BPR Mailing List Digest: 05/31/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
May 31, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | May, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Seven nations to take part in Pacific war games
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 08:31:23 -0400

Seven nations to take part in Pacific war games

Updated 5:16 PM ET May 30, 2000

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Military forces from the United
  States, Britain and five Pacific rim nations Tuesday began a
  major, week-long military exercise in the area around Hawaii, the
  Defense Department said.

  "Exercise RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2000" also includes
  forces Australia, Chile, Canada, Japan and South Korea, with
  more than 50 ships and 22,000 troops involved, the Pentagon
  said.

  The periodic exercise, which includes submarines and an
  American carrier, is under the coordination of the U.S. Third
  Fleet. It is the 17th in a series of joint Pacific naval exercises
  which have been conducted periodically since 1971.

  After the tactical phase of the war games off Hawaii, units from
  the different nations will visit the U.S. navy base at Pearl Harbor,
  the announcement said.

http://news.excite.com/news/r/000530/17/arms-usa-rimpac

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

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - God willed me to shoot the Pope says jailed gunman
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 08:33:52 -0400

God willed me to shoot the Pope says jailed gunman
FROM JUDE WEBBER IN ROME

It was his finger that pulled the trigger, but now gunman Mehmet Ali Agca claims his attempt to assassinate the Pope was actually masterminded from on high.

He is making a new bid for freedom after the Vatican revealed that Agca's 1981 shooting of the Pope in St Peter's Square had been predicted by an apparition of the Virgin Mary 64 years previously. Agca, 43, says that the Vatican's revelation of the so-called Third Secret of Fatima earlier this month now gets him off the hook, insisting it must have been "God's will" that he did what he did.

"It is clear. I was predestined," he said in an interview at the prison near the Adriatic port city of Ancona where he is serving his life sentence.

Agca shot Pope John Paul at point blank range on May 13, 1981. But the Pope's revelation two weeks ago that one of the Vatican's most closely-guarded secrets foretold the failed attempt on his life gives Agca new ammunition.

His motives have never been fully clarified despite three investigations and two trials - one a probe into whether he was hired by Soviet secret services in a Communist plot. He described as "the last piece of the jigsaw" the Pope's disclosure that the attack had been prophesied in a message which three Portuguese shepherd children claimed to have received from the Virgin Mary when she appeared to them in the village of Fatima in 1917.

The Pope unlocked the third and last Secret of Fatima during a visit to the Portuguese shrine on May 13 - the 64th anniversary of the apparition and the 19th anniversary of the shooting. The Pope has publicly forgiven Agca and met him in jail. Now he is pinning his hopes on the Pope's "jubilee" for inmates - a special ceremony on July 9 at Rome's tough Rebibbia jail during the Catholic Church's millennium celebrations.Believing the Pope could use the event to grant him his freedom, Agca has instructed his lawyers to request clemency. If set free, he said, he envisages a holy life devoted to "poverty and chastity. =A9 Express Newspapers, 2000

http://www.lineone.net/express/00/05/30/news/n2520pope-d.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Clinton and Barak are to meet in Berlin tomorrow
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 08:39:06 -0400

Clinton and Barak are to meet in Berlin tomorrow

PM expected to ask U.S. to pressure Arafat

By Aluf Benn and Nitzan Horowitz
Ha'aretz Correspondents

Prime Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton are to meet in
Berlin tomorrow to discuss prospects for peace with Syria and Lebanon after
the IDF withdrawal, as well as the status of the Palestinian-Israeli peace
talks, which both sides are indicating are bogged down.

The United States had hoped for a breakthrough in the Palestinian track
before the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and now Barak wants to
coordinate positions with Clinton as the negotiations with the Palestinians
move to the critical stage, said a source in Jerusalem.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been exchanging barbs in recent
days, with the Palestinians complaining that Israel is not handing over the
three Arab villages on the edge of East Jerusalem to the Palestinian
Authority and Israel worrying that PA leader Yasser Arafat has not allowed
his negotiators any flexibility in the talks.

Arafat has written to Clinton complaining about the state of the negotiations
and asking the American leader to help break the deadlock, and Barak
wants to be sure that Clinton doesn't have any surprise announcements up
his sleeve to be made at the Berlin meeting.

Full Story:
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=05/31/00&
id=80009

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Rightists planning East Jerusalem Day
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 08:41:26 -0400

Wednesday, May 31, 2000

Rightists planning East Jerusalem Day

By Akiva Eldar
Ha'aretz Correspondent

The Likud and right-wing groups are planning to mark Jerusalem Day
tomorrow with marches through Arab neighborhoods, including a tree-
planting ceremony on land that American gambling tycoon Irving Moskowitz
purchased in Abu Dis, the Jerusalem village suburb the government decided
to hand over to the Palestinian Authority.

Security service sources say that Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert wants to
leverage the annual Jerusalem Day ceremonies into a "demonstration of
ownership" in East Jerusalem.

Among the events planned are Likud MK Ariel Sharon's announcement that
he will be hosting guests at a house he bought in the Muslim Quarter in the
early 1980s, which has been guarded around the clock ever since, though
Sharon has never taken up residence there.

Other events planned are a march by the Temple Mount Faithful from
Ammunition Hill, past the Orient House, to Damascus Gate and from there
to the Temple Mount.

In Abu Dis, the Likud and Ateret Cohanim are planning a tree-planting
ceremony on land acquired by Moskowitz in Abu Dis. According to
Jerusalem expert Danny Zeidman, the only way to the land is through parts
of the village controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The last time Olmert
was in Abu Dis, with Interior Minister Natan Sharansky, they were pelted
with stones by angry Palestinians.

Security sources say that most of the country's population is apathetic about
the Jerusalem Day events. But against the background of reported progress
in the peace talks with the Palestinians, intelligence reports say that
extreme right-wing groups want to use the events to provoke Palestinian
demonstrations that would force the government to halt the talks. The
sources said they have been in contact with the Palestinian Authority, which
has promised to make efforts to restrain the Arab population in the face of
any such provocations.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=05/31/00&
id=80012

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Chinese company to set up two plants in Druze village
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 08:45:17 -0400

Chinese company to set up two plants in Druze village

By Ora Coren
Ha'aretz Industry Correspondent

A Chinese firm has informed the Industry and Trade Ministry that it plans to
set up two textile plants in the Druze village of Yarka in the Galilee.

The state-owned company plans first to set up a sewing plant to manufacture
sports clothing, investing $1 million, the ministry said.

This plant is slated to be built within three months and will employ 150
workers.

The second plant, which will manufacture suits, is to be set up within a year,
with an investment of $1.5 million. According to the ministry, it will also
employ about 150 workers.

The company plans to bring 20 employees from China to staff the two plants;
the remainder of the staff will be hired locally.

The company plans to run its Israeli operations through a local subsidiary.
This will enable it to benefit from Israel's free-trade agreements with the
United States and the European Union. By setting up the plants in Yarka, it
will also be eligible for grants from the Israeli government under the Law for
the Encouragement of Capital Investment.

The company has an annual turnover of $250 million, of which about $100
million a year is exported to the U.S. and Western Europe, the ministry said.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=2&datee=05/31/00&i
d=79987

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Implantable microelectronics
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 08:54:28 -0400

First exo-armor, now neural microelectonics:

http://www.onr.navy.mil/sci_tech/special/muri2001/topics.htm#16

"Possibilities that derive from linking artificial info-processing
machines (computers) to living info-processing machines (brains) defy
prediction. This project may also provide the basis for both the next
generation "wear-and-forget, warfighter-acceptable" Warfighter
Physiological Status Monitor (WPSM), i.e. a device that collects and
stores information subcutaneously, and biorobotic platforms."

via: transhumantech@egroups.com

Check out the other areas of interest on the same page.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - IsraelWire items (5/31/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 09:06:44 -0400

Israel Accepted to the UN's Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
(IsraelWire-5/31) May 26, 2000 marked the end of four decades of
discrimination and injustice. In a letter from the Netherlands Ambassador
to the UN, Peter Van Walsum, to the Israel Ambassador in the UN, Yehuda
Lancry, the Dutch diplomat (who is also the current Chairman of WEOG),
informed his Israeli counterpart that Israel has been accepted as a full
member of the group.

Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stepped up its diplomatic
activity at the UN headquarters in New York and in various capitals around
the world in order to bring about Israel's acceptance to the 'Western
European and Others Group' of the UN. Following contacts, meetings and
discussions lasting many months, and after Foreign Minister Levy's talks
with representatives of the western states in New York during mid-May of
this year, the WEOG states (western Europe, the United States, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand) accepted the position of Israel's
representatives and agreed to recognize Israel as a full member of the
group.

Israeli diplomacy was thus successful in putting an end to an absurd
situation, which cast a shadow on the entire United Nations organization.
This most recent development constitutes a historic turning point and a
normalization of Israel's status in the UN, in spite of ongoing Arab
pressure to undermine the move.

Background:
At the beginning of the 1960's, the UN members organized themselves in
regional groups for consultation purposes and in order to expedite the
election of UN member states to institutions of the organization.

Due to discrimination, bias, and the opposition of certain groups, (such as the
former Eastern bloc and the group of Arab and Islamic states) Israel was the
only state to be left outside of the regional group framework. As a result,
Israel was denied the right to vote and to be elected to UN institutions, and
was unable to participate in political and professional consultations within the
framework of the UN and its agencies.

Following the progress in the peace process, Israel renewed its efforts to
change this situation.

Following is the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Israel wishes to thank the governments of the WEOG states and, in
particular, the United States government for their welcome decision. Israel
also wish to convey its appreciation to President Clinton, Secretary of State
Albright and US Ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke, for their firm
support for its position.

Finally, the Israeli Foreign Ministry wishes to thank its representatives
around the world and Foreign Ministry officials in Jerusalem who worked
tirelessly to bring this important diplomatic achievement to fruition.

Navy abandons all activities in the Kishon
(IsraelWire-5/31) Following a revealing in-depth report by the daily Yediot
Ahronot, the Israel Navy has announced it would no longer use the body of
water known as Nahal Kishon for the training of IDF combat divers.

For the past decades, the body of water was used for training exercises but
Yediot's report documented that the Kishon may be the most polluted body of
water in Israel, containing carcinogens and traces of poisonous metals and
substances in toxic levels. The report links an unusually high number of
documented cases of cancer among former naval commandos, most at a
young age.

Following the release of the story last week and the navy's decision, the
Council of Local Authorities has called upon educational institutions to
immediately stop using the Kishon for any and all school trips or any
program involving youth.

Timetable for electing a new president
(IsraelWire-5/31) July 10, 2000 - President Ezer Weizman will submit his
letter of resignation to Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg.

July 11, 2000 - Knesset Speaker Burg must notify MKs in writing of
projected July 31 election date (20 days in advance).

July 21, 2000 - Last date for proposal of candidates. Any 10 MKs may
propose a candidate; such proposals must be submitted in writing to Knesset
Speaker Burg along with candidate's written or telegraphed consent.

July 24, 2000 - Knesset Speaker Burg will notify MKs regarding candidates
and the particular MKs who proposed them.

July 31, 2000 - MKs will elect new president by secret ballot.

August 1, 2000 - New president will be sworn in.

THE CANDIDATES
MK (Likud) Moshe Katzav
Born 1945 in Iran
Immigrated to Israel in 1951
Married, Five children
Residence: Kiryat Malachi
Email: mkatsav@knesset.gov.il

Education
B.A., Economics & History, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Profession
Economist, Educator

Military
Corporal in the Communications Corps

Languages
Hebrew, English, Persian & Arabic

Political History in the Knesset
Knesset Member since 1977

Member of Knessets: 9,10,11,12,13 - Likud; 14 - Likud Gesher Tzomet; 15 -
Likud;

Functions in Ninth Knesset:
Member, Internal Affairs and Environment Committee; Education and
Culture Committee;

Functions in Twelfth Knesset:
Member, Ministerial Committee for Defense

Functions in Thirteenth Knesset:
Chairman, Likud Parliamentary Group; Chairman, China-Israel Parliamentary
Friendship League; Member, Knesset Committee;

Functions in Fourteenth Knesset:
Member, Ministerial Committee for Defense; Chairman, Ministerial Committee
for Ceremonies; Current Functions: Member, Foreign Affairs & Defense
Committee;

Roles in the Government
Functions in Tenth Knesset:
Deputy Minister of Housing and Construction

Functions in Eleventh Knesset:
Minister of Labor and Social Welfare

Functions in Twelfth Knesset:
Minister of Transportation

Functions in Fourteenth Knesset:
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism

Public Activities
Former Mayor of Kiryat Malachi; Chairman of the Presidium of 15th
Conference of Herut Movement; President of Young Bnei B'rith in Kiryat
Malachi; Chairman of the Gahal Party Student Group at the Hebrew
University; Member of the Knesset Delegation to the European Parliament;
Member of the Board of Trustees of Ben-Gurion University; Chairman of the
Roof Organization of Immigrants from Iran in Israel; Journalist in "Yediot
Ahronot" Newspaper; Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, University of
Nebraska, USA

Publications
Newspaper articles

Minister for Regional Cooperation (One Israel) Shimon Peres
Born 1923 in Poland
Immigrated to Israel in 1934
Married, Three children
Residence: Tel Aviv
Email: dover@pmo.gov.il

Education
Advanced Administration, Social Research School, Harvard University

Military
Haganah; IDF; Former Head of Israel's Navy

Languages
Hebrew, English, French & Yiddish

Political History in the Knesset
Knesset Member since 1959

Member of Knessets: 4,5 - Mapai; 5,6 - Rafi; 6 - Labor Party;
6,7,8,9,10,11,12 - Ma`arach; 12,13,14 - Labor Party; 15 - One Israel;

Functions in Ninth Knesset: Member, Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee;

Functions in Tenth Knesset: Member, Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee;

Functions in Twelfth Knesset: Member, Foreign Affairs & Defense
Committee;

Functions in Fourteenth Knesset: Member, Foreign Affairs & Defense
Committee;

Functions in Fifteenth Knesset: During 1999, Temporary Knesset Speaker

Roles in the Government
Functions in Fourth Knesset: From 1959 Deputy Minister of Defense

Functions in Fifth Knesset: From 1961 Deputy Minister of Defense

Functions in Seventh Knesset: From 1970 Minister of Transportation; From
1970 Minister of Communication; From 1969 until 1970, Minister of Immigrant
Absorption; Until 1969, Minister Without Portfolio

Functions in Eighth Knesset: Minister of Defense; Minister of Information

Functions in Eleventh Knesset: Prime Minister: Alternate Prime Minister;
Minister of Foreign Affairs; Until 1984, Minister of Internal Affairs;
Until 1984, Minister of Religious Affairs

Functions in Twelfth Knesset: Until 1990, Alternate Prime Minister;
Until 1990, Minister of Finance

Functions in Thirteenth Knesset: Prime Minister; From 1995 Prime Minister;
Minister of Defense; From 1995 Minister of Defense; Minister of Foreign
Affairs

Roles in the Current Government: Minister of Regional Cooperation

Public Activities
Vice-President of the Socialist International; Chairman of the Labor Party;
Nobel Peace Prize Award in 1994

Publications
10 books including: The Next Step (1965), David's Sling (1970), Entebbe
Diary (1991), The New Middle East (1993), Battling for Peace (1995)

Metulla residents given automatic weapons
(IsraelWire-5/31) Authorities have decided to distribute automatic weapons
to concerned Metulla residents, who are now more, concerned of a terrorist
attack from across the border than Katyusha rockets, as in the past.

Amir Shoshani, the security chief for Metulla, explained that only those
residents who served in the IDF and are qualified will receive the M-16
weapons.

Ambassador Indyk promises $50 million in US aid
(IsraelWire-5/31) While touring Israel's northern border, US Ambassador to
Israel Martin Indyk stated the White House will be giving $50 million in
aid to assist northern communities in beefing up the border with southern
Lebanon.

"I am very pleased to welcome what Israel has done in withdrawing from
Lebanon completely. I want to praise the courage of Prime Minister Barak
and the people of northern Israel."

The ambassador added that the United States would deem it totally
unacceptable for anyone to attack Israel across an internationally accepted
demarcation line.

UN forces continue to inspect the former security zone, headed by special
envoy Terje Larsen, ensuring that Israel has complied with resolution 425.

The UN's approval of the Israeli withdrawal will lead the way for the
deployment of an expanded UNIFIL force in the area.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - MI2 Promotes Digital Angel Technology
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 10:33:16 -0500

Mission Impossible Film Promotes Digital Angel Technology
(aka: THE TROUBLE WITH DIGITAL ANGELS)

By Thomas Horn

Midway through Mission Impossible 2 Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) injects a
biometric chip into the foot of love interest Thandie Newton. The
action is perceived as necessary and ultimately saves the damsel in
distress. This is due to the "wonderful" Global Positioning Satellite
technologies and the latest in Digital Angel transponder chips
designed to "enhance and preserve" the human experience.

Recently, Applied Digital Solutions (ADS) received patent rights to
the new technology named Digital Angel (TM). What's bothersome is
that Digital Angel is a miniature digital transceiver specifically
designed for human implantation (original patent info).

According to ADS, "The implantable transceiver sends and receives
data and can be continuously tracked by GPS (Global Positioning
Satellite) technology. The transceiver's power supply and actuation
system are unlike anything ever created. When implanted within a
body, the device is powered electromechanically through the movement
of muscles, and it can be
activated either by the 'wearer' or by the monitoring facility."

-- more --

http://www.raidersnewsupdate.com/digitalangels.htm

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - ReligionToday News Items - May 31, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 10:39:00 -0500

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

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

May 31, 2000

The demographics of the "born-again" population are changing,
researcher George Barna (see link #1 below) says. The biggest
growth in the last 10 years has occurred among Asian-Americans,
he said. "If spiritual revival has occurred among any group of
people in the U.S. in the past decade, it is undeniably among
Asians." In 1991, 5 percent of Asian-Americans had made a
personal commitment to Jesus Christ that they believed would give them
eternal life, Barna's working definition of a born-again Christian.
That figure has increased to 27 percent. ...The last 10 years have
seen tremendous spiritual growth in the South, already the heartland
of born-again American Christianity, Barna said. There has been no
increase in the likelihood of adults professing faith in Christ in
either the Northeast or in the West, but a 22 percent increase in the
South. ...Nationally, the percentage of born-again adults 50 or older
has risen from 31-41 since 1991, Barna said. Meanwhile, it is even
harder to penetrate the ranks of those under 30. In 1991, 28 percent
of adults ages 18 to 29 had professed faith in Jesus Christ, but
today, just 26 percent do, Barna said. "Baby Busters have proven to be
the most gospel-resistant generation the church has seen in many
years." ...The past decade has seen a lot of religious activity among
men, but there is little evidence of significant spiritual change
among them, he said. In 1991, 32 percent of men had accepted Christ as
their savior, a figure that has increased to 36 percent. ...The 1990s
brought about 10 million more adult born-again believers, because of
population growth, Barna said. Most of the growth comes from among
individuals making $60,000 a year or more, many of whom are "living
'the good life' and, upon analyzing the salvation proposal, determined
that inviting Christ into their life is a smart choice," he said.
..."For many of these individuals, faith in Jesus is simply a good
deal. They are not likely to view their faith decision as the catalyst
of a lifestyle that demands sacrifice, selflessness, and service.
Faith in Christ represents an eternal insurance policy for them rather
than a significant change of heart about the ultimate meaning of life,
or how to honor Christ through their decisions, behavior, and
resources."

[... snip ... ]

A witch in Maine has been charged with a hate crime against a
Christian. In what may be a first in the state, Scott Buchanan,
27, of Livermore, who claims to have evil powers and the ability
to read minds, was charged by the attorney general's office under the
state's Civil Rights Act, the Bangor Daily News said. ..."I hate
Christians,'' Buchanan told a 16-year-old co-worker at an Auburn
restaurant, according to the complaint, which quoted Buchanan as
saying Christians "should all be burned at the stake like witches."
The case may be the first in which Christianity was the religion
targeted in a hate crime, Attorney General Andrew Ketterer said.
...Maine has asked a judge to stop Buchanan from threatening or
hurting the boy, the attorney general said. ''It is unfortunate that
there are those in our community who would make threats of violence
because of a person's religion," Ketterer said. "This office is
committed to protecting the rights of all people in Maine to be free
from violence and threats.''

-----------
News from ReligionToday is Copyrighted by Crosswalk.com.
Content may be reproduced provided proper credit is
given to religiontoday.crosswalk.com. Please go to
http://www.GOSHEN.net/Copyright.html to be sure you
meet all legal requirements.

------- End of forwarded message -------

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Scary monsters super creeps / Pfiesteria piscicida
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 15:26:28 -0500

Scary monsters super creeps
http://www.newscientist.com/nl/0603/scary.html

She calls it the career from hell--and she's only half joking. She's been
hounded by powerful industries, seen her lab closed and watched her funding
disappear. What did algal biologist JoAnn Burkholder have to do to achieve
this distinction? Not much, says Burkholder, who works at North Carolina
State University--just tell the truth about a creature that changes shape
and size with no warning. Worse than that, it comes armed with a nerve
poison that attacks fish and researchers alike. Stephanie Pain listens to
her story

Tell me about Pfiesteria piscicida--the thing they call the cell from hell.
What exactly is it?

Pfiesteria is a member of a very ancient group of single-celled organisms
called dinoflagellates. They are a wonderful group of organisms, half of
them are plant-like and half are animal-like. Pfiesteria is one of the
animal-like species.

So why do people call it the cell from hell?

I think the biology of this organism has captured people's imaginations so
they give it almost human attributes. Many dinoflagellates produce harmful
toxins but Pfiesteria is also what is known as an "ambush predator" and
attacks fish. It has a fascinating life cycle in which it transforms into 24
different shapes and forms. It can change size from 5 micrometres to 750
micrometres--an enormous difference for a microbe. Some forms look like
green algae because they've "borrowed" or stolen chloroplasts from algae
they've eaten. Others are blob-like amoebas. Sometimes the whole population
"disappears", sinking out of sight at the bottom of the estuary, and then
swims up and attacks fish. After killing them, Pfiesteria cells transform
into large, colourless amoebas, attach to the carcasses and feed on the
remains. Unless you watched the transformations, you'd never realise it was
the same creature.

What makes it attack fish?

Pfiesteria can eat almost anything, from bacteria to mammalian tissue. Most
of the time it's harmless. It only makes toxins if there are live fish
around, under conditions where it can detect them. If you're a fish just
moving through, you're OK. But when large schools of fish linger to feed in
quiet brackish waters, enough of their secretions and excretions build up
for Pfiesteria to detect them. Then they start making toxins.

How does Pfiesteria kill fish?

One of the first effects is to "drug" them. They become lethargic and then
suddenly behave as though they are trying to shake themselves out of it, or
they come to the surface and gulp air. And from there, the toxins begin to
affect the nervous system. We believe that the fish die from suffocation.
Some components of the toxin also dissolve the fish skin and create gaping,
bleeding holes.

How big a problem is it?

I think Pfiesteria is established worldwide but it's usually benign. It
takes a special set of circumstances before it causes problems. It's no
accident that the estuaries of North Carolina are the epicentre of toxic
outbreaks. They are warm, quiet, shallow and poorly flushed. And they are
highly enriched with nutrients because we have huge swine and poultry
industries and a burgeoning human population, so there are lots of untreated
and poorly treated wastes going into the water.

How many fish does Pfiesteria kill each year?

The fish kills have been worst by far in North Carolina. The "best" year
Pfiesteria has had was 1991--more than a billion fish died. They were
bulldozed from beaches. Since then, in some years hundreds of thousands to
millions of fish have died.

You too were attacked by Pfiesteria...

After we linked Pfiesteria to the fish kills in the estuary, we asked people
who worked on other toxic dinoflagellates what precautions we should take
when working with this organism. We were told to wear a lab coat and gloves.
We didn't realise that the cultures that were killing fish in our tanks were
also apparently emitting neurotoxic aerosols into the air. Of the 12 people
exposed in laboratories, five were seriously affected, including two in my
lab. All five suffered severe but fortunately short-term memory loss. While
we were affected we couldn't hold a conversation. We could recognise words
but we couldn't put them into sentences. We could add 1 plus 1 but we
couldn't manage 3 plus 4. I was the first affected that way in my lab.

So what happened to you?

I lost eight days of my life. It's like the tape was erased except for just
a couple of clear visual memories. I had been sampling one of the toxic
tanks. I remember that my gloves were dripping with water and watching my
hand come up in slow motion to my face so that I could rub my eyes. I had
lost the ability to realise that something was seriously wrong. My eyes were
burning badly yet I was rubbing toxin-laden water into them--something I
would never do if I hadn't been affected by this toxin. I don't remember
being helped to an elevator but I've been told that I was, that I doubled
over, had severe stomach pains, muscle cramping and asthma-like symptoms
when the drugging effect wore off.

Did you know what was happening to you? Were you scared?

I guess what I experienced might be something like what happens to people in
the early stages of Alzheimer's disease--there are clear moments when the
person realises something is very wrong but then sinks back down. During
those lucid periods it was very frightening. I knew I had lost the ability
to think clearly. I had once had a photographic memory and suddenly I
couldn't even remember two digits of a telephone number.

What did you do?

I hid in my apartment. During lucid moments I would test myself. I'd try to
write down what a TV news commentator said, even a four-word sentence. It
was only when I was finally able to remember a short sentence that I began
to hope I would come out of it.

How did people react when you told them?

People didn't believe it. When I went back to work, some of the university
professors told me I shouldn't say anything--if I asked too many questions
my research would be shut down. Others said that I must be making it up.
Most university safety officials didn't seem to believe it either, but I
think they were concerned about the potential for liability. We were moved
into a small trailer that was supposed to have been designed to prevent
further exposure to toxic aerosols.

So then everything was fine?

No, not at all. It turned out that toxic aerosols were vented into working
areas that were not even near the toxic cultures. Air that was supposed to
be ventilated to the outside was shunted directly over my research
associate's desk. A few months after we moved there, he spent a particularly
intense day working long hours--and suddenly collapsed. He couldn't remember
his name. He couldn't find his way home, and his reading ability degenerated
to the level of a seven-year-old. He's a highly intelligent man but he had
to take reading lessons and it took three months for him to recover his
learning and reading abilities. He suffered from other health problems as
well, and still has bouts of illness after seven years.

Does anyone know how long the effects last?

No. I've been told that three of the five people badly hurt have had
sporadic but serious multiple-sclerosis-like symptoms. My research associate
still relapses and I appear to have symptoms of immune system suppression.
I've had 16 episodes of pneumonia--something I'd never had before--and I'm
on antibiotics 200 days a year. I'm hoping that will begin to reverse but we
really don't have any idea of what the long-term effects of these toxins
will be.

After these injuries, did people take more notice?

No, at least not in a positive way. Instead, we encountered enormous
resistance--from environment and health officials, various industries such
as the swine, seafood and tourism industries, and from coastal developers.
There was major resistance to most aspects of the research. The link to fish
kills and especially the effects on people were seen as a threat to the
local economy. Funding from most local sources suddenly dried up.

Did fishermen ever have health problems?

They were, and still are, reluctant to talk because there was a great deal
of pressure on them to keep quiet. But early on we began to hear some very
disconcerting things in quiet conversation. One fisherman told me: "I know
these estuaries like the back of my hand and I got lost--I had no idea where
I was." There were places fishermen wouldn't go. They called these places
dead zones. Some of them described suddenly passing out and vomiting on the
boats. They talked about disorientation and memory loss. It made me very
uneasy because it sounded so similar to what had happened to us. And
although they didn't know it, the areas they were describing were places
where toxic Pfiesteria had been active.

So why do you still work with Pfiesteria?

It's really not the cell from hell--I don't think that's a fair way to
describe Pfiesteria. It's more like the career from hell. I don't mean that
seriously, but when we first began to encounter extreme opposition we knew
things were going to be difficult. But we believed that people were getting
hurt from Pfiesteria and we just didn't think we could turn our backs on
that. Also, we really want to know about these toxins and how they affect
people, because of our health problems and because other people had been
hurt.

What did it take to make people take Pfiesteria seriously?

Three small outbreaks of toxic Pfiesteria in Washington DC's backyard. In
1997, about 30 000 fish died during those outbreaks in Chesapeake Bay in
Maryland. More than a million fish died during outbreaks in North Carolina
that year, but Maryland is close to Washington DC and the press coverage was
enormous. Also, while North Carolina had tried for years to deny there was a
problem, in Maryland action was swift. The governor called out the National
Guard to make sure no one went near those waters until the outbreaks were
over. And he immediately asked for medical tests on about 15 people who had
been exposed to the toxins. Some of them were diagnosed in the bottom 2 per
cent of the US population in their ability to learn and remember. Suddenly,
Congress was talking about it.

What did that mean for you?

Suddenly we had recognition from another state. North Carolina was, I think,
embarrassed and the state legislature provided generous funding for a new
biohazard level 3 lab. With that we are now making good progress in
characterising the toxin, and we are doing experiments to examine the
effects of human, poultry and swine wastes on Pfiesteria. People are now
aware that water quality, fish kills and human health go hand in hand and
that we need to do much more to protect our rivers and estuaries.

Has the opposition to your work died down now?

No, it's still pretty vicious from some quarters, especially from the
seafood, swine and poultry industries. The swine and poultry industries
closely track my activities and continually put out misinformation to try to
discredit our research. That's to be expected, I suppose, but one of the
more shocking things I've encountered has been the deplorable ethics of some
scientists. Some government agencies given a lot of money for Pfiesteria
research have improved our understanding of Pfiesteria but others simply
absorbed it or spent it on other issues. Far worse has been the conduct of
certain scientists-for-hire who have been willing to help the various
attempts to discredit us. There are many scientists with integrity but it
only takes a few of the others to create confusion over an issue and block
progress. Frankly, I find Pfiesteria's behaviour more refreshing than that
of some of the scoundrels I've encountered in industry, on the political
scene and in the scientific community. At least say that Pfiesteria has a
certain purity of purpose and clearly demonstrates its intentions. To me,
it's still a fascinating creature.

From New Scientist magazine, 03 June 2000.

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Women who read Torah at Western Wall can be jailed
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 16:27:06 -0500

WOMEN WHO READ TORAH AT WESTERN WALL CAN BE JAILED

Women who read the Torah at the Western Wall could face a
seven-year jail sentence, according to a bill passed in preliminary
reading by the Knesset a short while ago. Members of the
ultra-Orthodox
United Torah Judaism faction in the Knesset today introduced the bill
to
the Knesset in an attempt to override last week's High Court of
Justice
ruling that women could pray as men do at the Wall, once a month.

http://cgis.jpost.com/cgi-bin/LinkLog/linklog.cgi?link=www.jpost.com/E
ditions/2000/05/31/News/News.7552.html&title=7552&source=frontpage

via: Real World News (http://www.realworldnews.net)

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Skies rain fish on parched southern Ethiopia
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 16:27:09 -0500

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

via: hblondel@tampabay.rr.com

5/31/2000 14:17:00 ET

Skies rain fish on parched southern Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Drought-stricken peasant farmers tending their
fields in southern Ethiopia got a nasty shock when the heavens opened
and they were pelted by fish, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"The unusual rain of fish which dropped in millions from the air --
some dead and others still struggling -- created panic among the
mostly religious farmers," the weekly Amharic newspaper said.

Saloto Sodoro, a fish expert in the region, attributed the phenomenon
to heavy storms in the Indian Ocean which swept up the fish before
shedding them on the unsuspecting farmers.

Southern Ethiopia has been in the grip of a severe drought for two
years which aid officials say threatens the lives of up to eight
million people.

------- End of forwarded message -------

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Scientists Make Plants Grow Faster
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 18:28:51 -0400

Scientists Make Plants Grow Faster

By JEFF DONN
Associated Press Writer

Genetic researchers have accelerated a plant's growth by making its cells
split faster - a technique that could someday lead to heartier crops,
shorter growing seasons and less use of herbicides.

One outside scientist called the findings astonishing.

But the technique needs more testing on a range of plants, and public fear
of genetically modified food is jeopardizing support for such experiments,
especially in Europe, researchers said.

The experiment, reported Thursday in the journal Nature, was carried out by a
team at Cambridge University.

The researchers first took a gene promoting cell division from inside the
arabidopsis plant, a flowering weed often used for genetic experiments. They
transplanted that gene into a tobacco plant. There, in an especially potent
form, the gene produced large amounts of a protein that, in combination with
other chemicals naturally in the tobacco, made the plant's cells divide more
quickly at the tips of roots and shoots.

Within a month after planting, the altered tobacco grew as much as twice as
tall as other tobacco plants. Ultimately, the other plants caught up, and both
groups then appeared identical in all ways.

``It's sort of like they've been able to make the plant go full throttle,'' said
plant growth biologist John Schiefelbein at the University of Michigan.

The leader of the study, Claire Cockcroft, said it is conceivable that the
technique could be transferred to other species.

Such plants, which probably would take years to develop commercially, might
allow an extra planting in some climates or the introduction of crops in places
where the growing season is too short, researchers said.

The quick-growth plants would presumably take hold more easily, requiring
less chemical herbicide to knock out weeds. Such plants might make easier
and cheaper sources of some drugs.

In scientific circles, the British research may also help settle an intense
debate over what makes plants grow. Some argue, like these researchers,
that something at the cellular level switches on growth; others look to
hormones or other chemicals at a higher level of the plant's makeup.

``This is astonishing. Normally you would expect growth regulation to be
more complicated,'' said plant researcher Xuemin Wang at Kansas State
University. ``This has huge implications in terms of how we look at plant
growth.''

Biotechnology companies have genetically manipulated fruits and vegetables
to make them more attractive or resistant to insects and disease. Genetic
work has shown some early promise for faster growth, too. But previous
attempts to boost growth through faster cell division have produced more
cells - but smaller ones - and no overall growth.

Scientists said such work is safe, with little chance of accidentally
turning an unwanted plant into a fast-growing weed.

After all, crops have been selectively bred safely for decades to bring out
certain traits.

However, ethicist Jeffrey Burkhardt at the University of Florida's Institute of
Food and Agricultural Sciences said selective breeding takes perhaps 15
years, giving scientists ample time to see the implications.

``With the new biotechnology, you're potentially moving traits in and out
within a year,'' he said.

He said federal agencies should review genetically modified plants more
carefully over a longer time. But he thinks some may prove worthy.

via: isml@egroups.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 18:37:29 -0400

CIVIL CONQUEST OF YESHA PLANNED
Thousands of Palestinians will attempt to "conquer" Jewish Yesha
communities upon the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state on
September 13. So claims a Saudi Arabian newspaper, quoting a "Plan for
Liberation of Lands" authorized by the Palestinian Authority. This report
jibes with a statement made recently by leading PLO official Feisal
Husseini, who said that on the day after the declaration of a Palestinian
state "on all its lands," the Palestinians living in refugee camps will
"march" towards Israeli cities and villages. Husseini acknowledged that
violence during such a march would be likely, and that it could lead to a
Palestinian conquest of Jewish towns in Yesha.

Residents of the Binyamin community of Nachliel sent an urgent letter to IDF
Binyamin area commander Col. Gal Hirsch this week, warning that the IDF
will be unable to reach Yesha towns in the event that the Palestinians carry
through with their threats to overtake the communities.

Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel related to these threats today, and said, "We have
raised these issues with the army and government, who are responsible for
these matters. They are aware of the issue and are organized to deal with
it." Ariel also said that the towns already have weapons that, in the
opinion of the army, are sufficient to deal with external threats.

BEN-AMI REVEALS DEEP BARAK-CLINTON CONNECTION
Minister of Public Security Shlomo Ben-Ami said today that there are only a
few weeks left for Israel to either come to an agreement with the
Palestinians, or miss the opportunity for a long time to come. He explained
that Clinton's term as U.S. President is coming to an end, and he will soon
not be able to broker an agreement, and the same with Congress, which will
soon be unable to approve the large aid packages needed for the
agreements. Yossi Ben-Aharon, who headed Prime Minister Yitzchak
Shamir's office, reacted with alarm today to Ben-Ami's words: "I don't think
that Ben-Ami himself realized the severity of his words. He has now revealed
the true intentions of the Barak government. I have said from the beginning
that Barak has tied his time schedule and his planning of the entire
diplomatic process with Clinton... Clinton has his own interests - he wants
to end his career with the attainment of an agreement between Israel and her
neighbors, and so he and [Secretary of State] Albright and the others are
heavily pressuring Barak to complete the talks before the end of Clinton's
term. Clinton, in turn, promised that he would pass the aid package through
Congress, which will also include much money for the Palestinians, Syria,
and Lebanon. This shows that whoever believes the denials of the Prime
Minister's office regarding these concessions and 90% of Yesha is simply
mistaken... I say this with great trembling, but what Ehud Barak is doing is
very frightening: He is knowingly gambling on the future and the security of
the State of Israel. He is ignoring the history of the Palestinian Authority
which has not lived up to any of its commitments, and is giving away all the
land, and then - after more intifada and more violence - he will wake up one
day and say, Woops, we made a mistake."

In light of the reports from Stockholm, the Likud Knesset faction submitted a
no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Barak. Likud faction leader MK Ruby
Rivlin said, "It is becoming increasingly clear that the negotiations being
conducted by Ehud Barak endanger the security interests of Israel. What is
taking place is a total collapse of the red lines established by all Israeli
governments in their positions until now."

P.A. TURNS DOWN 92%
The PA's rejection of the offer of 92% of Yesha - confirmed today by
government sources - was predictable, says Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai
Huberman: "This has consistently been the Palestinians' position. They
refuse to concede even one meter. In fact, during the Eilat talks a few
weeks ago, the Israeli negotiators were told by the Palestinians, 'Your
calculations - 6.1%, 13%, 92%, etc. - have a basic error: The 100% we are
demanding is not of the entirety of Judea and Samaria, but of the entirety
of Palestine! Our agreement to take all of the West Bank is already a
great concession - in that we are agreeing to take only 25% of the entire
land!'"

Huberman said that the Palestinians are prepared to agree to such a deal,
however, if it is not called a "permanent-status" agreement, and if the
topics of the status of Jerusalem and the so-called "right of return" are
postponed to a date to be named later. "That way, Arafat can tell his
people that the 92% is not a final-status deal..." Huberman described as
"impractical" the transfer of Israeli-Arab villages to the PA in
compensation for the remaining 8% "because the Arab population in Israel is
opposed to giving up all the benefits that come with Israeli citizenship. In
addition, Barak needs their support. The other sovereign Israeli area that
Barak may forfeit is in Halutza, near Gaza in the Negev..."

Huberman also related to the above-reported threat of the Palestinian
conquest of Yesha communities: "The plan to have Palestinian civilians
march towards and penetrate Yesha towns will pose a serious dilemma for
Israel's security forces, in terms of firing on civilians," he explained.
"The Palestinians would like to emulate the tactic they saw in southern
Lebanon... The IDF officially says that it is prepared for all possible
scenarios, but Yesha residents aren't convinced. In the letter sent to IDF
officials from Nachliel, the residents note that a full day may pass before
reinforcements arrive to defend the yishuvim. 'With no offense intended to the
IDF,' wrote the residents, 'the PA could dispatch hundreds of skilled, armed
Palestinians before the IDF has a chance to respond. Thus, a danger would
exist
even if roads to the settlements are not blocked by Arab snipers and
ambushes..."

THREATS TO ISRAEL FROM THE NORTH
The United Nations still refuses to confirm that Israel has complied fully with
UN Resolution 425, and continues its work along the Israeli-Lebanese border
to ensure that Israel has fully withdrawn. Syria has announced that from its
standpoint, Israel has still not fully withdrawn. Similarly, Amal terrorist
leader Muhammad Abdel Hamid Baydun declared that his group will resume
today its "military operations" against the Israeli occupation forces stationed
in Shab'a and other positions.

One out of every six refugee families that fled to Israel last week has no
connection to the South Lebanese Army. Some 550 refugee families wish to
settle in Israel, 130 families prefer to return to Lebanon, and the rest -
over 800 - plan to re-settle in a different country. SLA senior officers
have asked that a village be established for them in the event that they
cannot return to Lebanon.

A new Arab political movement has been established, that will work for the
return of property and land left in Israel by Arabs in 1948. Leaders of the
movement, who are largely former members of MK Ahmed Tibi's party, say
that it will become a party that will run in the next Knesset elections...

The police sink and bury some 10,000 guns every year at sea. The guns
had belonged to citizens whose licenses expired. The criteria for such
licenses have become more severe of late, and the Interior Ministry has an
open policy of reducing the number of guns held by citizens...

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, May 31, 2000 / Iyar 26, 5760

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - AT&T embracing porn
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 18:41:28 -0500

* AT&T EMBRACING PORN: AT&T, which has bought up
many local cable companies across the country, plans
to carry a hard-core adult-movie channel, The Hot
Network, that other big cable operators have rejected.
AT&T says the move will give its customers more
choices. Time Warner, which nixed The Hot Network on
its own systems, said it "doesn't comport with the
values our company wishes to exhibit." AT&T took over
TCI, which refused to carry movies with explicit sex
or extreme violence.

via: Morrock News Digest
http://morrock.com

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

========

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