BPR Mailing List Digest: 07/07/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
July 7, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | July, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Bitter Reminder
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 02:03:57 -0500

This is from a transcript entitled:

General Assembly
Forty-fifth session
Excerpts from the provisional verbatim record of the
thirty-second meeting held at Headquarters, New York on
Tuesday, 23 October 1990, at 10 a.m.

This document appears on the United Nations website
at http://www.un.org/ha/chernobyl/45pv32.htm

The following remarks were made by Mr. Kravchanka
(Byelorussian SSR ) (interpretation from Russian):

"In Slavic languages, including the Ukrainian and
Byelorussian languages, there is a word 'chernobyl', which
means wormwood, bitter grass. This has striking relevance
to the Chernobyl tragedy. I am no fatalist. I do not
believe in the blind inevitability of fate, but who can
fail to be moved by these tragic and elegiac words from
Revelation, which must leave their indelible imprint on the
heart:

'... and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as
it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the
rivers, and upon the fountains of water;

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third
part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of
the waters, because they were made bitter.' (The Holy
Bible, Revelation 8:10-11)

"At the end of the twentieth century the human
intellect—educated in rationalism, in faith, in the
creative power of science and knowledge—refuses to accept
that those words may prove prophetic and fateful for the
Byelorussian people. To prevent Chernobyl from becoming an
irreversible tragedy for the Byelorussian people, we must
immediately adopt a more comprehensive set of additional
measures, particularly medical and biological measures. The
reality is vastly different from the earlier estimates of
Soviet and foreign experts. This has been demonstrated by
reliable data concerning the deterioration in the health of
our Republic's inhabitants.

"Today we wish to make one more proposal: to proclaim 26
April, the day when Chernobyl disaster occurred, as an
international day for the prevention of nuclear and other
industrial disasters. I wish to emphasize that the
Parliaments Byelorussia and the Ukraine by special decrees
have already proclaimed 26 April, the day of the Chernobyl
tragedy, a day of mourning and remembrance."

========

Also from the UN website:

16 September 1997
Press Release
GA/9297

CURRENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION CAN MARK BEGINNING OF NEW
ERA IN UNITED NATIONS HISTORY, PRESIDENT TELLS OPENING
MEETING

Says Members Have Chance to Revitalize World Body To Meet
Mounting Challenges, 'Reunite the United Nations'

Following is the text of the inaugural address given today
by Hennadiy Udovenko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Ukraine, as President of the fifty-second session of the
General Assembly:

"The current environmental problems also demand our
increased attention. The sustainability of the entire
ecosystem is put in question by the irresponsible
exploitation of nature and by mismanagement. This poses a
serious threat to our common well-being. The sad
illustration of this is the Chernobyl catastrophe. It
happened on the territory of my country, where --
rephrasing the revelation of St. John the Divine -- 'a
great star fell from heaven upon the third part of the
rivers'. Although it occurred more than a decade ago, the
'Chernobyl star of Wormwood' still hovers like a Damoclean
sword over the world and as a bitter reminder for all of us."

[Note: I do not have the URL for the above press release,
but if you go to http://www.un.org/search you should be
able to find it quite easily.]

For more references on Wormwood see our file at
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/w005.htm

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - ReligionToday News - Thursday, July 6, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 02:06:13 -0500

C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y
by the Editors of ReligionToday

July 6, 2000

A group of Baptists will have a highly unusual guest speaker:
Fidel Castro. The Cuban dictator is scheduled to address leaders
at the Baptist World Alliance ... meeting in Havana, Cuba,
July 3-8. It is the first-ever BWA General Council
meeting in the communist country, which has loosened some
restrictions on religious freedom.
...Several evangelistic events, including an open-air rally, are
scheduled. Revival services will be held in 40 churches in Havana and
other cities. Topics include promoting racial equality and peace among
ethnic groups, religious freedom, aid to developing countries, and
growth among Baptist denominations, according to the BWA. ...Cuban
Baptists invited the BWA to Havana. "For many years, due to
ideological struggles around the world, Cuban Baptists had been cut
off from many brothers and sisters. Therefore, it is with great joy
that we have accepted their kind invitation," BWA General Secretary
Denton Lotz said. Castro allowed 50,000 Bibles to be shipped into the
country and distributed to Protestant groups after a 1998 visit by BWA
leaders. The group has sent medicine, food, and other aid to Cuba's
churches, BWA said. ...There are about 35,000 Baptists in Cuba,
comprised mostly of three groups. The Baptist Convention of Western
Cuba is aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist
Convention of Eastern Cuba is aligned with American Baptist Churches
USA, and the Free Baptist Convention of Cuba is aligned with the
Freewill Baptists, according to BWA. The Baptist World Alliance
represents 43 million Christians in 96 churches from 110 nations.

-----

News from ReligionToday is Copyrighted by Crosswalk.com.
Content may be reproduced provided proper credit is
given to religiontoday.crosswalk.com. Please go to
http://www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright to be sure you
meet all legal requirements.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - ReligionToday News - Friday, July 7, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 02:06:13 -0500

C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y
by the Editors of ReligionToday

A Christian in Yemen may be executed for converting from Islam.
Mohammed Omer Haji, 27, was given a one-week ultimatum by an
Islamic court to return to Islam or face execution for committing
apostasy. "His situation is very serious and very dangerous," defense
lawyer Mohammed Abdul Karim Omarawi told Compass Direct News (see link
#5 below). Haji must declare to a judge three times at his final
hearing July 12 that he is returning to Islam or the death sentence
will be imposed. ...Haji, who is married with an infant son, came to
Yemen from his native Somalia in 1994. He became a Christian two years
ago and changed his name to George. Police arrested him in January and
held him for two months without trial, according to Compass. Haji said
he was threatened and beaten "very badly," every night. Police said
they would kill him if he did not return to Islam and repeatedly asked
about any other Somali Christians, he said. ...Police took Haji up a
mountain one night, and after beating him, vowed to throw him off if
he refused to recant, he told Compass. "To save my life that night, I
said I believe in Islam. Otherwise I would have died." He later
recanted, said he believed in Jesus Christ, and was rearrested, his
lawyer said. The Yemen Constitution declares Islam to be the state
religion, with Islamic law the source of all legislation. The
government forbids conversion from Islam or proselytizing by
non-Muslims.

-----------
5: http://www.compassdirect.org/

-----------
News from ReligionToday is Copyrighted by Crosswalk.com.
Content may be reproduced provided proper credit is
given to religiontoday.crosswalk.com. Please go to
http://www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright to be sure you
meet all legal requirements.

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

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - July 7, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 08:45:41 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

DISC - U.S. MINT - Various mints produce coins for other
countries.(CC)(TVG)

9:00

NBC - DATELINE NBC - A blind man undergoes risky
surgery to restore his vision.(CC)

PBS - THE GREAT WAR AND THE SHAPING OF THE 20TH CENTURY -
          "Explosion; Stalemate" - A Serb's assassination of an
          Austrian archduke in Sarajevo sparks war throughout Europe;
          the war bogs down into a bloody stalemate in the
          trenches.(CC)(TVPG)

DISC - DISCOVERY NEWS - (CC)

HIST - HIGH ROLLERS: A HISTORY OF GAMBLING - The evolution
of gambling in the United States.(CC)(TVPG)

TLC - MARTIAL ARTS: THE REAL STORY - Techniques arise from
cultural and religious contexts in China and
India.(CC)(TVPG)

9:30

DISC - DISCOVER MAGAZINE - "Mummies" - Archaeologists
examine ancient mummies of Chile and Peru.(CC)

10:00

A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "Friend or Foe: Flight
655" - The USS Vincennes shoots down a civilian Iranian
airbus in 1988.(CC)

DISC - STORM WARNING! - "Storm Sentries" -
Weather-predicting technologies.(CC)(TVG)

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Brazilian City Gags Public Cell Phone Gabbers
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 08:53:35 -0400

Thursday July 6 8:24 AM ET

Brazilian City Gags Public Cell Phone Gabbers

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazilian city has decided it is time to gag those
who gab on mobile phones in public places where concentration is prized.

Residents of the thriving city of Campinas will be yanked out of their movie
seats, escorted out of libraries or barred from classrooms if their cellular
telephones ring, a local legislator said on Wednesday.

Warning signs posted in public arenas, including conference centers and
schoolrooms, will forbid Campinas' wired residents from nattering. Failure to
post the warning will incur a fine of 425 reais ($236), according to a law that
went into effect last week.

``People who can't manage to switch off from the world for just two hours
deserve our pity,'' said Luis Yabiku, a sponsor of the law and a councilman in
the city of 1 million, located 60 miles (100 km) from Sao Paulo.

``I don't have anything against cell phones but we have to educate people in
their proper use,'' said Yabiku, who wants to promote similar legislation
nationwide amid an explosion in Brazil's mobile phone market that pits
tranquillity-seekers against communication addicts.

The number of cellular phones in Brazil is forecast to almost quadruple in
three years to 58 million -- one phone for every three Brazilians.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000706/od/cellular_dc_1.html

Link via:
http://www.newsviewtoday.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Hubble spies 'cosmic searchlight' in nearby galaxy
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 08:58:00 -0400

Hubble spies 'cosmic searchlight' in nearby galaxy

                   July 6, 2000
                   Web posted at: 1:12 a.m. EDT (0512
                   GMT)

From staff reports

(CNN) -- A high-resolution camera onboard the Hubble Space Telescope has
captured a blue jet of charged particles surging from the center of a nearby
galaxy at almost the speed of light.

A black hole that has swallowed the mass equivalent of 2 billion suns powers
the blue stream of electrons and protons, according to Hubble Space
Telescope scientists, who released the image Thursday.

Astronomer H.D. Curtis in 1918 first noticed a "curious straight ray"
emanating from M87, which otherwise seemed like an ordinary giant elliptical
galaxy in the Virgo cluster of galaxies.

Scientists determined after decades of research that the source of the
energy powering the jet was a massive black hole at the center of M87.

"The jet originates in the disk of superheated gas swirling around this black
hole and is propelled and concentrated by the intense, twisted magnetic
fields trapped within this plasma," Hubble scientists said in a statement.

The bluish tint of the jet contrasts with the yellow glow from billions of
unseen stars and the point-like globular clusters that make up M87, which is
50 million light-years away.

The conditions are ideal for a jet to form when a large black hole feeds on a
rich diet of stars, gas and dust, astronomers said. A similar phenomenon
occurs around young stars, although they produce much less energy.

Hubble Heritage scientists produced the image from data collected by
NASA's Hubble spacecraft in 1998.

http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/space/07/06/hubble.jet/index.html

Link via:
http://www.newsviewtoday.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - NASA Science News for July 07, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:04:31 -0400

NASA Science News for July 07, 2000

Amateur astronomers are discovering pieces of a
giant comet that broke apart in antiquity as the
fragments zoom perilously close to the Sun. You
can join the hunt, too. All you need is a
computer and an internet connection to view
realtime data from the orbiting ESA/NASA Solar
and Heliospheric Observatory.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast07jul_1.htm?list

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Gigantic cross seen as provocation in Bosnian city
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:13:07 -0400

GIGANTIC CROSS SEEN AS PROVOCATION IN BOSNIAN CITY

By Mirsad Behram (Associated Press)

MOSTAR, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)- A gigantic cross is casting a shadow
on reconciliation attempts between Muslims and Roman Catholic Croats in
this city battered by bitter sectarian violence during the Bosnian war.

According to church officials, the 90-foot high cross on Hum hill celebrates
2000 years of Christianity. For Muslims, however, the cross stirs recent
memories of the 1992-1995 war when Bosnian Croats shelled the Muslim
side of the city from the same hill.

"During the war, they publicly said they were shooting in the name of the
cross," said Mehmed, a 35-year-old Muslim, who declined to give his last
name.

In May, a multiethnic government was elected in this city, about 44 miles
southwest of Sarajevo. It seemed to be making progress and even organized
a meeting of war veterans from both sides to try and find some way to
cooperate.

Then the cross popped up, visible from almost everywhere in the town.

"It looks spiteful to me, when you see it in the light of us believing we were
heading toward some better days," Milan Jovicic, a Serb deputy speaker in
the common parliament, said Monday.

In a letter to Mostar's Catholic bishop, Ratko Peric, Jovicic wrote, "Do not
compromise your religious symbols and don't use them to provoke by putting
them on places where they don't belong. Remember, many innocent lives
were taken from that place."

The bishop never responded and has remained unavailable for reporters.

International officials who monitor and direct the implementation of peace in
the divided town have also condemned the construction of the religious
symbols.

During a visit to the region last week, Bosnia's U.S. Ambassador Thomas
Miller said crosses on hills and other symbols of religious intolerance are
<FontFamily><param>Times New Roman</param><bigger>just "not to be tolerated."

via: <color><param>0000,0000,8000</param><FontFamily><param>Arial</param><smaller>origin@egroups.com<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - UN: AIDS being spread by peacekeepers
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:16:19 -0400

July 7, 2000

U.N.: AIDS being spread by its peacekeepers

By Betsy Pisik THE WASHINGTON TIMES

NEW YORK — The U.N. Security Council, under pressure from
the United States, said Thursday that U.N. peacekeepers are
spreading the AIDS virus.

"Six months ago, countries didn't want to have a
discussion on AIDS," said U.S. Ambassador Richard C.
Holbrooke. "Today, we have been told by every member of the
Security Council that they are ready to go with this."

Mr. Holbrooke cited cases in which Finnish soldiers had
brought the virus home after peacekeeping tours.

The United Nations currently has some 38,000 peacekeepers
engaged in 14 missions around the world, not including
locally hired staff. They are often sent to places where
prostitution is openly practiced.

The United Nations currently issues one condom per day to
peacekeepers and urges them not to patronize brothels or
engage in sexual activity that is not locally permitted.

A U.S.-sponsored resolution calls on the U.N. Department
of Peacekeeping Operations, or DPKO, to train all
peacekeepers on how to block the spread of HIV, the virus
that causes AIDS.

The resolution also urges troop-contributing nations to
offer comprehensive education, counseling and HIV testing
for all members of the armed services.

Some were unimpressed by the latest U.N. move. "They're
just printing up a bunch of pamphlets," said one Western
envoy of the latest attempt to halt the proliferation of
AIDS by peacekeepers.

There are no hard statistics about the rates of infection
or transmission, but many of the U.N. troops come from
nations where the disease is already rampant and introduce
it in local populations.

Separately, Mr. Holbrooke announced a $10 million item in
the this year's Defense Department budget to underwrite
AIDS-related programs for foreign soldiers and the United
Nations. The money must still be approved by Congress.

"This resolution is not solely addressed to Africa and it
is not addressed solely to U.N. peacekeepers, but by
definition that is where the bulk of the problems we're
addressing today lie," Mr. Holbrooke said.

"AIDS is spread in so many different ways by so many
different people. Sometimes, people bring it to regions;
sometimes, they take it with them."

This is not the first time the council has sought to
address peacekeepers' role in spreading of the AIDS virus.

Beginning in February, the council began adding a boiler-
plate paragraph to every peacekeeping resolution
"encouraging efforts by the United Nations to sensitize
peacekeeping personnel in the prevention and control of
HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases in all its
peacekeeping operations."

Mr. Holbrooke was careful to note that the resolution,
which could come to a vote early next week, grew out of the
council's January session on HIV/AIDS. At the time, the
world body for the first time labeled the AIDS epidemic a
threat to global peace and security.

At the time, Mr. Holbrooke defended the expansion of the
council's agenda, convincing reluctant governments that
AIDS could be a security threat.

"You can't cordon off a continent," he said Thursday.

In the U.S. military, AIDS testing is mandatory upon
entering the service and before deployment overseas.

Mr. Holbrooke said that those who test positive for HIV
are not deployed, but held back for treatment.

Not every country is as wealthy as ours, he said, nor can
the Security Council order mandatory testing, because it
exceeds the authority of the United Nations.

"That is not something U.N. can obligate member states to
do," he said.

http://www.washtimes.com/world/default-200077224158.htm

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (7/7/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:21:19 -0400

*** Palestinians seeking $40 bln. in aid

JERUSALEM (AP) - The Palestinians are asking for $40 billion in
international aid to set up independent state once a peace agreement
with Israel is completed, Yasser Arafat's top economic adviser said
Thursday. Khaled Salam said the aid would be needed for Palestinian
refugees, infrastructure, budget expenditures and an early retirement
fund. Salam, also known as Mohammed Rashid, said Israel would not be
expected to come up with most of the money, but "Israel should feel
and take great responsibility." President Clinton is hosting a summit
with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat at Camp David on
July 11 to try to work out a framework for a peace treaty. But both
sides seem locked into their present positions by internal problems,
as public support for the two leaders fades. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567925840-980

*** Paralyzed inmate sues over guards

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) - An inmate who was paralyzed behind bars
says in a lawsuit that Spartanburg County jail guards should have stopped
him from doing back flips off a desk in his cell. Torrence Johnson,
who is suing for unspecified damages, said recently that he fell and
crushed a vertebra while being held in maximum-security in 1998. He
had been arrested three weeks earlier on motor vehicle charges.
Johnson's lawyer, Joseph A. Mooneyham, said guards should have
watched Johnson closely because he had emotional problems, including
depression. Jail Director Larry Powers said Johnson was to blame for
his paralysis. Johnson was alone in the maximum-security wing because
he was a constant behavioral problem and because other inmates
regularly taunted him, the jail director said. He would not say why
Johnson was taunted. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567924806-d8a

*** Deformed frogs to be examined

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday it
will survey 43 federal wildlife refuges to gather information on
whether pesticides and other pollutants might be causing deformities
in frogs. An increasing number of frogs and toads have been found in
recent years to have severe deformities without any clear indication
of what might be causing these malformed amphibians. The new study at
the wildlife refuges will focus what impact pollutants might have on
frogs with the findings to be turned over to an interagency group
studying the issue, said Fish and Wildlife Service officials.
Scientists have been studying a variety of possible causes for the
decline of the frog population and the large number of reported
deformities. Among the possibilities that have been raised are
disease, fungal infection and loss of habitat as well as possibly
ultraviolet radiation and even the thinning of the atmosphere's ozone
layer. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567927348-086

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) "'Fatma's Gate:' A New Park
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 12:37:32 -0400

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 09:18:56 -0700
To: memri@erols.com
From: MEMRI <memri@erols.com>
Subject: "'Fatma's Gate:' A New Park Where Families Can Watch Israelis
and Stone Them"

Special Dispatch - Lebanon

July 7, 2000

No. 113

Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
1815 H Street, NW Suite 404 Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-mail: MEMRI@erols.com
Website: www.memri.org

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

"'Fatma's Gate:' A New Park Where Families Can Watch Israelis and Stone
Them"

Since Israel�s withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, the area by the Lebanese
side of "Fatma's Gate," the former major checkpoint between Israel and
Lebanon, has become a park commemorating Hizbullah's victory over Israel,
where visitors can observe Israelis beyond the border fence and throw
stones at them. One such visitor was Columbia Professor and Palestinian
intellectual Edward Sa'id, who visited the site with his family and threw
stones at Israel. (Agence France Presse published a picture of Sa'id
throwing stones.) (1) At the site Sa'id made a statement about the
importance of and the lessons to be drawn from Israel's defeat in south
Lebanon.

Following are articles describing the park by "Fatma's Gate" and Sa'id's
visit.

"Fatma's Gate" Tour Guide

Al-Quds Al-Arabi reporter, Nada Abd Al-Samad, describes south Lebanon�s
newest attraction: "…After the last [Israeli] soldier left Lebanon… a
daily phenomenon at 'Fatma's Gate' began: women, men and children coming
as close as they can to the Israeli posts [across the border fence] and
stoning them. With the pride of the winner they curse and threaten
whenever an [Israeli] soldier or settler appears near the gate."

"The media attendance [at the gate] has not changed, but the people are
fewer now, especially in midweek… Foreign photographers constantly cruise
around, looking for a picture [that will capture] a change in the routine,
but such a change has yet to happen…"

"The place resembles archeological sites… Along the road to 'Fatma's
Gate' there are carts [selling] water, soft drinks, beans and pita bread…
a peddler invites [people to buy] cold water, his friend [sells] roasted
grains. Beside the carts are benches, where the visitors can sit, eat,
and drink without missing the view at this unique border point. The
stands and the tents do not conceal the plastic Katyusha rocket Hizbullah
erected near the border fence. Despite the daily routine, the tension
occasionally rises when a gunshot surprises the passersby, as happened on
Saturday, when we toured the gate."

"When an Israeli soldier approached the fence during his patrol, some
youngsters started to stone him. The soldier quickly vanished behind the
trees but the stoning continued. He later came out from his shelter and
shot a couple of times. One man was hurt and the stone throwers ran away.
The injured man was taken by motorcycle to a clinic. [But] the firing of
rubber bullets did not frighten another group of youngsters who started to
stone an Israeli military vehicle across the border. The Israeli soldiers
ran for shelter."

"These sights reoccur daily or at least on weekends when attendance is
higher." (2)

Prof. Sa'id at "Fatma's Gate"

The Lebanese daily Al-Safir writes: "At 'Fatma's Gate,' Sa'id made the
following statement to journalists: 'Israel plundered the land, expelled
the people, and continues to do so. The lands we see before us were all
Palestinian. How can we solve this problem?'"

"'First, we have to stop the continuing Israeli campaign to take over the
lands of 1967. We have to secure the right of return for our people.
According to international law, it is the right of every refugee to return
to the house from which he was expelled. This is what we saw last year in
the war in Kosovo. It is the right of every Albanian to go back to his
land. The NATO states launched a war against Yugoslavia in order to
repatriate the Albanian refugees.'" "'On the other hand, the Palestinian
people have been out of their land and home for fifty years now…. Israel
has no right to discriminate between a Jewish refugee and a Palestinian
one. Every Jewish refugee has the right to… become a citizen of Israel,
while the Palestinian is not given that same right.'"

"'The liberation [of South Lebanon] is a great achievement, nothing of
this magnitude has happened in my lifetime - the life of struggle against
Israel since its beginning in 1948…. I believe what is happening now is
the realization of something symbolically important. For the first time
an Arab group liberates land from Israeli forces not in the moral or…
symbolic sense, but in the real and practical one.'"

"'The future is difficult. This area is included in the international
peace stew, which must be carried out for the benefit of the only
remaining superpower - America. The resistance movement must complete the
liberation of this area in its entirety [by means of] wisdom, planning,
and determination. The liberation should be not only from the Israelis,
but from all the types of corruption and tyranny existing in the Arab
homeland in which regimes that are used by the Americans for their
interests… torment [their own people]. These regimes have nothing to do
with the future, or with transforming the area into a better one...
[America and its allies] have simple goals in this region. First… no
change in the status quo, and second [securing] the oil resources at the
lowest possible price. America is ready to do whatever it can to achieve
these two aims which completely contradict the aspirations of both the
Arab and the Jewish peoples… and of all the nations in this region. This
is why we must [endorse] a perspective of the future that will… be based
on the welfare of the people and not the regimes and their heads.'"

"'Second, we are in a clash of civilizations. Our viewpoint as Arabs is
comprehensive. It applies to all people regardless of religion or race.
This completely contradicts the prevailing views today including the
Israeli perspective, which discriminates between Jews and non-Jews. This
clash must be escalated not only with weapons, but also by the ideal,
rational and scientific weapons.'"

"'We cannot begin all over again every time; it only damages us. We have
to learn to train ourselves and accumulate the practical lessons we have
drawn from the past and learned from our mistakes. This is the lesson we
can learn… from the liberation of the south. This region was under the
control of the Israeli military and its collaborators. It moved to the
control of the [Lebanese] resistance movement, which is rational and
serious, which defeated the Israeli army not by weapons alone, but also
through thought and morale on the spiritual level. This is the only way
to defeat American hegemony.'"

"'Clearly we will not be able to obtain nuclear weapons or planes or ships
or huge armies. But we can win on the moral scene. These are the lessons
that can be drawn from what happened at last with the Lebanese resistance
movement. Their weaponry was in the real and practical field, but also in
the realm of comprehensive world-view."

Responding to a question about the role of Islam in the victory in
Lebanon, Sa'id stated: "'Values and morals unite all people and are not
limited to one religion. In this region there are Christians, Muslims,
Shi'ites, Sunnis, Syrians, Jews, Armenians all sharing the same
aspirations - a good life, stability, and security. Every human being,
American, Chinese, or African needs them. I believe that ultimately a
common platform will be found that will unite all races and religions and
I support any struggle towards that aim without excluding anyone. I
cannot say that only he who belongs to this or that movement is allowed to
fight. The field of struggle is open to anyone who is willing to engage
in it.'" (3)

Endnotes:

(1) Also see Al-Ayyam (PA), July 5, 2000.
(2) Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), June 19, 2000.
(3) Al-Quds (Palestinian), July 5, 2000 based on a report in the Lebanese
paper Al-Safir.

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

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

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, July 7, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 12:40:17 -0400

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 16:33:41 +0300
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, July 7, 2000
Send reply to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, July 7, 2000 / Tammuz 4, 5760
------------------------------------------------
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. PALESTINIANS "WILLING TO COMPROMISE"
  2. SHAS: RED LINES OR ELSE WE'RE OUT
  3. LAST NIGHT IN OFRAH
  4. TAKING TO THE STREETS
  5. JEWS AROUND THE WORLD
  6. WORRYING EXODUS FROM NORTH
  7. BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE

1. PALESTINIANS "WILLING TO COMPROMISE"
As the Camp David II summit approaches, Ma'ariv reports today that Yasser
Arafat demands the evacuation of the 70,000 Jews of N'vei Ya'akov and
Pisgat Ze'ev in northern Jerusalem. Arafat is, however, apparently
"prepared to permit" certain Yesha settlements along the border to remain
in place. His conditions for doing so: Firstly, the communities must be
transferred to PA sovereignty, with Israel being permitted to lease them
for "a number of decades;" secondly, the Palestinians must receive
commensurate territories within "Green Line" Israel.

Palestinian official Muhammad Rashid announced last night that the
Palestinians are "willing to show maximum flexibility" in Camp David.
"This does not mean that we will compromise," he clarified, "but merely
that the Palestinians are prepared to show understanding for Israel's
needs." As an example, he said that the Palestinians would be willing to
push off the declaration of their state for a few weeks "if there is
substantial progress in the talks before then."

The Americans, for their part, support Palestinian sovereignty over
certain sections of eastern Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright told Jewish leaders in Washington yesterday, "It is impossible to
totally ignore the yearnings of a billion Arabs for Jerusalem."

2. SHAS: RED LINES OR ELSE WE'RE OUT
Shas Chairman Minister Eli Yeshai warned today that "if red lines are not
set [by Prime Minister Barak before he leaves for the summit], the Shas
Council of Torah Sages will meet on Sunday and decide to leave the
government." The Council convened this morning and declared afterwards,
"[We] demand that the Prime Minister tone down the process... There is
always room for territorial compromise, but our brothers' security cannot
be compromised. The Council therefore demands that before going to the
Camp David summit, the Prime Minister set red lines that are acceptable to
us."

3. LAST NIGHT IN OFRAH
The senior Yesha town of Ofrah celebrated its 25th birthday last night, in
the presence of many leading nationalist camp political and other
personalities. National Religious Party leader Minister Rabbi Yitzchak
Levy announced that he would resign from the government at the next
cabinet meeting, while Likud chief MK Ariel Sharon praised Yesha residents
as those who are "spearheading the struggle to preserve Eretz Yisrael."
Sharon later met with Yesha Council leaders to discuss the details of the
public campaign against Ehud Barak's planned concessions.

Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke prior to Sharon. He
refrained from directly attacking the policies of Prime Minister Barak,
and instead expressed his support for the continued flourishing of Ofrah,
and called on Israelis not to engage in a "war between brothers." Arutz-7
correspondent Kobi Sela reports that Netanyahu was received in Ofrah with
moderate enthusiasm. Some members of the crowd shouted, "The next Prime
Minister!" while others called upon him to request forgiveness for having
signed the Wye Accord.

4. TAKING TO THE STREETS
Plans are underway for what has been called the "Rally of the Millenium"
next Sunday night in Tel Aviv against Barak's plan to abandon over 90% of
Judea and Samaria and 20% of its inhabitants. Israel's political left is
also taking to the streets. Consultations between government ministers
and Labor party activists took place this morning in the Prime Minister's
Office, with the goal of counteracting the public campaign currently being
waged by Israel's national camp.

In related news, Globes reported yesterday that Ehud Barak has urgently
summoned American public relations advisors Carville, Greenberg and Shrum
to Israel in order to "discuss political, social and diplomatic
developments." The three men - noted for their efforts on behalf of U.S.
President Clinton's election campaigns - were instrumental in the Barak
election victory last year. Globes notes that the move comes in the wake
of Barak's fears of a collapse of his government, and in preparation for a
referendum and/or new elections.

5. JEWS AROUND THE WORLD
World Jewish leaders signed a joint letter today calling on 200,000 Jewish
activists worldwide to take action on behalf of the ten Iranian Jews
sentenced to long prison terms on charges of espionage. The Jews have
appealed their sentences; the appeal is scheduled to be heard in two
week's time. The letter, signed by Minister of Diaspora Affairs Rabbi
Michael Melchior, Nobel Prize laureate Eli Wiesel, and World Jewish
Congress leader Israel Singer, calls on Jewish leaders to use their
influence with their governments and to arouse public opinion on the
matter. A solidarity rally will be held this Monday at noon, on 42nd St.
and 1st Ave. in Manhattan, on behalf of the imprisoned Jews.

In somewhat related news, Yonah Baumel, whose son Zechariah and two other
IDF soldiers have been missing since the Sultan Ya'aqub battle in Lebanon
in 1982, plans to arrive in Camp David next week to protest Barak's
agreement to attend the summit without receiving information on the
missing soldiers. Baumel sharply criticized Barak for not meeting with
family members, and said that the Americans have shown more responsibility
towards the fate of the soldiers than has the Prime Minister.

Yet another Israeli avoided foreign imprisonment when a Swiss court freed
him today. A General Security Service agent, known as Yitzchak Bental,
was fined and allowed to return to Israel today, after he admitted to
having placed eavesdropping equipment in the home of a Hizbullah agent in
Switzerland. Prime Minister Barak expressed satisfaction at the decision,
and praised Israeli security organizations for their dedication to
Israel's security and to the individual agents.

6. WORRYING EXODUS FROM NORTH
Despite the relative quiet in the north, one-tenth of Kiryat Shmonah
residents are planning to permanently leave the town this summer. The
information comes from Kiryat Shmonah Mayor Chaim Barbivai, who cited
reduced school registration figures for the coming year the source for his
prediction. Itim News Agency correspondent Shlomo Hadad reports that a
special team has been commissioned by the municipality to meet with the
departing families in an effort to convince them to stay.

7. BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE
Renewed optimism that the doctors strike may soon come to an end was
expressed by senior Finance Ministry official Yuval Rachelevsky. Israel
Medical Union representatives met with Finance Ministry officials today
after negotiations came to an abrupt end yesterday morning. The two sides
wish to reach a statement of principles that they hope will pave the way
for the end of the strike, which is in its 120th day. Yediot Acharonot
reports that yesterday's talks collapsed when the Finance Ministry
proposed dividing the doctors' wage increases into two payments - the
second of which would only be payable at the end of the year 2001.

Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal
English News Editor: Ron Meir and Hillel Fendel

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

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - What's New at BPR?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 14:03:22 -0500

Bible Prophecy Research
Additions and updates made since June 2, 2000
Issue #47
July 6, 2000
=================

Hi everyone...

Here are the latest files we've added to the website,
along with book and software recommendations.

==================

> Added: The Bread of Life
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/b008.htm

"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life..."

Moza examines some thoughts and references on "challah" --
the customary bread eaten on Friday nights by Jewish
families observing the Sabbath.

> Added: Characteristics of the 1,000 Years
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms066.htm

An excerpt from "Studies in Eschatology" (1899) by
Nathaniel West

> Added: 5760 + 240 = 6000
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms067.htm

What year is it on the Jewish calendar? Moza shares some
material that may shed some light on the "missing 240
years."

> Updated: Wormwood
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/w005.htm

===================
BOOK RECOMMENDATION

25 Messianic Signs in Israel Today
by Noah W. Hutchings
Paperback (May 1999)
Hearthstone Pub Ltd
http://philologos.org/guide/books.htm

This is a quick, easy read that is very informative.

Table of Contents:
1. Israel's Fig Tree
2. The Surety of the Return
3. Buying Back the Land
4. Israel Reborn in a Day
5. Order of the Return
6. A Pure Language
7. The Shekel
8. Cities of Israel
9. Cities of Exception
10. From Desolation to Productivity
11. Irrigation
12. The Trees of Israel
13. The Vultures of Israel
14. Wild Animal Life
15. Increasing Rainfall
16. Jerusalem, an International Problem
17. Israel a Democracy
18. Wars of Israel and Jerusalem Retaken
19. The Diaspora
20. Restoration of Temple Worship
21. Comprehensive Middle East Peace Treaty
22. The Closed Eastern Gate
23. The Dead Sea
24. The Remnant of Edom
25. Jewish Unbelief

-- Moza

===================
SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATION

God's Word for Windows
http://philologos.org/guide/software.htm

..If anybody is interested in a great low-cost Bible
program, I highly recommend [from personal experience]
'God's Word for Windows'. It can be downloaded free (zip
files) here:

http://www.spocom.com/bible/index.htm

"A full featured Bible research program for Windows 95.
Includes the full King James version, Strong's Numbers,
Greek and Hebrew Lexicons, Bible dictionary, commentary and
topical index. Supports keyword, phrase and phonetic
searching using optional logical connectives, verse notes,
4 color hilighting."

I use it on Win 98 and it is very well designed. It won't
deactivate itself after a set period of time, and if you
like it, the CD is $25 and includes the Darby and Young
translations in addition to the KJV. The program can also
be set to run from the CD.

The best features in my opinion, are:

* the ability to toggle the Strong's numbers on and off in
the text,

* the ability to instantly click the Strong's numbers and
change the number (e.g. when you want to trace through the
root[s] of a word), and

* the ability to search using a combination of English
word[s] and/or Strong's numbers.

[I'm not affiliated with them; it's just a great program
and I use it every day. I tried FreeBible and found it to
be awkward and cumbersome compared to 'God's Word']

— Khazneh

===================
JEWISH CALENDAR

Tammuz 5760 (Jul - Aug 2000)

Its zodiacal sign is Cancer with the associated tribe
being Issachar. It consists of 29 days with the 1st of
Tammuz never falling on Monday, Wednesday, or the Sabbath.

Theme: wisdom

July 4 - New Moon (1 Tammuz)

Jul 16 - Lunar Eclipse

Jul 20 - Fast of Tammuz 17 (17 Tammuz)
(Fast to commemorate tragedies)

Jul 29 - South Delta-Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak

Jul 31 - Partial Solar Eclipse (Visible From N. Asia & E.
USA)

Aug 01 - Alpha Capricornids Meteor Shower Peak

===================

Bible Prophecy Research: http://philologos.org/bpr
Download Online Books: http://philologos.org
The BPR Reference Guide: http://philologos.org/guide

Suggestions or comments? Please send them to
owner-bpr@philologs.org

If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter, send an
email message to owner-bpr@philologos.org with the words
UNSUBSCRIBE BPR-NEWSLETTER somewhere in the body of the
message.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Scientists debate where to crash Galileo space probe
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 18:02:18 -0400

Scientists debate where to
crash Galileo space probe
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: July 6, 2000

How should the highly successful voyage of NASA's Galileo spacecraft to
Jupiter end? More importantly, where should controllers guide the probe to
avoid polluting the jovian system?

These questions were posed to a team of scientists at the National
Academy of Sciences' Space Studies Board's Committee on Planetary and
Lunar Exploration (COMPLEX), at the direction of NASA.

Despite Galileo's general spaceworthiness, it is unrealistic to
assume that it will remain both controllable and scientifically useful
for the indefinite future," the panel write in a recently released
report. "It is, therefore, prudent to begin planning for the most
scientifically productive use of the spacecraft's remaining life and to
make provision for its safe disposal."

To avoid the contamination of potential life-growing areas such as
the jovian moon Europa, NASA is trying to investigate ways to
bring the mission to a safe end. The only real option -- send
Galileo probe crashing into Jupiter or one of its other moons.

The COMPLEX team ruled out the option of using gravity to eject
Galileo from orbit around Jupiter, sending the craft into a
heliocentric orbit because of uncertainty where the nuclear-laden
satellite might ultimately go.

Such an option, the panel said, might require a launch-safety
review similar to the one ordered before Galileo was sent aloft by
a space shuttle 11 years ago.

"The reason for this is the very small, but nonzero, chance of
eventual impact with Earth. The anticipated cost of such a review
is so great -- in excess of Galileo's current annual operations
budget of some $7 million -- that NASA has no option but to
dispose of the spacecraft within the jovian system."

After being launched aboard the space shuttle in 1989, Galileo arrived at
Jupiter in December of 1995 to begin a planned two-year mission to study
the surroundings of our solar system's largest planet. After the first two years
were successfully complete, NASA scientists opted to extend the mission
another two years through 1999 to provide opportunities for additional studies
of the moons Europa and Io.

The data returned to Earth from those two years left scientists
even more curious than before about the jovian environment. So,
once again, NASA extended the mission for at least another year
to provide even more extensive studies of the moons and to
temporarily join up in jovian orbit with the Cassini space probe in
late 2000 to provide more research of Jupiter's magnetosphere.
Cassini is bound for a 2004 rendezvous with Saturn.

Even through five years of being subjected to the dense radiation
around Jupiter and its moons, Galileo continues to function quite
normally. No major failures of any essential spacecraft systems
have occurred.

Lately, however, scientists have built evidence that a possible
ocean might be hidden under the icy surface of Europa. This leads
NASA to consider proposals for guiding the probe into Jupiter or
one of the planet's other moons to protect the possibility of life in
the theoretical ocean on Europa.

Contamination is such a significant threat because micro-organisms
from Earth that could still be clinging to Galileo.

The panel looked at the probabilities of life on each of the four major jovian
moons: Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede). COMPLEX concluded that,
even though there are only slight chances of life on both Callisto and
Ganymede, Io and Jupiter itself are the prime candidates as the final
destination for Galileo.

Chances of life there are almost nil on Io because of its ceaseless
volcanic activity. But in the end, Jupiter was chosen as the most
likely target.

Four possible trajectories were considered, all of which would end
up with an impact on Jupiter. The COMPLEX board then made a
recommendation on a preferred trajectory.

This route would take Galileo on several flybys of Io to try to gain
even more data on this most geologically-active body in the solar
system. A possibility of one flyby of the much smaller asteroid-like
inner moon Amalthea is also available. This trajectory would
culminate with an impact on Jupiter in either December 2002,
September 2003 or January 2005.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0007/06galileoend/

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (7/7/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 18:09:28 -0400

*** La. upholds sodomy law

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisiana's Supreme Court has upheld the state's
195-year-old sodomy law, under which consenting adults could receive
up to five years in prison for engaging in oral or anal sex. "Simply
put, commission of what the Legislature determines as an immoral act,
even if consensual and private, is an injury against society itself,"
Justice Chet Traylor wrote in Thursday's 5-2 decision. In their
dissent, Chief Justice Pascal Calogero Jr. and Justice Harry Lemmon
said the law represents an intrusion of government into citizens'
homes. Lemmon wrote: "Two married persons should be able to choose
how they conduct their nonpublic, voluntary sexual relations. A law
that takes that choice away from them is an intrusion by the
legislative branch that is constitutionally intolerable." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567937612-9f5

*** U.S., China open arms control talks

BEIJING (AP) - U.S. and Chinese officials opened their first
arms-control talks in 19 months Friday, discussing China's assistance
to Pakistan's missile program and arms proliferation in North Korea.
A team led by John Holum, the chief U.S. arms-control negotiator,
also was expected to bring up American ambitions to build a missile
defense system, something China opposes. China in turn was likely to
talk about its No. 1 weapons proliferation issue: U.S. arms sales to
rival Taiwan. Washington and Beijing have tried for years to hold
regular talks on arms control. Their last formal session was held in
Nov. 1998. Nearly six months later, China broke off the dialogue
after the U.S. bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567938859-bdc

*** G-7 ministers arrive in Japan

FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) - As finance chiefs from the world's richest
nations arrived here Friday for summit talks, Japan's Finance
Minister Kiichi Miyazawa called for greater efforts to stabilize
international capital flows and currency fluctuations. Reforming the
international financial system is one of the top items on the agenda
of Saturday's meeting of the finance ministers from the Group of
Seven leading industrialized nations. Meeting in this southern
Japanese city two weeks before leaders from the Group of Seven
countries plus Russia hold their annual summit, the finance ministers
also will be discussing measures to regulate the global explosion of
e-commerce and Japan's efforts to lift its economy out of recession.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567939366-ea3

*** Putin power play gets mixed results

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin won a battle in the lower
house of parliament and lost one in the upper house Friday in his
ambitious bid to strengthen his powers over Russia's regional
officials. The lower house, called the State Duma, voted 335 to 27 to
approve a law allowing Putin to fire local officials and mayors.
Three lawmakers abstained. The upper house, meanwhile, vetoed a bill
that would let the president dismiss governors who violate laws. The
upper house, called the Federation Council, is composed of regional
governors whose powers are threatened by Putin's plan. The vote was
83 to 16 against the bill, with nine abstentions. The president
describes his package of bills as a bid to force regional bosses to
comply with the country's 1993 constitution, but critics say he is
eliminating checks and balances on the president's power. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567942356-6aa

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

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