his officers to remember what the settlers are going
through. "A person gets up in the morning and he has no certainty that he
will get to work on time, or in one piece. If the Jeep you send out to
protect vehicles does not meet the bus on time, these people are stuck."

When in the IDF they say that it is just "a matter of time before Jews take
action," they do not mean minor acts of revenge, but rather the next Baruch
Goldstein. Senior officers are convinced that somewhere the heir to the
murderer from the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron is already oiling his
Uzi.

A check back reveals that attacks against Arabs, like the massacre at the
Tomb of the Patriarchs, were not carried out because of concern about the
return of territories, but rather in times of stress, in reaction to the
spilling of blood.

"Dozens of Goldsteins"

During the first weeks of the Al Aqsa Intifada, sources in the IDF praised
the settlers' restraint. However, the public indifference toward their
losses could be perceived by the extremists among them as a delegitimization
that necessitates "taking an initiative."

The young Palestinian who was killed at Aboud and the boy who was severely
wounded in Hebron, both of them shot by settlers, could presage a new trend.
When Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak visited students in a
brigade commanders' training course, Lieutenant Colonel Bentzi Gruber, a
reserve officer from the settlement of Efrat, begged him: "Embrace the
settlers, otherwise there will be dozens more Goldsteins here."

Senior officers are recommending that the government "radiate more empathy"
toward the settlers and take practical steps, such as tax breaks. "There are
enterprises in the settlements that will go bankrupt soon," they say. In
this context, the Central Command is also involved in issues like ensuring
the arrival of service technicians to isolated settlements.

Domestic war rooms

One question that no one has time to deal with at the moment is the scars
left by the Joseph's Tomb and Mount Ebal incidents on an entire generation
of front-line officers, residents of Judea and Samaria and graduates of the
pre-military training programs. When GOC Southern Command Doron Almog met
with officers of the Golani Brigade in the Gaza Strip, a company commander
from the settlement of Eli told him that he was not worried about his
soldiers in Gaza, "But every time my wife leaves home, I have to open a war
room.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il

For free regular subscription:
Subscribe at no charge: imra-subscribe@imra.org.il
Unsubscribe: imra-unsubscribe@imra.org.il

For free daily digest subscription:
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Unsubscribe: imra-digest-unsubscribe@imra.org.il

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BreakingNews-Israel 1,2,3 (12/22/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:04:01 -0500

Meretz rejects Minister Peres=92 request for endorsement
(BNI-DEC.22) Minister of Regional Development Shimon Peres on Thursday
night lost his struggle to convince the leaders of the left-wing Meretz
Party to support his candidacy for prime minister against the incumbent,
Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

The leaders of the left-wing party rejected Peres=92 request, thereby
eliminating his chances of entering the race for Israel=92s next prime
minister. With the deadline having passed Thursday night, the race is now
set and closed to additional candidates.

Competing for the nation=92s top position in the February 6, 2001 election
will be Barak against the Likud opposition leader, MK Ariel Sharon.

****

Thursday night's victim of terror attack
(BNI-DEC.22) Eli Cohen, 30, was identified as the victim in the Thursday
night terrorist attack on Route 443 between Beit Choron and Givat Ze=92ev.
Cohen, a driving instructor, was heading home to Modi=92in from Jerusalem
when automatic gunfire penetrated his vehicle less than two kilometers
(1.2 miles) from Givat Ze=92ev. Her died a short time later.

Emergency medical personnel worked to revive the gravely wounded Cohen
without success, pronouncing him dead on the scene. He was shot in the
chest several times.

Security officials explained that contrary to what they believed shortly
following the attack, Cohen was killed by gunmen who were lying in ambush
and not firing from a passing vehicle. The terrorists escaped on foot to
the nearby PA autonomous city of Ramallah. The major thoroughfare does
travel close to Ramallah in the area of the attack, facilitating an escape
route for terrorists.

Cohen became the 41st victim of Islamic terror since the renewed Intifada
began on the eve of the Rosh Hashanah Holiday on September 29.

****

No injuries in roadside bomb attack in Gaza during the night
(BNI-DEC.22) A roadside bomb was detonated against IDF forces during the
night about one-half a kilometer (3/10 mile) east of Netzarim in Gaza.
There were no injuries. Soldiers returned fire.

****

Man killed in predawn MVA
(BNI-DEC.22) A man was killed early Friday morning when a car crashed into
a parked crane on Ashdod=92s Menachem Begin Street. Two occupants of the
car
sustained serious injuries.

****
Homemade bomb thrown in capital on Thursday night
(BNI-DEC.22) A homemade hand grenade was thrown near the Cinemateque
on
Jerusalem=92s Chativat Yerushalyim Street. The explosive device was hurled
at two cars. No injuries. There were damages to the cars.

****

Three cars fired upon on Thursday night near Kfar Saba
(BNI-DEC.22) Three cars traveling near Kibbutz Eyal, near Kfar Saba, were
fired upon on Thursday night. No injuries.

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

No injuries in shooting attack near Elon Moreh
(BNI-DEC.22) An Israeli motorist on Friday morning escaped injury when
shots were fired at his car near Elon Moreh in northern Samaria. Several
shots did strike the vehicle.

****

Ramle teen injured by gunfire
(BNI-DEC.22) A 14-year-old Ramle teenager was injured by gunfire in her
leg early Friday morning. She was transported to Assaf HaRofeh Hospital.

The victim=92s father told police that shots were fired into their home in a
predawn attack. Police are investigating.

****

Condition of stabbing victim improving
(BNI-DEC.22) IDF Lt.-Col. Yaakov Ben-Dayan, who was stabbed in Tel Aviv=92s
Carmel marketplace on Thursday night is now listed in moderate condition
following emergency surgery on Thursday night.

Ben-Dayan remains admitted to Ichilov Hospital after he was attacked in
the marketplace in what police believe was a terror attack. The incident
is still under investigation.

Ben-Dayan was reported in serious condition upon his arrival to the
emergency department with stab wounds to his abdomen and chest.

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

Terror attack at Mechola Junction in Jordan Valley area =96 at least 2 dead
(BNI-DEC.22) At least two persons were killed and two seriously wounded in
a bomb blast a short time ago near Moshav Mechola in the northern Jordan
Valley area. One of the dead may be the suicide terrorist who detonated a
powerful explosive device which caused significant damage to the
restaurant where the attack occurred.

Preliminary reports indicate that one person was killed instantly by the
blast and body parts are scattered in the area. Emergency medical service
personnel and security forces are on the scene and a helicopter has been
ordered to the scene to transport victims.

BNI will publish additional confirmed information as it becomes available.

****
Heavy gunfire in Hebron
(BNI-DEC.22) Heavy gunfire is being directed at the Jewish portion of
Hebron at this time, about 90-minutes before the start of the Jewish
Sabbath. The gunfire is originating in nearby PA autonomous areas. No
immediate reports of injuries.

****

Attempted stabbing attack in Beit Chaggai
(BNI-DEC.22) A terrorist who tried to carryout a stabbing attack in Beit
Chaggai, located in the Southern Hebron Hills area, was shot and killed by
the intended victim.

*****

Soldiers under fire at Ayosh Junction
(BNI-DEC.22) Soldiers stationed at Ayosh Junction in Samaria are under
attack by PA gunfire. No reported injuries.

****

Stone-throwing attacks at northern border
(BNI-DEC.22) About 100 persons on Friday morning participated in
stone-throwing attacks against IDF forces stationed at the Fatma Crossing
between northern Israel and southern Lebanon. No injuries.

****

Jewish worshipers evicted from Western Wall
(BNI-DEC.22) As a result of stone-throwing attacks aimed at police
following Friday Ramadan prayer services on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem,
police decided to force Jews praying at the Western Wall to evacuate the
area for their own safety. There were no reported injuries.

Police commanders explained they preferred to remove the Jews from the
Wall rather than order troops to move onto the Mount to restore order, a
move they felt would have resulted in widespread Islamic violence.

****

Terror victim laid to rest
(BNI-DEC.22) Terror victim Eli Cohen, who was killed in a Thursday night
shooting attack near Givat Ze=92ev, was laid to rest in Jerusalem=92s Har
Menuchot Cemetery on Friday afternoon. He was 30 at the time of his
murder.

****

=93To subscribe to the BreakingNews-Israel list,
send a blank email message to <44828-subscribe@listbot.com>=94

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Radio Analysis and Excerpts: VOP (12/22/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:17:46 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 06:10:43 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Radio Analysis and Excerpts:
The Voice of Palestine-Dec. 22/21 2000

Radio Analysis and Excerpts: The Voice of Palestine-Dec. 22/21 2000

THURSDAY/FRIDAY-COMBINED EDITION

Prepared by Michael Widlanski, lecturer at the Hebrew University, doing
doctoral research at Bar Ilan on Palestinian broadcast media.

Israel Resource News Agency
Beit Agron Int'l Press Center
Jerusalem, Israel
tel. (+972-2) 623-6368 or cellphone (+972-53) 710-737
http://www.israelbehindthenews.com/

SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

There is a subtle but definite change in VOP coverage of the American-
Palestinian-Israeli talks in Bolling Base in Washington. Although the
reporting is very low-key, and although the PA repudiates reports of
American initiatives (as did Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Musa in a VOP
report Thursday), it is acknowledging that talks have begun to deal with
"the heart of the issues." In addition, Yasser Arafat's spokesman, Nabil
Abu-Rudeina said all issues were being discussed including "finding a just
settlement for the refugees."

The inclusion of the phrase "finding a just settlement for the refugees"
since Wednesday night Dec. 20 and through the broadcasts this Friday Dec. 22
(rather than one of the standard phrases like "the right of return" or "the
return of the refugees to their homes" may indicate one or more of several
possibilities:

   *--that the Palestinian and Israeli sides really are getting to a refugee
formula;
   *--that the Palestinian side is pleased with progress on the refugee
issue, but is not yet ready sign, unless it gets domestic and inter-Arab
backing;
   *--or that the Palestinian Authority is tentatively sending up some kind
of pale trial balloon or perhaps preparing its constituency for something
less than a total and immediate return of refugees.

VOP featured Yasser Arafat in a stake-out interview Thursday returning
from Cairo (Wednesday), in which he said Israel was deliberately escalating
violence in order to sabotage the peace process and to torpedo the efforts
of Bill Clinton.
VOP also featured at length the comments of Egyptian Foreign Minister
Amr Musa who said "the flare-up of the intifada was the result of an
accumulation of probems on the path to peace.that had not been overtaken,
especially two important causes: the failed summit in Geneva between
President Bill Clinton and the Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and the
second the Camp David Summit." ((Note: This is an important commentary on
the internal Arab dialectical thinking which goes contrary to the cutting
edge of conventional wisdom, i.e. that Ariel Sharon provoked the Intifada
with Sharon's visit on September 28.))

VOP has been featuring news items and features discussing "acts of
solidarity" by both Iraq and Iran with the Palestinian people, but it has
pulled back from publishing stark Iraqi (and other) commentaries that have
referred to American Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell as a war
criminal along with the Gulf War as an act of aggression against Iraq.
VOP carried a long interview with hard-line PLO "Foreign Minister"
Farouk Qaddoumi discussing an Iraqi fund of about one billion dollars
to aid Palestinians.

The news programs opened Thursday and Friday again with the martyrs,
their funerals and the circumstances of their deaths and other injuries,
giving only modest mention to the death of a "Jewish settler" killed on the
main northern route from Jerusalem via Modiin to Tel Aviv.

THURSDAY MORNING HEADLINES DEC 21:
    *--"Three martyrs in a wicked massacre in Gaza, with tens wounded, four
seriously;
    *--His excellency President Yasser Arafat says on his return from Cairo
that Tel Aviv wants to destroy the peace process.;
     *--Clinton holds a joint session for Erikat and Ben-Ami in the White
House.:
*--Meretz votes down the candidacy of Shimon Peres for Prime Minister;
     *--The United Nations recognizes the Palestinian right to sovereignty;
     *--Moshe Katsav says Barak does not have madate for peace agreement;
    *--The Legislature meets today to pass laws to aid workers hurt by
Israeli siege;
    *--Dr. Azmi Bashara will be with us to discuss the various options in
the Israeli election."

QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Israel by its actions is trying to sabotage the peace process." (Yasser
Arafat, returning from Cairo Wednesday Dec. 20, quoted Wednesday evening and
Thursday throughout the day)

Quotes from Interview with Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, PA Cabinet Secretary
""We will not accept any partial solutions--not on land, and not on
international legitimacy, and not in the matter of the refugees and notin
the matter of the Holy Jerusalem Shrine..There are many sides and many
aspects to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, but the conflict on the ground
is bloody because there is daily Israeli crime designed to shatter our
steadfast desire, the desire of the Palestinian people. But we are
steadfast. Our people is steadfast now for three months despite all the
sacrifices it has made. And the other front is the negotiations. But in the
Arab and international context there is a context to achieve an agreement to
prevent a complete explosion which could involve other regions and other
interests."
Q: "There is talk that President Clinton will present a paper to the
negotiators."
A: "We have heard a lot about American ideas but we haven't received an
official American paper-not one from the American side."

Interview with Dr. Amin Hadad, deputy director PA Central Bank, on the
occasion of the closing of only Israeli bank operating in the Palestinian
Authority under the terms of the Paris Accords signed between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority (Thursday, Dec. 21, 7:50 am)
Q: "What did practices this bank carry out that you want to close it down
completely?"
A: "Really, the most important violation is the refusal to accept
Palestinian policy, with the Palestinian National Authority, working with
the Palestinian National Authority and the liberated Palestinian lands, and
(on the other hand) with identifying completely with the Zionist Entity
(al-Kiyan al-Sihyouni)." ((Note: the term the "Zionist entity" (al-kawn
al-sihyouni or al kiyan al-sihyouni has rarely been used by PA officials in
public since the Oslo Accords, especially not in broadcasts))

SONG OF THE DAY: "HE IS THE LEADER"
    "Here he is-he is the leader
     Both Inside (in Palestine) and Out (the Diaspora)
     His face is like the sun and the moon
     And his name is Abu Amar
     God grant him long life
     God grant him long life"

(Note: This song used to be a staple of PA radio and especially tv before
the most recent Intifada/war, but has not been heard much recently on radio.
A listener called in on a caller phone-in show, asking for it to be played.
Friday, Dec 22, 10:30 AM)

FRIDAY MORNING HEADLINES-DEC 22:
((8am, 9am, 10am)
    *--"Three exalted martyrs to be brought to burial today:
the citizen Ahmad Jamial Awad, 41 years old, from Khirbat Jebara, south of
Tulkarm, martyred during anartilery shelling of a populated neighborhood,
the youth Ahd Imri, 18 years old, from Shujaiyya Camp in Gaza, martyred when
occupation bullets struck his head, and the third martyr is Rashid
Barghoum, 25 years old from Rafah;
    *--Heavy Israeli artillery attacks on Bitunia, Khan Yunis, Ramllah,
Al-Bireh and Jenin.;
     *--Since last night heavy Israeli patrols around Jerusalem's entry
points and inside Jerusalem in order to prevent worshipers from reaching Al
Aqsa for last Friday prayers of Ramadan;
   *--Heavy Israeli searches around vilage of Bir N idam near Ramallah
where settlers' car were fired on;
   *--An Israeli settler was killed near the settlement of Givat Ze'ev, and
Israeli radio sayshe died when his car was hit by fire;
    *--His excellency President Yasser Arafat will meet today in his Gaza
headquarters with the German Defense Minister Robert Sharbing and will
discuss the continuing Israeli aggression against our people despite
continuing international and Arab efforts to continue the peace process;
    *--President Arafat's spokesman Nabil Abu-Irdeina said there were
precise American initiatives in the talks at Bolling Base between the
Palestinian side and the American side and between the Israeli side and
American side.."

QUOTE OF THE DAY-FRIDAY-DEC 22
    "When the Zionist, this dog
      Entered Al-Aqsa with his shoes
    Protected by a squad of troops of war.
    Muhammad will bring you low
    O soldiers and o dogs.
O you Zionist you are the West.
We will ask Allah to remove you dogs of the Whisperer (i.e. Satan)

((From "Mishwar al-Sabah", popular call-in show, part of poem-Ode to the
Intifada-- read by listener Muhammad Fawah Hijawi of Qalqilya to the
delight of radio announcer, 10:50 am, shortly before Friday's Mosque
prayers))

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News items (12/22/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:31:27 -0500

BARAK GOES FOR BROKE

The talks between Israeli and Palestinian delegations will take a break of
a few days today, amidst reports that "progress" has been made. The
following concessions by the Barak government were reported this morning:

* Borders and settlements: The Israeli delegation in Washington informed
the Palestinians that it was agreed that Israel would withdraw to the June 4,
1967 borders. Barak merely asks for small border changes that will allow
Israel to retain Ma'aleh Adumim (east of Jerusalem), Ariel (mid-Shomron),
and several communities in Gush Etzion (halfway between Hevron and
Jerusalem). In exchange for these enclaves, Barak has offered alternative
territories in the Negev.

* Refugees: Barak's Israel now agrees to allow 150,000 Arab refugees from
1948 to enter Israel - 15,000 over each of the next ten years.

* Jerusalem: The Jews will be left with the Western Wall and the Jewish
Quarter, while the Palestinians will receive - according to Barak - Mt. of
Olives, Kfar Shiloach, and other Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The Prime Minister's Office has hurried to deny the reports regarding the
latest Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, calling them
"speculation." Palestinian spokesmen, too, say that the reports are
misleading in that there are many difficulties in the talks and the gaps
are still wide. They say, however, that Israel has offered them full
sovereignty over the Temple Mount, and not just control of the site.
Yasser Arafat said later today that an agreement appears to be near.

The two delegations will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright today, and with outgoing U.S. President Clinton tomorrow night.

Likud MK Ruby Rivlin said today that Prime Minister Barak "is guided by
his own personal interests of political survival, and he is going and
selling everything we have." Rivlin was asked, "Don't you appreciate
Barak's promise not to finalize any agreement before the public approves
it?" - a reference to the upcoming Prime Ministerial election that Barak
has said would be seen as a "referendum" on any agreement that he
reaches.

Rivlin said, no, he does not appreciate it: "During the election
campaign, they [the government] will scare us and threaten us about how
badly the world will condemn us as war-mongers and the like if we turn
down a signed peace agreement..."

OLMERT REALIZES MISTAKE...

Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert - a Likud member who said during the previous
elections that he had "no doubt that Ehud Barak is dedicated to the
integrity of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and that he would never
allow the city to be divided" - strongly attacked the concessions being
made now in Washington. Olmert said that what is going on there is a
"close-out sale," and that Barak is "reneging on all his promises from the
election campaign regarding Jerusalem and the pre-1967 borders, and he
therefore has no authority to sign a withdrawal agreement before the
coming elections."

Olmert was apparently misled by Barak's statements during last year's
election campaign. At the time, Barak criticized those who accused him of
planning to divide Jerusalem: "Israel is united around the united
Jerusalem, and no one can divide the nation on this matter," and promised
the nation that "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, period!"

AMERICAN-JEWISH SUPPORT FOR A JEWISH TEMPLE MOUNT

A public statement headlined "Israel Must Not Surrender Judaism's Holiest
Site, the Temple Mount" has been signed by 25 American Jewish leaders,
from the Orthodox and Conservative movements. The statement will appear
as an advertisement in numerous Jewish newspapers throughout the United
States and Israel in the coming days. The statement reads, in part:
"In future years, all of us will have to answer to all our children and
grandchildren when they ask us why we did not do more to protect their
heritage and safeguard Har HaBayit (the Temple Mount). The holy city of
Jerusalem, and particularly the Temple Mount, has been the birthright, the
geographical heart and the spiritual soul of the Jewish people for 3,000
years. It is the place towards which Jews everywhere in the world turn to
pray three times a day. It is the Zion to which we have yearned to return
from exile for millennia. In 1967, when Jerusalem was reunited, and
especially the Temple Mount was returned to Jewish hands, we all rejoiced
as we witnessed a true miracle in our time - these holy places coming back
to the Jewish people... We note that public opinion polls have shown that
the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Diaspora Jews reject the idea of
surrendering the Temple Mount..." The statement was initiated by the
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), and was signed by former Conference
of Presidents chairmen, leaders of the Rabbinical Council of America, the
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly, and
other prominent Jewish groups.

PRAYERS FOR YESHA

Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, one of the leading rabbis of the hareidi
sector, publicized a call to all those who follow him to "come to the aid
of the residents of Judea and Samaria." He said that every Thursday
night, special prayers would be held on behalf of the residents in the
synagogues of Bnei Brak. The first such prayers were held last night in
five synagogues.

Arutz Sheva News Service -
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Dec. 22, 2000 / Kislev 25, 5761 - First Day of Chanukah

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Reports: Muslims Force Conversions
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:50:45 -0500

http://www.worldnews.com/

Reports: Muslims Force Conversions
The Associated Press, Fri 22 Dec 2000

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Armed Muslim gangs have been
forcing Christian villagers in the remote Moluccan islands to
convert to Islam ahead of Christmas and Muslim feast days next
week, Indonesia's president said Friday.

In a speech at a mosque in Jakarta, President Abdurrahman
Wahid condemned the gunpoint conversions - some of which
reportedly have included circumcision as part of the conversion
ceremony.

``There is an effort by Islamic extremists to convert Christians to
Islam in the Moluccas,'' Wahid said. ``This is not right.''

Christian groups have said the conversions represent a disturbing
escalation in a conflict between members of the two religions in
the region, also known as the Maluku islands, 1,600 miles east of
Jakarta. At least 5,000 people have been killed in sectarian
violence there in the past two years despite a heavy military
presence and repeated peace efforts by Wahid, himself a Muslim
scholar who has long preached religious tolerance.

Muslim clerics in the Moluccas admitted on Friday that some
Christians had recently changed religions. But they denied that the
threat of death or violence had been used.

``The claim that they were forced to become Muslims is baseless.
They voluntarily converted to Islam,'' said Malik Selang, an official
at Al Fatah Mosque, the main mosque in Ambon, the provincial
capital.

However, several displaced islanders told Associated Press
Television News this week that they were among hundreds of
Christians coerced into switching faiths. Some male converts said
they were forced to undergo Islamic circumcision and had their
heads shaved as part of a conversion ritual.

``I only said yes to save myself,'' said Anton Sagat, who escaped
with dozens of others by boat last week from the village of
Sumelang on Tior island.

Another, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that some
members of Indonesia's armed forces had helped the Muslim
gangs. ``A soldier aimed a pistol at our chests. He said if we
refused to become Muslims we would be shot,'' he said.

Yonas Adjas, a Roman Catholic priest in Ambon, said he has
collected accounts from villagers on Seram island that suggested
at least 260 people there had converted against their will.

``Some of the people who were forced to convert to Islam were
circumcised. Not only men, but also some adult women,'' he said
in a telephone interview.

Gov. Saleh Latuconsina confirmed that some forced conversions
had been carried out but said the practice had been stopped by
security forces and government officials. Church workers said
the conversions had inspired hundreds of people to flee several
of the Moluccan islands, including Seram, Tior and Kasiui,
southeast of Ambon.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Islamic nation - about 90
percent of its 210 million people are Muslim. In the Moluccas,
however, the balance is more even between Christians and
Muslims.

The conversions have come during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan. Ramadan ends on Tuesday and will be followed by
two days of feasting to mark Eid al-Fitr, a time of family reunions
and Muslim prayers.

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] The Nativity is not a myth
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 22 Dec 00 15:29:01 EST

ISSUE 2037 Friday 22 December 2000

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=3D000579381554028&rtmo=3D3S8YAmKM&atmo=3D9 9999999&pg=3D/et/00/12/22/tlnatal22.html

The Nativity is not a myth

The manger, the guiding star, the Three Wise Men - many of us take it all
with a pinch of salt. But, says the leading biblical scholar Carsten Peter
Thiede, the Christmas story is no fairytale

'BUT my dear Sebastian, you can't seriously believe it all." So says Charle s
Ryder in Brideshead Revisited, astonished that his friend does not share hi s
scorn for the tradition of "Christmas and the star and the three kings and the
ox and the ass". Most modern scholars take Charles Ryder's side in the deba te
about the historical reality of the Nativity story told in the Gospels. "I do
not see these stories as historical reports but as literary creations," wro te
the theologian Marcus Borg, Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon Sta te
University, last year.

"As the latter, they are not history remembered but rather metaphorical
narratives using ancient religious imagery to express central truths about
Jesus's significance."

Certainly, most people's enthusiasm for Christmas is matched by an assumpti on
that the story we celebrate at this time of year is essentially a fairytale , a
pleasant brew of early Christian apocrypha, Renaissance iconography and
Victorian Christmas card imagery. But is this right?

Take the story of the star which St Matthew tells led the Wise Men to
Bethlehem "till it came and stood over where the young child was" (Matthew
2:9). As long ago as 1603, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler calculated
that a great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter must have occurred in 7 bc ( the
likely year of Jesus's birth, as opposed to the incorrect dating of ad 1
calculated by the sixth-century Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus and inherit ed
in the modern calendar). But the star is still generally assumed to be the
stuff of Advent calendars rather historical reality.

Last year, however, Professor Konradin Ferrari d'Occhieppo, a former direct or
of the Austrian State Observatory, published new research which suggests th at
there was indeed a real astral event corresponding to St Matthew's account.

Analysing the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Assyrian calendar systems, as wel l
as the actual position of stars as seen from Babylon, Jerusalem and Bethleh em,
Professor Ferrari has established that Jupiter alone came to a standstill i n a
small area between Pisces and Aries in July. This, in Babylonian astronomy,
would have been an epochal event heralding a world-changing occurrence. A
simultaneous evening rise of Jupiter and Saturn took place in September,
doubtless raising the expectations of Eastern stargazers even further.

Finally, between November 12 and 23 in 7 bc, Jupiter and Saturn stood still
together in the western sky and would have been clearly visible above
Bethlehem - as Matthew says.

Crucially, Professor Ferrari has shown that Jupiter (the Star of Marduk or
"Kakkabu") was the most sacred star in the Babylonian astral system, and th at
the magoi - the word used by Matthew meaning "astronomers", rather than sim ply
"wise men" - would have attached enormous significance to these events as a
sign of an imminent messianic event.

Most strikingly, a clay tablet found at the ancient Babylonian observatory of
Sippar on the Euphrates in 1925 has been shown to prophesy the birth of a n ew
Saviour under a great conjunction of the two planets in the winter of 7 bc.
One can only imagine the urgency with which these Eastern astronomers, spur red
on by what they had seen and calculated, would have undertaken their wintry
pilgrimage to the little town in Judea.

"Now at the time," St Luke tells us, "Caesar Augustus issued a census of al l
the world to be taken" (Luke 2: 1-3), which drove Joseph and Mary from thei r
home in Nazareth to Bethlehem. Independent corroboration for this particula r
census survives in a contemporary inscription known as the "Lapis Venetus",
which was uncovered in Venice in 1674. It reads: "On orders of Quirinius I
carried out the Census in Apamea, a city state of 117,000 citizens".

The Quirinius referred to in the Venetian inscription, and also mentioned i n
passing by St Luke, is Publicius Sulpicius Quirinius, who was the governor of
Syria from ad 6 to c.ad 9 - that is, at least a decade after Christ's birth
around 7bc. Some scholars have argued that this undermines the historic
credibility of the Nativity story completely. But we know, from evidence
elsewhere, that censuses took years to complete: one in Gaul spread over fo ur
decades. The probability is that Augustus decreed the census in 7 bc when
Sentius Saturninus was governor of Syria, but that Quirinius completed it s ome
years later.

Our knowledge of the census journey taken by Mary and Joseph in Luke's acco unt
has been marvellously enriched by an ancient document unearthed among the D ead
Sea Scrolls, in the so-called Cave of Letters. The letter, which was not
published until 1989, describes the long, arduous winter journey of a Jewis h
woman of the late first or early second century AD. The woman, Babata, and her
husband had to leave their town of residence, Makhoza, south of the Dead Se a,
and go to Rabbat in the north-east - probably modern Amman - where she had
original landed property legally shared with her spouse. He, Judah Ben
Eleazar, owned further plantations and estates at En Gedi, his own home tow n.

For the census registration itself, Babata's scribe uses exactly the same w ord
as Luke, apografestai, "to be registered". He also employs an identical
formulation to the Gospel writer to describe the imperial authority for the
census. Luke's account of the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, in other
words, begins to look less like a myth and more like an accurate account of a
burdensome administrative duty.

Similarly, archaeological work in Bethlehem since 1951 has done more to
confirm the accuracy of the scenery described in Luke's account than to
undermine it. The earliest excavated buildings and cisterns for water suppl y
date back to the time of Jesus's birth and were unearthed on the high easte rn
hill of the three peaks now covered by modern Bethlehem. In the modern subu rb
of Beit Sahur, the remnants of 1st century shepherds' buildings have been
excavated, a site where, as in St Luke, men would have been found "abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (2:8).

Luke also tells us that "she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped hi m
in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room f or
them in the inn" (2:7).

Today, the Church of the Nativity is said to mark the grotto of the birth o f
Jesus and has performed this function since ad 326 when the Empress Helena,
Constantine's mother, tore down the temple to Adonis built by the Emperor
Hadrian on the site in ad 135. Again, there are good grounds to regard the
site as plausible. Remnants of buildings and pottery from the Roman era hav e
been found nearby, and a Roman period tomb with three ossuaries: since Jewi sh
law decreed that tombs had to be outside human habitation but near it, thes e
excavations suggest that the church which stands today is on an ancient
plateau inside old Bethlehem's perimeter, as it was in Christ's day.

Modern historians have also tended to dismiss the story of the slaughter of
the innocents on the (dubious) grounds that it is only mentioned in St
Matthew's Gospel. Herod, the Gospel tells us, "slew all the children that w ere
in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years and under,
according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men"
(2:16). It has been argued that Matthew was simply echoing the account of t he
Egyptian murder of small children by Pharoah (Exodus 1:15), rather than
recording a historical event.

In fact, the Gospel writer is much more precise than Exodus. Herod's
instruction was grimly specific: applied to the hamlet of Bethlehem, it wou ld
have involved a dozen or so infants at most. It is mysterious, indeed, that
historians should find St Matthew's claim implausible. For there is ample
evidence of Herod's capacity for savage and impulsive cruelty.

Josephus, the 1st Century Roman-Jewish historian tells us: "He died on the
fifth day after having his son Antipater killed. . . He was a man who was
cruel to all alike and one who easily gave in to anger and was contemptuous of
justice." An even earlier Jewish text, written at the end of the first cent ury
BC, not long after Herod's death, and known as the Assumption of Moses,
records that he was one "who kills the princes by the sword, who kills them in
secret places so that no one knows where to find the bodies, who kills the old
and young ones, without mercy". This may even be an allusion to the Bethleh em
atrocity.

In February this year, a preliminary archaeological report was made on a
chilling and astonishing archaeological find at Ashkelon, not far from
Bethlehem. Here, excavations have revealed a mass grave of 100 infants in a
sewage channel underneath a Roman period bath and villa. Some of the childr en
were only a few days old when they died, others a little older. More than t wo
thirds were male. Tantalisingly, the burial took place during Herod's reign .

What terrible story do these remains have to tell? Although work on the
Ashkelon dig is still in its early stages, we shall probably never know. At
the very least, however, this find shows that the story told in St Matthew of
Herod's rage and its murderous consequences is perfectly plausible. Like so
many other elements in the Christmas story, it deserves to be taken more
seriously than our modern, sceptical instincts suggest to us.

As the distinguished classical scholar George Kennedy has written, "ancient
writers sometimes meant what they said, and occasionally even knew what the y
were talking about". The Nativity story has doubtless been embellished by t he
accretions of 2,000 years; but it is very far from a fairytale.

Carsten Peter Thiede's book, co-authored with Matthew d'Ancona, The Quest f or
the True Cross, is published by Phoenix (=A37.99) and is available from our
retail partner, Amazon. Click here to order a copy online.

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Welcome to Winterval
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 22 Dec 00 15:29:44 EST

Welcome to Winterval
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,414554,00.html

The fact that Christ's birth is celebrated at this time of year is a tribute
to St Paul's marketing skill

Special report: Christmas 2000

Polly Toynbee
Friday December 22, 2000

The National Secular Society sends out its Christmas message, a studious
little work examining the many origins of the Christmas myth. This is highly
recommended reading for all those who have been following the Daily Mail's
outrage at finding "political correctness" creeping into "traditional"
Christmas worship.

The Mail has discovered Joseph missing from the crib in many shops - a stable
single parent family scene. (Joseph was always a problem. Why is his genealogy
traced back to King David, when he was only the step-father? No, no answers on
postcards please.) The Mail fulminates: the BBC is putting on an alternative
nativity play with Jesus as a girl. Birmingham Council calls Christmas
"Winterval". Primary schools have introduced Three Wise Women instead of the
Kings. Vicars are dropping "gender-biased" hymns such as God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen. A Baptist minister has written a carol portraying the Virgin as a
"blessed teenage mother". A Greenwich comprehensive chose John Lennon's So
This Is Christmas instead of a carol - and an academic has declared the
snowman a symbol of masculine dominance.

The National Secular Society's learned work examines this "traditional"
Christmas story that is so much under threat and finds that it was always a
moveable feast, morphing from one religion to another, using the same stories
and symbols from one culture to another to celebrate the rebirth of the sun.
Since we are now a secular society - only 7% churchgoers - Birmingham was
right: winterval is exactly what we do celebrate. As for the particulars of
kings, stepfathers and shepherdesses, we are only following age-old tradition
in adapting the story to modern purposes.

Saturnalia in Rome was celebrated from December 17-24, covering the solstice.
December 25 was Natalis Solis Invicti, the Birth of the Unconquered Sun. Since
no one knew anything about Christ's birth, it wasn't celebrated in the early
church (Wee Frees still have none of this pagan festival). Superimposing
Christmas on existing festivals on December 25 only became official in the
fourth century. But it was not just the date they stole, it was the whole
Christmas story which had been around for centuries in earlier religions.

Mithras, the Persian sun god worshipped in the late empire, came from heaven
and was born as a man to redeem humanity from its sins. He was also born of a
virgin on December 25 and it was shepherds who first learnt of his birth. (He
too had a last supper with his disciples and ascended into heaven.) The
Egyptian god Horus, whose worshippers filled Rome at the same time, was
another saviour of mankind, born to a virgin.

Temples were filled with cribs with the infant Horus watched over by his
virgin mother Isis; 1,700 years before Christ, Isis had an annunciation when a
spirit descended and she conceived when an "ankh" - symbol of life - was put
to her lips. Isis was worshipped with familiar names: Queen of Heaven, Star of
the Sea, Our Lady and Immaculate Virgin. What's more Isis and Horus had a
flight into lower Egypt from a persecutor called Herrut soon after birth, also
protected by a kindly stepfather. Virgin mothers of gods are found in China
and Mexico, among Etruscans and Scandinavians.

In Greece, January 6 (later taken as Epiphany by the Christians) was the date
the virgin goddess Kore gave birth to Dionysus, whose name was sometimes Ies
and sometimes Jesus. Krishna was born of a virgin. Even the birth of Caesar
Augustus was described by sycophants of his day (writing at the time of
Christ's birth) in words almost identical to that used in the bible: "saviour
of the whole human race", destined to bring "peace on earth", his arrival
bringing "glad tidings to the world".

As for the star, the birth of Buddha was heralded by one, and wise men were
told of his coming. The massacre of innocents, trying to find the newborn
child dangerous to a leader, crops up in many religions. Thus endeth the
lesson of the secularists.

The universality of the myth makes sense. Rebirth in the dead of winter is a
universal (northern hemisphere) cause to celebrate. Whatever stories and
romances are woven around mythical infants, the wonder of human birth remains
a humanist sentiment: creative primary school teachers are quite free to add
and change it as much as they like. If, in the great religious melting pot of
Rome, the Christian story eventually won out over the rest, it was St Paul's
marketing skill in adding sophisticated populist elements: the child is poor,
rich and poor alike bow down to it, worldly wealth not his domain, unlike the
royal virgin births of earlier religions. Christianity was nothing if not
opportunist.

Flexi-religion, Roman style, causes much concern among bishops and Telegraph
readers: the new age pick-and-mix approach has them wringing their hands when
Hopi ear candles, crystals and pentangles compete with the solemnity of
traditional mystic gadgetry. What, they protest, can children know of religion
when they celebrate Diwali one day, Chanukah the next, with Easter bonnets and
pancakes all they glean of death and resurrection?

They may be right that the current equal reverence for all faiths is
profoundly misplaced and perplexing. How can all revealed religious truths
that have warred for centuries be taught as equally true? What matters is that
the history of all superstition is taught with equal intellectual rigour. An
analytical approach to religion, with comparisons between them and study of
their social effects - some good but mainly lethal - is the best armoury to
give children to confront whatever new kinds of nonsense bubbles up during
their life times.

Instead, perversely, we seem to be marching in the opposite direction. Church
schools are about to get a great fillip from the state, with David Blunkett
wanting them to run yet more schools: they already have a third of the total,
doing well in league tables because so many cream off the most involved
parents. Muslim state schools have now opened, unavoidable unless Britain
followed the US constitution and banned religion from state education. What
about extra subsidies for atheist schools?

House of Lords reform threatens to give more power to religions - 26 C of E
bishops may be joined by 10 other faiths, as unrepresentative, illiberal and
philistine as most were on section 28. Meanwhile in a country where 90% of the
people practice no religion, charity law ensures all taxpayers contribute to
church funds via tax-breaks. "The advancement of religion" has been a
charitable purpose since 1601, though the law never defined religion.

These days the Charity Commission lets in any religion with "a dominant deity"
- so pantheists are out (but, oddly, Odin worshippers are in). The National
Secular Society has no charitable status because it campaigns against
religion, which is considered "political". Merry Winterval.

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Web of disbelief
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 22 Dec 00 15:30:34 EST

Web of disbelief

http://www.smh.com.au/news/0012/23/spectrum/spectrum1.html

Religion has staked a big claim in cyberspace, but has it done a Faustian
deal? Chris McGillion considers God's future online where priests and
pornographers must subscribe to the same logic and language.

By general consensus, this Christmas marks the 2,000th anniversary of the
birth of Jesus Christ. It also marks the survival into a third millennium,
against sometimes impossible odds, of the religion that bears His name. Among
believers it is a time for celebration and confidence in their creed, but
hardly a time for complacency. In only the past 10 years, the world view that
sustains not only Christianity but religious belief itself has come under a
greater threat than that posed by Galileo or Nietzsche or Lenin. This threat
may not seem immediately apparent or particularly malign but it is in your
workplace, in your home and never more than a click away. Indeed, if you are
reading this article online you are already under its spell.

A little perspective may help to understand the origins and significance of
this threat. In 1907 the American historian Henry Adams privately published a
book on the influence of industrialisation on mass consciousness (The
Education of Henry Adams) in which he describes a visit to the Paris
Exhibition seven years earlier where he found himself "lying in the Gallery of
Machines [with his] historical neck broken by the sudden irruption of forces
totally new". One exhibit in particular transfixed him: it was a dynamo and,
confronted by the power it symbolised, Adams felt an impulse to pray to the
machine as one might pray to a crucifix or religious statue.

Almost a century later, science-fiction writer William Gibson ascribed a
similar metaphysical quality to the Internet. Gibson was quoted in a Time
magazine article in 1996 as saying that "the Net itself has become conscious.
It may regard itself as God. And it may be God on its own terms."

Mankind's love affair with the machine is at least as old as the wheel. Still,
the idea that machinery can supply not only his needs and wants and extend the
boundaries of his physical powers but also encapsulate an omnipotence that
defies natural (and even supernatural) law is relatively recent.

The excitement stirred by mechanical contraptions has dimmed with time and
familiarity, but throughout the 19th century it was intensely felt.
Smokestacks competed with church steeples to represent symbolically the
dominant organising principle of society, as the tyranny of distance fell to
steel and steam and telegraphic wires, and as an emerging middle class in
Europe and North America marvelled at invented gadgets and the claims made on
their behalf by popular writers, including Jules Verne in such books as From
the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (1870)
or H.G. Wells in The Time Machine (1895).

A new, breathtaking age seemed to be dawning and in its first light the
idolatry of machinery was only one challenge posed to traditional religion.
Far more pressing, if also more complex, was the problem of how religious
belief could possibly prevail in the radically changed social and
psychological landscape that issued from the Industrial Revolution. The world
was being remade according to man's not God's designs.

Religion did prevail, if in a weakened condition. But the information
revolution of the past decade, and the development of the Internet in
particular, has greatly accelerated and magnified the challenge posed by
technology to belief. The idea of Deus ex machina ("a god from a machine"), to
which Henry Adams gave new meaning after his encounter with the dynamo, is
being further fashioned into a Deus machina (or "god machine") of William
Gibson's Internet.

At first glance this may seem absurd. For one thing, the Net remains a tool of
a small number of relatively privileged people a mere 5 to 10 per cent of the
world's population. For another, religion is well represented among them on
the World Wide Web.

But absolute numbers tell only part of the story of the impact of the Net.
When the Internet was first made generally available, in 1991, it was a
technology whose primary users were a small clutch of academics and defence
contractors. Within two years, 23 million Americans had clicked on; now an
estimated 600 million people are wired to the Net around the world and their
ranks are growing exponentially.

Furthermore, the cultural repercussions of this technology extend far beyond
the number of people using it. Anyone who doubts that need only consider the
influence of books through history on a population that, for the most part,
remained illiterate.

It is true that religion has staked a major claim in cyberspace. Enter the
keyword "religion" in the AltaVista search engine and the program turns up
more than 3,220,000 Web pages on the subject. Enter the word "God", and you
will find more than 3,600,000 pages; for "church" there are close to
7,000,000. (By comparison, "politics" turns up about 3,770,000 pages and
"economics" a mere 2,640,000.) Indeed, on some estimates, religion, broadly
defined, is the most popular subject on the Net after pornography. But its
presence there may be part of the threat posed to religion by this technology
rather than a long-term strategy of survival in the new information age.

One of the characteristics of religion on the Internet is its eclecticism.
Apart from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu sites there are Web
pages devoted to Zoroastrianism, Jainism, New Age syncretisms and any number
of freelance "ministries" and "spiritualities". To the undiscerning, the
impression this creates is of a religious kaleidoscope in which the wide
variety of claims to truth undermines the veracity of them all.

As some analysts argue, the Net is by nature subversive of established
hierarchies and traditions not only on account of this plurality but also
because of the Net's essential anarchy. "Images proliferate, the Net spreads,
the volume rises," philosophers Mark Taylor and Esa Saarinen have written.
"No-one is in control." From the point of view of faith, what the Net provides
is the widespread dissemination of information previously restricted to
intellectual elites and priestly castes, a pulpit for the unorthodox and
heretical as much as for true believers, and an opportunity to discuss
previously taboo subjects in a way that can undermine the authority of
religious institutions.

The French Catholic bishop Jacques Gaillot saw this as clearly as anyone when,
in 1995, he established a diocese on the Net after being vanquished by the
Pope to an abandoned one in North Africa on account of his liberal social
views. "On the Internet there is no question of someone imposing rules on the
way people communicate," Gaillot said in explanation of his initiative to set
up a virtual diocese. "The Net has no centre from which will can be applied."

Neil Postman, an American author of several books on the media, has taken the
implication of Gaillot's comment much further: "If indeed [the Net] takes
power away from the centre and gives it to the margins we can anticipate not
tomorrow but in a hundred years the Vatican will be far less important in
determining proper Catholic liturgy, theology and so on."

The decentralisation of information, however, is merely the most obvious way
Internet technology threatens the hold of established religions, and
predictions such as Postman's are hardly prophetic. After all, the development
of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century helped destroy
the monopoly of the medieval church by making Bibles and thus the word of God
directly accessible to ordinary believers for the first time.

More fundamentally, the Net has the potential to change ontology (our way of
being) and epistemology (our way of knowing) in ways that threaten the
religious imagination itself. Put another way, new information technology is
radically altering how we view the world and our place in it and, in this way,
what have been the essential bases of belief everywhere and in all ages.

Michael Leunig captured something of this impact in a satirical cartoon some
years ago. It showed a father and son entranced by a picture of a sunset on
television while the very same sun was setting through a window behind them.
Image, Leunig seemed to be suggesting, is displacing experience as the first
step in knowing. As a society, we are close to spending most of our waking
lives consuming images on television or computer screens. Soon, technology
will merge the two, creating an even stronger impetus to switch on and tune
out.

Already people are bombarded with more images (of scenes, events,
relationships, role models and so on) than any generation before them. As a
result they see more but arguably know less; experience is being devalued as
something that is time-consuming and rarely able to match the more vivid
pictures and videos on offer. Why experience an actual sunset when the
Internet can deliver thousands of images of far more spectacular setting suns
via the computer screen?

Interiority the capacity to step back from places and events and contemplate
their meaning is an essential ingredient of the religious imagination. But it
is also one of the casualties of an image-driven culture. When we experience a
sunset, we experience also the decline of the day, the slow cooling of the
earth, and the thoughts and emotions each generates within us. We engage our
imaginations in a special, some might say spiritual, way. Internet-generated
images, by contrast, invite reaction not reflection and invite it at the speed
of instinctive, rather than considered, responses. What we gain in information
we lose in insight and, over time perhaps, in the capacity even to think
insightfully.

The displacement of lived experience by the kind of vicarious amusement
provided by a flow of images may already be contributing to a decline in
religious practice in the West. Church services are repetitive and typically
downright boring, especially to young people whose attention spans have been
attuned to the kind of rapid-fire entertainment provided by television,
computer games and the Internet. But an image-induced disengagement from
physical activity has far more profound consequences than discouraging people
from attending church on Sunday. One such consequence is the erosion of
traditional sources of social and psychological grounding.

A claim often made for the Internet is that it is fostering a new, global
community. At the same time, however, it is fragmenting existing communities
by disconnecting people from their sense of place and from concrete
relationships. "The more readily we conceive the planet as a single unit and
move about it freely on missions of study or work, the more necessary it is to
establish such a home base, such an intimate psychological core with visible
landmarks and cherished personalities," Lewis Mumford wrote in his 1956 book
The Transformation of Man. "The world will not become a neighbourhood, even if
every part of it is bound by instant communication and rapid transformation,
if the neighbourhood itself as an idea and a social form is allowed to
disappear."

But the idea of neighbourhood and its social form are disappearing in the
global village. And whatever else that village is, it is not a place where
people make demands of personal responsibility on others. Those demands result
from enfleshed encounters, not virtual ones. And they require a definition of
self on which demands can be made with a reasonable expectation that they can
and will be met.

In my online "relationships", however, I can be anyone I choose to be. And I
can change my identity to suit my purposes. That being so, no-one can be sure
who I am and eventually I may not be sure myself. Some commentators have noted
that the enthusiasm for multiple selves is a characteristic of the cyber
generation. It expresses itself most predominantly in chat-line forums,
Internet dating "cafes" and email correspondence where participants experiment
with "characters" and embrace ambiguous identities, including gender ones.

As Tom Beaudoin has argued in Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of
Generation X, "Cyberspace unlocks the extent to which our identities have
always harboured other possibilities, just waiting to get out on their own."
But the more identities that "get out on their own", the less anyone can be
sure of with whom they are interacting or even who they themselves are. For
Xers, Beaudoin suggests, both the experience and conception of selfhood "are
characterised more by incoherence than coherence, more by fragmentation than
unity".

To the extent that he is right, this fracturing of the self and other selves
raises fundamental questions about the ability of future generations to
sustain communities, to give expression to a stable and discernible collective
conscience, and to continue to think, let alone act, morally in the usual
sense of the word.

The attraction of virtual realities and imaginary parallel universes on the
Internet encourages people to opt out of the kind of flesh-and-blood
relationships that are the indispensable condition of shared religious
meanings. They also answer the human need for transcendence that has
traditionally been addressed by artists, philosophers and priests. The idea
that heaven exists in cyberspace, for instance, may not be convincing to
everyone but it has its protagonists. Margaret Wertheim quotes two in her book
The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: Hans Moravec, who claims that in cyberspace we
will find immortality and thereby realise the Book of Revelation's promise
that "death shall be no more"; and Nicole Stenger, who argues that through
cyberspace, "We will become angels, and for eternity!"

What distinguishes Moravec and Stenger is that they are not your average
crackpots: Moravec is a robotics expert at Carnegie Mellon University; Stenger
is a virtual reality animator at hit lab, the Human Interface Technology
Laboratory at the University of Washington. They are representatives of a
small but growing body of opinion that the Internet provides an opportunity to
escape the limitations of physical life and to create virtual utopias in which
people can realise their fantasies or pursue some elusive sense of eternal
being all without the aid of religion.

Religion confronts other, more immediate challenges from the Internet than
do-it-yourself immortality, however. In The Rise of the Network Society,
Manuel Castells writes that the "new communication system radically transforms
space and time, the fundamental dimensions of human life. Localities become
disembodied from their cultural, historical, geographic meaning, and
reintegrated into functional networks, or into image collages, inducing a
space of flows that substitutes for a space of planes. Time is erased [when]
past, present and future can be programmed to interact with each other in the
same message."

The erase of time leads to the promotion of ephemerality or what has been
called a "culture of moments". People are no longer socialised into
established roles and behaviours indeed these are considered a brake on
progress but rather encouraged to live in the present understood as a chain of
moments constantly renegotiated to suit the circumstances of the instant.
Fashions change, trends and styles come and go, and the past becomes a
recycling bin for reconfiguring new meanings. Nowhere is this more apparent
than in the world of popular culture.

One consequence is historical amnesia: memory no longer serves as a resource
for living and so it is forgotten or ignored. Religion, by contrast, is
essentially about memory. It seeks to convey absolute truths and eternal
teachings about the good life. Through ritual, great moments in the life of
the faith community the giving of divine laws, the coming into being of a
people under God's covenant, the sacrifice of Jesus for the salvation of the
world are re-created and their lessons renewed in each generation. But when
the past has no value as a guide to the future, ritual observance no longer
has a purpose and so ritual itself no power to enthral.

As a society's ritual life shrinks, so must its sense of the sacred.
Traditionally, civil and religious ceremonies acted as firewalls to prevent
the monopolisation of all life by the mundane requirements of living. The
Sabbath, for instance, was an opportunity to recall God's act of creation and,
in response, to attend to matters of the individual soul and through these to
the collective wellbeing. But now such shifts to sacred time are hard to
distinguish and harder still to observe. Purely secular values are displacing
spiritual ones.

This is a process that predates the Internet but it is greatly advanced by it.
All wonders are online, all the time, with the result that there is no more
enchantment that cannot be combined into the contrived imaginary worlds on
screen. Without enchantment, the line between the sacred and the profane is
finally obliterated.

In the midst of such profound intellectual adjustment, fundamentalist
religions have proliferated, including on the Web. But religion's embrace of
the Internet, Castells argues, is a Faustian deal. Going online means adopting
the logic of the Internet, and conceding a legitimacy to the rest of its
content including pornography, soap operas and chat lines. The suprahuman
status of the claims of religion meld into all other claims on the Net and
religion's symbolic power is undermined. "The final step of secularisation of
society follows," concludes Castells, "even if it sometimes takes the
paradoxical form of conspicuous consumption of religion, under all kinds of
generic and brand names."

All advanced technology, said the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, is
magic and, in time, magic may be all that is left. As the French sociologist
Emile Durkheim noted, magic beliefs are often diffused throughout societies
and at times can have as many adherents as religions. But magic is not the
same as religion. "It does not result in binding together those who adhere to
it," argued Durkheim, "nor in uniting them into a group leading a similar
life. There is no church of magic. Between the magician and the individuals
who consult him, as between these individuals themselves, there are no lasting
bonds which make them members of the same moral community, comparable to that
formed by the believers in the same god or the followers of the same cult."

Durkheim wrote those words in 1915. But he could have been describing what
will be left of the Internet society's religious foundation before long.
Reduced to the private world of magic, people in the third millennium may lose
knowledge of those shared ideas that have been the conceptual anchors of
civilised values, together with a sense of the eternal mysteries of life.

Chris McGillion is the Herald's religious affairs columnist. He teaches in the
School of Communication at Charles Sturt University.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Infobeat News items (12/22/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 18:53:11 -0500

*** Envoy: U.S. near payment deal to UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Media mogul Ted Turner is offering to give the
United Nations $34 million to break a budget impasse between the
United States and 188 other countries, sources close to the deal
said Thursday. Turner, who stunned the United Nations with a $1
billion gift three years ago, approached the Clinton administration
recently with his new offer, the sources said. If accepted by U.N.
members, the offer could help resolve a dispute over U.S. payments
to the organization that has had U.N. negotiators wrangling for
months. The United States currently pays 25% of the U.N.
administrative budget and says its share should be reduced to 22%.
But that would leave other countries to make up the shortfall, and
many have objected. Now Turner has offered to pay the $34 million
shortfall for 2001, anonymous sources said. The years after that
aren't addressed by his offer, though, and it wasn't immediately
clear if the gesture would be enough to persuade 188 reluctant
countries to accept the U.S.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405489301

*** Death toll in E. Timor may be 2,000

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Pro-Indonesian militias may have killed up to
2,000 people in violence last year following East Timor's vote for
independence from Indonesia, a U.N. investigator said Thursday. "They're
still finding people," James Dunn, a member of a U.N. team investigating
the militia killings, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "My
investigation suggests quite a few people were killed in the mountains and
their bodies were probably taken away by relatives and buried privately
and they've said nothing about them because they didn't want them
disturbed." Dunn also said he had evidence that some bodies had been
dumped at sea. Authorities have previously estimated that about 1,000
people were killed in an orgy of violence by the militias and their
Indonesian army backers after the Aug. 30, 1999, independence referendum.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405489261

*** Russia tentatively OKs waste imports

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's Atomic Energy Ministry on Thursday won
preliminary approval of its dream of earning as much as $20 billion
by importing other countries' nuclear waste for processing - up to
21,000 tons of it over the next decade. Environmentalists say it
will turn Russia into the world's nuclear dump. The State Duma, or
lower house of parliament, on Thursday approved by 319-38 the
proposal to bring spent nuclear fuel rods to Russia. It must clear
two more readings, pass the upper chamber and be signed by President
Vladimir Putin to become law. Proponents stressed that Russia should
take advantage of its Cold War-era nuclear and scientific
facilities, that it could make up to $20 billion over 10 years, and
that the money could help clean up radiation spills in Russia.

*** Popocatepetl quiet but dangerous

CHOLULA, Mexico (AP) - With Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano puffing
nearby and an alert still in effect, residents who fled its base
face the grim prospect of spending Christmas in crowded shelters -
for some, the second time in six years. After spewing fire and ash
this week in its strongest eruption in 1,200 years, the volcano's
tremors diminished to shudders, and the crater was emitting only
occasional puffs of smoke. Mostly, it sat silent against a clear,
bright sky. Still, scientists have warned that energy was still
building inside the 17,886-foot mountain, possibly a precursor to
more activity. Roberto Quass, director of Mexico's National Disaster
Center, warned Thursday that another strong eruption is likely in
the next two days. Officials aren't letting people go home just yet,
and they're telling them to expect to spend Christmas in the
shelters.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405489440

*** NATO to reopen office in Moscow

MOSCOW (AP) - NATO plans to reopen its information office in Russia,
which it closed following the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a
Russian foreign ministry spokesman said Friday. The office is
expected to open again sometime in 2001. Ministry spokesman Vladimir
Ashurov did not give an exact date, but he said only technical
issues such as finding office space remain to be resolved. Russia
severed ties with NATO as a result of the bombing campaign aimed at
unseating then-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic and forcing him to
withdraw troops from the province of Kosovo. Ties were resumed
earlier this year.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405496687

*** Calif. to set future ISP phone fees

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Internet dial-up users will have to wait to find out
whether they could encounter rate hikes or weakened service from their
Internet service providers. The California Public Utilities Commission
postponed a vote on a new system that would enable telephone companies to
track Internet connections the same as phone calls. President Loretta
Lynch said Thursday the PUC would review the proposal more thoroughly. It
is expected to vote in January. ISPs fear approval by the PUC would mean
that Internet calls would no longer be treated as local traffic. And that
could result in long-distance or local toll charges filtering down to
customers. In California, dial-up users - those who use a modem to connect
to the Internet - currently connect through telephone companies like
Pacific Bell, Verizon and Roseville Telephone. Many ISPs then use small
local phone companies to complete the calls to their networks.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405494115

*** Solstice sign joins other symbols

YORKTOWN, N.Y. (AP) - A fanciful picture of the sun with the message
"American Athiests Wish You a Very Merry Winter Solstice" has joined
a Christmas creche and a Hanukkah menorah on a slice of town
property. He misspelled "atheists," but Chris Morton made his point
when he put up the sign Thursday, the first day of winter. Morton
won permission from Yorktown officials, who cited a freedom of
speech clause in the town code. He erected the sign on a slice of
lawn traditionally used for religious displays like the stable
depicting Christ's birth and the Jewish menorah. Morton has a
second, similar sign in reserve in case the first is vandalized.
Winter solstice is the moment the sun appears at its southernmost
point in the sky, giving the day the shortest period of daylight for
people in the Northern Hemisphere. Ancient pagans celebrated the day
with riotous festivals.

Full article at: http://www.infobeat.com/fullArticle?article=405489369

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