To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Criminal gene dilemma for courts of future
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 08:48:03 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
http://www.theage.com.au:80/daily/990629/news/news5.html
-
Tuesday 29 June 1999
Criminal gene dilemma for courts of future, says judge
By CAROLINE MILBURN
LAW REPORTER
Courts one day may have to deal with a genetic link to criminal
behavior, the High Court's Justice Michael Kirby said yesterday.
Speaking about the future of criminal law, he said it was likely that
scientists would discover a gene that influenced criminal behavior.
He said the discovery could come from the Human Genome Project, a
cooperative research project involving geneticists worldwide, which
was charged with mapping the function of 100,000 human genes.
Justice Kirby said the law had long recognised the relevance of
genetic
disorders that affected the mental abilities of a person
accused of a crime.
``A recognition that inborn `defects', genetic `errors' if you like,
can dispose certain people to act in a way unacceptable to society,
and hence to its criminal laws, seems clear enough,'' Justice Kirby
told a Northern Territory Criminal Lawyers Association conference.
But he said advances in gene technology and research meant scientists
might establish a link between biological factors and criminal conduct
and the courts would have to find a way to deal with the new
information. ``The fundamental notion that congenital or hereditary
factors may at least sometimes determine criminal conduct is likely to
have much more attention in the years ahead ...
``Already there is a certain illogicality in permitting evidence to
be
received that is relevant to insanity but rejecting such
evidence where it is said to be relevant to lesser behavioral
explanations. At the least, it seems likely that genetic evidence will
be increasingly received as relevant to punishment. It is important
that lawyers generally, and criminal lawyers in particular, should
keep themselves informed about the rapid developments of genetic
science.''
Justice Kirby said the criminal justice system was undergoing
turbulent
change. But the key ingredient for change - community
debate about crime and punishment, informed by opinions and statistics
from expert professionals and academics - was often missing.
``Instead, solutions to community concerns about crime are offered in
an unseemly political auction at election time in which candidates
compete for a `virile image', sometimes encouraged by identifiable
sections of the media.
``Part of the blame must be accepted by the judiciary and the legal
profession for failing to explain the present system with its
strengths and weaknesses and to debate openly and candidly the options
for effective reform.''
Other challenges facing the criminal justice system included
achieving
faster trials, pressure to modify or abolish the right to
silence, the effective use of legal aid and ways to reconcile criminal
law principles with policing methods such as undercover agents and
deception.
via: isml@onelist.com
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Tzemach News Service items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 08:58:04 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
LETTER REVEALS POPE PIUS XII'S ANTI-SEMITISM: At the height of
the Holocaust, Pope Pius XII made known to President Franklin D.
Roosevelt his opposition toward 'Palestine' becoming a Jewish
homeland, according to a letter from the US Archives obtained by THE
JERUSALEM POST from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The letter was dated
June 22, 1943. "It is true that at one time Palestine was inhabited by
the Hebrew race, but there is no axiom in history to substantiate the
necessity of a people returning to a country they left nineteen
centuries before", the letter reads. "If a 'Hebrew home' is desired,
it would not be too difficult to find a more fitting territory than
Palestine. With an increase in the Jewish population there, grave, new
international problems would arise." Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the
Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the letter "is an indictment of Pius
XII, because it basically says that when the pope wanted a point of
view expressed about how he clearly felt, he said it clearly. Where is
a similar letter to Adolf Hitler, telling Hitler that the Vatican
finds his policies against the Jews repugnant? But at the height of
the Holocaust, the Vatican knew how to oppose the State of Israel".
The Catholic church, meanwhile, is moving forward on the candidacy for
sainthood for Pius XII. [Editor's note: Evidently Pius XII do not read
his Bible, for G-d states many times He would regather His people,
e.g. "And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from
the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them
on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited
places of the land" (Ezekiel 34.13)] (JERUSALEM POST, NASB)
US OPPOSING GENEVA CONVENTION: A US congressional committee
adopted a resolution urging the State Department to oppose the UN
General Assembly's plan to reconvene the parties to the Geneva
Conventions on July 15, for the first time in 50 years. Arguing that
the sole purpose of the gathering is to condemn Israel's housing
construction in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, House International
Relations Committee called in the resolution on UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan to refrain from assisting in the convening of the
conference. The unprecedented meeting of Fourth Geneva Convention
signatories was approved by the overwhelming majority of UNGA members
in February, and would be held under UN auspices. Its aim is to
discuss the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing in
particular on Israeli settlement in "disputed areas", and to demand
that Israel abide by the provisions of the Geneva Convention in these
areas -- including Jerusalem -- which the international community
views as "occupied Arab lands". (JTA, ICEJ)
MAJOR FINDS AT TEL HEBRON EXCAVATIONS: Archeologist Emanuel
Eisenberg and his staff of workers have made major discoveries in the
past few weeks. Among the finds:
1. A pottery jug, oven and floor dating back to the early bronze age,
over 4,000 years old. 2. Artifacts, including metal axe heads and
jewelry beads from the era of the Patriarchs, discovered near the
ancient original Hebron wall. 3. Two houses from about 2,700 years old
(First Temple), including an oven in one of the houses. 4. A watch
tower, next to the Hebron wall, probably 3,700 years old, and possibly
older.
Pictures of some of these fascinating archeological discoveries can be
viewed on the Hebron web site: <http://www.hebron.org.il> -- in the
section "Archeological Excavations at Tel Hebron". (HEBRON PRESS
OFFICE)
SENATE PASSES BILL ON TERRORISTS: The US Senate unanimously
passed its first-ever legislation concerning American victims of
Palestinian Arab terrorism in Israel late last week. Twelve American
citizens have been killed by such terrorists since the signing of the
Oslo accords in 1993. Israel has identified 23 Arab terrorists who
were involved in the attacks, most of whom are free in Arafat's
autonomous areas, and at least five of whom are serving as PA/PLO
para-military policemen. The legislation, which will shortly be taken
up by the US House of Representatives, requires the State Department
to provide Congress with regular reports on US investigations
regarding the murderers, and with information on Palestinian killers
of Americans who are walking free within the Palestinian autonomy. In
addition, the State Department must detail its efforts to obtain
compensation from the PLO for families of the American victims.
(ARUTZ-7)
BARAK TO BE SUMMONED TO WHITE HOUSE: Although the US is
waiting until formation of the new government before formally inviting
Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak to Washington, nevertheless it is
expecting Barak very shortly thereafter. Tentative dates are July 12
and 19. The implications of the scenario are quite ominous. After
directing the campaign to elect Barak, the Clinton administration now
seeks to direct the office of the Prime Minister of the State of
Israel. The reader will remember that Clinton also tried this with PM
Netanyahu. Clinton is not the first president to do this, however.
Bush, using the loan guarantees, tried, as other US presidents, to
influence Israeli politics.
Carrying the same theme, the British daily THE GUARDIAN published a
report Thursday from its correspondent in Israel saying that officials
in Washington have prepared a detailed plan for security arrangements
between Israel and Syria. These security arrangements cover the
deployment of US soldiers in the Golan Heights. The paper added that
the plan will be proposed to Barak during his visit to Washington.
(ISRAEL LINE, HA'ARETZ)
CFR GIVES DIRECTION TO PA/PLO: The PA/PLO must take profound
and urgent steps to make its institutions more democratic and more
effective, or face loss of public support, states the contents of a
150- page report published by the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR).
A major target of the report is the PA/PLO judiciary. The report also
stated too much power is concentrated in the hands of the executive,
headed by Arafat. Also criticized are the security forces, accused of
human rights abuses. The basic thrust of the report is to give
guidance to the PA/PLO in order for it to have the appearance of
legitimacy within the Palestinian people. (ICEJ)
ISLAMIC CONFERENCE MEETS: The Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) concluded its annual ministerial meeting late
Thursday. In their final declaration, the ministers said Kosovo should
receive a large degree of autonomy, or even independence, from the
Yugoslav federal government. The ministers also voiced support for an
international reconstruction effort in Kosovo, as well as the safe
return of refugees to the province. [Editor's note: Does this sound
like the PA/PLO or what? Autonomy, even a state, international support
for building projects and return of 'refugees'.]
Meanwhile, US House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) earlier
this month named Salam Al-Marayati to serve on the newly created
National Commission on Terrorism. Al-Marayati heads the Los Angeles-
based Muslim Public Affairs Council, a group that critics say has
tried to gain legitimacy in American public life while tacitly seeking
to promote the interests of radical Islamic terrorism. According to
the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations,
Al-Marayati has made statements justifying or condoning terrorism,
equating America's struggle for independence with Islamic
fundamentalism and calling for a renewed Arab economic boycott of
Israel (which would explain the next item- ed)
In another story, the US State Department has launched a dialogue with
American Muslim 'activists' in an attempt to understand Islam and the
religious element in national conflicts. State Department officials
said the meetings began after Islamic leaders in the US complained
that Islamic states in the Middle East and Africa were unfairly
portrayed by the media and misunderstood in US foreign policy. (VOA,
JTA, WORLD TRIBUNE)
SYRIA PREPARING TO USE VX GAS: According to HA'ARETZ, while
Syrian President Hafez Assad has recently been showering Barak with
compliments, Western sources report that Syria has begun to arm
artillery shells with the lethal chemical weapon VX nerve gas. Syria,
it seems, talks about peace but prepares itself for war, including the
use of unconventional weapons.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Moshe Arens received a message Monday from
Damascus, via the US, saying that Syria would try to reign in
Hizb'Allah, but that it does not have complete control over it and the
responsibility for the violence in the north ultimately rests on
Israel's shoulders. Arens described Syria's response as lukewarm at
best. "To our dismay," he said, "our message was not taken to heart".
He said Syria was using Hizb'Allah to grind Israel down and to bring
her to her knees at the bargaining table. On Sunday, Syria insisted it
could not make peace with Israel without the return of the entire
Golan Heights. (ZINC, HA'ARETZ, AP)
Tzemach News Service
Week Ending: 3 July 1999 / 19 Tammuz 5759
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (7/3/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 09:02:29 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Former IDF chief says unrealistic for Israel to hope to keep Golan
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: IsraelWire
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- Maj-Gen Uri Saguy, a former commander of IDF
Intelligence, has
stated it was "unrealistic" for Israel to believe is may reach a peace
accord with Syria without forfeiting the Golan Heights. The former
commander's statements were part of an interview with British
journalist Patrick Seale in the London based Al Hayat. Saguy did
stress the importance however of Israel maintaining its early warning
abilities on Mount Hermon, explaining the country never wants a repeat
of the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. He did add however that in years
to come, following a comprehensive peace with Syria, the early warning
stations may not be necessary.
Ultra-Orthodox throw tear gas, garbage at secular drivers
Weekend News Today
By Andra Brack
Source: TampaBay Online
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators threw
garbage and tear gas at secular Jews driving through their
neighborhood Saturday during the Jewish Sabbath, police said. A
24-year-old man was arrested when the demonstrators tried to stop cars
from driving through an intersection, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby
said. There were no injuries or damage. The major thoroughfare,
straddled on both sides by an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, has become
a symbol of the struggle between religious and secular Israelis over
the nature of the Jewish state and the role of religion in it. The
ultra-Orthodox say driving through their neighborhood during the
Sabbath, which lasts from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, is a
provocation. Jewish law forbids work, including driving, during the
Sabbath. Frequent clashes between secular and religious activists led
to a 1997 compromise under which the street is closed during prayer
hours - for an hour Friday night, a few hours Saturday morning and an
hour before the Sabbath ends Saturday night. Saturday's incident
occurred between the two prayer times Saturday, when the street was
open to traffic. Demonstrators first threw bags of garbage, then
attacked a car with tear gas and blocked traffic with their bodies
until police cleared them away, Ben-Ruby said. Also Saturday,
ultra-Orthodox activists in the nearby town of Beit Shemesh tried to
prevent secular drivers from crossing a bridge near their
neighborhood, Israel's army radio said.
Russian reinforcements stopped by NATO
Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Reuters
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- Russian troop reinforcements were prevented by NATO
and the United States from flying into Kosovo on Saturday while the
alliance sought more time to agree their role in peacekeeping in the
Serb province. In Pristina, a spokesman for the KFOR peacekeeping
force said British soldiers acting in self defence shot dead two
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members during rowdy patriotic
celebrations on Saturday. In contrast, peacekeepers handed back
without incident five Yugoslav soldiers detained inside Kosovo,
accepting Belgrade's explanation that they had crossed the border by
accident. Elsewhere in Serbia, unrest simmered among opposition groups
demanding that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic resign after
leading the country to disaster and among angry soldiers still unpaid
for their ordeal under NATO bombardment in Kosovo. U.S. officials said
Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria refused to allow Russian aircraft to
enter their airspace to move more forces into Kosovo, at the request
of NATO and Washington. Moscow was preparing to send its first large
peacekeeping contingent to Kosovo within the next few days. At present
only a few hundred Russian troops are in the Serb province, guarding
and upgrading the airport in the provincial capital Pristina. U.S.
officials said they wanted a clear understanding with the Russians
about their role in the peacekeeping force. White House spokesman P.J.
Crowley said in Belgium that discussion with the Russians would
continue next week. ``Meanwhile, its NATO's view that Russian troops
should not deploy until all the arrangements have been completed,'' he
said.
Clinton to meet with Pakistan's Prime Minister
Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: AP
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- President Clinton agreed Saturday to meet here with
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan on Sunday to discuss resolving
the increasingly ``dangerous'' conflict with India over long-disputed
Kashmir, the White House announced. Before agreeing to the meeting,
Clinton conferred by telephone with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee who raised no objections, said a White House official who
asked not to be identified by name. ``All agreed the situation is
dangerous and could escalate if not resolved quickly,'' the White
House press office said in a statement. ``Prime Minister Sharif
requested the meeting given that the situation in Kashmir is
increasingly tense,'' the official said, adding that Clinton has long
been concerned over developments in the border area and has been
conferring with both sides for several weeks. ``We have made our
position on the conflict clear,'' the official said, adding that
Clinton believes that India and Pakistan should quickly return to
direct dialogue. As the two leaders arranged the meeting, Indian
soldiers were reported to be mounting an assault to seize a strategic
Himalayan peak near the Pakistan frontier from Islamic guerrillas. The
hostilities have raised fears of a wider conflict between the two
rivals, which both tested nuclear weapons last year.
Russian warships to take paratroopers to Balkans
Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Itar-Tass
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- Five Russian landing ships will take paratroopers
from the Tula and Pskov airborne divisions to the Balkans, the Defence
Ministry told Itar-Tass on Saturday. Four of the ships have already
left Sevastopol for Tuapse to pick up paratroopers. The fifth landing
ship is standing set and ready for the voyage in Novorossiisk and is
expected to sail off in the beginning of next week, Rear Admiral
Vladimir Vasyukov, who is leading the four ships on their mission,
told Itar-Tass. The ships are expected to deliver the troops and
military hardware to one of the Greek ports -- either Saloniki or
Katerini. The rear admiral said the five ships can deliver up to 1,200
paratroopers and 180 pieces of military hardware in one trip. "We are
happy to fulfill this task because the Russian navy flags will once
again fly in the Mediterranean," he said. The ministry refused to say
when the ships will set off on their trip. However, it is known that
Turkey has allowed the ships to pass through the Bosporus and
Dardanelles on July 10 and 11.
American defense official ordered out of Moscow by Russians
Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: The Washington Times
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- Russia has ordered the expulsion of an American
defense attache from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, declaring him
"persona non grata," according to a military source. The source said
the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the embassy last week
that Lt. Col. Pete Hoffman, the assistant Army attache, must leave by
this week. The Pentagon is puzzled about the abrupt action, one in a
series of signs that U.S.-Russian relations remain sour due to
Moscow's opposition to NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia. The source said
the ouster could be tied to the fact Col. Hoffman was a U.S.
representative at talks in Helsinki over the composition of the Kosovo
peacekeeping force known as Kfor. Or, said another source, the action
could be a tit-for-tat response to the United States expelling a
Russian intelligence officer this spring from his U.N. post. Russia is
unhappy with its limited role in Kosovo. Moscow jumped the gun June 11
by sending 300 soldiers to seize the airport at the provincial capital
of Pristina before NATO forces entered the city.
Incoming EU President Prodi agrees with Schroeder on EU Commission
Weekend News Today
By Kelly Pagatpatan
Source: Reuters
Sat Jul 3,1999 -- Incoming EU Commission President Romano Prodi has
bowed to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's wishes and will not give one
of Germany's two Commission seats to a member of the opposition, the
news magazine Spiegel reported on Saturday. In a meeting with
Schroeder in Bonn on Thursday, Prodi agreed to appoint Guenter
Verheugen, the Social Democrat State Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
and the Greens' Michaele Schreyer, Spiegel said. Schreyer has been
pencilled in for the job of EU Budget Commissioner, while Verheugen
while receive a foreign policy brief, the magazine said. Prodi has
been under pressure to appoint a politically balanced team after
Europe's centre-right parties swept to victory in the June 10-13
European Parliament elections. However, under the terms of a Social
Democrat-Green coalition deal in Germany, the Greens should have one
of Germany's two Commission posts. Prodi would have ``serious
discussions'' with the two candidates before their appointment,
Spiegel said in an advance copy of a report from Monday's edition.
Schroeder rejected the suggestion that an opposition Christian
Democrat be considered for a Commission post. Tagesspiegel reported
Schroeder said that a politically balanced Commission was not his
problem and the Chancellor was able to put pressure on Prodi as he was
one of Prodi's key supporters in securing the Commission presidency.
via: bible_prophecy-news@onelist.com
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - US Magician Makes Sphinx Invisible
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 09:09:24 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Saturday, July 3, 1999: The Culture Channel
US Magician Makes Sphinx Invisible
CAIRO (AFP) -- Egypt's mysterious Sphinx, which has
stood guard by the Pyramids for 4,600 years,
"disappeared" for two minutes on Saturday, thanks to
US illusionist Franz Harary. "I am satisfied with
the result but it is definitely not what I expected,"
Franz Harary told AFP after he and his crew stayed up
all night to shoot the trick at the Giza plateau
south of Cairo.
"We came up against many obstacles but
somehow things lined up into place at the last
minute," he said.
The 36-year-old magician said he could not
give further details because of a contractual
agreement with US television network Fox which will
feature the stunt in a magic show in September.
Harary arrived in Cairo on Wednesday initially
determined to make the Pyramids disappear using
lasers and lights but instead opted for the Sphinx, a
half-man half-lion limestone monument.
Harary built his reputation designing his own
illusions and skyrocketed to fame when he began
taking on rock music superstars such as Michael
Jackson as customers.
http://www.arabia.com/content/culture/7_99/sphinx_3.shtml
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - A world of trinkets and tombs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 09:21:13 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
A world of trinkets and tombs
Copyright 1999 by Christian Science Monitor
June 29, 1999
Zohara Becker has a prayer to offer, and she believes that Baba Sali
will help make sure it gets heard.
On a Friday afternoon here, she takes refuge from the pounding sun in
shade produced by a wall of the shrine where Baba Sali - a rabbi who
died in 1984 - is buried.
Here she asks for Baba Sali's assistance in gaining God's favor. Today
is the birthday of Mrs. Becker's husband - a good time for
supplication, she says, because it is on that day that one's fortune
comes before God.
Were this a different kind of anniversary - the date of Baba Sali's
death - she would have to share the space with tens of thousands of
worshippers who come for several days of music, dancing, feasting, and
candle-burning.
Becker says Baba Sali's tomb - whose soaring gates and whitewashed
dome spring up from the flat desert horizon - is a place closer to
God.
``The point of coming to a tomb is to ask the tsadik,'' she says,
using a word that roughly translates as righteous one, ``to intervene
for you in front of God.... If Baba Sali intervenes with God on your
behalf, it helps.''
Becker, an immigrant from France, places a lot of faith in such
visits. A few years ago, she went to the Galilee region of Israel to
visit the grave of Yonatan Ben Uziel, a Bible translator who is
reputed to have been a skillful matchmaker. Like other single women,
she prayed for help in finding a mate. A few months later, she was
married.
Popular phenomenon in Israel
Seeking the assistance of tsadiks, the protection of amulets, and the
blessings of living holy men believed to possess extraordinary
spiritual powers has become an increasingly popular phenomenon in
modern Israel. But many critics argue that such trends stray far from
the precepts of mainstream Judaism, which has long emphasized direct
prayer to God without intermediaries, the avoidance of any
personification of the divine, and the rejection of any moves to
beatify people or objects in a way that could be construed as
sainthood or idolatry.
The ``new'' ways of worship have their roots in Kabala, the sphere of
Jewish mysticism that began to crystallize in the 12th and 13th
centuries in the city of Safed, in what is today northern Israel. As
in the United States - and most conspicuously in Hollywood, where
Kabala study recently began to attract a New Age following among stars
like Madonna and Roseanne - Israel has seen a revival of interest in
the body of work that offers to unlock some of the secrets of the
universe.
A host of other social and historic factors, including the
rediscovered proximity to holy places once distant and off limits to
most Jews, has also contributed to this flourishing culture of tombs
and trinkets.
To opponents, these trends are a misguided abandonment of the more
scholarly, rational study of Judaism. Such dismissiveness even comes
from leading figures within the very group that has most sought to
benefit from and encourage this trend: Shas, Israel's fastest-growing
political party and social movement.
Shas is an acronym for Sephardi Torah Guardians, billing itself as the
representative of religious Jews who originated in Spain and, later,
the Islamic Middle East, before Israel's establishment in 1948. But
since Shas's entry into politics 15 years ago, its purview has
stretched to secular Sephardic voters, crossing the ethnic divide,
gaining favor among Orthodox Ashkenazi (European) Jews, and even
winning support from Israeli Arabs. While every other political party
either lost seats in the May 17 election or just managed to maintain
its size, Shas grew by 70 percent, moving from 10 to 17 seats.
Shas says the secret to its success has been restoring pride to the
mistreated masses and providing a vast network of social services with
low- or no-cost religious education as a path to redemption. But Shas
has also relied on the resurgence of popular mysticism, resorting to
some very unorthodox campaign methods.
Campaigning with amulets
Just days before national elections in 1996, Shas distributed
thousands of amulets - religious good-luck charms - in the form of
mystic prayer keepsakes personally written by Kabalist Rabbi Yitzhak
Kadourie. The nonagenarian Mr. Kadourie is the spiritual mentor of
Shas - sort of their living patron saint. Followers say he is the only
Kabalist in this generation with the power to write amulets that
include the secret names of angels and arcane abbreviations that can
protect a house from evil.
But these particular amulets were given out to recipients with the
instruction that Kadourie wanted people to vote for Shas - and for
Likud candidate Benjamin Netanyahu. In an election upset in which Mr.
Netanyahu won by only 0.5 percent of the vote, the amulets provoked
outrage among secular Israeli politicians. Last fall, a judge ruled
that the distribution of such items at election time constituted
gift-giving and was thus illegal.
This time around, Shas's campaign distributed and screened two
videotapes at rallies in the weeks before the May 17 election. The
tapes, say some analysts and Shas activists, contributed to the
party's electoral triumph. One was of a recent exorcism by a Kabalist
rabbi with close ties to Aryeh Deri, who resigned recently as leader
of Shas, after he was convicted on charges of fraud and bribe-taking
during his tenure as a government minister.
The rabbi, David Batzri, has declined all requests for interviews. But
his son, a young rabbi who has permission to speak on his father's
behalf, was willing to explain their philosophy in a meeting at their
new four-story yeshiva in Jerusalem.
``We didn't prevent anyone from taping [the exorcism] because we knew
that seeing it could make all the world believe in life after death,''
says Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri. The need for exorcisms is rare, he says,
and as such, it was the first time his father ever performed one.
``My father didn't want this tape to focus on politics or Deri, but to
prove the existence of the afterlife,'' says Mr. Batzri. ``We don't
get involved in politics, but it's true that Shas is a spiritual
movement. And if someone sees this tape, he may become a more
spiritual person and, naturally, vote Shas. Many people who saw this
tape said they [decided] to vote Shas.''
Despite that, he says, he and his father don't support the use of
amulets or candidate endorsements before elections. Although his
father studied with the premier Kabalist himself - Rabbi Kadourie -
Batzri says they shun any direct involvement in politics.
Cautious about Kabala connection
But Shas, some of its senior officials say, can thrive quite well
without the controversial boost from the world of Kabala. Rabbi Shlomo
Benizri, a deputy minister in Netanyahu's government who assumed many
leadership duties while Mr. Deri was on trial, rejects the new
emphasis on mysticism. He argues that Israelis are starved for
spiritual nourishment and are finding it in Shas. But, he adds, some
members of his party are too quick to feed voters the wrong thing.
``Kabala is important, but it isn't the main thing. I don't like the
amulets. If we can bring people to us in another way, I prefer it. We
do fear that that this will bring people away from Judaism,'' Mr.
Benizri says in an interview in his Jerusalem office. The walls here
are noticeably devoid of the mystic adornments and pictures of rabbis
that are so prevalent in the homes and businesses of Shas supporters.
``There is only one way to bring people to Judaism, and that is
through the Torah, not magic. There are many charlatans who exploit
people, and we give legitimacy to this when we deliver amulets to
people,'' Benizri says.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Having disabled babies will be 'sin' says scientist
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 21:14:27 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/
news/pages/Sunday-Times/stinwenws02034.html?999
July 4 1999
BRITAIN
Having disabled babies will be 'sin', says scientist
by Lois Rogers
Medical Correspondent
THE scientist who created Britain's first test-tube baby has said it
will soon be a "sin" for parents to give birth to disabled children.
Bob Edwards, the world-renowned embryologist who worked with the late
Patrick Steptoe to produce Louise Brown by in-vitro fertilisation in
1978, said the increasing availability of pre-natal screening for
genetic disease gave parents a moral responsibility not to give birth
to disabled children.
Edwards, speaking at an international fertility conference, said that
he welcomed the dawn of an age in which every child would be wanted
and genetically acceptable.
"Soon it will be a sin of parents to have a child that carries the
heavy burden of genetic disease. We are entering a world where we have
to consider the quality of our children."
He believes people should not recoil from the inevitability of
fertility treatment and screening becoming a tool of social
engineering. He said treatment would be sought not just by the
infertile but by couples who wished to have children free of genetic
illness. New diagnostic techniques already enable the screening of
embryos before they are put into their host mother.
The process is used on all embryos in some American clinics to screen
out specific genetic defects. As more genes are identified, it will be
possible to perform more sophisticated tests on embryos.
Edwards was speaking at the annual meeting of the European Society of
Human Reproduction and Embryology in France, as doctors in Britain
finalise proposals for the first comprehensive national screening
programme for Down's syndrome in all unborn babies. Their report is to
be presented to ministers in the next few weeks and it is expected the
programme will begin next year.
Campaigners for families of handicapped children and some doctors
believe Edwards's comments reflect the views of most British doctors,
and that women will be increasingly pressed into agreeing to the
termination of affected pregnancies.
One obstetrician, who declined to be identified, said: "There is a
fear that we are moving towards eugenics. It is extremely common for
women to be offered terminations for abnormality, but counselling
about it is pretty hit and miss."
More than three-quarters of pregnant women are already offered
screening and given the choice to abort a baby carrying Down's
syndrome or spina bifida. Some hospitals even offer to abort foetuses
with defects that can be corrected, such as cleft palate.
The NHS is also considering a national screening programme for cystic
fibrosis, with pregnant women offered a mouthwash for genetic
diagnosis of cells from the inside of the cheek to find whether they
are carriers of the CF gene. Other conditions such as fragile X
syndrome, which causes mental retardation in one in 4,000 boys, could
also be screened for.
While few non-clinicians doubt the value of offering couples
information about the possibility of catastrophic handicap in their
unborn child, many people fear that information and counselling about
the interpretation of the screening tests and the effects of the
diseases are very limited.
"We get several calls a day from distraught pregnant women," said
Carol Boys, director of the Down's Syndrome Association. "Although we
fully support people whether they want to terminate a pregnancy or
not, there is an impression that doctors are very negative about these
sorts of conditions."
Anya Souza, 37, an artist who was born with Down's syndrome, tours the
country educating people about the disabilities involved.
She enjoys an independent life in a London flat she shares with her
boyfriend. "I don't think my life is worth any less than the lives of
other people," she said. "I think getting rid of a baby because it has
Down's is wrong. It's something you just don't do to children."
via: isml@onelist.com
========
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Subject: [BPR] - Chicago Shooter Kills Again
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 1999 23:31:02 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Chicago Shooter Kills Again
.c The Associated Press
By SUSAN LUKE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - A gunman who targeted minorities in a
deadly shooting spree in the Chicago area struck again Sunday, killing
a Korean man outside a church, police said.
The shooter, linked to a white supremacist group, had also allegedly
fired at Asians and blacks in two Illinois cities on Saturday.
``This man is on a spree,'' Chicago Police Cmdr. William Hayes said.
``He's shooting people all over.''
Police were searching for the owner of the light blue Ford Taurus seen
in each of the shootings - Benjamin Daniel Smith, 21.
The car sped away from the Korean United Methodist Church on
Sunday morning after its driver fired four shots into a crowd of
worshippers, police said. A 26-year-old Indiana University student
was killed.
Bloomington Police Chief Jim Kennedy said Smith is member of the
World Church of the Creator, an organization that distributed anti-
minority and anti-Semitic literature in Bloomington last year, when
Smith was a student at Indiana University.
The church, based in East Peoria, Ill., is led by the Rev. Matt Hale.
Hale told CNN that Smith, was a member of the church from June 1998
until May.
``He was a thoughtful, dedicated person who believed essentially in
our creed, our religion,'' Hale said. ``I never had any information or
inkling he would do anything illegal or violent.''
Authorities in Indiana and Chicago said Smith matched the
descriptions of the gunman sought in connection with several attacks
in Illinois on Friday night and Saturday.
Hayes said Smith is believed to be about 6 feet tall, 135 pounds with a
tattoo on his chest that reads ``Sabbath Breaker.'' His Taurus, which
has a blown-out passenger-side window, has Indiana plates and is
registered in Bloomington.
On Friday, a gunman wounded six Orthodox Jews leaving synagogue
on the Jewish Sabbath in Chicago. The same shooter is believed to
have killed Ricky Byrdsong, the black former basketball coach at
Northwestern University, as he walked with his children in nearby
Skokie, Ill., and fired at an Asian-American couple in the nearby
suburb of Northbrook.
Then on Saturday, police said, the same blue Taurus was seen at
shootings in Springfield and Champaign-Urbana. In the first attack,
the gunman fired on two black men, but no one was hit, Hayes said.
In Champaign-Urbana, six men of Asian descent were standing on a
corner near the University of Illinois, when three or four shots were
fired, Hayes said. One man was hit in the leg but not seriously hurt.
In Sunday's attack, Won-Joon Yoon was hit twice in the back and
killed.
Hayes said .380-caliber shell casings - the same kind found in some of
the Chicago shootings - were also found at the scene of the Indiana
church shooting.
One of the men wounded in Friday night's shootings, who asked that
his name not be used for fear of retribution, said he looked into the
gunman's eyes.
``I got the sense he was enjoying himself,'' the man told the Chicago
Sun-Times from his hospital bed. ``He had this predator look to him.''
Police said the shooter still had done nothing to indicate his motive,
and authorities stayed away from labeling the attacks hate crimes.
Religious and community leaders who gathered Sunday at a
synagogue in Chicago's Rogers Park area were less reticent.
``It may not fit the technical definition of a hate crime but it is apparent
that he was targeting people who are clearly identifiable as being a
minority,'' Rabbi Baruch Epstein said.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - July 5, 1999 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 08:33:53 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
8:00 PM Eastern
CNN - CNN & TIME - Sergei Khrushchev, son of
former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, becomes a U.S.
citizen.(CC)
DISC - MOUNT RUSHMORE - The son of a Danish immigrant
sculpts a granite cliff.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - HITLER AND THE OCCULT - Ancient prophecy and
occult ritual fascinate Nazi Germany.(CC)(TVPG)
9:00
PBS - PEOPLE'S CENTURY - "Fast Forward" - Technology;
global capitalism.(CC)(TVPG)
DISC - SECRETS OF THE GREAT WALL - The Chinese landmark
remains shrouded in mystery.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - ARMS IN ACTION - "Slings and Spears" - Earliest
weapons; experts reconstruct an ancient
slingshot.(CC)(TVG)
10:00
PBS - DIVIDED HIGHWAYS: THE INTERSTATES AND THE TRANSFORMATION
OF AMERICAN LIFE - National roads shape aspects of daily
living.(CC)(TVG)(Ends 11:30pm)
DISC - MACHINES THAT WON THE WAR - Machines dominate
the battlefields of World War II.(CC)(TVG)
HIST - MAIL DELIVERY: ERASING THE MILES - Service evolves to
today's e-mail.(CC)(TVG)
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Sydney Plans World's Biggest Fireworks Display
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 08:57:14 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Monday, July 5, 1999: The Living Channel
Sydney Plans World's Biggest
Fireworks Display
SYDNEY (AFP) -- Sydney will host the world's biggest
fireworks spectacular with a multi-million dollar
party to usher in the new millennium on December 31,
its organizers said Sunday.
A worldwide audience of three billion in overseas
timezones hours behind Australia was expected to
watch the display broadcast around the globe by two
major international television networks.
Two million people were also predicted to crowd
vantage points around Sydney Harbor for two shows
costing a total of five million dollars (3.3 million
US).
A family display at 9.00 pm (1000 GMT) will be
followed by a bigger one at midnight.
For the second show, rockets will be fired over a
area 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) wide.
The display will be twice the size of last New Year's
spectacular -- which was the largest ever then -- and
will include what organizers claim will be the
world's biggest firework, the "sparkler".
Thousands of people have already booked dinner for up
to 1,500 dollars (1,000 US) a head at restaurants
with harbor views. Hotel rooms around the bay are
virtually sold out at sky-high prices.
Charter boats going to several times the usual rate
sold out months ago. Harbor authorities are bracing
themselves for the biggest fleet of charter boats
ever seen in Australia.
Creative director Ignatius Jones said organizers had
been meeting weekly since January and practicing for
three years never-seen-before "surprises" to ensure
the party was one "no one will forget".
The size of Sydney Harbor enabled the displays to use
bigger fireworks than other cities, such as London,
New York and Paris, he said.
"We are also the only major First World city that
celebrates New Year's Eve in the peak of summer, so
we can do things most people around the world cannot.
The celebrations will feature 20 three-storey marine
lantern barges moving around the harbor in a
kilometer-long formation from 8.30 pm and culminating
in a "truly epic pyrotechnic display" at midnight.
http://www.arabia.com/content/living/7_99/world5.shtml
========
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Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (7/6/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 09:09:32 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
*** Yeltsin prepared to leave
MOSCOW (AP) - President Boris Yeltsin says he is ready to step down
when his term expires next year and turn over power "with an easy
mind," according to an interview to be published Tuesday. Speaking to
the daily newspaper Izvestia, Yeltsin played down concerns that he
would ban the Communist Party and said a new regime should come to
power after "an honest and open election struggle." The interview,
carried by Russian news agencies, marks the third anniversary of
Yeltsin's re-election to a second term. The term expires next summer,
and he is constitutionally barred from running again, though some have
speculated that he may try to hold onto power. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560190510-81c ***
Also: Syrian president visiting Russia, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560187368-b0e
*** UN OK's population growth proposals
UNITED NATIONS - Five years after world governments agreed to a
program to curb population growth, the U.N. General Assembly has
approved proposals providing for greater access to abortions and sex
education. The Vatican and a few other conservative countries objected
to the proposals adopted Friday. Women's groups, however, praised the
agreement. The Cairo conference adopted an ambitious 20-year program
to slow the growth of the world's population - which is slated to
reach 6 billion this year - and held as a main premise that population
and development are linked, and that educated women with access to
reproductive health care have fewer children. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560161222-3b2
*** Russia-Belarus merger may be near
MOSCOW (AP) - Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin said Monday the final
draft of an agreement to merge Russia and Belarus will be ready within
a month, a news report said. The agreement is now undergoing several
changes so it doesn't "just have a declarative character," Stepashin
said after a meeting with President Boris Yeltsin, the Interfax news
agency reported. If Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko approves
the draft agreement, "we'll quietly carry our work further. We'll see
where it takes us," Stepashin said. The authoritarian Lukashenko, a
nostalgist for the Soviet Union, has long pushed for uniting his
nation of 10 million people with Russia. He and Yeltsin have signed a
union deal that brings their countries closer together. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560185812-1cf
*** Iran museum houses Hitler paintings
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A Tehran museum holds two
watercolor paintings by Adolf Hitler, given decades ago by the Fuhrer
himself to the Iranian ambassador to Germany, the museum's curator
said Monday. Mohammad Reza Javaheri said the paintings show scenes of
the Austrian capital of Vienna, where the 18-year-old Hitler applied
to study art, but was rejected. The paintings are owned by the
government foundation Bonyad Mostazafan, which runs the museum. The
paintings, both watercolors on paper, measure 23 inches by nearly 20
inches and show two mansion-like monuments of Vienna, sources said.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560188475-770
*** Russian satellite may have crashed
MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian military satellite disappeared from radar
screens soon after liftoff Monday and may have crashed in Siberia, a
news report said. A Proton booster rocket blasted off from the
Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakstan carrying a Raduga-1 satellite Monday
evening. The launch went according to plan, but 10 minutes after the
satellite was placed in its preliminary orbit, it stopped responding
to signals. Interfax later cited an unnamed Defense Ministry official
as saying the satellite probably fell in the Altai region of Siberia,
1,750 miles east of Moscow. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560190421-99b
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (7/6/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 12:41:04 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
NEW GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL TONIGHT
Ehud Barak will be sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Israel
tonight (some of his predecessors served more than once), and the 17
other ministers of his new government will be sworn in immediately
afterwards. New Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg was elected to the post
by an overwhelming majority at the beginning of today's Knesset
session. Burg, who sat out the last Knesset while serving as Chairman
of the Jewish Agency, became the coalition's candidate for the
position yesterday when the Labor party selected him over Barak's
choice, MK Shalom Simchon. Burg opened his speech this afternoon with
a prayer - "Here I stand, lacking in deeds..." [from the High Holiday
liturgy] - and closed with a prayer - "Guard my tongue from speaking
evil" [from the daily Amidah prayer." In between, he thanked and
quoted his father, Yosef Burg - Deputy Speaker of the First Knesset
and long-time head of the National Religious Party - and his political
mentor, Shimon Peres.
The new government is expected to garner at least 75 votes in the
Knesset. Acting Likud chairman Ariel Sharon, head of the opposition,
will speak after Ehud Barak, and is expected to harshly criticize the
new government's policy guidelines on issues such as negotiations with
the Palestinians and Syrians. The new ministers are scheduled to
visit the President's House for the traditional photograph after the
Knesset session.
Binyamin Netanyahu resigned from the Knesset this afternoon, after 11
years in the Knesset, making way for Dr. Yuval Shteinitz - #20 on the
Likud Knesset list - to become the 19th Likud MK. The Likud will
present its first "non-confidence" motion in the new government today,
in protest of Barak's intention to legislate a change in the Basic
Laws that will expand the number of government ministers from 18 to
24. Likud spokesmen complain that the expanded cabinet will involve
an unnecessary waste of public funds. Netanyahu will transfer control
of the Prime Minister's office to Ehud Barak tomorrow morning.
BARAK KEEPS TIGHT REIN
Arutz-7 correspondent Yehoshua Mor-Yosef reports that the new Prime
Minister will be a very strong one - "at least on paper." Barak's
authority is prevalent in many clauses of the coalition agreement,
says Mor-Yosef. "For instance, in arguments that may arise between
the National Religious Party and Shas regarding the division of the
Religious Affairs Ministry, or between the NRP and Meretz in the
Education Ministry, Barak will be the final arbiter. Furthermore,
Barak saw how his predecessor Netanyahu suffered from coalition MKs
who proposed private bills that were against government policies. For
this reason, Barak has established an 18-member 'coalition
administration,' comprised of nine One Israel MKs and nine from the
coalition partners, which will decide whether a given bill should be
proposed. Here, too, in case of disagreement, the decision of the
coalition chairman - Ophir Pines, a faithful Barak-underling - will
prevail. Other proposed coalition bills must pass the approval of a
Ministerial Committee on Legislation, headed by another Barak-man."
Mor-Yosef further noted that the new Ministerial Committee on Jewish
Construction in Judea and Samaria also has Barak stamped all over it:
"Its seven members will include Barak himself and another One Israel
minister, and its decisions must be unanimous. If there is a
disagreement among the members, the fine print says that Barak will
decide. Barak will also have the right to 'legally bring about the
cancellation of the previous government's settlement decisions,' as
well as to decide whether the sessions will be secret."
Political commentators are unsure whether the new government will last
its full term, given the rivalries among the personalities and parties
therein.
"Barak's government may be compared to a ship loaded with many
barrels of
cargo," concluded Mor-Yosef. "While it's docked in the port, it looks
very impressive bulging over with merchandise. But once it starts
towards sea and the turbulent currents, the barrels start pushing
against each other, and the slightest knock can send one of them
reeling and the whole thinly-connected network falling into the
ocean."
BARAK TO U.S.
Ehud Barak spoke yesterday by phone with U.S. President Bill Clinton,
and the two agreed to meet next week in Washington to discuss the
renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians. Barak will apparently
try to persuade Clinton to agree to a delayed implementation of
certain sections of the Wye agreement until the final-status talks.
The Palestinians are opposed to such a postponement, but Barak
reportedly believes that he can soften their position.
The new government's guidelines dictate that Israel will insist on
Palestinian compliance in agreements that the Palestinian Authority
has signed with Israel. The guidelines state that no new settlements
will be established in Judea and Samaria, nor will any existing ones
be harmed, until the end of the permanent status talks. In addition,
the guidelines state that Yesha communities will be entitled to the
same benefits as those settlements within "Green Line" Israel, except
for matters relating to their unique security needs.
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, July 6, 1999 / Tammuz 22, 5759
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Ancient Christian Symbol Rediscovered on Mount Zion
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 12:46:38 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Ancient Christian Symbol Rediscovered On Mount
Zion
AURORA, Colo. (EP) -- A Messianic Seal from the Christian
church in ancient Jerusalem has been rediscovered after
2,000 years. This ancient symbol was found on Mount Zion. It
is believed to have been created and used by the Jewish
believers who called themselves Nazarenes in the first
Messianic Church.
Three companies -- Olim Creative Products of Tiberias, News
About Israel (NAI) of Jerusalem, and Christian Floral
Delivery of Colorado -- jointly announced the discovery of
this ancient symbol, which has been copyrighted by NAI. It
consists of three separate but integrated symbols: a menorah
at the top, a star of David in the middle, and a fish at the
bottom. In each of the renditions of the three-part symbol
the star is created by interlacing the stand of the menorah
with the tail of the fish.
The Messianic Seal was found etched or inscribed on eight
ancient artifacts. The artifacts were presented to Ludwig
Schneider, editor in chief of NAI's magazine Israel Today,
in 1990. They came from Tech Otecus, an elderly monk who
lived as a hermit in the Old City of Jerusalem. Otecus said
that in the 1960's he had personally excavated about 40
artifacts bearing the Messianic Seal from an ancient grotto
located in the immediate vicinity of the Upper Room on Mount
Zion.
What was once the main entrance to the grotto is now covered
with a jail-like heavy wire mesh enclosure. Its door,
leading down into the ancient baptismal place, is tightly
secured with a heavy chain and lock. According to Schneider,
the last remaining entry to the grotto was sealed shortly
after he excitedly told the priests at the local monastery
about the discovery of the Messianic Seal.
Schneider photographed eight artifacts which were given to
him by Otecus, and showed the pictures to the curator of the
Israel Museum. "When he had carefully studied my pictures,"
Schneider recalled, "the curator immediately promised me
that these artifacts and their unique symbol were an
important find. He told me that the museum already had seen
other artifacts bearing the same three-part symbol from some
other sources he did not specify."
According to Bob Fischer, president of Olim Creative
Products and co-author with local historian and artist
Reuven Schmalz of their book, The Messianic Seal of the
Jerusalem Church, the ancient three-part symbol has, since
135 AD, been suppressed by various Israeli groups or
agencies, such as the Israel Museum and Orthodox rabbis in
the Old City of Jerusalem, while simultaneously being buried
for these nearly two millennia by the church.
According to Fischer, at least two of the eight artifacts
were obviously ceremonial pieces which may well have been
used by James the Just, the brother of Jesus, who is said to
be the first pastor of the church, or perhaps even by one or
more of the Twelve Apostles.
One of the eight artifacts is a brick-sized block of
well-worn local marble. This piece bears an etched version
of the Messianic Seal with a Taw (the last letter in the
ancient Hebrew alphabet that looks exactly like a sign of
the cross) in the eye of the fish symbol, as well as the
ancient Aramaic lettering proclaiming the use of this
artifact as a stand to hold a vial of anointing oil. The
ancient Aramaic is transliterated as, "La Shemen Ruehon"
(For the Oil of the Spirit). Another of the eight artifacts
is a small, almost intact, vial which could well have sat on
top of the marble stand.
Commenting on what he characterized as the "monumental
importance" of this archaeological discovery, Fischer said,
"Beyond the historical background of the Nazarenes, the
first Jewish believers who founded the Jerusalem Church, the
Messianic Seal itself proclaims to the world the pervasive
Jewishness of Jesus Christ and the decidedly Jewish
foundation and roots of the church founded in His name."
"The Messianic Seal of the Jerusalem Church," Fischer
continued, "strikes at the very roots of anti-Semitism while
proclaiming a compelling message that restores unity: Jew
with Jew, and Jew with Gentile. The importance of this
discovery cannot be minimized. The Messianic Seal is not
only just the key to understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls, it
can and should shake the foundations of the church and
orthodox Judaism with its incredible message of unity and
love. It breaks down barriers that have existed for
millennia and points the way toward restoration."
(EP - Evangelical Press News Service)
(Post date: July 6, 1999)
http://www.mcjonline.com/news/news3214.htm
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - National Guard's Y2K Raid Team
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 07:50:35 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
The National Guard's new Y2K RAID team Plan for domestic
terror units in all 50 states by January 1
By David M. Bresnahan
(c) 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
A new National Guard RAID unit is being organized and trained
to respond to domestic terrorist threats, with a team in every
state and territory in time for Y2K.
Each team is made up of 22 full-time National Guard members and
is prepared to deal with domestic threats from terrorist groups
using weapons of mass destruction.
As the new year approaches, the National Guard in most states
has progressed from weekly to twice-weekly meetings to prepare
plans for Y2K contingencies, according to a guard officer who
attends the meetings. Each meeting takes place in secure areas,
such as the Plans Operations and Training section of Guard
facilities. The RAID teams meet and train on a daily basis.
Details of the National Guard RAID teams were found in a recent
report issued by Mark E. Gebicke, director of National Security
and International Affairs.
Articles in WorldNetDaily exposing secret National Guard Y2K
plans forced many guard units, and the National Guard Bureau,
to hold more secret meetings to decide how to handle the
disclosure. In January, WorldNetDaily broke the story that the
National Guard Bureau had secret plans to test a method for
national mobilization without the use of telephones in the event
of Y2K disaster. Another article detailed many of the concerns of
guard officers and Y2K planners regarding expected Y2K
contingencies and civil disturbances.
One National Guard officer, who participates in the twice-weekly
secret meetings, recently contacted WorldNetDaily to express his
concerns over the seriousness of expected Y2K consequences.
"There is no valid, logical reason to keep this information from
the public, other than political. The current administration seems
to believe the American people are not capable of dealing with
the truth," explained the officer in a phone interview over the
weekend.
"We are talking about far more than just possible loss of power
and phone service. We are planning for civil unrest, as well as
attacks from foreign and domestic enemies," he described.
The consequences of Y2K will present an ideal opportunity for
enemies of the United States to take advantage and attack. There
are so many different threats that the source said it is highly
likely that at least one or more will actually carry out multiple
attacks using Y2K as the ideal opportunity to strike.
He was concerned that militia groups in all parts of the country
are considered a threat. WorldNetDaily earlier this year exposed
plans by the FBI to infiltrate militia groups and prepare to one
day round up members.
"Most of these people are good quality Americans who are
genuinely concerned about our nation, but they are all being
categorized (as a threat) because there are a small number among
them who are the real problem. The really far-off extremists," he
explained. "There's no reason to go after everyone just because
of a few nuts."
A National Guard Bureau contact who previously spoke with
WorldNetDaily was reluctant to provide new information in a
recent phone conversation. He did confirm the existence of the
RAID teams and admitted that his Y2K committee now meets
almost daily just outside Washington, D.C.
In January he told WorldNetDaily that the guard was preparing
for Y2K disruptions that were expected to last about two or three
weeks. Now he admits that plans are being made for
"consequences for a very extensive period." Just what those
consequences will be he would not say. "Scary, very scary," was
his only comment.
Another National Guard source, a full-time civilian computer
information systems employee, reported that the Guard is
continuing to purchase and install large generators in preparation
for Y2K at all armories across the nation. At the local armory
level, he says, "an attitude of complacency has set in." Lower
level guard members are not being told the full extent of the
expected Y2K problems, and plans are still being handled on a
"need-to-know basis."
He said lower level guard members know only what the general
public knows.
"They are being allowed to believe that Y2K consequences will
not amount to more than a few minor inconveniences. That's not
what we are planning for. We're planning for major, simultaneous
disasters in all states and territories," he said.
Only the upper level of the National Guard command structure is
aware that the National Guard's own computers are not
functioning properly, and there is great concern that they will fail
in the new year -- perhaps before.
There was no response from National Guard public affairs.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_bresnahan/19990706_xex
_the_national.shtml
Also see:
How RAID teams work Special attention to weapons
of mass destruction --
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_bresnahan/19990706_xex
_how_raid_tea.shtml
--- BPR
BPR Web Site - http://philologos.org/bpr
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Barak Begins March for 'Peace'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 12:58:23 +0000
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Tuesday, July 6, 1999: The News Channel
Barak Begins March for 'Peace'
*Eager for peace and Israel's security
*Egypt voices "guarded optimism"
*Palestinian officials upbeat on new Barak
*Israeli army prepares for fresh West Bank pullbacks
*Barak's team ready
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Agencies) -- The new Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, presenting his government
to parliament, declared that his top priority was
achieving a "peace of the brave" with all Israel's
Arab neighbors.
Emphasizing on Israel's security, Barak stressed that
"Our top priority of this government will be to
achieve peace and security, while protecting the
national security interests of Israel."
"We will not stop until we have relations of peace
and friendship with all our neighbors," Barak told
the 120-member legislature, or Knesset.
Early Monday Barak told the Labor Party Central
Committee "... nothing has higher priority than this
supreme mission: to strengthen Israel's security by
putting an end to the 100-year-old conflict in the
Middle East,"
Barak presented his government to parliament Tuesday
and then take office at the head of a broad coalition
whose first task will be making peace with the Arabs.
Seven weeks after the Labor Party leader won a
decisive election victory over Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu of the conservative Likud bloc, he
will have no trouble gaining legislative approval for
his cabinet choices and policy guidelines.
His coalition of eight parties controls 75 of the 120
seats in parliament, the Knesset.
Eager for peace and Israel's security
Barak, 57, said "I extend my hand to all parties to
achieve a peace of the brave," he said, emphasizing
the need both to revive negotiations with the
Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon and to strengthen
ties with the two Arab states already at peace with
Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
He also plans to revive negotiations with Syria after
a three-year freeze. Barak has expressed a
willingness to return the Golan Heights, which Israel
seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, if
Damascus offers sufficient security guarantees.
Barak has also pledged to withdraw Israeli troops
within a year from the border zone they occupy in
Lebanon, a Syrian client state.
To ensure he has full control over the difficult
peace negotiations, Barak put together a cabinet in
which key posts are held either by himself or solid
loyalists.
On the day that the bulldozers began clearing the
land for a new Jewish settlement in occupied east
Jerusalem, Barak also pledged to keep the city as
"Israel's eternal capital, united under Israeli
sovereignty".
On the other hand, he said he would halt construction
of new settlements while leaving existing settlements
until "a permanent settlement has been reached on the
final status of these territories".
Most importantly to his Israeli audience, Barak said
one of the central objectives of his government was
security for Israel and Israelis "through an
energetic struggle against terrorism".
Egypt voices "guarded optimism"
Egypt on Tuesday expressed "guarded optimism" about
chances for reviving the peace process under Barak as
he prepared to assume his official duties.
"We are all optimistic, even if it's a guarded
optimism," Foreign Minister Amr Mussa told
journalists after talks in Cairo between Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat.
"This optimism is based on the end of a government of
an extreme-right-wing group or party which was
incapable of understanding the real circumstances
needed to build peace," Mussa said.
Palestinian officials upbeat on new Barak
Palestinian officials were publicly upbeat on Tuesday
about the prospects for peace under Barak, but
pundits and opposition groups were far less
optimistic.
"We have welcomed the new government, particularly
since learning that serious supporters of peace and
normal relations with the Palestinians were named to
the cabinet -- in particular David Levy," said Nabil
Amr, a senior Palestinian official, referring to
Israel's foreign minister.
"On the political position we only have general signs
from the new government and from Barak himself. But,
such as they are, the signs are positive," said Amr,
who is minister for parliamentary relations in Yasser
Arafat's Palestinian Authority.
Israeli army prepares for fresh West Bank pullbacks
The Israeli army has drawn up detailed plans for
further pullbacks from the West Bank in the
expectation that Barak will press ahead with
implementing October's Wye River agreement, public
radio reported Tuesday.
Chief of staff General Shaul Mofaz met with senior
commanders last Thursday to discuss implementing the
US-brokered land-for-security agreement with the
Palestinians and examined various possible pullback
maps, the radio said.
The agreement required Israel to withdraw from a
further 13 percent of the West Bank in three stages
but outgoing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu froze
implementation in December after just one small
pullback.
An army spokesman contacted by AFP declined to
confirm or deny the radio report.
Barak's team ready
Ehud Barak One Israel Prime Minister, Defense, Agriculture.
David Levy One Israel Foreign Affairs
Avraham Shochat One Israel Finance
Shlomo Ben-Ami One Israel Public Security
Natan Sharansky Israel B'Aliya Interior
Yossi Beilin OneIsraelJustice
Shimon Peres One Israel Regional Co-operation
Yossi Sarid Meretz Education
Yitzhak Mordechai Center Transport
Dalia Itzik One Israel Environment
Ran Cohen Meretz Trade and Industry
Shlomo Benizri Shas Health
Yitzhak Cohen Shas Religious affairs
Yitzhak Levy National Religious Party
Construction and housing
Eli Yishai Shas Labor
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer One Israel Communications
Eli Suissa Shas Infrastructure
Haim Ramon One Israel Prime Minister's Office
http://www.arabia.com/content/news/7_99/barak6.shtml
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Getting DIRT on the Bad Guys
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 09:22:36 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Getting DIRT on the Bad Guys
http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,11614,00.html
Here's the ultimate weapon in the war against cyber crime.
by Tom Spring, PC World
June 29, 1999, 12:23 p.m. PT
To former detective Frank Jones, "secure network" is an
oxymoron. The word "delete" isn't in his vocabulary. Password-
protect your computer and you'll make his day.
And if you really get on Jones' bad side, he'll take complete
control of your PC--and your first clue will be when you open
your door and the boys in overcoats start flashing badges at
you.
If you're among the anonymous thousands of cyber bad guys
who inhabit the Internet's underbelly, Jones is your worst
nightmare.
The retired New York City detective works on the law
enforcement sidelines building software tools to help the
government and police crack down on online criminals.
And his latest tool is considered the ultimate weapon.
Digging up DIRT
Jones wrote the widely used, but little-known software program
called DIRT. The program works like a telephone wiretap for
computers, giving its users the ability to monitor and intercept
data from any Windows PC in the world.
DIRT stands for Data Interception by Remote Transmission and
was originally created by Jones as a tool to help snare online
child pornographers. But in the short time it has been available
only to government and law enforcement agencies, DIRT is now
used to battle hacker groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and to
trap terrorists, drug dealers, money launderers, and spies.
"What we do is give law enforcement an additional line of
defense," says Jones, the president of Codex Data Systems.
The DIRTy Details
The client side version of the DIRT program is less than 20KB in
size and is typically installed on a target PC using a Trojan horse
program (a set of instructions hidden inside a legitimate
program). The DIRT program is usually sneaked inside an e-mail
attachment, a macro, or a workable program that a targeted user is
enticed to download.
Once inside a target Windows 95/98/NT computer, it gives law
enforcement complete control of the system without the user's
knowledge.
It starts off by secretly recording every keystroke the user makes.
The next time the user goes online, DIRT transmits the log for
analysis. Jones says government agencies have even managed
to open encrypted files by obtaining password locks.
During a recent program demonstration, Jones easily uploaded
and downloaded files to a DIRT-infected computer connected to
the Net by a dial-up modem. Jones could upload and download
files to the PC without a hint of activity on the other end.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Your Personal Lie Detector
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 09:23:36 -0500
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
For only $139.99 you can have your own personal lie detector
http://www.fivestaradvantage.com/truster/pages/indepth.html
Truster
Your Personal Lie Detector
Truster provides a realtime analysis of vocal segments from
phone or face-to-face conversations right on your computer
screen.
Now you can know what's really going on behind the words:
"The check is in the mail" False Statement
"We loved the script" Inaccuracy
"You need a new muffler" Subject Is Not Sure
"I love you Daddy" Truth
Up until now this type of information was the privilege of law
enforcement agents conducting lie detector tests. The inventors
of Truster technology discovered a new way to calculate emotion
in the human voice and chose to bring it to the masses.
Truster is a handy decision-support tool to have on your side at
home and in the office. Please do not attempt to reach decisions
based solely on the system's results.
What you need to use Truster:
Standard telephone with a receiver base
PC Pentium 100 or faster, with a CD-ROM
Windows 95 / 98 / NT 4.0
16 MB RAM
Windows 95 compatible sound &video cards
Truster comes with a User Guide for easy installation, and a
Telephone-Computer Connector for connecting your phone to
your PC.
Warning
Experts have tested this software and its reliability has been
proven worldwide. However, in certain cases the system may
provide inaccurate results due to unskilled operation, a subject's
personality, or the influence of external events. All results must
be checked in reference to the specific testing situation. Trustech
and / or any of its representatives cannot be held responsible for
any outcomes resulting from the use of the Truster system.
========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - 07/06/99 - TV Listings
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 13:12:47 -0500
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
07/06/1999
8:00/5:00 The End of the World. It's not the first millennium we've
encountered, so why do some take an apocalyptic look at this,
the second in recorded Western history? Take a new look at the
old ideas still hanging around as we approach the year 2000.
What ancient prophecies have come true, if any? Should we
expect a rash of self-proclaimed acts of doom? (cc) [TV G]
[History Channel]
9:00/6:00 Arms in Action. Castles and Sieges. From the Iron Ages
to the Gulf War, sieges played an enormous role in warfare. We'll
visit some of England's castles, including the 4,000-year-old
Maiden Castle, and experiment with tools used to bring down
castle and town walls like the trebuchet, a giant sling over 50 feet
in height. From the Royal Armouries in the Tower of London. [TV
G] [History Channel]
Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.