To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Religion Today News items (2/3/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:03:07 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

The U.S. Senate passed legislation Feb. 2 to overhaul the
nation's bankruptcy code, including an amendment that could
result in financial ruin to pro-life protesters. Under an
amendment by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), protesters at abortion
clinics could not escape paying civil fines or judgments against
them by seeking protection under the nation's bankruptcy laws.
Wording of Schumer's amendment is such that anyone convicted
under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act would be
forced to pay whatever fine is levied. The bill passed 84-14 in
the Senate; House and Senate negotiators now must iron out
differences between their two bills.

Americans are having lunch with Hindu gods. Lunchboxes adorned
with images of Hindu deities are one of the biggest-selling fads
on the market, says Beliefnet, an Internet publication. The
images are pasted on a variety of household items and are among
the most-sought-after items, says Accoutrements, a Seattle-based
distributor of novelty items.
...Few Americans understand the religious significance of the
images. Some consider the articles as exotic oddities, while
others like their "third world kitsch," Beliefnet said. Some
Hindus object to seeing their gods turned into marketing icons,
but most take no offense.
...Some believe that the images will lead to a greater interest
in Hinduism. A shirt bearing the image of a Hindu god may "spark
interest and at the very least a conversation" that could lead to
"knowledge, awareness, and the option to understand" the
religion, Saith Daddamani, a Hindu, said.
...Hindus believe that an image contains the presence of the god
it depicts. For instance, Hindus believe that a picture of the
god Shiva on a shirt is the incarnation of Shiva.

Virginia public schools may require a moment of silence to start
each day. The state Senate voted 28-11 on Feb. 1 to approve a
bill that requires teachers to hold up to a minute of silence
"for meditation, prayer, or reflection." The bill is expected to
be passed by the House and become law, news reports said.
...The bill is an effort to reduce violence in schools,
Republican Sen. Warren Barry, its sponsor, said. Critics say it
is an unconstitutional method of bringing prayer into the
schools. Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, a Republican, told The
Washington Post that a moment of silence would not infringe on
students' rights, and he called it "a good way to help instill
character."

http://www.religiontoday.crosswalk.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (2/2/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:07:23 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

*** Wednesday is rare even-number date

LONDON (AP) - Wednesday was a day like no other, at least not since
late August in the 9th century. It was the first date in more than a
millennium in which every digit was an even number: 2/2/2000. That
hasn't happened since 8/28/888. There will be eight more days like it
this month, as early as Friday. "It is a bit like a mathematical bus.
You have been waiting around for this to occur for more than 1,000
years and then dozens of them come along at once," said David
Jerwood, head of mathematics at the University of Bradford. ###

*** Dutch bordello seeks airport branch

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Amsterdam's most exclusive bordello is
suing Schiphol Airport for the right to open a "relax service" for
weary travelers, Dutch media reported Wednesday. Airport authorities
have refused to even consider giving a permit to Yab Yum, saying it
wouldn't fit with the overall philosophy of Schiphol. Yab Yum offers
an expensive menu of caviar, champagne and sex at plush locations in
downtown Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Late last year, it asked to provide
hors d'oeuvres and non-sexual massage for travelers facing a long
layover at the airport, which already offers casino gambling.
Bordello owner Theo Heuft filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing the
airport to let the brothel open a branch by Oct. 1, when houses of
prostitution become officially legal in the Netherlands. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2563824442-076

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - US House Votes to Boost Military Ties with Taiwan
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 09:16:06 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

U.S. House Votes To Boost Military Ties With Taiwan

WASHINGTON, Feb 2, 2000 -- (Reuters) In a move likely to further
complicate relations with China, the U.S. House of Representatives on
Tuesday approved legislation to boost America's military ties with Taiwan.

The bill, called the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, was approved in a
bipartisan vote of 341-70 despite opposition by the Clinton Administration,
which is concerned it could upset U.S.-Sino ties ahead of critical
congressional vote on a landmark trade agreement with China.

The legislation provides for direct military communications to be established
between Washington and Taipei and directs the U.S, military to expand its
training of Taiwanese officers.

China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province and has threatened to
invade the island if it tries to declare independence, had urged Congress to
reject the legislation, warning that it could heighten tension in the region and
set back bilateral relations with Washington.

Full Story:
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=131024&text

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (2/3/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 12:13:38 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

WITHDRAWAL MAP TOTALLY ISOLATES JEWISH COMMUNITY As it
stands now, the next withdrawal will - for the first time in the history of the
State of Israel - leave an Israeli town totally surrounded by non-Israeli
controlled territory. Yesha Council leaders are making a last-ditch effort to
have the plans changed, such that the 14-family community of Negohot,
north-west of Otniel in the southern Har Hevron region, will not be abandoned
and isolated.

Negohot is only four kilometers west of Moshav Shekef, which is within the
Green Line (in pre-1967 Israel). A road between the two is planned, but will
not be completed for a few months. The road, in any event, will not solve the
mortal problems that will face the community if the withdrawal is executed as
planned. Huberman explained that Negohot is "socially, politically,
religiously, educationally, and work-wise connected with the towns of
southern Har Hevron, and not with Shekef," and Yigal Livner of Negohot told
Arutz-7 today: "We all work either in Har Hevron or in Jerusalem [which is
accessible only via Har Hevron], our children go to school there, etc., and to
disconnect us from these areas will be our death blow. Even in Netzarim, in
Gush Katif, at least the road that leads to it is under Israeli control... We are
told that there have not been any terrorist attacks in Area A [under total
Palestinian control]; of course that's true, since Israelis don't travel in Area A!
 The exception is Jericho, where the PA has a clear interest [a casino] in
preserving the peace. How long are we going to be able to travel on a
Palestinian-controlled road? All they have to do is to instruct one of their
policemen to harass one of us along the road - not even to shoot at us, just
merely to detain us for a few hours - and that will be the end of Negohot."

Livner said that he and his townsmen are still hoping that the withdrawal
plans will be changed. Arutz-7 correspondents Haggai Huberman and Kobi
Sela report that five other communities will be nearly-completely isolated
under the current withdrawal map: Ganim and Kadim near Jenin, and Karmei
Tzur, Beit Haggai, and Otniel south of Hevron.

ARAFAT MIFFED AT BARAK

The meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat at Erez
Checkpoint in Gush Katif this afternoon ended without agreement, and the
two did not even hold the joint press conference that they had planned for
afterwards. Arafat was reportedly upset that he was not shown a map of the
planned withdrawal, and Foreign Minister David Levy confirmed as much for
reporters waiting outside. Levy also listed among Arafat's gripes the fact that
no Jerusalem areas were included in the withdrawal. American mediator
Dennis Ross, who is presently in the region, said this morning that he would
not present American compromise proposals until the gaps between the
sides had narrowed.

At a Yesha Council-organized protest near the Erez Junction today, a giant
balloon was released with the words, "Uprooting Communities Tears Apart
the Nation."

YESHA DANGERS

Police and volunteers are searching for 42-year-old Meir Pollack, a flower-
grower from Kfar Liman near Nahariyah. He was last seen two days ago by
an Israeli driver who said that he had dropped him off at the Bnei Dror
junction, near the Green Line. Pollack had just returned from the Arab village
of Kfar Ya'abed, where he had gone for business reasons.

The IDF decision to significantly reduce its protection over communities in
Judea and Samaria still stands. As of next Wednesday, Feb. 9, five Jordan
Valley towns - including Kibbutz Gilgal, Mecholah (only 300 meters from the
Jordanian border), and Tomer - will be left without protection. There have
been several instances of penetrations through this border of late. In protest,
the townships of the Shomron Regional Council, a western neighbor of the
Jordan Valley, will leave their gates totally open on Wednesday, and will
inform the authorities that the army is responsible for whatever may happen
there that day.

SHARON WOOS MILO, MERIDOR

Likud leader Ariel Sharon is making overtures towards former Likud
members. He has met separately with Centrist party leaders Dan Meridor
and Roni Milo over the past few days, in an attempt to bring them back
"home." Milo is known for his left-wing and anti-religious positions. Likud
MK Michael Eitan, speaking with Arutz-7 today, attempted to defend
Sharon's strategy: "Of course ideology is important. But if you want to
remain with only your ideology alone, like Benny Begin [who submitted his
candidacy for Prime Minister on a platform to the right of the Likud's
Binyamin Netanyahu, and has since retired from politics] - OK. But our goal
is to unseat Ehud Barak. Therefore, if I can find even the littlest thing in
common with others who want to unseat Barak, then we have to welcome
them into our camp. Otherwise, we will not be able to win."

POLL: BARAK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSOCIATIONS

The associations scandal: A vast majority of Israelis - some 74% - feel that
Ehud Barak is responsible for the operation of the illegal associations that
promoted his election as Prime Minister. Such are the results of a new poll
conducted by Globes-Smith. In addition, some 62% believe that the Prime
Minister's image of trustworthiness has been damaged. Nevertheless, 71%
of those questioned also believe that Barak will succeed in extricating
himself from the current predicament. Likud MK Michael Eitan was asked
today about the last statistic: "What are you in the Likud doing to ensure
that the scandal does not fall from the headlines?" Eitan responded, "We
are meeting right now in Likud party headquarters on this issue, and we will
in fact not let this matter rest. It is clear that the public does not totally
understand the extent of this issue, because only certain parts of the
Comptroller's Report have been widely publicized, and the entire matter is
fairly complex. We will try to rectify this, and little by little people will begin
to understand more about what happened, and the extent of the corruption
that went on..." Eitan said that both he and the State Comptroller have
additional information on the illegal methods utilized by Labor.

ISRAELI "ASSOCIATIONS" ON WALL ST.

A Wall Street Journal editorial yesterday, entitled "Clintonism in Israel,"
laced into U.S. President Clinton's influence on the methods used by Barak's
Prime Ministerial campaign - methods which have now gotten some Labor
party officials, and possibly Barak himself, into hot water. The editorial
mentions that the associations scandal "looks a lot like the 'soft' money
campaign that helped Mr. Clinton regain the White House in 1996," and
notes that Tal Zilberstein - who is named in the State Comptroller's report as
a main player in the scandal - runs the Tel Aviv office of Clinton's advisors
Greenberg, [James] Carville, and Shrum. "It doesn't seem entirely
coincidental that some of the rich foreign donors bankrolling Mr. Barak in this
fashion were also prominent supporters of the Clinton Administration." The
paper attacks the "ends-justifies-the-means" approach of some Labor party
officials, and concludes, "Mr. Clinton clearly hopes that his legacy will
include peace deals between Israel, Syria and the Palestinian Authority. But
it appears that the ghosts of his campaigns past may have helped undermine
the credibility Mr. Barak will need to accomplish such goals."

U.S. GENERAL: PEACE DEPENDS ON ISRAELI GOLAN

The Golan continues to welcome guests, in its campaign to strengthen a
consensus around its importance to the State of Israel. Following a visit
yesterday by former Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira and other rabbis, the four
Shas party government ministers - Yeshai, Suissa, Benizri, and Cohen -
toured the area today. Benizri told Arutz-7 today that the official Shas
position on the Golan is far from uniform.

Other visitors yesterday included a group of Four-Star generals from the
United States, who are visiting Israel this week as part of an initiative by the
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA). "Peace between Israel
and Syria is greatly dependent on Israel maintaining control of the Golan
Heights," one of them - General (ret.) John Foss - told Arutz-7's Ron Meir
today. Foss said that he has had an interest in the Golan Heights since
1984, when he first visited there with now-Centrist party leader Yitzchak
Mordechai, who then served as an IDF General in charge of the army's
infantry and paratroopers. "We went to a training exercise up there, but we
also had an opportunity to look and see what an important piece of ground
that is," Foss said. "There are tremendous advantages to Israeli keeping the
Golan height militarily, it is obviously the high-ground and provides access for
the intelligence information..."

The main focus of the group's visit is the prospect of an Israeli withdrawal
from the Golan Heights. Foss was asked about Ehud Barak's statement
during the Shepherdstown talks that the ballistic capabilities of Middle
Eastern states have rendered much of the Golan Heights' security value
obsolete. Foss disagrees: "As an infantry officer, I will tell you that it is very
much the soldiers on the ground that will stop an invading force and protect
the people, because we've had missile for years and years. They were used
in World War II - and they don't change the overall equation of the importance
of a piece of ground like that." Correspondent Meir proposed a scenario in
which Syria initiates a missile attack on central Israel: "In such a case,
wouldn't the main threat be the heart of the country as opposed to its
northern border?" Foss answered, "A tremendous number of missiles would
have to be used [by Syria to overcome Israel in that manner]. And if you
look at recent operations such as Kosovo - even the NATO forces were
unable to unleash that many missiles in a short period of time. It took 77
days of air operations to cause Milosevich to withdraw his forces out of
Kosovo."

Gen. Foss has also been an outspoken opponent on the stationing of U.S.
troops on the Golan in the framework of an Israel-Syria peace deal. He was
one of the 11 high-ranking signatories of an October 1994 study entitled,
"U.S. Forces on the Golan Heights: An Assessment of the Benefits and
Costs." In that study, Gen. Foss noted that U.S. forces on the Golan would
differ appreciably from the American experience fielding a peacekeeping
Multilateral Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai: "The MFO is a small
international command, remote from the Egyptian-Israeli border, manning
small monitoring outposts distant from any civilian population centers and
lightly armed. By contrast, a U.S. Golan deployment would be located in a
confined geographic area, directly in the path of any military action between
Israel and Syria, between two heavily armed military forces and close to
population centers dominated by fanatical terrorist groups, committed to
harming American citizens and interests," Foss explained.

The full interview with Gen. Foss can be heard on Arutz-7's website at <a
href="http://www.a7.org/engclips/030200/foss-golan.ram"
www.a7.org/engclips/030200/foss-golan.ram </a>.

ISRAEL TOUGHER ON AUSTRIA THAN ON SYRIA

Israel's decision to recall its ambassador to Austria continues to be a
subject of domestic controversy. President Weizman broke his days-long
silence today to support Israel's strong stand against racism. On the other
hand, journalist Dan Margalit notes in today's Ha'aretz newspaper that
"international denunciation of anti-Semitism and race hatred is not entirely
consistent. Not only has Israel not turned its back on negotiations with
Syria, whose official journals disseminate the lowest brand of neo-Nazi
mongering, but neither has anyone in the world community returned their
ambassadors from China, a country which keeps millions of slave laborers
pent-up in camps."

Holocaust survivor Shevach Weiss, who served as Knesset speaker during
the Rabin government, and who is presently Chairman of the Board of the
Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, disagrees. "Margalit may have a point,"
Weiss said, "but Israel must invest effort in places where it can have an
impact. Democratic states - especially those in Central Europe, which
learned the awful lesson of the Holocaust - have the greatest obligation to
make sure that the Hitler era does not return... I am not happy that Syria is
a totalitarian regime, and I completely condemn the Tishrin editorial [of this
week, which denied the Holocaust]. I believe, though, that if we strike a deal
with Syria - and it's no secret that my opinions are dovish, and I am ready to
go a long way to sign a peace agreement with Syria - I am convinced that if
we open relations with Syria, it will have to stop such [anti-Semitic]
statements and incitement. This will certainly be one of the conditions of
any agreement. But... I know that if we make a cessation of such
propaganda an ultimatum now, we will not reach a deal."

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, February 3, 2000 / Sh'vat 27, 5760

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Doomsayers say grand planet alignment could crash net
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 18:19:33 -0500

From: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>

Doomsayers Say Grand Planet Alignment Could Crash Net

February 02, 2000: 2:28 p.m. ET

 MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA (NB) -- By Martin Stone, Newsbytes.

Doomsday forecasters have shifted their attention from the Millennium Bug,
which proved to have little bite, to an extraterrestrial occurrence destined to
take place May 5, when a cluster of planets will align with the Earth.

Some say the phenomenon has the potential of creating colossal cosmic
forces which could severely impact our planet.

Occurring only once every 6,000 years or so, the rare alignment of Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon could cause
a magnetic surge with the potential to crash power grids, blind satellites, and
seriously disrupt radio and landline communications, taking the Internet
down in the process.

However, not all astronomers agree that the so-called "grand alignment" will
have an effect on terra firma. According to a Canadian newspaper report this
week, John Mosely, an astronomer at the Griffith Observatory in Los
Angeles, has proclaimed, "There will be no effect whatsoever. It's just
complete nonsense." An astronomer at St. Mary's University in Halifax was
blunter, calling the fears, "Just a load of crap."

But the same article, filed by the Canadian Press wire service and carried by
Monday's Montreal Gazette newspaper, quoted Georgia-based futurist
Richard Noone as saying the alignment could trigger a massive magnetic
flux and a huge solar storm. "We're talking about a solar mass ejection in
which a billion-tonne wave of super-hot, electrically charged gas is
discharged from the Sun and crosses space like a giant tidal wave. It would
crash into Earth's electromagnetic field at 620 miles a second."

As well as the communications systems wipeout, Noone predicts the cosmic
event could produce a spectacular display of northern lights, which he said
might be visible as far south as Florida.

Survival Center Website operator Craig Smith told Newsbytes, "Yes, the
potential does exist. The big question is - but will it?" He refers to
Noone's article "Are We Approaching the Abyss?" and quotes, "Past solar
storms have caused incredible damage, including disruptions of radio,
television, telephone, satellites, radar, power lines, power company grids
and other sophisticated electronic technologies. These past solar storms
will be mere blips of inconvenience to us, compared to The Storm of the
Millennium coming thisspring."

More of Noone's predictions can be found at http://rnoone.com .

However, Philip Plait, operator of an astronomy-focused Website, told
Newsbytes, "There will be no natural ramifications whatsoever from this
alignment. The gravitational and tidal effects are so puny that they will be
unmeasurable. Last December's full Moon was unusually close. I did a quick
calculation and showed that the gravity of that full Moon was much larger than
the Moon and planets in this upcoming alignment. We weren't destroyed on
Dec. 22, and we won't be in May.

"There won't be any electromagnetic effects either. The Sun is the only real
contributor of these kinds of effects to the Earth. The sunspot cycle and
therefore solar activity will be at a maximum this year. However, this has
nothing to do with the alignment."

Plait has posted a wealth of grand alignment information on his site at
http://www.badastronomy.co/bad/misc/planets.html .

Other doomsayers fear an extraordinary gravitational pull on our planet,
which would wreak havoc in many ways, including causing the Earth's tilt to
change, not to mention earthquakes and floods.

Many scientists anticipate a major solar disturbance this year but most
insist the grand alignment will have no effect on solar storms, which occur in
predictable 11-year cycles. Major storms and eruptions on the Sun´s surface
have been known to affect communications systems and are blamed for a
province-wide blackout in Quebec in 1989.

Plait summed up the controversy by declaring, "There will be a lot of people
trying to tell you something different than what I am saying here. Chances
are, they're trying to sell something."

Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com .

via: isml@onelist.com

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