BPR Mailing List Digest: 06/12/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
June 12, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | June, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: covering (2 of 2)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("John in NZ")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 06:12:21 +1200

Hi Steve,
Thats my point. I'm trying to understand what it means also. And is it
right?
John

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve" <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Sent: Monday, 12 June 2000 2:04 am
Subject: [BPR] - Re: covering (2 of 2)

> To John in NZ please. Please excuse my ignorance but I've been reading
> and reading the emails concerning this " covering " issue. I still don't
> understand what it means. Could you please put it in layman terms?
> Thankyou! in Jesus, Steve:)

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Earthquakes - June 10, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("John in NZ")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 06:16:21 +1200

I find this increase in earthquakes interesting. Your recording of them is
telling.

What do you think of this - a piece I wrote in a study some 12 years ago:

Matt 24:7b. Earthquakes.

Over the last 100 years earthquakes have been increasing in frequency and
intensity . The reason for this is that the plates of the earth's crust are
reaching their maximum spread, and hence are at increasing tension.
Significantly earthquakes occurred at a more or less constant rate for the
6000 years before this, as far as we can tell.

NOTE:- Principle of Interpretation.

1 Cor 15:46 - "first in the natural, then in the Spiritual".

What happens in the natural realm has a parallel in the moral arena. If we
apply this parallel here we might be able to say that "As the earth's land
slides the its limit's, so too man's morals will slide to their limits".
Just as the earth will tear itself apart with mighty earthquakes towards the
End, so too will man's immorality tear society apart.

John in NZ

----- Original Message -----
From: "Moza" <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Sent: Monday, 12 June 2000 1:38 am
Subject: [BPR] - Earthquakes - June 10, 2000

> Magnitude 6.0 earthquake near SOUTHEAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
> 30.52N, 137.76E depth 480.3km Fri Jun 9 23:31:45 2000 GMT
>
> An earthquake has occurred. Following is information provided
> by the National Earthquake Information Service of the USGS.
> This information is preliminary and subject to correction.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Pilgrims crowd shrine of Virgin Mary of Anjara
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 18:57:58 -0400

Pilgrims crowd shrine of Virgin Mary of Anjara
By Dana Charkasi

AMMAN - Thousands of Christians on Saturday flocked to the shrine of the
Virgin Mary of Anjara in Ajloun to commemorate the journey of Jesus and Mary
through that area.

"There were Christians from Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syrian and a
few [from other countries]. I would say there were around 5,000 people,"
Tourism Minister Aqel Biltaji told the Jordan Times.

"I was very moved to see all the village people like the mayor, the governor
and the local community come together to receive people from the entire
region in such a beautiful atmosphere, with people selling fruit juice and
apricots...It was just like a carnival in a religious form," Biltaji added.

Scholars believe Jesus passed through Jerash on some of his trips in the
area, and in those days the most direct route between the Jordan Valley and
Jerash was through Kufranja and the village of Anjara.

Last year, Jordan began mounting a marketing campaign called `Jordan 2000 -
the Land and River of Baptism' to attract religious and cultural tourism.

The shrine of `The Lady of the Mountain' in Anjara is one of the five sites
in Jordan listed by the Vatican in its official calendar of this year's
Great Jubilee. As of this year, the sites are part of the Catholic church's
official pilgrimage route through the Holy Land.

Four other sites in Jordan are listed in the Vatican's calendar.

These include Wadi Kharrar, where, according to the Gospel of St. John,
Jesus was baptised in an event commemorated each January 7. Mar Elias, the
birthplace of Prophet Elijah, witnesses a celebration in his honour each
July 21. Then there is Mukawer, where the beheading of John the Baptist is
remembered each August 25, and finally there is the spot where Moses saw the
Holy Land from Mount Nebo, an event celebrated on September 1.

In addition to these five celebrations, whose venues have been fixed in the
Vatican's calendar for the 2000 pilgrimage year, the local church has
decided to hold celebrations to recognise Christians killed during forced
labour in Roman mines near Karak. The celebration will take place in the
Smakieh Church in Karak on June 21.

In addition, on October 9, there will be celebrations all over Jordan in
honour of the Prophet Abraham, according to Fuad Aghabi, of the Ministry of
Tourism.

"[The celebration] coincides with Army Day and the first anniversary of His
Majesty King Abdullah's accession to the Throne. It, therefore, complements
these two occasions to have a religious ceremony," Biltaji said.

Around six per cent of the nearly 5 million people in Jordan are Christians.
Besides Amman, they mainly live in Madaba, Karak and Salt.

http://www.access2arabia.com/jordantimes/Sun/homenews/homenews5.htm

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: a question
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Flo")
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 19:24:08 -0500

Concerning covering. May I add some thoughts? I have taught submitting
to leadership very strongly. I have been reading your comments and
questions and it has set me to thinking. I do not know what to think
about covering as you are speaking of. (And I do not mind rough dialog)
I want to learn.

Maybe the thought of coming “under” someone is a cause of concern.
There is something in mankind, sometimes even in those who have been
redeemed, that rises up to say, “Christ is my covering and I need no one
else. I will minister as the Spirit leads no matter what!” Yet the
Church that is being built, is made up of those who have yielded to
Christ and to each other. Servanthood enters in here somewhere!

Christ calls for unity with Himself and fellow Christians to see this
thing work as God meant. There are none called into their OWN ministry.
But we are called to minister within this same Body, which requires a
certain yielding and coming under leadership.

This does not call for leaders as coverings to be in control, but a
working together, knowing the safety and power in numbers.

1Pe 5:5 ś Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea,
all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God
resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (KJV)

I may not be saying clearly what I mean, but there is a principle
involved here that the early church might have understood far better
than we.

There is no place for a leader to have and maintain control over others,
but there must be a willingness to yield to leadership as the Spirit
moves. The ministry gifts as listed in Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets 4396; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers;
was given to ‘grow up´ or mature the church. Otherwise we might be
acting as spoiled children demanding our own way, not submitting to one
another.

One side of the coin is the controling element of covering and the other
side is our unwillingness to yield what we think the Spirit is leading
us to do or say. Somewhere in the midst of all this, as Jesus is formed
in us is the true picture of The Church and how it functions. As we
learn Christ and walk faithfully with Him we will see His Church formed
in holiness and power!

I find no scriptures speaking of covering but I find the principle of
the humble, servant of the Lord, willing to be fitted together as He
sees fit, submitting one to one another, trusting for God to make a way
for the ministry He has called them to. Sometimes we loose focus.

I find your writing very interesting and thought provoking.

Flo in KY

----------
From: "John in NZ" <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Subject: [BPR] - a question
Date: Thursday, June 08, 2000 8:36 AM

Greetings one and all. I hope there is an all to enter
into this discussion.

I am involved in a teaching ministry which will remain for
the purposes of this discussion nameless. I am going around
churches to see if we can take seminars in their church. It
is a well known respected evangelical international
ministry. Today I was asked by someone "What covering are
you working under?"

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Gay Dads: We fathered a twin each
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 08:35:09 -0400

GAY DADS: WE FATHERED A TWIN EACH

Sunday, June 11, 2000 00:55

Gay fathers Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow each fathered one of their
surrogate twins, it was disclosed today.

The Mail on Sunday reports the couple chose the gender of their children
using advanced medical techniques illegal in Britain.

Their son Aspen and daughter Saffron were conceived in an American
laboratory using eggs from surrogate Tracie McCune and sperm from both
men.

Computerised sensors were used to separate "male" and "female" sperm – by
identifying X and Y chromosomes – so that Barrie could father Saffron and
Tony could father Aspen.

The full story of the twins' controversial birth, which cost the self-made
millionaires more than Ł200,000, will be shown in an ITV documentary, Gay
Dads: Real Lives, later this month.

"We knew from the start that one of us was going to be the biological
father of any boys and one the biological father of any girls," said
Barrie, who has lived with his partner for 11 years.

"It's quite obvious when you look at the babies."

The embryos were implanted into a second surrogate Rosalind Bellamy and
after their birth the men won a landmark case in the US courts to be named
on birth certificates as the twins' parents.

Choosing the sex of children is illegal in Britain under the 1990 Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Act, but is widely practised in the US.

The fathers, from Danbury, Essex, said they felt it was time to explain
the twins' paternity because each infant is beginning to closely resemble
its biological father.

"It doesn't matter who is the biological father of whom. We are their
parents – and that's all that matters," said Barrie, 32.

Š Press Association

http://www.lineone.net/newswire/cgi-
bin/newswire.cgi/skynews/uk/story/2000/6/c--2000-6-11-4n1.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] - June 12, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 08:35:09 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

NBC - DATELINE NBC - A group of mothers file a sexual
   harassment suit against their children's elementary school,
   saying that teachers ignored a boy's
          behavior.(CC)

HIST - SUPERSTITIONS - Early humans try to control nature's
mysteries by creating rituals.(CC)(TVPG)

9:00

PBS - THE 1900 HOUSE - "The Time Machine" - Members of the
Bowler family locate, restore and inspect the house where
they will re-create the 1900s.(CC)(TVG)

10:00

A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "Inside Alcoholics
   Anonymous" - People in Alcoholics Anonymous tell their
   stories and define AA, with input from national health
   authorities as well as critics of the
          fellowship.(CC)

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The Genetic Report Card
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 10:52:42 -0400

No Suprises
#20: The Genetic Report Card That Will Tell You
If Your Embryo Will Get Prostate Cancer
By MAGGIE JONES

In the next decade, a baby's first checkup won't be in the pediatrician's
office. It will be in the petri dish while she's an eight-cell embryo no
bigger than a dust speck.

We are a long way from designing children with button noses, blond hair and
150 I.Q.'s. But by 2010, geneticists say they'll be able to predict babies'
propensities for many of the diseases we dread most: breast, colon and
prostate cancer, heart disease, diabetes.

The key will be a DNA chip. With one amplified droplet of DNA, a thumbnail-
size chip will be able to vet embryos for hundreds of genetic diseases.

The rudiments of embryo screening exist today in a rare procedure called
preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or P.G.D. At a handful of labs, doctors
can diagnose certain genetic diseases in an embryo before deciding whether
to implant the embryo in the womb. Candidates for P.G.D. are usually
families who already have a child suffering a severe genetic illness or who
have aborted a fetus after learning of a gene mutation. But the procedure is
expensive (about $12,000 to $15,000, including the cost of in vitro
fertilization) and time-consuming. After a woman's eggs are removed from her
ovaries and fertilized, a geneticist punctures each egg's coating and, with a
glass needle, sucks out an embryo cell one-seventh the width of a hair. The
geneticist then isolates a specific gene, amplifies it and looks for the
presence or absence of a mutation.

P.G.D. is still in its infancy: geneticists analyze only one gene at a time, and
there are only several dozen tests available -- sickle cell anemia, cystic
fibrosis, fragile X syndrome among them -- most of which are for severe
childhood disorders. But two coming advances promise to change that. Over
the next decade, according to Dr. Charles Strom, director of medical
genetics at the Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, research will
usher in hundreds of new tests for genetic diseases, including adult-onset
illnesses like various cancers, Alzheimer's, hypertension, kidney disease
and schizophrenia. And by that time, labs expect to have DNA chips capable
of reading hundreds or even thousands of genes simultaneously from a single
embryo cell. The result: it will ultimately be as easy and inexpensive to run
several hundred genetic tests as one.

Based on current biochip technology, the dime-size chip will resemble a
computer circuit board with an intricate maze of gene patterns for diseases.
When the embryo's DNA binds to a specific pattern, that segment of the chip
will change color (from, say, red to green) -- signaling an aberrant gene
sequence. A scanner will then read the matched patterns and feed the
results to a computer. In minutes, the computer will spit out the embryo's
genetic report card.

Consumers for P.G.D. will presumably grow incrementally. Expectant
parents who have tested positive for specific gene mutations will sign on first,
then infertile couples undergoing in vitro fertilization and eventually, couples
capable of traditional baby-making. "There's a group of parents who will say
to themselves: 'The old ways of giving birth were risky and we're not going to
take those risks. We've got to do I.V.F. and do the best we can for our kid,"'
says Philip Kitcher, author of "The Lives to Come: The Genetic Revolution
and Human Possibilities" and a professor of philosophy at Columbia. And by
the 22nd century, doing the best for your kid may include gene therapy -- or
"fixing" the imperfect eggs by replacing bad genes with good ones. For the
near future, however, expectant parents may wrestle with these genetic
forecasts. Since everyone carries at least several mutations, no embryo will
emerge from DNA screening with a perfect score. And most mutations
suggest a propensity, not a guarantee, for a disease. So, how to choose?
Which embryo is preferable -- the one with a likelihood for colon cancer or
the one with a propensity for diabetes? And what about the embryo with a
breast cancer gene? Keep it and hope for a cure? Or toss the whole batch
and start over again? The preoccupations of today's parents about car seats,
strollers and breast-feeding will seem quaint by comparison.

The New York Times,
http://www10.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000611mag-
reportcard.html

via: isml@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Meteor bright as Sun over northern Victoria
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 13:22:00 -0400

Meteor bright as Sun over northern Victoria
11: 00 AM AEST June 11

A meteor as bright as the Sun was seen over north central Victoria last
evening, heading for earth.

Gary Gibson, research director at the Melbourne-based Seismology Research
Centre, told AAP he saw the meteor while in the state's north and was
astounded by its speed and brightness.

He has since been contacted by several people who saw the meteor and felt
it, presumably hitting the earth, and believed it to have been an
earthquake.

Mr Gibson said the meteor, which he spotted at 5.24pm (AEST), was visible
for only about three seconds but left a vapour trail which remained in the
sky for almost 10 minutes.

"The sun was still up and it was as bright as the sun, it was just amazing,"
he said.

"It started off looking like the vapour train of an aircraft, but instead of
going horizontally it was clearly going downwards.

"I thought, `Oh that doesn't look good' but it came down at such a rate it
could not possibly have been an aircraft," he said.

The ABC reported that the meteor was part of a shower seen by walkers in
northern Tasmania and at first mistaken for a light plane in distress.

The walkers said it was visible for 20 minutes.

http://www.excite.com.au/news/story/aap/20000611/11/domestic/meteor-vic?r=/n
ews/more_news/domestic

[Is this related to the BPR mailing on 6/2, "Compton's Deorbit Puts Jets and
Ships at Risk"?]

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (6/12/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 13:30:11 -0400

PALESTINIANS CALL FOR VIOLENCE; BARAK: COUNTDOWN MAY
BEGIN

Another round of talks between Israel and the Palestinians
will begin today in Washington. Prime Minister Barak said
yesterday that developments in the talks over the next few
weeks will tell us whether a countdown has begun towards a
military confrontation with the Palestinian Authority.

Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman said today, "Nothing
much is expected to result from the new round of talks.
Problems keep arising. Even the offer of 90% or more of
Judea and Samaria that Israel recently proposed is not
enough for the Palestinians, because they demand 100% -
nothing less than what Egypt, Lebanon, and even Syria, more
or less, received. Regarding the other major issues, such
as Jerusalem and the refugees, there has been no change in
either the Israeli or Palestinian positions. The bottom
line is, then, that not only will there be no permanent-
status agreement by Sept. 13, but even a framework
agreement is questionable. All of this leads to the
question of what Arafat wants: A military clash with
Israel? Is he afraid to make any concessions that he will
then have to present to his public? Arafat's position is
simply not clear."

Fatah, the PLO's military wing, continues to claim that it
is "legitimate to use arms against settlers and army in
areas under PA control." IMRA notes that the current
editorial on the Fatah website, www.fateh.net, states,
"Negotiations are an important option, but not the only
one, for deciding both interim and final status issues...
The areas which have been liberated and which are now
controlled by the PNA are the areas in which it makes most
sense to demonstrate Palestinian sovereignty. Therefore,
in those areas, it is legitimate to confront settlers and
the Israeli army with all possible means, including the use
of arms..."

An even stronger call for violence was made two days ago
by Palestinian Legislative Council member Abbas Zaki.
Speaking at a ceremony in Bethlehem in the presence of
Palestinian Justice "Minister" Freih Abu Medein, Zaki said,
"We will not agree to any solution that does not solve all
the problems... We are the stronger side of the equation,
and there are 5000 clean rifles that can force this
equation upon Israel."

The Fatah article also criticizes "Palestinian dependence"
upon Israeli organizations, and writes, "The Palestinian
state will never be independent unless it frees itself from
all Zionist restrictions on our politics and economy...
[and] from those collaborators who were made by the Israeli
secret intelligence service, the Mossad, and who are still
being made in different guises - including the Peres Center
for Peace..."

SYRIANS ISSUE WARRANT FOR ARREST OF RIF'AT ASSAD The
Syrian security forces have issued an arrest warrant for
Rif'at Assad, brother of the late dictator, in an attempt
to prevent his arrival for the funeral tomorrow. Rif'at
was exiled to Europe 14 years ago after he attempted to
wrest control of the country from his brother. On the
other hand, the extended Assad family is not united behind
the candidacy of Bashar Assad - son of the deceased
president, and his chosen successor -for Syria's next
leader. The editor of the London-based paper Al Quds el-
Arabi, Abdel Bari Atoine, told BBC that Rif'at Assad is
fondly remembered by his family for the "vital role he
played in defending the regime... he carried out the
slaughter in Hama [of between 15,000 - 25,000 people]
against the fundamentalist Moslem Brothers... Rif'at
believes that he is the legitimate successor..." Asked if
the Syrian security forces would allow Bashar to take power
in Syria, Atoine said, "No one can know what will happen.
Anything is possible, and that is the danger."

An Egyptian newspaper published an interview with Bashar
Assad today in which he expressed positions similar to
those of his father. Regarding the Golan Heights, Bashar
said that his country would not give up on even one sliver
of "conquered territory." The interview took place two
weeks ago.

Druze mourners in the Golan have been turned down by Syria
in their quest to attend the funeral tomorrow of Hafez
Assad. Of the hundreds who wished to attend the funeral,
only 70 were issued permits to do so by Israel. This
afternoon, Syria refused to allow even those 70 from
attending the funeral. The Druze communities are furious
at the Syrian authorities, and one man said today, "For two
days we have been crying over the death of Assad, and then
they come along and make a mockery of us."

FULL-PAGE OPEN LETTER FROM HEVRON An open letter by The
Hebron Fund to Prime Minister Barak, co-sponsored by the
Jewish Community of Hevron, appeared as a full-page ad in
the Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz on Thursday. It read, in
part, as follows: "Dear Mr. Barak, When the Jews of Russia
faced persecution, we stood with them... When the Jews of
Ethiopia faced extinction, we brought them home... We
cannot remain silent as Jewish communities in Israel are at
risk of being abandoned. Today the people of Israel face
the loss of their borders, their freedom, their confidence,
and their future... When we reclaimed our G-d given land,
we did so for eternity. No one has license to surrender
those borders, thus endangering our people. No mortal was
granted the right to alter biblical prophecies and
obliterate G-d's promise to our forefathers. To remain on
our land while being encircled by those who vow to drive us
into the sea, provides no security. To abandon our land
for a "promise" that we won't be attacked in the future,
provides no future. Let our enemies hold on to their
promises. We will hold on to our homes. Mr. Barak, every
leader leaves a legacy. Yours is becoming clear, even in
your lifetime... Do not risk forever being known in Heaven
and Earth as a Jew who... destroyed more with the stroke of
a pen than our enemies destroyed with their stones."

U.S. WANTS TO "SUPERVISE" ISRAELI ARMS SALES Ha'aretz:
reports today that the Clinton administration has asked
Israel to inform it before exporting weapons and military
supplies to 27 countries the United States considers
threats to its national security or to regional stability.
Israel has not yet responded. Among the countries on the
U.S. "gray" list are potentially-large Israeli markets such
as China, India, and Indonesia, Israeli-enemies Iran, Iraq,
Syria, and Libya, and others such as North Korea, Cuba,
Serbia and Pakistan.

HALAKHIC ON-LINE IN KNESSET The Bar Ilan Responsa Project
has been incorporated into the Knesset computer system,
allowing Knesset Members and staffers access to 1,000
years' worth of Halakhic literature. The 90-million-word
project was dedicated yesterday, in the presence of MKs
from various parties. Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg said,
"The ocean of knowledge, ethics, and experience of Jewish
Law will now be available to all." Bar Ilan will provide
help in the coming months for parliamentary aides and
librarians on the use of the data base, which boasts the
"most powerful search engine in the world."

Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, June 12, 2000 / Sivan 9, 5760

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Top vicar says 'end of world is nigh'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 16:54:11 -0500

Top vicar says 'end of world is nigh'
BY RUTH GLEDHILL

http://www.the-times.co.uk/ & index

ONE of the most influential clergymen in the Church of England has issued an
apocalyptic warning that the end of the world is nigh and that time is
running out before the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The Rev Sandy Millar, 61, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, in Knightsbridge,
London, has linked the contemporary worldwide evangelical revival to the
imminent return of Jesus and the start of a "New Age".

Writing in his parish's Pentecost newsletter, Mr Millar - whose pioneering
Alpha course has persuaded hundreds of thousands of people to convert, or
return, to Christianity - said the warning of an influential 20th-century
clergyman, that "the coming of the Lord draws nigh", had even greater
urgency today.

People must turn to Jesus Christ "while there is still time", he said. "On
some day in the future, Jesus will return, the world as we know it will come
to an end, and the real New Age will begin." Apocalyptic warnings, while
fairly common from charismatic or fringe churches, are rare from a clergyman
of the Established Church.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - A Look at Alawite Religious Sect
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 18:33:46 -0400

01:50 PM ET 06/12/00

A Look at Alawite Religious Sect

By The Associated Press=

Syrian President Hafez Assad comes from the Alawite religious
minority which, though considered a sect of Shiite Islam, bears
little resemblance to Islam in doctrine or practice. The secretive
faith _ in name indicating followers of Ali, son-in-law of Islam's
founding Prophet Mohammed _ also combines elements of Christianity
and astrology. It is believed to date to the 9th century.

Syria is a predominantly Muslim nation and Alawites have
outwardly adapted, with their leaders performing Islamic prayers in
the historic Omayyad Mosque in Damascus when Muslim dignitaries
visit. Early in Assad's rule, questions were raised about whether
Assad, as an Alawite, could rule a Muslim country. Assad appealed
to an influential Shiite cleric in Lebanon, Imam Musa al-Sadr, who
gave a religious ruling that Alawites are part of the Shiite
community.

Alawites, unlike Muslims and Christians, believe women do not
have souls. Astrological phenomena also takes on special meaning.
There is a belief, for example, that the Milky Way is made up of
deified souls of believers.

Alawite religious practices are not open to outsiders and even
those born into the sect slowly ascend toward deeper inner
knowledge of it.

Alawites are estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands,
living mainly in Syria, where they account for about 6 percent of
the 17 million population, but also in Lebanon and Turkey.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567287697-37d

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - E-mails Now Sent From Submarines
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 18:39:33 -0400

01:22 PM ET 06/12/00

E-mails Now Sent From Submarines

FALMOUTH, Mass. (AP) _ A Massachusetts company has
developed a way to send e-mails longer distances under the ocean than ever
before.

The U.S. Navy last month used technology developed by Benthos
Inc. of Falmouth to send e-mails from a submarine off the coast of
California to a naval base in San Diego and to other underwater
modems.

While cruising at a depth of 400 feet, the USS Dolphin was able
to send e-mails up to a distance of three miles to a relayer buoy,
which transferred them to land, Benthos president and chief
executive John L. Coughlin said.

It was the first time a submerged and moving submarine was able
to communicate without giving away its position by surfacing or
raising an antenna, he said. The modem sends digital data
underwater using sound energy.

The e-mails were sent at a speed of 2,400 bytes per second, slow
when compared to desktop computers. ``When you're using sound waves
to do it, that's pretty fast,'' Coughlin said.

Underwater e-mails are not new, but what makes this technology
different is the distance, speed and reliability of the
transmission, Coughlin said.

The technology not only has military applications, but can be
used by the gas and oil drilling industry, for weather tracking and
for other underwater research, Coughlin said.

The technology was developed using a grant from the Navy's Space
and Naval Warfare Systems Command Center in San Diego.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2567287332-82b

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