To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Apr 21, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 08:28:20 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
A&E - BIOGRAPHY - "Elizabeth: The Reluctant Monarch" -
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - SECRETS OF THE ROSETTA STONE - In 1822 a young French
scholar deciphers hieroglyphs etched into
granite.(CC)(TVG)
9:00
DISC - DISCOVER MAGAZINE - "Size and Scale" - Size and
scale in a variety of applications; diversity of living
creatures; the solar system; flight
technologies.(CC)
9:30
TBN - JACK VAN IMPE PRESENTS
10:00
DISC - ARSENAL - "Winged Cavalry" - The creation of
aircraft; the roles of helicopters during
war.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS - Inner workings, from ground
control to high-tech security.(CC)(TVG)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - CNV News Service items (4/20/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 10:45:10 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
EDUCATION or INDOCTRINATION?
An explicit sex education book entitled It's a Girl Thing has been
approved for fourth grade by the health resource committee of the
county school district in Palm Beach, Florida. "Award-winning"
children's author Mavis Jukes wrote the book in a chatty style that
mocks parental values. Among the topics discussed in detail are sexual
orientations and various sex acts. The book includes Planned
Parenthood's telephone number (Education Reporter, 2/99).
ANTI-CHRISTIAN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. (ACUMC)
Some radical speakers at a recent student conference promoted the
acceptance of homosexuality and the rejection of traditional
Christianity. More than 1,300 young people and campus ministers
attended the conference, organized by the Council for Ecumenical
Student Christian Ministry. The conference was sponsored by mainline
denominations such as the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.).
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu told an applauding audience,
"We should celebrate sex as a wonderful gift of God. We should accept
different sexual orientations. God made us who we are." Mark Ruledge,
a United Church of Christ minister at Duke University, told his
listeners that he does not believe in the resurrection of Christ,
among other things. "The early Christians were making it up as they
went along," he said (AFA Journal, 3/99).
IN WHOSE NAME WE PRAY?
Two California teens recently lost a lawsuit against school
administrators who would not accept their valedictory speech and
prayer. The valedictorian, Chris Niemeyer, attributed his straight-A
record to God, but the superintendent rejected the speech because "it
had the potential of upsetting people of other religious beliefs or
backgrounds."
Ferrin Cole was supposed to offer the invocation, but the vice
principal said it was not generic enough. He objected to a reference
to a single God because some people believe in many gods and to a
reference to "the Father" because some worship "mother earth." He also
protested invoking a "higher being" because some people believe "they
are god," according to the lawsuit (Youthworker, 3-4/99).
AMERICA-THE LAND OF THE FORCED?
Parents cannot withdraw their children from the classroom of an openly
homosexual teacher because it violates California's laws against
discrimination, the state labor board ruled last March. In addition,
the labor commissioner's office ordered the school to halt the student
exodus from the class. Students were complaining that the teacher
would frequently rub their backs or put his arm around them whenever
they asked a question in class. The teacher teaches eighth grade at
Rio Bravo--Greely school in Bake
MODERN "NEW BIRTH" ALL WRONG
A small but growing number of people in the United States consider
themselves "transgendered." The term refers to people who are
cross-dressers or those who have undergone sex-change surgery. Across
the nation, people in this group are riding the coattails of the
homosexual-rights movement, demanding equal treatment. They argue that
laws guaranteeing rights based on "sexual orientation" must be
interpreted to include them.
So far Minnesota is the only state to pass a law directly protecting
cross-dressers from discrimination in employment and housing. But
cities including San Francisco, Seattle, and Evanston (Ill.) have
followed suit. Seventeen states allow transgendered people to change
the sex on their birth certificates without having had a sex change
operation (AFA Journal, 2/99).
http://cnview.com/
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Goths/Nostradamus/Hitler's birthday
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 15:23:10 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Gunmen Recalled as Outcasts
By Marc Fisher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 21, 1999; Page A1
The shooters who turned Columbine High
School into an unspeakable landscape of
carnage yesterday were members of a small
clique of outcasts who always wore black
trench coats and spent their entire
adolescence deep inside the morose
subculture of Gothic fantasy, their fellow
students said.
Students at the Colorado school said the
gunmen, whom police say may have turned
their weapons on themselves after killing as
many as 25 of their schoolmates and
teachers, were a constant target of derision
for at least four years.
"They're basically outcasts, Gothic people," said
Peter Maher, a junior who had a confrontation last
July 4 with the shooters and several of their fellow
members of the "Trench Coat Mafia," the black-clad
teenagers' name for their clique. "They're into
anarchy. They're white supremacists and they're into
Nostradamus stuff and Doomsday."
Several students said the shooters - whose names
were withheld by police but who are believed to have
graduated from Columbine last year - were deeply
into death - talking, reading and dreaming about it.
Black trench coats are a consistent theme in the
Gothic subculture that has attracted many teenagers
to the poetry, music and costumes of a scene that
ranges from benign fantasy to violent reality.
Inspired by fantasy games such as Dungeons and
Dragons, Gothic has become a fascination of many
American high schoolers, some of whom simply dress
and paint their fingernails black while others
immerse themselves in a pseudo-medieval world of
dark images.
On Web sites featuring poetry called "The Written
Work of the Trenchcoat" and in political tracts and
other elements of the conspiratorial imagination,
trench coats serve as a symbol for things from
Hitler and the Nazis to mass murder to suicidal
fantasies. Yesterday was Hitler's birthday, an
occasion for demonstrations, mock funerals and other
macabre commemorations among both neo-Nazis and
parts of the Gothic scene.
When the young men started shooting yesterday,
tenth-grader Mindy Pollock was in the school parking
lot. She saw two shooters firing their guns
repeatedly, and she watched as her fellow students
dropped to the pavement.
She said she couldn't believe it was real,
especially since she had once before seen this same
boy pull a gun on some of her friends. "The one with
the handgun today pulled a shotgun on my friends
once. He said he was sick of being made fun of," she
said. "He said, 'I'll shoot you, I'll shoot you.'"
Pollock said her friends tried to calm the boy and
then ran from him.
Maher and two of his friends were at a fireworks
stand in Littleton July 4 when the Trench Coat Mafia
boys approached them and said they had a shotgun.
Maher and his friends saw no gun, but the trench
coat boys did pull knives and tried to fight with
the others. Maher said he and his friends had had no
previous contact with the boys in black.
"We didn't want to fight, so we talked to them for a
while and then we just got out of there," Maher
said.
Several students described the Trench Coat Mafia
members in similar terms: They wore their trench
coats every day, no matter the weather, even in
class. Under the coats, they dressed in black from
head to toe - military berets, T-shirts, jeans,
combat boots. Red shoelaces and the occasional
Confederate flag patch were the only departure from
the dark theme.
"They were kind of the freaks of the school," said
Kendra Curry, a senior.
Pollock and other students described the Trench Coat
Mafia as a group of perhaps six to ten students who
were constantly being ribbed by the school's
athletes and other, more popular cliques.
"The athletes and stuff are really popular," Pollock
said. "They make fun of me all the time because I
wear bell-bottoms and I'm a little hippy girl. And
they'd make fun of the Trench Coat Mafia. They'd
say, 'White trash,' and 'Why don't you comb your
hair?' and 'Are you Gothic, man?' and 'You need some
new clothes.' Just stupid teenage stuff."
Maher, too, said athletes at Columbine routinely
teased the trench-coated students, muttering "Goth"
every time they passed one another in the hallways.
Students said the Gothic look appeals only to a tiny
minority of young people in the Denver suburb. "They
kind of stay by themselves," said junior Evan
Vitale. "They always have the neo-Nazi look, so we
were talking about them and Hitler's birthday even
before the shooting started. Everybody knew it was
Hitler's birthday."
On one such Web site, a skeleton dances over a
raging inferno and the words "The Trenchcoat."
Below, a poem called "Death of a Jester" includes
these lines:
"There will be no performance today/There will be no
curtain call/He can no longer perform for you/So
witness the grandest spectacle of all/It's a one
night engagement/So make your way to the front
row/It's the death of a jester/It's one dead man's
show.
"There are no mourners today/Only spectators at the
scene/Relishing in this bizarre event . . . /He died
from no acclaim/I heard his dying words/As his final
breath he gave/He wanted to be taken seriously/Now
he's taken to the grave."
c Copyright 1999 The Washington Post
Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/april99/suspects21
.htm
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - New Fingerprint Device To Read Beneath Skin
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 15:29:08 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
New Fingerprint Device To Read Beneath Skin
19 Apr 1999, 3:48 PM CST
By Craig Menefee, Newsbytes.
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, U.S.A.,
Biometrics firm AuthenTec, Inc., has announced a fingerprint
identification technology called E-Field that reads beneath the
surface layer of the skin. As a result, calluses and other "human
surface defects" don't fool the reader, the firm says.
Biometric devices work by measuring some aspect of a person's body,
such as fingerprints or voiceprints, and using the result to certify a
person's identify.
Newsbytes notes that no actual E-Field product is shipping yet, but
Scott Moody, president of AuthenTec, told Newsbytes, "It's on the cusp
of being a product. We'll be launching this summer." AuthenTec says it
plans to demonstrate the technology at the 1999 CardTech/SecurTech
trade show, scheduled May 11-14 in Chicago. Moody told Newsbytes the
demos will include image acquisition success rates, success at getting
clear not fuzzy images, and the technology's use in actual
applications -- as a PC access device or in home security systems, for
example.
According to AuthenTec, a person's "real" fingerprints actually begin
below the skin's outer, surface layer, which tends to become dry,
callused, worn and dirty under real-world conditions. As a result, a
surface-only reading will produce false results or fail to acquire any
print at all much of the time.
"People talk about one-in-100 or one-in-a-billion success rates, but
they never talk about the prints they failed to acquire in the first
place," said Moody. "If a technology doesn't work for everybody, those
numbers they throw out will not be true. That's why our focus has been
on the ability to acquire."
AuthenTec's E-Field technology uses an antenna sensor array to read
beneath the surface of the finger to the boundary between the live
epidermal layer, where fingerprint ridge patterns originate, and the
outer, dead layer that protects the body from harm. At the boundary is
a layer of dying cells, one cell deep, that follows the ridges and
valleys beneath it. That boundary has a different signal resistance
that AuthenTec's technology reads by creating a field between the
finger and the semiconductor sensors. The field mimics the shape of
the ridges and valleys of the finger's epidermal layer.
The sensors feeds their signals to an "under-pixel amplifier," which
Moody described to Newsbytes as "very much a summary term." In
essence, an array of the tiny sensors each sends a pixel-like signal
to the underlying amplifier, which digitizes it into a readable image
of the fingerprint.
AuthenTec claims the resulting image accurately corresponds to the
pattern of the fingerprint, giving what the firm calls "a true,
unaffected image that neither optical nor DC capacitive technologies
can produce." Dale Setlak, vice president and chief technical officer,
says, "With fingerprint identification, it's all about acquisition. If
a technology can't read a fingerprint image, the myriad applications
that have been dreamed up for biometrics are meaningless."
Moody told Newsbytes the E-Field technology has been undergoing tests
at 100 customer sites for several months and AuthenTec now has on-site
the first single-chip working version.
According to Moody, the technology has now had 18 patents granted,
with 16 more pending and six being prepared for filing. In all, more
the patents, if all are granted, will cover more than 2400 original
ideas, Moody told Newsbytes.
"Actually, the number is changing every day," he added.
via: Insane Science Mailing List
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Apr 22, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 08:51:15 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
7:00 PM Eastern
HIST - 20TH CENTURY - El Nino.
8:00
DISC - INVISIBLE PLACES - "Subtropolis" - Infrastructures of
the world's cities.(CC)(TVG)
8:30
TBN - INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT - Hal Lindsey
9:00
FOX - FOX FILES - Young bomb-makers; neo-Nazis the
Knights of Freedom.(CC)
DISC - MYSTERIES OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE - Scientists explore
the unique ecosystem of the ocean's middle
10:00
HIST - WORLD'S FAIRS: VISIONS OF THE FUTURE - The events
launch new products and showcase new feats of
technology.(CC)(TVG)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Earth Day 1999
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 09:21:16 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Today is the 29th Earth Day:
Earth Day Pledge:
I pledge allegiance to the Earth,
And to all the life which it supports.
One planet, in our care, irreplaceable,
With sustenance and respect for all.
There is a National Holiday Petition being circulated which says:
"The following petition to designate Earth Day as a national holiday
will be delivered to members of Congress and the White House on World
Environment Day, June 5, 2000.
"We, the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, hereby
request that Earth Day, April 22, be designated a national holiday for
the purposes of promoting the well-being and protection of the Earth
and its ecosystems, upon which all life depends."
Next year's earth day/month is already being touted with statements
like the following:
"2 Billion participants! One third the world's population, or 2
billion people, will participate in Earth Month, April 2000."
"5,000 Spiritual & Religious Events! There will be 5,000
spiritual/religious events promoting sustainability."
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - World-altering cyborg glasses
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 09:23:44 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
http://www.msnbc.com/news/257487.asp
-
TORONTO _ If you thought the Internet gave you a new view of the
world, wait until you walk down the street wearing Steve Mann's
glasses. Not only do they connect you to the Internet, they also
record exactly what you see, put a name to a stranger's face and
improve your vision _ even retrace your steps to find those lost car
keys. Mann's computer-assisted glasses are just one part of a wearable
system he's been developing to mediate reality.
UNLIKE VIRTUAL REALITY, mediated reality "starts with the real world
and alters it, rather than replacing it," says Mann, a professor of
electrical and computer engineering at the University of Toronto. It's
like having an operating system that looks through your eyes, noting
the people and things you see and helping you respond.
Mann has been working on cyborg projects for more than 20 years. By
the late seventies, he had developed a "wearable computer" invention
and its first application, dubbed the "photographer's assistant." This
led him to design and build a variety of wearable computers _ WearComp
_ that could aid people in their daily lives.
The advent of the laptop and the personal digital assistant (PDA) such
as 3Com's Palm Pilot, demonstrates that people have an appetite for
such devices. But Mann's apparatus, which pre-dates laptops and PDAs,
is distinct from both.
"With the screen moved off the lap and up to the eyes, you can
simultaneously talk to someone and take notes without breaking eye
contact," says Mann. And unlike a laptop or PDA, the wearable computer
is always on, always responding to the environment. By keeping the
user in such close contact with the computer, the wired citizen
becomes a part of the system. In time, the interface becomes second
nature; it no longer requires concentration to use.
TAPPING INTO INTELLIGENCE
How does this gear affect your daily life? Mann says it will make
everyday things easier by letting you "tap into the visual
intelligence collective." It may sound like science fiction, but it's
not quite as sinister as the Borg from Star Trek.
Imagine it's been a long day and you're on your way home. It's dark
out, but you feel pretty safe knowing that you've got your WearComp.
Why would anyone jump out of the shadows to mug you when he knows your
digital eyes can record video of the entire event? You glance at the
corner store for a second and a laser-generated text appears in your
field of vision, hovering translucently in the foreground:
Milk. Don't come home without it.
It's a message from your wired wife, working late at the office. She
can't believe you almost forgot to pick up milk again. As you push
open the glass door with your left hand, you type a message to her on
the tiny keyboard in your right.
Anything else you need?
By the time you reach the dairy case she's already got an EyeTap
running. She's logged on to your video stream, she's looking at what
you're looking at, and she's trying to tell you she wants that
strawberry yogurt. A blue glow settles on a small white container on
the top shelf. You pick up the yogurt, grab some 2 percent and head
for the counter. You've been coming to this same store for months, but
you can never remember this checkout clerk's name.
You focus on his face and another set of words hover over him.
Lucas Fray 2 kids, Lisa and Lauren Wife?
Finally, someone in the wired community has added Lucas to the
public-face database, so you don't have to keep guessing what his name
is. Just don't mention his wife, since the database doesn't have any
info on her. Every day, the database grows and changes as more people
join the wired community. It's just one more example of how this
technology can enhance the human experience.
Mann's idea is to use WearComp to build a sense of community, but this
emerging technology has other uses as well. Potentially, police
equipped with WearComps could roam the streets, checking faces they
see against a database of known criminals. Do we want police to
perform that kind of surviellance? Should we allow people to covertly
record our actions? What about video cameras currently used for mall
surveillance? Mann argues that wearable technologies provide us with a
means for "shooting back" at an intrusive world already filled with
recording devices. But these are questions that ultimately society as
a whole will have to answer.
AN INFANT TECHNOLOGY
Clearly, WearComp is a technology that is still in its infancy. But
like the Internet, the richness of the experience of being a wired
citizen will grow with the number of users.
Mann is hopeful that the wired community he's forming at the
University of Toronto _ with 12 participants so far _ will thrive. As
they develop new kinds of human interaction, decrease the limitations
imposed by physical distance and truly share one another's
perspectives, they will change the landscape of the wired cities that
we build in the future.
Rachel Ross is an interactive producer at MSNBC. She has seen the
world through wired eyes as a volunteer in the University of Toronto
WearComp project.
via: Insane Science Mailing List
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arabia On Line items (4/22/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 09:27:45 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Jerusalem Crisis
Faisal Husseini, top PLO official, asks Arab diplomats to confront
Israeli policy in the Holy City.
http://www.arabia.com/content/news/4_99/jerusalem22.shtml
Syria, Jordan Agreed to Open New Chapter
King Abdallah, making his first visit to Syria, holds positive talks
with President Assad on bilateral ties.
http://www.arabia.com/content/news/4_99/syria22.shtml
Netanyahu Softens Stance on Syria
Israeli Prime Minister offers to resume negotiations with Syria based
on returning part of the Golan.
http://www.arabia.com/content/news/4_99/netanyahu22.shtml
Chronology of World's Worst Mass killings
Over the years, mass killings have taken place in many countries,
fuelling debates about gun control.
http://www.arabia.com/content/living/4_99/killing22.shtml
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz 7 News items (4/22/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 15:06:10 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
PA OFFICES IN ORIENT HOUSE TO BE CLOSED
The Cabinet finally decided today, after many threats to do so, to
close Palestinian Authority offices in the Orient House in eastern
Jerusalem. Internal Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani was instructed
to take immediate steps to close the offices. The decision was made
following the hosting by Feisal Husseini of foreign consuls in the
building yesterday. The Cabinet also decided to take steps against PA
figures who are engaging in illegal diplomatic activity in the Israeli
capital.
David Bar-Illan, Director of Communications and Policy Planning in the
Prime Minister's Office, spoke to Arutz-7 today - before the decision
was announced - about yesterday's meeting in the Orient House: "It's
clear that this provocation is connected with the election campaign
and the Palestinians' desire to embarrass the government and Mr.
Netanyahu... In the past, we have not objected to meetings with
foreign consuls, because they are mainly administrative officials, not
diplomatic. But in this case, Husseini specifically publicized this
meeting as a diplomatic one, such that we will have to take the proper
steps in response."
Bar-Illan also related to today's Ha'aretz report that Israel is once
again making overtures to Damascus to take up Golan Heights
negotiations from where they left off under the Rabin-Peres
government. "More disinformation," he called it, adding, "I am very
surprised that Ha'aretz chose to publish such nonsense as a top story.
It seems that sometimes, and especially during an election campaign,
people tend to believe pretty much anything, and then publicize it
without asking questions. Our position is what it has always been,
that there is no agreement between Israel and Syria. Israel is
prepared to return to the negotiating table with Syria without any
preconditions."
SEPHARDIC TRADITION: LOCUSTS ARE KOSHER
A conference at Bar Ilan University last week focusing on the
consumption of locusts in Jewish law and practice may have both
culinary and religious implications. In Leviticus 11, the Torah
permits eating certain species of locust - but the question is, which
are those species? Researcher Dr. Zohar Amar, speaking at the
conference, noted that "from the extensive rabbinic sources [on the
subject], one gets the impression that during the Mishnaic and
Talmudic periods, Jews possessed a clear tradition of the consumption
of kosher locusts. In the course of time, however, there has been a
significant breakdown: Already in the Middle Ages, Ashkenazi Jewish
communities lacked the ability to identify the kosher species, and
they certainly didn't possess any ongoing tradition on the matter."
Not so in the Jewish communities of North Africa and Yemen, however.
Speaking to the Yediot Acharonot newspaper this week, Amar said that
in Yemen, grasshoppers are a snack food. "The body of the creature is
fried in oil or butter, or alternatively, is used as a soup base. In
the times of the Mishnah and Talmud, Jews used to preserve locust in
salt or vinegar... To this day, chocolate or sugar-coated
grasshoppers are sold in the markets of France, Japan and South
Africa." Beit El resident Netanel Shorr, who recently co-authored a
book on the subject, also speaks excitedly of the natural and mystical
qualities of the erstwhile pest. Shorr says that testimonies of
Yemenite and North African Jews may help identify the exact species of
kosher locusts, so that all Jewish diners would have a halakhic
[Jewish law] license to feast on the insect.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I think that we ought to move aggressively forward with the
development of the capacity to deploy an intermediate- and long-range
anti-ballistic-missile system... and if that means eventually
renegotiating the [1972 ABM] treaty with the Russians, we ought to do
so...
If they don't [want to renegotiate], then [we should] move forward
with
abrogation [of the treaty]."
-- U.S. Presidential-hopeful Texas Gov. George W. Bush, The New York
Times, April 19, 1999, page A23, quoted by William Safire.
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Thursday, April 22, 1999 / Iyar 6, 5759 - Day 21 of the Omer
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - War Powers Act Might Be Invoked
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 19:11:50 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
End Times Update
Re: War (NATO vs. Yugoslavia)
Scripture: Matthew 24:6
News Source: AP
Date: 4-22-99
===================================================
War Powers Act Might Be Invoked
By TOM RAUM
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A challenge to the NATO campaign under an
oft-ignored post-Vietnam law could confront the House with a stark
choice next week: voting either to declare war on Yugoslavia or to
order all U.S. forces withdrawn.
House leaders of both parties were scrambling Thursday to find ways to
avoid the votes, or at the least offer House members a less stringent
alternative.
But Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Calif., a one-time Supreme Court clerk and
Stanford University law professor, said he would press ahead with his
challenge to the military campaign under the 1973 War Powers Act.
Campbell's move has put both Republicans and Democrats in an awkward
position.
The law requires approval from Capitol Hill for deployment of force
longer than 60 days. Presidents essentially have ignored the 1973 law.
But Campbell says he plans to take his challenge to the Supreme Court,
if necessary.
In invoking terms of the law, Campbell managed to force a House vote
next week -- first on a resolution to withdraw troops and then, if
that fails, to declare war on Yugoslavia.
If both measures fail, as is expected, Campbell says he will file a
court challenge against the administration.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Minority Leader Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo., sought common ground for a possible alternative
measure.
Gephardt told reporters he hopes there can be a proposal other than
the ``stark options'' presented by Campbell. John Feehery, a spokesman
for Hastert, said: ``Our membership is uncomfortable with a stark
choice between pulling the troops out and war.''
The House International Relations Committee on Thursday delayed until
Tuesday votes on Campbell's twin resolutions demanding that U.S.
forces on duty in and around the Balkans be brought home, or that war
be declared formally.
Under House rules, both measures must go to the floor next week, even
if they are voted down by the committee.
The committee was closely divided on the issue. Committee leaders
feared that if a vote came Thursday, the troop-withdrawal resolution
would have passed. That could have been a major embarrassment for the
administration as NATO leaders gathered, and would have put House
leaders in a difficult spot.
``I don't think we want to be sending a signal to (Yugoslav President
Slobodan) Milosevic at this time that there's any serious support in
Congress for pulling troops out,'' said Rep. Sam Gejdenson of
Connecticut, senior Democrat on the committee.
He predicted both resolutions would receive ``no'' recommendations
from the committee. The chairman, Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y., said,
``I'm opposed to both.''
Still, Gilman told Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during a
hearing Wednesday the administration was several weeks away from being
``in clear violation'' of the War Powers Act.
The administration claims it does not need congressional approval to
continue its participation in the allied airstrikes.
``But, of course, we would welcome the support of Congress in an
appropriate forum,'' Albright told Gilman. She did not elaborate.
The troop-withdrawal resolution was drawing support from some
Republicans who oppose the administration's conduct of the war, as
well as from some Democrats who believe the War Powers Act should be
followed.
Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
and a member of the International Relations Committee, opposes both
the war declaration and the troop-withdrawal resolutions.
The War Powers Act, ``is a dumb law and a dangerous law. We should
have gotten rid of it years ago,'' Hyde said. He said that no
president has followed the law ``and everyone averts their eyes from
it.''
A formal declaration of war, Hyde said, could bring many unintended
consequences -- including authorizing the president to nationalize
factories and possibly triggering hostilities toward countries that
trade with Yugoslavia.
Still, said Hyde, ``I find this one of the most fascinating debates of
the year. And that's saying a lot.''
via: End_Times_News@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Jewish year
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 19:38:39 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
I have been trying to find out why there is an approximate 240 year
difference in the calendars of the Jews (1998/99=5759) and ours
(2000=6000ish). Well, I can't figure it out. The only thing that I
have come up with is the following (which probably makes the question
moot?):
In the Kabbala it states:
"240 years before the seventh millennium (i.e., the year 6000 from
creation), the lower waters will rise and cover the entire world, and
only Eretz Yisroel [the Land of Israel] will remain, which will float
on the surface of the water like Noach's Ark; they will approach Gan
Aiden [Garden of Eden], the place from which the four rivers leave.
The people who survive will be completely righteous, and there they
will be whitened, purified, and made spiritual." (Yalkut Reuveini,
Shichechus Leket, "Eretz Yisroel v'Chutz L'Aretz," 6; in the name of
the Rokeach--Gali Razyah)
It also goes on to say that: "the Final Redemption will begin in
Nissan and end on Shavuos [Pentecost]."
6,000 - 240 = 5760 which begins on September 11, 1999.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Genesis/Gospels
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1999 19:51:44 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
In my reading today I came across the following:
Have you ever had someone ask you why you believe in the Genesis
account seeing that plants were created on a day before the sun?
Philo explains this as being a sure way of proving the existence of a
Creator, otherwise it would've been the other way around. The heathen
won't be fooled into thinking the sun is to be worshipped as the
creator of the plants because the sun hadn't been set in the heavens
yet.
This type of logic also makes me think of people who complain that
the gospels aren't all identical. If we had 3-4 witnesses at a trial
who all said the exact same thing, we'd throw their testimony out
because we'd say they were in cahoots; they had all gotten together
to get their stories straight. Same here. Each one saw things a
little differently--like the story of the blind men placed at
different points around an elephant. They each "see" a different
part and yet it is all the same creature.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China News Digest items (4/23/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 08:36:16 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
China Completes Part of Railway Route to Europe
[CND, 04/22/99] China launched part of a railway route connecting
China to Europe through central and western Asia on Monday along the
ancient "Silk Road" in western Xinjiang, AFP reported. The first train
arrived in the provincial capital Urumqi after a 10-hour ride from
Alataw Pass, the ancient passage between Kazakhstan and China, and a
state-designated open port. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the
route forms a connection between seaports in northeastern China and
Europe. "The opening of this route will be significant for promoting
local tourism industry and the economic development of western China
and opening it up to the outside world," Xinhua reported. (Lisa BU,
YIN De An)
Scholars Urge Government to Adjust Stance on Kosovo Crisis
[CND, 04/22/99] Many leading Chinese scholars specializing in foreign
affairs have urged the government to take a balanced stance over the
Kosovo crisis, the Hong Kong Standard reported on Wednesday.
Beijing has been a strong critic of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia and,
after NATO launched the air strikes, Premier ZHU Rongji even
reportedly considered postponing his recent U.S. tour.
According to the Hong Kong newspaper, foreign affairs experts in the
government's major think-tanks have recently made appeals to the
Communist Party's Politburo. They argued that Beijing's current stance
on the Balkan conflict would harm China's relations with the West and
thus would not serve the nation's best interests. The scholars said
that while they supported Beijing's opposition to the NATO military
action, the government should still keep a balanced view on the issue
of Kosovo. They suggested China send humanitarian aid to both
Albanians and Serbs.
They also asked the government to intervene with the official media's
coverage of the crisis, which they believed was biased and would only
incite anti-West sentiment among the public. They quoted the late
leader DENG Xiaoping as saying that China should keep a low profile on
international affairs, if they pose no direct threat to its national
security and interests.
Beijing has likened NATO's bombing with those by Nazi Germany during
World War II, and portrayed Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic as
an anti-imperialist hero. (LIU Weijun, WU Yiyi)
Hong Kong Legislators Tell Media to Self-Regulate
[CND, 04/21/99] Members of the Legislative Council's Home Affairs
Panel expressed disgust with a sharp increase of news reports that had
"gone too far," the Hong Kong Standard reported.
Legislators bluntly told media organizations to "shape up" or to risk
government intervention.
They particularly drew attention to sensational reporting and the
publication of ghastly pictures by some Chinese-language newspapers.
Andrew CHENG Kar-foo of the Democratic urged news organizations to
behave so as to avoid possible government intervention. "This would
help protect the continued free flow of information," he said.
Cheng said that he didn't want to see the government introducing
legislation to govern media conduct and ethics. "However, if the trend
continues, I'm afraid the authorities would be forced to intervene,"
Cheng said.
"If members of the media can keep themselves on track, there's no need
for any legislation in this regard," said Emily LAU Wai-hing of The
Frontier's.
Apparently, the legislators are referring to some recent sensational
pictures that have appeared on the newspapers.
In particular, Chairwoman of the Home Affairs Panel CHOY So-yuk cited
pictures of a woman who was murdered and thrown onto a street in To
Kwa Wan, which were subsequently published by some Chinese-language
newspapers on Saturday.
Legislators stated that they had found certain photos and headlines
printed in some newspapers to be "offensive." (Ray ZHANG, WU Yiyi)
C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t
(Global News, No. GL99-053)
Friday, April 23, 1999
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (4/23/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 08:43:06 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** New study questions 'gay gene'
WASHINGTON (AP) - Canadian scientists are questioning whether a gene
inherited from mothers influences men's sexual orientation in a study
that attacks U.S. researchers' hunt for a "gay gene." Scientists still
can't explain what determines a person's sexual orientation, although
many studies have suggested that it is biology and not choice. The
first such evidence came in 1991, when researchers discovered that
identical twins of gay men were much more likely to also be gay than
were fraternal twins. Then National Cancer Institute geneticist Dean
Hamer made headlines in 1993 by suggesting that one such gene resides
in a region of the X chromosome, one of the microscopic structures
that carry genes. Men inherit that chromosome from their mothers. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559270229-d4b
*** Dancers show breasts, fine dropped
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A night club charged with letting dancers
show too much skin had a $600 fine dropped after employees showed some
of the evidence to a state panel. One dancer slipped her dress off her
shoulders and another lifted her sweater to show members of the state
Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission that their pasties conformed to
state laws. Commission agents cited Regina's in October, saying club
dancers had exposed their nipples. During Wednesday's hearing, Ken
Mourton, owner of Regina's House of Dolls of Fayetteville, asked board
members if the dancers could show them exactly how much of their
bodies they exposed during their act. After the viewing, the all-male
board voted 5-0 to drop the fine and six-month probation for the club.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559271465-467
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Bridges for Peace items (4/23/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 08:51:05 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
ISRAEL AGREES TO PROVIDE JORDAN WITH FULL WATER SHARE
Jordan and Israel have reached a breakthrough in a water
dispute,
which erupted last month when Israel proposed cutting water supplies
to Jordan. According to a Jordan Times report, an agreement between
the two countries has been reached.
Officials in Amman reported that in a joint water committee
meeting last week, both sides reached an agreement under which Jordan
will obtain its 55 million cubic meters (mcm) of water from Israel, as
stipulated in agreements signed between the two countries.
"However, the distribution of the water might be carried out
according to a different schedule," another official, who requested
anonymity, told the Jordan Times without giving further details.
Last month, Jordan strongly protested an Israeli request to
cut 40
percent of water supplies to Jordan to deal with a regional drought.
According to the peace treaty, in summer, Israel concedes to
transfer to Jordan 20mcm from the Jordan River directly upstream from
the river's Deganya gate in Israel, which, water experts say, is of
poor water quality. Also, Jordan is entitled to an annual quantity of
10mcm of desalinated spring water diverted from the river.
Jordan has already obtained the 10mcm, said one source. The
treaty
stipulates that Jordan and Israel should cooperate to supply the
Jordan with an additional quantity of 50mcm of potable water every
year.
In 1997, the two countries agreed that the 50mcm should be
obtained through the desalination of brackish water flowing into the
Jordan River from the Israeli side. At the same time, they agreed that
until a desalination plant is set up, Israel would supply Jordan with
25mcm a year from Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee).
Both sides are currently working on a proposal for the plant,
which will be submitted to donor bodies for funding.
Jordan relies mainly on rainwater to meet domestic,
agricultural
and industrial needs, and requires every drop of water to handle its
chronic water shortage.
Both Israel and Jordan have taken steps to deal with the
drought
conditions, having implemented emergency measures to reduce the
consumption and demand for water. (IsraelWire, April 22, 1999)
US MAY PRODUCE LETTER FOR ARAFAT
The US is inclined to grant the Palestinians their wish and
give
them a letter which they want in return for deferring their
announcement of a Palestinian state on May 4th. Senior Palestinian
negotiators, Abu Mazen and Saeb Erekat, are holding talks in
Washington on the matter.
A US diplomatic source said that such a letter would contain
no
US commitments and would restate the US position against unilateral
diplomatic steps and would be in favor of accelerated permanent status
talks after the Israeli elections. The objection to unilateral steps
refers both to Palestinian declaration of statehood and Israeli
settlement activities.
The US is hoping the call for accelerated talks will satisfy
the
Palestinians who want the deferment of the declaration of statehood to
be temporary. The US, while reportedly willing to call for the talks
not to be open ended, are not willing to set any deadlines. (MED, Kol
Israel, April 21, 1999)
PALESTINIAN STAMP CUTS OUT NETANYAHU
The PA is issuing a commemorative Wye River Accord stamp
which
will feature PA Chairman Arafat and US President Clinton - but not
Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The stamp is based on a painting of the three, but
Netanyahu's
picture has been cut out. When asked why Netanyahu was omitted, a PA
postal official explained that the stamp depicts those "who have
invested a great deal in peace."
The stamp will be available in PA post offices from April
24. It
will have a value equivalent to 4.5 shekel (US $1.12) and is valid as
postage to every country in the world - except Israel. (MED, Kol
Israel, April 21, 1999)
MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF ALL JEWS LIVE IN ISRAEL
Israel's population grew by 135,000 since last year's
Independence Day celebrations, and currently some 36 percent of all
the world's Jews live in Israel - a sixfold rise since 1948 -
according to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics and a
demographics project at the Hebrew University. The country's
population in 1999 has grown by 38,000 to stand at 6,076,000.
Last year's growth totaled 2.3 percent, down very slightly
from
the previous year, when it was 2.4 percent, but still higher than most
Western countries.
A much larger decline was registered in the number of new
immigrants who arrived in Israel over the past year - 55,000, down
from 67,000 between the 1997 and 1998 Independence Days. That decrease
was partially offset by an increase in the number of births, which
totaled 128,000 during the past year, 4,000 more than in the 1997 to
1998 period.
From a global perspective, Israel's 4.8 million Jews
account for
36 percent of the world's 13.1 million Jews, according to data
released by the demographic forecasts project of the Hebrew
University's Department of Contemporary Jewry, headed by Sergio
DellaPergola.
The demographic data show that the natural growth rate of
Jews in
Israel is far lower than that of the country's Arabs. The Muslim
population in Israel, which constitutes the majority of the Arabs, is
growing by 3.4 percent a year, the Druze by 2.4 percent and the
Christians by 1.7 percent. The natural increase of the Jewish
population is increasing by about 1.2 percent annually, with another
0.8 percent added by immigration. (By Moti Bassok & Relly Sa'ar,
Ha'aretz, April 20, 1999)
ARMY OF IMMIGRANTS
One of the basic principles adopted when Israel gained
independence in 1948 was that the State should serve as a country to
which Jews from all over the world can "come home."
Now, after 51 years, this "ingathering" can be seen in the
IDF -
which in effect "mirrors" Israeli society.
Soldiers who originally emigrated from 72 different
countries
currently serve in the IDF. There is currently one soldier from
Jordan, 10 soldiers from Syria, 22 from Morocco, and 11 (4 male, 7
female) from Afghanistan.
In addition, there are soldiers who emigrated from Finland,
Ireland, Albania, Germany, Guatemala, Ecuador, the US, and India.
There is one soldier from Singapore, a female soldier from China, and
almost 100 soldiers from Argentina.
In addition, the percentage of new immigrants who serve as
officers (8.4%) is higher than of native Israelis (4.9%). This
difference is apparently a result of the older age at which some
emigrants enlist - thus enabling a higher percentage to enter the IDF
as "professionals." (MED, Yediot Achronot, April 20, 1999)
ANCIENT MENORAH FOUND IN BET GUVRIN AREA
A menorah, reported to date back 1,700 years, was found in a
sewage system in the Beit Guvrin area.
The seven-branch menorah was found in a drainage system of
an
ancient Roman bathhouse dating back 1,700 years. We'll report further
as we receive information. (IsraelWire, April 21, 1999)
TORAH CROWN RETURNED
An ancient Torah scroll crown, valued at $50,000, was
officially
returned by American customs officials to the Israeli government on
April 16th. The crown was stolen in Israel and was later located by
the Americans. The return of the crown took place in the American
Customs Authority offices, in the World Trade Center in New York. The
golden diamond-adorned crown has great religious and cultural value,
according to an American Customs Authority announcement, and its
return is viewed as an important mission for the American officials.
(Arutz 7, April 18, 1999)
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Central Europe Online items (4/23/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 11:49:08 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
NATO's 50th Anniversary
(http://www.centraleurope.com/ceo/special/nato/natomain.html)The Czech
Republic, Poland and Hungary, NATO's newest members, will participate
in the military alliance's 50th anniversary summit over the weekend in
the U.S. capital.
Brief profiles of 19 NATO leaders
(http://www.centraleurope.com/ceo/special/nato/profile.html) attending
the 50th anniversary summit in Washington starting on Friday.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz 7 News items (4/23/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 11:52:55 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
ABU ALLA: NO PEACE WITHOUT RETURN OF 1948'S REFUGEES
Palestinian "Parliament" Chairman Abu Alla announced today that there
will be no peace without the full return of all the Arab refugees of
1948 to their homes. Abu Alla bases himself on United Nations
resolution #181 of 1948, calling for the partition of Palestine into
two separate states - one Jewish and one Arab. (The Arabs did not
accept the resolution at the time, and attacked the State of Israel on
the day it declared independence.) Abu Alla made the statement today
after meeting with the Australian Parliament Speaker in Ramallah.
REACTIONS TO DECISION TO ORIENT HOUSE CLOSURE
The Cabinet decision of yesterday to close three or four Palestinian
Authority offices in the Orient House has aroused many reactions, both
for and against. President Weizman said that the Orient House is not
worth "blowing up the peace process." The Likud party said that the
decision is a proof of the Netanyahu government's firm Jerusalem
policy. The National Union party congratulated the government,
although it noted that "the value of the decision will be measured
only by its implementation." Meretz leader Yossi Sarid said that his
party sees the Orient House as the legitimate diplomatic mission of
the Palestinian Authority, and is against its closing. The PA
announced that consuls from Great Britain, Holland, France, and
Belgium came yesterday to the Orient House to show their solidarity
with the PA, following the government's decision to close the
building.
Public Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani said today that it would be
a few days before the orders to close the PA offices would go into
effect. The Jerusalem Police said it would not happen before the
elections. "Feisal Husseini's meeting with the foreign consuls on
Israel's Independence Day was an intentional provocation," said
Kahalani, "as was his announcement then that Jerusalem is the capital
of the new Palestinian state. Israel cannot allow this." He said
that the police will be able to deal with whatever violence is planned
as a result of the closings. Peace Generation activists said they
would "bodily prevent the Orient House from being closed." Prime
Minister Netanyahu said that the meetings in the Orient House were
against Israeli law and in violation of the Israeli-Palestinian
agreements.
IDF MEASURES TO STOP STONE-THROWERS - AND HORSE-THIEVES?
The Israel Defense Forces closed an Arab school across from the
community of Eli in northern Binyamin yesterday, as a result of the
many stone-throwing incidents upon Israeli vehicles and military
forces from within the school. The decision to close the school was
taken after the IDF met with the principal and with Palestinian police
elements in an unsuccessful attempt to convince them to halt the
attacks. Further south, two soldiers were lightly injured last night
in offensive activity against stone-throwers south of Ramallah.
Fourteen Palestinian Arab suspects were arrested.
Dozens of horses and their owners are currently stationed all along
the Green Line (marking the border between Judea/Samaria and the rest
of Israel), in protest of the many thefts of animals - mainly horses -
by Arabs from the nearby villages. The owners say that neither the
army nor the Palestinian police are doing enough to stop the thefts.
CLOSER TIES WITH JAPAN
A flight agreement between Israel and Japan was signed by Japanese
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Israeli Ambassador to Japan Moshe
Ben Yaakov in Tokyo today. The negotiating process began in June
1992, and became more intensive over the last two years. The
agreement will allow the Japanese national airline and other Japanese
airlines to maintain direct flights between Israel and Japan. The
Foreign Ministry reported that Israel's relations with Japan have
undergone dramatic development over the last years in all areas,
including political dialogue, economics, culture, academic links,
science and technology.
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, April 23, 1999 / Iyar 7, 5759 - Day 22 of the Omer
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Analysis: WTO Failure Could Rock China
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 11:59:36 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Analysis: WTO Failure Could Rock China
BEIJING, Apr. 23, 1999 -- (Reuters) China
and the United States may be arguing over
details that separate them from agreement
on Chinese entry into the World Trade
Organization (WTO), but the cost of
failure would be huge and not confined to
commerce.
Premier Zhu Rongji stunned even China's
staunchest critics this month with
market-opening concessions in areas such
as telecommunications, distribution,
agriculture and insurance -- yet came up
short of a deal, largely because U.S.
President Bill Clinton balked at the last
moment.
As U.S. Assistant Trade Representative
Robert Cassidy and China's top WTO
negotiator, Long Yongtu, meet in Beijing
on Thursday to iron out the differences,
optimists and pessimists agreed the price
of failure will be high for both
countries.
"The window of opportunity is open, but if
it slams shut it will fall not only on
Zhu's fingers but on those of the U.S.,"
said a Western diplomat in Beijing.
The negotiators are working against an
atmosphere poisoned by disputes over human
rights and a seemingly endless stream of
allegations of Chinese spying and theft of
U.S. nuclear secrets.
The latest cloud over relations was cast
on Wednesday when CIA Director George
Tenet released findings that China
obtained at least basic design information
on several U.S. nuclear weapons.
China promptly denied the charge, saying
it had never stolen American military or
nuclear technology.
China needs the boost in investor
confidence that WTO membership will bring
-- even if during the short term the pain
of opening markets falls overwhelmingly on
Chinese firms.
"If the talks fail, I think China's
exports as well as foreign direct
investment will face more difficulty,"
said Qun Liao, senior economist at
Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong.
Both of those key sources of revenue,
growth and jobs in China fell sharply in
the first quarter of 1999.
For Zhu, who said during his April 6-14
visit to the United States that some
Chinese officials had branded him a
"traitor" for earlier market-opening
measures, failure to bag a WTO deal could
embolden opponents of his tough economic
reforms.
"President Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji have
prevailed so far, but that's not to say
criticism, dissatisfaction and resentment
have all disappeared," said Fred Hu,
executive director for Asian economic
research at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong.
"If China continues to be disappointed at
WTO, opponents will seize the opportunity
to attack the policies of the leadership."
Many China-watchers believe Zhu has deftly
harnessed WTO concessions to his drive to
shake up his country's sluggish state
sector, using the specter of foreign
competition to prod bureaucrats and
managers to reform more quickly.
Some diplomats say Zhu's concessions could
unravel in the face of domestic
opposition.
But Bruce Murray, the Asian Development
Bank's senior economist for China, said
the opposition was likely to focus on
winning longer adjustment times and not on
WTO entry itself.
"The government as a whole has taken the
decision they want to join WTO," he said.
"There will be winners and losers, and the
people that are going to have difficulty
with competition will be lobbying, not
against, but for a transition period."
For the United States, failure to strike a
WTO deal after coming so close during
Zhu's U.S. visit would mean losing a
chance to trim a huge and growing trade
deficit with China and forfeiting
credibility as a world trade leader.
With Chinese rival Taiwan's WTO
application virtually complete but held up
pending China's admission, a Sino-U.S.
stalemate would force Washington to make a
decision that would offend one side of the
tense Taiwan strait.
If the two countries can't get their trade
ties right, they will have even less to
bind frayed relations.
"A major implication of WTO failure this
year would be a serious retreat in
Sino-U.S. relations" because China would
see the U.S. Congress as implacably
hostile to Beijing, said Liao at Standard
Chartered Bank. ( (c) 1999 Reuters)
http://www.insidechina.com/china/news/1999042311.html?text
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - German Press on Reichstag
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 12:40:04 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
THE WEEK IN GERMANY
German Information Center
871 United Nations Plaza, New York NY 10017
4/23/99
The long-planned relocation of Germany's parliament and federal
government from Bonn to Berlin began this week as the Bundestag held
its first sitting in the newly renovated Reichstag building Monday
(April 19).
THE PRESS ON ...
...THE REICHSTAG
Suedwest Presse
(Ulm, April 20) "Sixty six years the building stood empty, proscribed
by the Nazis, conquered by the Russians, pursued, contested and
ignored during division. No building has more history in its walls
than the Reichstag and nonetheless there is hardly a building so
innocent of the false turns (Irrwege) in German history. The
incapacitation of the parliament at the beginning of Hitler's
dictatorship did not happen in the Reichstag; it took place in the
Kroll Opera. The Germans thus have nothing to be ashamed of in this
honorable parliamentary building - which the Kaiser did not want to
enter, from which the first republic was proclaimed and before the
ruins of which Ernst Reuter called upon the free world to rescue
Berlin: Nations of the world, look at this city. In the shadows of
division, the building stood empty: we have overcome that era. Now
history demands its due."
[April 20, 1889 Adolf Hitler born]
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - FYI: Virus Alert
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 08:13:55 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/19280.html
Melissa Was But a Sniffle
by Leander Kahney
2:30 p.m. 22.Apr.99.PDT
The havoc caused by the Melissa
computer virus is tame compared with the destruction expected
to strike on 26 April.
The CIH virus is believed to be the first virus to attack a PC's
BIOS (basic input/output system), the built-in program that helps
a machine boot. The virus can overwrite hard drives, and
because it has a long incubation period it is now believed to be
widely distributed.
"It's the most destructive [code] out there," said Roger
Thompson, technical director of malicious code research at ICSA,
an independent security assurance service that certifies antivirus
software.
"I think it's pretty bloody important," Thompson said. "We never
release warnings about viruses because we don't want to hype
them, but we issued a release about this one."
Affecting Windows 95, 98, and NT machines, the virus first
appeared last spring. Since then, it has spread widely, hidden in
software installers on CD-ROMs and floppy disks, in email
attachments, and in infected software shared by computer users,
Thompson said.
The virus is a Windows executable, or .exe, file that, when
launched, sits dormant on an infected machine until it drops its
"payload." That's expected to happen on Monday.
The payload may overwrite the system's hard drive, erasing
everything on it. The virus may also attack the portion of the
machine's BIOS that affects the start-up sequence, making the
computer unusable.
However, due to the wide variety of different system designs,
virus experts can only guess how many machines will be
affected.
Though the virus is not irreversible, experts said that resetting
the BIOS is a major pain in the neck that's beyond the expertise of
most computer dealers, let alone average users.
"It's been out there spreading for some time now," said David
Chess, a member of the researcher staff at IBM's High Integrity
Computing Lab in the Thomas J. Watson Research Center. "It's
reached the stage where it's endemic."
In fact, the CIH virus was found on a batch of IBM Aptivas
earlier this month, forcing Big Blue to issue a warning to
thousands of customers.
The CIH virus is version 1.2, a variant of the equally destructive
Win95-CIH virus, which is timed to strike on the 26th of every
month. Described when it appeared last spring as the mother of
all viruses because of its destructive behavior, the Win95-CIH
virus failed to live up to the hype because of its relative rarity.
ICSA's Thompson counseled users to leave email attachments
unopened on Monday and to run an updated antivirus program.
Because the virus has been in circulation for a long time, almost
all antivirus software can detect it.
In fact, Thompson said that CIH's impact may have already been
lessened by users running antivirus software to check for
Melissa.
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Christians vanishing from Holy Land
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 19:00:16 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
From: http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/christianity/
A test of faith
Christians in the Holy Land
By Charles M. Sennott, Globe Staff, 01/17/99
Above, the destruction of Jerusalem by Romans in AD 70. Below, Calvary
chapel, constructed on the believed site of the crucifixion of Jesus
in Jerusalem. Both prints were painted by artist David Roberts between
1839 and 1849. ERUSALEM - In the land where Jesus Christ began his
ministry 2,000 years ago, Christian life is vanishing.
In one Jerusalem parish, there were not enough young men left to carry
a casket at a recent funeral. In the sanctuary of an upper-Egypt
cathedral, Christians cowered in fear that they would be tortured by
local authorities. The empty halls of Lebanon's once-grand monasteries
echo a faded splendor.
This year, 4 million tourists are expected to flock to the Holy Land
to mark the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus' birth. At the same time, the
Middle East's native Christians continue to disappear from church
pews. For those who stay, life is harder.
''We are talking about the Christian church in the Middle East
becoming a museum church, a Disneyland of faith nearly void of the
living community of believers,'' says the Rev. Jerome Murphy-O'Connor,
a Dominican priest and biblical historian who has witnessed the exodus
through three decades in Jerusalem.
The reasons for the departure of Christians are complex. The Globe has
not found evidence of widespread persecution, as some would claim.
Those who leave instead cite more nuanced realities - economic
hardship, the turmoil of civil conflict, and the intolerance of rising
Muslim and Jewish fundamentalism.
The Globe retraced the path of Jesus - from Bethlehem into Egypt and
from Nazareth to what is now Lebanon - and found a dwindling Christian
presence on the eve of the third millennium of Christianity.
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Apr 24, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 08:31:26 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
6:30 PM Eastern
TBN - ZOLA LEVITT
7:00
[some schedules say this will be on at 9:00]
C-SPAN - NATO 50TH ANNIVERSARY - NATO &
Euro-Atlantic Dinner; hosts President and Mrs.
Clinton.(CC)
10:00
HIST - BATTLE OF THE CLANS - Scottish laws of the 18th
century ban Highland tartans, bagpipes, clan names and the
Gaelic language.(CC)(TVG)(Ends midnight)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - US Foresees Smallpox Research With Russia
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 08:37:03 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Source: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/global/042399smallpox-germ.html
April 23, 1999
U.S. Foresees Smallpox Research With Russia
By JUDITH MILLER
President Clinton's decision to retain samples of smallpox virus in
the United States is likely to lead to more scientific cooperation and
biological research with Russia at a time of badly strained relations,
Administration officials said Thursday.
As expected, the White House announced Thursday that Clinton, acting
largely on the advice of independent scientific advisers, had decided
to delay the planned destruction of the samples of the deadly virus
this June because he fears the disease, which is apparently
eradicated, might revive naturally or be spread by a terrorist attack.
The White House stressed that the decision was motivated solely by
national security and scientific considerations, and on the
President's conclusion that retaining the virus was "the best way to
reduce the loss of life in the event of an outbreak," said David
Leavy, spokesman for the National Security Council.
He added that the Administration hopes that the reversal of its
previous support for destruction would open up possibilities for joint
research with Russia, the only other nation known to have smallpox
stocks and a fervent opponent of their destruction.
"We certainly hope to have a cooperative relationship with the
Russians on this issue, and we have been working together to
strengthen security at their facilities and on many other projects of
mutual benefit," Leavy said.
Specifically, he added, the Administration is "looking forward to
working with the Russians and others at the World Health Assembly to
build an international consensus on how best to handle this issue."
The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health
Organization, is to meet in May to consider destroying the remaining
samples.
The last known outbreak of the disease occurred in Somalia in 1977.
Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, and in 1996 the Assembly
recommended the destruction this June of the remaining stocks, which
are held under tight security at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta and at the Russian State Research Center of
Virology and Biotechnology in Siberia.
David L. Heymann, executive director of the communicable diseases
division of W.H.O., said the agency would have no official comment
until the issue is presented to the assembly. But he added, "We're
happy to know at least where the United States stands."
While most of the assembly's 191 members appear to favor destruction
of the virus, sentiment for retention has been building. At a meeting
in January, only five of the nine committee members favored immediate
destruction. Two supported keeping the stocks indefinitely; two
favored keeping the stocks for five years and then reviewing the
issue.
Alan P. Zelicoff, a senior scientist at the Sandia National Laboratory
Center for National Security and Arms Control, who strongly advocates
retaining the stocks, attributed the waning of support for destruction
to what he called "the growing threat of bio-terrorism and the
enormous
advances in microbiology in the past five years."
Dr. Zelicoff said that Thursday's announcement "opens up tremendous
joint research possibilities with the Russians, who are way ahead of
us in smallpox research." He spoke Wednesday night to Lev
Sandakhchiev, the director of the institute where Russia's stocks are
stored, and reported that the Russians are "excited and encouraged" by
the decision.
Dr. Sandakhchiev has pressed for retaining the stocks. He has also
proposed that his lab, a leading center of antiviral work and once the
heart of the Soviet germ-warfare program, be transformed into an
international research center to counter biological terrorism. In an
interview in January in Moscow, he said all he lacked was money.
White House officials said they had not yet decided how much new
research the Administration would finance, or what kinds. The White
House has secured $120 million in the current budget to fight
biological terrorism research at the Centers for Disease Control, the
first such allocation. And the Administration is seeking $30 million
in the coming year's budget for new vaccines against such potentially
dangerous agents as smallpox and anthrax, which it suspects may have
found their way into the arsenals of several rogue states.
Brian Mahy, the director of viral and ricketts-like diseases at the
National Center for Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, said the
President's decision would enable his scientists to do more work on
virus stocks. At present, Dr. Mahy said, only six scientists in the
pox virus section and the Centers for Disease Control do research on
smallpox. Their annual budget, he added, is just under $500,000, or
about 1 percent of the $40 million spent annually on research.
But Donald A. Henderson, a former White House science adviser who led
the campaign to destroy the virus, said he doubted that much new
research would be done. "I'll wager over the next five years you'll
see no work whatsoever," he said, "except in the Russian laboratory,
where smallpox was weaponized. You can draw your own conclusions about
that."
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Children Speak Out On Marriage
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 09:13:55 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Children Speak Out On Marriage
4-23-99
How Does a Person Know Whom to Marry?
"You flip a nickel, and heads means you stay with him
and tails means you try the next one." Kally, age 9
"You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff.
Like if you like sports, she should like it that you
like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip
coming." Allan, age 10
"No person really decides before they grow up who
they're going marry. God decides it all way before,
and you got to find out later who you're stuck with."
Kirsten, age 10
Concerning the Proper Age to Get Married
"Twenty-three is the best age because you know the
person FOREVER by then." Cam, age 10
"No age is good to get married at.... You got to be a
fool to get married!" Freddie, age 6
How Can a Stranger Tell If Two People are Married?
"Married people usually look happy to talk to other
people." Eddie, age 6
"You might have to guess based on whether they seem to
be yelling at the same kids." Derrick, age 8
What Do You Think Your Mom and Dad Have in Common?
"Both don't want no more kids." Lori, age 8
What Do Most People Do on a Date?
"Dates are for having fun, and people should use them
to get to know each other. Even boys have something to
say if you listen long enough." Lynnette, age 8
"On the first date, they just tell each other lies,
and that usually gets them interested enough to go for
a second date." Martin, age 10
What the Children Would Do if the First Date was
Turning Sour
"I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call
all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me
in all the dead columns." Craig, 9
When is it Ok to Kiss Someone?
"When they're rich!" Pam, age 7
"The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't
want to mess with that." Curt, age 7
The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you
should marry them and have kids with them.... It's the
right thing to do." Howard, age 8
The Great Debate: Is it Better to Be Single or
Married?
"It's better for girls to be single but not for boys.
Boys need somebody to clean up after them!" Anita, age
9
"Single is better ... for the simple reason that I
wouldn't want to change no diapers... Of course, if I
did get married, I'd figure something out. I'd just
phone my mother and have her come over for some coffee
and diaper- changing." Kristen, age 10
What Advice Do You Have for a Young Couple About to be
Married?
"The first thing I'd say to them is: 'Listen up,
youngins ... I got something to say to you. Why in the
heck do you wanna get married, anyway?'" Craig, age 9
What Promises Do a Man and Woman Make to Each Other
When They Marry?
"A man and a woman promise to go
through sickness and illness and diseases together."
Marlon, age 10
How To Make a Marriage Work
"Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she
looks like a truck!" Ricky, age 7
"If you want to last with your man, you should wear a
lot of sexy clothes.... Especially underwear that is
red and maybe has a few diamonds on it." Lori, age 8
Getting Married for a Second Time
"Most men are brainless, so you might have to try more
than one to find a live one." Angie L., age 10
How Would the World Be Different if People Didn't
Marry?
"There sure would be a lot of kids to explain,
wouldn't there?" Kelvin, age 8
"You can be sure of one thing - the boys would come
chasing after us just the same as they do now!" Mary,
age 9
http://www.sightings.com/politics2/child.htm
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Cornerstones in space
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 09:34:46 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Excerpt from: Shaping the future of Europe in Space: which programmes,
which needs? Nr. 06-99 - Paris 21 April 1999
On May 11 and 12 next, ESA's governing body, the Council, will meet at
its ministerial level in Brussels. The main objective of this meeting
is to shape the future of the space sector in Europe by setting a
space policy that will allow the Old Continent to continue playing a
major role in space activities.
The Ministers in charge of space activities will be asked to endorse
ESA's new strategy and its role in working with national players,
intergovernmental organisations, EU institutions and industry to
respond to the challenges of the next millennium. They will also be
asked to decide, within ESA's Long Term Plan for the period 1999-2006,
new programmes spanning the fields of space science, access to space
(launchers), space applications (Earth observation,
telecommunications, navigation and multimedia), exploitation of the
International Space Station and advanced technology.
SCIENCE PROGRAMME :
The Science Programme of ESA is based on the long-term plans Horizon
2000 and Horizon 2000 Plus. The programme was drafted in a consensual
manner with the involvement of the whole European scientific
community.
Four ESA space science missions are in orbit in 1999:
- Ulysses, launched in 1990, exploring the heliosphere.
- The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, a joint ESA-NASA
mission.
- SOHO (part of the first Cornerstone of Horizons 2000), the Solar and
Heliospheric Observatory, launched in 1995.
- Huygens/Cassini, a mission to Saturn/Titan, launched in 1997, in
collaboration with NASA.
Five spacecraft are under development:
- XMM, X-ray Multi-mirror Mission, the second cornerstone of Horizons
2000, to be launched in 2000.
- Cluster II, part of the first Cornerstone, a four-satellite
magnetospheric mission to be launched in 2000.
- INTEGRAL, International Gamma Ray Laboratory, to be launched in
2001. - Rosetta, third Cornerstone, for the analysis in-situ of a
comet, to be launched in 2003.
- FIRST/Planck, a combination of the fourth Cornerstone and a
smaller-size mission, operating in the sub-millimetric field, to be
launched together in 2007.
via: SEDSNEWS@listserv.tamu.edu
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