BPR Mailing List Digest: 07/22/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
July 22, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | July, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("John in NZ")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 11:47:00 +1200

Hi,
I nkow exactly what you mean Cynthia. And the answer is, "NO!" We all pray
out of our own selfish motives - even if we have made great justufucations
for our prayers which sound spiritual and altruistic.

This is the very reason we pray, "In the name of Jesus" because if we were
to pray in our own right our inherent selfishness would bar our prayers from
heavens throne. But when we pray "In Jesus name" Our prayers are wrapped up
and included in the intercession of Christ before the throne, and are
purified by him and made acceptable to the Father by him. In effect our
prayers become his and God sees him and the prayer is acceptable.

How amazingly refreshing this is, how releasing! No longer do I have to fear
that "I didn't pray right" or "I didn't pray enough" or "I was praying from
the wrong motive" - of course I didn't pray right, of course I had wrong
motives mixed in there - that goes without saying - as a sinner I cannot
eliminate them. But my prayer is acceptable "In him".

Oh the riches of God's glorious grace in Christ.

John in NZ

----- Original Message -----
From: "John " <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Sent: Friday, 21 July 2000 11:15 pm
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Jerusalem

> > Is anyone praying without
> > ego-involvement? Just wondering. Thank you. Cynthia
>
> What does this mean, Cynthia?
>

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: What is Peace?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Bev")
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 19:52:22 -0400

Does anyone know what the name Phinias means ? Curious me.

[Moderator: Bev, all of my dictionaries says it
means either "mouth of brass" or "dark-skinned"
with the former meaning being the one preferred. ]

----- Original Message -----
From: <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2000 1:25 PM
Subject: [BPR] - What is Peace?

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: What is Peace?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("John in NZ")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 12:00:37 +1200

Hi,
Two comments I would like to make:

1. I remember several years ago hearing a sermon on the progresive
restoration of the Land to Israel through the series of wars since 1948.
With each war Israel had increased the land. The speaker talked of how this
paralleled the restoration God was doing in the church in bringing back his
power and glory. Each war was followed soon after by a move of the Spirit in
the church in which part of our "inheritance" in the Spirit was restored to
us.
I think his paralle was correct and he gave good scriptural backup to the
concept.

But if it is so then what does the present situation mean? If the gaining of
land by Israel parallels the gaining of spiritual power in the church surely
the compromise and ceding of land by Israel can only mena the compromise of
truth and loss of power in the church? I fear to see the depths of
compromise that will afflict the church in the next two years:
"First in the natural then in the spiritual (1 Cor 15:45?){"

2. Your comment about Phinehas is right on. The fact of the matter is that
we have watered down the concept of Peace in the last generation. Churchhill
knew there could be no peace with Hitler - that Hitler's evil could not be
negotiated by compromise. the only answer was to go to war and to defeat
Hitler so there could be peace. We forget the lessons of history so soon.

God also knew there could be no peace between the inhabitants of Canaan and
the invading Israelites. To accept terms of peace would have meant the
destruction of Israel - first morally, then spiritually then physically.

Sometimes the actions of Phinehas need to be repeated in new generations "to
destroy this evil from amoung you.

John in NZ

----- Original Message -----
From: <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Sent: Saturday, 22 July 2000 5:25 am
Subject: [BPR] - What is Peace?

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Russia steps up expulsion of US evangelists
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("John in NZ")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 12:12:08 +1200

Hi,

Years ago when the Iron curtain fell, i predicted that it would go up again,
and when it did it would be far more repressive than it ever was before.
People laughed at me and told me that Russia would never go back to that
again. But I thought I would just wait and see. Now the final judgements are
starting to come in.

Why is this happenning? Putting aside Bible prophecy, which was the basis of
my earlier prediction, the prime reason has to be found in the psyche of the
people in Russia. In short they don't know how to handle democracy.
Democracy is very much a legacy from the Reformation. I have just been
reading Schaeffer's "How then Should we Live?" If any of your readers have
not read this important book I would highly recommend it. It explains why
Democracy can only really work where the Reformation gave it structure.

And for that reason as we in the West abndon Reformation Chrisitanity as a
society we too will descend into the same pit Russia is in.

John in NZ

----- Original Message -----
From: "Shophar_Sho_Good" <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Sent: Saturday, 22 July 2000 6:54 am
Subject: [BPR] - Russia steps up expulsion of US evangelists

> July 21 2000 RUSSIA
> Russia steps up expulsion of US evangelists

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - More on music...
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 19:13:13 -0500

Cynthia shares the following site with us and writes:

Try "christinafay.faithweb.com"

Music - yes. Check this out. This is a Christian music site.
Also happens to be my 2nd cousin. Blessings to all.

Here is a full description of the website:
Christina Fay has a unique sound and rythm. Play free Real Audio
Files of her album Hourglass.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Russia steps up expulsion of US evangelists
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Stephen")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 10:59:24 -0400 (EDT)

Hi John
I totally agree with you about Russia developing a new iron curtain.
This time stronger than ever. We have been seeing it lately in the news
with the new President they have Putin (?) The society there has
generations of communists but even before communism arose in 1918 the
dictatorship was just as bad. We in the United States are headed for
this road and people are blinded by the politicians claiming to stand on
the Constitution. We're slowly losing our freedoms, the states are
becoming police states now. I get tired of seeing politicians pointing
their fingers at other countries claiming we are the best example to
follow. They better take a look at their own backyards. We have gone
from the true basis of the Constitution-----writtten with the Bible in
mind and hearts. We have strayed far from that now. I'm going to
purchase that book you mentioned by Schaeffer sounds interesting.
Stephen:)

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The Perestroika Deception
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 10:39:58 -0500

The Perestroika Deception

A book to consider in regards to understanding current
events as they relate to Russia and the world is "The
Perestroika Deception."

The Perestroika Deception
by Anatoliy Golitsyn
Edward Harle, London & New York, 1998, 2nd Edition
ISBN: 1-899798-03-X

From the backcover: "Anatoliy Golitsyn's first book, 'New
Lies for Old', caused a long running senation when it was
discovered that, unlike most Western analysts, the Author
had accurately predicted, some years ahead of the events,
the 'Break with the Past' which took place in Eastern
Europe and the Soviet Union in 1989-91. In his book
'Wedge: The Secret War between the FBI and CIA' [Alfred A.
Knopf, New York, 1994], Mark Riebling, who carried out a
methodical analysis of Golitsyn's predictions in 'New Lies
for Old', credited the Author with 'an accuracy record of
nearly 94%'. This singular achievement puts all other
analysts, including some official services, to shame; and
it is precisely because of his record of pin-point accuracy
that Western Governments, policymakers and even some
intelligence services, whose record bears little comparison
with Golitysn's, have competed with one another over the
years to find reasons why Golitsyn's perceptive
explanations of Soviet strategy should be ignored. But
events as they unfold are relentlessly proving this
remarkable analyst of Soviet strategy to be right. 'The
Perestroika Deception' explains the devious secret intent
behind the Leninist strategy which the 'former' Communists
are pursuing under cover of fake 'reform' and 'progress
towards democracy'. The immediate strategic objective is
'convergence' with the West -- on *their* terms, not ours.
The ultimate objective is Lenin's: replacement of nations
states with collective regional governments as building
blocks of the 'New World Social Order' -- World [Communist]
Government."

About the Author: Anatoliy Golitsyn was born in the
Ukraine in 1926, served as a member of the KGB in various
intelligence, counterintelligence, and counterespionage
roles, until he defected to the United States in 1961 of
which he is now a citizen. Since that time he has
diligently studied Communist and international affairs,
reading both the Western and Communist press which has lead
him to submit Memoranda to the CIA outlining his analysis
of Communist affairs.

Introduction: The book includes a series of memoranda that
the author sent to the CIA in recent years. Golitsyn felt
that since his "warnings" have basically gone unheeded by
the government that he would publish them in a book. He
asked the CIA to declassify them, and they agreed. The
author cites several reasons for this consideration of
presenting his memoranda to the public. I'll quote just two:

(1) "...The democracies of the United States and Western
Europe are facing a dangerous situation and are vulnerable
because their governments, the Vatican, the elite, the
media, the industrialists, the financiers, the trade unions
and, most important, the general public are blind to the
dangers of the strategy of 'perestroika' ... The
democracies could perish unless they are informed about the
aggressive design of 'perestroika' against them." (pg. XIX)

(2) "...I could not imagine that American policymakers,
and particulary the conservatives in both the Republican
and Democratic parties, despite their long experience with
Communist treachery, would not be able to grasp the new
manoeuvres of the Communist strategists and would rush to
commit the West to helping 'perestroika' which is so
contrary to their interests.

"It has been sad to observe the jubilation of American and
West European conservatives who have been cheering
'perestroika' without realising that it is intended to
bring about their own political and physical demise.
Liberal support for 'perestroika' is understandable, but
conservative support came as a surprise to me." (pg. XIX)

In trying to understand the reason that Golitsyn's
warnings have been overlooked by Western leaders, the
editor writes:

"The first main reason for the general (but not in fact
complete) rejection of the Author's analysis is that, as
the case of Aldrich Hazen Ames has shown, the Russians won
the intelligence war through their penetration of Western
intelligence services--a message which, naturally, these
services do not wish to hear... In the course of his work
with the American, British and French services, the Author
found that penetration had destroyed their ability to
interpret events in the Communist world correctly." (pg. XXV)

The following items are just a sampling of what is covered
in this 247 page book:

Perestroika is the result of 30 years of preparation and
strategy in the "restructuring of the whole world." (pg. 45)

The actions of Russia in securing victories by the Leftist
parties in the recent elections of the U.S., West Germany,
France and Britain. The Russians feel that Conservatives
might "recover" from the idea of perestroika so it would be
best to have Liberals in office.

In 1989, Golitsyn suggested to the CIA that Gorbachev
could possibly be replaced by either a conservative of
Ligachev's type or by a liberal of Yeltsin's type. The
author further speculated that Gorbachev's replacement
would be a calculated move and, depending on circumstances,
may even be brought back into power at a later date.

The Chinese-Russian relation and the West's failure to
understand this relationship. In 1989, the author wrote to
the CIA: "...China is destined to become a Soviet partner
in the future World Government towards which Moscow and
Peking are jointly preceding." (pg. 36) In another
memorandum to the CIA in February 1993, Golitsyn wrote in
reference to a "mask of diplomatic and political
cooperation" by Russia: "When the right moment comes the
mask will be dropped and the Russians with Chinese help
will seek to impose their system on the West on their own
terms as the culmination of a 'Second October Socialist
Revolution.' (p. 158).

The three centers of nuclear military power that Russia
and China must deal with: the United States, Western Europe
and Israel. The Russians calculate that the U.S. and
Western Europe neutralization will be handled
diplomatically via arms agreements and such. The issue of
Israel is another matter, which the author suggests that
neutralization might occur via sabotage of nuclear
facilities.

The author discusses the possible 'perestroika' event in
China at Tienanmem Square that was later changed at the
last minute, reminding us that this Chinese crackdown
occurred on the "eve of the changes in Eastern Europe" and
immediately after a visit by Gorbachev suggesting that this
event was far from coincidental. He questions the
"massacre" at Tienanmem surmising that reporters only heard
gunfire and tanks from their hotel rooms but were not true
eyewitnesses to the events inside the square. He cites
conflicting news reports on the matter. He also suggests
that any deaths may have been "selective killing of the
unorganized elements" involved in Tienanmen Square. This is
in line with his belief that the demonstration started out
as a Party-organized event that later turned into geniune
spontaneous involvement by many "unorganized elements"
which would of course threaten Chinese control of the
demonstration. (pg. 108)

Golitsyn discusses the Western press and their inability
to accurately report events in Russia and other Communist
countries due to their ignorance, in part, of what
perestroika actually is. Their version of perestroika is so
in tune with what the Communists would have them believe,
that now Russia allows its public to listen to such radio
programs as "The Voice of America" and the BBC.

On the topic of religion, Golitsyn wrote to the CIA in
1990: "...greater apparent official tolerance of religion
in the Soviet Union is accompanied by a secret drive to
increase Party and KGB penetration of the Catholic and
other churches and to use agents therein for political and
strategic purposes inside and outside the Soviet Union. As
part of the programme to destroy religion from within, the
KGB, in the late 1950s, started sending dedicated young
Communists to ecclesiastical academies and seminaries to
train them as future church leaders. These young Communists
joined the Church, not at the call of their consciences to
serve God, but at the call of the Communist Party in order
to serve that Party and to implement its general line in
the struggle against religion." The author continues in
saying that when these new "church leaders" have achieved
their goals, that a mass withdrawal of these agents will
occur to disrupt and destroy the churches. Golitsyn warns
that "never in its history since Nero has Christianity
faced such a threat of possible destruction." (pp. 116-117)

In a memorandum dated April 1995 the heading reads: "An
Assessment of the Invitation to Billy Graham to Preach in
Soviet Churches During His Second Visit to the USSR."
Golitsyn writes: "This was an extraordinary, moving and
impressive event with serious political and strategic
implications." (p. 186)

The "contrived and military bungling" of events in
Chechnya in 1994 to give the false impression of the
ineptness Russian military.

Conclusion: "The Perestroika Deception" is packed full of
information. And remember, this information was first given
to, and generally ignored by, the CIA as an expert
analysis. The author does not mix words. He tells it as he
sees it. Definitely not a book you would want to curl up
with at night, but perhaps a book to consider reading in
helping to balance out the mis- and disinformation that is
fed to us now.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - RE: The song, "I'm Amazed"--a picture
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Sue")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 07:47:57 -0800

For a picture of young Lelani Clark singing "I'm Amazed"
http://phc.mpr.org/performances/20000415/index.shtml

Also another picture comes to mind from the incidents of Jesus raising a 12
year old girl from the dead and healing a woman of a 12 year issue of blood.
The whole world cannot contain the books of what Jesus did. Yet these
stories are mentioned three times just before Jesus commissions 12
disciples. From the study, Number Patterns in Scripture,
http://philologos.org/bpr/files/Misc_Studies/ms028.htm --twelve is
associated with the Church, the Bride, femaleness. In these miracles, we see
what Jesus does for us, His Church. We were apparently dead and too young
to have children. He raises us up and gives us life and allows us to
mature. We were destitute, possibly childless and menopausal. He heals us
as we seek in faith to but touch His garment. We are to be His Bride with
childbearing potential without spot or wrinkle. May we have an attitude
like this modern day young girl for all God has done--"I'm Amazed".

Bible verses on the raising of a 12 year old girl and healing of woman with
a 12 year illness:

Matthew 9:20-26
And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve
years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: [21] For she
said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. [22]
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of
good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole
from that hour. [23] And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw
the minstrels and the people making a noise, [24] He said unto them, Give
place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to
scorn. [25] But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by
the hand, and the maid arose. [26] And the fame hereof went abroad into all
that land.
Matthew 9:20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of
blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

Mark 5:25
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

Mark 5:42
And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of
twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

Luke 2:42
And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the
custom of the feast.

Luke 8:42-43
For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a
dying. But as he went the people thronged him. [43] And a woman having an
issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians,
neither could be healed of any,

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Genetic testing: call for reform
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 12:24:51 -0400

                 Genetic testing: call for
                 reform

                 By VICTORIA BUTTON
                 MEDICAL REPORTER
                 Friday 21 July 2000

                 Ground-breaking research
                 that documents six cases of
                 possible discrimination against
                 healthy Australians based on genetic tests has
                 prompted urgent calls for legal reform.

                 Australia lags behind Europe and most American states
                 in not having specific laws regulating the use of genetic
                 testing in employment and insurance.

                 The debate comes as the completion of the human
                 genome is set to increase the range of genetic tests for
                 medical conditions and to extend their use to predicting
                 behavioral traits.

                 The cases, documented by Melbourne University legal
                 researcher David Keays, include people being asked to
                 undergo genetic testing to get a job and a bank loan.

Australian Democrats deputy leader Natasha Stott
Despoja described the cases as "dynamite".

                 Liberty Victoria president Felicity Hampel, QC, said it
                 was wrong to deny a person a job, loan or insurance
                 unless they undertook a genetic test that might predict a
                 future problem. "It's interfering with what as a society
                 we always accepted as being fate," she said, adding
                 that some would call it the "will of God".

                 A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Daryl Williams
                 said the Federal Government was considering further
                 policy on genetic information.

                 She refused to comment on the likely timing or form of
                 the government response but said it recognised a need
                 to ensure genetic testing was not used for unjustifiable
                 discrimination.

                 The Investment and Financial Services Association,
                 representing life insurers, opposes regulation. But the
                 Insurance Council of Australia, representing general
                 insurers, does not object if disclosure principles remain.

                 Mr Keays said the cases, from the past five years,
                 showed genetic discrimination was a current concern
                 and not just a futuristic fear. They included:

                 A 34-year-old opthalmologist refused a bank loan to
                 buy equipment unless he got income insurance. He was
                 refused cover unless he passed a genetic test for
                 myotonic dystrophy, a muscular disease that runs in his
                 family. He took the test, found he didn't have the gene
                 and got the loan.

                 An 18-year-old school-leaver denied a public service
                 job unless he passed a genetic test for Huntington's
                 disease, a severe condition that hits in middle age. He
                 had a 50-50 chance of having the gene but, having seen
                 his mother suffer, preferred not to know. At times he
                 threatened to kill himself if he ever found out. On a
                 second appeal, he was offered the job - with reduced
                 superannuation.

                 A 37-year-old quality manager refused an increase in a
                 pre-existing income insurance policy after a research
                 project genetic test revealed he had
                 Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease - a physical condition
                 that, even if it progressed from its mild state, would not
                 affect his ability to earn income in his desk-bound
                 work.

                 The director of the ethics program at the Murdoch
                 Children's Research Institute, Julian Savulescu, said the
                 fear of discrimination could prevent people from taking
                 genetic tests, so they would miss out on the health
                 benefits that the genome promised. But he felt
                 legislation should be a last resort.

                 Mr Keays said genetic discrimination would be justified
                 in rare circumstances, for example to protect public
                 safety, but laws were needed to specify those areas.

                 "Genetic discrimination is occurring in Australia. We
                 need a legislative response to protect people against it,"
                 he said.

                 His call was backed by Senator Stott Despoja and
                 genetics law experts Associate Professor Margaret
                 Otlowski, of the University of Tasmania's law school,
                 and the University of Melbourne's Professor Loane
                 Skene.

                 Last week High Court judge Michael Kirby, a member
                 of the ethics committee of the Human Genome
                 Organisation, spoke out on the need for laws and
                 practices to avoid irrational and unfair genetic
                 discrimination.

                 But Liberty Victoria's Ms Hampel said current
                 disability discrimination probably would apply to
                 genetic discrimination and discounted any need for law
                 reform.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000721/A19870-2000Jul20.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] - Astronomers Discover New Moon of Jupiter
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 12:28:04 -0400

Astronomers Discover New Moon of Jupiter...07/21/00
by Lori Stiles - University of Arizona News

Astronomers with the Spacewatch project at the University of Arizona in
Tucson and the Minor Planet Center (MPC) at the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Massachusetts have discovered
the first new moon of Jupiter in more than a quarter of a century.

Spacewatch astronomers Jim Scotti, Jeff Larsen, Tom Gehrels, Joe Montani
and Spacewatch director Bob McMillan took
images of the object, previously designated asteroid 1999 UX18, during
their Spacewatch shifts in October and early November 1999.

MPC astronomers Gareth Williams and Tim Spahr, and MPC director Brian
Marsden this week confirmed by orbital
calculations that the object is not an asteroid orbiting the sun, but a
previously unknown moon of Jupiter, the first found since 1974.

The newly found satellite is perhaps 3 miles across - the smallest moon
ever found for any of the major planets, the discovers
said. The moon, designated S/1999 J1, belongs to a subgroup of outer
satellites that make complete, eccentric orbits around
Jupiter at an average distance of 15 million miles every two years, the
MPC astronomers calculate.

Spacewatch and the MPC have detailed the discovery of the satellite,
S/1999 J 1, and images on the web at :
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/pressinfo/S1999J1.html and
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/Spacewatch/

Further observations are needed to more reliably calculate the moon=B9s
orbit, after which MPC would assign the moon a
permanent number, McMillan said.

Jupiter and its moons will be too close to the sun to be detected by
Spacewatch for another few months, although larger
telescopes might recover it sooner, McMillan said.

Spacewatch uses a 79-year-old, 36-inch telescope on Kitt Peak, Ariz., to
survey the solar system for asteroids and comets.
If the discovery is confirmed, S/1999 J 1 will be the 17th moon found at
Jupiter and the first unknown moon detected by Spacewatch, McMillan said.

UA contacts:
Bob McMillan, 520-621-6968, bob@lpl.arizona.edu
Joe Montani, 520-621-6956, jmontani@lpl.arizona.edu
Jim Scotti, 520-621-2717, jscotti@lpl.arizona.edu
Tom Gehrels, 520-621-6970, tgehrels@lpl.arizona.edu
Jeff Larsen, 520-621-3384, jlarsen@lpl.arizona.edu

via: yowusa_space@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Grail quest
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 14:38:51 -0400

Grail quest

Nobody knows where it came from, who made it or what purpose it served.
For untold years it lay in a corner of a room in the old town hall of
Kirkwall, a painted scroll with mysterious images and symbols
incomprehensible to the secret society of Freemasons that owned it.

Now a Cambridge historian believes he has cracked its ancient code to
reveal a treasure map that could indicate the burial place of the Holy
Grail in Scotland. According to Dr Andrew Sinclair, a graduate of
Harvard University, the artefact is also a priceless "missing link"
between the Masonic Order and the Catholic Knights Templar of the
Crusades.

It was in 1307 that 50 Templars, fleeing persecution by the King of
France, sailed from La Rochelle with sacred relics dating from the
Crusades. Some of them are said to have landed in Scotland, and it is
these knights that Sinclair believes may have been carrying the grail -
and to have been the Catholic roots of the Masonic Order that flourished
several centuries later.

In a film documenting his findings, to be shown at BAFTA in London on
Tuesday, Sinclair identifies the possible site of the grail as the
15th-century Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh. "Now we know where and how
the crusading Knights Templar passed their eastern wisdom on to the
masons of Scotland and the New World, and where the grail may yet be
found," he says.

Other historians, and the present custodians of Rosslyn, are far from
convinced. Initial reactions to Sinclair�s thesis range from bemusement
to scorn, with one authority on medieval religion suggesting it is
reminiscent of the X-Files.

The controversy centres on the hand-painted linen scroll Sinclair saw
hanging in the Masonic lodge in Kirkwall. Using radiocarbon dating,
scientists at Oxford University gave the most probable date of its
central panel as the 15th century - when Rosslyn Chapel was built by
William St Clair, third and last Prince of Orkney.

Among Templar and Masonic emblems, Sinclair discerned a ground plan of
the Temple of Solomon, with two chambers containing the Ark of the
Covenant and other sacred relics. It matched exactly the plan of Rosslyn
Chapel, where he had conducted an excavation of a subterranean vault
seven years ago, without result. His workmen were prevented from
reaching a larger chamber by a massive wall at least three feet thick.
It is in this hidden recess that Sinclair speculates the holy treasures
of the crusading knights may lie.

The Knights Templar were one of the first military orders created to
defend Jerusalem after its capture in the first Crusade, and to protect
Christian pilgrims to the Holy City. According to Sinclair, the scroll
is the missing link between these refugee knights and Freemasons who
inherited their symbols and emblems. "It proves how the Templars
contributed to the ancient Scottish rite," he says. "That overturns the
whole of Scottish Masonic history. Its significance is immense. "

Historians in Scotland are in no hurry to put pen to paper, however. Dr
Andrew Roach, lecturer in medieval history at Glasgow University,
regards the theories as "highly unlikely". He points out that almost
four centuries elapsed between the disappearance of the Templars and the
emergence of the Masons, and he considers the chances of a direct link
between them as remote.

Roach is no more impressed by talk of buried treasure. "I think it�s
sad. Rosslyn is a fascinating historical artefact, and the fact that
people keep analysing it in terms of this nonsense distracts from what
is really a fine piece of late medieval art."

Dr Gary Dickson, of the department of medieval history at Edinburgh
University, fears Sinclair has strayed into X-Files territory. "Before
you know it, you�re going to have the Loch Ness monster, along with the
Freemasons, putting in a cameo role in an all-star performance with the
Scottish Templars."

More seriously, he adds: "The interpretation of any kind of iconography
is fraught with difficulties. Even for experts it is treacherous. If you
have your own agenda, the tendency to impose it and see what you want to
see is very great. The danger then is to make connections which do not
in fact exist, and cannot be documented. The temptation to connect
everything to a great, hidden theme that nobody has perceived before
ends up in the sort of history which is a combination of folklore and
occultism."

As for the Holy Grail, the legendaryreceptacle of the blood of Christ,
Dickson regards it as no more than a folk tale. "It is a literary
invention dating from the 12th century. There is a whole mythology about
it, but there is no proof, as far as I know, that it ever actually
existed."

Whether it did, and lies in a sealed vault at Rosslyn, is likely to
remain a mystery - by law. Since Sinclair�s excavations, the chapel on
the edge of the Esk Valley has been taken over by a private trust
dedicated to its conservation and bound by restrictions imposed by
Historic Scotland.

Stuart Beattie, the project director at Rosslyn, says they are not
permitted to remove a blade of grass from the grounds without government
permission, much less drill into subterranean caverns. "We are not in
the business of being grail hunters at the moment, although I think
there are members of the trust and a lot of the public who would like to
see invasive investigations. The immediate priority is to focus on
conservation work, and then perhaps the trust might turn its attention
to more esoteric matters."

Beattie admits Rosslyn benefits from legends and myths that surround the
ancient site, which have fuelled donations for restoration work. He is
sceptical about Dr Sinclair�s claims, but is pleased to hear about them.
"Rosslyn attracts a huge number of exciting stories, and I suspect this
is one more we shall enjoy. Were we to actually find any one of the
number of relics that we are supposed to have, it would be like winning
the lottery."

The mummified head of Christ is among sacred items that legends speak of
being smuggled to Rosslyn by the descendants of crusading knights. Sir
Walter Scott wrote of Knights of the Grail being buried there. Beattie
speculates that the crew of the Marie Celeste may be with them in a
secret vault.

Visitors intrigued by the Kirkwall scroll may inspect a replica of it,
made in 1911, which has been hanging at Rosslyn for the past two years.
Robert Bryden, exhibition director at the chapel, is a great admirer of
the original. "It is mysterious, there is no doubt about it," he says,
"and it is extremely rare and historically important. But my own feeling
is that it is not as old as Sinclair suggests. Stylistically it seems to
be of more recent origin."

According to an official history of the Kirkwall Masonic lodge, it may
have been the work of an 18th-century house painter by the name of
William Graeme. The book refers to a minute of a meeting on 27 January,
1786, which records that Graeme presented the lodge with a "floor cloth"
on being admitted as a member.

"It seems very likely that what we now call the Kirkwall scroll was the
floor cloth of 1786," the book says. "Graeme, an Orcadian by birth, had
been resident in England for some years. He was a house painter by trade
and it may be feasible to suggest therefore he had a hand in the
painting of it, if not in its design."

Academic controversies over the origin and meanings of ancient artefacts
are inevitable, and the scepticism of fellow historians is unlikely to
dissuade Sinclair that he has made an important discovery. He remains
convinced that if he is ever allowed to burrow into the main vault at
Rosslyn, he will find at least all of its Knights of the Grail, buried
in their full armour. As they were official keepers of holy relics in
Scotland, he suspects the Holy Rood may be lying with them.

http://www.scotsman.com/taf/people.taf?function=detail&Scotsman_uid1=TS
00103419&desk=features&cat=people&sec=0

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Survivor TV and Ol� Sparky- Mainstreaming Brutality
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 14:54:20 -0400

7/17/00

                   Feature
                   Survivor TV and Ol� Sparky- Mainstreaming Brutality
                   John W. Whitehead

Remember when the merry-go-round was the symbol of amusement parks and
surfside arcades? Toddlers, as well as their parents, thrilled to the
music of the pipes and the glittery colors of the proudly prancing
horses. Indeed, the carousel was the stuff of musicals and hot summer
evenings.

These days, however, the sounds of crackling electricity, rising smoke
and tortured cries are providing stiff competition for the carousel, as
family members cheer the execution of their children and loved ones in
the electric chair.

Around since 1996, an amusement park ride called "Original Shocker" is
now beginning to make the news. This new form of entertainment zaps and
vibrates its victims in a contraption that looks just like the real
electric chair. For about a dollar, moms and dads can fry their children
in Ol� Sparky�s oak throne. Brothers and sisters can even the score with
a real vengeance, complete with leather restraints, steel electrodes and
a vibration system that simulates the 31,200 volts advertised on the
machine�s side.

In one amusement arcade on the East Coast, more than 2,000 people took a
simulated death ride during the Fourth of July weekend, while family
members and friends stood by to watch the "executions." One father,
enjoying the experience along with his family, reported, "The first time
I saw it, I was shocked. It is weird, and that�s what makes it cool."

As it turns out, this was just the beginning of reality entertainment.
Some 23 million Americans are now making the television show Survivor
the biggest TV success since Regis Philbin�s wannabe Millionaire show.
In its premier episode, Survivor participant Richard, acting more like a
caveman than the corporate trainer and consultant that he is, pulled a
rat out of a trap and killed the animal for dinner.

A more recent episode featured the participants clubbing rats to death
and chuckling over their fondness for the rats� roasted flesh. People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has protested the pointless
brutality, calling CBS television executives "bird brains" for
encouraging the show�s viewers to cheer the needless slaughter of birds
and other animals.

But PETA may be on to something bigger, pointing out that "Cruelty to
animals is known by FBI profilers and psychologists to be a precursor of
violence toward humans. The recent rash of deadly school shootings all
had one thing in common—the young shooters first ‘practiced� on
animals."

Entertainment such as Survivor and Ol� Sparky are making prime-time fare
of cruel and backward human behavior. Instead of an outcry from our
religious and political leaders, it seems that we can only look forward
to programming that is even more extreme and bizarre.

I am not suggesting that adult viewers are unable to distinguish reality
from voyeuristic television, or "VTV," as some call it. These shows may
be, as some suggest, only a way of "playing out" some of our fears and
fantasies in a way that is perhaps less harmful than the old standbys of
drugs and alcohol. Yet, there is something unsettling about exposing
young minds to a steady diet of VTV and games such as Ol� Sparky.

Entertainment is, by its nature, voyeuristic in the sense that the
triumph and tragedy in other people�s lives has a unique pull on the
humanity in each of us. We can be encouraged or inspired—or just
moved—by the experiences of others.

But the big question is—should we allow any form of entertainment to
dehumanize, degrade and otherwise drag us down to the lowest level of
humanity? How far will we go in the name of entertainment?

http://www.rutherford.org/insider/default.asp#101

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - July 23, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:00:57 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

A&E - BIOGRAPHY - "Oprah Winfrey: Heart of the Matter"
- Oprah Winfrey rises from humble
beginnings.(CC)(TVG)

CNBC - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER - "Raise the
          Hunley!; Search for Battleship Bismarck; U-Boats: Terror on
          Our Shores" - Raising a sunken Confederate submarine; Dr.
          Robert Ballard finds the sunken German warship Bismarck;
          German U-boats sink 400 ships along the East
          Coast.(CC)

TLC - SUPER STRUCTURES OF THE WORLD - "NORAD: Cheyenne
Mountain" - NORAD is a nuclear attack watch post carved out
of the Rocky Mountains.(CC)(TVG)

USA - THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST SWARMS - Videos capture masses
of creatures, including piranhas, locusts, mice and
bees.(CC)

9:00

C-SPAN - BRITISH PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTION TIME -
(CC)

DISC - RIDDLE OF THE DESERT MUMMIES - Caucasian mummies
exhumed from the desert sands of Western China; John
Malkovich narrates.(CC)(TVG)

TLC - SUPER STRUCTURES OF THE WORLD - "Kansai International
Airport" - Japan's newest airport has a terminal a mile long
built on a man-made island.(CC)(TVG)

10:00

CNN - MILLENNIUM - "Century of the Stirrup" - Mongol
conquest; Kublai Khan; Egypt; Western Europe discovers
science.(CC)

DISC - THE LOST MUMMY OF IMHOTEP - Archaeologists search for
the tomb of the Egyptian high priest.(CC)(TVG)

HIST - HISTORY UNDERCOVER - "The Typhoons' Last Storm"
- The S.S. uses ships of concentration-camp survivors as bait
for British bombers.(CC)(TVPG)

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - JVIM Update! items (7/22/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:11:24 -0400

EU REGISTRATION NUMBER TO BE
         NECESSARY ON ALL FOOD IN THE
                    EUROPEAN UNION
                                    July 22, 2000

     The London Telegraph reported: “All food sellers, ranging from
     supermarkets to hot- dog stand operators, will have to carry an
     official registration number under new European Union food safety
     regulations. A compulsory registration scheme affecting more than
     half a million small businesses, due to be implemented within four
     years, means that no traders will be licensed to sell food unless
     they meet strict hygiene requirements. They will also have to keep
     detailed records of all the ingredients they use in their foods,
     including their place of origin. A new breed of ‘food police,�
     overseen by veterinary and environmental health officers, will be
     employed to ensure that the rules are obeyed. The measures, which
     go beyond anything imposed on British food businesses before and
     could cost the food industry millions, cover virtually everyone
     selling food, including restaurants, ice-cream booths, farm shops
     and tearooms. David Byrne, the EU's health and consumer protection
     commissioner, said in London yesterday that the measures were
     designed to harmonize and simplify a mass of existing legislation
     in the EU. Even the smallest food businesses would have to follow
     hazard analysis procedures now employed by major food processing
     companies. Caterers and other food sellers would have to ensure
     full trace ability of ‘all food and ingredients�. To that end, the
     registration of food companies will be made compulsory...”

JUDGE SAYS CITIZENS WILL GET
USED TO LESS PRIVACY
July 22, 2000

     Reuters reported: “Electronic surveillance may eat away your
     privacy in the digital era, but you'll get used to it. You have no
     choice. Top lawyers told an Anglo-American law conference this week
     that governments had no other way to fight organized crime
     effectively in a digital age. ‘I am convinced that covert
     surveillance is likely to prove the only effective answer to
     increasingly sophisticated crime,� said Lord Justice Murray
     Stuart-Smith, the former overseer of MI5 and MI6, Britain's
     security and intelligence agencies. ‘Increasingly, the protection
     of the well-being of the many may require infringement of the
     rights of the nefarious few.� Britain is pushing a highly
     controversial law through parliament forcing companies to install
     equipment so authorities can intercept and decode any e-mail
     messages. No other Western country has such sweeping powers --
     though the United States runs Echelon, a spy system of satellites
     and listening posts, which can intercept millions of telephone, fax
     and e-mail messages. William Webster, a U.S. judge who used to head
     the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of
     Investigation, said tough measures might seem alarming today but
     people would get used to them. ‘Privacy must yield in some areas to
     the rights of others to be protected,� he told the American Bar
     Association at a session in London Thursday...”

PHYSICISTS FIND EVIDENCE OF TAU
NEUTRINO AFTER 20 YEAR SEARCH
July 22, 2000

     Fox News reported: “After a two-decade search, scientists have
     found the first direct evidence of one of the most elusive and
     ghostly subatomic particles in nature — the tau neutrino. The
     breakthrough, announced on Thursday, was achieved by scientists at
     the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory outside Chicago. The tau
     is one of the fundamental building blocks of all matter. It is the
     last of the impossibly tiny particles described in the Standard
     Model of Particle Physics to be confirmed in experiments. ‘It's a
     tremendous milestone,� said Stanford University physicist and Nobel
     Prize winner Martin Perl, who theorized the existence of the tau
     neutrino in 1978. ‘Now it has been seen and it behaves in the way
     we expected.� Neutrinos are hurtling everywhere and all the time at
     the speed of light. Trillions pass through all of us every second.
     Yet they are among the shyest of all subatomic particles, carrying
     no electrical charge and virtually no mass — perhaps one-millionth
     that of an electron. Fifty-four scientists from the United States,
     Japan, Korea and Greece collaborated on tracking down tau neutrinos
     since 1997 at the Fermilab..”

MONTH-LONG CELEBRATIONS BY
GERMAN HOMOSEXUALS
July 22, 2000

     Agence France Presse reported: “Three days of festivities this
     weekend in Frankfurt are scheduled to bring the annual round of Gay
     Pride celebrations in Germany to a colorful close. Gays and
     lesbians, and their heterosexual friends and supporters, were able
     to party almost every weekend in a different German city during the
     months of June and July. Tour operators even organized train and
     bus trips to cart the tens of thousands of revelers to each Gay
     Pride festival around the country. The festivals are known here as
     Christopher Street Day (CSD) parades, to commemorate three days of
     clashes between gays and police outside the Stonewall bar on
     Christopher Street, New York in June 1969, and regarded ever since
     as the birthplace of the gay liberation movement. The German
     celebrations began this year on June 10 in the city of Fulda,
     followed by three mega-bashes in Hamburg June 16-18, Berlin on June
     24, and Germany's gay capital, Cologne, from June 30 to July 2.
     Party-goers then get a week's breathing space before a weekend of
     celebrations in Munich July 14-16, followed by the three-day
     carnival in Frankfurt starting Friday, which will bring the season
     to a close. With 80,000-100,000 people expected to attend the final
     leg of the party, Frankfurt's CSD event is a more modest affair
     than the mega-bashes in the other German cities and the vast events
     in European cities, such as London, Amsterdam and Rome, which
     played host to the first World Gay Pride earlier this month. But
     with a whole host of different stage acts, a fashion show, discos
     and street parties, and crowds of gays, lesbians, bisexuals,
     transsexuals and drag queens expected to throng the streets,
     Frankfurt can easily match the others in color...”

MANY AMERICANS FEEL PRESIDENT
      TAKING TOO MUCH LAND OUT OF USE
     TO PLACE UNDER FEDERAL CONTROL
                                    July 22, 2000

     Fox News reported: “Americans used to sing along when
     folksinger Woody Guthrie crooned, ‘This land is your land, this
     land is my land.� But times have changed, and some Americans are
     singing a different tune. They say they've lost their property
     rights, and even the right to use public lands, to a federal
     government that kowtows to environmentalists and ignores the wishes
     of private citizens. Government officials say it's conservation
     needs — not the environmental lobby — that make restrictions
     necessary. It's a clash that's repeated across the country,
     especially in the West. The Endangered Species Act is one of the
     most frequent battlegrounds for the government and
     Americans…Declaring land a national monument prevents all future
     grazing, mining, hunting, road-building and recreational use. Even
     some of those charged with protecting the environment say the
     government is treading on local toes… President Clinton has
     established or expanded 10 monuments during his tenure, more than
     any president since Theodore Roosevelt. Ten Western governors last
     month signed a letter of protest, and both the House and Senate are
     reviewing presidential powers in these situations. Under the
     Antiquities Act of 1906, declaring a national monument does not
     require congressional approval...”

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Latest Digital Angel news
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:23:14 -0400

APPLIED DIGITAL SOLUTIONS SUBSIDIARY, DIGITAL ANGEL.NET INC,
SIGNS RESEARCH AGREEMENT WITH PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND
NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Applied Digital Chairman, Richard Sullivan, believes Digital Angel
technology could launch new era in 'location-aware' e-commerce

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA Jul 07, 2000 - PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, JULY 7,
2000 -- Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSX) today announced
that its wholly owned subsidiary, Digital Angel.net Inc., has signed a
research agreement with Princeton University and the New Jersey
Institute of Technology. The expanded research team will assist in the
development of Digital Angel™, a miniature digital transceiver that
could be used for a variety of purposes, such as monitoring the medical
conditions of at-risk patients, commodity supply chain management, food
safety, preventing the unauthorized use of firearms, providing a
tamper-proof means of identification for enhanced e-commerce security,
locating lost or missing individuals or pets, and tracking the location
of valuable property. It is anticipated that the tiny device - which is
intended to be bonded closely to the body or implanted just under the
skin - will be able to send and receive data and that it will be tracked
by GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.

With the newly signed research agreement, three noted experts in the
field of wireless telecommunications and geo-location technologies will
join the Digital Angel research team. The three scientists are: Hisashi
Kobayashi, Ph.D., of Princeton University's Department of Electrical
Engineering; and Sirin Tekinay, Ph.D., and Edip Niver, Ph.D., both of
the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering. Dr. Peter Zhou, President and Chief Scientist at
Digital Angel.net Inc., will continue to provide overall leadership of
the Digital Angel research effort. Commenting on the research agreement,
Richard J. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO of Applied Digital Solutions,
said: "We're delighted that these three renowned experts, who are
affiliated with such prestigious institutions, will be joining our
effort to develop Digital Angel. As previously announced, our goal is to
produce a working prototype before the end of this year. We're making
enormous progress toward that goal, and I'm confident that this expanded
research team will help us meet it. We continue to see a huge potential
market for Digital Angel, and we're especially excited about the role
this device could play in launching what we call 'location-aware
e-commerce."

Professor Sirin Tekinay of the New Jersey Institute of Technology said:
"We are excited about this research project. The Digital Angel concept
bears the potential to provide applications of significant value and
high impact. We are happy to be working with Dr. Peter Zhou on the
enabling technologies for these applications and on the general proof of
this exciting concept."

About Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. Applied Digital Solutions is a
leading edge, single-source provider of e-business solutions. The
company differentiates itself in the marketplace by enabling e-business
through Computer Telephony Internet Integration (CTII). With five-year
revenue growth (from 1994 to 1998) of 64,012%, Applied Digital Solutions
is ranked as the fifth fastest-growing technology company by Deloitte &
Touche in its 1999 Technology Fast 500 listing. For more information,
visit the Company's web site at www.adsx.com.

Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future
revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release
other than historical facts are 'forward-looking statements' within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the
Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such
forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are
subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could
differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently
occurring events or circumstances.

Media Contact ADS Investor Relations Matthew Cossolotto Robert Jackson
Ovations International, Inc. Phone: 561-366-4800 (914) 245-9721 Fax:
561- 366-0002 matthew@ovations.com rjackson@adsx.com

http://www.adsx.com/ADSX/CDA/News/news_index/0%2C1136%2C415%2C
00.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Britons find ancient empire that made Sahara bloom
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:29:04 -0400

Britons find ancient empire that made Sahara bloom

By David Keys, Archaeology
Correspondent

15 July 2000

An ancient civilisation, lost for 1,500 years in the middle of the
Sahara Desert, has been found and investigated by British
archaeologists.

Research by the Universities of Leicester, Newcastle and Reading is
revealing how a long-forgotten Saharan people made the desert bloom,
built impressive cities and controlled an empire of 70,000 square miles.

Nearly all scholars had thought this ancient people, known as the
Garamantes, had been little more than desert barbarians living in one
small town, a couple of villages and scattered, nomadic encampments.

But the researchers, led by David Mattingly, an archaeologist at
Leicester University, found the Garamantes had at least three big cities
and 20other important settlements in the middle of the world's largest
desert.

Their investigations showed how the desert, where rainfall averages only
half an inch each year, was successfully cultivated. A 3,000-mile
network of underground irrigation canals was built by the Garamantes,
which tapped into natural fossil water supplies laid down more than
40,000 years ago when rain last fell plentifully in the area.

The archaeologists believe the Sahara became much more arid after 1200BC
and thisforced local populations to move from pastoral stock-rearing to
oases- based agriculture.

Oases in large depressions had easier access to fossil groundwater – and
in one large depression, now known as the Wadi al-Agial, the inhabitants
built underground canals to channel water from the fossil aquifers to
irrigate up to 300 square miles of land.

With the subterranean canals, food production rose and the population
expanded, so by 500BC the Garamantes were able to create their first
towns and to start expanding their area of political control.

The archaeological research, funded by the British Academy and the
Leverhulme Trust, shows that by around 100BC they had become a major
political force, and they remained a 50,000-strong state until easily
accessible fossil water supplies ran out.

When the groundwater level fell below that of the underground canal
complex, the irrigation system simply dried up, and the Garamantes had
to dig hundreds of wells to reach the lowered water table. This water
crisis, as well as a reduction in trade caused by the lesser volume of
slavery in the Mediterranean and the decline of the Roman Empire, seems
to have reduced the power of the Garamantian civilisation by the sixth
century AD.

By the end of the following century, the kingdom had come under Islamic
domination.

The Garamantian civilisation reached its peak in the second and third
centuries AD, when the new archaeological evidence suggests it became
one of the Roman Empire's main trading partners.

Archaeologists believe large quantities of African gold, ivory, salt,
semi- precious stones and slaves were supplied to the empire via the
Garamantian kingdom.

Professor Mattingly said: "Our research is revealing that, with human
ingenuity and against all the odds, the people of the world's largest
desert were able to create a prosperous and successful civilisation in
one of the driest and hottest wildernesses on earth. The Romans liked to
think of the Garamantes as simple barbarians. The new archaeological
evidence is now putting the record straight and showing they were
brilliant farmers, resourceful engineers and enterprising merchants who
produced a remarkable civilisation."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Africa/2000-
07/sahara150700.shtml

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Pope congratulates Saddam on anniversary: Iraq
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:35:16 -0400

Pope congratulates Saddam on anniversary: Iraq

BAGHDAD, July 19 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II sent a congratulatory
message to President Saddam Hussein on Iraq's national day, the official
news agency INA reported on Wednesday.

"I send you my greetings and pray that God grants all the best to the Iraqi
people," the pontiff said, according to INA.

Iraq on Monday celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the coup that brought
Saddam's Baath party to power.

In December 1999, Baghdad asked the pope to postpone a planned visit due
to the UN embargo and the no-fly zones which US and British warplanes
have enforced over Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War.

The pope, who worked to avert the conflict over Kuwait and has spoken out
against economic sanctions, planned a visit last January to Ur, an ancient
city in southern Iraq believed to have been the home of the prophet Abraham.

Christians, mostly of the Chaldean Catholic church, make up around one
million of Iraq's 22-million population.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Russia's last czar to be canonized as martyr
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:37:27 -0400

Russia's last czar to be canonized as martyr

MOSCOW, July 17 (AFP) - The Russian Orthodox Church is to canonize the
last czar, Nicholas II, as a martyr, church officials said Monday as services
were held to mark the 82nd anniversary of the czar's execution by the
Bolsheviks.

The church is to hold a synode from August 13 to 19 which will review a list
of 500 people, including the czar, eligible for canonization. Nicholas II would
be canonized as a martyr.

Archpriest Georgi Mitrofanov, a member of the commission examining the
names, said the decision to ahead with the canonization had already been
made, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Ceremonies were held in Moscow and several other cities on Monday for the
anniversary of the execution of Czar Nicholas II and his family in
Yekaterinburg on July 17, 1918.

Several thousand people took part in services and processions in Moscow,
St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, the Itar-Tass said.

Descendants of the Romanov family took part in a mass at the Peter and
Paul Cathedral in St Petersburg, where the remains of the family were buried
on July 17, 1998.

The chapel where the remains are kept was reopened for the occasion after a
six month renovation.

Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, three of their children, the family doctor and
three servants are buried in the chapel.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Moscow to get its first Buddhist temple
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:38:23 -0400

Moscow to get its first Buddhist temple

MOSCOW, July 17 (AFP) - Moscow's first Buddhist temple will join an
Orthodox church, two mosques and a synagogue in a neighborhood reserved
for "traditional Russian religions," the daily Segodnya reported Monday.

A ceremonial laying of the temple's first stone took place Saturday for a
planned two-story structure, which will serve 150,000 practicing Buddhists in
the capital.

Buddhism appeared in Russia around the end of the 16th century, but most
of its one million members are concentrated in the southern Siberian
republics of Tuva and Buryatia, and in Kalmykia, on the Caspian Sea.

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

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