To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The first floating city
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 7 May 2000 10:11:32 -0400

Nearly a mile long and 40,000 on board - the first
floating city

Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Saturday May 6, 2000

It may sound like something from a science fiction story -
a floating city of 40,000 people that will slowly
circumnavigate the globe -but the building of what will be
the world's largest ship is about to begin.

The Freedom Ship's creators say the vessel, whose
constuction is due to start in Honduras this summer, will
be one of the wonders of the world. The company behind the
scheme said reservations for the 20,000 homes on board had
begun to accelerate, and there were already plans to build
two other floating cities.

Freedom Ship will be nearly a mile long (4,320ft), 725ft
wide and 340ft tall and will have room for 40,000 people,
including a staff of 10,000. There will be a school and
university on board, not to mention a landing strip, a
hospital, a casino, a shopping mall and 200 acres of open
space.

The idea is that it will slowly travel the world, pausing
a few miles out from chosen destinations such as ports or
exotic tropical islands that can only be reached by sea. It
will be on the move for 25% of the time and otherwise
anchored off different ports.

People who want to live on board can purchase their homes
for prices which range from $150,000 (£94,000) for a small
unit to $40m for something rather larger. There will be
20,000 units in total and the whole venture will cost $9bn.
Developers are being encouraged to pre-purchase space and
sell it on in the same way as their real estate
counterparts do on dry land.

"Already we have reservations for 15% [of the units],"
said Roger Gooch, the marketing vice-president for the
venture from his Florida office yesterday. "Once we are
under construction, people will come running. It's already
being termed one of the wonders of the world."

Construction would start in "60 to 90 days", and would
take three years to complete, with the shipyard operating
24 hours a day, he said.

The ship is the brainchild of the project director, Norman
Nixon of Engineering Solutions, an engineer from Arkansas
who has overseen the construction of chemical plants and
office buildings from Saudi Arabia to Texas.

Application forms for workers on either the construction
or staff of the ship when it is finally launched have been
placed on the internet and talks are under way with the
Nova Southwestern University to ensure that an established
academic institution will be responsible for running the
degree courses on the ship.

Mr Gooch said that the hope was that the vessel would have
a "global environment", with a large mixture of different
nationalities and ages. It was not meant to be seen as a
retirement cruise ship but one where people could run their
businesses and educate their children. As a sales
incentive, the company's material points out that there
will be no local taxes to pay.

So far, the greatest interest had come from Europe, with
Germans and Scandinavians already paying deposits to secure
their units.

"We're just a giant landlord," Mr Gooch said, adding that
anyone who wanted to start and run a business on the ship
was free to do so. "We're not in the business of owning a
barber shop or a restaurant. We're shipbuilders."

There had been scepticism, he accepted, about the safety
of such a vessel, but the company's engineers were
confident that a ship of such a size would be secure and
viable.

But was there not a concern that the ship's size seemed to
make it the stuff of which Titanic-style disaster movies
are made, the vessel taken hostage perhaps by international
pirates or the like?

Mr Gooch said that a former FBI man would head a 2,000-
strong security force, and the ship would be equipped with
"state-of-the-art defensive weapons". The laws on board
will be those of the country under whose flag the ship
eventually sails - that country is still to be decided, but
will not be the US, he said. Serious offenders would be
held until the ship reached its next port and then
surrendered to the authorities, he added.

And will the city have its own government?

Different decks and floors would be able to elect their
representatives, Mr Gooch said, but "the captain's word
will be final".

http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,217795,00. html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Some Uneasy As Mexican Church Emerges From Shadows
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 7 May 2000 20:10:26 -0400

Sunday May 7 1:37 PM ET

Some Uneasy As Mexican Church Emerges From Shadows

By Michael Christie

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The first massive outdoor Roman Catholic mass in
76 years may signal the end to decades of conflict between the church and
the Mexican government.

But despite assurances from the church that Jesus Christ is ''no competition''
for the politicians running in the July 2 presidential election, mixed reviews of
the mass in Mexico City's giant Zocalo plaza suggested Sunday that many
remain uneasy at the idea of the church playing a more forceful role.

Since the separation of state and church in the 1800s and the Cristiada war
in the 1920s, in which priests were hunted down and killed, Mexico's Roman
Catholic Church has kept to the shadows on political and social matters.

The mass attended by 50,000 faithful Saturday night was part of the first
National Eucharistic Conference held by Mexico's Roman Catholic Church
since 1924. Catholics attending a similar ceremony 76 years ago were
arrested and jailed.

As such, Saturday's event represented the church's most visible bid to return
to the public stage.

``Christ Competes With Nobody''

Mexican Archbishop Cardinal Noberto Rivera said the church was not trying
to re-establish itself as a ``terrestrial'' power.

``Christ competes with nobody, he did not come to take over from anybody
nor interfere with the powers on this Earth,'' the cardinal said during the
mass.

But some newspapers saw it otherwise.

``The Mexican clergy demands right to express itself,'' El Financiero
newspaper said in a headline.

``Catholics put up challenge,'' Milenio said in an article. ''The Catholic Church
decided to break through its barriers.''

In radio interviews, celebrants at the mass defined it as a determined stand
by Catholics to prove to the nation that Catholicism was still the dominant
religion in Mexico.

Government news agency Notimex gave it minimal coverage, as did
Excelsior daily, which is widely seen as close to the authorities.

Leading newspaper Reforma, often linked to the pro-Catholic National Action
Party (PAN) but which insists it is impartial, called the mass a ``historic
celebration,'' and said it was the first in the Zocalo since the plaza was built
140 years ago.

The church has in recent months been trying to move away from its
reticence and play a larger role in society.

Last week, Mexico's bishops issued a letter on the July 2 ballot, calling for a
fair and clean election and saying that abstention was a ``moral failure.'' The
presidential election is likely to be one of the most closely fought in seven
decades, with the PAN's Vicente Fox snapping at the heels of Francisco
Labastida of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which has been in
power since 1929.

The church's message on a political issue did not pass without controversy.
The Interior Ministry made a point of warning the bishops to keep their noses
out of politics.

Relations Thaw

Although 90 percent of Mexicans are Catholic, Mexico has been careful to
ensure the church does not become a power like it was for centuries after
the Spanish conquest in the 1500s.

In the mid-1800s, the government expropriated church land. In the late
1920s, there was the war. For years, priests were not allowed to wear robes
in public or vote. Mexico only established diplomatic relations with the
Vatican in 1992.

But ties have gradually thawed since then.

In January last year, Pope John Paul paid his fourth visit to Mexico, while
President Ernesto Zedillo in March 1999 caused a stir when he took part in
the opening of a cathedral.

Religion may also become an electoral card.

Reforma reported Sunday that if elected, Fox would propose changes to the
Constitution to water down the separation of church and state. Fox was in
Los Angeles on Sunday and it was not immediately possible to confirm the
report.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000507/wl/mexico_church_2.html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today (5/7/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 7 May 2000 20:33:42 -0400

Israel vows harsh retaliation in Lebanon despite withdrawal plans

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Kelly Pagatpatan
                         Source: AP

Sun May 7,2000 -- Two days after a series of tit-for-tat attacks against
Lebanese guerrillas, Israel's prime minister said Sunday the Jewish state
will respond harshly to future attacks - despite its desire to keep the
peace ahead of a July withdrawal from Lebanon. Premier Ehud Barak's
statements at a weekly Cabinet meeting came amid calls from his ministers
and residents of towns along the Israeli-Lebanese border for more
intensive bombings raids inside Lebanon.

Barak said Friday that Israel would stop responding to Hezbollah guerrilla
attacks to avoid getting dragged into an escalation just weeks before
Israel's scheduled withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which is to come by
July 7. On Sunday, however, he told his Cabinet that if the guerrillas
attack northern Israel again, "we will continue to respond with severe
attacks, unconnected to plans for a future withdrawal." His office
released the comments in a statement.

Israeli gov't offers reasons for why no further retaliation for rockets
fired on Israel

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: Arutz-7

Sun May 7,2000 -- The Cabinet's weekly session today dealt chiefly with
last week's hostilities in the north. No operative decisions were made.
Senior Northern Command officers were quoted today in criticism of the
government for not reacting to Friday morning's katyushas attacks. "The
Chief of Staff and the ministers talk about deterrence all day long, but
in practice they do nothing," they said. PM Barak will meet today with
Kiryat Shmonah Mayor Chaim Barbivai, whose city has begun the process of
evaluating its damages - which are estimated at over 50 million shekels.

Environment Minister Dalia Itzik attempted to explain why there was no
Israeli retaliation to Friday's katyusha attacks: "If we hit them hard
now, then we may, Heaven forbid, need to stay [in Lebanon], we will lose
international support, we will have trouble guaranteeing a significant
U.N. force [to take over the area we leave], we will have lost all the
political gains we have made over the last few months, and we will have
turned the Lebanese issue from a Syrian threat upon us to an Israeli
threat upon Syria." This, of course, does not jibe with Foreign Minister
David Levy's impassioned threat of several weeks ago from the Knesset
podium, "When Kiryat Shemonah burns, the land of Lebanon will burn! Blood
for blood, child for child!..."

Arab Americans strongly condemn Israeli attacks on Lebanon

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: IsraelWire

Sun May 7,2000 -- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
issued the following statement last week regarding Israel“s retaliatory
attacks in southern Lebanon. They strongly condemn the Israeli bombing of
civilian areas in Lebanon over the past three days which have killed at
least two civilians, injured many more and once again plunged much of
Beirut into darkness.

Barak to welcome one millionth immigrant from Russia since 1989

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: IsraelWire

Sun May 7,2000 -- Prime Minister Ehud Barak will on Sunday lead the state
delegation officially welcoming the one-millionth new immigrant since the
large wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union began in 1989. The
immigrant is among fifty persons arriving on a flight from Moscow.
Absorption officials decided not to single out one person on the flight
but to include the fifty in the celebration as a unit. About 850,000 of
the one million immigrants who arrived over the past decade are from the
former Soviet Union. The remainder arrived from Ethiopia and other
countries. Total immigration from North America over the past decade is
less than two percent of the total number arriving in Israel.

IDF opposed government decision to exercise restraint

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: IsraelWire

Sun May 7,2000 -- The Israel Defense Force“s Northern Command opposed the
Security Cabinet decision on Friday, opting not to retaliate against
additional Hizbullah Katyusha attacks against northern Israel. Military
commanders assigned to the Northern Command called for a continuation of
airstrikes as a response to the rocket attacks aimed at civilian
population centers but the government had a different approach. Cabinet
members decided that in the hope of avoiding an escalation of the
fighting, the IDF would not be permitted to retaliate again on Friday,
following sorties during the night during which electrical transformers
were knocked out, plummeting Beirut and Tripoli into darkness.

Mubarak wants imminent summit meeting with Assad

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Kelly Pagatpatan
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Sun May 7,2000 -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is working for an
imminent summit with his Syrian counterpart, Hafez Assad. Egyptian Foreign
Minister Amr Mussa said the summit would take place very soon. Egyptian
sources said the meeting could even take place on Sunday. The Egyptian
government Al Ahram daily said the summit was to have taken place this
week in the Red Sea resort of Sharm e-Sheikh. But almost immediately after
the report in the authoritative daily, senior Egyptian officials began to
back down from any commitment of a meeting. They said arrangements of a
summit were still being discussed but refused to commit to a date.

Austrian Foreign Minister urges EU to place Austria under observation by
an independent authority

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Kelly Pagatpatan
                         Source: Reuters

Sun May 7,2000 -- Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner has
proposed a way for her country's 14 European Union partners to suspend
political sanctions against Vienna. Ferrero-Waldner, attending a meeting
of EU foreign ministers in Furnas on the mid-Atlantic Azores islands,
urged the 14 to place Austria under observation by an independent
authority and suspend the limited political sanctions during this period.

"The President of the Republic, the Federal Chancellor and I have
repeatedly mentioned the possibility of a period of observation by
independent bodies or personalities, who would monitor the situation in
Austria. Maybe we could also think of asking the European Commission to
assume a particular role in this context," Ferrero-Waldner said in a
statement at the meeting, a text of which was released to reporters.

Quake swarm hits California-Mexico border

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Kelly Pagatpatan
                         Source: Earth Alert

Sun May 7,2000 -- The California-Mexico border was jolted by three
earthquakes, which occurred close to midnight on Monday at half-hour
intervals. There were no reports of injuries or damage from any of the
tremors.

Thirteen Asian nations agree to currency plan

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Kelly Pagatpatan
                         Source: AP

Sun May 7,2000 -- Thirteen Asian nations agreed Saturday to help defend
each other's currencies in the event of an economic crisis like the one
that devastated the region in 1997-1998. Economic powers Japan, China and
South Korea decided to take a role in the fledgling currency protection
scheme adopted two months ago by the 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations, part of a wider goal of creating a more united Asia on the
world economic stage.

Putin sworn in as president

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Kelly Pagatpatan
                         Source: AP

Sun May 7,2000 -- President Vladimir Putin pledged to restore Russia as a
great power after being sworn in Sunday as the country's second
democratically elected president in a ceremony that evoked the country's
imperial past. Putin, a former KGB officer who has never held elected
office, promised honest and efficient government, saying he wanted to
restore the hopes of ordinary Russians and make the country prosperous and
strong.

Barak and Arafat to meet on Sunday night

                         Weekend News Today
                         By Andra Brack
                         Source: IsraelWire

Sun May 7,2000 -- Barak and Arafat are scheduled to meet on Sunday
evening in light of the deadlock in the Eilat talks. The talks were to
have enabled the sides to finally hammer out a framework agreement as the
guideline for the final status talks but progress has been limited at
best. US special envoy to the talks Ambassador Dennis Ross will be
participating in the Sunday evening meeting in the hope of pushing the two
leaders closer to an agreement.

http://upway.com/cgi-bin/went

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Clinton wants to 'organize' home schoolers
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 7 May 2000 20:37:28 -0400

Clinton wants to 'organize' home schoolers 'Your children
have to prove that they're learning on a regular basis'

By Julie Foster © 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

Concluding his two-day "school reform tour," President
Clinton yesterday said home-schooled children should "have
to prove that they're learning on a regular basis" -- or be
forced to go to school.

"I think that states should explicitly acknowledge the
option of home schooling, because it's going to be done
anyway," Clinton said. "It is done in every state of the
country and therefore the best thing to do is to get the
home schoolers organized," he said.

Clinton said while he would not choose it for his own
child, home schooling can work well when students and
parents are made to answer for the students' learning.

"We should say, 'Look, there's a good way to do this and a
not-so-good way to do this,"' and require that home-
schooled students meet academic benchmarks, he said.

"But if you're going to do this," he added, "your children
have to prove that they're learning on a regular basis, and
if they don't prove that they're learning then they have to
go into a school --either into a parochial or private
school or a public school."

In recent years, the growth of the home-schooling movement
has exploded in the U.S. due to the ever-worsening crisis
of the nation's public schools -- plummeting test scores,
controversial curricula, negative peer pressure and school
violence.

Clinton said home schooling was not really a widely
available option when his 20-year-old daughter Chelsea was
younger.

"But if it had been, I wouldn't have done it," Clinton
said, because he preferred that Chelsea be exposed to a
wide range of students and experiences in school.

Michael Farris, president and founder of the Home School
Legal Defense Association, responded to Clinton's remarks,
saying, "There's no one right way to home school your
child. The one size fits all approach to education is the
reason public schools are struggling. The strength of home
schooling is our ability to individualize the education of
each child."

"I think we are pretty organized," he said in reference to
Clinton's statement that home schoolers should "get
organized."

"It would seem to me that the last person we would want to
be organized by is the government," added Farris.

According to a 1998 study conducted by Dr. Lawrence M.
Rudner, a veteran in quantitative analysis, students who
are educated at home have consistently scored above the
national average in standardized tests, making the whole
concept of requiring home-schooled children to meet public
school standards a bit odd to many home-schooling parents.

Rudner, from the University of Maryland in College Park,
has served as a university professor, a branch chief in the
U.S. Department of Education and a classroom teacher. For
the past 12 years, he has been the director of the ERIC
Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. ERIC is an
information service sponsored by the National Library of
Education -- a branch of the Education Department. His two
children attend public school.

His study included a total of 20,760 students in 11,930
families -- seven times as many home-schooling families as
any previous study of its kind -- which provided
demographic questionnaires and achievement tests. And,
unlike earlier studies, families chose to participate
before they knew their children's test scores.

Students in grades K-8 took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills,
and high school students took the Tests of Achievement and
Proficiency. Both tests were published by Riverside
Publishing Company and were developed after reviewing
national and state curricula and standards.

"In every subject and at every grade level of the ITBS and
TAP batteries, home school students scored significantly
higher than their public and private school counterparts,"
the study finds.

Home-schooled children score in the 82 to 92 percentile
ranking for reading and up to the 85th percentile in math.

About 25 percent of all home school students are enrolled
one or more grades above their age level, with the
achievement gap widening as students progress. Incredibly,
by the 8th grade, the average home school student performs
four grade levels above the national average, the study
shows.

Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire entitled
"Voluntary Home School Demographic Survey," which provides
information about families who choose to home school.

The background questionnaires reveal that, on average,
home school parents have more formal education than parents
in the general population, with 88 percent having continued
their education beyond high school compared to 50 percent
for the nation as a whole.

Rudner's study makes additional comparisons between home
schooling families and the general public, including
income, hours of television viewing and marital status.

In Farris' analysis of Rudner's study, he writes, "Without
a doubt, the Rudner study demonstrates that home schooled
students are doing exceptionally well. The question, 'Why?'
however, is one that this study cannot sufficiently answer."

"Home school students typically come from families where
income is relatively high, marriages are intact, and
dedication to education is strong," he continues. "We do
not know how these children would have performed had they
been placed in public or private school, nor can we say
that this study proves the superiority of home schooling
over other educational choices. The answer to these
questions lies not in statistics, but rather in individual
stories."

Regarding attempts to regulate home schools, Farris told
WND, "There's a constant pushing against the excesses of
the regulations [of home schools]. The courts have been
friendly to us when the regulations are overly burdensome.
Slowly but surely, home schooling is marching toward
freedom. We want to continue that march, both politically
and legally."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_fosterj_news/20000505_
xnfoj_clinton_ wa.shtml

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