BPR Mailing List Digest: 04/06/01

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
April 6, 2001

Digest Home | 2001 | April, 2001

From: "Moza"
Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 10:19:25 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] Moscow and Beijing to Sign Friendship Treaty During Zemin Visit

Hello JaneB!

I'd like to throw in a few things here regarding the alliances being formed all
over the world.

Moscow & China: I would've always thought Russia would stand alone and
be considered more a "king of the north" but this "friendship" might mean
that it is going to be more in line with a "king of the east" (besides having
their fingers in the pot with the "kings of the north" in the Middle East).

The thing that particularly has my attention is all this "unity" between Jordan,
Syria, PA (and maybe Iraq). This area used to be called Greater Syria and it
seems to be coming back together as the "king of the north." This is the
area that was ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes who was a forerunner of
Antichrist. (please see BPR file on Daniel 11-12 for more) I've always thought
that Jordan would provide the Antichrist/Antiochus figure because the other
nations in that area have dictators that are just too far from mainstream to be
considered--although Saddam Hussein seems to have the biggest ego and,
therefore, the closest resemblance to Antiochus Epiphanes who considered
himself a god. I think if the rest of the world had to deal with anyone in the
area it would be King Abdullah.

The "king of the south" seems to be Egypt which will have a lot of African
help, I believe, if it ever came down to push and shove. Qaddafi is just
chomping at the bit to get his hands bloodied, Sudan is just a mess and
looking for some way to redeem themselves and a lot of the African countries
are becoming very, very Muslim.

Just a few things that have been kicking around in my head,
Moza

> Does anyone want to make a comment on this news item in regards to
prophecy?
>
> "Moscow and Beijing will sign a 10-year friendship treaty during a summer
> visit here by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Deputy Foreign Minister
> Alexander Losyukov said Wednesday."
>
> Looking up,
> JaneB

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From: Pam
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 23:01:28 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] 400 vs 430

Dear Ruby:
I think the answer to your question is that it could have been 30
years from the time Joseph's family joined him in Egypt until the time
the Egyptians turned against the Israelites and began to afflict them.
Initially they were not afflicted but welcomed by pharoah. If that is
incorrect then, so be it, I am sure there is an explanation. Praise the
Lord!
God bless you. Charlie Baker

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From: "Patt A."
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 23:20:10 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Fwd: [gcimediaspotlight] GCI Media Spotlight - Extra! Download complete NIV Bible for FREE!

I know this isn't of a prophetic nature, but I thought maybe someone would like a free bible :)

GCI Media Spotlight <gcimediaspotlight@lists.gospelcom.net> wrote:
From: GCI Media Spotlight
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 01:20:34 -0400
To: gcimediaspotlight@lists.gospelcom.net
Subject: [gcimediaspotlight] GCI Media Spotlight - Extra! Download complete NIV Bible for
FREE!

FREE NIV BIBLE DOWNLOAD, only until April 16.

Dear friend of Gospel Communications International,

As a subscriber to our monthly online e-newsletter, GCI Media Spotlight,
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If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, e-mail:
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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 13:19:34 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Was America Hunting for a New Killer Submarine?

>From Stratfor's Global Intelligence Update:

Was America Hunting for a New Killer Submarine?
04 April 2001

http://www.stratfor.com/home/giu/archive/040401

The loss of the EP-3E aircraft means the demise of some of the United
States' capabilities to eavesdrop along China's coastline. It also
could eventually spell more trouble for relations between the two
countries.

Both observations beg the question: What was a U.S. spy plane doing
down there in the first place? True, missions are flown routinely
along the China coast. But a series of incidents, stretching back
several years, indicate the United States has been hunting for signs
of a breakthrough in Chinese submarine technology =96 one that poses a
serious threat to America's most powerful conventional weapon: the
aircraft carrier.

There has been a rash of arrests of Western defense attaches in
China. And recently a U.S. vessel was chased from an exercise area.
Both actions suggest China is close to a breakthrough in its long-
stalled efforts to build an effective submarine threat. Sources in
China confirm the Chinese military reaction to the EP-3E incident was
sharp because the military is trying to safeguard its submarine
secrets.

There are two vessels at issue. The People's Liberation Army Navy
(PLAN) placed a new version of the Russian-designed Kilo-class
submarine into service April 4, 2000, according to a brief report in
the Hong Kong-based Sing Tao Jih Pao. The new Kilo is equipped with
anti-ship weapons and has conducted recent drills simulating combat
with carrier-type warships, according to the paper, which cited
sources in the People's Liberation Army. It takes up to a year to
qualify a new vessel and crew for duty at sea.

But the Chinese navy may have made a more significant breakthrough.
It has been working for years on a variant of the larger, more
powerful Victor III submarine. This submarine, known in China as a
Type 093 and due for completion sometime in late 2000, was designed
to launch cruise missiles while submerged. That would allow the
Chinese to threaten the pre-eminent American weapons system in the
region: the aircraft carrier.

The flight of the EP-3E along China's coastline suggests it was
monitoring transmissions of navy vessels and coastal installations.
The aircraft may have been looking for signs of either of these two
submarines as well.

-- more --

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From: Stafford's Mail <simmonds@freeuk.com>
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 15:20:33 +0100
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Reporters under fire

Shalom dear friends

The following report dropped into my mbx and I thought you would be
interested to see it. It provides an interesting anlysisof the way in
which the press interprets 'even-handedness'.

Blessings Stafford
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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=3D

HonestReporting Communique 05 April 2001

"BURYING THE CHILDREN"

* * *
Dear Friend,

The deliberate murder of the Jewish baby, Shalhevet Pass, by a
Palestinian sniper was condemned around the world, leaving people
everywhere to wonder how a human being could line up a baby's head in
the crosshairs of his sniper scope and pull the trigger.

But the atrocity apparently had a different effect on some reporters
who have toiled for six months to present a "balanced and even-handed"
portrayal of the fighting -- or in some cases a sympathetic picture of
the Palestinian side. These reporters have mitigated Palestinian
terrorist bombers by calling them "militants," while whenever possible
labeling Israeli victims as "settlers" -- in an attempt to "downgrade"
them from the ranks of innocent civilians.

So how did the "even-handers" handle Shalhevet=92s funeral?

On April 2, The New York Times ran Deborah Sontag's report headlined
"Israeli Baby's Funeral Becomes Focus of Settler Militancy." Sontag
reminds readers several times of Palestinian casualties in describing
Shalhevet's funeral: "One [Jewish mourner] held a framed photograph of
Shalhevet in her Purim costume, in the style of the Palestinian
mothers who grieve for their martyred sons."

That sentence provided Sontag with the perfect and immediate segue
into her reminder of youthful Palestinian casualties killed by
Israelis: "An 11-year-old Palestinian boy, Muhammad Tamini, was buried
today in a small quiet funeral in his village near Ramallah. The boy
died of wounds sustained in clashes with Israeli troops two weeks ago."

In her search for evenhandedness, Sontag then finds a backhanded way
to portray Shalhevet as a despised settler: "Many Israelis have long
considered the Hebron settlers to be extremists, living in a world
apart. But they rallied behind the community after Shalhevet was
killed; newspaper headlines referred to the killing of an Israeli baby
and not a "settler baby."

Sontag makes the outrageous implication that Jews might normally
disregard the ruthless murder of another Jew, simply because they
don't share the same political views. Is the average Israeli so petty
and cold-hearted? I don't believe so. But perhaps Sontag is.

Read Sontag's article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/02/world/02MIDE.html

Not to be outdone, Suzanne Goldenberg of the Guardian paints a nasty
picture of Shalevet's mourners: "Thousands of Jewish settlers,
bristling with sophisticated weapons and swearing revenge, gathered
yesterday for the funeral of a baby girl..."

Goldenberg then attempts to "even out" the atrocities: "Few
Palestinians shed tears for Shalhevet. About 130 of the 455 people who
have been killed in the uprising were Palestinians under the age of 18,
the latest an 11-year-old Ramallah boy who was also buried yesterday,
after being shot in the head by an Israeli soldier."

In Goldenberg's eyes, two children have been shot in the head, and
there is no distinction to made. But the comparison, of course, is
false. No Israeli soldier has ever aimed to kill innocent children
sitting in baby carriages or playing in a sandbox. Tragically,
Palestinian children are shot when they participate in violent
demonstrations or by errant bullets that may have also come from
Palestinian gunmen shooting at Israeli soldiers.

Read Goldenberg's story:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,466904,00.html

And in a Guardian analysis piece, Jonathan Freedland draws another
false comparison: "[Palestinians] have seen a 12-year-old boy,
Muhammad al-Durrah, shot dead in his father's arms (just like
Shalhavet)."

Of course, the Muhammad al-Durrah incident left a lot of questions
unanswered, the most important being what he and his father were doing
in the heart of crossfire shooting, whether it was actually an Israeli
or Palestinian bullet that struck him, and how the media came to be
perfectly placed to photograph it. Is this comparable to Shalhevet
being murdered in cold blood on the playground?

Read Freedland's column:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,464346,00.html

CNN had its own version of even-handedness: "Two children on either
side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are being buried on Sunday.
Jewish settlers are burying a 10-month-old girl killed by sniper fire
while Palestinians are burying an 11-year-old boy shot during clashes
with Israeli forces."
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/04/01/israel.funeral/index.html

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times reporter Tracy Wilkinson downplayed the
Arab identity of Shalhevet's killer, leaving it as mere Israeli
=93hear-say.=94 She writes: "Jewish settlers buried 10-month-old Shalhevet
Pas on Sunday, six days after the army says she was shot dead by a
Palestinian sniper... Shalhevet was shot to death and her father,
Yitzhak, was wounded by what Israeli authorities say was a single
bullet from a Palestinian gunman."

Read Wilkinson's coverage:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20010402/t000028229.html

If you feel that the reports are biased, write to these publications at:

letters@nytimes.com
letters@guardian.co.uk
letters@latimes.com
eason.jordan@turner.com

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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

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From: Stafford's Mail <simmonds@freeuk.com>
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 17:16:52 +0100
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] THE SOUND AND THE FURY

Dear friends

The following article is found in today's issue of Haaretz. It
discusses Hebron settler's reactions to the policing of Hebron.

It is followed by comments by Jerry Golden on the article. Though
rather long both the article, and the comments by Jerry, are important
to our understanding of the situation and I encourage you to read them.

Blessings Stafford
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
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=3D=3D
THE SOUND AND THE FURY
(from Haarez Magazine dateline 5th April 2001)

Hebron was a cauldron of anarchy and hatred in the week after the
murder of Shalhevet Pass, and IDF soldiers found themselves fighting
on two fronts. Avihai Becker reports

By Avihai Becker

The murder of 10-month-old Shalhevet Pass in Hebron overshadowed the
reports about the settler who tried to stab Private Amihai Sasson, a
soldier from the paramilitary Nahal Brigade of the Israel Defense
Forces. "I am in shock over what is going on here," Sasson said a few
hours after the incident. "The police placed a [Jewish] detainee in my
jeep and the residents, who didn't want to let me take him, surrounded
the vehicle and wouldn't let me move. They started shouting at us -
there were two members of the police special unit with me - 'perverts,'
'Jew-haters,' 'Nazis.' Just look at this," he says, taking a sharp
utensil out of his pocket. "This is something that is meant to kill,
not just to scratch you."

The confrontation took place in Hebron's Gross Square. "Suddenly
someone with evil in his eyes approached me," Sasson continues. "He
opened the door on the driver's side and tried to stab me with the
utensil, which he had already used to puncture the jeep's tires. If I
hadn't been alert he would have stabbed me in the neck. Instinctively
I pushed the door in his face and he fell. I was scared; I had already
cocked my rifle in order to shoot him, but the police commandos jumped
up and threw themselves on him, shouting, 'Don't shoot! Don't shoot!'
If I hadn't been alert, I would have taken that thing in the neck. I
took the utensil, which slipped out of his hand, so people wouldn't
say I was making up things - and also as a souvenir from the Jewish
settlement in Hebron." (Sasson's assailant was not detained.)

The Nahal Brigade's Shaham Battalion left the Hebron sector that
evening after half a year's duty there. "People in Israel are asleep,"
Sasson says. "They have no idea about what's going on here. My whole
attitude has changed because of what I saw in Hebron. Until the mess
that happened to me you could say that I had a lot of admiration for
the settlers. I was pretty right-wing in my outlook."

Not far from there, at the plaza leading to the Jewish neighborhood
called Avraham Avinu (Abraham the Patriarch), Miriam Levinger was
screaming obscenities. The target this time was a member of the police
special unit, whose blonde hair apparently led Levinger to think he
wasn't a halakhically correct Jew. "Go to Ukraine," she shouted at him.
"The blood still isn't dry and you have already come to abuse the Jews?
Where are you from? Kishinev? Chmielnicki? Isn't it enough what you
already did to the Jews there, now you have to come to the Land of
Israel to beat us? A Ukrainian import, direct from Kishinev, the blood
still isn't dry. There is no forgiveness for you, shits, retards,
doormats for Arabs, gentiles, God will not forgive you."

"Get out of here," Levinger's friends uttered like a Greek chorus
every few sentences, "get out of here.".

LUNATIC FRINGE

In the week between the murder of the infant and her burial, Hebron
was a cauldron of anarchy and hatred. In the absence of Arabs on whom
to vent their wrath - due to the curfew - the settlers turned their
invective on the IDF, the Border Police and the regular police. In the
camel area next to the old market, gangs of children, barely 10 years
old, roamed with iron rods, hammers and jerricans of kerosene,
vandalizing everything in their path. They ripped locks out of the
doors of abandoned stores, set fire to the contents, destroyed
equipment. The campaign of destruction, in which girls also took part,
went on uninterrupted. When a soldier occasionally tried to stop the
young rioters, they sometimes ignored him, but more often reacted with
brutal impertinence. The cry "Nazi" has long since become routine here.

What is now going on in Hebron should not come as a surprise; in large
measure, it is the result of a prolonged policy of the authorities'
looking the other way. More than one commander of the Hebron Brigade
has built a brilliant career on the basis of close relations with the
settlers, dismissing the "extremists" as a negligible, marginal
phenomenon. When was the last time a commander of the Judea and
Samaria Division or the head of Central Command publicly condemned
behavior by settlers that deserves condemnation, and not only in
Hebron? No one has been more forgiving than the settlers' darling, the
deputy chief of staff, and pretender to the crown, Major General Moshe
(Boogie) Ya'alon.

All those who stood aside and did nothing are directly responsible for
the current humiliation of the army in Hebron. The Jewish settlement
is trying to create the impression that their anger is only a reaction
to the supposedly violent attitude of the police special unit, but the
settlers are also making life hell for IDF soldiers. Not to the same
degree, but still hell.

The commander of the Shaham Battalion, Yehuda Fuchs, vehemently
objects to this description of the situation. "I have no problem with
them," he says. "Thirteen years ago I took at an oath at the Western
Wall to defend the citizens of Israel with my life and I am proud to
be doing that, even though my friends in Tel Aviv don't understand how
it's possible for me to guard with delight even those who call me a
Nazi. My views are totally irrelevant to the issue; I am not the
policeman of the State of Israel, I am only a soldier. The moral
position I undertook involves only my subordinates. I am not here to
judge people's opinions, I am here to enable people to express
opinions."

OUTSIDE AGITATION

A few hours before the company commander, Captain Yisrael Amid, handed
over responsibility for the main street to a Paratroop company, he
made the rounds among his men, who were scattered two by two at points
of friction, to ensure that the soldiers' fatigue would not mean any
relaxation of vigilance. The Nahal company was drafted in March 2000
and half a year later was sent to the territories, where they have
been ever since. That morning and the previous night the company had
been busy chasing groups of settlers who climbed the hills of Abu
Sneina, from where the infant girl was shot to death.

While the adults were dealing with Abu Sneina, the youngsters stayed
behind to deal with the stores at the entrance to the market. "The
present situation absolutely doesn't reflect what went on the previous
half year," Amid emphasizes. "There are some serious demagogues here,
but these riots definitely are not typical. A vociferous minority is
giving the Hebron settlement its bad name. You won't find the silent
majority involved in the disturbances." When one of his soldiers,
Private Boris Plotnikov, tries to stop the unrestrained vandalism, the
children respond by threatening him, grabbing his rifle, harassing and
cursing.

The settlers who attack the Abu Sneina neighborhood rely on the
protection of the army, Amid says. "If they knew that the IDF made a
decision absolutely not to endanger soldiers, I imagine they wouldn't
try. Last night they split up into several forces on the way there,
and we followed those who turned left. It was no accident that the
whole group that ran to the right doubled back and joined us from
behind."

If the battalion commander talks about "outside elements" in the
settlers' camp, the company commander, Amid, blames outsiders for the
Palestinians' fire from Abu Sneina. "Those who are shooting from Abu
Sneina are not residents of the neighborhood," he says. "Here and in
Beit Jala [the West Bank town from which shooting has been directed at
the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo in Jerusalem], squads of Tanzim
militiamen come from outside, do their work and flee. The murder of
the baby girl broke a taboo - we all believed that they wouldn't harm
the settlers, and more out of fear of the settlers than of the IDF."

LIGHT TRIGGER FINGER

As we spoke, three shots were heard from the direction of the Avraham
Avinu neighborhood. A group of children ran along the main street.
"It's a diversion." Amid says about the movements. He is 25, a
resident of Natufa, a hilltop "lookout" in Lower Galilee. "I try very
hard to keep things at a distance; the rule is not to take the barking
at me personally. What haven't they shouted at me, and more than once?
Very quickly you learn to seal yourself, to treat the whole thing like
a game. After all, it's clear that this is a situation for which the
solution is not in your hands."

The Shaham Battalion has a thick file of press reports about incidents
that make it look as though its soldiers are trigger-happy. Two hours
before the pullout from Hebron, Amid takes time out for some spiritual
stock-taking. "In my briefings to the company I always emphasized that
when it comes to the attitude toward the Arab population, they are
first of all human beings." But that did not prevent the wounding of
Jaabri Jadallah, 50, whose leg was amputated after he was shot by
soldiers stationed at the roadblock in the market in the center of
Hebron, an incident that was captured on film by a cameraman of the
Associated Press.

"From our point of view, that was a bad incident," Amid says,
acknowledging the faults that were later found to have occurred. "This
was a civilian who was walking around during curfew and who didn't
respond to a call to stop. What is very regretful is that the soldiers
hit a civilian and not a terrorist. We investigated the episode
thoroughly, we didn't try to whitewash anything, and we drew important
lessons for the continuation of our mission, including how to tell a
suspect from an innocent person. In long talks I had with the soldier
who opened fire, he told me that he was afraid the guy would approach
and try to stab him. In his defense I have to say that all this
happened in the company's first week in Hebron, so we still didn't
know who we were dealing with and we weren't really experienced."

The soldier in question was suspended and send to the battalion's
headquarters. The matter was then placed in the hands of the Military
Police; the soldier was returned to the company and the investigation
has not yet been completed. In the wake of the incident, the battalion
commander was summoned to the chief of staff to explain what happened.
The IDF issued an explanatory video that sets forth the lessons from
the unfortunate incident and makes it available to all the units that
are assigned to combat duty in the territories.

SHOWDOWN WITH A GUNMAN

Whether the battalion liked it or not, its actions were totally open
to the media. In Hebron there is a photographer on almost every
street: The conflict is reported live to the world with crews from CNN,
NBC and the BBC running shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers.
Frequently a feeling of despondency gripped the battalion: the men
felt that the interpretations that were placed on some of their
actions cast them unjustly in a negative light. One such case was the
shooting of Khaled Ghanem, a wanted man who had many times opened fire
on the Jewish settlement in Hebron.

Ghanem was caught at a surprise roadblock set up by the auxiliary
battalion at the junction of the village of Halhoul, adjacent to
Hebron. He was examined and handcuffed. As he was being led to the
jeep that was to take him to prison, he took advantage of a split
second of hesitation by the soldiers and broke into a fast run. "The
soldiers shouted at him to stop," the battalion commander recalls. "He
did not stop. They shot around him and he kept on running, it was
already dark, he was just about to enter the built-up area when the
commander of the auxiliary battalion assumed the kneeling position and
fired three shots, one of which felled him. He then summoned an
ambulance, which took the wounded man to hospital."

The battalion commander's complaints about his troops' behavior is
confined to the events until Ghanem fled, not afterward. "Out of
humanitarianism, they didn't blindfold him, a simple means that would
have prevented him from getting away. In the meantime, Ghanem's
brother, who was with him at the time of the incident, alerted a
television crew and put out a story that was believed by the public,
according to which we supposedly shot a bound terrorist in cold blood.
Instead of congratulating us for capturing a quality terrorist, the
press confused everything and judged us."

The same thing happened after a clash in which a legendary Hebron
figure, Shaker Hassuna al-Husseini, was killed. Even before the
battalion reached the sector they heard tales about the daring "gunman."
In every case of a disturbance he would suddenly appear among the
demonstrators, fire a few bullets at the soldiers and disappear until
the next incident. In mid-January, they encountered him face-to-face
in a joint operation with the Border Police. Sergeant Y. from
Jerusalem, who was involved in the clash, analyzes the operational
achievement, which turned into a propaganda debacle:

"Suddenly, amid all the stones and Molotov cocktails, an explosive
charge was thrown at us. For a second we were in shock, but then we
snapped out of it and rushed to the alley to try and find the
terrorist. He was standing there, armed with his pistol, and when he
saw us he was completely taken by surprise. Then we didn't yet know
that this was the famous gunman, of course. Barely five meters
separated us. We shot him seven times before he could even react, then
we dragged him out of the alley and a doctor pronounced him dead. I
definitely felt a sense of satisfaction, from our point of view, it
was a tremendous success."

The next morning, when he opened the paper, he was appalled. A
photograph credited to Reuters showed him smiling as he dragged the
dead man: hardly complimentary. The soldiers, who were desperate to be
praised for the operation, didn't find anything of the sort in the
papers. "That's what hurts me," Sergeant Y. says. "It was a Tanzim
terrorist who doesn't deserve any respect. Instead of that I have to
hear on the news that we were the ones who were supposedly in the
wrong."

CRUSHING VICTORY

At Tel Rumeida in the Jewish settlement of Hebron, the Palhod, the
battalion's lead company, was completing its preparations to pull out.
The equipment was stored and packed, the replacements from the
Paratroops were already there, the atmosphere was of relief and
release from high pressure. When company commander Ro'i Sheetrit took
a few minutes to analyze the battalion's period in Hebron, which
consisted mainly of incessant confrontations with the Palestinians and
ended with efforts to prevent the settlers from venting their anger on
the Arabs.

"Of course this is not the assignment we were looking for," Sheetrit
says. "The situation here is very strange and complicated. First you
throw them back, using reasonable force, then they joke with you over
a cup of tea and shake your hand. So their comments never bothered me,
and when they called me a Nazi - and by the way, it was someone who is
not from the settlement here - I laughed."

He is not upset by the settlers' complaints about the supposed
softness of the IDF's reactions. "Our victory here was crushing," he
says. "The Shaham Battalion knows exactly what it's worth. If a bullet
is fired at me, I retort with 40 bullets. I have the full authority
and discretion to react with disproportionate fire. It's no
coincidence that everyone who tried to get us failed. Here is the Abu
Sneina neighborhood, 300 meters from us, while what I have are ready
weapons that let me respond up to a range of three kilometers. Our
resilience will not be affected either by the Tanzim or by Hamas or by
the murder of the baby girl or by the terrorist attacks outside. It's
important for the public to understand that we are causing them damage
here that is confronting Arafat with a serious problem."

Sheetrit, though, is also quick to say that "we mustn't be arrogant. I
had a soldier whom I ejected from the company for one reason - human
life was cheap for him. A Palestinian is not automatically the enemy.
When a [Palestinian] boy comes to our positions to scrape the last
scraps of food from the trays that were distributed to the soldiers, I
can't remain indifferent to him. Families without medicines, women who
carry water in jerricans, an ambulance that arrives carrying a sick
person - what, you won't let it pass because there is curfew? After
it's checked out, I even give it protection, to prevent friction with
the Jewish settlement. There are things I heard from the Palestinians
that really touched my heart. We have to be firm, but we also have to
know where the boundaries are."

WIPED OUT

In the final hours, in the eye of the storm in Hebron, the sector
which the IDF defines as the most complex of all, they were already
dreaming of the moment when at long last, after half a year, they
would be able to sleep without their uniforms. An unofficial count
credits the battalion with killing 10 armed Palestinians, most of them
by sniper fire; uncovering two bombs that were meant for the number
160 bus, which plies the Jerusalem-Hebron line; and thwarting a
terrorist attack at Idna.

"There isn't a soldier in the battalion who wasn't fired at or who
didn't reply with fire," the battalion commander says. In combat
activity stretching across six consecutive months, the battalion lost
two of its fighters, Lieutenant David Chen-Cohen and Sergeant Shlomo
Adishana, who were killed at the village of El Khader, south of
Bethlehem. In addition to Shalhevet Pass, the baby girl, two others,
Rina Didovsky and Eliahu Ben Ami, were killed in the sector for which
the battalion was responsible, which at the start of the Intifada was
the Beit Haggai area. The two were killed in a drive-by shooting.

"Generally, after three straight months on the line, the soldiers look
wiped out," the battalion commander says. "This time, despite the fact
that the mission was twice as long as usual, they came out of it
strengthened." The only riddle that Fuchs hasn't yet figured out is
how it happened that a battalion of "softies," as he calls them,
became the symbol of irregularities in the media, whereas the IDF has
only praise for its work. When Amid's company left Hebron, the
residents of the Jewish settlement took their leave of the soldiers
with the words "See you again soon" and highly meaningful smiles.
After a brief training period, the Shaham Battalion will man the
northern line - though a brief survey reveals that most of the
soldiers would prefer to return to the action in Hebron. Lebanon,
which a year ago was headline news, is now totally passe

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Shalom Stafford,

I read the article "THE SOUND AND THE FURY" by Avihai Becker, and
found it to be accurate, but like any article on such a subject there
are many other objective views to be considered. My son has been
stationed there in the IDF for the most part of the past 6 months
Intifata. And I might add has found himself standing between the
Police and the Settlers far to often. I could go on and on but it is
some times hard to justify human behavior, when it seems to be
irrational. and more to the point when religious values are at state.

It would be well to remember that these Jewish Settlers are a very
brave and courageous people. Their numbers are around 500 in the two
Settlements right in the middle of the Palestinian "A" area,
surrounded by 130,000 hostile Arabs. They feel it is their God given
right to be there, it is where our Forefathers are buried with their
wives. It is where David was crowned King. It is the second most
Holy City in Israel. And I personally admire them for their
willingness to stand their ground, they are certainly a tough bunch of
Jews. They are faced and are the subject of even more hatred from the
Arabs than is being reported. A case in point, the recent killing of
the 10 month old child "Shallheveh Tehiya Pass" who was targeted by a
Palestinian sniper and shot through the head while setting in her
stroller, the same shot went through her fathers legs as well. Is now
being reported on the Palestinian Radio (The Voice of Palestine) out
of Gaza for the past two days that the Jewish mother killed her child
because she was retarted. There seems to be no limit to how low they
will go with their lies.

I hope I have been helpful,
Shalom and have a good Holiday. Jerry Golden

><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Stafford's Mail <staffordsimmonds@ntlworld.com>

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From: "Patt A."
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 09:48:11 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Fwd: (Fwd) 'Lost' asteroid could hit Earth

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

'Lost' asteroid could hit Earth

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=3D378
030&in_review_text_id=3D323494

by Geraint Smith, Science Correspondent

At least one potentially dangerous asteroid is being discovered every
night and the rate is increasing rapidly.

More than 300 asteroids with orbits that cross Earth's were found last
year, and this year the discoveries are coming faster, Dr Duncan Steel
of the University of Salford will tell the National Astronomy Meeting
in Cambridge later this week.

However, even more worrying may be one that has gone missing.

"One, in particular, we need to find. It was seen for only 10 days in
1998, and it looked as though it might be on a potential collision
course within the next 30 years.

"However, it was not seen for long enough to calculate the orbit to
know for certain."

The object, known as 1998 OX 4, is about half a mile across, he said.
"If it hit San Francisco, California would cease to exist. If it hit
London, much of England would cease to exist."

The object that killed the dinosaurs was between five and 10 miles in
size, but just 93 years ago an asteroid only 60 or 70 yards across
blew up in the atmosphere above Siberia, producing a blast which, had
it had Marble Arch as its centre, would have flattened all of London
out to the M25.

"The chance of that occurring is small, but the consequences are so
phenomenal that it is a hazard we must take seriously," Dr Steel said.

Dr Steel is one of six foreign scientists on Nasa's Spaceguard
Committee, which made recommendations to the US Congress on how to
deal with "Near Earth Objects".

=95 The building blocks of life on Earth probably arrived as small
fragments of comet that looked remarkably like the surface of the M1.

Dr Steel will today tell the National Astronomy Meeting it is likely
they came in the shape of tiny meteoroids made of a tarry substance
called keragin, billions of which still bombard the Earth. Although
these vaporise high in the atmosphere, the chemicals of which they are
made then float gently to Earth, largely intact.

---------------------------------
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Personal Address - Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mai=
l.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 13:29:45 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Hepatitis C Spreads Mostly Unchecked in Prisons

Thursday April 5 9:41 AM ET

Hepatitis C Spreads Mostly Unchecked in Prisons

By Alan Elsner, National Correspondent

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (Reuters) - Hepatitis C, a silent killer that attacks the
liver, is rampant among the almost two million inmates of U.S. prisons and
jails but authorities are making only half-hearted efforts to combat it, medical
and prison experts say.

``The prevalence of this disease is believed to be 30 to 40 percent of the
prison population, depending on the state,'' said Anne Degroot, a doctor who
treats AIDS (news - web sites) and hepatitis patients in the Connecticut
prison system and heads a prison health education project at Brown
University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Hepatitis C is a virus spread through contact with human blood and is rarely
transmitted sexually. It can lead to life-threatening liver damage by scarring
the liver (also called cirrhosis), liver cancer or liver failure. Fewer than half of
those treated are cured. There is no vaccine.

The disease is particularly prevalent among intravenous drug users. For
example, in Baltimore 90 percent of those seeking treatment for heroin
addiction are infected.

In total, more than 4 million Americans have been exposed to the disease, of
whom up to 15 percent can expect to become seriously ill in the next 20
years, according to David Thomas of Johns Hopkins University Hospital.
Carriers often have no symptoms.

Most state prison systems do not require testing of inmates. In many
systems, testing is voluntary and in a few it is non-existent. Prison activists
charge that prison authorities do not want to know if inmates are infected
because once they do know they are obliged to offer costly treatment.

Diagnosis may involve giving patients liver biopsies to determine how far the
disease has progressed. Drug treatment can cost up to $12,000 a year for
each patient. In some advanced cases, the only treatment may be liver
transplants.

``The incarcerated population is the only population in this country that has a
constitutional right to health care,'' said Barry Zack of Centerforce Inc, a non-
profit organization that offers HIV (news - web sites) and hepatitis education
to inmates of California's San Quentin state prison.

``If they find something, they have to treat it at the same standard as that
which prevails in the outside community. The implications are enormous.
People used to think that treating prisoners with HIV would break the bank.
That's nothing compared to what treating hepatitis C would do,'' he said.
Incidence of HIV among the prison population, although much higher than in
the community at large, is still relatively low. A 1997 Justice Department
(news - web sites) report estimated that 2.3 percent of state and federal
prison inmates -- just under 25,000 individuals -- were HIV positive.

For those who are infected with both HIV and hepatitis C, the prospects are
grim.

Hep C Expensive To Diagnose, Treat

Ted Hammett of Abt Associates, a research and consultancy company in
Cambridge, Mass, conducted a study for the Texas prison system which
concluded it would cost $40 million a year to diagnose and treat prisoners for
hepatitis C in that state.

``A lot of states are really gun shy about the cost issue for pretty obvious
reasons,'' he said.

Prisoners are San Quentin are told about AIDS and hepatitis C as they enter
the prison and are urged not to do things that could put them at risk,
including tattooing, body piercing, fighting, sharing razors, sharing needles
and engaging in homosexual sex. Prison rape puts inmates at additional
risk.

At one briefing for newly admitted prisoners this week, John Romain, a peer
counselor serving three years for drug possession, did not mince his words.

``Since I've been in this institution, quite a few fellows have died of Hep C.
Don't share needles, don't do tattoos, don't share needles with nobody, don't
share cotton balls, don't share water, don't share toothbrushes, don't share
nothing with no one,'' he said.

Judy Greenspan of California Prison Focus, a grass-roots advocacy group,
said San Quentin was the exception in the state prison system. Other
facilities offered little or no health screening and education to inmates.

``Even if prisoners were tested, they were not always told the results. We
have people who have gotten sick and gone back to their medical records
and found they tested positive in prison years ago. By that time, it's too late,''
she said.

Phyllis Beck, director of a hepatitis C awareness project in Oregon, said
hundreds of inmates within that state's prison system desperately needed
treatment but only a handful were receiving it.

``We are seeing more and more inmates who are being released with
cirrhosis or close to cirrhosis due to a lack of follow-up care after a positive
diagnosis has been made,'' she said.

Oregon started counseling prisoners about hepatitis C only last year. Of the
state's 9,600 inmates, 937 requested a test of whom 339 tested positive.
Four liver biopsies have been conducted and 9 more prisoners are in the
process of work-ups.

Degroot, who has seen two of her patients die in prison, said treatment
would be highly cost effective for U.S. society despite the high price tag.

``If we treat these people, nearly all of whom will be returning to the
community, we can avert public health expenditures down the road to the
tune of billions of dollars,'' she said.

``If we aggressively treat in the prison system, we could avoid 30 percent of
the liver transplants that will otherwise be needed,'' Degroot said.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010405/ts/life_disease_dc_1.html

via: End_Times_News@yahoogroups.com

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 13:30:16 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) PM SHARON: MEMBERS OF ALL FAITHS HAVE RIGHT

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 09:27:49 -0400
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: PM SHARON: MEMBERS OF ALL FAITHS HAVE RIGHT - IN PRINCIPLE - TO

VISIT TEMPLE MOUNT
Sender: owner-imra@imra.org.il
Precedence: bulk

PM SHARON: MEMBERS OF ALL FAITHS HAVE RIGHT - IN PRINCIPLE - TO VISIT TEMPLE
MOUNT
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Thursday, April 05, 2001

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon supports, in principle, visits by members of
all faiths to the Temple Mount. He has directed security officials to
find an appropriate way to realize this right and enable visitors to go
up to the Temple Mount.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 13:37:56 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] 87 Senators urge Bush not to invite Arafat to White House

87 Senators urge Bush not to invite Arafat to White House
Ha'aretz Service

According to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, 87 of 100 U.S. senators
sent a letter to President George W. Bush demanding that he not invite
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat </breaking-
news/people/342681.stm> to the White House as long as the American
government is reassessing its relationship with Arafat and the Palestinians,
Israel Radio reported.

In the letter, the senators called on President Bush to add parts of the PLO
and the PA to the State Department's list of organizations that support
terrorism.

According to the report from Washington, members of the House of
Reprsentatives are also embarking on a similar move, and more than 140
Congress members have already signed a letter, soon to be sent to
President Bush, that opposes inviting to Arafat to White House.

via: Third_Watch@yahoogroups.com

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 18:50:07 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Livestock Plagues Could Be Bioterrorist Attack

Livestock Plagues Could Be Bioterrorist Attack
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, April 5, 2001

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/4/4/192525.shtml

As the number of animals in Britain facing slaughter passes 1
million, United Press International presents a survey on the causes
and likely implications of the epidemic, the worst disaster to hit
British agriculture in modern times. Here, analyst Claude Salhani, an
experienced expert on international terrorism, finds that respected
authorities take very seriously the possibility that the epidemic
could be the deliberate result of a bioterrorist attack on Britain
and that such an attack could be a "dry run" for an even more
devastating future bioterrorist assault on the $1 trillion U.S.
agriculture industry.

WASHINGTON (UPI) =96 Is a new breed of terrorists responsible for the
epidemics of "mad cow" and foot-and-mouth diseases plaguing Europe,
and are these part of a well-planned "agro-terrorist" assault?

While the idea of agro-terrorism might seem to jump straight from the
script of "The X-Files," a James Bond movie or even be the subject of
some far-fetched conspiracy theory, terrorism experts consider the
scenario all too credible.

"I take this extremely seriously," said Peter Probst, who consults on
terrorism and is vice president and director of programs for the
Institute for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence.

Probst, who has studied this possibility for the last six years, said
such an attack would not only have a devastating impact against a
nation's agriculture in economic terms but would also have far-
reaching psychological aspects.

"If you have a conspiratorial mind-set you might think the U.K. is
being used as a test," said Probst.

Agro-terrorism =96 the term used by these experts =96 is not science
fiction, and it's a lot closer to reality than many may realize.

"It's incredibly easy to do it, and it requires no sophistication,"
said Dr. Peter Chalk, a Rand policy analyst who has also studied agro-
terrorism.

"As a weapon, it's less expensive. It's also very good in so-called
asymmetrical warfare, where you hit a very powerful country at its
most vulnerable point: the economy," said Chalk.

"I would call the American agriculture base the soft underbelly of
the American economy," said Probst. "It generates $1 trillion a year
in export revenue, and an attack against beef or swine would be
incredibly costly. It would be disastrous."

While both experts agree that there is no concrete evidence at the
moment to support the notion that the outbreak in Britain and other
parts of Europe is the result of a terrorist attack, they do not
close the door on that possibility.

"I have no information that what is happening in Europe is terrorist
related," Probst told UPI. But he then hastened to add, "Now, all
that being said, attacks by terrorists or rogue states against the
agriculture basis is something which has been long considered by many
states."

According to Chalk, there is certainly a history of states investing
in biological warfare programs that target agriculture. But could
Iraq, for example, be responsible for such an attack?

While agro-terrorism experts remain reluctant to admit that the
current virus infecting Britain's agro-industry is the result of a
terrorist attack, some nonetheless believe this is what happened.

One such expert, who asked not to be named, went as far as to point
the finger at Iraq.

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence sources at the Department of Agriculture
say they are working on a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease, because
they think the terrorist threat here is immediate.

Chalk noted that major nations in modern times have seriously
explored unleashing biological attacks upon their enemies.

"Germany, for instance, had an operation going in 1917 here in the
United States," he said. "They infected draft animals that were going
to be sent to Europe. The Soviet Union had about 10,000 scientists
and technicians working on anti-agriculture agents."

Proving that a specific country, or group, is guilty of an agro-
terror attack will be difficult.

"There is something called stealth terrorism," said Probst, "which is
basically terrorist acts that masquerade as acts of God or
unfortunate accidents."

Then there are "black operations," where in another situation one
country would purposely leave clues pointing to another nation.

One example, said Probst, "would involve a scenario where Iraq would
leave trails leading to Iran."

Indeed, if the perpetrators do not want the action traced back to
them, proving it would be nearly impossible.

Iraq, for example, could well be out for revenge against Britain and
the United States for the part they played in the Gulf War in 1991,
and for the continued economic sanctions imposed on it to this day.

What is particularly attractive to potential terrorists when
targeting agriculture is the ease with which it can be attacked.

"Firstly," said Chalk, "when talking about terrorism and terrorists
experimenting with exotic weapons, like biological weapons, one of
the main factors that appears to have constrained their escalation to
that level has been the difficulty in actually weaponizing pathogens
and viable agents and actually accessing suitable strains.

"With agricultural diseases neither of those conditions hold.
Something like foot-and-mouth, for instance, spreads by itself,"
Chalk said. "There is no need to weaponize the agent, it's so
transmissible."

The nature of agriculture livestock in many Western countries,
particularly in the United States, where it is so concentrated,
further facilitates the agro-terrorist's task.

"If you introduced the disease at a location, you would be sure to
get a very rapid transmission of that disease," said Chalk.

"The second thing is that it is very easy to get the disease and
import it," he said.

An added bonus for the terrorist is that there are numerous places
around the United States where foot-and-mouth is prevalent, Chalk
said.

"All you have to do is pop one of the lesions on an infected animal
in order to have enough to ensure an outbreak. Needless to say, it is
harmless to the handler," he said.

The next question is why would terrorists want to attack the
agriculture? The answer is it is an easy target that can lead to
great social disruption.

Think how the disease has affected tourism and industry in Britain.
Since the outbreak, many parts of the country have been closed to
visitors, costing the tourist industry millions every week.

Daily life has been greatly perturbed, with consumers shunning meat
products, sports events being canceled, and Prime Minister Tony Blair
being forced to postpone the general elections he was expected to
hold in May.

More than a million heads of cattle, sheep and pigs =96 many of them in
good health =96 are being slaughtered to curb the epidemic from
spreading.

There are serious concerns now among those closely following these
issues that it may spark off extremism from animal rights protesters
and environmental activists =96 both of whom act more or less in
coordination with one another.

The epidemic could also turn the population against the government,
because it could be charged with incompetence. One of the best ways
to do this would be by an attack on agriculture, specifically using
foot-and-mouth disease, because it is so highly contagious, and
because of the ripple effect on the economy.

"If you actually had a disease that was transmissible from animal to
human, you'd also have the potential to spark mass panic," said Chalk.

There was a slight indication of that occurring with the West Nile
virus outbreak in New York and other parts of the East Coast last
year.

That outbreak was taken very seriously by the FBI, the U.S. Army, the
Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and other intelligence-
gathering agencies in the United States.

Brazil, according to one report, blamed sabotage for an outbreak of
foot-and-mouth on its territory last year.

According to the British New Scientist magazine, "the U.S. is so
worried about bioterrorist attacks on its livestock industry it has
just spent $40 million on upgrading its secure research facilities
for animal disease on Plum Island, New York."

The question of how easy it would be for potential agro-terrorists to
attack livestock and agriculture was raised at a bioterrorism
conference held in St. Petersburg, Fla., last November that was
organized by the CDC, Pinellas County, the University of South
Florida and Battelle Memorial Institute.

But a better example would be the Rift Valley fever that hit Saudi
Arabia, also last year, and that started out in animals but then
spread to humans.

"The issue of bioterrorism has become more of a public health issue,"
said Barbara Reynolds at CDC.

Dr. Chalk said that, taking all those factors into account, "you've
got economic impact, you've got destabilizing of the government,
you've got social attacks and you've even got the possibility of mass
scare."

"I actually think it would be far more likely than some of the
nightmare scenarios that are painted of mass anthrax attacks on
Manhattan, for instance," said Chalk.

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 18:51:51 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Most Complete Scientific Ghost Investigation Begins

Most Complete Scientific Ghost Investigation Begins
April 5, 2001

http://www.cosmiverse.com/paranormal04050102.html

Today in Edinburgh marked the beginning of the most in-depth
scientific investigation to date studying the existence of ghosts.
During the next two and a half months, 10 researchers with the help
of 200 citizens will try to record the presence of various types of
spirit beings. They will utilize the most state-of-the-art equipment
available to find what lurks in the dungeons of Edinburgh Castle, the
vaults beneath South Bridge, and Mary King's close, under the High
Street.

Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at Hertfordshire University, is
leading the investigation. He is not convinced of the existence of
ghosts but is willing to be converted. "I am not a great believer in
spirit hypotheses but we have equipment which is more sensitive than
what has been used before. The difference is that we will be logging
all the information and the good thing is that the public can also
join in," he said.

The researchers chose Edinburgh because of a high concentration of
paranormal personages and unusual events. "It is probably the most
haunted city in Europe. A lot of people report unusual experiences,
particularly in the underground city," said Dr. Wiseman.

The team will be using thermal imagers, geomagnetic sensors,
temperature probes, and night vision equipment to monitor the
locations. The initial results will be presented on the final day of
Edinburgh Science Festival. "I would be totally delighted if we did
detect something. But if a spirit did come out in front of me I would
be out of there pretty quickly," Dr. Wiseman said.

During his last investigation, he examined claims that Catherine
Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII was still roaming Hampton Court
Palace screaming in terror about being beheaded. The study, reported
last week to the British Psychological Society's annual conference in
Glasgow, indicated a more logical physical cause - two cold, drafty
areas, one of which was next to a concealed door.

According to Dr. Wiseman, more was found in Hampton Court, but he is
not revealing what lest anything prejudices what might be revealed in
Edinburgh. "We think we are on to something in terms of understanding
why people have these experiences - something that we did not know
before," he said. Dr. Wiseman does not doubt the reality of the
powerful experiences people report. It is in how these events are
interpreted that causes the debate.

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 18:56:24 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Poster With Picture of Jesus Lands Kindergartner in Court

Poster With Picture of Jesus Lands Kindergartner in Court
By Jason Pierce
CNS Editorial Assistant
April 03, 2001

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?
Page=/Culture/archive/200104/CUL20010403c.html

(CNSNews.com) - Drawing a picture of Jesus on a poster for parent's
day has landed a New York state kindergartener in a legal battle over
First Amendment rights. An appellate judge ruled Wednesday that
Antonio Peck and his parents may have their day in court, but no date
has been set.

The case dates back to when Antonio was a kindergartener at
Baldwinsville Elementary School in Syracuse, where he was assigned to
draw a poster relating to his class' study of environmental issues.
Antonio drew people picking up litter, children holding hands around
the globe and a picture of a white-robed man kneeling in one corner.

According to Antonio's attorney, Erick Stanley, Antonio meant the
picture to be Jesus, but never wrote it anywhere on the poster. When
the poster was hung on a wall with posters from almost 80 other
students, teachers folded the poster to hide the figure of Jesus and
covered part of Antonio's name at the bottom.

"When they [folded the poster], they cut Antonio's name in half and
made the poster look out of place among all the other posters,"
Stanley said. "We believe by them doing that, they violated
[Antonio's] right to free speech, so we filed a lawsuit."

According to Stanley, the lawsuit brought against the school claims
that teachers who hid the image of Jesus on Antonio's poster violated
Antonio's First Amendment rights and seeks an injunction so the
school may not censor students who display religious images.

"One thing we are arguing is that ... the school's censorship of that
was related to nothing other than a hostility to religion," Stanley
said. "We believe that is impermissible under the first amendment."

Stanley added that the school's action singled Antonio out from the
other students, causing him humiliation and embarrassment.

"His was the poster singled out for this kind of treatment," Stanley
said. "It looked out of place. His name was cut in half, and he was
embarrassed.

"It was one of those things that he felt when he was doing his
assignment. He was doing a good job. And for a kindergarten student,
religion is a part of his everyday life, and he didn't understand why
his picture was inappropriate in school," he said.

Paul Battaglia, the attorney who is representing the school, said the
school did not censor Antonio's work because of a religious image,
but instead was enforcing an assignment that wasn't done properly.

"This is not at all a case of censorship," Battaglia said. "This is
simply a case of requiring students to be responsive to the
educational curriculum.

"It is not at all a case of great religious significance, but simply
a case where a student was asked to ... perform a particular lesson
and give back certain material and failed to do so," he said.

Battaglia added that the school gave Antonio multiple chances to redo
the assignment according to instructions, but he failed to do so by
keeping the religious figure on the poster.

"He didn't follow the teacher's instructions despite given two
opportunities to do so," Battaglia said. "It's unfortunate, but the
school has particular curriculum standards it must enforce."

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 18:58:18 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] More School Districts Consider Hiring Advocates for Homosexual Students

More School Districts Consider Hiring Advocates for Homosexual Students
By Joanne M. Haas
CNS Correspondent
April 05, 2001

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200104
\CUL20010405a.html

Madison, Wis. (CNSNews.com) - As the national debate intensifies over
whether public schools should encourage tolerance of homosexuality,
the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin is taking
applications for a newly-created full-time advocate for students of
alternative lifestyles.

Similar counselors are already in place in eight other public school
districts around the country, and they report receiving frequent
requests for information about how they set up their programs.

Seattle is one of the school districts with programs devoted to
homosexual students. "This is a serious issue," said Lisa Love of the
Seattle Public School's health education office, the district's go-to
department on sexuality issues. "It is the (school's) legal
responsibility to protect students from liability. I think the legal
threat is very real."

Whether real or perceived, the threat of lawsuits resulting from the
harassment of students because of their sexual orientation has some
school districts thinking such counselors and programs are needed,
not just in high schools, but in elementary schools as well.

"Historically, it has only been a high school issue," Love
said. "We've had a few phone calls at the elementary level
saying, 'We think some kids are asking questions about sexuality.'
This is ground-breaking for us," Love said. "We're trying to figure
out appropriate kinds of conversations. And the staff is not used to
dealing with it."

Alan Horowitz, the sole full-time specialist at the "Out for Equity"
program in Saint Paul, Minnesota Public Schools, said his program
offers high school support groups, gay/straight alliances, and guest
speakers among its services. And Horowitz said he is not surprised
that younger students are now asking questions about their sexuality.

"Times have changed so quickly," Horowitz said. "If you just look at
the last six years and how many gay characters there are on TV
(shows). Over 30 have gay characters. This is a reflection on how
society has changed."

Programs similar to those in Seattle and St. Paul are now likely to
be established in Madison, where school board members voted 7-0 in
February to hire the advocate for GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender and questioning) students before the end of the 2000-2001
school year. Plans call for the new staffer to be a teacher or
guidance counselor who will be expected to "improve the academic
achievement, emotional security, and personal acceptance," of
students, while being a source of information about homosexuality for
staff as well. The job has been posted internally, school officials
said, and will be posted externally if necessary.

The Madison school board's action triggered a lot of debate within
the city. Those who supported the hiring said the frequent harassment
of homosexual students made it necessary. Opponents, however, such as
Terrell Smith of Madison, criticized the plan to hire a homosexual
advocate because of the precedent it would create.

"The board wishes to protect students who are harassed. Should there
be an advocate for Christian students that are discriminated against
because they pray at lunch or bring a Bible to school? An advocate
for the Muslim students who wish to pray on Fridays?" Smith wrote in
a published newspaper public forum on the hiring.

Smith, who has a lesbian sister and a close friend dying of AIDS,
also worried that the advocate will fail to speak with the students
about what he calls the "destructiveness of the homosexual
lifestyle."

Debra Lehmann of the greater Madison area said in the same newspaper
forum that the hiring seems to satisfy a special interest agenda. A
better use of tax dollars, Lehmann said, would be to hire an advocate
for all persecuted children.

"Fill it with someone who would promote programs that teach children
the seemingly lost art of respect and consideration for all people
who may be different but not any less valuable," she wrote.

The Seattle school district offers mostly two types of programs for
students. There are the gay-straight alliances that are more
political in nature. And there are the discussion groups where the
topics are wide-ranging and determined by whoever attends. "The
majority of them meet weekly at lunch and it is just an optional
thing. The doors are open and you come if you like," Love said. "All
the high schools have support groups, and those support groups are
confidential."

In St. Paul, Horowitz said he helps teachers respond to the
harassment of students, even those who are not homosexual.

"Slurs get hurled at students that aren't gay. Words run rampant. And
there is a direct correlation between any type of slurs and the
school violence that we see happen," said Horowitz, who worked as a
elementary school teacher for 11 years in suburban New York City
before accepting his current job in the Midwest about 18 months ago.

Love and Horowitz acknowledge that such programs have created
concerns about counselors allegedly encouraging homosexuality. But
Horowitz said science doesn't support that. "Sexual orientation is
determined by age six. It's not possible scientifically," he said.

Love points to some of the responses in the district's student survey
as an endorsement of the program. "I'm so glad there's a group," Love
quoted one student's response. "I can't imagine (not) having some
place for us to go."

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 18:59:42 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] U.S. Christians Risk Long Jail Terms For Sharing Faith In Gulf State

U.S. Christians Risk Long Jail Terms For Sharing Faith In Gulf State
By Patrick Goodenough
CNS London Bureau Chief
April 04, 2001

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?
Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200104\For20010404f.html

London (CNSNews.com) - Three young Americans caught handing out
Christian compact discs and videos on the streets of Dubai face up to
10 years' imprisonment if convicted of promoting Christianity in the
oil-rich Muslim emirate.

The leading U.S. religious freedom body said Wednesday that if United
Arab Emirates law forbids proselytizing, "we would see that as a
violation of international law."

Only one of the three, Charles Ashley Gearling, 28, has been named in
Persian Gulf press reports. His name was released by the attorney
general in announcing this week that he would be put on trial.

Investigations against the other two, aged 26 and 30, are continuing.
Neither their home states, nor the name of the U.S. organization said
to have sent them, have been made public.

One report said a fourth American had also been arrested on suspicion
of having arranged their entry visas into the country.

-- more --

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2001 22:34:29 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Tuberculosis hits UK

Thursday, 5 April 2001 9:48 (ET)

Tuberculosis hits UK

http://www.vny.com/cf/news/upidetail.cfm?QID=174501

LONDON, April 5 (UPI) -- Tuberculosis, the disease that was the
scourge of Victorian England, has erupted again in a "major outbreak"
in Britain, this time in a "particularly virulent strain" that has
struck at least 27 students at a school in the country's midlands,
medical officials said Thursday.

Experts said another 60 pupils at the Crown Hills Community College
in Leicester were believed to be infected, and one said it had
become "a race against time" to halt the outbreak, the largest in
Britain in recent memory.

Emergency screening of the 1,200 students at the college was under
way Thursday as those already infected with the disease were put on
heavy doses of antibiotics. Leicestershire Health Authority officials
said they were considering whether to screen pupils at other schools
in the area.

"It is a particularly virulent strain of the disease that is
spreading rapidly," said Dr. Philip Monk, a consultant on
communicable disease control at the health authority. "This is
clearly a major outbreak."

"While we have found a lot of students at this (Crown Hills)
college," he added, "it is most likely to be a reflection of a
community outbreak."

Monk soft-pedaled speculation that the disease could have been
imported by students who had visited relatives in Asia. "How it was
introduced, we do not know," he said, "but it doesn't have to be from
traveling abroad."

Tuberculosis was a major killer in England in the 19th century and
early years of the 20th century and was particularly devastating in
poorer areas before it was brought under control in the 1920s.

Experts said the Leicester outbreak appeared to be gaining a hold in
the wider community and that the final number of TB cases could
rise "a lot higher."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said "this is a large and unusual
outbreak, but a thorough investigation is under way."

That investigation also was expected to examine claims that
suspension of a TB vaccination program for teenagers in Britain was
suspended 18 months ago because of a shortage of vaccine. The
Department of Health said inoculation would be resumed immediately.

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 19:10:09 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Machine intelligence technology

JUST STOP CRASHING, PLEASE!
There's an advert on British TV for online banking which warns that
we're all turning into bank managers. Bob Brennan of Synapse Solutions
in Cambridge has a device that goes further and may turn us all into
computer nerds. MI-Tech (machine intelligence technology) translates
typed requests into machine code. So, you type what you want the
computer to do and it writes the necessary program. You don't have to
follow any special syntactic rules when typing in your request: MI-Tech
is designed to extract instructions from statements made in ordinary
English. Brennan isn't telling how he has done this he until his patents
are granted, but if it works it could open up programming to millions
more people and give us a much greater diversity of programs. Watch out
Microsoft!
http://www.newscientist.com/newsletter/news.jsp?id=ns228539

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 19:10:09 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report (4/4/01)

POPE RECEIVES ECUMENICAL GROUP FROM GERMANY

This morning in the Clementine Hall John Paul II received an ecumenical
group of 40 Protestant and Catholic theologians from Germany,
accompanied by Cardinal Karl Lehmann and by the co-president of the
Evangelical Church, Bishop Hartmut Lowe. Addressing them in their native
language, the Pope said "the growing awareness of community in the
Triune God has made it possible for various Christian denominations to no
longer see each other as hostile or unfamiliar, but rather as brothers and=

sisters."He added that "the desire for unity accompanies us beyond the
threshold of the 3rd Millennium."

He also recalled the ecumenical celebrations during the Holy Year 2000,
saying "we were able to see once again the incisive prophetic sign of
ecumenism." "It seems clear that the love of truth must be the deepest
dimension of a credible search for full communion of Christians. Without
the love of truth it is impossible to overcome the theological and
psychological difficulties." "I see," he said in conclusion, "a sign of hop=
e that
you have chosen Rome as the place for your encounter: perhaps one day
we will succeed in finding, through reciprocal and patient dialogue, a form=
in
which the Petrine ministry can be realized by everyone as a service to trut=
h
and love." (Vatican Info Service)

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS WARY OF PAPAL TRIP TO UKRAINE

A prominent Russian official, in a letter released on Friday, has expressed=

concern over Pope John Paul II's planned visit to Ukraine in June. First
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Avdeyev wrote the letter in reply to a
question from a senior member of parliament. Avdeyev said the foreign
ministry had discussed relations between the Catholic and Orthodox
Churches with the Vatican. "This is naturally done in a delicate manner
based on the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. At=

the request of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Foreign Ministry
... has made known to the leadership of the Holy See our concerns in
connection with preparations for the Pope's visit to Ukraine." he said.
(Catholic World News)

RATZINGER SEES DIFFICULTIES WITH SOCIETY OF ST. PIUS X

Speaking to reporters in Milan, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger indicated that th=
e
Holy See and the schismatic Society of St. Pius X are probably not close to=

an agreement despite the recent round of talks. The prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was in Milan for the publication=

of his latest book. During a press conference there, when questioned about=

the talks with the traditionalist group, he replied, "I wish, I hope, and I=
pray
that this wound will be healed. But we still have a long way to go."

The Italian daily Avvenire also quoted Cardinal Ratzinger as noting a
"hardening" on the part of the Society of St. Pius X. The German
[Bavarian!] prelate observed that the traditionalist group was "closing in =
on
itself," and that this attitude "complicates the process of reconciliation.=
"
Nevertheless, Cardinal Ratzinger continued, the Church is doing everything=

possible to serve the pastoral needs of all the faithful, including those w=
ho
are attached to the traditional liturgy. He said that the Holy See is willi=
ng to
accept "diverse rituals" for the celebration of the Mass. In return, he sai=
d,
the Society of St. Pius X must make it clear that its members accept the
Novus Ordo Mass as valid. As he put it, the traditionalist group "must
understand that the post-conciliar liturgy is not that of another church."=

(Catholic World News)

LOVING TOUCH OF EURO LEAVES BERLINERS COLD

The euro tent looked a little forlorn, as if nomads with dysfunctional
compasses had pitched up in the centre of Berlin. Two men, presumably on
the European Commission payroll, had dressed up as euro mice and
scattered chocolate euros in the direction of an indifferent public. =93Don=
=92t
take things from strangers,=94 a mother hissed, tugging her child past the=

faintly sinister animals. Television cameras appeared and 3 euro counsellor=
s
promptly picked up telephones to simulate urgent interest in other matters.=

The first, shining euro coins were spread out on a table. =93To touch the e=
uro
is to understand it,=94 Ernst Weltecke, the Bundesbank chief, said. A secur=
ity
guard checked that the euros were not touched too enthusiastically. It was=

an easy job; there were no queues, no crowds. It will take more than this
amateurish campaign, as sophisticated as a school f=EAte, to convince
Germans that the euro is safe for consumption. Advertising directors are
still searching for non-political celebrities =97 Boris Becker is no longer=

deemed suitable =97 to plug the euro. The main newspapers have agreed to
carry consciousness-raising articles.

Next month banks will trumpet an operation to recall marks and pfennigs
stored in piggy banks and old cognac bottles. More than 70% of all
transactions in Germany are conducted in cash and it is normal for
Germans to have hundreds, even thousands, of marks stashed at home. The
population is overwhelmingly hostile to the euro. The latest survey by the=

Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion shows that 75% of Germans have
little or no confidence in the new currency. The closer euro day
approaches, the more stubborn the resistance.

=93The euro must be loved,=94 Reinhold Rickes, the euro co-ordinator of the=

German savings banks, said =97 and he emphasised the word =93must=94. By
December 17 =97 after a summer and an autumn of intense marketing =97
euro starter kits will be issued so that Germans can begin their love affai=
r
early. From early next year marks may still be used to pay for cinema
tickets or a meal, but the change will be in euros.

The country is already on edge. Germany may not be as plague-ridden as
Britain =97 there are no officially acknowledged cases of foot-and-mouth
disease =97 but the countryside is in similar turmoil. When the slaughter
programmes begin in earnest, there will be trouble.The introduction of the=

euro does not just affect a small slice of the community: the sight of the=

army escorting thousands of armoured cash transporters around the country
is sure to curdle stomachs. Burning marks is even more emotionally
charged than burning cattle.

Ordinary people are beginning to notice the economic slowdown. Business
confidence has declined for 9 months in succession. Unemployment is
rising. The bankruptcy courts are busy. German growth soared to 4.4% in
the first half of 2000 and almost a year ago Hans Eichel, the Finance
Minister, was declaring Europe to be ready to supplant the United States as=

the motor of global prosperity. Now the prospects look more glum. Many
economists believe that Germany will be lucky to top 2% growth this year.

The mood swings quickly in Germany. People are starting to feel the
effects of stronger inflation. There was an eagerness to write it off as th=
e
blight of the 20th century. Indeed, by 1999 inflation in Germany was barely=

0.6%, one of the key components in Chancellor Gerhard Schr=F6der=92s
popularity. By last February inflation had risen to 2.6% and prices are
creeping up everywhere: television licences, car tax, meat, fish and even
cheese prices.

This dismay is translating into industrial unrest =97 only rumblings at pre=
sent
but hitting in painful spots. Travellers were furious when Lufthansa pilots=

staged protest strikes =97 hundreds of flights had to be cancelled =97 in a=
n
attempt to bring their salaries somewhere close to those enjoyed at British=

Airways. Disappointed travellers with high blood pressure were out of luck;=

Berlin doctors closed their surgeries for a week, protesting against the
erosion of earnings. Other professional groups are in striking spirit, inte=
nt on
a wage rise before the economic malaise dominates the political agenda.

There could hardly be a worse time to abandon the mark.Germans,
Europe=92s most enthusiastic tourists, are facing hefty increases in the bi=
lls
for their summer holidays. Many will stay at home and that invariably
makes Germans surly in the autumn wage round. Helmut Kohl signed the
death warrant for the mark at Maastricht. Herr Schr=F6der will have to
preside over the execution. It will not be a pleasant task. If the euro swi=
tch
is bungled, Europe=92s most successful statesman (as The New York Times
insists on calling him) could be in peril. (The London Times)

JESUS WASN'T THE SON OF GOD, SAYS FORMER BISHOP

The former Bishop of Edinburgh said he no longer believed Jesus was the
Son of God "literally and biologically" and thought that the Church was
"going down the tubes". The Most Rev Richard Holloway, who retired as
leader of the Scottish Episcopal Church in October, said he believed Jesus=

was simply "an extraordinary man". The bishop, 67, disclosed his
disillusionment with the Christian faith in an interview for the Spring iss=
ue of
a quarterly magazine, Lesbian and Gay Christians.

As a member of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, Bishop
Holloway has campaigned for homosexual church weddings and for the
ordination of practising homosexuals. He chose to retire early as Primus of=

Scotland after clashing with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other
conservative bishops over their teaching on homosexuality. Bishop
Holloway has been a member of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement
for 5 years but he is not homosexual.

Although outspoken, he has never denounced the Church's teachings or
questioned its future with such vigour. Now free of his mitre, Bishop
Holloway gave a candid interview to Nathan Foster, the magazine's editor.
He had experienced a "seismic event" in his thinking and now saw the Bible=

and the Church differently. The central Christian claims, he said, were
"metaphors for living a good and humane life" and that he chose to follow
"the radical example of Jesus".

The belief that Jesus was the Son of God, he said, was "simply a way of
heightening an understanding of this extraordinary man". He said: "If peopl=
e
could really understand that the nature of religion is this wonderful mythi=
c,
symbolic, poetic system about deep truth, then they would relax. But we
claim that you have to get into your head certain convictions about histori=
cal
events, that are in a sense irrelevant."

The former Primus compared the expectations of Christian faith with
asking people to believe that the Emperor Alexander "had a 3-hour piss one=

afternoon in the sands of Arabia". He said he had once been a traditional
Anglo-Catholic rector who disliked radical churchmen. But a recent visit to=

Westminster Abbey for Lord Runcie's memorial service showed him how
much he had moved on. He loved "the stateliness and theatre of English
Christianity" but believed it was "out of synch". (The London Telegraph)

RUSSIA TURNS ITS BACK ON I.M.F.

Flush with oil income and bristling with a new assertiveness, Russia is
moving to shake off the training wheels of Western assistance, particularly=

from the International Monetary Fund, and manage finances on its own.
Last week, Russia said it would no longer seek approval from the IMF for
its economic program, even though officials have said the program meets all=

their requirements. By the end of this month, it expects to catch up on all=
its
foreign-debt arrears as the economy keeps purring along.

"Now we are stronger inside the country," the finance minister and deputy
prime minister, Alexei Kudrin, said in an interview. "We have a balanced
budget, we are conducting reforms. We can afford not to get embroiled in
obligations." As recently as 2 months ago, Russia was near default on the
$42bn it owed to a group of Western governments known as the Paris
Club. And it was asking for relief, especially from Germany, which holds
about half the debt.

The same high oil prices and booming economic growth that led the Paris
Club to turn down the request for relief have also spared Russia from
needing it any more, Mr. Kudrin said. But top Russia experts of the IMF
warned Tuesday that the continued strengthening of the ruble could stall th=
e
country's exports and domestic production, putting a halt to the recent
economic improvements, The Associated Press reported from Moscow.
(Int'l Herald Tribune)

PUTIN: RUSSIA HAS TURNED CORNER

Russia's economy remains at risk, but the worst is over, President Putin
said in his annual state of the nation address yesterday. The country had
experienced record growth over the past year, but was still a long way from=

being a normal country, Mr Putin went on. Reforms must continue, but
there would be no more revolutions. "The cycle of revolution and counter-
revolution is over. Many of Russia's problems are rooted in the citizen's
long-born mistrust of the authorities. It is the duty of the authorities to=
dispel
this mistrust." (The London Telegraph)

&: President Putin signalled a potentially momentous shift in Russian
foreign policy yesterday, choosing in future to ignore the US in favour of=

promoting European integration. In his annual state-of-the-nation address t=
o
both chambers of parliament in the Kremlin, Mr Putin, by adjusting his gaze=

to Europe, reversed decades of making Washington the priority for
Moscow's foreign policy. He neglected to mention the USA at all in his
passage on foreign policy, instead stressing the need for partnership
between Russia and the EU. "A course of integration with Europe will be
one of the main directions of our foreign policy," Mr Putin stated in his 1=
-
hour speech.

The new Bush administration in Washington has shown its intent to
downgrade Russia as a foreign policy priority and Mr Putin responded in
kind yesterday, declaring that Russia's policy should reflect the country's=

economic interests. He also took a sideswipe at NATO, asserting that
Russia wanted to cooperate with the western alliance but only if it
respected international law and observed the strictures of the UN security=

council. "Unfortunately, in its decision making, this organisation ignores =
the
views of the international community." By contrast, he said, in its relatio=
ns
with the rest of the world, Russia would always be "a trustworthy and
predictable partner".

The keenly awaited speech focused mainly on Russia's domestic problems,
dwelling more on diagnosing its ills than the prescriptions for their cure.=
The
thrust of Mr Putin's message was stability and continuity, with an emphasis=

on law and order. He spoke of the planned reforms of the judiciary,
taxation, land and property rights, education, health, and pensions, withou=
t
being too specific in any area.

Capital was fleeing Russia at the rate of $20bn a year because of a lack of=

business confidence, he said. To its detriment, the Russian economy
remained dependent on raw material production and export, and serious
structural reform was non-existent. The decade since the collapse of the
Soviet Union, he said, had been a revolutionary time but those days were
now gone. "There will be no more revolutions or counter-revolutions." (The=

London Guardian)

MICHAEL TURNER =0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)

************************

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 19:10:09 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] World Summit on Peace & Time

[NOTE: See date.

"Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the=

dividing of time."]

                                  The Daily =0F
                            WORLD AFFAIRS REPORT =0F
                                    EXTRA
                        WORLD SUMMIT ON PEACE & TIME
                        Summary Review & Conclusions
               (http://www.earthascending.com/core/bolon2.htm)
      The World Summit on Peace and Time convened at the University for =

                        Peace, Costa Rica, =0F
              June 22-27, 1999 (Crystal Moon 24-Cosmic Moon 1), =0F
    for the expressed purpose of concluding the matter of Calendar Reform
The Summit was called on behalf of the people of the Earth to ratify the
Declaration of Calendar Reform, and, organized as Seven Commissions, to
prepare the 8 articles of Resolution to accompany the Declaration. Over 100=

people attended the Summit, including some 50 invited Commissioners and
at least an equal number of planetary kin, followers of the World 13 Moon
Calendar Change Peace Movement.

Letters of acknowledgement were sent on behalf of Kofi Annan, Secretary-
General of the UN; Federigo Mayer Zaragoza, Secretary General of
UNESCO; HH the Dalai Lama; and by Jonathan Granoff of the Lawyers
Alliance for World Security. Though they were not able to attend, both Dr.=

Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, World Bank Special Environmental Representative to
the UN, and Lama Gangchen of the UN Spiritual Forum contributed relevant
documents and statements of support.

The Summit opened with a prayer ceremony by Rev. Yusen Yamato,
followed by the opening address of Dr. Rodrigo Carazo, former president of=

Costa Rica and founder of the University for Peace. In attendance with Dr.=

Carazo was Gerardo Budowski, acting Rector and representative of the
newly appointed President of the University for Peace, Maurice Strong.
Following her welcoming remarks, Mrs. Lloydine Arg=FCelles introduced her
husband, Dr. Jos=E9 Arg=FCelles, who formally convened the Summit with a
prepared statement, "Calendar Reform and the Future of Civilization,"
outlining the Summit's purposes and objectives. Finally, Dr. Ashok
Gangadean, of the Global Dialogue Institute, the Summit's On-site
Coordinator, laid out the ground rules for the Seven Commissions.
By defining the process of Deep Dialogue as the means of differentiating
between egoic language and the higher "logos," Dr. Gangadean made an
inspiring invitation to get to the serious task faced by each of the Seven=

Commissions, to write up a 1-page article of resolution for each one of the=
7
areas covered by the Commissions: Time, Education, Wealth, Biosphere,
Spirituality, Peace, and Art and Culture. Dr. Gangadean elaborated on the
technique of Deep Dialogue at the mid-day meeting of the 2nd day.
For the better part of the next 4 days, the Seven Commissions went to their=

tasks. The lunch time furnished the main central gathering point for all to=

come together. But it was the small groups that provided the central activi=
ty
of the Summit. Each Commission appointed a facilitator and a secretary, as=

well as someone who was bilingual to translate between the 2 main
languages, Spanish and English.

Participation in the Commissions was more or less voluntary. Interestingly,=

the smallest Commissions were Wealth and Peace, while Art and Culture,
Time, Education and Spirituality gathered greater numbers. The idea at firs=
t
was that the Commissions would consist of an inner cadre of invited
Commissioners, and an outer circle of planetary kin who were to hold the
space. However after several sessions, most of the groups melted these
boundaries.

On the morning of the 3rd day, Roberto Poz, Day Keeper and priest of the
Quiche Maya, from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, offered a ceremony to all
the participants, who now also included long-time Chancellor of the
University for Peace, and former assistant Secretary-General of the UN,
Robert Muller. Before returning to their work on the Commissions, the
participants were given a personally guided tour by Robert Muller of the
archeology and history of the site of the University of Peace, concluded by=
a
walk to his near-by residence.

The following day, after observations and remarks on the Deep Dialogue
process by Dr. Gangadean, the participants took the general afternoon
session to vocalize all of their issues and concerns. While this was at tim=
es
a painful and grueling process, the overall effect was highly beneficial. O=
n the
next day, the 5th day of the Summit after a Women's Healing Circle, the
Commissions were all seriously at work. Finally at 4:00 in the afternoon, t=
he
final plenary session was convened for the sole purpose of hearing the Seve=
n
Articles of Resolution. The first 3 Commission reports were read by a singl=
e
representative. However, the last 4 groups invited all members of the
Commission to be present for the report. The response for all the reports w=
as
overwhelmingly positive.

Over the next 2 days, the reports were fine tuned and edited. As the Seven=

Articles of Resolution now stand, each one is the product of 1 group of
Commissioners. This means that each one of the Articles is genuinely the
result of the will of the people, a resolution put together, for the most p=
art, by
people who had never met or gathered in this way before. The seriousness of=

tone and practical suggestions put forth for implementing the Calendar=20
Reform speak to the truth and timeliness of the Reform itself.=20

The final and 6th day of the Summit was the largely ceremonial conclusion=20
and the only part of the event that did not occur at the University for Pea=
ce.=20
Beginning with a performance by the Aztec Dancers in the patio outside, the=
=20
remainder of the ceremonies occurred inside the historic Fanal Theater in=20
downtown San Jos=E9, the capital of Costa Rica. Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris, who=
=20
facilitated the Commission on the Biosphere, gave the opening address,=20
which elaborated on biological metaphors for the current planetary rite of=
=20
passage, marked by the World Summit on Peace and Time.=20

Following Dr. Sahtouris' Address, Mrs. Lloydine Arg=FCelles formally read t=
he=20
Declaration of Calendar Reform which was ratified by common consent of all=
=20
the participants. Dr. Jos=E9 Arg=FCelles called forth the self-selected Lea=
ders of=20
the 2 Peace Emissary Teams, Mr. Martin Zoller of Bolivia, for the mission t=
o=20
the UN, and Mr. Vandir Natal Casagrande of Brazil, to head the mission to=20
the Vatican. These 2 were joined by a 3rd special Emissary to Libya, Mr.=20
Reinhart Ruge Co-President of the World Parliament Association.=20

The Rev. Yusen Yamato served as the silent witness to this solemn=20
occasion. With the formal presentation of the "Declaration of Calendar=20
Reform and the Peoples' Moral Referendum," (the Seven Articles of=20
Resolution), to these 3 representatives, the work of the World Summit on=20
Peace and Time entered its next phase, the notification of Calendar Reform=
=20
to the World Leaders beginning with His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, His=20
Holiness Pope John Paul II of the Vatican, and His Excellency Moammar=20
Qhadafy, President of Libya. These Missions are to be completed by=20
Gregorian July 17, 1999, Cosmic Moon 21.=20

To celebrate the conclusion of the Summit, the Youth Orchestra of Costa=20
Rica played an inspired selection of symphonic music, followed by the group=
=20
Kurime, who performed folkloric ballet and traditional music of Costa Rica.=
=20
After the musical performances, the Costa Rica Coordinating Committee of=20
the World Summit was honored on stage, followed by the presentation of=20
Certificates of Honor to all those who participated in the World Summit on=
=20
Peace and Time.

The conclusions to the Summit are summarized in the formal "Declaration of=
=20
Calendar Reform and Peoples' Moral Referendum." The matter of Calendar=20
Reform has now been dealt with by representatives of the People of the=20
Earth. This has been the only recourse possible since previously in this=20
Century, the Nations had their opportunity and defaulted, while the Vatican=
=20
had left the door open to reform. The People have now had their say affirmi=
ng=20
the moral and scientific need for a Calendar that is in harmony with the=20
cycles of nature and which is perfectly represented by the 13 moon 28-day=20
Calendar of Peace.=20

People's Declaration of Calendar Reform & Moral Referendum =0F
World Summit on Peace & Time=20

In recognition of the existence of a planetary moral emergency, and in orde=
r=20
to preserve the biosphere, to minimize suffering, and to eliminate the scou=
rge=20
of war, thus assuring a new time of justice and a genuine culture of peace =
on=20
Earth, we, the delegates of the World Summit on Peace and Time, do=20
hereby authorize the Declaration of Calendar Reform and its attendant=20
Resolutions constituting the People's Moral Referendum; and that to achieve=
=20
the universal ends which this Declaration of Calendar Reform encompasses,=20
we do hereby call upon the highest level leadership of the United Nations a=
nd=20
the Vatican to begin to implement this People's Declaration of Calendar=20
Reform and Moral Referendum by joint proclamation of intent to Reform to al=
l=20
the peoples of the Earth, on the 1st day of the Magnetic Moon, White=20
Resonant Wizard Year(Gregorian: July 26, AD 1999).=20

Thus, do we solemnly and sacredly declare, that whereas the Gregorian=20
Calendar was instituted by papal decree in the year AD 1582, and henceforth=
=20
adopted by virtually all nations as the common world standard; and that
Whereas by rational discourse and common sense, it has been determined=20
that the Gregorian Calendar does not represent a true or accurate standard=
=20
of measure nor belong to any systematic science of time, and hence, is=20
worthy of reform; and that

Whereas the League of Nations proposed such reform to be effective January=
=20
1, 1933, and again January 1, 1939, both of which efforts were inconclusive=
;=20
and that=20

Whereas the United Nations opened debate on calendar reform without=20
closure in AD 1956; and that

Whereas in 1962, the Vatican II Council issued a "Declaration of Calendar=20
Reform," being unopposed to a new perpetual civil calendar, we, the=20
delegates of the World Summit on Peace and Time, on behalf of all the=20
people's of the Earth regardless of race, creed or religious belief, and on=
=20
behalf of the biosphere, the terrestrial life support system, in order to a=
ssure=20
peace, freedom, equality, justice and a new beginning in a new time, do=20
hereby abrogate the use of the Gregorian Calendar, and authorize its=20
immediate replacement as the common world standard, the biologically=20
accurate measure of the perpetual, 28-day 13-moon calendar, henceforth=20
known as the Calendar of Peace.

We further affirm that objections previously sustained against the "null" d=
ay,=20
henceforth known as the "day-out-of time,"are no longer justifiable in ligh=
t of=20
the course of events in the 2nd half of this century, and that, whereas the=
=20
peoples of the Earth having tested the nature of this day-out-of-time throu=
gh=20
common sacred observation and celebration, declare that this annual day-out=
-
of-time -- Gregorian: July 25th; the 365th day of the new 28-day thirteen=20
moon civil calendar year -- henceforth be declared to be the annual day of=
=20
universal pardon and forgiveness and for the exaltation of festivals of pea=
ce=20
through culture.

In recognition of the fundamental change and unparalleled opportunity=20
augured by the Calendar Reform, on behalf of all the people of the planet=20
Earth and its biosphere, and in accord with the principles of equality, jus=
tice,=20
harmony and peace represented by adoption to the even 28-day 13 moon=20
measure of the new Calendar of Peace, the World Summit on Peace and=20
Time hereby authorizes in the form of Seven Articles of Resolution=20
constituting the People's Moral Referendum, changes to civil society world-
wide, as determined and decreed by the Seven Commissions of the World=20
Summit on Peace and Time, and that these Articles of Resolution reflect the=
=20
common good as determined by the following 7 areas of human endeavor=20
and concern: Time, Peace, Wealth, the Biosphere, Education, Art and=20
Culture, and Spirituality.=20

Presented on behalf of all of the Commissioners and the Planetary Kin=20
delegates of the Seven Commissions of the World Summit on Peace and=20
Time, dated: Gregorian June 27, 1999; Cosmic Moon 1, of the new Calendar=20
of Peace.=20

* * * * * * * * * * * * *=20

Following are the Resolutions of the Seven Commissions in the form of =
=0F
Seven Articles appended to this Declaration of Calendar Reform=20

Article I. Resolution of the Commission on Time =0F
Article II. Resolution of the Commission on Education =0F
Article III. Resolution of the Commission on Wealth =0F
Article IV. Resolution of the Commission on the Biosphere =0F
Article V. Resolution of the Commission on Spirituality =0F
Article VI. Resolution of the Commission on Peace =0F
Article VII. Resolution of the Commission on Art and Culture
=20
Article I. Resolution of the Commission on Time=20

Preamble=20

In order to return to an original wisdom and safeguard the future evolution=
ary=20
unfoldment of the human species, we, the people of planet Earth, call for t=
he=20
establishment of a harmonious measure of time. To prevent the further=20
desecration of the biosphere, this measure must reflect the natural pulse o=
f=20
the planet. Time is primarily a function of consciousness and has a much=20
richer structure than can be modeled with the linear geometry of 3-
dimensional space.=20

Our analysis demonstrates that the mechanical clock and the Gregorian=20
Calendar are artificial and entropic time-templates the following of which =
has=20
a discordant effect on the conduct of the human mind, adversely influencing=
=20
the entire fabric of global civilization. This adverse influence is due to =
the way=20
that the species-wide use of these humanly contrived time-defining=20
systemsthrows the patterns of human life out of phase with the life-giving=
=20
rhythms of the biosphere as a whole, effectively disconnecting humanity fro=
m=20
nature.=20

The Calendar of Peace catalyzes a global shift in consciousness by the=20
harmonization of the human species with the natural order of its life suppo=
rt=20
systems. In the course of our research we have become convinced that to=20
elevate the quality of human experience and deepen our reverence for all li=
fe,=20
the realm of natural time must be entered wholeheartedly. To live and grow =
in=20
natural time we declare to be a universal human right.=20
Referendum on Time=20

The 1st stage in initiating reform of civil society to the standards of the=
=20
Calendar of Peace is the establishment of the necessary Councils to=20
implement the following tasks:=20

1. The production and global distribution of a generic 13 moon 28-day=20
calen