BPR Mailing List Digest: 06/14/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
June 14, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | June, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - ReligionToday News Items - Wednesday, June 14, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 07:30:53 -0500

Selected items from:

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

June 14, 2000

Christians are just as "wired" as non-Christians, pollster George
Barna (see link #1 below) says. Adult Christians own about as much
technology as other adults, he found. This includes cable and
satellite television, VCRs, digital video discs, cellular telephones,
CD-ROMs, home computers, and Internet access. ...Is that good or bad?
Neither, Barna says, who believes each of these technologies has the
capacity to produce benefits or harm. There is nothing innately wrong
with modern electronic gadgets, but "it's easy to become paralyzed by
the amount of information they produce, stressed out by the time
demands they exert, burdened by the cost of these tools, and morally
compromised by some of the content conveyed." ...It is possible that
many Christians "have been seduced by the power of the tools they have
acquired," Barna said. "Born-again adults spend an average of seven
times more hours each week watching television than they do
participating in spiritual pursuits such as Bible reading, prayer, and
worship. They spend roughly twice as much money on entertainment as
they donate to their church. And they spend more time surfing the Net
than they do conversing with God in prayer."

A film about Dietrich Bonhoeffer airs on PBS June 14. The life of the
Lutheran pastor and theologian who opposed Nazi Germany and was hanged
in prison is portrayed in Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace (see link #2
below), a 90-minute dramatization. ...Bonhoeffer found a virtuous path
in an evil world. He spoke out against anti-Semitism, condemned church
cooperation with the Third Reich, and became part of the resistance
that plotted to kill Hitler. In prison he wrote about Christianity and
morality, and was executed in 1945 after rejecting Nazi deals and
rescue efforts that he thought might put other prisoners at risk.
...Backers of the film include the Aid Association for Lutherans, a
nonprofit fraternal organization. "We wanted to engage the public in a
dialogue around the question of 'What does it mean to be a morally
responsible person?' " Dennis Clauss of AAL told the Associated Press.
Check local television listings for times.

-----------
RELATED LINKS:
1: http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=64
2: http://www.aal.org/bonhoeffer.html#

-----------
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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - June 14, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 08:33:58 -0400

8:00 PM Eastern

DISC - TUNNELS: DIGGING IN - Tunneling under cities and
mountains; tunnels in Los Angeles, New York,
Switzerland.(CC)(TVG)

HIST - HITLER AND THE OCCULT - Ancient prophecy and
occult ritual fascinate Nazi Germany.(CC)(TVPG)

TLC - EXTREME MACHINES - "Raiders of the Deep" -
Remote-operated vehicles reveal unknown aquatic species and
ancient shipwrecks.(CC)(TVG)

9:30

PBS - BONHOEFFER: AGENT OF GRACE (Drama, 2000) -- German
   theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer opposes Nazism and
   anti-Semitism, and is hanged for his work in the German
   resistance. Ulrich Tukur, Robert Joy, John Neville, R.H.
          Thompson (90 minutes) (CC) (TVPG)

10:00

A&E - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS - "e-terror" - Computer
   criminals can ruin businesses, steal identities and finances,
   sabotage power companies and nuclear power
          plants.(CC)

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Serious shortage of water is expected
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 08:38:48 -0400

Wednesday, June 14, 2000

Serious shortage of water is expected

By Zafrir Rinat
Ha'aretz Environmental Correspondent

Israel will face a serious water shortage next year that may affect urban and
even domestic use, endangering the quality of groundwater and the water of
the Kinneret, according to the Mekorot Water Company and senior water
officials, who presented worrisome figures on Monday to acting Water
Commissioner Yaakov Efrati.

From this year's figures, it is already clear that by the end of the summer,
the level of the Kinneret will drop below the lowest red line discussed so far -
minus 214 meters. The level of the mountain aquifer will drop to a level that
could cause the salinization of the reservoir. If Israel suffers yet another
drought next year, it is likely to suffer a shortage of drinking water of 130
million cubic meters, even if the allocation of potable water to farmers is
completely halted. In such a situation, it will not be possible to use even the
groundwater reservoirs, because they will provide only saline water.

The management committee in the Water Commission held a meeting this
week, after which one of the participants commented: "I have never attended
such a gloomy and pessimistic meeting." The participants urged Prime
Minister Ehud Barak to become involved immediately in the actions to save
Israel's water system.

Those who attended the meeting agreed that the recent decisions made by
the government - including the establishment of a desalination plant, making
wells usable - will not provide an immediate solution to the crisis, because
these decisions will be implemented only in a few years' time. They will
create tens of millions of cubic meters of water, while the water deficit is
expected to be much higher. The participants in the meeting agreed that
further cutbacks in water allowances for agriculture this year are impossible
because the farmers have already planted their fields.

Sarah Haklai, director of the water resources department at Mekorot,
presented a scenario according to which if 2001 has a normal rainfall, and if
the cutbacks in water allocations to agriculture remain the same as this year
(about 40 percent), there will still remain a deficit of about 120 million cubic
meters of water.

If the increase in water consumption persists and no significant new sources
of water are developed, the state of Israel's water system will not improve,
even if Israel enjoys a few successive rainy years. In such a situation, the
expected annual deficit of 120 million cubic meters will continue and the level
of the Kinneret will continue to drop each year by about 70 centimeters,
falling as low as 215 meters or even lower. The mountain aquifer will continue
to lose about 1.4 meters in height each year and will drop far below the red
line.

All the experts at the meeting agreed that it will be necessary to cut back
urban water use, such as for gardens, parks and washing cars, and perhaps
even for domestic use. Ze'ev Golani, hydrological consultant for Mekorot
says, "Tel Aviv will be like a third world city. Some streets will not have water
part of the time, or some cities will not have water for a few hours each day."

The expected drop in the level of the mountain aquifer by the end of this
coming summer, particularly in the northern part of the aquifer in the Hadera-
Karkour area, especially troubles the experts. Studies have shown that this
area shows a rapid movement of saline water to fresh water areas and a drop
in the water level due to pumping. "If the salination process begins, it will be
very rapid and irreversible," said Haklai.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=06/14/00&
id=81524

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - PA workers go undercover to gather statistics on Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 08:40:52 -0400

Wednesday, June 14, 2000

PA workers go undercover to gather statistics on Jerusalem

By Amira Hass
Ha'aretz Palestinian Affairs Correspondent

The Palestinian Authority recently published its first statistical yearbook for
the district of Jerusalem, in which the area annexed by Israel is also
included. The PA presented the yearbook at a press conference held in the
Orient House in Jerusalem yesterday.

The yearbook was prepared by the PA's Office of Statistics in Ramallah,
whose employees sometimes went undercover to gather information from
Palestinian and Israeli sources. The yearbook covers an area of 338,000
dunams, 30.6 percent of which is territory annexed by Israel in 1967 and
which appears in the book as J1.

In this territory, 328,601 Palestinians resided in 1997, 210,209 of them in J1.
According to estimates at the statistics office, the number of Palestinians
living in the district this year will reach 354,500, of whom 228,200 will reside
in the area annexed by Israel. By 2010, the Palestinian population in J1 is
expected to rise to 303,900.

Among the J1 Palestinian population, 41.9 percent are 15 years old or
younger, and 3.3 percent are older than 65.

The head of the Palestinian Office of Statistics, Hassan Abu Labda, said that
collecting information from sources outside Israel's control is considered by
Israel to be illegal. As a result, during the 1997 census Israel barred PA
officials from openly gathering information through questionnaires in East
Jerusalem.

During the press conference at which the yearbook was presented, Faisal
Husseini, the PA's minister of Jerusalem affairs, commended the office for a
"historical achievement."

Husseini said that in 1967, 55,000 Palestinians lived in the city. Today, he
said, more than 300,000 Palestinians live in Jerusalem, although Israel
claims the figures are lower for political purposes. He also said that within
the Old City's walls, 30,000 Palestinians live in 4,000 residences.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=06/14/00&
id=81528

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Negotiators in Washington split into 2 separate groups
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 08:43:27 -0400

Wednesday, June 14, 2000

Negotiators in Washington split into 2 separate groups

By Nitzan Horowitz
Ha'aretz Correspondent

WASHINGTON - In an effort to speed up negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians in Washington and expedite results, the talks have been divided
into two groups, each dealing with different issues and housed in separate
places near Washington.

The first set includes teams headed by Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-
Ami, and the speaker of the PA's parliament, Abu Ala. Those teams are
working on a formulation of the final status agreement. The second group,
with teams headed by Oded Eran and Saeb Erekat, is dealing with issues
left over from the Oslo accords. The talks revolve around the issue of the third
withdrawal, releasing prisoners and the northern safe passage.

The American hosts are hoping to make discussions of difficult issues easier
by separating the final-status framework talks from the rest.

For their part, the Palestinians are emphasizing the issue of the third
withdrawal and refuse to relegate the debate to the sidelines. According to
the interim agreement, the third withdrawal is supposed to include the whole
of the West Bank except the settlements, designated military installations
and Jerusalem.

The Palestinians have rejected Prime Minister Ehud Barak's request that the
third withdrawal be postponed from its June 23 deadline. "Noncompliance
with the withdrawal is in violation with the agreement to which Barak has
commited himself," Hassan Abd al-Rahman, the Palestine Liberation
Organization's representative in the United States, told Ha'aretz yesterday.
"Such a move will put a question mark over the integrity of the whole
process. It is very important that a third withdrawal happen at the set time. If
Barak violates this promise, he will cause grave harm," al-Rahman said.

Responding to reports that Barak will return only 1 percent of the West Bank
to the Palestinians, in accord with a decision made by the Netanyahu
government, if the Palestinians insist on a third withdrawal, PA
representatives said such a move would also constitute a grave violation of
the agreement. According to the PA, 90 percent of the area of the West
Bank is supposed to be transferred to them during the interim period.

The Americans have become noticeably more involved, compared to previous
rounds of negotiations between the two sides. Following her meetings with
Barak and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat last week, Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright said that they both asked the United States to "call the
plays," an idiom of American football that translates to "Take charge" or "Tell
us what to do.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=06/14/00&
id=81532

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - 'Offensive' words are history, says British college
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 08:59:32 -0400

                 `Offensive' words are
                 history, says British
                 college

                 By MARTIN BENTHAM
                 LONDON
                 Tuesday 13 June 2000

                 A British college has banned the use of more than 40
                 "offensive" words and phrases including "normal
                 couple" and "slaving over a hot stove" under equal
                 opportunities rules that staff and students must follow.

                 Stockport College, in Greater Manchester, has also
                 outlawed "taking the mickey" (anti-Irish), "history"
                 (sexist), "lady" and "gentleman" (have class
                 implications).

                 Among the groups that college officials said could be
                 offended are women, homosexuals and ethnic
                 minorities.

                 Students are also told not to risk upsetting the mentally
                 ill through the use of words such as "mad", "manic" and
                 "crazy".

                 Meanwhile, the expression "slaving over a hot stove" is
                 ruled to be inappropriate because it "minimises the
                 horror and oppression of the slave trade".

                 To ensure that its rules on language are followed, the
                 college, which has 15,000 students aged from 16, says
                 that it "will make it a condition of service and admission
                 that employees and students adhere to this policy".

But Nick Seaton, the chairman of the Campaign for
Real Education, condemned the guidelines.

                 "They should be concentrating on teaching their
                 students, instead of trying to ban words, which any
                 ordinary person would regard as an everyday part of
                 the English language," he said.

                 The college guidelines, titled Equal Opportunities -
                 Policy into Practice, concedes that concern over
                 language can go "too far".

But it gives a warning that it is easy to create offence.

                 The use of "normal couple" is questioned, with the
                 guidelines asking: "How do you define normal?"And
                 the words "queer" and "cripple" are banned, except
                 where homosexuals and disabled people have
                 "reclaimed" them.

Richard Tuson, a college spokesman, insisted that the
use of appropriate language was important.

                 "We vigorously pursue an equal opportunities policy
                 and we try to be as politically correct as possible,
                 without being tedious," he said.

TELEGRAPH

http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000613/A62772-2000Jun12.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] - Library refuses to tell mother which books daughter had checked out
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 09:04:11 -0400

                 Library Checkout Policy Irritates
                 Benicia Parent
                 Daughter's loan record considered
                 confidential

                 Janet Wells, Chronicle Staff Writer

                Saturday, June 10, 2000

                 BENICIA -- Parents who want to find out what
                 books their kids are checking out of the library may
                 have to resort to a subpoena -- a tactic made
                 famous when it was used to sleuth out Monica
                 Lewinsky's book purchases.

                 Alison Shurtleff was not snooping when she asked
                 the Benicia Public Library what books her
                 11-year-old daughter Hannah had on loan. Shurtleff
                 just wanted to know the titles so she could make
                 sure the books were returned on time.

That information was confidential, Shurtleff was
told, to protect her daughter's privacy.

                 ``We're talking about children here,'' said Shurtleff.
                 ``And the librarians were so huffy with me, like they
                 were really looking out for my daughter. It made me
                 feel really defensive.''

                 The Benicia Public Library has a formal
                 ``confidentiality of circulation records'' policy,
                 adopted by the library Board of Trustees almost 15
                 years ago.

                 ``The California Public Records Act established that
                 certain library records are confidential,'' said
                 Monique le Conge, Benicia Public Library director.
                 ``There are laws that prevent us from releasing any
                 information unless there is a subpoena or an order
                 of the Superior Court.''

                 Benicia's library is far from unique in keeping the lid
                 on a patron's reading preference, regardless of age.
                 Most libraries in the state have a similar policy,
                 although interpretation and enforcement vary
                 widely.

                 Christine Giri of Newark stopped by her city's
                 public library recently to pick up a book on Nepal
                 that her 15-year-old daughter had placed on
                 reserve. Because handing over the book would be
                 tantamount to revealing what her daughter was
                 reading, the library refused.

The San Mateo Public Library does not interpret
the law so strictly.

                 ``As a courtesy to our customers, any family
                 member can pick up books for others,'' said city
                 librarian K.G. Ouye, adding that the library has had
                 no complaints about privacy issues from parents or
                 minors.

                 At San Francisco's libraries, the library card itself is
                 the ticket to information. ``If a mother came into the
                 library and said, `I'm coming in to pick up a book
                 for my daughter on Nepal,' it certainly wouldn't be a
                 problem if she had the daughter's library card,'' said
                 the library's public affairs director Marcia
                 Schneider.

                 At libraries with online services, parents can also
                 use a minor's library card to get information the
                 librarians will not reveal.

                 ``If you have a library card number, you can check
                 on the Internet what's checked out, when it's due
                 and what kinds of fines are there,'' le Conge said.

                 Library privacy policies do have one exception:
                 Parents can find out the titles of overdue books
                 because they are responsible for paying the fines.

                 ``Obviously, we want parents to come in with their
                 kids and check out materials with them, knowing
                 what they are checking out and knowing that it's
                 appropriate for their family. That's the ideal
                 situation,'' said le Conge.

                 A mother of three, le Conge said she pays attention
                 to what her kids check out of the library. ``But I
                 know they're going to get to an age where they may
                 not want to share that with me,'' she said.

                 ``There are good reasons that ultimately you
                 wouldn't want anybody else knowing what you
                 checked out and why, or other people being able to
                 pick up materials you have on reserve, whether
                 you're a spouse or a parent,'' le Conge said. ``There
                 have been those awkward moments when a
                 husband comes in to pick up his wife's book and
                 it's, `How to Do Your Own Divorce.' ''

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2000/06/10/MN70758.DTL

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

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - How Pompeii's upper class lorded it over the masses
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 11:58:43 -0500

How Pompeii's upper class lorded it over the masses

http://www.globeandmail.com/gam/Science/20000614/TAPOMP.html

New book suggests that the rich used subsidized
wine and sex, not just bread and circuses,
to placate the 'little people'

RORY CARROLL
The Guardian
Wednesday, June 14, 2000

Rome -- The ancient Roman city of Pompeii seethed with massive economic
inequality and resentment, which plutocrats tried to quell with subsidized
sex, wine and gladiatorial spectacles for the masses, a new book says.

Daily life was blighted not by rumbles from Vesuvius, but by yawning income
gaps. The upper class was so rich that it could spend more on one banquet
than a senior imperial bureaucrat would earn in a year, according to Antonio
Varone, author of Pompeii: The Mysteries of a Buried City.

Citing documents recently found on the site, Mr. Varone, the former director
of excavations at Pompeii, painted a picture of a city riven by inequality.

"There was an extraordinarily well-off class that really enjoyed itself . .
. and a huge part of the population that lived in poverty, that struggled
with daily life."

Those on the bread line whose resentment risked turning violent were
placated with subsidized prostitution and wine. "The powerful wanted them to
remain tranquil."

Also, entry to the amphitheatre to watch chariot races and combat between
gladiators and animals was free.

Mr. Varone says he found evidence of the way the spectacles were financed
and the number of gladiators who took part. Inequality existed in most
ancient Roman towns, but Pompeii appears to have been extreme -- possibly
because it was a vacation resort where rich outsiders acquired second homes.

The city was laid out in a grid pattern, with the rich taking whole blocks
for themselves. Last month, during the widening of a highway, the remains of
Villa Moregine, a luxury hotel and restaurant complex, was discovered just
outside of town.

Built on the River Sarno with views of the bay of Naples, Villa Moregine is
believed to have been intended for visiting businessmen. It had marble and
bronze fixtures, thermal baths and a sophisticated plumbing system that
recycled kitchen and laundry water for central heating.

Private dining rooms each had couches for diners, a small fountain and wall
paintings. Slabs of cut marble were stacked in a corner, which suggests that
work on the building was continuing when Pompeii was buried by volcanic ash
and mud from Vesuvius in August of AD 79.

Subsidizing games was regarded as a duty for wealthy citizens across the
empire, but Pompeii was unusual if entrance was totally free, says Michael
Whitby, a professor of classics at the University of Warwick in England.

"There is no doubt they went in for conspicuous consumption in the bay of
Naples. It was the Riviera for the elite."

Mr. Varone says recently recovered written testimonies reveal that an
earthquake jolted Pompeii just days before Vesuvius erupted, obliging
historians to revise their accounts of the ensuing rescue operations. Money
could have been decisive in determining who survived.

"The wealthy would have had a second house to run to, they would have had
mules and carts to pack their belongings, they would have had jewels and
other portable valuables," Prof. Whitby said. "The poor would have been
slower. If their livelihood was a fast-food joint, a shop or a small field,
it would have taken longer to pack up and escape."

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - U-turn on blood transfusions by Witnesses
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 13:04:23 -0400

U-turn on blood transfusions by Witnesses

BY RUTH GLEDHILL, RELIGION CORREPONDENT

JEHOVAH'S Witnesses are to be allowed to accept blood transfusions after an
extraordinary U-turn by leaders of the controversial religion.
Elders have decreed that Jehovah's Witnesses who accept blood transfusions
under life-or-death conditions will no longer face excommunication from
their religion.

The move represents the biggest climbdown in the movement since the
predicted Armageddon failed to materialise as forecast in 1975.
Under the change to Watch Tower practice, blood transfusions have officially
been relegated to a "non-disfellowshipping event".

The decision, arrived at by a secret meeting of the 12-member world
governing body at the movement's headquarters in New York, was dismissed as
a "slight adjustment" by the religion's leaders.

It follows decades of adverse publicity about adults and children who have
died or come close to death because of their faith. Only last week, a
Jehovah's Witness, Brent Bond, from Nottingham, who lost five pints of blood
in a machete attack, renounced his faith just seconds before he lost
consciousness so that he could have a lifesaving blood transfusion.
Realising that his mother would never grant consent for a transfusion, he
told paramedics: "I'm no longer a Jehovah's Witness. I give my consent to a
transfusion."

In January a young mother, Beverly Matthews, 33, of Stockport, died after
refusing an emergency blood transfusion.

In March last year the Association of Anaesthetists issued new guidelines
stating that Jehovah's Witnesses could be allowed to die if they refused
transfusions.

Letters have already been sent to elders throughout Britain, where there are
about 130,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, explaining that they should no longer
expel members who accept blood, as well as to the elders of the six million
adherents worldwide. Elders will then advise their local hospital liaison
committees, who liaise between Jehovah's Witnesses and medical staff.

Jehovah's Witnesses view life as a gift from God, represented by blood. They
interpret certain Bible passages to mean that they cannot accept any form of
blood transfusion. The teaching on blood itself has not changed, but until
now any Jehovah's Witness who consciously accepted blood or who allowed
their child or baby to have a blood transfusion, even if they knew they
would die without it, has faced "disfellowship".

Paul Gillies, spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses, who have their British
headquarters in Mill Hill, North London, said that not taking blood was
still a "core value" of the religion. "It is quite possible that someone who
was under pressure on an operating table would take a blood transfusion
because they did not want to die. The next day they might say they regretted
this decision. We would then give them spiritual comfort and help. No action
would be taken against them. We would just view it as a moment of weakness."
He said that even if the Jehovah's Witness did not repent, they would not be
expelled but would merely be viewed as having "dissociated" themselves from
the religion.

Geoffrey Unwin, a former Jehovah's Witness who now writes about the religion
under the name James King, said: "Jehovah's Witnesses who are excommunicated
are then branded as apostates or anti-Christ and friends and relatives
within the movement are instructed to avoid their company, not even speaking
to them should a chance meeting occur in the street."

He predicted widespread anger about the change and said he knew of two
former members who were considering legal action. "I know someone who was
kicked out just for questioning this teaching. They were shunned by all
their friends and neighbours and had to move house."

http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/06/14/timfgnusa01004.html

via: ArialThird_Watch@egroups.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - France to crack down on sects
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 13:06:45 -0400

By PAUL WEBSTER
The Guardian
June 14, 2000

PARIS - France will defy President Clinton's appeal to be more tolerant of
religious sects and introduce draconian laws, including an offense of
"mental manipulation" - brainwashing - which will carry a two-year prison
sentence.

President Jacques Chirac has told Clinton that religious freedom will no
longer be a subject for bilateral presidential talks in the light of what has
been officially described as "shocking" White House support for
Scientologists and Moonies.

The French government has also complained that Congress's introduction of
laws protecting religious freedom internationally is "an unacceptable
intrusion into internal affairs."

Alain Vivien, chairman of a French ministerial mission to combat the
influence of cults, said many observers believe Clinton was making his
peace with big religious movements "because they offer an indispensable
source of political financing."

The French senate has approved legislation reinforcing the right of victims
to take action against marginal religious groups. The national assembly
plans to toughen the measure even further when it debates the measure on
June 22.

Legislators on both the left and the right are expected to vote in favor of
authorizing the courts to forcibly dissolve sects after two complaints, and to
forbid them operating in the neighborhood of schools, hospitals and nursing
homes. They also intend to make sects responsible for acts considered to
be a provocation to suicide or incitement to abandon families.

France has waged war against mainly American-sponsored movements,
including the Jehovah's Witnesses, has been running for at least 20 years,
prompting the accusation, particularly by Scientologists, that it is indulging in
"collective hysteria" and preparing to ban religious freedoms.

Vivien denied that France was acting alone, claiming that Germany was
leading the battle, with strong support from Belgium, the first country to
produce a legal definition of a sect.

"The United States position is less and less understood in Europe," he said.
"No one can forbid us to take action against sects in the interests of human
rights. This point of view is particularly absurd when these movements flout
the most elementary rights."

He claimed that religious sects, led by Scientologists, were infiltrating U.N.
and European human rights associations, financing some of their work and
collaborating on reports that condemned France "with virulence."

http://shns.scripps.comcfm?pk=FRANCE-SECTS-06-14-00&cat=

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Drive to ban car smokers gears up
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 13:09:35 -0400

hns/story.cfm?pk=FRANCE-SECTS-06-14-00&cat=II"<bold><FontFamily><param>Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif</param><bigger><bigger>Drive to ban car smokers gears up</bold><FontFamily><param>Times New Roman</param><smaller><smaller>
<FontFam00<FontFamily><param>Times New Roman</param><bigger><bigger>

<FontFamily><param>Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Se</param><smaller>A PUSH tsmoking in cars has won support from Federal Health Minister
Michael Wooldridge.

Dr Wooldridge said yesterday through a spokeswoman it was "inconsistent" for national road safety laws to outlaw mobile phone use in cars, but not smoking.
"He does believe there is a strong road safety argument for banning smoking in
cars," the spokeswoman said.

Doctors in NSW have called for the ban, arguing passive smoking in enclosed
places endangers passengers, especially children.

But Dr Wooldridge's views are based more on road safety problems caused by
drivers who smoke at the wheel and cause accidents through inattention.

"He personally feels mobile phones would not cause as many accidents as
smoking," the spokeswoman said.

"The current approach is completely inconsistent."

Consolidated national road safety legislation now prohibits mobile phone use while
driving in all states, but it would be up to individual state governments to outlaw
smoking at the wheel.

<FontFamily><param>Times New Roman</param><bigger>
<underline><color><param>0000,0000,FF00</param>http://theadvertiser.com.au/common/story_page/0,3533,805669%255E911,00
.html<><smaller>

via: <color><param>0000,0000,ch@egroups.com<color><param>0100,0100,0100</param>

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The Suit That Makes You Feel as Good As Prozac
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 18:16:05 -0400

Well Dressed
#15: The Suit That Makes You Feel as Good As Prozac
By NATASHA SINGER

Photograph BY Julius Rooymans

In laboratories at the Imperial College of London, surrounded by perfume vials
and surgical microtubes, researchers are designing the must-have outfit of
the fashion future: the aroma shirt. Once it is equipped with electronic
sensors that react to changes in the body's vital signs, the garment will know
when to deliver scents to the cuffs and neckline from a perfume reservoir
hidden in its lining. Aromatherapy enthusiasts will, no doubt, embrace a shirt
that can respond to stress signals by circulating calming vanilla scents or
emit energy-boosting geranium spritzes during interminable afternoon
meetings.

"Pulsing liquid through clothes is not new -- look at NASA's spacesuit-
cooling system," explains Jenny Tillotson, a self-described "sensory
designer" who invented the idea of cologne clothing for her dissertation at the
Royal College of Art in London. She is now experimenting with fragrance-
conductive fabrics for Charmed Technology, a Los Angeles-based company
that manufactures wearable devices, and hopes to complete an early
prototype for the smell shirt next spring. A primitive version, designed like a
circulatory system, with tiny, hollow fiber veins woven into the fabric, may go
on sale within the next five years at British department stores.

"We can engineer the delivery system to release a whole range of smells for
different times of the day or the month, from your favorite Thierry Mugler
perfume while you're at work, to your partner's pheromones to turn you on
when you're on your way home at night," she explains.

"A garment that senses your moods and, if you're getting too aroused,
squirts out a smell to calm you down, opens up a whole new way of life,"
Tillotson continues. "Just imagine, you put on your pajamas and they
monitor you and kick out smell molecules to give you a natural,
uninterrupted, even deeper sleep than usual."

Its gimmicky allure might make the aromatherapy shirt the first commercial
success of digital dressing, but it represents only one of the many "smart"-
garment options that information-processing fabrics and data-conductive
fibers make possible. The research into these clothes -- at universities,
defense facilities and industrial labs like DuPont's -- indicate an anatomical
shift from passive apparel that simply looks good and protects us from the
elements to active multitasking attire equipped with data sensors and chips
that allow it to "think" and act autonomously. The promise of such
"intelligent" fashion lies in consumers' ability to customize it to their
lifestyles, health and even meteorological environment.

The first smart garment due to go on sale next year is a T-shirt that monitors
vital signs, based on a prototype developed at Georgia Tech's School of
Textile and Fiber Engineering and financed by the Navy. The conductive
filaments woven into the light-weight white shirt, officially called the Georgia
Tech Wearable Motherboard, will wirelessly communicate data to a
computer feedback mechanism the size of a pager and attached to the hip.
The medical T-shirt measures heart rate, temperature and pulse rate and is
initially intended for use by soldiers (because the shirt can pinpoint bullet
wounds and relay information to remote triage teams) and babies (because
the shirt can monitor breathing and safeguard against sudden infant death
syndrome). Its breakthrough, like the novelty of the aromatherapy shirt, lies
in having unobtrusive mechanisms. The sensors and communication
apparatus are woven or knitted directly into the fabric, eliminating the need
for attaching electrodes or thick cables to clothing.

But wearing self-regulating technology also can make us vulnerable. Those
concerned about privacy issues might worry that employers or health
insurers could hack into the T-shirt's medical data. Still, its low
manufacturing cost, easy maintenance (it's washable because the
conductive fibers are plastic-coated like telephone wires) and promise of long-
distance medical care outweigh the security risks. Homebound senior
citizens could wirelessly hook up their heart-rate garments to doctors'
monitors in faraway hospitals, the way burglar alarms connect to police
stations. Because it responds to the body's vital signs, the T-shirt also could
be modified as a training garment for athletes or as a chameleonic fashion
statement that changes colors when its wearer's pulse quickens. More
significant, the smart fabric has wider implications as a database from which
information can be sent or retrieved. Sundaresan Jayaraman, a professor at
Georgia Tech, calls the T-shirt he invented a motherboard because, like its
namesake, its infrastructure contains all the circuitry necessary for a
computer and monitor, along with slots for a central processing unit, but not
the processor itself. Within 5 to 10 years, Jayaraman predicts, people will no
longer carry cell phones or electronic organizers. Instead they'll dial or type
on wireless fabric keyboards knitted into or embroidered on their clothes -- or
even talk into voice-recognition shirt collars -- and send the messages via a
small electronic device, akin to a pager, attached to a belt or contained in a
watch face.

Other smart clothing may work without chips. Climate-sensitive textiles that
emit or hoard heat as their internal components change from liquid to solid
eventually will allow the creation of thermal suits that maintain climbers' body
temperatures on Mount Everest and keep them cool on camel rides through
the Sahara. NASA has financed research with implications for the fashion
industry: for example, sweaters due out this fall -- made with outlast, a
microencapsulated paraffin -- respond to body temperature and store and
release heat in an endless cycle.

"In a normal sweater, you overheat," says Jonathan Erb, the triathelete who
runs Outlast Technologies, and who uses the smart textile in his gloves,
socks and bike helmet. "With outlast, the sweater keeps you warm outside
in the winter so you don't need a coat. It keeps you comfortable indoors so
you're not getting hot, taking it off, getting cold and putting it back on again
every five minutes."

Sporting-goods manufacturers are experimenting with other smart
performance fabrics that may eventually surface, like Gore-Tex, in suburban
malls. In the meantime, the idea of clothes that think, or react at least,
already is mobilizing ready-to-wear designers, making cybercouture look like
an inevitability. Neil Barrett, whose latest models for Samsonite Blacklabel
Travel Wear center on "fashion functions," is one of the early high-fashion
adopters of smart clothing. There are "reading jackets" in the spring-summer
2000 collection that conceal tiny pop-up lamps; "voice jackets" with built-in
cell phone earpieces; and ergonomically designed "antistress car coats" with
high-tech fabric that adjusts to a car seat and allows a driver to sit
comfortably. These utility-chic styles are analog designs outfitted with simple
devices -- but they presage digital suits woven with data-conductive fibers --
and they're already smart in both senses of the word.

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

via: isml@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Bonhoeffer
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 19:08:37 -0400

I don't know how PBS is going to run with the Bonhoeffer story that's on
tonight but I think the following expose from Biblical Discernment Ministries
is useful to all those who are going to watch:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
General Teachings/Activities *
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/bonhoeffer/general.htm

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

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