BPR Mailing List Digest: 03/30/01

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
March 30, 2001

Digest Home | 2001 | March, 2001

From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 08:53:04 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 08:53:04 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Baptist Press News (3/29/01)

House panel approves unborn victims bill

By Staff

WASHINGTON (BP)--The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee
approved March 28 a bill to provide legal protection for unborn
children who are harmed during federal crimes against their
mothers.

The committee voted 15-9 in support of the Unborn Victims of
Violence Act, which would criminalize violence resulting in
injury or death to an unborn child when it is committed during a
violent federal offense against a pregnant woman. Under the
proposal, a person convicted of injuring or killing a child would
be guilty of the same crime that would result from injury or
death to the mother.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R.-Wis., chairman of the committee,
said in a written release the bill will help close a "massive
loophole [in current law] preventing full protection for pregnant
women."

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
supports the legislation.

Last year, the House of Representatives approved the bill in a
254-172 vote, but the Senate failed to act on it.

Though the bill says it does not apply to an abortion consented
to by the mother, pro-life and pro-choice advocates squared off
on it in the last session as if it were a major battle in the
continuing struggle since the 1973 Roe v. Wade opinion legalized
abortion.

Rep. Lindsay Graham, R.-S.C., is the chief sponsor of the bill,
H.R. 503. The Constitution Subcommittee of the Judiciary
Committee had approved the bill only the week before.

--------------------

Appeals court rules in favor of anti-abortion Internet site

By Staff

SAN FRANCISCO (BP)--A federal appeals court has ruled that a
group of anti-abortion activists were exercising their
free-speech rights when they published "wanted" posters listing
the names of abortion doctors, whom they called "baby butchers,"
CNSNews.com reported March 29.

A three-member panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,
located in San Francisco, ruled unanimously March 28 the First
Amendment protected the language on "The Nuremberg Files"
website, even though it called the rhetoric "pungent, even highly
offensive," CNS reported. The panel's opinion said, according to
CNS, "While the [American Coalition of Life Activists] named its
targets, it said nothing about planning to harm them; indeed, it
did not even call on others to do so."

The panel's action overturned a $107 million judgment in a
federal court in Portland, Ore., against the anti-abortion
coalition, according to The Washington Post. Abortion rights
advocates had contended the website, which includes the addresses
and photos of some abortion doctors, endorsed violence against
them.

In its opinion, the appeals court panel cited a 1982 Supreme
Court decision in favor of Mississippi civil rights activists who
publicized the names of blacks who continued to shop at
white-owned businesses that had been accused of racist practices,
The Post reported. The high court ruled their actions were
protected by the First Amendment, even though some of the blacks
targeted were threatened or harmed, according to The Post.

Abortion rights organizations decried the Ninth Circuit's
decision.

"Reasonable people understand the difference between free speech
and harassment that creates a violent social climate," said
Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of
America, in a written statement. "This Web site represents the
latter."

Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion and
Reproductive Rights Action League, called for President Bush and
Attorney General John Ashcroft to seek a reversal of the ruling.

One of the defendants in the case, Michael Bray of Bowie, Md.,
told The Post, "We did nothing but express our view, however
radical it might seem. Not only do abortion advocates want to
have their rights, but they want to shut up everybody that calls
[abortion] murder."

The case is Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Williamette v.
American Coalition of Life Activists.

------------------

FIRST-PERSON: Parents, the 'right book' is crucial amid Satan's
attack on your children

By Claude Thomas

EULESS, Texas (BP)--Our families are under siege. The battle is
raging and casualties arrive with names: Columbine High School,
Santana High School and most recently El Cajon High School. Names
of children mark the casualties of the war.

What is happening? Why do these things continue? Very simply,
enemy number one, Satan, has determined to undermine and explode
our families. This is the battle. How do we respond? We look for
answers, and the Bible gives us a map to navigate the landmines
of the war.

We know that the Bible is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, and for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy
3:16). We know that the Word of God is "sharper than any
two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12). In a whirlwind of assault
against the family, we find direction from the Bible. We can have
strong families; we can parent our children in a way that leads
them to godly, healthy lives. How does this happen? We parent by
the right book! And that book, as you might have guessed, is the
Bible.

The Bible clearly translates the language of parenting to our
families. We just need to take the time to read! In 1 Samuel 2-4,
we read the narrative about Eli, the priest of Shiloh. Even Eli,
a priest, one who is supposed to live his life for the Lord,
neglected to set a good example for his own children. We see this
fact in the text. By the time he gets around to disciplining his
sons, the damage is already done. His sons have no respect for
their father and are out of control. Because Eli didn't live as a
positive example, his sons followed a direction that opposed the
Lord.

We can learn two valuable lessons from Eli:

1) Parents should consistently lead children to embrace godly
values and biblical truth. Eli failed to enforce this basic
principle. By the time he hears of his sons' disobedience to God,
he is "very old" (1 Samuel 2:22). In other words, he is
completely out of touch with his sons. He has no clue that they
live completely apart from God. Parents, let's learn a lesson at
this point: If we want our children to live healthy, godly lives,
then we must start as the example! Parents must consistently lead
their children to love the Lord. How do we do this? Parents must
start early and stay late.

Children need to see the "right" things in order to follow them.
So parents, teach your children what the Bible says, and then
live it. It is a goldmine of instruction, but without action, we
miss the power of the Bible's truth. Teach children the truth of
the Bible: that Jesus loves them as they are, that God is real,
that we can know and do right regardless of culture, that the
church is good, and that God has a wonderful plan for their
lives. Start early with this instruction, and stay late. As
parents continue to walk alongside their children through their
lives, even when the children grow into adults, the example still
stands. Parents who build strong families will lead their
children to embrace the values and truth of God and his Word.

2) Parents must correct children in love. The Scripture is clear
at this point. Eli neglected his role in correcting his sons. So,
by the time he gets around to it, it's too late. Parents should
always correct their children in a timely fashion and in love.
Loving correction in a timely fashion for the good of the child
strengthens both the child and the family. And children will see
the love if their parents have intentionally put the Lord first
in the family. Parents must put the Lord above any other event or
extra-curricular activity. The love of God is the best example
for the children to see. They will respond to parents' correction
if they see that God is first in the family.

These are two simple statements straight out of God's Word:
parents, lead children to embrace godly values and biblical truth
and correct in love. Two simple statements, extremely powerful
results. The battle is real and the war rages. But our families
will see victory when we parent by the right book -- the Bible.

Thomas is pastor of First Baptist Church, Euless, Texas, and
chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive
Committee. Additional resources by Thomas are available at
Lifepoints at www.firstonthe.net.

http://www.BaptistPress.org/

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 08:53:04 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 08:53:04 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Zenit items (3/29/01)

REPORT ON VATICAN RADIO ANTENNAS SEEN AS UNSCIENTIFIC
New Study Urged Over Health Risks

VATICAN CITY, MAR. 29, 2001 (Zenit.org).- The Italian government has
implicitly acknowledged as unscientific a report that blamed electromagneti c
waves from Vatican Radio B4s transmission antennas for health problems in a

nearby neighborhood.

The controversy broke out when the Latium region B4s Public Health Agency
published a report on cases of tumors and leukemia. The 25-page document
claimed that children living within a 2-kilometer radius of the antennas ar e six
times more liable to get leukemia than children in nearby Rome.

This statistic, taken out of context and published before the entire report was
made public, prompted news headlines such as "Vatican Radio Kills
Children!"

In reality, the document confirms that only one child is sick with leukemia in
the 2-kilometer radius. The controversy stems from the fact that, in a simi lar
radius in the city of Rome, 0.16 children get leukemia.

Neither the report nor any doctor has demonstrated that the child who now
has leukemia was contaminated by exposure to Vatican Radio B4s
electromagnetic waves.

A group of Italian scientists, among whom are physicist Tullio Regge; Renat o
Angelo Ricci, president of the Italian Nuclear Association; and Giancarlo
Corazza, honorary president of the Marconi Foundation, wrote to Italian
President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and to European Commission President
Romano Prodi, pointing out the document B4s unscientific character.

In fact, the document acknowledges that the "analysis of mortality for the

period 1987-95 has not reflected an excess of cases of mortality due to
tumors." In other words, the information for the 2-kilometer radius of Vati can
Radio B4s antenna is exactly the same as the average for Rome.

An examination of adult cases of leukemia in the 2-kilometer radius reveale d
40 deaths in a population of 60,000 residents, the same as the average for

Rome.

Friday was the deadline given by Italian Environment Minister Willer Bordon

to Vatican Radio to discontinue its transmissions. In the midst of an
electoral campaign, this politician of the Green group threatened to cut of f
electricity to the pontifical broadcasting station.

Bordon reacted, despite the fact that a commission was created months ago
by the Italian government and the Vatican, precisely to study the situation

and resolve the problem.

At the end of a meeting held Wednesday in the Italian Foreign Ministry, the

commission announced that within 40 to 50 days the results of a scientific

examination of the area will be published.

Once the data is backed up scientifically, the government and the Vatican
plan to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the health of the area B4 s
residents, most of whom built their houses long after the antennas were
installed.

ZE01032902

--------------------

CATHOLICS AND U.S. PRESBYTERIANS MOVE CLOSER
Understanding of "Church" Is Still a Key Difference

VATICAN CITY, MAR. 29, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Over the past year, unexpected
progress was made in the ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church
and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), despite continued differences on
important points.

According to a Vatican press statement, a meeting was held March 20-21 in
the Vatican between a high-level delegation of the 2.7-million-member
Presbyterian Church and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christi an
Unity. The former included the Reverend Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated cle rk
of the General Assembly/Head of Communion, and the Rev. Robina
Winbush, director of ecumenical and agency relations.

The primary purpose of the meeting was to study the Presbyterian response
to John Paul II B4s proposal in No. 95 of the encyclical "Ut Unum Sint," wh ich
expresses his willingness to rethink the specific ways that the ministry of the
Bishop of Rome is carried out, in order to ensure ecclesial communion.

The Presbyterian Church responded with a document entitled "The
Successor to Peter," which was discussed with the Pope B4s senior
collaborator for ecumenical affairs, Cardinal Edward I. Cassidy, at the
Presbyterian headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, last Dec. 7-8.

The discussion has continued in Rome, with the Vatican B4s representative,

Cardinal Walter Kasper, successor to Cardinal Cassidy, who resigned for
reasons of age.

During the Rome meeting, "various aspects of the Petrine ministry" were
examined, which are proper to the Pope. At this point, the discussion
centered on the widest concept of the Church of each of the two Christian
confessions.

Although the representatives said that Catholics and Presbyterians are
united "by faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Redeemer, and in the
Trinity," they acknowledged that substantial differences exist "in
understanding the nature of the Church," and the exercise of authority.

However, the representatives of both confessions said that the desire for
unity is alive, encouraging them to continue in the ecumenical way, by
addressing additional issues in future meetings, including:

--the possibility of Reformed participation in the ecumenical consensus on

basic truths of the doctrine of justification, building on the recent Catho lic-
Lutheran agreement;

--the possibility of reaching, at the appropriate level, a mutual recogniti on of
the sacrament of baptism;

--and the continuing joint study of the events in the 16th and 17th centuri es,
which led to the divisions.

The Presbyterian delegation B4s visit to Rome culminated in a meeting March

22 with John Paul II. The Holy Father encouraged Catholics and
Presbyterians to undergo a spiritual renewal, the indispensable "condition to
be able to surmount the barriers that still divide Christians."

ZE01032903

------------------

OIL FROM SEIZED MAFIA ESTATE TO BE BLESSED

VATICAN CITY, MAR. 29, 2001 (Zenit.org).- During the Chrism Mass on Holy
Thursday, a cardinal will bless oil produced in Sicilian lands confiscated from
the Mafia, and will allocate the oil to the administration of sacraments.

The initiative was proposed by Father Luigi Ciotti, founder of the Libera
Association, which includes 700 organizations committed to the struggle
against the Mafia.

The oil comes from the plains of the Castelvetrano estate in Sicily, which

was confiscated from Mafia chief Bernardo Provenzano.

"I think the ecclesial meaning of this operation is obvious: to transform i nto a
sacrament, namely, into an instrument of salvation, what was an instrument

of sin, violence, prevarication, death and abuse," Father Ciotti told
L B4Osservatore Romano.

Cardinal Severino Poletto of Turin accepted the proposal immediately. "It
makes me very happy that during the Chrism Mass in Turin, this sign can
encourage all of us in the construction of a more just society," he said.

The Castelvetrano olives are now cultivated by the Abel agricultural
cooperative group, a therapeutic community founded by Father Ciotti, for th e
rehabilitation of youths, most of whom are drug addicts.

ZE01032905

http://www.zenit.org

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 09:11:25 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:11:25 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Liberal media 'ignores' rape-killing of boy, 13

Liberal media 'ignores' rape-killing of boy, 13
By Toby Harnden in Washington

THE horrific rape and suffocation of a boy of 13 by two
homosexuals has ignited controversy over whether some murder victims are
more important than others in America.
The case of Matthew Shepard, murdered by anti-homosexual bigots in
Wyoming,
became a cause celebre. But the death of Jesse Dirkhising in Benton
County,
Arkansas, passed virtually unnoticed outside the state. The discrepancy in
the way the American media, which is prone to be politically correct, has
dealt with the two murders has been cited by conservatives as an example of
alleged double standards.

Neither was part of a national trend of an increase in either paedophile or
anti-homosexual killings but the murder of Mr Shepard was elevated almost
to the level of a national scandal and prompted the addition of attacks on
homosexuals to "hate crimes" legislation. Yet, despite the viciousness of
the attack on Jesse, his death in September 1999 has been all but ignored
by the big metropolitan newspapers.

Jesse was drugged, strapped to a bed and gagged with his own underwear
before being repeatedly raped by Joshua Brown, 23, as Brown's lover, Davis
Carpenter, 39, allegedly looked on. When Brown, returned to the bedroom
after eating a sandwich, Jesse had died. He admitted rape and was found
guilty of murder by an Arkansas jury last week even though he argued that
Carpenter, who has yet to be tried, had directed him.

In the month after Jesse's death, a newspaper database search yielded 46
articles about him. In the month after Mr Shepard's murder, there were
3,007 articles, including 45 in the New York Times and 28 in the Washington
Post. The conservative Washington Times accused the media of ignoring the
Dirkhising killing.

But Jonathan Gregg, a Time editor, wrote: "The reason the Dirkhising story
received so little play is because it offered no lessons. Shepard's murder
touches on a host of complex and timely issues: intolerance, society's
attitudes towards gays and the pressure to conform, the use of violence as
a means of confronting one's own demons."

Until this week, the debate was largely limited to the Washington Times and
various conservative websites. But the latest issue of the Left-leaning New
Republic carried a stinging article by Andrew Sullivan, a homosexual
British journalist based in Washington.

"The answer is politics. The Shepard case was hyped for political reasons:
to build support for inclusion of homosexuals in a federal hate-crimes law.
The Dirkhising case was ignored for political reasons: squeamishness about
reporting a story that could feed anti-gay prejudice, and the lack of any
pending interest-group legislation to hang a story on."

via: End_Times_News@yahoogroups.com

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 09:13:06 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:13:06 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) News from Hebron: Shalhevet to be buried on Sunday

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 08:46:12 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: News from Hebron: Shalhevet
to be buried on Sunday - Statement

News from Hebron: Shalhevet to be buried on Sunday - Statement

The Hebron Press Office hebron@hebron.org.il
March 30, 2001

1. Shalhevet to be buried on Sunday
---------------------------------------------
OUR FATHER, OUR KING, AVENGE BEFORE US THE VENGEANCE OF THE BLOOD OF YOUR
FALLEN SERVANTS

The funeral of the pure and innocent child Shalhevet Techiya Pass H"YD who
was murdered on Kiddush HaShem in Hebron
by an Arab terrorist will take place on Sunday, 8 Nisan (April 1) at the
ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron

Bullet-proof buses will leave Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem at 10:00

The funeral procession will leave Ma'arat HaMachpela at 11:00

Full security provided by the Israeli security forces

The Jewish Community of Hebron The Pass and Zarbiv families

A Hebron spokesman issued the following statement:

In answer to those who ask, why conduct the funeral now, before the
Shalhevet (Abu Sneneh) hills have been recaptured,

1. The purpose of the delay was to pressure the Israeli government into
retaking the hills. Unfortunately, this has yet to be implemented. A week
has passed and the point has been made, throughout the world. We will not
allow the Israeli government to sit idly by while Arabs spill Jewish blood.
It is now time to bring little Shalhevet to her final resting place.

2. With the approaching Passover holiday, the family should be allowed to
fulfill the seven-day period of mourning.

3. Remembering Shalhevet: Residents of Hebron and Kiryat Arba are honoring
Shalhevet's memory in a number of ways. Many people are wearing a picture of
Shalhevet around their neck. The picture of Shalhevet (which means flame)
can be downloaded at: http://www.hebron.org.il/shalhevetpix.exe

Join us in memorializing Shalhevet Pass

--------------------------------------------
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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 09:22:30 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:22:30 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (3/29/01)

POPE REACHES OUT TO ISLAM

The latest surprise move from the Pope who won't slow down

For a man said to be in the twilight of his papacy, John Paul II still has the
capacity to take the world by surprise. Against the expectations of many,

given his frailty, he led the church into the new millennium. Last month he

created a record number of new cardinals. Now he is preparing for further
trips abroad.

In May, he will create another piece of religious history by becoming the
first leader of the Catholic Church to set foot inside a mosque. It is bein g
seen as an attempt by the Pope to bring Christianity and Islam closer
together. The symbolic meeting of the 2 faiths will take place when the
Pope enters the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Built
in the 8th Century AD, it is the oldest stone mosque in the world, and has

significance for Christians because it contains the tomb of John the Baptis t.

The Vatican says it will be the first time that Muslims and Christians have

prayed together in an organised way. The Pope will lead Christian prayers,

while the Muslim part of the ceremony will be conducted by the Mufti of
Syria, Sheikh Ahmed Kataro. "The dialogue between Islam and Christianity
has been a difficult one," says John Wilkins, the editor of Britain's Catho lic
weekly The Tablet. "There have been successes and failures, so this will be

a plus for John Paul II. This is symbolic, like his visit to the Wailing Wa ll in
Jerusalem, and these symbols are very important."

John Paul II has travelled all over the world since his election in 1978. H e
will be 81 in May, and suffers from Parkinson's disease. He has looked
increasingly frail in recent months, but appears determinedto continue his

overseas trips. They have enabled him to reach out to the 1bn Catholics
around the world. But a number of his recent visits have also had a
diplomatic and political significance.

In 1999, a visit to Romania saw him become the first Pope to visit an
Eastern Orthodox land since the Great Schism of 1054, which created a
split in the Christian empire that resulted in centuries of mistrust and
hostility. Last year, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Pope apologised

for Christianity's record of anti-Semitism by Christians through the ages. It
was welcomed in Israel as part of a healing process between Christianity
and the Jewish faith.

Now the Vatican is trying to improve its relations with the Muslim world.
This year, a senior Vatican diplomat met Iranian government officials in
Tehran. The visit to Syria will underline the Catholic Church's commitment

to a better understanding with Islam. The editor of The Tablet, John
Wilkins, believes that despite the Pope's age and infirmity, the visit to t he
mosque shows he has not lost his touch when it comes to making a
dramatic gesture.

But there is clearly a lot of work to be done to build better relations
between the 2 faiths. "Traditionally, Islam has been tolerant of Christiani ty -
more tolerant than Christianity has been of Islam,"he says. "But modern-
day Islam can be very fundamentalist, and that is divisive. So on the 'holy

war' side, the Pope will want it to be seen that Islam does not sanction
violence."

The Vatican will be concerned about security on the visit, not least becaus e
of the tensions in the Middle East over recent clashes between Palestinians

and Israeli forces. During the Pope's visit to Israel last year, some Musli ms
expressed anger that he was allowed to go to the Temple Mount, close to
the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The visit to Syria shows that despite concerns about his health, the Pope
has no intention of slowing down. He will return to Rome to hold a special

meeting with his cardinals to discuss the direction of the church in the 3r d
millennium. So while some commentators [and "prophets"] may talk about
the final days of his papacy, John Paul II clearly feels he has unfinished

business. (BBC)

EROTIC BIBLE "FOR ADULTS ONLY"

The Bible is an adults only book which is "so full of eroticism" that i t should
not be given to children, according to a Roman Catholic theologian. Don
Bruno Maggioni said that he would tell a conference titled Eroticism in the

Old Testament tomorrow that Scripture was "full of sex" and violence. H e
said the keynote of the conference was the quotation from The Song of
Songs 97 "Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth". The conference will be
held in the northern city of Mantua under the auspices of the Italian
National Bible Association.

Father Maggioni, a noted biblical scholar, told Avvenire, the Catholic dail y:
"The Bible is a work for adults not just because of its sexual pages but

because of the kind of questions it raises about mankind." There was
nothing scandalous about biblical sex, however. "The Bible uses the word to
91know', as in 91carnal knowledge', which implies a profound relation ship of
communion and knowledge between man and woman, which, in turn, is a
reflection of God's knowing relationship with mankind."

He said that the Bible's erotic vocabulary had once been suppressed by
priests and confessors "when the climate was more chaste, and reading
rather crude expressions might be thought scandalous. But in reality the
Bible uses the language of the people 97 it is sincere, spontaneous, a
language for all people, for all times. It only mentions sex when it is str ictly
necessary: when it forms part of a story."

Father Maggioini said that sex was "the very first thing we read in Genes is
97 we read about Adam and Eve being naked and full of sin and shame."
In other words the threat of of disorder is always "lurking in the joy of sex".
He said that the Bible assumed a natural attitude to sex but warned of the

"terrible destructive force which sex can assume outside the framework of

Gods laws". (The London Times)

WHAT RALLY? TECH CARNAGE BACK ON WALL STREET

Stocks fell sharply on Wednesday after several more companies disclosed
how hard the slowing economy was weighing on their bottom lines, spoiling
the spirits of investors who had built up optimism about an economic
rebound into a 3-day rally. "What we saw the prior 3 days was just a rally

in a bear market," said Ned Collins, head trader at Daiwa Securities
America. Outside of the volatile and cyclical computer chip sector, Wall
Street had experienced a brief respite from the recent barrage of corporate

profit warnings. The interlude had given optimistic investors the opportuni ty
to hunt for underpriced stocks and bid up the prices.

But on Wednesday, Nortel Networks and Palm Inc. became the latest
technology companies to say results would fall short of forecasts, sending

the sector reeling. "The profit reports, particularly in the technology are a,
continue to deteriorate and unnerve investors who felt the worst may
already have been seen," said Robert Bloom, a fund manager at Friends
Ivory Sime. "Our feeling is the earnings disappointments will continue
indefinitely." (Int'l Herald Tribune)

1.5MN NEW VEGGIES

More than 1.5mn people have turned vegetarian since the foot-and-mouth
plague began 5 weeks ago. Shocked by the culling of 400,000 animals and
the sight of funeral pyres, another 20 mn are considering giving up meat.
The figures threaten yet more misery for farmers already reeling from the
impact of BSE. The Vegetarian Society said: "For the first time people are

linking meat with the wholesale slaughter of animals." Vegetarian firms
have already reported significant sales rises. Food processor Farepack said

yesterday its sales were a hefty 25% down.

At the height of the BSE crisis in 1997, vegetarianism jumped 1% to an all-
time high of 5.4% - about 3.3mn people. But an ICM poll for Radio 4
showed the numbers have now soared to 9%, 6mn people. A quarter had
given up meat in the last few weeks. A third said they were considering
turning vegetarian because of BSE and F&M. (The London Mirror)

ITALIAN FURY AT N.A.T.O. ALLIES

The Italian army last night blasted "treacherous" plans to put the new
European Army under the command of neutral Finland.They cried foul
after their own candidate was outvoted 8-7 by EU leaders. General Mario
Arpino, chief of the Italian Defence Staff, stormed: "Italy has been
betrayed." The decision to hand command to Finnish General Gustav
Hagglund raises fears about the future of NATO.

Finland was backed by Austria, Sweden and Ireland - all EU states NOT in
the NATO alliance. But Italian anger was aimed at the 4 other countries in

NATO who voted against them. Gen Arpino said: "They have kicked us in
the teeth. They have behaved badly. They have broken the bond of
solidarity among the NATO countries."

The appointment of Finnish Defence Chief General Hagglund to head the
60,000-strong EU army stunned the world this week. And Finland rubbed
salt in Italy's wounds last night by insisting that it will never join NATO .
President Tarja Halonen said: "Finland's security interests do not require us
to join NATO." (The Sun)

ISRAEL HITS ARAFAT ELITE AFTER BLAST KILLS BOYS

The Israeli army bombed Palestinian targets last night in response to a
wave of explosions which culminated in the death of 2 teenagers waiting
for a school bus. Helicopter gunships, supported by tank fire, hit the
headquarters of Yasser Arafat's presidential guard, known as Force 17, in
the West Bank town of Ramallah. Palestinians reported that one Force 17
member, Akram el'Hindi, 25, was killed and a woman civilian also died.
They said a total of 6 Force 17 bases were hit in Ramallah and the Gaza
Strip.

Palestinian police buildings were also hit in Gaza City, a few hundred yard s
from the Palestinian leader's offices, and in Khan Younis, in the south of

the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army said all the targets were "linked to terro r".
Ariel Sharon sanctioned the raids following a 3rd explosion in Israel in 24

hours. At 7.30am yesterday a suicide bomber from Hamas, the extremist
Islamic Palestinian group, blew himself up at an Israeli petrol station nea r
the West bank border where schoolboys were waiting for an armoured bus
to take them to a religious school for pupils with learning difficulties.

The ensuing action was the first retaliatory raid ordered by Mr Sharon's
government, which has so far relied on blockading Palestinian towns to put

pressure on Mr Arafat. Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, the Defence Minister,
promised that those behind the bombing would be caught "one by one". The
extremist Islamic group Hamas said it was responsible. It also said it was

behind another suicide bombing on Tuesday in which 30 people were
injured. The group said it had 7 more suicide bombers ready to strike.

The government laid the blame on Mr Arafat, who released Hamas and
Islamic Jihad militants from his jails at the start of the uprising 6 month s
ago. At the Arab summit in Amman the Libyan leader, Col Gaddafi, offered
the heretical view that Israel could join the Arab League, provided it
satisfied Palestinian peace demands. He said Arab leaders were wasting
their time trying to regain sovereignty over the al Aqsa mosque in east
Jerusalem. "It's just a mosque and I can pray anywhere." (The London
Telegraph)

&: Three words describe the Middle East, writes Germany's DER NEUE
TAG from Weiden: bombs, suicide attacks and revenge. And there is no
end in sight. With Israel's attacks in Gaza and Ramallah on Wednesday, the

violence could spiral out of control, the paper warns. Italy's LA
REPUBBLICA from Rome describes the Israeli tit-for-tat bombardments
less an act of revenge and much more an operation aimed at destroying the
Palestinian military apparatus. But, the paper asks, what can Israel do whe n
the kamikaze acts by Palestinians keep growing? Re-take the occupied
territories? Even more economic isolation? Prime Minister Sharon cannot
do much more than his predecessor, the paper concludes.

Another Italian daily, CORRIERE DELLA SERA from Milan, thinks the
biggest problem is Yassir Arafat. The paper thinks he is no longer a politi cal
leader. He ignored compromises in order not to appear too soft. Now, the
paper says, he has lost control of the radical Palestinian groups. The Brit ish
daily, THE GUARDIAN comments that the reality is Sharon is not
prepared - and may never be prepared - to talk about the deeper reasons
for the conflict. He wants no outside interference and President Bush
seems to feel the same. This, the paper says, is no recipe for progress.
(Deutsche Welle)

&: America vetoed a UN Security Council resolution yesterday to send
unarmed observers to "protect" Palestinians in the occupied territories.
After 5 days of negotiation, Third World countries abandoned a watered-
down European text and forced a vote on their own explicit demand. The
chief US representative, James Cunningham, told the council it was
"unbalanced and unworkable and hence unwise". Four western European
countries, including Britain, abstained in the 9-1 vote in favour of the
resolution. Russia, China and Third World countries supporting it. (The
London Telegraph) 0E

MICHAEL TURNER 0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 09:26:50 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:26:50 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News items (3/30/01)

LAND DAY: QUIET MORNING (EXCEPT IN JERUSALEM), UNCERTAIN
AFTERNOON
Israeli-Arab Land Day protests, commemorating the confiscation of Arab
lands 25 years ago, proceeded quietly this morning. Although Israeli-Arab

leaders promised Israeli security leaders that there would be no violence,

police continue to be on high alert for feared breakouts of violence -
especially following the Moslem prayer services this afternoon. Some
Israeli-Arabs are on strike today.

Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall were evacuated from the area for
about a half-hour this afternoon, when Moslems threw dozens of rock over
the Wall following their Friday prayers on the Temple Mount. Other Moslems

rioted at other places around the Temple Mount, and police used force to
banish them from the Lions Gate and Via Dolorosa areas. Unrest in the area

continues. Arabs in Nazareth stoned the local police station.

In Bethlehem, the army did not allow a group of Israelis to enter Rachel's

Tomb this morning. A bulletproof bus carrying the group was stopped by the

claim, "Today is Land Day - too dangerous." Many of the passengers
attempted to make their way to the holy site by foot.

EREZ INDUSTRIAL ZONE CLOSED
The Erez Industrial Area has been closed to Palestinian workers, as of
yesterday - and the Palestinian Authority is to blame. So say senior
security officials, after yesterday's Palestinian violence and the deaths
there of two Arab youths led to the decision. An Israeli official said
that between 3,000 and 4,000 Palestinians from Gaza will now be
unemployed,
"thanks to riots instigated by the Palestinian Authority. Whenever we
attempted to allow Palestinians to work in Israel and prop up their
economy, they show us that they won't let us..."

PROTESTING PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE
Residents of the Shomron town of Yakir, between Ra'anana and Ariel, held
an
active demonstration today at their nearby junction. They protested
against the fact that Arabs continue to throw large rocks at Jewish
motorists - such as at Danielle Fein, who was critically wounded earlier
this week the night after she became engaged to be married. Arutz-7's Kobi

Finkler reports that the protestors took over a number of hilltops in the
region, and agreed to leave only after the local police commander promised

to take action to improve the security situation.

A protest of a different type took place in New York yesterday, where over

150 concerned citizens protested the PLO's murderous crimes of the past
six
months. Some of them even placed pictures of two of the most recent
victims, including 10-month-old Shalhevet Pass, on the door of the PLO's UN

Mission. The protest vigil for the over 70 Israeli victims of the current

Palestinian war against Israel was sponsored by the Coalition for Jewish
Concerns-Amcha and Americans for a Safe Israel. Participants held up
posters with photos and biographies of each of the victims, recited Psalms,

and chanted, "Arafat is a war criminal! Israel wants peace, Arafat wants
war!"

ZOA: TEN REASONS TO STOP U.S. AID TO EGYPT
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has released a new study making
the case for a halt to America's $2.1-billion in aid to Egypt. Highlights

of the report, entitled, "Ten Good Reasons to Stop U.S. Aid to Egypt," foll ow:

* Egypt befriends America's enemies, pursuing friendly relations with
Iraq, Libya, Iran, and North Korea. Egyptian government media incite
hatred against America, including the recent publication of racist attacks

against Secretary of State Colin Powell. During 1997-1998, Egypt sheltered

Palestinian Arab terrorist Abu Nidal, who was responsible for the murders
of numerous Americans and Israelis.

* Egypt persecutes Christians. The Coptic Christians are subjected to
systematic discrimination by the Egyptian government as well as torture by

Egyptian police officers.

* Egypt is preparing for war, spending much of its budget on massive
amounts of offensive weaponry; there is a danger that U.S. weapons sent to

Egypt will be used against America's ally, Israel. In defiance of the
U.S.-brokered Israel-Egypt peace treaty, Egypt incites hatred against
Israel, publishing a constant torrent of anti-Semitic articles,
Holocaust-denial, and Nazi-like cartoons in its government-controlled
media. Egypt urges a boycott of Israel, and refuses to have the normal
trade, cultural, scientific, and diplomatic relations that the
U.S.-brokered treaty requires. Egypt recalled its ambassador from Israel
last year, and it has refused to accept the credentials of Israel's
ambassador in Egypt.

* Egypt defends terrorist groups, including Hizbullah, which murdered 241

Americans in Beirut in 1983. Egypt tramples human rights, refusing to
grant its citizens free speech, freedom of the press, or free elections;
dissidents are routinely jailed and tortured.

Upon the release of the study, ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said

that despite the above-mentioned points, "The United States has given Egypt

over $40 billion since 1979 85 It's time to stop U.S. aid to Egypt."

CANADA ADMITS LIMITED ROLE
JTA reports that Canadian officials have confirmed that their government
financed a booklet calling for Palestinians to realize their "right of
return" to Israel. The pamphlet says that Arabs should take back homes
and
property they lost inside Israel when they ran away during the 1948 War of

Independence. As reported by Arutz-7 last Friday, an inside page of the
56-page booklet promoting the "return" of Arab refugees - a major point of

agreement in the recent Israeli-Palestinian negotiations - states that it
was published and distributed by the "Canadian Representative Office in
Ramallah."

David Bedein of Israel Resource News Agency, who originally broke the
story, wrote that "Canada has adopted a partisan pro-PLO position that will

forever compromise any role that it may endeavor to play in the future" in

solving the refugee issue in the Middle East.

A Canadian Foreign Affairs department representative told JTA, however,
that the what he called the "brochures" were printed by an organization
that receives funding from the Canada Fund for Local Institutions, and that

Canada did not play a leading role in producing them. The official said
that Canada has been a consistent backer of the Palestinians' "inalienabl e
right of return," yet supports attempts to solve the problem by settling
the refugees elsewhere in the world.

Bedein noted that the booklet implies that Israel's purpose in its 1948 War

of Independence was to kick out the Arabs. He also said that it never
mentions that seven Arab armies, with the support of local Arabs, invaded
Israel at the time. Israel sees the demand to allow millions of Arabs to
enter Israel as a way of destroying the Jewish State from within.

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Mar. 30, 2001 / Nissan 6, 5761

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 09:37:22 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:37:22 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (3/29/01)

Armed UN troops deploy in Congo

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: The Globe and Mail

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- The United Nations stepped further into one of the world's
most complex and messy wars on Thursday when the first armed UN troops
arrived in the Congo to back an uncertain international peace effort.

A planeload of around 110 soldiers from Uruguay flew into the eastern rebel-
held town of Goma and were due to be welcomed formally by the force
commander for MONUC, the UN military observer mission to the Congo,
Major-General Mountanga Diallo. The soldiers will later transfer into smaller
planes for a journey south to their new base just outside the town of Kalemie
on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Oceans gobbling up more carbon dioxide

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: faith
                         Source: CNN

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- The world's plants are devouring carbon dioxide at record
rates in recent years, according to data from an advanced satellite gauging
carbon as it cycles through the global environment. Observations from the
orbiter should give unprecedented insight into how the planet functions and
should improve models that predict global climate change, scientists said.
The scientists, who published their findings in the journal Science this week,
remain puzzled by some of the observations.

The initial increase in carbon fixation was largely due to the response of
marine plants to a strong El Nino to La Nina transition, said the scientists.
But the cause of the continued increase during the latter portion of the record
is not yet known. El Nino and La Nina refer respectively to the periodic
warming and cooling of the Pacific Ocean. They can dramatically affect the
severity and number of extreme weather events across the world, including
droughts, hurricanes and rainstorms; and disrupt the food chain in the
oceans.

Costa Rica Volcano Explodes

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: faith
                         Source: Discovery's Earth Alert News

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Costa Rica's Arenal volcano erupted Saturday, spewing
lava, ash, rocks and gases into the Central American sky. Red Cross
officials reported that emergency crews were dispatched to the region as a
precautionary measure as soon as the 5,435-foot-high mountain (1,657
meters) began rumbling.

Volcano Arenal was a dormant volcano until July 1968, when it roared to life
after 500 years, ejecting massive lava flows and blocks of incandescent rock
that devastated the west flank of the mountain and killed 78 people. The
volcano, located in NW Costa Rica, has remained active ever since and is a
huge tourist attraction. Last August, a tourist and his Costa Rican guide died
while hiking on the volcano in an unexpected violent ejection of volcanic
gases.

Crocodiles, Hippos Menace Flood Victims

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: faith
                         Source: Discovery's Earth Alert News

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Crocodiles and hippopotamuses, in search of food
following Mozambique's recent flooding crisis, have been attacking residents
and devouring what little food remains as massive floodwaters recede.
Incessant rains have left much of Mozambique submerged in recent weeks,
forcing officials in neighboring countries to open gates on dams to relieve the
pressure of water behind them.

A local official Sonia Domingos as saying, "A woman sustained serious
injuries when she was attacked by a crocodile, and the hippos are
devastating the remaining crops." Many people have been existing only on
grain they were able to salvage before floodwaters swept through the region.
Luis Alho Jeque, a Tete official, said, "Most of the people in the Nsungo area
of the district have not received any kind of relief assistance since February.
We don't know how many people may have died as we do not know what is
happening there." About 16,000 acres (6,400 hectares) of farmland in Benga
were still flooded. She said,

Record Heat Sparks Greek Fires

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: faith
                         Source: Discovery's Earth Alert News

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Fires sparked by ongoing high temperatures and fanned
by high winds raged across 2 Greek islands Monday for the 2nd straight day.
Greece has been hit by record high temperatures this month, which is the
warmest March in a century. The average temperature for the month is 61
degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius), but on Tuesday, temperatures rose
to 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius). The Greek Ministry of
Agriculture also said this year's rainfall in the region had been 25 percent
less than the seasonal average.

A fire on the eastern Aegean island of Samos has destroyed large areas of
forest and crops. The same island, located about 155 miles (250 km) east of
Athens, suffered widespread damage from wildfires last summer as well.
Firefighting aircraft also battled forest fires on the island of Evia, about 25
miles (40 km) east of Athens.

Record Snowfall Over Great Lakes

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: faith
                         Source: Discovery's Earth Alert News

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Winter snow totals in the United States' lower Great
Lakes region were pushed to almost 145 inches (366 cm) by a heavy
weekend storm, making it a record winter for Erie, Pa. The previous record
was set in 1977-78 with 142.8 inches (363 cm). Buffalo, N.Y., at the eastern
end of Lake Erie, got 2.2 inches (5.6 cm) of snow during the weekend,
bringing its seasonal total to 157.8 inches (401 cm).

The heavy snowfall continued to blanket the central New York city of
Syracuse on Monday, with an additional 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) by midday, also
bringing the area close to a seasonal record. The snow was blamed for a 24-
car pileup in Syracuse in which 5 people were injured.

Egyptian-EU final partnership accord to be signed

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Arabic News

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- European union trade commissioner Pascal lamy
expected on Sunday that a final Egyptian-EU partnership agreement would
be signed within the next weeks. A partnership agreement was initialled
between Egypt and the EU in Brussels last January.

In a joint press conference he held with Economy Minister Youssef Boutros
Ghali yesterday, Lamy described the deal as an important development in
the history of bilateral ties that would give a strong momentum to the trade
move between the two sides and lead to a flux of European investments into
Egypt. The EU appreciates Egypt's weight, not only as the group's most
important regional trade partner, but also as a key player in the Arab and
Islamic worlds as well as in Africa, the commissioner said. Praising the
economic reform programme pursued by Egypt, lamy said the EU is very
much interested in the country's economic transformation and is keen to
support it so as to help Egyptian products gain access to the European
market.

Jewish mass grave found in Poland

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: BBC NEWS

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- A mass grave containing the bodies of hundreds of Polish
Jews believed to have been massacred by their neighbours has been found in
northern Poland. The Jews were burned to death in a barn in the village of
Jedwabne, about 100km north-east of the capital Warsaw.

For years the massacre, in July 1941, was blamed on Nazi occupiers, but
the Polish President has now accepted that it was the Jews' fellow-villagers
who were to blame. Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski faced a storm
of protest when he announced earlier this month that he was planning to
apologise to Jews for the massacre. "It was an act of genocide which Poles
from Jedwabne carried out against their Jewish neighbours," he said in an
interview with an Israeli newspaper. "It was an exceptionally bestial killing of
innocent people."

Pope to plant olive tree on Syrian side of Golan Heights

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: AFP

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Pope John Paul II will plant an olive tree, a symbol of
peace, on the Syrian side of the divided Golan Heights during his visit to
Syria in May, according to an itinerary of his trip obtained Thursday by AFP.

Arafat: '100 day war' has begun

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Jerusalem Post

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said last
night's Israel Air Force rocket attacks on Force 17 targets in Ramallah and
the Gaza Strip signifies the beginning of a "100 day war" on the Palestinians.
Prior to the recently concluded Arab League summit in Amman, Arafat
warned Palestinians to prepare for a prolonged Israeli military assault. The
IDF stressed that last night's helicopter strikes were only part of its plans to
directly harm those specifically responsible for terror attacks.

Canada's Bible-reading marathon

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: CharismaNews.com

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Thousands of Canadian Christians are taking part in a 10-
day public reading of the entire Bible. Dozens of local churches plan to
participate in "Proclamation: the Word of the Lord," starting today and
organized by the Canadian Bible Society (CBS).

The readings will occur between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. each day until Good
Friday -- with a brief pause for Sunday morning services. Each hour's reading
will feature portions of the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the Gospels and
other parts of the New Testament. Participants range in age from 6 to 92.
"We believe that public affirmation of the Christian faith is important in
Canada," said CBS national director Greg Bailey. "And certainly public
proclamation of that faith through the reading of God's Word has added
credibility when so many people from so many different churches pull
together."

About 5,000 people are expected to take part in the event in Newfoundland
and Labrador alone, according to a CBS district director, who said: "We're
holding up the Word of God, and lasting friendships are formed across the
denominations." In Edmonton organizers hope to read the Scriptures in more
than last year's 23 languages.

Satanists' gathering prayer alert

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: CharismaNews.com

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- A prayer alert has been issued over what is believed to
be the largest world gathering of satanists, due to start this weekend.
According to the Croatian newspaper "Vecernji List," about 3,000 people are
expected to convene for the two-week gathering that begins April 1, says
Global Harvest Ministries (GHM), headed by international prayer and spiritual
warfare leader C. Peter Wagner.

A "prayer news alert" from GHM's headquarters at the World Prayer Center
in Colorado Springs, Colo., says that the event has been promoted in a
satanist magazine and that participants are said to have begun preparing for
the gathering "by performing numerous acts of desecration." The Evangelical
Church of Croatia considered the issue "serious," adds the appeal.

With the Balkans region having undergone "much trauma" over the last
decade, the possible convergence of thousands of satanists is "very
serious," says the GHM alert, which urges Christians to pray "from every
corner of the globe...ask that any plans to reinforce an occult stronghold in
Croatia will be stopped from occurring at all. May our Holy God [raise] up
Elijahs to stand against modern-day prophets of Baal."

Jehovah's Witnesses books burned by Georgian Orthodox group

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Nando Times/AP

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- Books printed for the local Jehovah's Witnesses
community were burned by Georgian Orthodox Church activists on
Wednesday as police stood by and watched in the second such incident this
month. The book burning by members of the Christian Society, an Orthodox
group, took place near the outdoor market in the city of Rustavi, some 30
miles west of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

Christian Tresber, an adviser for Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia, said the
Orthodox activists stole the books Tuesday after breaking into an apartment
building where Jehovah's Witnesses gathered for prayer. Local police did not
intervene as the activists burned books for about three hours, Rustavi-2
television reported. Earlier this month, a defrocked Orthodox priest and
several dozen followers broke into a printing house and burned copies of a
book printed for a Jehovah's Witness community, news reports said. The
same group burned several tons of Baptist literature in the town of Mtskheta.

Jehovah's Witnesses have sought to be recognized as an official religious
denomination in Georgia, and they were registered by a district court in
Tbilisi. But another court later annulled the registration, and the Supreme
Court upheld that ruling this month. The Supreme Court said no religious
group can be registered in the absence of a Georgian law on religion, which
remains in the works. Church leaders in Georgia, Russia and other
predominantly Orthodox Christian countries of the former Soviet Union have
decried the influx of foreign religious groups since the 1991 Soviet collapse.

New Mexico first to offer motorists online vision test

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Nando Times/AP

Thu Mar 29,2001 -- New Mexico is the first state to offer drivers an online
vision test, and eventually motorists may be able to renew their licenses on
the Web, too.

"Is this cool?" asked Gorden Eden, director of the state Motor Vehicle
Division. For now, the online eye exam is available only at motor vehicle
offices in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and two other cities. But as early as 2002,
anyone with a computer video-conference camera - which identifies the driver
to an MVD employee to discourage cheating - could take the eye test and
renew their drivers' licenses at home.

Motorists renewing their licenses only have to take the eye exam, verify their
addresses and have an MVD employee review their photograph. New drivers,
who have to take a written exam and road test, will still have to go to an
MVD office to get their licenses. Charles Shapiro, president of the Elmsford,
N.Y.-based VisionRx software company that developed the online eye
exams, said the Web-based testing will eventually allow motor vehicle
departments to put testing terminals at libraries, malls and other convenient
places. "People don't have to go and stand in long lines" at the motor vehicle
division, Shapiro said. Eleven other states are planning to get online eye
exams by the end of 2002, he said. The online eye exam tests for long-
distance vision, night vision, peripheral vision and color blindness. It provides
a more comprehensive vision test than that required by New Mexico law to
be able to drive.

http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day 01_03_29&item #985912916

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 09:40:09 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 09:40:09 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arafat's Gaza home damaged in Israeli strike

March 29, 2001 09:30 (Israel time)

Arafat's Gaza home damaged in Israeli strike

Reuters

GAZA - Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Yasser Arafat's home in the
Gaza Strip was damaged by the Israel helicopter strike, apparently hit by a

copter-fired missile.

Arafat, who had been attending an Arab summit in Jordan, was not in the
house at the time of the attack Wednesday night.

Reuters television footage showed rooms of the house strewn with shattered

glass and debris, walls with broken plaster and a hole in one wall which wa s
apparently hit by a missile.

In footage filmed by Palestinian television a short while earlier, senior
Palestinian police officials toured the house, inspecting the damage.

Israel carried out the retaliatory attack hours after the latest in a wave of
Palestinian suicide bombings which killed two Israeli teenagers.

Witnesses said helicopter gunships fired missiles at targets in Gaza and th e
West Bank city of Ramallah, setting ablaze buildings and cars, knocking out

electricity and killing at least two Palestinians in Ramallah.

Palestinians denounced the strikes as "state terrorism". Israel said they
were punishment for the wave of bomb attacks and vowed to hit militants
whenever necessary.

http://www2.haaretz.co.il/breaking-news/Intifada/358971.stm

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From shophar Fri Mar 30 13:38:21 2001
Date: 30 Mar 2001 13:38:21 EST
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] THE ARAB SUMMIT IN AMMAN

*********************************************
***** GULFWIRE ~~ VOICES OF THE REGION ******
*********************************************
[Number 05]
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S.-ARAB RELATIONS
AND
THE U.S.-GCC CORPORATE COOPERATION COMMITTEE
WEEK OF MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2001
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"Voices of the Region" provides commentary from leading figures and media
outlets in the Arab Gulf states. It is our hope that these opinion pieces
and editorials will help you keep up with what's being said about issues in
the Gulf.
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~~voices of the region~~voices of the region~~voices of the region~~voices
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GULFWIRE ~ VOICES OF THE REGION ~ WEEK OF MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2001
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- THE ARAB SUMMIT IN AMMAN
- AMMAN DECLARATION [WAM]
- THE SUMMIT [Arab News]
- SUMMIT OUTCOME DISAPPOINTING [Al Bayan]
- ARAB SOLIDARITY REQUIRED [Al Ittihad]
- HALT ISRAEL AGGRESSION: UAE [President Sheikh Zayed]
- CENSORSHIP LEAVES A TRAIL OF SLIME [Fawaz Turki Writing in Arab News]
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FOR MORE ON THIS ARAB SUMMIT ALSO SEE:

GULFWIRE~SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT~MARCH 29, 2001~ARAB SUMMIT - FINAL STATEMENT
http://www.arabialink.com/GulfWire/Archives2001/GulfWire20010329SpecSupp..h tm

GULFWIRE~WEEK OF MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2001 [to be posted March 30]
http://www.arabialink.com/GulfWire/Archives2001/GulfWire20010326.htm

FOR MORE ON THE OCTOBER 2000 EXTRAORDINARY ARAB SUMMIT ALSO SEE:

GULFWIRE~SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT~EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT OF ARAB LEADERS~CAIRO,
EGYPT~OCTOBER 21-22, 2000
http://www.arabialink.com/GulfWire/Archives2000/GulfWire20001023SpecSupp..h tm
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~~voices of the region~~voices of the region~~voices of the region~~voices
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AMMAN DECLARATION

Amman, 28 March 2001 (WAM)--The 13th Ordinary Session of Arab League Summit
concluded here today with a strongly worded condemnation of Israel for its
continued aggression against the Palestinian people.

In a final communiqu E9 issued at the end of their two-day meeting, the Ara b
leaders specifically condemned the economic blockade imposed by the Israel
on the Palestinians, the destruction of the vital installations, in additio n
to the systematic killings of innocent civilians, as crimes against
humanity.

The leaders called on the international community and the UN Security
Council to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and
also bring the Israeli war criminals to book, especially in the light of th e
indicting UN report, which documented gross human rights violations by
Israel. While saluting the resilience of the Palestinian people, the leader s
welcomed the Intifada Fund decision to allocate $15 million to the
Palestinian National Authority to meet its urgent needs. The amount is to b e
deducted from $60 million allocated earlier to the Palestinian Uprising
Fund.

On the status of Jerusalem, the Arab leaders re-affirmed their support for
the UN Security Council resolutions, which obviously nullify the Israeli
attempts to change the character of the city. The leaders warned against an y
transfer of foreign embassies to Jerusalem, saying that the Arab countries
would not hesitate to sever relations with countries that will choose to do
so.

The leaders also re-affirmed their commitment to a genuine and lasting peac e
on the basis of "land for peace," and warned Israel against reneging from
the peace process which was set in motion in Madrid in 1991. In this regard ,
the Arab leaders condemned the Israeli attempts to negotiate peace deals
separately on different tracks rather than on a comprehensive basis.

Expressing solidarity with Syria and Lebanon, the leaders rejected the
recent Israeli threats against the two countries, saying that such threats
are directed against the entire Arab Nation. "By unleashing such threats,
the Zionist state has once again resorted to its hideous racial policies
against the Arabs," the communiqu E9 said.

The leaders expressed their dismay with the recent US move to block a UN
resolution authorizing sending of an international monitoring force to the
occupied territories. In view of the growing Israeli threats against the
Arab Nation, and in order to effectively counter the Israeli intransigence,
Arab countries are left with no option but activate all forms of boycott
against Israel, said the communiqu E9.

On Kuwait and Iraq, the leaders called on all countries to rise above their
differences in the interest of Arab solidarity. Kuwait agreed to the
formation of a committee, to be headed by His majesty King Abdullah II of
Jordan, to handle the Kuwaiti-Iraqi dispute.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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THE SUMMIT

Arab News Editorial 29 March 2001

Iraq has branded the first regular annual Arab summit which ended yesterday
in Amman "a failure".

That is a self-centered comment, not even remotely true: extra financial
support was pledged to the Palestinians; a revived boycott of Israel was
given the green light; a freeze in any new diplomatic or economic ties with
Israel was ordered. There was also a call - for an end to sanctions and air
strikes against Iraq - which ought to have pleased Baghdad, but did not
because Saddam Hussein was determined not to be pleased.

Iraq said what it wanted was not a "call" to end sanctions, but an immediat e
end to them. In other words, Saddam wanted all Arab states to defy the
United Nations and join him in the dock. Naturally, there were no buyers,
not even those who had been his supporters. Another objection was that the
proposal, presented by the Gulf countries, led by the Kingdom and Kuwait,
had called on Iraq to respect the sovereignty and integrity of Kuwait.
Saddam felt that what was on offer was not his kind of Arab solidarity, and
rejected the proposal.

Anyway, summits are about more than decisions; they are also about
relationships. The Amman summit achieved an invaluable drawing together of
the Syrians and Palestinians, with previous differing views over
negotiations with the Israelis now laid aside. These are all concrete
developments.

Inevitably, there will be those who are disappointed, who - understandably
bitter at the new Israeli government's rejection of peace - wanted Arab
leaders to proclaim a jihad or issue an ultimatum or announce an oil
boycott. But anyone who imagines that Arab governments would launch the
region [into conflict] is living on another planet. Governments have a prim e
responsibility to protect and maintain the well-being of their citizens. In
a fresh Middle East conflict, there would be no winners, only losers; and
[with the] present military balance, with the US backing Israel to the hilt ,
the Palestinians would suffer the most and the Israelis the least.

As for the oil weapon, it is a double-edged sword which could punish those
who use it more than those against whom it is used. Less than two years ago ,
the damage that low oil prices can inflict was seen by all. Were the Middle
East's oil taps to be turned off now, it would bring short-term pain to bot h
consumers and producers. It would also provide a boost to research into
alternative energy sources which would mean long-term pain for the
producers - not others. Only as a last resort could Arab governments
consider such an option. Despite the provocations, the Middle East is not a t
that point.

What also needs to be remembered is that it was not an emergency summit, bu t
the first of revived annual meetings. These are to be venues not for
shattering pronouncements on issues that have suddenly blown up, but for
slow, diligent progress on matters affecting the Arab world. There are many
subjects that require regular consultation and decision-making, and not jus t
on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

The plain fact is that too many people have inflated expectations of Arab
summits. The notion that to be rated a success, they should produce
ultimatums and war cries is puerile.

[Reprinted with permission of Arab News]

SUMMIT OUTCOME DISAPPOINTING

Abu Dhabi, March 29, 2001 (WAM)--A UAE newspaper today expressed
disappointment at the failure of the first regular Arab summit to solve
important issues on its agenda.

The Dubai-based "Al Bayan" said: The Final Communiqu E9 of the first Arab
summit conference has not realized the aspirations of Arab peoples in
narrowing the differences between Arab countries and in restoring Arab
solidarity. "If we look closely to the results of the summit, we find that
the conference has realized nothing in what concerns important issues. As
for the Palestinian cause, the summit was nothing but another gathering wit h
effective speeches without real support or boost for Palestinians to enable
them to face the Israeli daily aggression. The summit could do nothing abou t
the U S biased policy towards Israel. Washington insisted on using its veto
in U.N. Security Council against the issue of securing international
protection for Palestinian people.

"The summit ignored the strange policy of the US and came out only with its
rejection to the US veto. As for the Iraqi issue, the summit failed to come
up with positive results to ease the suffering of the Iraqi people.

"There was hope for the first regular Arab summit to be a good start for
Arab collective work to confront the challenges facing the Arab nation and
to realize the aspirations of the Arab people, but nothing has changed so
far," the paper stated.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ARAB SOLIDARITY REQUIRED

ABU DHABI, MARCH 28, 2001 (WAM)--A major UAE Arabic newspaper today
commented on the current Arab summit in Amman. Commenting editorially on th e
issue, the Abu Dhabi- based "Al Ittihad" said, "No one can argue with the
point of view of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt that the time has come to
begin an effective dynamic move to coordinate the Arab interest on the clea r
basis of reconciliation and in a manner that cannot allow the rise of new
destructive differences among the Arab family.

"President Mubarak expressed in his speech to the summit the feelings of al l
Arabs. Accordingly all Arab leaders meeting at Amman are required to adopt
this call and to make every effort to achieve it," the paper said. "We
understand the extent of the deep injury caused by the Iraqi invasion to
Kuwait ten years ago, but we agree with the Mubarak's point of view that th e
time has come to forget injuries for the sake of national collective
interest. Kuwait has suffered a lot over the past ten years as a result of
the Iraqi invasion. In spite of this, it has called during the summit for
ending of suffering of the Iraqi people through lifting of sanctions impose d
on Iraq.

"This Kuwaiti stance has contributed a lot in making easy the mission of
those assigned to lay out a formula to discuss the issue of the situation
between Iraq and Kuwait in a way that serves the required objective aimed a t
putting an end to the current blockade being faced by the Iraqi people and
provide all required guarantees to reassure Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that
their security and stability will never encounter any danger from the Iraqi
side," the paper noted.

"The basic objective of reconciliation is to lay out a strong foundation fo r
Arab solidarity to counter Israel or any massive developments witnessed by
the world at present, such as globalization. We will stay out of its
framework if we do not knock its doors collectively with a unified word and
objective," the paper said. It is required from the Arab summit to take
historic steps that should be at the level of expected aspirations. It
should first adopt a solution that satisfies all parties regarding the
situation between Iraq and Kuwait and secondly, it should take appropriate
decisions to support the Palestinian uprising and submit to it all required
assistance to enable it to continue its struggle against the Israeli
occupation," the paper concluded.

Source: Emirates News Agency

HALT ISRAEL AGGRESSION: UAE

Gulf News On-line

[WAM] UAE President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan [March
28, 2001] sent a message to the Arab summit conference in Amman.

Complete text: http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/opinion.asp?ArticleID 3D13 186
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TIME TO PRESS ON WITH A COMMON ARAB VISION

ABU DHABI, March 27, 2001 (WAM) -- A UAE daily newspaper called on the Arab
leaders meeting today in Amman to close their ranks and bury their
differences to address daunting challenges and threats faced by the Arab
World.

The Sharjah-based "The Gulf Today" said, "The Arab summit opening in the
Jordanian capital Amman today is a major landmark in Arab history, not the
least for the fact that it is the first such gathering after the 22-member
Arab League agreed to institutionalize summit conferences as a regular
event.

"The issues facing the Arab world are complex. They range from internal
differences to external challenges posed by foreign occupation of Arab
territory and usurpation of Arab legitimate rights. Equally serious and
directly contributing to the failure of efforts to regain Arab land and
rights from the usurpers is blatant foreign meddling in Arab affairs.

"It does not require a crystal ball to realize the Arabs have been taken fo r
a ride by foreign powers which have been consistently promising us that Ara b
rights would be respected and protected on the basis of international
legitimacy and UN Security Council resolutions.

"What we find today is a very selective application of international
legitimacy and UN decisions to suit Western strategic interests in the Arab
region. That approach is the key reason behind the frustration that we are
suffering after pinning hopes on the international conference held in Madri d
that launched the Arab-Israeli peace process.

"Israel's arrogant approach and intransigence have not only stalled the
peace negotiations but also fuelled conflict and tension.

"Arab goodwill and sincerity in setting a firm foundation for peaceful
coexistence in the region have been proved to be unfounded, and now we are
left with the reality that it is entirely up to us Arabs to take decisive
action and send an unmistakable message to the international community that
we are determined to regain our legitimate rights.

"The need of the day is to present a united Arab front and strategy in
dealing with Israel and supporting the Palestinians' struggle against the
Israeli occupation of their territory and the Jewish state's efforts to
legitimize its existence and be accepted as a member of the regional order
without meeting the just requirements of peace.

"Israel should be told in unambiguous words that it should not hope to
achieve its objective through fait accompli and it would be held accountabl e
for its blatant violations of international conventions and norms of
behavior.

"Indeed, the Arab world alone could not hope to achieve that if only becaus e
of the protective umbrella offered by the West under which Israel has built
and continues to build its arrogance and defiance of international
legitimacy.

"But, the Arabs could indeed aim at removing that protective shield by
warning off those who offer it that they face collective Arab action if the y
continued to indulge in any action that directly or indirectly threatens
Arab rights and interests.

"There are many other pressing issues facing the Arab leaders gathered in
Amman. Some of these issues deceptively show themselves as intractable
problems while the right vision based on an unshakeable belief in the commo n
Arab destiny and interests would clearly show that they would crumble away
in the face of determination backed by the collective political and economi c
clout of the Arab world.

"Indeed, that is not going to happen overnight, and the Arabs will be
subjected to all forms of intimidation and coercion aimed at diverting them
away from the collective march. The resolve to resist and withstand all suc h
overtures could come only if the realization sets in that true unity and
solidarity is the strongest shield of defense for the Arab World.
Differences among Arab countries have no room in the collective Arab march.

"That is where the Amman summit could prove to be the make-or-break point
for Arab aspirations to ensure that all Arabs live in dignity, freedom and
independence and be able to employ their human and material resources in th e
quest for development and progress compatible with the needs of the
fast-moving globalization.

"The Arab leaders gathered in Amman for the two-day summit have the biggest
challenge in settling their differences first before launching concerted
action towards addressing their common causes that include not only the nee d
for just peace in the region but also enhanced economic integration as ampl y
illustrated by the outcome of Friday's meeting of Arab ministers of trade
and economy.

"Throughout the past years, President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan has repeatedly emphasized the need for a common vision for the
Arabs and called on Arab leaders to put aside their petty differences so
that they could rise to a level that would allow them to comprehend the
realities facing them as a people.

"The President's words that 'history will judge those who impede collective
action in the service of the Arabs at large' should be ringing in the ears
and minds of the Arab leaders when they sit down in Amman for the historic
summit today and tomorrow.

Source: Emirates News Agency

The PA today makes available to its people the kind of media that can only
be described as servile, lacking any semblance of professionalism, the kind
of media whose goal is the standardization of political thought through an
ethic of fear, orthodoxy and regimentation, where the public's resources of
feeling are rendered hollow and abject.

No wonder then that the media in the West Bank, both print and electronic,
so unutterably dull, hopelessly predictable and unabashedly propagandistic,
is disdained by the public.

I cannot judge Al-Jazira network because I never get to watch its news
broadcasts and documentaries, living as I do in the US. It is irrelevant to
me whether this TV station, as its defendants claim, has brought a fierce
energy of observation to news reporting, or whether it represents no more
than a lot of hype, as its detractors put it; but what I do consider
relevant is the issue of censorship, in this case the closure of a news
outlet's bureau and the expulsion of its correspondent because the
authorities did not like their style of reporting.

It is ironic, of course, to remember that it was Al-Jazira that was
responsible for disseminating all that information about the intifada to th e
entire Arab world, and for bringing into the living rooms of ordinary Arabs
all that poignant imagery about their fellow Arabs struggling for freedom.
But the irony deepens when you consider that as Palestinian authorities
muzzle the media, they are in effect slipping into the garb and glove of
their own oppressors whom they have traditionally admonished for denying
them these same rights.

And let the irony deepen further still: I say when you expel, incarcerate o r
torture to death a man because you disagree with his views, you are in fact
paying tribute - a sinister tribute, to be exact, but tribute nevertheless -
to the power of ideas in human affairs.

Like a snail leaving a trail of slime, censorship is no more than the
detritus of oppression.
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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 14:09:25 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 14:09:25 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] MTV and PETA

PREGNANT PAWS: MTV has refused to air a public service announcement
created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that
encourages spaying and neutering of housecats. To drive its point home, the

PSA features two animatronic cats, er, getting frisky. "In this instance, w e
found the ad to be too graphic," an MTV spokesperson tells TV Guide
Online. In a letter to MTV CEO Mark Rosenthal, PETA responds: "We are
flummoxed by this rejection. Is carnal knowledge between cat puppets more
problematic than seeing one of Sisq F3's "Thong Song" dancers waving her
buttocks at the camera?" Touch E9.

http://www.tvguide.com

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From shophar Fri Mar 30 16:33:54 2001
Date: 30 Mar 2001 16:33:54 EST
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Bestiality: Not for the squeamish...

( These two related articles are so obtuse,
they make my hair ache... Shophar_Sho_Good )

Animal Crackers
An Ivy League professor defends bestiality.
http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id 85000772
Friday, March 30, 2001 12:01 a.m. EST

Remember Irving Kristol's famous crack that the only question a liberal
would have when presented with an 18-year-old girl having sex on stage was
whether she was being paid the minimum wage? Well, Peter Singer has taken
this a step further. In an online review of a book that takes on the "taboo"
against bestiality, Princeton's DeCamp Professor of Bioethics says that when
it comes to sex with farm animals, the only real issues are whether you get
the animal's consent--and you don't kill it as part of your pleasure. Which,
of course, is consistent with Professor Singer's key ethical contention: that
the belief that human life has an inherent dignity higher than animals is mere
"speciesism," a "prejudice no better founded than the prejudice of white
slave-owners against taking the interests of their African slaves seriously."

Back in 1998 when we first tussled with Princeton President Harold Shapiro
over Mr. Singer's appointment to the university's ironically named Center
for Human Values, Mr. Shapiro maintained the issue was not whether one
agrees or disagrees with Mr. Singer, but "the power of the professor's
intellect and the quality of his or her scholarship and teaching."
Presumably, the university's faith in this power and quality has now been
vindicated by the aforementioned review of Midas Dekkers's "Dearest Pet: On
Bestiality."

Do not take our word for it. Read it for yourselves
(www.nerve.com/Opinions/Singer/heavyPetting/) on a Web site whose mission
statement proclaims its intention "to be direct with both word and image in
this space, whether the result is flushed faces, genitals, or perhaps just
reflective thought." The words might have been written by Hustler's Larry
Flynt, who has written of his own first sexual experience--with a chicken
whose head he then lopped off. Clearly Princeton's idea of scholarship has
evolved in the time between, say, Woodrow Wilson and Mr. Shapiro.

Which brings us to the larger point here: not so much Mr. Singer's view of
bestiality than academe's view of him. For Mr. Singer was no rogue
appointment: In addition to heading Princeton, Mr. Shapiro was--and
remains--chairman of the President's National Bioethics Advisory Commission
set up by Bill Clinton in 1995. To put it another way, Mr. Singer's arrival at
Princeton was not an oversight, but a statement. Indeed, in defending the
appointment, Mr. Shapiro quoted approvingly an NYU professor's assessment that
"by many measures, he's the most influential ethicist alive." These are the
people to whom America is to defer on issues ranging from federal funding for
fetal-tissue research and human cloning to non-therapeutic research on human
subjects?

Unfortunately for the new Administration, decisions on these issues are
coming fast and furious. Already the Bush HHS has suspended a last-minute
Clinton regulation that would have deemed a newborn a "fetus" (and hence
more eligible for research) until it could maintain independently "a
heartbeat and respiration." And in October we wrote about another
last-minute deal, this one an Agriculture Department settlement of a lawsuit
aimed at extending protection to the mice, rats and birds that constitute 95%
of animal research in laboratory experiments. If left to stand, says the
National Association of Biomedical Research, the settlement would effectively
regulate animal testing out of existence by raising the price and creating
intolerable paperwork to document every single rat, mouse or bird used.

Our own view is that far from constituting threats to man's dignity, our
advances in science--such as the mapping of the human genome--hold the
potential to enhance it. And on the frontier where man's intellect meets his
soul there will not always be agreement, whether that has to do with animal
testing or human cloning. But surely that doesn't mean that the idea of unique
human dignity should be treated as mere prejudice. We'd like to think Mr.
Singer's latest musing on the pleasures of bestiality for a smart-alecky sex
site has come as a tremendous embarrassment to professional ethicists. The
greater scandal here is that it hasn't.

******follow-on story*********

visit http://opinionjournal.com/
A Wall Street Journal editorial notes that Peter Singer, Princeton's DeCamp
Professor of Bioethics, has written an essay defending . . . well, actually,
we're too squeamish to say what he's defending. If you want to find out, click
through and see for yourself.

It does remind us, though, of a story we read a month ago about a pair of
men from Parkman, Maine, 71-year-old Frank Buble and his 44-year-old son,
Phillip Buble. The two shared a house, but their relationship was strained.
Frank was increasingly impatient with his son's "unusual lifestyle."
Phillip--how do we put this delicately?--loves his dog. Not the way you love
your dog, if you have a dog, but more like the way your daddy loved your
mommy, if you catch our drift. (We realize Sunday is April 1, but we swear to
you this story is on the level.)

Anyway, on Sept. 13, 1999, Frank finally got so fed up with Phillip that he
beat him senseless with a crowbar. In December 2000 Frank pleaded guilty to
attempted murder and elevated aggravated assault. We join the story in
progress, with a Feb. 28, 2001, report in the Bangor Daily News, as Frank is
about to be sentenced:

In his written request addressed to Justice Andrew Mead, presiding this week
in Piscataquis County Superior Court, Buble stated that he would be
exercising his right to speak at the sentencing.

"I'd like my significant other to attend by my side if possible as she was
present in the house during the attack, though not an eyewitness to it,
thank goodness," Buble wrote.

"I've been informed your personal permission is needed given that my wife is
not human, being a dog of about 36 pounds weight and very well behaved," he
added.

The letter carried Buble's signature and a hand-drawn paw print. Typed below
Buble's written signature were the words "Phillip and Lady Buble."

The judge denied Phillip's request, saying no animals except seeing-eye dogs
are allowed in court. Frank Buble was sentenced to eight years in prison, with
all but nine months suspended. This Monday, Phillip Buble showed up in
Augusta, where he testified before a legislative committee considering a bill
to criminalize--all right, we'll say it--bestiality. According to Tuesday's
report in the Daily News:

"Zoos" or people who have sex with animals, are born with a true love for
animals and have a lifelong commitment to their care, he told the committee.
He said he and his dog, Lady Buble, "live together as a married couple. In the
eyes of God we are truly married."

Animals can initiate sexual relations and can give consent or withhold it,
just as humans can, Buble said. If it is legal for two animals to have
sexual relationships, it should be legal for a human to have sex with an
animal, he said, dismissing the proposed law as an attempt "to force
morality on a minority. It will be a disservice to zoo couples and would
keep zoo couples from coming out of the closet and drive us deeper
underground. This helps no one and would force me out of state."

Perhaps the oddest part of the saga was a remark Phillip made before Frank's
sentencing. He said he didn't want his dad to spend time behind bars, because
"he needs serious therapy." Sorry Phil, but we've never heard of a crime in
which an insanity defense would be less plausible. If you think your father is
the crazy one, you're barking up the wrong tree.

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 19:27:52 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 19:27:52 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (3/30/01)

Belgrade tells US that Milosevic is under arrest: official

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: AFP

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Authorities in Belgrade have informed the United States

that former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic has been apprehended, a
State Department official said Friday. A statement from the White House
regarding the arrest was expected shortly, the official said.

Israeli army pounds Hebron in heaviest fighting

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Reuters

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Israeli tank shells and heavy machinegun fire pounded
Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron on Friday in the most intensive fightin g
in the West Bank town since the start of the Palestinian uprising six month s
ago. The Israeli army said it opened fire after spotting two armed
Palestinians in an area where gunmen had shot recently at a Jewish
settlement. Hospital sources said 17 people were wounded, two of them
seriously with bullet wounds.

The tanks, positioned on a hill overlooking the town, fired shells and 800 mm
rounds into the Abu Sneineh neighborhood, from where a Palestinian sniper
on Monday shot dead a 10-month-old girl who lived in a Jewish settlement at

the base of the hill. The city was pounded from all sides for more than fiv e
hours and well into the night, the firing was still continuing. Heavy shell ing
knocked out electricity in parts of the city. Tanks fired shells at the
Manawara, Harat al-Sheikh, Zeitoun, Hagai, and Bab al-Zawia
neighborhoods, in the south, west, and northern parts of Hebron.

Roman Prodi sees English as main EU language

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: ABC Raw News/Reuters

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Forget German. Don't mind your French. One day
Europe's bureaucrats will all be speaking English to each other most of the

time, thinks the Italian who runs the European Union's executive. "Everyday

business will probably be dealt with in future in a sort of kitchen English , a
bit like people spoke Latin in the Middle Ages," European Commission
President Romano Prodi was quoted as telling a German newspaper Friday.

His view of the future, reflecting the development of English as a global l ingua
franca, may not please the French, who are fighting hard to keep French on

level terms, or the Germans, who have already had to battle against efforts to
drop their language from some EU meetings.

Prodi, whose interview in the Berliner Zeitung was due to appear in
Saturday's edition, said all Europeans should be entitled to speak official ly in
their mother tongue in the European Parliament, even once the Union has
expanded to up to 27 members from its present 15. But the official
languages of the civil servants on the commission should remain limited to

three: English, French and German. He said he had resisted Spanish efforts

to expand that list, saying that to do so would encourage other demands.

Damascus officially recognizes the Palestinian Authority

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Arabic News

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- News reports in Damascus quoted Palestinian sources
saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat had agreed on " continued coordination" on the ground of " fi ve
main principles" and that the chairman of the PLO political department
Farouk al-Qaddoumi will arrive in Damascus tomorrow ( Saturday) in
preparation for Arafat's expected visit on April 15 and 17.

Meanwhile, several leaders of the opposition Palestinian organization
welcomed the first meeting between the Syrian President and Arafat since
many years because such a meeting will lead to " strengthening the
Palestinian position in the peace negotiations." It was remarkable and
evident that the official Syrian media had started to give the name " the
chairman of the Palestinian National Authority" to Yasser Arafat in a first

stand of its kind, since strong criticism by Damascus to Oslo agreements
and Arafat's violation of coordination with Damascus in 1993.

The Palestinian sources explained that the al-Assad-Arafat meeting on
Tuesday in Amman on the sideline of the Arab summit lasted for 45 minutes
and was "warm" and that the Palestinian President " praised President al-
Assad speech at the summit and his support for the Palestinian Intifada "
and that al-Qaddoumi will meet within the two next days the Syrian foreign

minister Farouk al-Shara in the presence of Faisal al-Husseini.

Meningitis kills more than 900 in West Africa

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Yahoo News/Reuters

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- The death toll from a seasonal meningitis epidemic in
Burkina Faso has risen to more than 900 since the start of the year, health

authorities in the West African country said. Senior health ministry offici al
Mathias Some told Reuters on Thursday that the epidemic might not yet
have peaked after almost 5,900 reported cases this year.

Dutch women plan world's first same-sex wedding

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: USA Today

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Anne-Marie Thus and Helene Faasen lead a routine
domestic life for a Dutch couple engaged to be wed. Living together for two

years, they have a car, a mortgage on a three-story town house and a 9-
month-old child.

''We're just a run-of-the-mill couple,'' said Thus, toweling the baby after his
bath. ''Two people with a family and a household. The only thing that's
different is that we're two women.'' On Sunday, they will become the world' s
first lesbians to be officially married, under legislation recognizing same -sex
marriages with full and equal rights.

The law, enacted last year, takes effect at midnight. Moments later, four g ay
couples - Thus and Faasen and three male couples - will exchange vows and
rings at a joint wedding in Amsterdam's City Hall. Several other countries

register same-sex couples and some even call them marriages. But the
Dutch legislation goes a step further, eliminating all references to gender in
the laws governing matrimony and adoption.

World Citizens Peace Assembly opens in Taipei

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: ChinaTimes.com

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- The Association of World Citizens (AWC), a non-
govermental unit under the (UN), will hold an assembly in Taipei for the fi rst
time at the weekend, organizers said Thursday.

AWC president Douglas Mattern said some 20,000 people from over 50
countries would join the World Citizens Assembly to be held in Taipei from

March 30 to April 3. "The concept to initialize AWC was to bring together
people to work for peace of the world," Mattern said, adding that Taipei wa s
chosen as the venue this year in recognition of the island's long struggle in
promoting peace.

Threat to Jewish synagogue

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: ExpressIndia.com

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Heavy security arrangements have been made in front of
one of the world's oldest Jewish synagogue at nearby Mattancherry, India,
following threats to the historic monument allegedly from some
fundamentalist organisation, a top police official said today.

City police commissioner, Anil Kant, told PTI that they had received
information about the threat from police headquarters at Thiruvananthapuram .
However, no specific fundamentalist organisation has been mentioned in the

intelligence report, he added. As a precautionary measure, armed guards
had been posted in front of the synagogue and the Dutch palace nearby, he
added.

People keep stealing the road signs to Route 666

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: FoxNews.com

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Someone keeps stealing the road signs for Route 666 in
Morris County. Could it be ... Satan? County transportation officials don't

think so. They believe the signs were stolen by tourists who want offbeat
souvenirs and religious people offended by the number, which is associated

with Satan in the Bible. The officials are considering changing the name of

the road.

"This thing has got me crazy," said Joseph Stuppiello, a supervisor in the

county road department. "Every time we put one up, it doesn't last a day or

two before it's stolen." The problem started in the mid 1970s, when New
Jersey officials ordered that all state roads have three digits. Most count y
governments simply added a "5" or a "6" to the existing road number. Thus
Route 66 became Route 666. "You know, that's the devil," Helen Matola,
who lives along the highway, told The Star-Ledger of Newark in Wednesday's

editions. "Don't you read the Bible? Six six six. Oh, that's a bad omen."

PUTIN: Israel must return Golan Heights to Syria

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Weekend Staff
                         Source: Russia Today

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Agence France Presse reported Russian President
Vladimir Putin as saying that peace in the Middle East could only come if
Israel returned the Golan Heights to Syria.

Medical experts say childhood rickets disease on the rise

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Nando Times/AP

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Childhood rickets - a bone-softening disease that expert s
thought had been virtually eliminated - is making a comeback, in part
because some youngsters are not getting enough sunlight, health officials
say. Rickets, a vitamin D deficiency that causes bones to soften and bend
and often results in bowlegs, was once a major health problem. The addition

of vitamin D to milk in the 1930s virtually eliminated the disease. But hea lth
officials said Thursday that health departments across the country are
seeing a resurgence.

The government attributes the comeback to the popularity of milk substitute s
like soy that lack certain nutrients; the failure to supplement breast milk with
vitamin D; and a lack of childhood exposure to sunlight. Sunlight stimulate s
the body to produce vitamin D. The resurgence has been seen particularly
among children breast-fed by black mothers. Dark-skinned people absorb
less sunlight. "It's something people have become lax about," said Dr.
Norman Carvalho of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, a children's hospital.

"We've been living under the assumption that rickets doesn't occur anymore.

But there's a definite increase in the number of cases we're seeing. It see ms
to be a trend."

Mother of Jesus increasing as focus of devotion

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Religion Today

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- All Christians recognize the Virgin Mary as the mother o f
Jesus Christ. While the Catholic and Orthodox churches have granted Mary
a special place of devotion as an intercessor, Protestants believe Jesus is

the one true mediator between God and the faithful.

Through the centuries, the role of Mary in the Catholic Church has continue d
to evolve, and today there are more religious organizations dedicated to
promoting Marian devotion than ever before. Also popular are shrines such a s
Fatima, Portugal, and Lourdes, France, where visions of Mary found to be
authentic by the Catholic Church were reported in 1917 and 1858,
respectively. One of the most popular pilgrimage destinations is Medjugorje ,
located in the Eastern European country of Bosnia-Herzegovina, although the

Roman Catholic Church has not ruled whether the apparitions reported there

are authentic. The site has reportedly attracted between 20 and 25 million

visitors since six youths first reported receiving messages from the Virgin

Mary there in 1981.

A lot of the renewed enthusiasm for Mary can be attributed to Medjugorje's

rise in popularity, Murphy reported. Also helping is the position of the Po pe,
who believes Mary intervened in an assassination attempt against him.
Often, Mary devotion may appeal to Catholics who believe the church is too

remote, said Rev. Thomas Thompson, director of the University of Dayton's
Marian Library. "Sometimes, unconsciously, Marianism is a type of protest
against too intellectual an approach to worship," he said.

Sharon policy focues on Palestinian Authority, not Palestinians

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: World Tribune/Middle East Newsline

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Israel has launched what officials said is a new policy that
holds the Palestinian Authority as responsible for attacks against the Jewi sh
state. Officials said the policy is meant to strike the interests of PA
Chairman Yasser Arafat while limiting restrictions on the Palestinian
population. They said the policy was launched in a military offensive again st
Arafat installations on Wednesday evening.

"The government's guiding principle is constant and persistent action again st
the terrorists, as well as against those who both dispatch and assist them, "
an Israeli Cabinet statement said. "The policy will be directed at terroris t
elements." Israeli sources said the military has drawn up a list of Palesti nian
targets. The government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has approved the
option of future attacks, they said. "We won't wait for attacks," National

Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman said. "We will engage in many
initiatives."

Florida State funding threatened after school stages play featuring gay Chr ist

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Nando Times/AP

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Several state lawmakers threatened to cut state funding of
Florida Atlantic University programs because its theater department is
staging a play that features a gay Christ character. Corpus Christi, which

opened Wednesday at FAU, chronicles a Christlike character named Joshua
who is growing up gay in modern-day Texas. The story parallels parts of the

Gospels. A kiss between Joshua and a character named Judas is similar to
the kiss the biblical Judas used to identify Jesus to the Romans.

"For anyone who's a Christian, it's very offensive," said state Sen. Debby

Sanderson, whose district includes Florida Atlantic.

School officials said they will allow the play to finish this weekend's run . "It's
a matter of academic freedom," university spokeswoman Lynn Laurenti said.
She said top administrators did not know of the play's content until this
week. Sanderson and other senators said Thursday they would read the play
and then decide what action, if any, to take. Last year, the school receive d
$112 million from the state. Corpus Christi, written by Terrence McNally,
debuted on Broadway in 1998. It was met with fierce protests from Roman
Catholic groups.

UN Security Council to vote on European initiative to protect Palestinians

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Ha'aretz

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Representatives of five European nations in the United
Nations Security Council intend to soon renew their initiative to establish an
apparatus to protect Palestinians in the territories. This comes in respons e
to the Palestinian demand that international observers be sent to the
territories. Earlier in the week, the United States used its veto power to

prevent this measure from passing. The European initiative has not yet been

voted on as the Palestinians were not willing to settle for anything less t han
the sending of international observers.

The Ukrainian representative joined his British, French, Norwegian, and Iri sh
counterparts in the initiative to renew discussion on the matter. The
Palestinian representative in the United Nations said he would be happy if

the matter was discussed, but on condition that the United States changed
its stance on the issue. American sources said that the administration's

stance would not change unless Arafat conceded to the American request
that the level of violence be decreased.

Land Day ends peacefully

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Jerusalem Post

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Events in the Galilee marking Land Day ended without
incident, Israel Radio reported. Thousands of Israeli Arabs attended a cent ral
assembly in Sakhnin and then returned peacefully to their homes. Sakhnin
Mayor Mustafa Abu Raya spoke at the assembly of the importance of
faithfulness to the land. The rally was also attended by a number of Peace

Now activists. Before the rally several disturbances occurred, particularly in
Nazareth, but the police did not intervene.

Jerusalem quiet after Palestinians riot

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Jerusalem Post

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- Quiet has been restored in the capital after Palestinian s
rioted in several places in the eastern part of the city. Police arrested e ight
Palestinians, some of them suspected of throwing firebombs, Israel Radio
reported. No casualties were reported.

U.S. pigs hit with AIDS-like symptoms

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: ABC News.com

Fri Mar 30,2001 -- This horrendous disease, at one point called "swine
mystery disease," "blue abortion," and "swine infertility," and now referre d to
as "Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome," or PRRS, has
infected some pigs in about 75 percent of American pig herds, according to

experts. Vaccines have only partially been effective. The disease also has

been creating a nightmare for many other nations since at least the mid-
1980s.

The reproductive and respiratory syndrome, which often kills baby pigs, is

characterized by a variety of conditions and is causing economic hardship f or
pig farmers. Affected mothers lose up to 10 percent of their pregnancies.
Their babies are spontaneously aborted or are stillborn. As many as 20
percent to 30 percent of survivors may suffer and die from respiratory
disease, such as pneumonia. The PRRS virus is said to primarily attack a
pig's immune system, leaving the body open to a host of other infections,
particularly in the lungs. Some pigs develop a chronic infection and become

carriers but show no symptoms.

Research reveals that the virus is transmitted via semen, saliva and blood.

Those pigs herded closely together and transported at close quarters by
trucks may be more susceptible to infection. To date, there is no evidence

that the virus can infect humans from any source, including via food.
Researchers looking for signs of the virus in pig meat haven't found any.

http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day 3D01_03_30&item 3D#985997049

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From research-bpr@philologos.org Fri Mar 30 19:34:56 2001
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 19:34:56 -0500
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Wakf cutting Temple Mount stones, petition charges

               Wakf cutting Temple Mount stones,
               petition charges
               By Dan Izenberg

               JERUSALEM (March 30) - The Moslem Wakf has
               brought a four meter-by-two meter stone cutter into the
               Temple Mount compound and is cutting stones taken
               from an ancient building on the site to prepare new
               building blocks, the Committee to Prevent the
               Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount charged
               yesterday in a request to the High Court of Justice for an
               urgent interim injunction.

               The court has set a date for the hearing of the
               Committee's petition, and an earlier petition by the
               Temple Mount Faithful, of April 3.

               In its latest address to the High Court, the Committee
               charged that "the Moslem Wakf was perpetrating serious
               harm to the antiquities on the Temple Mount by sawing
               and cutting ancient stones to prepare them for secondary
               use in various building projects. During these days, it is
               cutting large stones whose dimensions are more than half
               a meter by half a meter."

               The petitioners charged that the saw had not been on site
               earlier, and that it had to have been brought into the
               Temple Mount compound by a huge truck and a crane.

               "The new saw is causing enormous damage because of
               the unnecessary destruction of the ancient stones, some
               of which may have been used in the construction of the
               Holy Temple," the petitioners wrote.

               In an earlier address to the court dated March 25, the
               Committee charged that hundreds of volunteers and
               members of the Israeli Islamic Movement come to the
               Temple Mount on the weekends and during the week,
               indicating that the Wakf believes it is a matter of urgency
               to speed and expand the work.

               The Committee also charged that the Wakf is carrying
               out work in a 15-meter hole that was uncovered while
               they were working on the compound's eastern wall.

               Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Municipality has asked the
               High Court to accept the petitions, which call on the
               government to halt the Wakf's activities.

http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/03/30/News/News.23887.html

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