BPR Mailing List Digest: 05/29/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
May 29, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | May, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Revelation 7:1
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("John in NZ")
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 15:36:20 +1200

Hi,

Though a literal interpretation of these verses is possible - and I now
think is likely - I do not think that the full meaning of the verses is just
in the literal interpretation. What follows is a ome notes I wrote some time
ago giving a symbolic interpretation. Probably the idea in 1 Cor 15 "first
the natural then the spiritual should be applied thus we would expect to see
some form of literal stopping of the winds on earth, but this is just a sign
of something far more meaningful - a spiritual barrenness.

John Brough in NZ

The Winds in Revelation:

6:1-8 THE APOCALYPTIC HORSEMEN.

Background Ideas: -

(1) The seven seals depict events which affect the whole world in its manner
of living. This is suggested by the fact the scroll is the title deed of the
whole earth, not just of a part of it. The Trumpets, on the other hand, seem
to deal with events in a more limited geographical area, Palestine and the
nations affecting it.

(2) The symbolism is drawn from Zechariah 1:8-11, 6:1-8 where they are four
spiritual forces that go out to bring judgement on Israel. They appear to be
related to the four Gentile empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and
Rome - which were interpreted by the prophets to be God's rod of discipline
on rebellious Israel (see Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28). However in the
process of each one fulfilling its God appointed role each in turn got proud
and so became the victim of another judgement of God brought on them in the
form of the next empire in its turn.

This was their historical task, but by John's time this task was fulfilled
so they are free to do other work. They are spiritual beings and so do not
cease to exist simply because their first task is completed, God simply
assigns new tasks. Instead of judging Israel they are to bring judgement on
the world.

Hence we should expect their work in the End Times to be similar to their
previous work - they will direct nations to war with each other to bring
devastation and judgement. In particular they are aspects of the Spirit of
Antichrist (see notes on Revelation 17) and so will bring about the
Antichrist empire.

(3) The point of these Horsemen is to tell us that even at the time of the
end God is still in control. The Antichrist's empire will be the most evil
empire to ever have been on the earth, but even this is under God's direct
rule.

(4) C/f Zechariah 6:5,6 "four winds" = "the four horsemen". Hence they are
to be identified in Revelation 7:1 with the winds. This fluidity of
symbolism happens often in prophecy so we should not be surprised at the
change of title.

If we look at the four living creatures of Ch4 from an astrological
viewpoint we see that they represent the "four corners" of the Zodiac, hence
the four directions - North, East, West, South. Hence there seems to be some
sort of association of the four creatures with the four winds, or horsemen.
This again illustrates the fluidity of symbolism in REVELATION.

7:1 "After this I saw" - indicating a new vision, this is not an integral
part of the seven seals. Hence it does not necessarily fit into the
chronology of events that are happening on earth as described in ch 6.

"four angels...four corners of the earth...four winds".
The four winds are not the natural winds but (as we have seen) are the
spiritual rulers of the four Gentile empires, the apocalyptic horsemen.
These four winds are evil, but here are being restrained by four angels,
hence the angels must be good. The horsemen, or winds, are being
restrained - which suggests they are demonic in nature. This ties in with 2
Thess 2 where the spirit of Antichrist is being restrained by a friendly
force ( for a full development of this theme see notes on REV 17 ). There is
an appointed time for the four winds to be released. It appears that the
full revelation of the Antichrist cannot be made until they are released so
in earth time this event of the sealing of the 144,000 would appear to be
before the events of ch 6:1,2.

The change in location is not important - the horsemen have had different
functions over time in history centralised on different places. John seems
to be quite fluid with minor details such as location. We are, after all,
looking at a reality in the spiritual realm. The physical place they are
located at has no real relevance.

(Beasley Murray) "The winds are restrained to produce a calm before the
storm." This could suggest that there is a period of world peace just prior
to the events brought about by the horsemen, i.e. the seals.

"earth...sea". The "wind" here is obviously not intended to be literal, so
it is doubtful that we should press a too literal meaning for earth and sea.

"sea" - is a symbol of the rebellious masses of the Gentile nations (Rev
17:15).
"earth" - could refer to stable political countries.
"trees" - appears to be a symbol of political leaders and philosophies in
Isa 2.

If we assume this symbolic interpretation is right then we come up with the
idea here that there will be, just prior to the revelation of Antichrist, a
period of peace on earth during which no disturbing "empire building" force
can operate. However, after that period will come the incredible violence of
the Seals.

It would appear that when these forces are released there is an amazing
corruption of the earth, but this is not allowed to happen until the 144,000
are sealed. Assuming the proof below, that the 144,000 are the Church, then
we possibly see here a suggestion that the Church is substantially completed
before the final manifestation of Antichrist, however this should not be
pushed too far as other scriptures seem to indicate a great harvest in the
earth during the reign of Antichrist.

----- Original Message -----
> From: Moza <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
> To: bpr-list@philologos.org
> Subject: Revelation 7:1
> Send reply to: moza@butterfly.mv.com
> Date sent: Sat, 27 May 2000 16:12:38 -0400
>
> After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of
> the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind
> should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any
> tree.--Revelation 7:1
>
> Here are a few answers we received to the question of what would
> happen if the wind stopped:
>

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Stratfor: Israel, Lebanon and the Geopolitics of Maturity
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 09:22:05 -0500

Stratfor.com's Global Intelligence Update - 29 May 2000

Israel, Lebanon and the Geopolitics of Maturity

Summary

Israel's abrupt withdrawal from Lebanon is not merely a
major event in Israeli history, but a turning point. The
Israelis have withdrawn from occupied territory in the
past. But this time the Israeli military withdrew because
of exhaustion and the realization that there may be non-
military solutions to its problems. For a country that -
since its founding - regarded the military solution to be
the surest and most secure, this represents more than a
change of policy. It is a change in a nation's psychology.

Analysis

Israel has withdrawn from occupied territory before,
either because of foreign pressure, treaty or military
necessity. Israeli forces withdrew from their over-extended
lines in the Beirut area after Operation Peace for Galilee.
But last week's withdrawal was different. Like all dominant
powers, Israel has encountered the limits of its military
power and is searching for more subtle stratagems. For a
country that has from its founding regarded the military
solution as the safest and most secure course, this
represents a fundamental change not only of policy, but
also of national psychology.

Since its founding, Israel has lived in a perpetual state
of national emergency. The country has wrestled with a
deep-seated -and very real - fear of sudden, simultaneous
attack by all of its neighbors, overwhelming Jerusalem's
military and annihilating the nation. The threat was real.
In 1973, Egypt and Syria coordinated a surprise attack
that, even if it never truly threatened Israel's existence,
did in fact justify Israel's worst fears:

1. All front-line states - Syria, Jordan and Egypt - would
fully commit themselves to a coordinated attack.

2. Other Arab states and even Iran would forward deploy
their forces into the front-line states.

3. All of these armies would acquire state-of-the-art
weaponry and fully integrated command.

4. Israel's foreign political support, particularly from
the United States, would evaporate - taking with it re-
supply of weapons.

5. Israeli intelligence would be unable to clearly
understand Arab intentions and planning, leaving the
country blind.

This was Israel's nightmare. For a people to whom
something truly unimaginable had just happened, believing
in nightmares was not irrational. All nations have their
nightmares. Following Pearl Harbor the United States was
transfixed by the possibility of an attack at a completely
unanticipated time and place. American nuclear planning
revolved around the dread of a nuclear Pearl Harbor. This
also meant that planning for contingencies that actually
occurred - Korea and Vietnam - was haphazard and
insufficient.

Israel's nightmare scenario has not come to pass. Indeed,
for nearly half of Israel's existence, the scenario has
been impractical. Israel has been stronger than it liked to
admit, even to itself. And its enemies have been
comparatively weaker and suspicious of one another. For
nearly a quarter century, Israel has had a peace treaty
with Egypt. It is far from a warm relationship, but between
the treaty and a Sinai buffer zone, the nightmare is
impossible. Obviously, reversal is possible, but it would
be presaged by the deployment of Egyptian forces into the
Sinai and the withdrawal of the American buffer force.
There would be a warning.

But the nightmare has shaped strategies and responses.
First, Jerusalem placed an emphasis on military responses.
Second, Israeli forces needed buffer zones for room to
maneuver; they could not do so properly within the 1948
borders because they would leave population centers
exposed. Third, Israeli forces focused on a pre- emptive
strategy designed to disrupt the enemy and keep him off
balance.

This was the strategy that led Israel into Lebanon. Israel
had created effective buffers in the Sinai, the West Bank
and the Golan. The only point at which Israel proper had a
frontier without a buffer was in the north, its border with
Lebanon. Two perceived threats existed. First there was the
fear that Syria, defeated in the Golan in 1973, might flank
around Mt. Hermon and strike from the north; the ability of
the Syrians to carry out such a complex maneuver was
doubtful.

The second threat was more serious. Following the
expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization and
Yasser Arafat's Al Fatah from Jordan in 1970, they
transferred operations to Lebanon. Indeed, southern Lebanon
became known as Fatahland. Fatah and other Palestinian
factions could not actually threaten the fundamental
security of northern Israel, but they could and did launch
sporadic attacks.

Israel's response derived from its general strategy: when
confronted by a threat, define it in military terms and
define a military response. The military response must
involve creating a buffer zone. It should also include pre-
emptive attacks against threats to the security of the
buffer zone. The Israeli entry into Lebanon in the 1970s
derived, therefore, from Israel's essential strategic
principle. That principle continued to govern operations in
Lebanon until the withdrawal.

__________________________
For more on Israel, see:
http://www.stratfor.com/meaf/countries/Israel/default.htm

For more on Lebanon, see:
http://www.stratfor.com/meaf/countries/Lebanon/default.htm
__________________________

But the intervention was much more complex than that.
Lebanon had been torn apart. The arrival of the
Palestinians had changed Lebanon from the Christian enclave
that the French had created into an unstable and fragmented
society. The Syrians, who had long regarded Lebanon as a
part of Syria carved off by French imperialism, had always
wanted to retake it. When chaos broke out in Lebanon, it
was not only the Israelis that intervened. The Syrians
intervened as well - against the Palestinians and on behalf
of a Maronite Christian faction that had a longstanding
relationship with the Assad family. Israel's own
intervention, while formally condemned by the Syrians, was
actually not unwelcome. It weakened the Palestinians and
strengthened the Syrians.

As early as the 1970s, Israel's nightmare scenario and the
political reality of the region diverged. On one hand,
Israel sought a military solution. On the other hand, the
reality was that military opponents were unofficial allies.
Israel wound up with a schizophrenic policy. The Israel
decision to annihilate the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) in Lebanon in 1982 derived from its core
strategy. It failed because the core strategy was superb in
managing the national nightmare but had nothing to do with
reality.

With the passage of time, the problem only deepened. The
Golan Heights and Sinai were generally uninhabited;
Lebanon, like the West Bank, was very much inhabited.
Creating a buffer zone in the latter meant grappling with
the complex problems of administering and controlling a
hostile population. In Lebanon, Israel tried to solve the
problem by creating a buffer state of Christian Lebanese
and an allied militia, the South Lebanese Army. But as the
Israelis pushed further north they found that they had to
rely on themselves. The buffer zone had to be managed and
protected against attacks. Israeli forces became bogged
down in constant, low- intensity conflict.

Some have argued that the operation in Lebanon was
successful because if the Israelis had not been defending
the buffer against threats, they would have been defending
northern Israel. The counterargument was that operations
exacted a large toll in Israeli lives. Contemporary threats
like Hezbollah would be destroyed more easily without the
buffer zone. Finally, and most importantly, the argument
went, the essential problem with Hezbollah was political
and not military. Hezbollah's interests were in Lebanon and
not in Israel. By removing Israel from the equation,
domestic Lebanese forces, plus the Syrians, would be forced
to deal with Hezbollah.

In the end, this line of reasoning prevailed. The view of
Hezbollah as a minor irritant to be managed by Lebanon's
domestic politics and by the Syrians, rather than as an
apocalyptic threat represents a massive shift in Israeli
psychology.

What Prime Minister Ehud Barak is doing is de-escalating
the psychological terror posed by Hezbollah. Rather than
seeing the militants as part of the nightmare scenario,
Barak has assigned them a much more minor place, as an
irritating group with minimal power. The withdrawal means
that Israel can now deal with threats outside the context
of the nightmare scenario. Israel has done a cost-benefit
analysis on occupying part of Lebanon and has decided that
it just wasn't worth it - even if some attacks on Israel
proper might now take place.

This is an earthshaking event in Israel's history. The
emergence of a class of enemies representing tolerable
threats, which might be dealt with in venues other than the
battlefield, redefines Israel's fundamental vision of its
security. There are now large parts of its environment not
linked to the nightmare scenario. Similarly, Syria is not
going to attack Israel from Lebanon for the time being. It
just isn't worth the trouble.

The garrison state of a generation ago has yielded to a
technically advanced, capitalist society in which dreams of
glory on the battlefield have given way to dreams of IPOs.
The best and brightest used to go into the Israeli Defense
Forces (IDF) or the defense research establishment. They
now go into computers and the Internet. Indeed, the
expertise accumulated in the Israeli defense research
community is pouring into the commercial markets.

The nightmare scenario is not impossible. It is, however,
distant. Like many democratic societies, Israel's tolerance
for extended military engagement without a clear exit
strategy is limited. The most astounding fact, though, is
that there is near consensus; the military itself concluded
that occupation was not worth the effort. The Israeli
military has arrived at a different appreciation of the
country's strategic reality.

Israel is becoming a normal country in the sense that,
while it has enemies, these enemies can be managed without
extreme measures. Israel is coming to rely more on
political arrangements than military solutions, reaching
subtle understandings with formal enemies who share
interests. In short, it is changing its view of the world.
To be sure, there will be political costs, particularly
when this new vision is extended to the West Bank, as it
ultimately will be.

_______________________________________________
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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: (Fwd) Rev 7.1
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Tim")
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 10:37:43 -0500

http://www.kingschapel.org/Bible.htm

Scroll down to The Four Winds

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Amish reach outside community to help deal with underage drinking
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 11:42:08 -0500

Amish reach outside community to help deal with underage drinking

By AMY BETH GRAVES, Associated Press

MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio (May 29, 2000 10:24 a.m. EDT
http://www.nandotimes.com) - On Saturday night - party night - dozens
of teens are gathered in a town parking lot, eating fast food and
joking around. Many leave when they learn about a party where beer
will be flowing all night.

Some leave in their black horse-drawn buggies.

The Amish in this northeast Ohio city have long struggled to curb
underage drinking in their community.

The problem has been serious enough that despite their tradition of
avoiding the outside world, Amish leaders have reached out to police
and judges in recent years for help breaking up drinking parties and
doling out tough sentences to offenders.

"Some Amish families, while they don't condone it, they overlook it
because they want the kids to get this out of their system," said
Middlefield police Chief David Easthon.

The number of alcohol-related arrests appears to be down, but
authorities say it remains a problem in this farming and industrial
area 30 miles east of Cleveland. Geauga County is home to more than
6,000 Amish - one of the nation's largest settlements.

The Amish live a simple lifestyle and shun modern conveniences such
as cars, telephones and electricity. Someone born into an Amish
family is not automatically a member: A person decides in his or her
late teens and early 20s whether to join.

It's just before that crucial decision that young people sometimes
"sow their wild oats" because the partying stops as soon as they join
the church, Easthon said.

-- more --

http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500209730-500293918-50
1604770-0,00.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Israeli Settler Warns Barak
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 11:50:31 -0500

Israeli Settler Warns Barak

By LAURIE COPANS Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Barak risks being assassinated if he
uproots Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of
a peace treaty with the Palestinians, a leader of a radical settler
group said today.
The settler leader, Shlomo Riklin, said his words were meant as a
wake-up call to the security forces, and not as a threat.

''Today, when I see Barak's plan and I hear the (settler) voices, I
say that if, God forbid, he will carry out this dangerous plan, his
days could be numbered,'' Riklin told Israel army radio.

Riklin is a leader of the Second Generation group of young settlers
who have seized West Bank hilltops in hopes of thwarting the transfer
of land to the Palestinians. Barak has said that some settlements
will have to be evacuated so land can be handed to the Palestinians
as part of a future peace treaty.

-- more --

http://www.usatoday.com/aponline/2000052909/2000052909455700.htm

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) Arutz-7 News: Monday, May 29, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 13:50:46 -0400

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Mon, 29 May 2000 17:56:53 +0300
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, May 29, 2000
Send reply to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.ArutzSheva.org>
Monday, May 29, 2000 / Iyar 24, 5760
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. BARAK NEARS ARAFAT'S FINAL GOAL
  2. GUNS IN METULLAH
  3. NEWS FROM THE NORTH
  4. NO-CONFIDENCES IN BARAK
  5. FINAL DECISION ON OBEID AND DIRANI IN SIX WEEKS
  6. WHAT RIKLIN SAID
  7. SHAS IS AGAIN THE KEY
  8. CENSORING THE CENSOR
  9. FIVE MATCHES FOUND
  10. JERUSALEM ON THE WEB

1. BARAK NEARS ARAFAT'S FINAL GOAL
Prime Minister Ehud Barak has made yet another concession to the
Palestinians in the Stockholm talks. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman
reports that despite statements yesterday by Palestinian negotiators, and
despite Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami's return to Israel, the negotiations are
continuing: "Barak now agrees to a Palestinian state on 92% of Judea and
Samaria - instead of the 80 to 90% that he agreed to two weeks ago. About
2/3 of the remaining 8% is comprised of Jerusalem areas and Yesha
settlements, while the remainder is a narrow strip along the Jordan River.
To compensate the Palestinians for these areas, Barak has agreed to give up
sovereign Israeli territory, either in the Wadi Ara region (between Hadera
and Afula), or near Gaza, or both."

Huberman said, "When he ran against Yossi Beilin for the leadership of the
Labor party, Barak sharply criticized the Beilin-Abu Mazen plan, and said
that he would never 'give up the sands of Halutza [near Gaza] in exchange
for settlement blocs.' Now it appears that not only has he agreed to give
up Halutza - he will not even insist on keeping settlement blocs in
exchange! Most of the Yesha communities - including Beit El and Ofrah,
which he explicitly promised more than once that they will remain Israeli -
will be included within Palestinian territory, with some sort of security
arrangement."

Barak has also agreed to a direct connection between the Palestinian entity
and Jordan; all previous Israeli governments had insisted that Israel would
retain exclusive control over the borders. "This means that the entrances
to the Palestinian entity will not be supervised by the IDF," Huberman
explained, "but rather by an international force, and that Israel will have
no way of enforcing the demilitarization of the Palestinian state."

2. GUNS IN METULLAH
The Chief Commander of the Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, has
declared all areas adjacent to the border as "closed military zones," such
that many of the residents will not be able to enter and tend their
orchards there. In addition, rifles will be distributed to all residents
of the town of Metullah, as had been the practice up to 20 years ago;
forms were handed out yesterday for this purpose. Speaking with Arutz-7
today, Metullah mayor Kobi Katz said that yesterday's violent protests on
the Israel-Lebanon border are "intolerable" and indicate the deliberate
intensification of provocations there. In light of the situation, Katz
said that he agreed with the closing off of the orchards, "because if
someone gets killed tending his fields, then of course nothing will have
been worth it."

The military decision has left the residents greatly frustrated and
confused. "The border area contains large stretches of commercial property
and zone for light industry," Katz said. "Our people are very troubled by
the situation, and in late-night talks I held last night with the Prime
Minister's office and with Tax Department representatives, I insisted that
a desk be set up here to deal exclusively with compensation issues. I
personally have no solutions for the people - only a high-level government
policy decision can offer the necessary relief."

3. NEWS FROM THE NORTH
Other problems are not in short supply in the north. Arutz-7's Effie Meir
reports that 40% of Kiryat Shmonah residents are planning to look for
another place to live. In addition, the agricultural settlements suddenly
find themselves with a major shortage of manpower, and 700 workers are
sorely needed for the upcoming fruit-picking season. The border is now
closed to the Lebanese villagers who used to work for the Israelis; the
Industrialists Association, however, assumes that most of the former
workers are now in Israel as refugees, but it will take time until they are
found. The Labor and Welfare offices refuse to grant permits for foreign
workers, and are hoping that unemployed workers from the Galilee will take
up the slack.

The IDF's Golani Brigade that had been stationed near the Fatma Gate near
Metullah has been replaced by another group of soldiers. A senior IDF
officer in the region explained the reason for the switch: "The Golani
soldiers, who are fresh off their service in southern Lebanon, are used to
shooting at anything that moves. The provocations by the Lebanese citizens
here would therefore probably lead to shooting and an escalation of
hostilities."

Syria has recently acquired medium-range missiles from Korea which can
reach any point in Israel from deep within Syria. The missiles have a
range of 700 kilometers.

4. NO-CONFIDENCES IN BARAK
The Knesset will vote on three no-confidence motions in the Prime Minister
today. The Likud will submit a general motion based on Barak's performance
after a year in office; Shinui, Am Echad, and the National Union-Yisrael
Beiteinu faction are proposing no-confidence because of the recent tax
reform proposals, and the Arab Ra'am party is against the new Trans-Israel
highway.

5. FINAL DECISION ON OBEID AND DIRANI IN SIX WEEKS
The Tel Aviv District Court conducted its final hearing on the continued
administrative detention of Lebanese terrorists Mustafa Dirani and Sheikh
Obeid today, and will issue its decision on July 12. The State Prosecution
claimed that the continued incarceration is necessary not because the two
serve as "bargaining chips" for the return of missing Israelis - such
claims were ruled unacceptable by a previous court decision - but because
they continue to be dangerous to the public and have not changed their
ideological stance against Israel: "It's certain that if they are
released, they will not go home to engage in flower-growing," said a State
representative. "The situation is especially dangerous now that we have
left Lebanon." The defense, for its part, claimed that the two always said
that their struggle against Israel will end simultaneously with the end of
Israel's presence in Lebanon, and that "they want only peace."

Former Lt.-Gen. Dan Shomron, who served as Chief of Staff of the IDF at the
time of Obeid's capture, explained six years ago that Obeid is a major
figure in the terrorist hierarchy, as opposed to Dirani, who was captured
because of his central role in the disappearance of missing Israeli
navigator Ron Arad.

6. WHAT RIKLIN SAID
A dialogue session between Labor party and Yesha representatives in Psagot
yesterday will apparently be remembered for only one thing: Remarks
attributed to Dor Hemshekh [Next Generation] leader Shimon Riklin to the
effect that Barak's policies may bring about the assassination of another
Prime Minister. Former Yesha Council head Yisrael Harel, who participated
in yesterday's session, was asked to relate to the remarks on Arutz-7
today, and said:
"First of all, he did not say such a strong statement. In general, I
would advise against cooperating with certain elements who wish to have us
forget about the failure of Lebanon and would rather shift all accusatory
sentiments to the settlers - our 'national punching bag.' What Riklin said
was that in the excited atmosphere that would be caused by the evacuation
of 100,000 Yesha residents, it could be that someone will think thoughts of
murder. Riklin himself, and the organization that he represents, is as far
as east from west from thoughts of this nature. It could be, however, that
he senses certain things that I do not - it's always good to be extra
cautious... " Harel said that in addition to the essential evil involved
in the murder of Yitzchak Rabin, "it also brought about great damage to the
cause of Eretz Yisrael... Ever since the assassination, the right-wing has
been very hesitant to demonstrate or take any political activity against
the withdrawals, because we are automatically accused of heating up the
atmosphere and leading to another murder, etc."

Harel also said that Riklin did not say another remark attributed to him -
that he would "rather die than accept the evacuation" - and "that this is
not the message that we want to teach: "We came to live here, and to live
happy lives of Torah and building, and not to die... If there are those
who do have such pessimistic thoughts, then they should remove them from
their minds, and should know that we will live, and that most if not all of
these towns will remain here forever, and that even under these trying
times, the communities continue to grow and thrive. It's true that the
events of the past two weeks, including the shooting by the Palestinians
and the shameful behavior of the government in Lebanon, have not made it
easier for us - but the bottom line is that we have much to be optimistic
about, and with G-d's help, we must know that it is largely dependent on
us, to do all we can to stop these withdrawals, and we can do it."

7. SHAS IS AGAIN THE KEY
Prime Minister Barak announced his official endorsement of One Israel MK
Shimon Peres for the office of the Presidency today. Barak named Minister
Chaim Ramon as the party's manager for the Peres campaign in the Knesset.
Ramon was appointed by Barak last week as the man responsible for handling
SLA refugee affairs in Israel.

The Likud nominated MK Moshe Katzav as its candidate this afternoon.
Katzav said that he knows of 45 Knesset Members who support him, and that
the key to the election lies in the hands of the 17-MK Shas party. The
Shinui party said that it would support only a non-political candidate, and
named former Supreme Court Chief Justice Meir Shamgar as its candidate.

8. CENSORING THE CENSOR
Interior Minister Natan Sharansky has proposed that movie censorship in
Israel be done away with, and that age limits on movie theater entrances be
imposed instead. His office feels that the censorship is not effective
because the movies become available on video in any event. Udi Lyon, head
of the Gesher organization's Multimedia Department, and a member of the
Israeli Fund for Television and Film, told Arutz-7 today that Sharansky's
idea might not be such a bad one:
"The fact is that in the U.S., the age limit system is much more effective
in influencing the movie makers [to produce less offensive films], because
they are interested in having more customers... Practically speaking, it
is clear that censorship fulfills an important function, as is known to any
religious person - or to anyone who attempts to avoid negative
influences... The only question is how to do this: Should we have an
external censorship, by the government, or whether our own spiritual and
educational leadership should help us set up our own internal censorship...
In our generation in particular, every attempt 'from above' to dictate
certain behavior usually causes the opposite. For instance, we see that in
the 5% of cases that the censorship marks a movie 'unacceptable,' it merely
serves to increase sales. If, however, there is a system preventing
certain age-groups from entering - and certainly if it gives gradations to
the various movies and provides some information about what type of
objectionable material may be found therein - this will be of greater help."

"But in the end," Lyon continued, "any system that is based on secular
values and norms can only be of limited value to the religious community.
Why shouldn't there be hekhsherim - religious 'kosher' supervision - over
movies, just as we have for food? It would be advisable for the rabbinic
leadership to stop ignoring the fact that much of the religious public goes
to the movies, because the result is that much of the public and the youth
go to movies without any guidance."

9. FIVE MATCHES FOUND
The Ezer Mizion health organization announced that, thanks to its newly
expanded bone marrow database, it has found matching bone marrow donors for
five cancer patients over the last five months. The patients, two adults
and three children, live in Israel, America, Austria, and Germany. The
database contains more than 50,000 potential Jewish donors, and is accessed
online by medical professionals and cancer patients all over the world. In
general, the odds of finding a proper donor-patient match are only about
one in 30,000 - "and for Jews, the chances are even slimmer," said Dr.
Bracha Zisser, director of the database project. She thus explained the
impetus for Ezer Mizion to build a database solely of Jewish donors. "When
we first opened the database in 1998," Dr. Zisser said, "we had 5,000
samples. We've run twelve drives since then, and thanks to the Israeli
public, we now have over 50,000 donors."

10. JERUSALEM ON THE WEB
The 33rd anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem will be commemorated
this Friday, the 28th day of Iyar. A compendium of Jerusalem-related
websites can be found at <http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/jer.htm>. They
include:

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem - http://www.templemount.org/
Western Wall Live Camera - http://www.thewall.org
OU - http://www.ou.org/chagim/yomyerushalayim/default.htm
Foreign Ministry - http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/facts/state/jeruslem.html
Jerusalem Archives - http://www.jerusalem-archives.org/
Yeshivat Har Etzion: The Significance of Jerusalem Day -
http://www.vbm-torah.org/yyerush.htm

Hebrew News Editor: Yigal Shok and Effie Meir
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - German Scientist Finds GM Genes Can Jump Species
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 13:54:14 -0400

Monday May 29 10:55 AM ET

German Scientist Finds GM Genes Can Jump Species

BERLIN (Reuters) - A top German zoologist has found that genes used to
modify crops can jump the species barrier and cause bacteria to mutate but
he stressed Monday that the potential risk to human health was minimal.

Jena University professor Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, whose four-year study found
that the alien gene used to modify oilseed rape could contaminate bacteria
in the guts of bees, declined to comment in depth on his research before
publication this summer.

But Kaatz, who fears a backlash from the scientific community on the
contentious topic of genetically modified food, confirmed that gene transfer
had taken place, albeit rarely.

``To the greatest possible extent though we can rule out danger to the
bees,'' he said, advising against overinterpreting a study which has yet to be
reviewed by his peers.

Although Kaatz recognized his and fellow researcher Stefan Woelfl's findings
were ``significant,'' he said he was not surprised and added that while there
may be implications for bacteria in the human gut, there were no grounds for
panic.

``Research is being carried out on this, although not by us.''

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000529/sc/germany_genes_1.html

via: isml@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: (Fwd) Rev 7.1
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Eileen")
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 15:18:04 EDT

[Moderator: This is very interesting. Thanks Eileen. I also
wish to thank everyone that has contributed comments about
this topic over the last couple of days. There have been some
interesting comments and studies sent through the list. It's
good to know you guys are out there. <g>]

Regarding Rev 7.1:

My son is stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson Arizona. We
went to visit him (we're from Pennsylvania) and drove around various places
near there to tour. One of the places we visited was the Biosphere.

I remember distinctly hearing about the trouble they had when it was started
up. Everything they put into it was checked out and well planned. They even
introduced bees to make sure everything would be pollinated. No matter what
they did, the plants were dying. Especially the trees. Then they introduced
the wind, or a breeze. That was what it took. Apparently plants need the
wind to strengthen their branches and trunks to withstand the weight of the
plant. The blowing of the wind sways the branches and somehow strengthens
them. How interesting.

I imagine all the plants would die if the angles would stop the wind.

I hopes this helps.

Eileen Steele

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Dutch group plans abortion boat
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 18:30:28 -0400

Dutch group plans abortion boat

Doctors would perform terminations in international waters

By Julie Foster =A9 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

Abortion activists have devised a plan to bypass legal bans on abortion in countries around the world by providing pregnancy-termination services to women on a ship 12 miles offshore in international waters.

The ship, called the "Sea Change," will be owned and operated by Women on Waves, a non-profit organization in the Netherlands. The Sea Change will dock in a country where women have requested the group's abortion services, allowing patients to board. Regular trips will be made to international waters from any given harbor for up to six months. After that time, the Sea Change will sail to its next destination.

In areas where women may undergo harassment for boarding the Sea Change, remote pick-ups may be arranged. Patients will board smaller boats to be taken to the ship anchored offshore.

Women on Waves has yet to collect enough money to purchase or lease a ship for its abortion project and is relying on tax-deductible donations from foundations and individuals.

The group was founded last year by Dutch abortionist Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, who says the idea for the group stemmed from her experiences with Greenpeace. As a medical doctor on the Greenpeace ship, the "Rainbow Warrior," Gomperts said she provided "reproductive health services, primarily abortions."

"As the ship doctor for Greenpeace in South America, I met another doctor who told me about the health problems associated with illegal abortions in his country. The urgent desire to really do something about this problem came when I learned the degree to which illegal abortion is a major public health concern, as the main cause of maternal mortality around the world," she says on the Women on Waves website.

According to the website, out of 53 million abortions performed around the world annually -- one quarter of all pregnancies -- 20 million are "illegal and unsafe," resulting in the death of 70,000 women each year.

"Let's face it: abortions are being performed, whether they are legal or not," Gomperts added. "Given this fact, it seems to me that it is essential that they should be done safely and affordably, which is only possible when abortion laws are liberalized."

While North America and most of Europe have embraced abortion as a reproductive right, countries in Central and South America, Africa and Asia maintain strict laws against the procedure.

Most countries in those continents allow abortion only to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or "fetal impairment." But Chile and El Salvador ban abortion for any reason.

Besides serving as a floating abortion clinic, the Sea Change will also be used as a venue for reproductive health education. Locals who board the ship will be given information about fertility, contraception and abortion procedures.

Additionally, Sea Change medical personnel will train local medical professionals in the techniques of vacuum aspiration -- a method of abortion employing a suction device which is inserted vaginally into the uterus to remove the fetus and placenta.

Gomperts says only first trimester abortions will be performed on the ship in order to reduce the risks of complications.

But complications from the procedure may be unavoidable, according to one source.

Joseph Scheidler, director of the Pro-Life Action League, told WorldNetDaily the first thing Women on Waves needs to reduce risks of complications is "a steady floor."

The veteran pro-life activist said Gomperts' vision sounds more like a gimmick than a viable operation and pointed-out that countries hostile toward abortion can still take retribution on women who return to shore.

"It's very expensive to operate a ship," he noted. "The abortions would have to be very expensive."

But Gomperts plans to provide the procedure free of charge. How that will be accomplished remains to be seen since the doctor still has not raised enough money even to obtain a ship, much less operate it.

"Women are so desperate to kill their children, they have to have a boat to run around in," he added, saying an offshore rendezvous will not keep anti-abortion advocates from making their case to pregnant women.

"If we know where the women are going to meet with their dingy, we'll meet them there. We will go where they are," he said. "They cannot stop the people who believe in life from trying to save life."

"It's like one of these pipe-dreams people have," Scheidler said. "You've got to give them credit for imagination. It's a very typical kind of wild-eyed, un-thought-out plan."

"It sounds crazy to me but there are crazy people out there," he added. "Anybody who kills their own baby has got to be crazy."

Julie Foster is a staff reporter for WorldNetDaily.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_fosterj_news/20000528_xnfoj_dutch_gr ou.shtml

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