BPR Mailing List Digest: 03/29/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
March 29, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | March, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) "... [Pope] Wojtyla free us from the Jews"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 08:35:32 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 20:14:25 -0800
To: memri@erols.com
From: MEMRI <memri@erols.com>
Subject:
“…[Pope] Wojtyla free us from the Jews”

Special Dispatch - Palestinian Authority

No. 82

March 29, 2000

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

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

“…[Pope] Wojtyla free us from the Jews”

An interview with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem about the Pope´s
Visit

Appointed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, the
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Eqirma Said Sabri, Imam of the Al-Asqa
mosque is the highest religious authority in Palestinian Islam.
On the eve of the Pope´s historic visit to the Al-Asqa mosque,
the Grand Mufti gave the following interview to the Italian
newspaper La Republica, March 24, 2000. The title of the
article was “Too many lies about the Holocaust, [Pope] Wojtyla
free us from the Jews.”

“´Six million Jews dead? No way, they were much fewer. Let´s
stop with this fairytale exploited by Israel to capture
international solidarity. It is not my fault if Hitler hated
Jews, indeed they were hated a little everywhere. Instead, it
is necessary to denounce the unjust occupation endured by my
people. Tomorrow I will ask John Paul II… to support our
cause,´” the Grand Mufti states. “…Question: Sheik Sabri, why
did you refuse to participate in the meeting with the
representatives of Christianity and Judaism? Answer: It was not
a personal decision. In ‘67, the Supreme Islamic Council
prohibited contact with the religious authority of the Jewish
State occupying Jerusalem. Thirty-three years later that ban
remains valid. Also, because the situation in the Holy City has
deteriorated. The Rabbis oppose the peace process, they want to
continue the occupation of our land, and support Jewish
settlements.

Q: But in your life have you ever met a Rabbi?
A: Never. Actually, not even my father, himself an Imam, has
ever wanted to meet one.

Q: Do you have the same problems meeting Christian bishops? A:
Not at all, we meet regularly. The Catholic Patriarch of
Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, was at my house just two weeks ago.

Q: How does it feel to be the first Muslim to open the doors of
a mosque to a Pope? A: I will welcome him with respect. His
visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque is a contribution to the improvement
of relations between our religions.

Q: What will you say to [Pope] Wojtyla?
A: Two things: First, I will remind him that according to
Allah´s will, the holy Muslim places belong to us only. Then, I
will ask for his help to end Israeli occupation and Palestinian
suffering.

Q: Will the Pope pray inside the mosque?
A: It would not be a good idea. Aside from the intentions, such
a gesture could be wrongfully interpreted by Christians in the
future. It is good to follow the teachings of the Caliph Omar,
who after conquering Jerusalem refused to pray inside the
[church of the] Holy Sepulchre: wisely, he feared that the
followers of Islam would feel authorized to imitate him,
transforming a sacred place for Christianity into a holy place
for Islam.

Q: A Rabbi said that if the Pope went to the Wailing Wall
tomorrow with a cross at his neck it would be offensive to
Judaism. Would it be a problem for you if the Pope came to the
mosque with a cross? A: Not at all. Also the Prophet Muhammad
welcomed many Christian authorities that wore the cross into
mosques. Let it be clear: the Wailing Wall is not a holy place
of the Jews, it is an integral part of the mosque [grounds]. We
call it al-Buraq, the name of the horse with which Muhammad
ascended to heaven from Jerusalem.

Q: Yet Muslims and Jews lived peacefully on this land until the
beginning of the twentieth century, while between Islam and
Christians there are centuries of bloody conflicts. A: The
Crusades were a conflict between the European Christian powers
and the Muslims. But there has never been a war between the
Christians of Palestine and Islam, we are one Arab people; the
relations have been good for fifteen centuries, in fact during
the Crusades many Christian Palestinians fought on the side of
the [Muslim leader] Saladin. It is true that we have lived in
harmony with the Jews also, until 1917, when the Balfour
Declaration recognized their right to a ‘home´ in Palestine,
and the Jews ended up taking it all. Today we do not fight
against the Jews over religious issues. The conflict is only
political….

Q: From a theological point of view would you consider
yourselves brothers of the Jews? A: In this case theology does
not count. Let us consider the Pope´s visit. It was announced
as a spiritual pilgrimage. But it is a political journey. In
fact, the Jews are trying to manipulate it to obtain a green
light for the occupation of our land. At the same time, Arafat
is doing his best to receive the Pope´s support for a
Palestinian state.

Q: What do you think of John Paul II?
A: He is without a doubt the most enterprising Pope in history,
everybody esteems him as a messenger of peace in the world.
Therefore, I hope he will forward to Israel our demand for
justice and freedom.

Q: Did you approve of the Pope´s visit to the monument of the
Holocaust? A: Whether I approved of it or not, he would have
gone anyway. The Jews have found a formidable way to gather
solidarity from the world. The Holocaust completely dominates
international media, in Germany people only talk about the
compensation of millions of dollars to the Jews. Well: the
Crusades lasted two hundred years, not five years like World War
II, and many more Muslims than Jews were killed under Nazism.
But nobody talks about the Crusades or compensation for us.

Q: Do you agree with the Pope that the extermination of six
million Jews in concentration camps is a crime against humanity
and against God? A: Six million? They were much fewer. And
then how many times has genocide not been denounced? Let us
think about the one just committed by Russia in Chechnya against
Muslims. Why do people only insist on talking about the
Holocaust? Of course we are against any crime, any genocide.

Q: Among your people there is controversy even about Jesus: was
he Jewish or Palestinian? A: According to The Koran Abram,
Isaac, Moses, and Jesus, were all sent to the world by Allah.
Jesus was born and raised in Palestine, for us he is an
important prophet and his mother Mary is a saint. Jews instead
do not recognize either one. I wonder why the Christian world
is so loyal to those who do not respect Jesus and his mother.

Q: Sheik Sabri, is Islam on the road to more tolerance and
democracy? A: After the defeat of Communism, the Western world
is searching for another enemy to destroy, and it is Islam´s
turn [to be destroyed]. But we do not need any western power to
come and teach us its political system. The Koran regulates
every aspect of our lives. Why should we search for a system
created by men when we have one created by God?”

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

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Row in Canada over Lord's Prayer
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 08:47:25 -0500

Wednesday, March 29 2000 10:43 22 Adar II 5760

Row in Canada over the Lord's Prayer
By Ron Csillag

               TORONTO (March 27) - The Canadian Jewish
               Congress has called on the Ontario government to abide
               by a high court ruling and end recitation of the Lord's
               Prayer before city council meetings and in the provincial
               legislature.

               In letters to Gary Carr, the Speaker of the legislature, and
               to Tony Clement, minister of municipal affairs, CJC
               Ontario region chair Keith Landy cited a ruling last year
               by the Ontario Court of Appeal, which found that reciting
               the Lord's Prayer prior to city and town council meetings
               was unconstitutional.

               "Clearly, the [court] has ruled that the Lord's Prayer
               cannot be recited at municipal or town council meetings,"
               Landy wrote to Clement. "This should be communicated
               to all municipalities in Ontario."

               Landy's letter was prompted by the continuing recitation
               of the prayer by the town council in Carleton Place,
               Ontario. The town has ignored the court's holding.

               Landy also called on Carr to end the practice of reciting
               the Lord's Prayer at the opening sessions of the provincial
               legislature.

               CJC pointed out the court's suggestion that the prayer
               could be replaced by a non-denominational prayer or a
               moment of silence, similar to the current practice in the
               House of Commons.

               The court found that reciting the Lord's Prayer violates
               religious freedom. It said that the purpose of reciting the
               prayer was to "impose a Christian moral tone on the
               deliberations of council," and that everyone is entitled to
               attend a council meeting without feeling pressure to
               conform "to the religious practices of the majority."

               The court had ruled in the case of a Jewish resident of
               Penetanguishene, Ontario, who complained that he felt
               coerced to stand and recite the prayer at the start of local
               council meetings.

               The court also issued an injunction preventing the
               Penetang-uishene council from saying the prayer, a
               practice that dated back 100 years.

               Alexander Roman, executive assistant to Carr, told the
               Canadian Jewish News that MPPs (members of
               provincial parliament) are not required to recite the Lord's
               Prayer. He said any changes to the practice could come
               about if enough members make their views known to the
               Speaker.

               David Caplan, one of three Jewish MPPs at Queen's
               Park, told the CJN that the Lord's Prayer has never been
               an issue for him.

"It's not something I've thought about. I'm not offended
by it," he said.

He said he doesn't recite the prayer. "I don't say their
prayers, and I don't expect them to say mine."

               However, all MPPs stand for the prayer, he said. That's
               because they rise when the Speaker enters the chamber.
               The Speaker does not sit until the opening prayers are
               finished.

http://jpost.com/Editions/2000/03/27/JewishWorld/JewishWorld.4651.html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Pope Visit Aids Israel Church View
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 09:50:22 -0500

Pope Visit Aids Israel Church View

Updated 8:05 PM ET March 28, 2000

JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli public's views on the Catholic Church and
Christianity improved considerably as a result of Pope John Paul II's visit
to the Holy Land, according to a survey published Tuesday.

The pope's visits to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and the Western Wall
were key in creating a favorable climate, said pollsters at Bar-Ilan
University.

At Yad Vashem, the pope paid tribute to the six million Jews killed in the
Nazi genocide. At the wall, he asked for forgiveness for the persecution of
Jews by Christians.

Based on those high-profile events, 62 percent of 502 respondents said they
felt Christians had a positive attitude toward the Jewish people, compared
to 55 percent who believed this before the pope arrived for his six-day trip
on March 21.

Also, 47 percent of those surveyed after the visit said the Catholic Church
viewed Israel positively, up from 39 percent earlier this month. The margin
of error was 4.5 percentage points.

The religions share a strained past marred by persecution of Jews by
Christians throughout history, from the Crusades to the Inquisition to the
Holocaust.

John Paul's historic trip here - the first by a pope since 1964 - was
considered a watershed in Catholic-Jewish relations.

http://news.excite.com/news/ap/000328/20/israel-pope-christianity

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - European Rapid Reaction Force Unlikely by 2003
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 11:30:57 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------

March 29 9:47 AM ET

European Rapid Reaction Force Unlikely by 2003

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - The European Union's ambitious plan to
create a rapid reaction force for crisis management by 2003 is
unlikely to be achieved on time, NATO's former top soldier said
Wednesday.

Retired German general Klaus Naumann told defense ministers and
generals at a Brussels symposium on the European security project that
the 15-member bloc would need more like 10 years to build up a real
military intervention capability.

"I have serious doubts (about 2003) and my answer comes closer to no
than yes," he said.

His sobering assessment, reinforced by a demanding catalog of
requirements set by NATO deputy supreme commander General Rupert
Smith, deflated optimistic predictions by political leaders that the
EU would be ready for action in three years.

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson sketched what he called "a
benevolent scenario" by which NATO and the EU would have established a
close military relationship by 2005. But he added: "The mother of all
questions is, what do we have to do now to make this benevolent
scenario succeed?"

Robertson urged EU leaders to "exercise rhetorical discipline" and
focus on capabilities if they wished to convince their U.S. allies
that the European security and defense initiative (ESDI) was not
simply serving European self-assertion.

Creating the right military capabilities would be the litmus test of
ESDI, and the project would be meaningless without them, the NATO
chief said, promising to "be a pest to all those who signed up but are
not delivering."

Buy Off The Shelf

Naumann, who was chairman of NATO's military committee for most of the
Kosovo crisis, recommended that Europe set aside plans for its own
military satellite intelligence system and opt for commercially
available space images.

Europeans, he said, must also improve their exchange of intelligence
"which is lousy at present, and lousier with the Europeans than with
our transatlantic allies."

Out-sourcing to commercial suppliers would also be the best way to
acquire the broadband communications a modern, mobile force required,
instead of insisting on autonomous but very expensive systems for the
armed forces, he added.

European Union leaders agreed at their summit in Helsinki in December
on the "headline goal" of a rapid reaction force of up to 60,000
troops, deployable within two months to a crisis zone and able to stay
for one year.

That means training and equipping a multinational pool of 200,000
troops for missions ranging from battle fighting to helping refugee
agencies in major disasters.

Naumann said EU plans to hold a so-called "force generation"
conference by the end of this year -- at which nations would offer
resources for the corps -- put the cart before the horse.

"A donors' conference will by no means suffice to implement the
Helsinki goal. It will require much more time than the few years to
2003...we mustn't overplay our hand on this," he said.

He said the EU should start planning now to create a European strike
capability of supersonic cruise missiles from 2010 for use in a
conflict -- matching an asset only the United States currently
possesses in serious numbers.

In the clearest statement to date that "spending more wisely" would
not be enough to implement the force, European security policy chief
Javier Solana said: "In the short and medium term we will have to
increase defense budgets."

But participants agreed this seemed unlikely today.

The European project is intended to relieve the United States of much
of the burden of crisis management in Europe and give the EU a
military capability befitting its economic and political clout.

Italian Defense Minister Sergio Mattarella said the EU needed a closer
definition of what it planned to ask of the proposed force, as well as
ways of ensuring each member state was pulling its weight and all were
converging on the right assets.

via: <hblondel@tampabay.rr.com>

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arab Leaders Grooming Their Sons
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 11:30:57 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------

Arab Leaders Grooming Their Sons

Associated Press
March 29, 2000; 2:59 a.m. EST

CAIRO, Egypt –– In their pursuit of absolute power, some Arab leaders
have gone to great lengths – killing opponents, banishing critics and
convincing citizens that life couldn't be the same without them.

More recently, they have been experimenting with another tactic:
grooming their sons to establish "republican dynasties" in hopes that
their power – or at least some of it – remains in the family after
they're gone. In countries like Syria and Iraq the succession moves
are obvious; in other places they may be more subtle.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's oldest son, Odai, won an overwhelming
victory in parliamentary elections Monday in what is seen as his first
step toward joining the power structure.

"They can have all the elections and parliaments they want, but I do
believe that they only exist in name if the ruler of a republic has
the ability to engineer succession for his offspring," said David Mack
of the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

Of the 21 Arab states, eight are monarchies. Recent successions in
four of them – Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain and Qatar – have been
trouble-free, but the practice is yet to be tested in republics.

The absence of a precedent, Arab and Western experts say, is a source
of serious concern in Iraq and Syria, where the presidents' sons are
seen as the heirs apparent. But how the political and military
establishments would respond to a hereditary-style transfer of power
remains uncertain.

"It all depends on that group of maybe 200 people around the leader
who his successor is," said Charles Hayman, who writes on the Middle
East for Jane's World Armies. "If their way of life and their perks
are likely to continue, it's possible then that the leader can
nominate a successor."

In Syria, President Hafez Assad – 69, ailing and in power for 30 years
– plucked his son Bashar from a career as an eye doctor to prepare him
for the presidency. Assad chose Bashar after the 1994 death of his
eldest son, Basil.

Already, Bashar Assad has acted as a personal envoy of his father on
foreign trips, led a crusade against corruption at home and overseen
affairs in Lebanon, where Syria controls policy. But experts are
divided on whether he can succeed his father without conflict.

"It is not an impossibility," said Daniel Pipes of the
Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum think tank. "The Alawites" – the
fringe Muslim sect to which Assad and his family belong – "have always
stuck together and will stick together over this one."

But Al Venter, a Washington-based Middle East expert, points to
history in saying a smooth succession is unlikely. In 1983, Assad was
recovering from a heart attack when his brother and deputy, Rifaat,
launched a foiled attempt to seize power.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in power since 1981, recently named
his younger son Gamal as a member of the general secretariat of his
ruling National Democratic Party. Analysts don't rule out a career in
politics for Gamal, an economist in his 30s.

In Libya, Moammar Gadhafi's sons Al-Saadi and Seif al-Islam have been
assuming larger public roles, standing in for their father at some
public occasions.

Yemeni President Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, Ahmed, 30, is an army
colonel and has been a parliament member since 1997. He is rumored to
be a possible successor to his father.

Hayman and other experts see the potential for conflict in rivalries
between possible successors, such as in Iraq – where Saddam's younger
son Qusai also is in an influential position.

For more than a decade, Odai has maintained a high profile as
newspaper publisher, owner of a TV station and head of the
journalists' union and a paramilitary force. Qusai has shunned the
limelight while effectively leading the Republican Guard, an elite
army corps, and has a firm grip on security and intelligence agencies.

"The rivalry between the two brothers is explosive," said Mohammed
Bahr el-Eloum, a London-based Iraqi dissident.

Now that he has won a seat in Parliament, Odai could become parliament
speaker – a job that will allow him to sit on the all-powerful
Revolutionary Command Council headed by his father.

But Bahr el-Eloum and other Iraqi dissidents said they doubt Odai's
landslide victory has put an end to the succession race, arguing that
his victory may actually stoke the rivalry between the two brothers
now that both wield considerable powers.

While Qusai currently enjoys wider powers through his role in the
military and security forces, Odai could bolster his own influence by
turning Parliament, a toothless body that only recommends policy, into
a valuable power base.

via: <hblondel@tampabay.rr.com>

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arab Leaders Grooming Their Sons
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 11:30:57 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------

Arab Leaders Grooming Their Sons

Associated Press
March 29, 2000; 2:59 a.m. EST

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's oldest son, Odai, won an overwhelming
victory in parliamentary elections Monday in what is seen as his first
step toward joining the power structure.

Of the 21 Arab states, eight are monarchies. Recent successions in
four of them – Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain and Qatar – have been
trouble-free, but the practice is yet to be tested in republics.

In Libya, Moammar Gadhafi's sons Al-Saadi and Seif al-Islam have been
assuming larger public roles, standing in for their father at some
public occasions.

Yemeni President Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, Ahmed, 30, is an army
colonel and has been a parliament member since 1997. He is rumored to
be a possible successor to his father.

Hayman and other experts see the potential for conflict in rivalries
between possible successors, such as in Iraq – where Saddam's younger
son Qusai also is in an influential position.

"The rivalry between the two brothers is explosive," said Mohammed
Bahr el-Eloum, a London-based Iraqi dissident.

Now that he has won a seat in Parliament, Odai could become parliament
speaker – a job that will allow him to sit on the all-powerful
Revolutionary Command Council headed by his father.

via: <hblondel@tampabay.rr.com>

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Power Struggle Brewing between Sons of Saddam
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 12:28:40 -0500

STRATFOR.COM's Global Intelligence Update - 29 March 2000
By The Internet's Most Intelligent Source of International News
& Analysis http://www.stratfor.com/

STRATFOR.COM Global Intelligence Update
29 March 2000

Power Struggle Brewing between Sons of Saddam

Summary

Iraq recently held parliamentary elections that resulted in
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Odai, winning a
seat with 99.99 percent of the vote. Since Saddam carefully
controls the elections as well as his regime, it appears that he
has handed Odai a potentially powerful position in the Iraqi
government, one which intensifies the ongoing power struggle
between Odai and his younger brother, Qusai. Pitting one's sons
against each other is not unheard of in successions.
Nevertheless, the move may result in weakening the security
apparatus that protects Saddam.

Analysis

Odai Hussein, eldest son of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, won
a seat in the National Assembly (parliament) by a sweeping 99.99
percent of the vote. Saddam controls Iraq's parliamentary
elections, which are neither free nor fair. Every candidate is a
member of either Saddam's Baath party or one of the few parties
that exist because they have pledged loyalty to Saddam's regime.
Odai, who was once regarded as Iraq's heir apparent, now poses a
new threat to his younger brother Qusai - and ultimately his
father Saddam.

Odai will also likely win the position of Assembly speaker in
April. While the National Assembly is not a powerful body, the
speaker has considerable influence in the regime and attends
meetings of the Revolutionary Command Council, the all-powerful
decision making body led by Saddam.

A December 1996 assassination attempt left Odai partially
paralyzed, prompting Saddam to focus on grooming the younger
Qusai to be Iraq's next leader. If Odai becomes parliamentary
speaker, it will be his first position of governmental power
since before the attempt on his life.

Odai, 35, has always played a public role in Iraq and currently
publishes the influential Iraqi daily Babel, which often
functions as a government mouthpiece. He heads Iraq's Olympic
Committee and the Iraqi Football Federation, making him popular
among Iraqis. The younger Qusai, 33, has worked behind the
scenes for years gaining power and support in Iraq's security
services. He heads the elite Republican Guards as well as the
special security agency in charge of protecting the president.
As deputy commander of the army, Qusai also commands the
northern military region, which oversees Kurdish areas and is
intended to respond to Turkish invasions. Qusai also has
significant influence and support in the Iraqi intelligence
service, Mukhabarat.

Now, Odai will be able to use his election victory as the first
big step in a campaign to challenge his brother's pre-eminence
in the Iraqi succession struggle. In the past year, Qusai has
solidified his power base and chipped away at Odai's while he
struggled to return to the spotlight. In July, shortly after
walking without assistance for the first time since the
assassination attempt, Odai publicly made comments suggesting he
was ready to return to the state's security and political
apparatus. Qusai responded by purging the military and security
apparatus of officers loyal to Odai.

Saddam has not prevented Odai's resurgence, indicating tacit
approval. If Odai wins parliamentary speaker - a likely
possibility - he may try to rally support in the powerful
Revolutionary Command Council away from his brother, who also
attends the meetings. He may also try to regain influence in the
military and security apparatus as well.

If this occurs, it will undoubtedly spark a significant response
from Qusai. Odai's mere comments in July were enough to set off
purges by his younger brother. If Odai does have ambitions of
edging out Qusai, he will have to be tactful. Qusai clearly has
more power and resources at his disposal, as well as the
apparent support of his father.

It seems clear that Saddam has chosen Qusai as his successor.
Saddam appointed Qusai to all of the high posts he now holds and
has, in the past, had to rein in Odai who has a reputation as a
short-tempered trouble-maker. In 1995, Saddam briefly jailed
Odai after he shot an uncle in the leg during an argument. In
December 1999, Saddam decorated Qusai with three prestigious
military awards. Then in January, Saddam gave Odai a single
medal of valor, one of the three awards Qusai received a month
earlier.

Saddam relies heavily on the highly efficient security agencies,
commanded by Qusai, to keep him alive and in power. Odai must be
careful not to undermine his brother so much that it affects
Qusai's ability to control the agencies he heads. Any attempt by
Odai to weaken Qusai or those agencies will not be taken lightly
by a ruler known to execute family members. Saddam may well have
set up the conflict to ensure that neither son is able to become
too ambitious for the presidency.

While Qusai controls the military and security apparatus, Odai
enjoys widespread popular support. If both sons play to their
strength, they exploit the already tense rift between the
government and the people. If Odai undermines his brother - at
the expense, or perceived expense, of the Iraqi regime's
security - he may also undermine his father, which could result
in his own demise.

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

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - La Niña wields its weight on hurricane season
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 12:34:05 -0500

ENN News

La Niña wields its weight on hurricane season

Wednesday, March 29, 2000
By Robinson Shaw

Research by two University of Missouri scientists tells
the same story as the latest TOPEX/Poseidon satellite
images, which show a persistent La Niña weather pattern
dominating the Pacific Ocean just as it did last year. This
year's hurricane season is still two months away, but with
La Niña holding sway over the Pacific Ocean, researchers at
the University of Missouri are preparing to identify a lot
of tropical storms by name. "Because the 2000 season will
exhibit the effects of La Niña, we can expect a greater
number of hurricanes and a chance for more severe
hurricanes," said Anthony Lupo, assistant professor of
atmospheric sciences at the university. When a tropical
storm reaches a wind speed of 38 miles an hour, it earns a
name. When it hits 73 miles an hour, it becomes a
hurricane. With La Niña in the air again this year, Lupo
expects to be calling a lot of tropical weather this year
by its first name. Research by Lupo and colleague Grant
Johnston paints the same hurricane picture as the latest
TOPEX/Poseidon satellite images, which shows a persistent
La Niña weather pattern dominating the Pacific Ocean just
as it did at this time last year. Hurricane season begins
June 1 and ends Nov. 30. The 15 named tropical storms that
Lupo and Johnston expect will cause a stir in the Atlantic
Ocean this year are four more than hurricane specialist
William Gray predicts. Gray forecasts 11 named storms, 10
of which he believes will become hurricanes or intense
hurricanes. From 1950 to 1990, the average number of named
storms in a hurricane season was 9.3. Long- and short-term
changes in sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean
influence the frequency and intensity of Atlantic Ocean
hurricanes, Lupo notes. And sea-surface temperatures
fluctuate according to ...MORE

http://www.enn.com/news/enn-
stories/2000/03/03292000/predict_11452.asp

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - EXOSKELETONS FOR HUMAN PERFORMANCE AUGMENTATION
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 12:41:24 -0500

EXOSKELETONS FOR HUMAN PERFORMANCE AUGMENTATION

http://www.darpa.mil/baa/baa00-34.htm

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE AND DESCRIPTION: The Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative
research proposals on Exoskeletons for Human Performance
Augmentation (EHPA). The overall goal of this program is to
develop devices and machines that will increase the speed,
strength, and endurance of soldiers in combat environments.
Projects will lead to self-powered, controllable, wearable
exoskeletal devices and/or machines...

..To meet the challenges set forth, DARPA is soliciting
devices and machines that accomplish one or more of the
following: 1) assist pack-loaded locomotion, 2) prolong
locomotive endurance, 3) increase locomotive speed, 4)
augment human strength, and 5) leap extraordinary heights
and/or distances. These machines should be anthropomorphic
and capable of bearing distributed loads, such as that
generated by extensive armor protection, as well as typical
pack loads.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Muslims face off atheists in Oslo
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 13:09:02 -0500

Muslims face off atheists in Oslo

The rooftops of Oslo may now ring to the sound of Muslims chanting
"Allah is the greatest" and atheists countering with "God does not
exist."

March 29, 2000, 02:10 PM

OSLO (AFP) - The rooftops of Oslo may now ring to the sound of Muslims
chanting "Allah is the greatest" and atheists countering with "God does
not exist" following a city council decision Tuesday.

The council officially authorised the Norwegian Pagan Society to
broadcast its message from loudspeakers installed on a building close to
a mosque and two churches in the Gamle Oslo neighbourhood of the
capital.

That permission was given in response to an earlier decision by the
council in January to permit Muslim priests to broadcast the call to
prayers five times a day from the 18 minarets in Oslo, punctuated with
the words "God is the greatest" (Allah Akhbar).

The Norwegian Pagan Society, which now will be allowed to extoll its
anti- God message once every Friday afternoon for up to three minutes,
said before the council vote that it also planned to broadcast extracts
from the universal declaration of human rights along with speeches
extolling laicity.

Its secretary, Harald Fagerhus, said that one's religion was a personal
matter, but that "since the church bells and the preaching from the
mosques have taken over the public space, we want to be able to do the
same."

The atheists had demanded the right to broadcast five-minute calls
between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, up to 10 times a
year.

Oslo has a population of about half a million people, 36,000 of whom are
Muslims.

The municipal official in charge of Gamle Oslo, Oeyvind Loenna, who was
tasked with verifying the pagan demand, ruled that it did not infringe
on good neighbourly relations.

Founded in 1974, the Norwegian Pagan Society claims 300 members in the
country and calls itself "an anti-religion liberation movement whose
only weapons are humour and provocation."

In 1994, during celebrations of the millennium of Christianity in
Norway, pagan militants rolled out a banner in front of King Harald V
and other dignitaries, proclaiming "A thousand years are more than
enough."

The group noted recently that church congregations were on the wane, and
proposed recycling the churches as concert halls, "because," according
to Fagerhus, "the acoustics are often remarkable."

"We are not against religious freedom. But this freedom means that one
can be free of all religions," said Fagerhus, speaking in his office
decorated with posters reading "Laugh at God, fear religion," or "Get
rich, create your own religion."

Lutheran Protestanism is the dominant religion in Norway, where the king
and at least 50 percent of government ministers must be members of that
church, according to the constitution. © 2000 AFP

http://www.arabia.com/article/1,1690,ArabiaLife-16880,00.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Using Pond Scum to Reduce Smog
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 20:57:59 -0500

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2000

USING POND SCUM TO REDUCE SMOG

Hydrogen from microscopic algae fuels cars

By Robert C. Cowen
Special to The Christian Science Monitor

If hydrogen is the fuel of the future, Tasios Melis says he thinks he has
struck oil. His research team has discovered how to turn on a microscopic
algae's ability to photosynthesize hydrogen big time. If they now can boost
that hydrogen production tenfold, as calculations predict they can, Dr. Melis
says they will have a commercial-scale experiment running.

Scientists have studied algae hydrogen production for many years. However,
the tendency of the process to shut itself down has frustrated their efforts.
That's why Melis calls his new ability to turn the process on and keep it
running a major "breakthrough."

To emphasize its long-range promise, he estimates that a commercial
operation based on this discovery could supply the fuel for about a dozen
cars from a small pond full of green scum and water. But right now, the
importance of the work pursued by Melis's University of California team in
Berkeley and by partners at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in
Golden, Colo., is that it opens up another line of research that could lead to
a future hydrogen fuel economy.

Margaret Mann at the Golden laboratory explains that hydrogen could solve
"a lot of the global climate change problem we have with fossil fuels [as well
as] the air pollution." Fuel cells that "burn" hydrogen and oxygen to make
electricity produce only water as their waste product. Generating the
hydrogen from sunlight and water would put that energy economy on a
renewable basis.

When Melis described his breakthrough during a meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science last month in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Mann noted that scientists know how to produce hydrogen with the help
of solar cells. The cells generate electricity that, in turn, splits water into
hydrogen and oxygen. Now, she says, scientists have "a new technology" to
explore.

Meanwhile, the search is on for other organisms that can photosynthesize
this useful gas. For example, Tadashi Matsunaga from the Tokyo University
of Agriculture and Technology in Japan told the Washington meeting that his
group is finding marine microorganisms that can produce various useful
products. They include plant-growth regulators and antimicrobial compounds,
as well as hydrogen.

Right now, the work of Melis and his colleagues has produced the most
spectacular results. They use a microscopic green algae with the formidable
name Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It normally uses sunlight to make
carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water like other green plants. Oxygen
is a byproduct. However, the algae needs a sulfur-containing compound in its
growth medium. Withdraw the sulfur and photosynthesis stops.

Plants use oxygen to burn fuel they have stored to carry on life processes.
Generally, if a green plant can't produce its own oxygen photosynthetically,
and is in an oxygen-poor environment it suffocates. Melis's algae just
switches to what he calls "an alternative form of breathing." This enables it to
live on its stored compounds through a process that releases hydrogen.

Researchers who tried to switch on this process in the past were frustrated
because any residual oxygen immediately shut it down. Melis and
colleagues tried a new technique. They transferred their algae slurry to a
bottle where there was absolutely no sulfur present. Photosynthesis
stopped. After about 24 hours, the algae used up any residual oxygen and
switched on their hydrogen-producing mode. They continued producing
hydrogen for about 4 days until they used up their stored carbohydrates and
other fuel compounds. A liter of algae slurry produced about 0.3 liters of
hydrogen in that period.

This is a renewable process. Algae in a bottle with a growth medium that
supplies sulfur makes carbohydrates photosynthetically. Transfer the algae
to a sulfur-free bottle and, after a short time, it uses those carbohydrates to
make hydrogen. When that fuel is depleted, transfer the algae back to a
bottle with a sulfur supply and normal photosynthesis builds up more
carbohydrate and other "fuel" compounds. Melis's colleague Maria Ghirardi
at the National Renewable energy Laboratory says that "the cell culture can
go back and forth like this many times."

http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/03/30/fp17s1-csm.shtml

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