To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Ramadan killings claim another nine lives in Algeria
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 14:53:43 -0500

Ramadan killings claim another nine lives in Algeria The latest wave of
violence increased the death toll to more than 320 since the start of
Ramadan

 December 23, 2000, 11:29 AM

ALGIERS (AFP English) - Algeria=92s latest wave of violence claimed another
nine lives, increasing the death toll to more than 320 since the beginning of
the holy month of Ramadan.

Security forces surrounded and killed seven armed rebels Friday near Chlef,
200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Algiers, press reports said.

The rebels had abducted an elderly woman and a child in a house but
released them unscathed.

On Thursday, an armed rebel slit the throat of a police guard in the villag e of
Boulahdjal, 300 kilometers east of Algiers, and a bomb exploded early Frida y
in a cemetery near Tenes 200 kilometers west of the capital, killing a woma n
and injuring four others, three of which were children, papers said.

The victims had come to visit graves when they were caught up in the
explosion, the same sources added.

More than 100,000 people have died since rebels took up arms in 1992 after
the army called off the second round of elections the Islamic Salvation Fro nt
was poised to win.

http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,News|36114,00.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Egypt seeks to punish Egyptians married to Israelis
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 14:55:44 -0500

Egypt seeks to punish Egyptians married to Israelis

'They should be stripped of their citizenship as punishment for their
matrimonial choice'

 December 23, 2000, 11:11 AM

CAIRO (AFP English) - Egyptians married to Israeli women should be
stripped of their citizenship as punishment for their matrimonial choice, a n
Egyptian member of parliament said.

Mortada Mansur charged that Israel was recruiting every year "dozens of
spies" among Egyptian men married to Israeli women, the Al-Wafd
opposition newspaper reported.

Mansur did not refer to women, presumably because Islam prohibits Muslim
women from marrying non-Muslims.

Mansur urged Foreign Minister Amr Mussa to brief parliament on the number
of Egyptians living in Israel and the number of those who married there, Al -
Wafd said.

Egypt is the only Arab country, along with Jordan, to have a peace treaty
with Israel.

Egyptian engineer Sherif Fawzi Al-Filali, 34, was arrested at his home in a
northeast Cairo suburb on September 27 and has been under detention since
then on charges he spied for Israel=92s intelligence service Mossad.

Filali, whose trial is due to open January 13, is not married to an Israeli , but
his case highlights current concern in Egypt about possible Israeli
espionage.

http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,News|36111,00.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Israel seeking to stall Mitchell Commission
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 14:58:59 -0500

Thursday, December 21, 2000

Israel seeking to stall Mitchell Commission

                  By Aluf Benn and Nitzan Horowitz
                  Ha'aretz Correspondents and Reuters

Israel wants the Palestinian Authority to suspend the work of the Mitchell
Commission during the diplomatic negotiations over the final status
arrangements. The international fact-finding committee is investigating the
root causes of the Al Aqsa Intifada.

Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami was expected to make this demand this
week during his talks with the Palestinian delegation in Washington. Ben-
Ami said he was optimistic about the forthcoming talks with the
Palestinians.

"These are very, very serious negotiations with a spirit that may lead to the
conclusion of an agreement if we maintain the same spirit," the foreign
minister said.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was more cautious after preliminary
talks at the White House with President Bill Clinton and Israeli Foreign
Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami. "I don't want to raise anybody's expectations," he
said. "We're having very, very serious discussions. But at the same time, we
are facing major difficulties and serious differences."

The Palestinians told Clinton they are committed to reaching a
comprehensive agreement in accordance with United Nations Security
Council resolutions 242 and 338, as well as Resolution 194 on the refugees.
Erekat made it clear they would settle for nothing less.

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources in Jerusalem explained the Foreign Ministry's
position regarding the Mitchell Commission.

"The Palestinians are demanding that we take trust-building measures such
as lifting closures and encirclements in the territories, but at the same time
they are taking steps to destroy trust by submitting a report that will
denounce Israel to the commission and accuse it of war crimes. If an
agreement is reached," the sources said, "what's the point in continuing to
examine past events?"

The sources nevertheless accept there is no chance the Palestinians would
want to do away with a commission created at their request, especially
since the United Nations this week rejected their request for international
observers in the territories.

Israel has an interest in "dragging out" the Mitchell Commission's work for as
long as possible, the sources said. "We are in no rush. Let it fade away as
quickly as possible."

Although former United States Senator George Mitchell and his colleagues
made reassuring noises during their visit to Jerusalem last week, and Israel
promised its full cooperation, the government is trying to limit the
committee's freedom of movement.

Israel wants to reach an agreement ahead of time on the committee's
operating guidelines, seeing this as a necessary condition for continuing.

"Establishing known rules of the game is elementary to a just process, and it
cannot take place without them," a senior source said.

As long as there are no agreed guidelines, Israel is refusing to let the
commission gather testimony or carry out its own checks in the field,
permitting only the exchange of written reports with the PA.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=12/21/00&
id=104264

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Shanghai show gun to zap mobiles
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:06:56 -0500

Shanghai show gun to zap mobiles

By David Rennie in Beijing

China's most prestigious theatre, the Shanghai Grand, says it will beam an
electronic radio field at its audience - a ray gun that will knock out
mobile phone calls during the shows.

Chinese audiences have long enjoyed a dismal reputation among
international performers, stubbornly resisting all pleas to turn off
phones and radio pagers - or even to stay in their seats during shows.

Many think little of holding long conversations on their mobiles, raising
their voices to be heard above music or dialogue.

The Shanghai Grand Theatre, a gleaming white ultra-modern complex, was
built in 1998 to host world-class performers by city fathers determined to
erase Shanghai's reputation as a philistine, money-obsessed metropolis.

Since then, however, theatre directors have cringed as guest entertainers
ranging from Britain's Royal Ballet to the jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis
and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra have had to fight to be heard above
a chorus of beeps and chattering.

"We are completely at our wits' end," Mr Ying, the head of the theatre's
technical department, said.

"The Grand Theatre is the best in China, and we often invite top-level
artists to perform.

"But our audience's behaviour is very low-level.

"Before every performance we ask people to turn off their phones and
pagers three times, in English and Chinese, but they turn a deaf ear."

Big events are often the worst-affected, as hundreds of tickets are
distributed to bored Communist Party officials and VIPs. They then nip
outside in mid-aria for quick cigarettes and walk out as soon as the show
ends, without applauding.

A concert given by the BBC Scottish Symphony orchestra in Beijing's Great
Hall of the People was interrupted by 16 phone calls, according to one
reviewer.

Only a handful of visitors have fought back, notably the violinist Isaac
Stern, who simply stopped playing to stare icily at the holder of a
trilling pager during a concert at the Shanghai Concert Hall.

"Chinese people are often given the tickets by friends and pay no
attention to the performers," Mr Ying said. "They see it as an occasion to
relax."

The theatre is testing equipment that jams all incoming signals.

"The People's Liberation Army uses something like it for electromagnetic
warfare," Mr Ying said.

The theatre ray gun is likely to be installed early next year.

The Telegraph, London

http://www.smh.com.au/news/0012/23/world/world14.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Laptops That Run on Alcohol
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:16:09 -0500

Laptops That Run on Alcohol
Reuters

1:45 p.m. Jan. 19, 2000 PST
Researchers have developed a powerful, miniature fuel cell that may one
day replace traditional batteries in laptop computers, cellular phones and
other devices.

Motorola, the world's No. 2 wireless phone maker, said Wednesday
scientists at its labs and at Los Alamos National Laboratory used liquid
methanol to power the cells, which last up to 10 times longer than
existing rechargeable batteries. Liquid methanol, a wood alcohol, is also
used in windshield wiper fluid.

The fuel cells, which are still about three to five years away from the
store shelves, could power a wireless phone for more than a month and keep
a laptop running for 20 hours, said Bill Ooms, director of Motorola's
material, device, and energy research.

They would use small plastic canisters similar to those used for fountain
pen ink. Consumers could easily check the methanol level to find out when
to replace the fuel cell, which will likely cost as much as or less than
traditional rechargeables, Ooms said.

"Manufacturers are constantly developing new features for portable
electronic equipment that require more power and longer operating life,"
Ooms said. "These fuel cells have an amazing ability to produce energy for
longer periods of time while weighing far less than conventional
batteries."

Fuel cells convert chemical energy directly to electrical energy. The
basic concept of a fuel cell originated in 1839, but practical
applications came from NASA in the early days of space flight, Motorola
said.

These new miniature cells, each measuring about one inch square and less
than one-tenth of an inch in thickness, use a reservoir of inexpensive
methanol that, when combined with the oxygen in the air, produces
electricity.

The "air breathing" fuel cell was developed at Los Alamos National
Laboratory. The highly simplified and miniaturized design eliminates the
need for air pumps, heat exchangers and other complex devices that
previous fuel cells required and therefore disqualified them from
successful use in small portable electronic products.

Copyright =A9 2000 Reuters Limited.

via: transhumantech@egroups.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Let Locusts Be Your Guide
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:19:07 -0500

Let Locusts Be Your Guide
by Michelle Delio

3:00 a.m. Oct. 12, 2000 PDT

Most people associate locusts with biblical-style plagues or a noisy
summertime nuisance.

But Ph.D. student Jeff Dawson considers them harmless and even helpful
insects, and has harnessed their biomechanics to guide a vehicle.

Dawson, who is studying biology at Queen's University in Kingston,
Ontario, said locusts don't sting and they can't bite you because their
jaws are specialized to feed on plants.

Recently Dawson decided to implant a few of those nice insects with
electrodes, so that he could attach them to a robotic cart and see if
their wing motions could be used to steer the vehicle.

Dawson said that the inspiration for his locust-driven cart came from an
article in Discover magazine about another scientist, Steve Bathiche, who
attached a hawkmoth to a remote-controlled model car.

"As I read the article I kept thinking about how great it would be to use
a locust instead of a hawkmoth and to use a three-wheeled platform that
mimics the biomechanics of insect flight in place of an 'off-the shelf' RC
car."

Dawson then contacted friend and hacker Ron Harding, who works as a
programmer for Research In Motion and tinkers in electronics, antique
computers, and sometimes builds potato cannons.

Harding purchased some electronic parts and prepped a few circuit boards
for their weekend project. When the big day arrived, Dawson brought along
a robotics kit he'd purchased online, a bucket of live locusts, and his
electrode-implanting equipment.

The two worked feverishly on the project, but one weekend wasn't enough.
It took four days of around-the-clock effort to get the cart, dubbed MEL,
up and running. The name was inspired by Dawson's Ph.D. supervisor, Mel
Robertson, allegedly wanting nothing to do with the project, Harding said.

"We were trying to come up with a name, and of course I figured it would
be funny to name it after Mel. The acronym expanded itself in a flash:
myo... electric... locust. Eureka!" ("Myo" is a Latin prefix that refers
to muscles.)

MEL's circuits were built on a prototype board, which included a module to
amplify the weak signals from the electrodes and some simple
signal-processing circuits, Harding said.

For the "smarts," they used a programmable interrupt controller.

"The PIC microcontroller is a very powerful computer, running at an
astonishing 5 MHz, with a whopping 1K of program memory and some 36
bytes of RAM," said Harding, who coded the PIC in assembly language.

While Harding coded, Dawson busied himself by implanting electrodes into
the locusts so the insects could "communicate" with the cart.

Those with a steady hand can poke a small hole in a locust's exoskeleton
and then slide a thin wire inside so that it makes contact with the
muscle. The electrodes are then held in place with a small drop of wax.

Harding pointed out that locusts are not dainty insects. The species that
he used for MEL has a 9-12cm wingspan and a body length of about half
their wingspan.

"When you do something like this, size matters," Harding said.

Locusts are also very robust insects, and inserting the electrodes doesn't
affect their flight behavior or harm them permanently, Dawson said.

The locust is then attached to a tether on the cart with a bit of melted
beeswax. Dawson said the most difficult part of the project for him was
finding the cart chassis.

"We didn't have access to a precision machine shop -- thanks to cutbacks
in university funding -- and we had to build this in Ron's home
electronics shop."

For Harding, the major challenge was getting the hardware and software to
correctly recognize and interpret the locust's muscle activity.

Locusts steer by altering the movement of their wing muscles. That sounds
like an easy model to plan for but, as Harding pointed out, locusts are
living creatures and they don't always behave as the theory says they
should.

Sometimes a wing will skip a cycle; sometimes a wing muscle will be pulsed
multiple times, rather than just once.

Harding said the algorithms had to be smart enough to pick the meaningful
activity out of all of the motion that occurs.

"It's hard to say whether that's because the cart is not understanding the
locust's intent, or because the locust is deliberately behaving
unpredictably -- which they do, to avoid being eaten by bats," he said.

Harding said he likes to imagine that the techniques used in the cart
could be applied to things like bionic limbs for humans. But Dawson told
him that vertebrate muscle activation signals are much more complex than
they are for insects.

Dawson points out that controlling a machine with muscle activity is not a
new concept and research into "smart prosthetics" is much more
sophisticated than the technology that went into this cart.

But he does feel that perhaps the locust car might be a proof of the
concept that simple devices can be built and used as sophisticated input
devices for virtual reality systems.

"The activity of certain muscles in humans can be picked up with special
electrodes that can be taped to the skin," Dawson said. "It's interesting
to imagine how a video-game experience might be enriched if the play of
the game was affected by the movements and physiological state of the
player."

Prof. Mel Robertson believes that MEL, while not breaking new scientific
ground, is a wonderful "vehicle" for attracting people's attention to
other aspects of his project team's research.

"In my opinion MEL has great potential ... but right at the moment it is
just a neat thing," Robertson said. "Anyone who sees the car driving along
the corridor with a locust at the helm can't help smiling or laughing in
amazement."

http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,39379,00.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Real life catches up with Star Trek
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:20:51 -0500

Real life catches up with Star Trek

HSV Technologies Inc., of San Diego, California is developing a
non-lethal weapon that uses ultraviolet laser beams to harmlessly
immobilize people and animals at a distance. The Phaser-like device
uses two beams of UV radiation to ionize paths in the air along which
electrical current is conducted to and from the target. In effect, the
beams create wires through the atmosphere wherever they are pointed.

The current within these beams is a close replication of the
neuro-electric impulses that control skeletal muscles. It is
imperceptible to the target person because it differs from his own
neural impulses only in that its repetition rate is sufficiently rapid to
tetanize muscle tissue. (Tetanization is the stimulation of muscle fibers
at a frequency which merges their individual contractions into a single
sustained contraction.)

No retinal damage can occur because the cornea absorbs all ultraviolet
radiation at the wavelengths used. Moreover, the beams are too weak to
produce photokeratitis (corneal inflammation) unless they are directed at
the eyes for several minutes. In addition, the current they transmit is
insufficient to affect the muscles of the heart and diaphragm.

See Ocular Safety of the Tetanizing Beam Weapon

Our electrical beam weapon has a far longer potential range than its
nearest competitor, the wire-based Taser=AE .

Successful proof-of-principle tests have been performed at the
University of California at San Diego, and further refinements using
novel laser designs are forthcoming.

Although the smallest laser now available for this application is the size
of a carry-on suitcase, a hand-held version should become feasible with
only modest advances in laser technology.

Also under development is an engine-disabling variation for use
against the electronic ignitions of automobiles. The engine-disabling
version should be able to operate with off-the-shelf lasers because it
would be carried aboard police patrol cars.

See US Patent #5,675,103

The interested reader is directed to the following articles:

Max Glaskin, The Ministry of Defence is looking at a new weapon that
could immobilise gunmen, The Sunday Times, Inovations, Sunday May 9,
1999.

Hand, A. J., UV lasers stop people in their tracks, Photonics Spectra,
Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 32-33, January 1999.

David Mulholland, Laser Device May Provide U.S. Military Nonlethal
Option, Staff writer, Defense News, June 14, 1999, Page 6, Copyright, The
Army Times Publishing Company.

Owen, G. P., Directed energy weapons, a historical perspective,
Journal of Defence Science, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 89-93, 1997.

Lamabares, A., et al., Absorption spectra of corneas in the far
ultraviolet region, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science,
Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 1283-1287, 1997.

Pasternak, D., Wonder weapons, U.S. News & World Report, July 7, 1997,
pp.
38-46.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Press Releases

Related Links

http://www.hsvt.org/

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (12/23/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:33:37 -0500

VATICAN FEARS TERRORISM THREAT

The Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano is worried and unhappy with what it
sees as the Italian authorities' inadequate response to the discovery of a
home-made bomb on the roof of Milan cathedral, Italy's largest Gothic
building. "The Milan bomb was a disturbing episode once again sounding the
alarm bell against terrorism," the paper says in a commentary. "Now
everyone is acknowledging this reality... but this is a much belated
realization of a truth that was clear for all to see: terrorism has not gon e
away."

The paper expresses "indignation and concern" over what it calls "the
almost total silence" of the authorities over the fact that a document foun d
with the bomb contained a reference to the Vatican's Jubilee Year
celebrations now coming to a close. "Has it been overlooked that the days
leading up to the closure are likely to bring the greatest crowds of the wh ole
Holy Year?" it asks. "We cannot but hope that the implications of the act o f
desecration (at Milan cathedral) will be fully realized." (BBC)

WE'RE ALL DREAMING OF A CHRIST-FREE CHRISTMAS

You can stop dreaming of a white Christmas: global warming has seen to
that. You can forget about a Christian Christmas, too: thanks to the
dramatic transformation of British society, that's also become a long-ago
memory of Christmas Past. The number of Britons who will mark the
coming weekend as a religious festival celebrating the 2,000th anniversary
of the birth of Jesus Christ is dwindlingly few. Fewer than a million peopl e
attend a Church of England service each week: even if those figures triple
for midnight mass on Sunday or again on Christmas morning, it will still
amount to just 1 in 20 of us.

Instead, Britons seem to have reached a consensus, agreeing that
Christmas is nothing more than a national holiday, an end-of-year blow-out
of television, rich food and consumerism all carried to excess. As so often ,
it is the very young who reveal the trend most clearly: of 1,200 8-16-year-
olds surveyed by the agency MediaCom TMB, 67% said they associate the
festive season with Santa [Satan] Claus. Only 8% linked Christmas with
Christ. It's not just the old cliche about Christmas being hijacked by
commercialism. The Christian content of the festival has been actively
drained out of it.

Scan the bumper television listings and you'll find the "God-slot" shoved i nto
the very early morning or the very late night: primetime is faithless. Or t ake
the images that our government ministers have selected for their mass-
mailed "Christmas" cards. Tony Blair has substituted little baby Leo for li ttle
baby Jesus, with the Prime Minister and wife, Cherie, in the Joseph and
Mary roles. Pundits have claimed to see a manger-like set-up to the picture ,
but it's a bit of a stretch. The message of the card is New Labour, New
Father - not the Nativity.

The words themselves are equally Christ-free. Whether it's a card from the
Chancellor, the BBC or the Guardian, the message gingerly tiptoes around
any mention of the chap who gave his name to the festival: "Season's
Greetings" is the preferred alternative. (The Office of National Statistics
has come up with its own twist, by wishing its friends "seasonally adjusted
greetings".) In conversation, the same rule applies. Only the passe still s ay
"Merry Christmas". The new formulation is "Happy New Year"; even in
early December, the cause for celebration is not theological, but
chronological.

What explains this flight from the classic Yuletide imagery of Bethlehem,
kings, frankincense and myrrh? Why has Christmas become the festival
that dare not speak its name? It cannot be put down to a rampant atheism,
at least not in a Cabinet whose luminaries shine with Christian Socialism. So
why this de-Christianisation of Christmas? The answer is clear: ethnic
diversity.

Brown's careful wording, like the BBC's, is designed to be inclusive, to
make no non-Christian feel shut out. "Season's Greetings" has become the
British equivalent of the American "Happy Holidays" - a catch-all term that
covers every option. And it makes sense, too. For now is indeed the season
of holidays and holy days. This year the Jewish festival of Chanukah
coincides precisely with Christmas, while Muslims mark the post-Ramadan
feast of Eid-ul-Fitr. Hindus celebrate Diwali and Sikhs give thanks for the
birth of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In that context, "happy holidays" is not jus t a
platitude: it is an umbrella heading that leaves no one uncovered.

Even spelling it as "Xmas" helps. That way it becomes a national holiday, a
period that belongs to no faith in particular, but anyone who wants to enjo y
it. This new Christmas-without-Christ even seems to be working, taking the
sting out of a time of year that once spelt discomfort for Britain's religi ous
minorities. Most adult Jews still burn with childhood memories of silently
miming along to the school carol service - for fear of accidentally utterin g
the sacred words of another faith. But witness columnist Ann Karpf,
writing in the Jewish Chronicle: "What I know now is that Xmas isn't about
Christ, it's about tinsel. Basically, this is a shared, annual celebration of
kitsch."

Most Britons will probably be glad to hear that their country is becoming
even friendlier and more hospitable to its non-Christian minorities. They
may even regard it as essential, as they glance at this month's report that
Birmingham and Leicester are set to become the first British cities with
majority non-white populations - the latter perhaps as soon as 2011. In
places where only a minority even identify nominally as Christian, casting
the December holiday as a national, rather than religious event, is common
sense.

But even if many tolerant Britons can see the necessity of a Christ-free
Christmas, what should the minority who still define themselves as
committed Christians make of it? Surely it can only be bad news for them?
Not necessarily. Of course Christians will regret losing what was once a
central place in national life. But closer inspection reveals a brighter
possibility. For if this season is rebranded under a generic label - say
"winterval" or "festival of light" - then Christianity might be blessed wit h a
new lease of life. Instantly it could take its place as one of the (admitte dly
minority) faiths of these diverse islands, with Christmas as one of its key
religious festivals.

All the Yuletide tinsel, television and tat could be sloughed off like so m uch
dead skin - and handed over to the national culture, where it belongs and
where it might be shared by everyone. Christmas would then regain its
rightful place, as a holy day as precious to Christians as Chanukah is to
Jews and Eid is to Muslims. For too long the holy story of the Nativity has
been drowned out by The Wizard of Oz and the ritual double dose of
EastEnders. It's time Christians let go of the "festive season" they lost l ong
ago - and claimed instead the holy Christmas that is truly theirs. Britain' s
non-Christian minorities would cheer them all the way. (The London
Telegraph - Opinion)

IS EUROPE POISED TO OVERTAKE AMERICA?

The year that began with a bang for America and its Internet-based =93new
economy=94 is ending with an equally loud thud. Wall Street =93technology =94
shares (I insist on the quotation marks because most Internet and telecom
businesses have far less technological know-how than =93old economy=94
companies in industries such as aerospace, healthcare, energy and even
cars) collapsed yesterday to less than half of their recent peak levels. Th e
most famous Internet and computer companies, including Microsoft, Intel,
AOL, Cisco and Yahoo, have now fallen by 60-80% from their highs.

The Federal Reserve Board officially declared on Tuesday night that the
US economy might be threatened by recession. And George Bush
announced that the new US Treasury Secretary would be Paul O=92Neill,
chairman of a quintessentially =93old economy=94 business, Alcoa, formerly
known as Aluminum Corporation of America.

Looking across the Atlantic, the euro jumped yesterday to its highest level
since August. Laurent Fabius, the French Finance Minister, declared that
the euro=92s advance had only just started and would continue =93for weeks and
months=94. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank published an internal
forecast showing that the euroland economy might grow next year by as
much as 3.6%. M Fabius added that Europe=92s growth will probably pass
that of the US in 2001.

Does all this mean that =93the American century=94 may be drawing to a clos e,
as I tentatively suggested on this page last week in a fit of disgust after  the
stolen presidential election? Is it possible that Europe, not America, will  turn
out to be the world=92s leading economy in the next decade? And how would
a better economic performance in Europe affect Britain=92s decision to stay
out of the euro zone? The only honest answer to all these questions is that
nobody knows. But the fact that such questions can be seriously asked at
all suggests that the balance of global economic power is shifting in an
important way.

So to my fundamental question: could this really be a pivotal point in hist ory,
when there will be a major shift in relative economic power? Last week I
considered several ominous indicators on the American side: the
unprecedented growth of the US trade deficit; the unsustainable and
excessive levels of consumption and the bursting of the technology stock
bubble.

None of these would on its own be sufficient to push the US into recession,
still less to cause a lasting shift in the global economic balance. As long  as
Europe remained stuck in recession and relied largely on export growth to
overcome mass unemployment, the main consequence of a weakening of
the US economy would be to make matters even worse for Europe and to
weaken the euro even further. But looking at Europe today, there are signs
that suggest a capacity and a determination to achieve self-sustaining
economic growth.

There are also some tentative indications, at least since the Nice summit, of
greater realism in Europe=92s political aspirations, with less emphasis on
forced integration and more willingness to recognise that Europe=92s divers ity
could become its greatest source of relative strength in the 21st-century
world of open borders, instant information flows and free competition. If
these observations turn out to be true, then our side of the Atlantic shoul d
be able at least to catch up with America=92s economic performance in the
next few years.
.
 . . Whether all these happy events come to pass will, of course, depend on
2 overriding conditions. The pace of economic growth must be sustained by
the monetary policy of the ECB and the tax policies of the European
governments. And European governments must stick to their guns in
modernising and deregulating their economies, often against vociferous
opposition from entrenched interest groups. Will all these conditions be
satisfied? Quite possibly. But the very fact that these are the key conditi ons
for Europe=92s economic success explains why Britain should retain its own
currency rather than joining the euro, however well the European economy
may perform in the next few years.

Any nation=92s economic success depends first on its ability to match its
monetary policy to the needs of its economy and secondly on the
Government=92s freedom to set taxes and create a dynamic, competitive
economic environment. If policymakers in euroland can manage both these
tasks in the next few years, we should all wish them good luck. But there i s
no reason for Britain to put its economic destiny into the hands of others.
Regardless of whether Europe or America does better in the next decade,
Britain should be able to prosper by learning from both. (The London Times
- Opinion)

SIGN UP FOR THE COURT

The treaty establishing an International Criminal Court, a new global
institution dedicated to handling cases of genocide and war crimes, is
seriously flawed, and the Clinton administration has refused to sign it or
submit it to Congress for ratification since its approval at a 1998 convent ion
in Rome. Now, as the Dec. 31 deadline for signatures to the treaty
approaches, the administration faces a tactical dilemma. It could sign the
treaty, an essentially symbolic gesture that incurs no legal obligation, wh ile
continuing to delay ratification. Or it could withhold signature, meaning t hat
the United States in the future would have to choose between dealing with
the court as a complete outsider or ratifying its treaty in full.

A failure to sign would not cost the United States anything substantively o r
legally, but it would deprive future administrations of a halfway option:
remaining a notional member of the club of nations guiding the court while
not ratifying its powers or participating in its actions. The decision is
President Bill Clinton's. By the time President elect George W. Bush is
inaugurated, the deadline will have passed.

Despite our own deep reservations about the proposed court and its
powers, we believe that the best option lies in signing the treaty. A
signature would not mean that the US intended to join the court system or
accept its activities - that would require Senate ratification, which is un likely
any time soon. It would signal to the 120 countries that have signed the
treaty - including 13 NATO allies, Russia and much of Latin America - that
the US intends to continue working toward a goal that American
governments have strongly supported since the end of WW2: establishment
of a permanent court where war criminals can be brought to justice.

The international court is intended to do just that, and the US has already
played a large role in shaping its rules and procedures. The problem is the
possibility, inherent in the court's autonomy and transnational authority, that
a runaway prosecutor or tribunal would act improperly or pursue blatantly
political aims - decide, say, that Ehud Barak should be prosecuted for
Israel's response to the intifada. The danger is sharpest for the US, which ,
because of its global deployment of military forces, is particularly vulner able
to misguided or politically motivated charges of war crimes.

That that danger is more than theoretical was demonstrated just last year
when the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal, one of the ad hoc institutions that
the new court is meant to replace, investigated charges of war crimes
against NATO forces in Kosovo for several months before deciding against
them. State Department negotiators tried hard to fix this problem both at t he
1998 treaty conference and in follow up negotiations last year but were
roundly rebuffed in attempts to subject court activities to a U.S. veto.
It now seems likely that, with or without U.S. concurrence, the
InternationaCriminal Court will come into being in 2 or 3 years' time, afte r
60 nations have ratified the treaty. The court will consider itself to have
jurisdiction over U.S. soldiers and citizens. Between now and then there
will be several more meetings of a preparatory commission to draw up rules
spelling out the budget and procedures of the court and its relationship to
the UN. Two important new U.S. proposals for protecting its citizens are
already on the table, and there is at least some chance that over time U.S.
negotiators will succeed in putting in place a web of procedural and legal
safeguards that will effectively block unjust prosecutions.

The next administration will have a better chance to so shape the court if
Mr. Clinton signs the treaty. If he does not, other nations may well conclu de
that the US, secure in its sole-superpower status, refuses even to consider
being bound by principles of human rights that it seeks to apply to the res t
of the world - a perception that cannot help American interests, in or
outside the international court. (Int'l Herald Tribune - Editorial)

PRINCE CHARLES: MY FEARS OVER THE EURO ARMY

The Prince of Wales has told friends of his fears over the development of
the controversial new European defence force. Charles, who holds many
senior military positions and has access to the highest grade classified
information, is deeply concerned that the force will undermine the special
relationship between Britain and the U.S. The Prince's privately voiced
"anxieties" are a sensational new development in the row over the Euro
army. He is "concerned" that Britain's crucial intelligence links with the
Americans could be put at risk, jeopardising the NATO alliance that has
kept the peace in Europe for half a century. Charles is convinced that
Washington simply does not trust the Frenchand that therefore the flow of
invaluable intelligence data to Britain will dry up once the force is in pl ace.

The explosive disclosure that the heir to the throne has such deep
reservations about the 60,000-strong EU force is a body blow to Tony Blair.
The Prime Minister has invested enormous political capital in the creation of
the army, which was finally approved by EU leaders at their Nice summit
earlier this month. He drove the project through in the teeth of repeated
warnings that it could threaten NATO - warnings that he contemptuously
dismissed as 'fundamentally dishonest'.

Yet it now emerges that the future King shares these concerns and has
voiced these warnings. He has arrived at this view after extensive
discussions with top military figures. Senior military sources have confirm ed
that the Prince believes the Americans will be reluctant to continue making
intelligence data available to the UK once the new force is in place. That
would put at risk the historic special relationship between London and
Washington which has served successive post-war governments so well.

Charles is well-versed in the key strategic issues at stake. As heir to the
throne, he receives despatch boxes packed with classified political and
military information. He is in frequent close contact with the most senior
officers and over the past months many have been voicing their deep
anxieties about the force. His concerns are a distillation of the views he has
heard from them at first hand. The Prince is Colonel-in-Chief of the
Parachute Regiment, which would play a key role in the new force. He is
also Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regiment of Wales, the Cheshire
Regiment, the Army Air Corps, and the Royal Dragoon Guards. Charles is
a Rear Admiral of the Royal Navy and an Air Vice-Marshal of the RAF.
He is also Colonel of the Welsh Guards and Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the
Highlanders, as well as Colonel-in-Chief of a number of Commonwealth
regiments.

He regards these links as a 'hugely important' part of his role and spends
about 10% of his time on military matters. In the past he has been consulte d
by the government of the day about major defence changes, such as the
last Tory Government's Options for Change review. But he does not appear
to have been briefed by Ministers on the new venture, even though it marks
a profound shift in defence strategy.

The Prince's disquiet is certain to give Mr Blair and his senior Cabinet
colleagues pause for thought as the detailed operating structures are
hammered out. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has already pledged that
Britain would not sign up if it posed any kind of threat to the NATO
alliance. Losing the special relationship with the U.S. - and the shared
intelligence that goes with it - would be a devastating setback to Britain' s
military capabilities. Experts agree the Falklands War would not have been
won without U.S. satellite data on the position of Argentinian ships and
aircraft.

The Prince's concerns echo those of senior figures in Washington, both in
the Clinton administration and the incoming Bush administration. Yesterday,
a senior security aide to President-elect George W Bush warned that the
force will put the special intelligence links at risk, precisely the view o f the
Prince. John Bolton, tipped to become deputy secretary of state, said Mr
Blair was 'flatly wrong' to claim he could take the UK into the Euro-army
and still keep London's privileged links with Washington.

He said there was 'little or no enthusiasm' in the Bush administration for
continuing with the sharing of highly sensitive intelligence information. T he
reason is concern that the arrangement will oblige Britain to start sharing
U.S. secrets with 'leaky' EU states, notably France, which could pass or
sell them to 'truly adverse intelligence services'. France was suspected of
leaking crucial intelligence to the Serbs during the Kosovo conflict and al so
to the Iraqis over many years.

'If the cost to the U.S. of British payment of its EU dues in shared
intelligence really began to mount, there is every prospect that the flow o f
further information eastward would decrease dramatically,' he warned.
'When it comes down to it, sympathy and history will play no role in
deciding this. The U.S. will do what it needs to do to maintain security,' Mr
Bolton writes in the Eurosceptic European Journal magazine. Mr Bolton
warned that Mr Blair had 'sadly misread' the U.S. attitude and warned he
was about to face some 'decidedly unpleasant' realities. (The Daily Mail)

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (12/23/00)
From: tracy
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 02:58:03 -0500

Maybe this guy (below) would like to shovel all of this "warm weather"
snow out of my driveway. I already had to shovel the roof! 8^) I
could use some of that global warming. By the way were is that aerosol
can?
>
> WE'RE ALL DREAMING OF A CHRIST-FREE CHRISTMAS
>
> You can stop dreaming of a white Christmas: global warming has seen to
> that. You can forget about a Christian Christmas, too: thanks to the
> dramatic transformation of British society, that's also become a >long-ago

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BreakingNews-Israel 1,2,3 (12/23/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:37:15 -0500

1. No injuries in Saturday night shooting attack against motorist
2. Jeep fired upon near Elon Moreh=09
3. Shooting attacks continue in Hebron on the Sabbath=09
4. Nisanit home attacked with gunfire on Friday night=09
5. IDF posts attacked on Friday night in Gaza=09
6. Cemetery desecration=09
7. Terror attack victims still listed in serious condition=09
8. TA fire on Saturday night=09

*********************************************
23-DEC-00 =96 8:30pm =96 Weekend recap
*********************************************

1. No injuries in Saturday night shooting attack against motorist
(BNI-DEC.23) Two Israeli vehicles were fired upon on Saturday night from
the Arab village of Abud in the Benjamin Regional Council region of
Samaria. No injuries.

    ++++

2. Jeep fired upon near Elon Moreh
(BNI-DEC.23) An IDF jeep was fired upon on Saturday night near the
northern Samarian community of Elon Moreh. No injuries. The attack
originated from the Arab village of Salim. Soldiers did not return fire.

    ++++
3. Shooting attacks continue in Hebron on the Sabbath
(BNI-DEC.23) Shooting attacks began on Friday night at about 11:00pm and
continued through the night until the early morning hours.

Shooting attacks resumed during the day, and there were reports of
sporadic shooting attacks in Hebron on Saturday night. No injuries.

    ++++

4. Nisanit home attacked with gunfire on Friday night
(BNI-DEC.23) A home in the Gazan community of Nisanit was attacked by
gunfire from the nearby PA autonomous area on Friday night. No injuries. A
window was damaged.

    ++++

5. Several IDF posts attacked on Friday night & Saturday in Gaza
(BNI-DEC.23) An IDF outpost near the Gazan community of Netzarim was
attacked by PA gunfire on Friday night. No injuries.

An IDF position near Gadid was attacked by gunfire on Friday night. No
injuries.

Two IDF positions in southern Gaza, on the Rafiach border to Egypt, were
attacked by gunfire on Friday night. No injuries.

An IDF position near the Erez Crossing was also attacked with gunfire on
Friday night. No injuries.

On Friday, a hand grenade was thrown at IDF forces near Neve Dekalim and
in southern Gaza near the southern District Coordinating Office. No
injuries.

On Saturday night, gunfire was directed at soldiers near Dugit and Nachal
Oz. No injuries. Soldiers returned fire.

    ++++
6. Cemetery desecration
(BNI-DEC.23) On Friday, members of Kibbutz Givat Oz discovered that the
community cemetery was desecrated during the night with swastikas and
other anti-Semitic graffiti.

Attackers targeted a memorial to victims of the Holocaust and gravestones.
Police indicated they believed Arabs may have perpetrated the attack. An
investigation has been launched.

    ++++
7. Terror attack victims still listed in serious condition
(BNI-DEC.23) Two IDF soldiers who were seriously injured in the suicide
bombing attack on Friday afternoon in the Jordan Valley remain in an
intensive care unit of Haifa=92s Rambam Hospital. The two, a male and
female, are listed in serious but stable condition. Physicians are hopeful
they will both be removed from their respirators on Sunday.

Three other soldiers sustained less serious injuries in the attack and the
suicide bomber was killed when he detonated an explosive device at
Mecholah Junction.

    ++++
8. TA fire on Saturday night
(BNI-DEC.23) Tel Aviv firefighters responded to a blaze at about 5:15pm on
Saturday night in a garbage facility on Farug Street in the city. They
managed to bring the blaze under control without injuries. The origin of
the blaze in under investigation.

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

1. Bomb explodes in Holon on Saturday night=09
2. Elderly man killed by train=09

*************************
23-DEC-00 =96 9:20pm
*************************

1. Bomb explodes in Holon on Saturday night
 (BNI-DEC.23) A bomb exploded in a Fiat Uno at about 8:30pm on Saturday
night in Holon. The vehicle was traveling on Sheishet HaYamim Street when
the explosive device went off, injuring the driver moderately. The injured
man, 34, was transported to Wolfson Hospital.

A motive for the attack is unknown at the time of this report.

    ++++

2. Elderly man killed by train
(BNI-DEC.23) An elderly man was killed by a moving train on Saturday night
when he attempted to cross the tracks between Kiryat Motzkin and Kiryat
Yam.

Police investigators have indicated they believe the death was a suicide.

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

1. Soldiers attacked by gunfire in Gaza=09

**************************
23-DEC-00 =96 9:59pm
**************************

1. Soldiers attacked by gunfire in Gaza
(BNI-DEC.23) IDF soldiers at Netzarim Junction in Gaza were attacked by
gunfire at about 9:45pm Saturday night. No 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. Truth and Peace-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] Retailer embroiled in 'global' debate
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 2000 15:42:45 -0500

                          Retailer embroiled in 'global' debate

                          By SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN

                          =A9 St. Petersburg Times, published December
                          19, 2000

                          Yasser Arafat has yet to declare a Palestinian
                          state, but "Palestine" exists -- at least on
                          globes being sold at Sam's Club stores this
               holiday season.

               In the past two weeks, Jewish shoppers from Florida and
               elsewhere have bombarded the chain with calls and e-mails
               urging that the globes be yanked from the shelves.

               "We're getting a lot of questions from members of the
               Jewish community and we're continuing to look into their
               concerns with our supplier," says spokesman Melissa
               Berryhill.

               The controversy is yet another reflection of the bitter
               conflict between Israelis and Palestinians over land that
               each side claims as its own. Yet it also shows that on such a
               highly charged issue, things aren't always what they appear
               to be, especially in the realm of instantaneous cyberspace
               communications.

               The globes themselves are fairly attractive, standing about 2
               feet high and made of semi-precious stones inlaid in a
               mosaic pattern approximating that of countries, continents
               and oceans.

               Some place names are printed in white letters; others in a
               reddish color that doesn't show up as well against the
               globe's dark background.

               The flap arose when a Sam's Club shopper -- perhaps here
               in Florida -- looked at the globe and didn't see Israel. But
               the same person did see "Palestine" printed prominently in
               white, and thus began an Internet chain letter that quickly
               made its way around the United States.

               "In Sam's Club they are selling the new World Atlas globes
               and they do not have Israel on it," the e-mail said. "In (it s)
               place they put Palestine. If this is seen by you, please tel l the
               manager of the store to return them."

               Within a short time, Sam's Club had gotten dozens of
               e-mails from irate Jewish customers, especially in Florida
               and New York. As many pointed out, Israel is a bona fide
               country. Palestine is not. Why then was Palestine on the
               globe and not Israel?

               As it turns out, Israel was there -- it was just hard to see
               because its name was printed in a darker color.

               Sam's Club, a subsidiary of retailing giant Wal-Mart, is sti ll
               trying to determine why its Chinese supplier put "Palestine"
               on the globes in the first place. Although the chain has no
               plans to pull them from the shelves, "every comment like thi s
               from our members helps us get better," says Berryhill, the
               spokeswoman. "We're aware of the sensitivity and we will
               take it into consideration as we review our offerings for ne xt
               year."

               The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish-American group,
               was "extremely disturbed" by initial reports that Israel had
               been replaced by Palestine, says Ken Jacobson, assistant
               national director. But the organization tempered its reactio n
               after someone took a picture of the globe showing Israel
               was there all the time.

               "There is no Palestinian state even though that is exactly
               what is being negotiated and talked about and seen by more
               and more Israelis as inevitable," Jacobson says. "At least
               (the globe) has Israel. It still is not accurate but it's no t as
               bad as we originally thought."

               Needless to say, Arab-Americans are delighted that a
               major retailer is selling globes that show Palestine.

               "We use the term "Palestinian' on a daily basis," says
               Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on
               American-Islamic relations. "There are Palestinian people
               who live in what's been called Palestine for millennia, and
               this is not exactly something that happened yesterday. The
               term "Palestinian' is a legitimate description of an area an d a
               people."

               Many Israeli and American Jews contend that "Palestine" is
               actually the Jews' ancient biblical homeland. Palestinians
               says the land is theirs, and contend it has been illegally
               occupied by Israel since the 1948 Middle East War.

               Such is the rancor between the two sides that maps in
               Palestinian textbooks and those sold in Arab countries don't
               show Israel, even though it is a member of the United
               Nations while Palestine is not.

               Sam's Club is hardly the first company to be caught up in
               one of the world's most acrimonious territorial disputes.
               Last summer, Jews blasted CNN after its Web site
               removed Jerusalem from the Israel category on its weather
               page. CNN relented and put the city back under Israel, but
               with a footnote that reads as follows:

               "The status of Jerusalem, the seat of Israeli government, is
               the most contentious issue in the Israeli-Palestinian peace
               talks. Palestinian and Arab leaders consider part of
               Jerusalem the capital of the prospective Palestinian state."

               As for those globes that have caused such a stir, there stil l
               seem to be plenty in stock. The reason could have less to
               do with politics than price -- although Sam's is a discount
               store, they sell for $249.99 each.

               - Susan Martin can be contacted at susan@sptimes.com.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/121900/Columns/Retailer_embroiled_in.shtml

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