BPR Mailing List Digest: 01/10/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
January 10, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | January, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (1/9/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 08:52:52 -0500

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

Palestinians claim ownership of future American embassy site

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Sun Jan 9,2000 -- Several Palestinian families look set to make a legal claim
for land that has been set aside for a future U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. At
the instigation of several families and Palestinian academics in the United
States, the original owners of the Mahaneh Albani (Albanian camp) have
been tracked down. According to a Palestinian source, 12 families from
Jerusalem owned most of the area, which was used as a military camp
during the British mandate period. At present, it is likely that the families will
unite to begin legal proceedings in order to have the land returned to their
possession. The source said that six weeks ago, representatives of the
families received a hearing in Congress.

An Israeli source who monitors the question of Palestinian properties in
West Jerusalem, told Ha'aretz that three years ago, the U.S. embassy in
Israel initiated an investigation into the ownership of the property before
signing a rental contract with the Israel Lands Administration. According to
the findings of that inquiry, the British had requisitioned the area "for public
needs," and therefore it was not absentee property. A Palestinian source in
the United States who is close to the former property owners said the
findings are incorrect. He added that the British only acquired a small part of
the camp area, which was sold to Israel in the 1960s, and that the British
paid the families a leasing fee until the end of the mandate period. The
source claimed that the families have numerous documents establishing that
the property is privately owned. He admitted that the State Department said
in a 1989 letter that the U.S. investigation had not found proof of private
ownership, and that he was unaware of any subsequent investigation.

The Jerusalem municipality says that the Palestinian ownership claim was
made "only because of the notice that the embassy is expected to be
erected at the site. It's clear that by [their claim of ownership] they are acting
to hinder this aim.

Deaths of 2 babies in Jerusalem cause fear of outbreak of deadly virus

Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: Ha'aretz

Sun Jan 9,2000 -- Medical experts fear an outbreak of a deadly virus after a
second baby succumbed to the germ last Tuesday. The five month old infant
died at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital after being admitted the night
before suffering from fever, vomiting and diarrhea. A Health Ministry
investigation confirmed that the cause of death was a virus which attacks the
digestive system. Two weeks earlier, another eight-and-a-half month old
infant also died after suffering from ear and respiratory infections. Both
victims attended the same day care center in Jerusalem. The ministry and
experts on contagious diseases have begun laboratory tests in order to
clarify whether there is a link between the two cases and whether there is a
risk of an outbreak. Findings have so far revealed that the cause of both
deaths is an infectious virus in the digestive tract. A meeting of investigators
concluded that there is no connection between the two infants' deaths, but
the matter is still under review. The Health Ministry's physician for the
Jerusalem District, Dr. Chen Zamir, called the matter very serious, among
other things, due to the rapid speed at which the virus develops.

_________________________
To subscribe to BPR send a message to bpr-list@philologos.org
with the word "subscribe" in the subject. To unsubscribe send a
message to the same address with the word "unsubscribe" in the
subject.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Peace with Israel would change US-Syrian ties
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 09:08:05 -0500

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

Peace With Israel Would Change
U.S.-Syrian Ties
January 8, 2000 1:20 pm EST

By Jonathan Wright

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. (Reuters) - A peace treaty
between Syria and Israel, the ultimate aim of negotiations
under way this week in West Virginia, would transform the
relationship between Damascus and Washington.

Despite frequent high-level contacts between U.S. and
Syrian officials, including a summit meeting between
Presidents Bill Clinton and Hafez al-Assad in Geneva in
1994, Syria remains on the State Department's list of
"state sponsors of terrorism" and is not eligible for most
U.S. aid.

...

...the United States would probably
consider even closer military ties with Israel, to answer
Israeli concerns that withdrawal would make them
vulnerable, he added.

For economic cooperation, Syria would look toward
Europe, a traditional trading partner. "They don't expect a
close trade or political relationship with the United States.
Europe is what they feel comfortable with," Alterman said.

Full Story:
http://www.iwon.com/home/news/news_article/0,11746,4164|top|01-08-
2000::14:22|reuters,00.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Suggestion of Pope Retirement Causes Stir
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 09:11:19 -0500

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

Suggestion of Pope Retirement Causes Stir
January 10, 2000 8:16 am EST

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A leading German bishop's
suggestion that Pope John Paul could retire if his health
prevented him from doing his job caused a raging
controversy in Italy on Monday.

The suggestion by Bishop Karl Lehmann was even more
controversial because, while the Pope's critics inside the
church have made such remarks in the past, it was the
first time it came from a leader of an important bishops
conference.

Full Story:
http://www.iwon.com/home/news/news_article/0,11746,9033|top|01-10-
2000::08:17|reuters,00.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Cloned animal park plan still embryonic
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 12:43:20 -0500

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

Cloned animal park plan still embryonic

By Edie Lau
Bee Science Writer
(Published Jan. 10, 2000)

The idea of an endangered animal park in Nevada featuring a replica of
Noah's Ark and scientists trying cloning and other clever techniques to help
populate the zoo sounded fantastic and enticing to city officials in
Mesquite. "It's fascinating, and I think it would attract visitors," said Melanie
Giarratana, economic development director of the fast-growing city about an
hour's drive northeast of Las Vegas.

But it's been nearly a year since a businessman from California and a
scientist from Texas, representing the Noah's Ark Conservancy for
Endangered Species, described the idea to the City Council. Not much has happened
since.

If this particular plan has been slow to progress, though, the field of
artificial reproduction and endangered species has surged forward, to
growing public attention.

In August, a panda at the San Diego Zoo delivered a cub conceived through
artificial insemination.

In October, a science team excavated a woolly mammoth from Siberian
permafrost and spoke of trying to clone the extinct animal.

In November, a domestic cat at a New Orleans research center gave birth to
an African wildcat. The kitten, named Jazz, is said to be the first live
birth resulting from a transfer between species of a once-frozen embryo. In
other words, an egg and sperm of African wildcats were united in a lab, an
embryo conceived, frozen, thawed, and put into the womb of a surrogate cat
mom.

Wildlife reproductive biologists have been interested for decades in
applying technology developed in livestock to help preserve threatened and
endangered animals. Now, with such technologies used prolifically with
people as well as farm animals -- and the successful cloning of sheep, mice,
cattle and goats in the past three years -- the arena is booming.

With the growing interest are arising notes of alarm, sounded by some of the
very people who employ such techniques in the nation's zoos.

"We don't want to have to continue to use artificial reproduction unless
it's absolutely necessary," said David Wildt,head of the reproductive
sciences program at the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center
outside Washington, D.C.

"We (as a society) have just become very blas in a way because the
technophiles believe those of us working in the field (of reproduction) can
solve the problem."

Terri Rothwas trained in interspecies embryo transfer as a graduate student
at the University of California, Davis, during the 1980s. Now director of
the Center for Research of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo, Roth
spends much of her time brainstorming with people at preserves around the
world on ways to get animals to breed naturally. Since her days at Davis,
Roth has lost fervor for high-tech solutions.

"Most of us agree that it's only a small part of the big picture of wildlife
conservation," she said. "And yes, we should be spending some resources to
try and do it, but by no means is it the only route we should take."

Dr. Duane "Dewey" Kraemer agrees, but it is in the high-tech avenues that he
is spending his time. The veterinary reproductive physiologist at Texas A&M
University is a founding member of Project Noah's Ark, a 10-year-old effort
to collect and cryopreserve sperm, embryos and other tissues of wild animals
as a hedge against species losses in the future.

"It's a safety net that I hope we never have to use," Kraemer said.

With David Kirk, a San Diego County entrepreneur, Kraemer hatched the idea
of a commercial park to raise money for research.

They envision a San Diego Wild Animal Park with a "Noah's Ark" -- a biblical
symbol of saving the world's animals -- as the main building housing shops,
restaurants and displays (though with no or few animals). Add an IMAX
theater, a research laboratory and 3,000 acres of wildlife habitat. Imagine
"safari villas" serving as lodging, resembling African huts, American Indian
tepees and so forth, set near the animals.

"People will be able to spend the night out in the park," Kirk said. "At
night, they'll hear the lions roar if they're in the African village, or in
the Indian village they can hear the tigers roar, so kids will know that
tigers come from India."

The ark would be perched on the 2,100-foot-high Flat Top Mesa, visible from
Interstate 15. At night, the plan goes, the illuminated ark would seem to be
floating in the sky. Kirk says he intends this month to return to Mesquite
with more details.

A center similar to that planned by Project Noah's Ark exists in New Orleans
at the 3-year-old Audubon Institute Center for Research of Endangered
Species, a non-profit facility affiliated with a zoo, aquarium and several
parks. It was here on 1,200 acres of wooded grounds that Jazz the African
wildcat was born.

Betsy Dresser, senior vice president for research, is working with nearly 40
species -- from frogs to tigers to gorillas -- with a budget of $3 million
and a driving sense of urgency. "I feel like I'm in the emergency room of
the wildlife business," Dresser said.

She has thrown her energies at artificial reproduction, opting to collect
eggs and sperm from her charges rather than coax them into mating the
old-fashioned way. This approach, she said, is faster.

Dresser knows that others in her profession follow a different philosophy.
Her counterparts at the San Diego, Cincinnati and National zoos emphasize
natural breeding over high-tech reproduction, and people in the business of
habitat preservation and restoration are even more disapproving.

"I go to international meetings and the habitat savers are in one corner of
the room, and the laboratory people in another," she lamented.

The San Diego Zoo's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species has the
world's largest collection of frozen cell samples -- at least 50,000,
representing 400 species. But Barbara Durrant, reproductive physiologist at
the center, would rather talk about the zoo's contributions toward
preserving wild lands -- including a $1 million-a-year donation to save
giant panda habitat in China.

Durrant said the prime goal of the "frozen zoo" is to preserve genetic
diversity. Officials hope one day to release many of the animals.

Dresser, while acknowledging the need to save habitat, said reproductive
research often attracts money that is not otherwise available. "A lot of the
money that comes to us, millions of dollars, these donors are giving money
to support things that they can put their name on or get credit for. They're
not going to put the money to save places in Africa or China," she said.

Whatever their philosophy, reproductive scientists agree: laboratory
techniques are not easy. A method successful in one species won't
necessarily work in another.

Wildt learned this the hard way. As a young researcher in the late 1970s, he
sought to breed captive cheetahs in North Africa with artificial
insemination techniques that were successful in cattle. No babies were born.

The researchers went home and started over. They studied the cheetah
reproductive cycle, the types and levels of hormones involved and
environmental conditions conducive to conception, pregnancy and birth.
Fifteen years later, they produced cheetah offspring with frozen sperm.

The more complicated the technique, the more elusive the desired results.
Jazz was one of eight wildcat embryos transferred into the cat surrogate,
and the only one born.

Even Wildt is not deaf to the siren call of cloning. Several companies have
contacted his center to discuss cloning. Wildt has not rejected their
overtures.

The Sacramento Bee,
http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local02_20000110.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Military and brain chip implants
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 12:46:18 -0500

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

Excerpted from "Information Operations: A New War-Fighting Capability"
A Research Paper Presented To Air Force 2025 by LTC William B.
Osborne(USA), Maj Scott A. Bethel, Maj Nolen R. Chew, Maj Philip M. Nostrand, Maj YuLin
G. Whitehead, August 1996

Online at http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/usaf/2025/v3c2/v3c2-1.htm

Excerpt direct link:
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/usaf/2025/v3c2/v3c2-4.htm#IIC

IIC

The IIC is a constellation of integration or "smart" satellites that
receives all-source information. Within the IIC, resident intelligent
software will run decision support tools, correlate and fuse data into
useful information, identify inconsistencies and information gaps, and task
collectors to seek data to fill information gaps.

Implanted Microscopic Chip

The implanted microscopic brain chip110 performs two functions. First, it
links the individual to the IIC, creating a seamless interface between the
user and the information resources (in-time collection data and archival
databases). In essence, the chip relays the processed information from the
IIC to the user. Second, the chip creates a computer-generated mental
visualization based upon the user's request. The visualization encompasses
the individual and allows the user to place himself into the selected
battlespace.

Why the Implanted Microscopic Chip? While other methods such as
specially configured rooms, special helmets, or sunglasses may be used to interface
the user with the IIC, the microscopic chip is the most viable. Two real
operational concerns support the use of implanted chips and argue against
larger "physical" entities to access the Cyber Situation.

First, future operations will demand a highly flexible and mobile force that
is ready at moment's notice to employ aerospace power. The chip will give
these forces the ability to communicate, visualize, and prosecute military
operations. Having to manage and deploy a "physical" platform or room
hampers mobility and delays time-sensitive operations. US aerospace forces
must be prepared to fight or to conduct mobility or special operations
anywhere in the world on extremely short notice although some of these
operations may be staged directly from the continental United States.111

Second, a physical entity creates a target vulnerable to enemy attack or
sabotage. A highly mobile information operations center created with the
chip-IIC interface makes it much more elusive to enemy attack. These
reasons argue against a larger physical entity for the Cyber Situation.

While this is a reasonable portability rationale for the use of chip, some
may wonder, "Why not use special sunglasses or helmets?" The answer is
simple. An implanted microscopic chip does not require security measures to
verify whether the right person is connected to the IIC, whereas a room,
helmet, or sunglasses requires additional time-consuming access control
mechanisms to verify an individual's identity and level of control within
the Cyber Situation.

Further, survey any group of commanders, decision makers, or other military
personnel if they enjoy carrying a beeper or "brick" at all times. Likely,
few like to carry a piece of equipment. Now, imagine having to maintain a
critical instrument that allows an individual to access the Cyber Situation,
and thus control the US military forces. Clearly, this is not an enviable
position, since the individual may misplace or lose the helmet or
sunglasses, or worse yet, the enemy may steal or destroy it. These are
unnecessary burdens.

via: isml@onelist.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Sacrificing humans to save animals?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 12:51:15 -0500

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

Sacrificing humans to save animals? PETA gives grants to
develop use of embryos, alternative to rat tests

By Joseph Farah =A9 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

The latest issue of Animal Times, the quarterly publication of
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, announces the
group's grants to companies developing human embryo testing as
one of the alternatives to the use of rats and other beasts in
product safety tests. "PETA has given $250,000 to assist in the
validation of non-animal test methods to replace existing
animal tests," an article in the Winter 1999 edition of the
journal says. "PETA awarded a $200,000 grant to the Institute
for In Vitro Science (IIVS) in Maryland to support a replacement
for the use of rats in lethal dose poisoning tests for
chemicals, household products and pharmaceuticals."

The group also announced a $50,000 grant to Dr. Bjorn Ekwall of
the Cytotoxicology Laboratory in Upsala, Sweden.

"Dr. Ekwall's work under the Multicenter Evaluation of In Vitro
Cytotoxicity (MEIC) proved that the use of human cells can
more accurately predict the toxic nature of a substance than can
rodent tests," the article reported.

PETA describes itself as "an international non-profit animal
protection organization with more than 600,000 members dedicated
to establishing the rights of all animals." Prominent members
include former Beatle Paul McCartney. Other celebrity supporters
include "Politically Incorrect" host Bill Maher, actress Alicia
Silverstone, actress Pamela Sue Anderson, and actor Steven
Seagal, who said, according to the organization's magazine: "We
have to view all life as equal."

But it's not PETA, alone, promoting an agenda of finding any
alternative to animal testing -- even if it means experiments
using human embryos. In fact, since 1993, the federal government
has joined the movement with the Interagency Coordinating
Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods ICCVAM.

The offshoot of the National Institutes of Health unites
representatives from 14 federal agencies and programs that
generate or use information from toxicological test methods to
support human health or environmental risk assessments.

The committee was formed as a result of the NIH Revitalization
Act of 1993. It is responsible for the coordination of the
development and review of various alternative toxicological
methods.

A United Kingdom group linked to IIVS defines the "replacement
alternatives" to animal testing quite clearly. The Fund for the
Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments says the
acceptable substitutes can be divided into six categories:
information; computer-based systems; physico-chemical
techniques; the use of lower organisms and embryo stages; human
studies; and cell, tissue and organ cultures.

With regard to "cell, tissue and organ culture," the group has
this to say: "In many disciplines, these in vitro systems are
not seen as replacement alternatives, but as the norm,
especially for studies at the cellular and molecular level. In
many cases they are only relative replacements, because they
require freshly obtained animal cells and tissue. However, even
when freshly isolated material is required, the animals are
used more economically, because a single animal will provide
tissue for a number of cultures. Human material can sometimes
be used, but it can be difficult to obtain, store and
distribute.. Some human tissue becomes available when it is
removed during surgery. Human placenta has been suggested as a
source of tissue for various types of research. For example,
it contains mast cells which share certain structures with nerve
cells and so can sometimes be used for neurological studies."

The fund's corporate benefactors include: Avon Products Inc.,
Faberg=E9, L'Or=E9al, Pfizer Ltd, Proctor and Gamble Ltd.,
Safeway Stores and SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare.
Corporate sponsors and supporters include Gillette, Warner
Lambert UK Ltd, Woolworths, Colgate-Palmolive Ltd.., Johnson &
Johnson Ltd. and Johnson Wax Ltd.

Interestingly, Proctor and Gamble has been a frequent target of
PETA for its use of animal tests.

The literature of the groups and companies active in this area
suggest it is time to create human tissue banks as suppliers for
expanded experimentation and testing in the future.

A spokeswoman for PETA found no contradiction in its support of
organizations involved in human and animal embryo tests.

"I didn't know any commercial firms were doing human embryo
tests," said Mary Beth Swetland, director of research and
investigation for the group. "But, no, I don't see any problem
with it. I don't think it raises any moral or ethical
challenges for us. The tests we're funding at IIVS are human-
cell tests, not embryo research."

via: isml@onelist.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News (1/10/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 12:55:43 -0500

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

Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.ArutzSheva.org>
Monday, January 10, 2000 / Sh'vat 3, 5760

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. GIANT GOLAN RALLY TONIGHT
  2. WHO'S PAYING, AND HOW MUCH?
  3. ARENS: NO SALE OF HOMELAND
  4. WEIZMAN CASE MOVING SLOWLY ALONG
  5. FINAL-STATUS TALKS RESUME
  6. POLICEMAN'S VIOLENCE WILL COST HIM
  7. JEWISH LANDS IN SYRIA
==== SPECIAL INSERT: GOLAN HISTORY ====

1. GIANT GOLAN RALLY TONIGHT
Many tens of thousands of people are expected at tonight's giant
demonstration, in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, in favor of keeping the Golan.
Difficulties in hiring buses for the rally have been reported, as so many
are already unavailable. Shlomo Filber, Deputy Chairman of the Yesha
Council, said today that the "elders of Yesha - yes, there are such people
- say they cannot remember as many buses ever being ordered for a
demonstration as for tonight's."

Politicians will not address the rally, in order to stress that the
struggle for the Golan crosses political lines. Among the speakers will be
Gen. (res.) Meir Dagan, Kibbutz Movement chairman Dubi Helman, and Rabbi
Aharon Eizental of the Golan. Two other speakers, billed by the rally's
organizers as "two of the most successful leaders of popular struggles in
the history of the nation," will be Moti Ashkenazi, who led the protest
movement against what was known as the "debacle" of Yom Kippur War,
and Avi Kaddish, who led the struggle for direct elections for Prime Minister.

2. WHO'S PAYING, AND HOW MUCH?
The Shepherdstown summit ends tonight with the departure of Ehud Barak
and Farouk A-Shara. The Americans hope that their document detailing the
issues of agreement and of disagreement will be the basis of understandings
for the next round of talks, scheduled for two months from now. The London
paper Al Hayat claims that Israel has agreed to withdraw from Mt. Hermon
and the entire Golan, up to a few meters from the Kinneret Sea. Prime
Minister Barak and State Department spokesman James Rubin denied the Al
Hayat report.

Estimated costs of the withdrawal and related matters are now nearing $100
billion. Respected military analyst Ze'ev Schiff, writing in Ha'aretz last
week, said that the sum of $17.4 billion that had been previously quoted
would be needed only for the relocation of IDF bases and the enhancement of
Israel's intelligence and offensive capabilities. Another sum of over $50
billion would be required for the removal of settlements and the relocation
of the residents, more intensive security arrangements, and desalination
costs to cover the loss of Israel's water sources. Neither of these sums
include aid promised to Syria, and then to Jordan and the Palestinians.
Journalist David Bedein, covering the Shepherdstown talks, reported today
that the Americans have entered into negotiations with the World Bank and
with Saudi Arabia to cover these costs.

Bedein also dismissed reports that President Clinton had arrived in
Shepherdstown to "solve crises in the talks - for there were no crises.
This is all Carville ice cream... [a reference to American public
relations advisor James Carville]. He arrived simply for his own
prestige." His interview with Arutz-7's Ron Meir can be heard at <a
href="http://www.a7.org/engclips/100100/bedein-talks.ram">
www.a7.org/engclips/100100/bedein-talks.ram </a>.

3. ARENS: NO SALE OF HOMELAND
Moshe Arens, who served as Israel's Defense Minister three different times,
is outspokenly against a withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Asked today
about his opinion of the Shepherdstown summit, Arens said, "The important
things happened well before Shepherdstown. Assad sent his Foreign
Minister, A-Shara, to meet with Barak only after he received a clear
promise that Israel had agreed to withdraw from the Golan - and all the
denials by Israeli officials won't help them." Arens lamented what he
called a "surrealistic aspect" of the talks: "Barak appears to be
representing the defeated country, and A-Shara and the Syrians appear to be
the victors, when in fact it's the opposite, both militarily and
economically. Yet somehow the Syrians are dictating the terms to us."

Arens put in a plug for tonight's giant rally in Tel Aviv: "We will wage a
stubborn, unyielding campaign, and we will reach every home, and explain to
them the catastrophe involved in abandoning the Golan. This campaign is
not political - it crosses all political lines. The participation of
hundreds of thousands may deter not only Barak, but may even deter Assad
[from negotiating an agreement that may not earn Israeli public support]."
Regarding the costs of the withdrawal, Arens said, "It would be pretty
nervy of us to ask the U.S. for such a high sum, and we don't have much
chances of getting it - but what's worse is that it creates the impression
that we are willing to sell parts of our homeland for money."

4. WEIZMAN CASE MOVING SLOWLY ALONG
President Ezer Weizman denies reports by journalist Yoav Yitzchak that he
plans to resign this week. Weizman told Voice of Israel Radio today that he
is waiting for State Prosecutor Edna Arbel's decision, after which he will
give his version of the $453,000 he received in gifts, and the $6.5 million
his political party Yachad received, from French millionaire Eduard Sarousi.

The Movement for Quality in Government filed suit with the Supreme Court
today, asking that both the State Prosecution and the police begin an
immediate investigation into the scandal. The organization claims that the
Prosecution's slow pace in the matter thus far raises suspicions of a
double standard compared to other cases, such as the investigation against
the gifts received by former Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sarah.
The petitioners would also like the Prosecution to explain why it agreed to
wait for two weeks for Weizman's attorneys to deliver the relevant
documents, since much evidence could be disposed of during that time.
Weizman said today that he would accept such gifts even today. "There
were issues of income tax, and declaring the money, but I received the go-ahead
from my lawyer... I will wait for Edna [State Prosecutor Arbel] to make
her decision."

5. FINAL-STATUS TALKS RESUME
The final-status talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed today,
following a meeting last night between Yasser Arafat and Israeli delegation
head Oded Eran. Following the meeting in Ramallah, Palestinian negotiator
Yasser Abed Rabbo said that he hopes the pace of the talks will be stepped
up with the return of Ehud Barak to Israel.

6. POLICEMAN'S VIOLENCE WILL COST HIM
Policeman Effie Havivian, who was convicted two years ago of violently
attacking two Hevron women at a demonstration in Jerusalem, will pay 30,000
shekels from his own pocket to the two, Anat Cohen and Rivka Zarbiv. So
decided the Jerusalem Magistrates Court today. Hevron residents, who have
long complained of police maltreatment, are hopeful that the decision will
deter policemen from further such behavior.

7. JEWISH LANDS IN SYRIA
Some 53,000 dunams (53 square kilometers) in the Horan region of Syria,
approximately 30 kilometers south-east of Damascus, are Jewish-owned.
The properties were originally purchased by Baron Rothschild in the early
1890's, changed Jewish ownership over the course of the next decades, and
ended up in the hands of the Jewish National Fund, the "inheritor" of the
PICA settlement organization. Atty. Avraham Hilleli, the JNF's legal
advisor on lands issues, told Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane today that the Waqf in
Syria had been making attempts to take over the lands for decades, until it
finally succeeded in getting a court in newly-independent Syria - the year
was 1946 - to rule that they belonged to the Waqf. "But the ruling was in
clear contrast to all the previous documentation, which show clearly that
the land was bought and owned by Jews," he said. Hilleli said that Israel
would ask not for monetary compensation for these and other lands in
Lebanon, "as it is clear that they have been settled by others. But we can
ask for other lands in return."

==== SPECIAL INSERT: GOLAN HISTORY ====
* The Bashan Region, of which the Golan is a part, was promised to the
Patriarch Abraham and the people of Israel on the occasion of the "Covenant
Between the Parts," recounted in Genesis 15. Half of the tribe of Menasheh
settled in the area after the Jews returned to the Land, and the city of
Golan in Bashan served as a city of refuge (Deut. 4, 43).
* In the period of the Kings, the Golan was the site of the battle between
King Ahab of Israel and the army of Aram. Israel's victory over Aram was
achieved at the present site of Kibbutz Afik, only a few miles east of the
Kinneret in the southern Golan.
* In the Second Temple period, the Jews who had been exiled to Babylonia
returned to their homes in the Golan. Jewish communities in the Golan were
attacked by their gentile neighbors, and Judah Maccabee launched a rescue
expedition on their behalf.
* At the end of the Hasmonean period, King Alexander Yannai conquered the
Golan and settled it with Jews. Jewish settlement in the central Golan
existed continuously since then for a period of 700 years. Major cities
were Banias and Susita. The district capital was Gamla, which fought with
supreme heroism in the Great Revolt, losing 10,000 residents in battle in
defense of the Golan. Second Temple period coins were found there after
the Six-Day War inscribed with the words "For the Redemption of Holy
Jerusalem."
* In the Talmudic period, Jewish settlement in the Golan flourished and
expanded. Among the wealth of archaeological findings in the Golan Heights
were remnants of 34 synagogues.
* In the Byzantine Period, Jewish settlements existed beside Christian
communities, until the defeat of the Byzantine army, and nomads took over
the area.
* In the 19th century, the heads of the Zionist movement and the people of
the old settlements of Tsfat and Tiberias made every effort to settle the
Golan. In 1886, the Bnei Yehuda society of Tsfat purchased a plot of land
in the Ramataniya village in central Golan, and settled there for about a
year. In 1887, they purchased the lands of the Bedouin village Bir Ashkum,
between Bnei Yehuda and Ein Gev. The Bnei Yehuda members held on to
the land with determination, until two of the last settlers were murdered in
the Arab riots of 1920, thus bringing an end to the settlement. In 1891,
Baron Rothschild purchased some 18,000 acres in eastern Golan (approx. 15
km. east of present-day Ramat Magshimim).
* At the beginning of the 20th century, the settlers of the First Aliyah
struck roots in the Horan lands (just east of the Golan), establishing five
settlements, but were evicted by the Turks in 1898. Following the
eviction, the land was managed as a farm by PICA until the land was seized
by the Syrian government. In light of the Golan's Jewish history, the
Zionist organizations demanded that the Golan be included within the
borders of the Jewish National Home. The Golan Heights were liberated on
June 10, 1967, the last day of the Six Day War. (Much of this information
can be found at <www.golan.org.il>.)

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

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - School Prayer statistics?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 13:01:13 -0500

From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: TorA.Rysstad@nupi.no
To: "Moza" <moza7@netzero.net>
Subject: School Prayer statistics?
Date sent: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 16:00:57 +0100

Hello again!

I was wondering; does anybody know the title/name of the author of a
book with statistical material concerning teenage pregnancy, drug abuce
etc. before and after 1962?

Thank you very much for any help!

Best regards from Norway,
Tor Rysstad

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

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

Philologos | Bible Prophecy Research | Online Books | Reference Guide

Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.