BPR Mailing List Digest: 08/08/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
August 8, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | August, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - RE: The Solar Threat
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("David")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 10:20:27 +0930

Dear Tim,

After reading the anomaly.html article some months ago at millengroup.com, I
delved into the SOHO backlog and was surprised to find this anomaly to be
present continuously.

I noted that the anomaly is lit from above, not from the solar side, and
suggested to the author by email that it was perhaps more to do with the
equipment used to photograph the sun than an anomaly. I also provided Gary
with various earlier dates that he might like to check through.

The author, Gary Goodwin, emailed me back, agreeing with my thoughts.
Unfortunately I have recently cleared my email lists so I am unable to add
his response to this email nor my original mail to him.

It is the consistent position through the life of Soho of the anomaly that
caused me to doubt it being a genuine artifact, and then the further
realisation that it is lit from above, which is not as you would expect.
Take some time to trace back through the Soho images and you will find it
each and every time.

There appear to be, however, some anomalies around the sun and which have
been reported at:

http://cyberspaceorbit.com

a 'new-age' web-site. You will need to back track through each day's page to
see the many strange oddities found by Soho and further researched by people
who are friends of the web-site manager, Kent Steadman.

As always when reading material on the web, I would warn those who go to
this web-site to just take in the facts "ma'am", not the interpretations.

Yours sincerely
David Elphick

-----Original Message-----
From: bpr-list@philologos.org [mailto:bpr-list@philologos.org]
Sent: Monday, 7 August 2000 10:40 pm
To: bpr-list@philologos.org
Subject: [BPR] - The Solar Threat

In October of 1998, The Millennium Group published an article called
"Unexplained Solar Anomaly"

http://www.millenngroup.com/repository/solar/anomaly.html

Well, almost two years after their article, this anomaly reappeared on
August 5th, 2000 courtesy of the LASCO camera aboard the SOHO
spacecraft.

Visit The Solar Threat for more information!

http://www2.50megs.com/timedwards/solar.htm

Tim Edwards
The Solar Threat

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Israeli Military Demands Its Money Back
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:34:11 -0400

Israeli Military Demands Its Money Back

NewsMax.com
Monday, Aug. 7, 2000

More persuaded than ever that peace with Palestinians is a lost cause,
Israeli defense officials are girding for war – and want their slashed
budget restored.

As a minimum, they are insisting the Finance Ministry pay back the $250
million that was deleted from military funding just last year.

Beginning Monday, the General Staff went into a two-day meeting to
explore the prospects of a confrontation with the Palestinians by the
end of the year and how that would affect the 2001 defense budget.

They had just received disquieting news.

According to the World Tribune:

The Israeli Haaretz daily said on Sunday that the General Staff was
handed assessments warning that, because of manpower and training cuts,
the military faces shortcomings in its ability to respond to war along
the Palestinian and Lebanese front.

They were told by their experts that without additional funds the
military would be forced to dismantle its elite Givati brigade, reduce
training, halt research and development and suspend its reorganization.

http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/8/7/82703

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Moral Police Ban Ties in Resort Island
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:41:41 -0400

Monday August 7 10:28 AM ET
Moral Police Ban Ties in Resort Island

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's morality police has ordered a ban on wearing
ties, a symbol of Western culture, in a main tourist spot, but officials there
vowed to resist the move.

The ban follows growing tension in Kish, a fashionable island in the Gulf,
between hardline institutions and more moderate officials struggling to attract
foreign tourists by easing strict Islamic code of dress and conduct.

The police order outlaws the wearing of ties or bow ties by managers and
their employees in all public places,
including restaurants.

``Ties are a symbol of Western culture and their use is tantamount to
publicizing this culture,'' the directive said,
published in Abrar-e Eqtesadi newspaper.

But a Kish official told Reuters the order had been issued without
coordination with island officials.

``This order is in bad taste. It goes too far,'' he said. ''They are only trying to
assert themselves with no concern
for future of the island.''

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000807/od/ties_dc_1.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Edupage items (8/7/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:53:40 -0400

PRIVACY PLAN LIKELY TO KICK OFF DEBATE
John Podesta, the White House chief of staff, opened a can of
worms when he pledged to rework the nation's privacy laws,
granting e-mail and mobile phone messages the same safeguards
against government monitoring that apply to telephone calls.
Some privacy advocates claim the proposal would actually reduce
the security Internet communications currently enjoy under the
Cable Act of 1984. Although phone taps requested by federal
agencies can be granted under suspicion of probable cause, the
Cable Act can only grant a tap on a cable modem user's e-mail with
a court order based on "clear and convincing evidence" of
criminal activity. Cable Act supporters like Marc Rotenberg,
director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, do not
want the government to make the telephone wiretap law the privacy
baseline, and say the tip-off to surveillance targets is
important as well. Fellow Cable Act supporter Barry Steinhardt,
associate director of the ACLU, agrees that the Cable Act should
be the security baseline. Supporters of the Clinton
administration's plan include Peter P. Swire, the federal chief
privacy officer, who says that the reduction of cable privacy
laws is necessary to prevent Internet networks from becoming
centers of criminal activity. (New York Times Online, 4 Aug 2000)

IBM SUPERCOMPUTER DETAILS OCEAN FOR DOD
The U.S. Department of Defense has procured an IBM supercomputer
to model the behavior of the world's oceans, helping to protect
military and commercial ships from maritime disaster. The IBM
RS/6000 SP will monitor the ocean's behavior, predict weather and
ocean conditions, simulate battle situations, and design new
aircraft and ships. "High performance technology of this
magnitude gives us unparalleled capabilities in the daily ocean
and global scale modeling we perform to support worldwide DOD
operations," said Landry Bernard, technical director of the Naval
Oceanographic Office, where the IBM RS/6000 SP will be installed.
The RS/6000 SP uses 1,336 Power3-II copper microprocessors to
power its 2 trillion calculations per second, which makes it 170
times faster than "Deep Blue," the IBM computer that beat chess
champion Gary Kasparov. IBM beat out five other vendors to win
the contract, which is valued at $12 million.
(Federal Computer Week Online, 4 Aug 2000)

LIBEL FOUND ON INTERNET MESSAGE BOARD POSTINGS
The Bergen County Superior Court of New Jersey has ruled that two
former employees of bio-medical company Biomatrix and another
individual are guilty of posting libelous remarks against the
company at two Web sites, one of which is a Yahoo! message board.
The decision is being heralded as one of the first of its kind in
the United States. Yahoo! helped Biomatrix identify the three
defendants, who claimed in their postings that Biomatrix officers
were Nazi doctors and that one of the company's products was
responsible for the deaths of several people. "Their statements
could potentially have some serious ramifications...and an impact
on shareholders reading them," said Biomatrix attorney Charles L.
Solomont. The judge's ruling will impact similar online libel
cases across the country, Solomont said. (American Lawyer Media Online, 4
Aug 2000)

DIGITAL PUBLISHING: AN OPEN E-BOOK
The portable document format (PDF) and the open e-book (OEB)
format are vying to become the standard in e-publishing. The
stakes are high: the company that wins the e-book standard
mantle would make money on every online book transaction.
Publishers are pushing for a single e-book standard because they
would have to produce only one digital version. Adobe's PDF file
format features embedded digital-rights management, and type
layout and illustration that looks and feels very much like the
original document. Adobe Acrobat Readers have been heavily
downloaded, but the OEB Forum, whose 59 members include IBM,
HarperCollins, and even Adobe, believes that publishers will opt
for the more open OEB. Unlike PDF, OEB's flexible image and text
layout allows formatting to scale with desktop screens and
smartphone displays alike. The OEB-formatted Microsoft Reader
and Gemstar's e-book devices are major OEB contenders, but
Barnesandnoble.com and some other vendors are using both formats
until a single winner emerges. (Industry Standard, 7 Aug 2000)

EDUPAGE@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Israel to build prison in E. J'lem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 08:59:49 -0400

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

Israel to build prison in E. J'lem

By Amira Hass
Ha'aretz Palestinian Affairs Correspondent

The police is planning the construction of a new prison compound in the
Sheikh Jerah neighborhood in East Jerusalem to replace the current holding
cells at the Russian Compound. The new complex will also include a new
headquarters for the Jerusalem District Police, which since independence
have been ensconced in the aging downtown Jerusalem building.

The Jerusalem District Planning Commission announced the decision to
build in the Palestinian neighborhood in the Arab press on August 1. The
announcement called on anyone who felt injured by the decision to present
opposition within two months. However, the Committee had decided on the
location of the construction site as early as July 1999.

The area at stake includes some 29 dunams out of a total of 354 dunams
that the government expropriated in 1968. Some of the land was owned by
1948 refugees from the village of Lifta and other plots belongs to residents of
Jerusalem and Isawiya.

Tova Elinson, the Interior Ministry spokeswoman, said that the location was
chosen because of its proximity to National Police headquarters and the
government ministry compound in Sheikh Jarah.

Palestinians are planning to oppose the construction plan on the grounds
that it is contradictory to the current ongoing negotiations between the
Palestinian Authority and Israel over the future of Jerusalem.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=08/08/00&
id=88366

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Court refuses to halt illegal building on the Mount
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:02:10 -0400

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

Court refuses to halt illegal building on the Mount

By Moshe Reinfeld
Ha'aretz Supreme Court Correspondent

The High Court of Justice yesterday rejected two petitions requesting that
the authorities put a stop to illegal construction by the Muslim Waqf religious
trust on the Temple Mount. The court accepted the state's argument that this
was not the kind of "special case" that called for its intervention based on
earlier rulings.

In one of the petitions, attorney Shmuel Kaspar asked the court - Justices
Shlomo Levin, Dalia Dorner and Eliezer Rivlin - to order the demolition of two
structures erected by the Waqf in the southern area of the Temple Mount
and the removal of four large iron containers, which are standing a few dozen
meters from the place where the Holy of Holies of the temple is thought by
believers to have been located.

According to Kaspar, not only were the structures erected without the
required permits, they are also a visual blot and a serious environmental
hazard.

In response, attorney Uzi Fogelman from the State Attorney's Office said
that police intervention had put a stop to the building of the two structures.
As for the containers, they have been there since 1993 and serve the Waqf
for other purposes.

The second petition, filed by the Temple Mount Faithful group, claimed that
the Waqf was illegally laying paving tiles across a large swath of the
southern section of the Temple Mount and destroying Jewish archaeological
remains in the process.

He also cited reports that the Waqf intends to build another mosque on the
mount.

Fogelman replied that the paving work was proceeding with the knowledge of
the prime minister. At the same time, he said, "the Waqf cannot do whatever
it pleases on the Temple Mount. There are red lines, and those who are
meant to know them, in fact know them."

The petitioners' lawyer, Naftali Werzberger, also stated that a review of the
many petitions submitted to the High Court over the years relating to the
Temple Mount showed that the Waqf was using "salami tactics" with the aim
- unchanged since High Court justices visited the Temple Mount in 1990 - of
obscuring every Jewish vestige at the site and "Islamizing" it.

Justice Dalia Dorner noted that there are "broader considerations of the
government and it is difficult to foist the regular planning and archaeology
laws on them. The court cannot resolve these matters and and it leaves them
to the political authority."

A lawyer for the Jerusalem Municipality, Asa Eliav, confirmed that ongoing
violations of the planning and building laws are occurring on the Temple
Mount but that the municipality cannot enforce the law because it is subject
to the guidelines of the attorney general.

He said that in the municipality's view, despite the sensitivity of the subject,
"more could be done.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=08/08/00&
id=88369

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Rabbis defer Temple Mt. rights issue
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:05:16 -0400

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

Rabbis defer Temple Mt. rights issue

By Nadav Shragai
Ha'aretz Correspondent

The Chief Rabbinate Council decided yesterday to establish a committee
"to examine all the ways to realize our rights and our sovereignty on
the Temple Mount." The discussion that had been scheduled on the
proposal of Chief Rabbi of Haifa She'ar-Yishuv �Hacohen, to build a
synagogue on the Temple Mount, was postponed to a later date, as the
members of the council asked for time to study the voluminous material
that was presented to them on the subject.

The two chief rabbis, Yisrael Meir Lau and Eliahu Bakshi-Doron, denied
reports that a senior minister had called them to ask for a postponement
of the discussion owing to the high sensitivity of the issue.

Rabbi She'ar-Yishuv said that the a synagogue on the Temple Mount would
not constitute a danger to peace but would be a "key to peace" and to an
interreligious dialogue. He said the government had sent the council a
memorandum on the Temple Mount, which would soon come up for discussion.

In a statement, the council declared that "in accordance with previous
decisions of all the Chief Rabbinate Councils in the past, the
prohibition on entering the Temple Mount remains in effect."

The decision on the committee is seen as a victory for Rabbi
She'ar-Yishuv, who is due to resign from the council on the basis of a
rotation agreement with the other chief rabbi of Haifa. He may, however,
be appointed a member of the committee.

In the meantime, Shoharei Hamikdash, an umbrella organization of all the
Jewish groups that are seeking a change of the status quo on the Temple
Mount, yesterday submitted to the Chief Rabbinate Council three
preliminary sketches prepared by the architect Levy Shai for using the
roof of the sealed Golden Gate (the Gate of Mercy) as an open prayer
site for Jews.

The gate lies on the eastern wall of the Temple Mount compound. The
proposals, involving the construction of bridges or a closed structure
on the gate, aim to bypass the halakhic ban on entering the compound
itself.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=08/08/0
0& id=88368

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - The mystery of Rabbi Hirsch's power over Arafat
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:09:46 -0400

Tuesday, August 8, 2000

The mystery of Rabbi Hirsch's power over Arafat

Moshe Hirsch, the self-declared foreign minister of the ultra-Orthodox Neturei
Karta sect, was one of the foreign leaders whose support Yasser Arafat
sought after the Camp David summit

By Danny Rubinstein

During the two weeks since the end of the Camp David Summit, Palestinian
Authority Chair Yasser Arafat spent very little time at home. Arafat first
launched a series of diplomatic meetings in Europe, the Arab world and
South Africa, on Saturday traveled to Turkey, and this week is visiting Libya,
the Persian Gulf and Russia, continuing from there to the Far East.In
between, he spent short periods in Gaza and Ramallah, holding important
meetings of the Palestinian leadership. As a leader known for his centralist
rule, many wish to meet with Arafat personally, and there is no doubt that his
time is very valuable.

Nonetheless, he made time to meet with Rabbi Moshe Hirsch of Jerusalem's
most ultra-Orthodox sect in Mea She'arim, the Neturei Karta.

The Israeli media often refers to Hirsch as "the foreign minister" of the small
anti-Zionist Haredi group, which has long been vehemently anti-Zionist and
provocatively pro-Palestinian. The Palestinians refer to him as the leader of
Neturei Karta, while he likes being known as minister of Jewish Affairs in the
Palestinian Authority, or special advisor to Arafat.

Arafat's meeting with Rabbi Hirsch was prominently reported in the
Palestinian media last week. Al-Ayam reported the news under the following
headline: "Ramallah: The president received Miguel Moratinos and Rabbi
Hirsch." Moratinos is the European Union's special envoy to the Middle East
peace process. The story then went on to report that the meeting focused on
the latest developments in the peace process and the results of the Camp
David Summit.

The official Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadidah carried an identical
story with a picture of Arafat and Hirsch. The newspapers also ran a similar
picture from Arafat's meeting with Moratinos, the European Union envoy.
From the nature of the reports it seemed, that on his return to Palestine
Arafat rushed to report the results of the summit to two figures: Moratinos
and Rabbi Hirsch.

To fully appreciate the significance of Arafat's meeting with Hirsch, it must be
noted that in recent days Arafat has not met - to the best of our knowledge -
with any Israeli statesman.

Assuming that Arafat knows that Rabbi Hirsch has no clout of any kind in
Israel, it is reasonable to question the meaning of the peculiar meeting. What
caused Arafat to make time on his busy schedule to meet with Rabbi Hirsch
of all people?

Born in New York, Hirsch studied at Lakewood Yeshiva in New Jersey, and
moved to Israel 45 years ago. He heads the Torah Ve'Yirah Yeshiva in Me'ah
She'arim. He is known among most Israelis for his vehement attacks on what
he calls "the sinful state established by the Zionists, who confront God and
will bring a catastrophe on the people of Israel."

His ideology is based on the staunchly anti-Zionist halachic path outlined by
the Satmar Rebbe in the early days of Zionism. But Hirsch went one step
further, announcing his desire to live in a Palestinian state and serve Arafat.
For years he has accompanied his ideas with publicity campaigns, bringing
upon him the wrath of most ultra-Orthodox circles in Israel.

Israel's media and political establishment never took Hirsch very seriously.
Many made fun of him, and in recent years have simply ignored him. Arafat
is a different case. When he first arrived in Jericho in 1994, he invited Hirsch
to attend the reception in the city.

Hirsch was thus the first Israeli (or more accurately the first Jew, since the
rabbi refuses to accept or apply for Israeli citizenship) whom Arafat met here.
Arafat embraced Hirsch, was photographed with him, and appointed him
Minister of Jewish Affairs in his cabinet. Since then they meet occasionally.
The only reason Hirsch does not attend the Palestinian cabinet meetings, he
says, is because because they are held on the Sabbath.

But he does take part in all important official functions of the Palestinian
leadership. He attended the signing of the Oslo accords and the Palestinian
National Council gatherings in Gaza. Less than three years ago, in January
1997, when King Hussein went to Gaza, television broadcasts showed Arafat
introducing Rabbi Hirsch to the king. Based on the television pictures, it is
hard to tell if King Hussein was surprised by meeting the Rabbi in ultra-
Orthodox black garb. At any rate, the king did not appear embarrassed. He
smiled and shook hands with Hirsch. Arafat can be seen in the background,
looking on in clear delight.

Since that event, Rabbi Hirsch has hardly appeared in the media.
Occasionally, he can be spotted at Faisal Husseini's offices in East
Jerusalem's Orient House, or at the offices of the English language
Palestinian newspaper The Jerusalem Times.

Hirsch explains that he no longer needs to appear much in the media
because he has succeeded in bringing his positions to public attention. He
says he meets with Arafat regularly, usually in Ramallah and sometimes in
Gaza.

An East Jerusalem taxi takes him there. The Israeli soldiers manning the
roadblocks recognize him and do not cause any trouble. The rabbi refuses to
say what exactly he discussed with Arafat at their meeting last week. "I am
his minister and advisor, and we talked about matters important to the peace
process," he says. They speak in English, and there are usually no other
people present in the room. Arafat usually serves him a glass of juice, a
banana and an apple. "It comes with the mufti's hechsher (certificate of
kashrut)," Hirsch says and laughs out loud.

It is quite obvious that Arafat remembered his advisor Hirsch in recent days
as a result of the sharp disagreement on Jerusalem at the Camp David talks,
which led to their collapse. Arafat embraced Hirsch all these years in an
attempt to prove to the world that he has nothing against Jews. A picture or
report of a meeting with the rabbi is, in Arafat's view, proof that the Jewish
religion is not all of one mind, and that even in Jerusalem there are devoutly
religious Jews willing to accept his rule.

Hirsch published an article on this topic last week in The Jerusalem Times,
titled "Theocratic hypocrisy." The hypocrites are of course the Israeli leaders,
who do not pray, do not keep the Sabbath and do not keep kosher - but
suddenly decided that they will be the protectors of Jerusalem.

Hirsch described this as idolatry, asking: "Who appointed you guardians of
God's property?" In the past, Rabbi Hirsch was often asked if he does not
feel that Arafat is using him for his own political needs. Asked the same
question now, he replies: "Arafat uses me and I use him.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=5&datee=08/08/00&i
d=88314

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Election Upsets Spell a Comeback for Evolution in Kansas
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:23:16 -0400

August 8, 2000 -- 9:20 am

Election Upsets Spell a Comeback for Evolution in Kansas

WICHITA, KS (MCNS) -- For students in Kansas, it will most likely be
back to the books to study evolution as a fundamental foundation of
science. On Tuesday, three of four candidates who backed changing
standards and tests were defeated in primary elections. The ousted board
members wanted to de- emphasize the teaching of evolution in the state's
304 school districts and had charted a course to revamp statewide
testing.

"Those were standards developed over 14 months, and I'd certainly like
to take a look at those again," Carol Rupe, who defeated Mary Douglas
Brown of Wichita in the Republican primary by a 52 to 48 percent margin,
told the Wichita Eagle.

Rupe's democratic opponent, Dick Williams, also advocates returning to
the former standards.

Last year the board's science standards committee voted 6-4 to exclude
references to the theory of evolution on state science competency tests.
The change was talked about around the world, with Kansas being labeled
a backwards state, Ted Koppel reported on "Nightline."

Linda Holloway, an evangelical Christian, headed that committee and was
a vocal advocate of revising standards. On Tuesday, in the most
expensive school board race in the state's history, she lost by a 60 to
40 percent margin to Sue Gamble.

"I think it is a foregone conclusion that we will get a new set of
science standards," Bill Wagnon told the Topeka Capital- Journal. "A
majority of Kansans don't agree with what the board did."

Wagnon, an incumbent democrat who objected to downgrading the teaching
of evolution, did not face any opposition in the primary.

Candidates who won the primaries must still win a November election
showdown for a seat on the board. Yet no matter to outcome, the pro-
evolution forces will carry a majority, Reuters reported.

"We always take the long view," Kansas Republican Assembly executive
director Kris Van Meteren told the Capital-Journal. "Next time when all
the liberals are up, you can rest assured we'll be going after them."

� 2000, Maranatha Christian News Service

http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000807c.htm

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Real World News - 08/08/00
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 10:44:51 -0500

Selected items from:

REAL WORLD NEWS 08/08/2000

Visit Real World News online at http://www.realworldnews.net

ASIAN FLOODS KILL 300 AND LEAVE MILLIONS HOMELESS
Heavy monsoon rain has left at least 300 people dead and more than
two million homeless across the Indian subcontinent, and officials
fear that disease and starvation could ravage the survivors. Two
weeks of unrelenting downpours have caused widespread flooding on the
Brahmaputra river and its tributaries. At least one village in Bhutan
has been destroyed by mudslides. About 180 bodies have been
recovered. Bangladesh was also hit. In India, Assam has been the
worst-affected state, with at least 80 people killed. Water-borne
diseases such as dysentery have broken out.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001136033854542&rtmo=Lllttx3d&atmo=kk
kkkk ku&pg=/et/00/8/8/wflod08.html

AMERICA ABLAZE FROM WEST COAST TO THE ROCKIES
A parching summer across the American West has turned lush forests to
tinder. Many states west of the Rocky Mountains are now experiencing
an inferno so intense that trees turn into white ash and
disintegrate. "This is the most awesome fire I've ever experienced,"
said Jody Eberly, a fire official with 20 years' experience, in
Bitterroot Valley, south-western Montana. Steve Frye, a firefighting
commander in Montana, said the conditions were so bad that fires were
feeding on themselves.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000114832908976&rtmo=lnQoSkSt&atmo=gg
ggg3 JK&pg=/et/00/8/8/wfire08.html

CONGRESSMEN: DRUGS, CHINA, TERRORISM IN PANAMA
The U.S. surrender of the Panama Canal has borne bitter fruit, two
congressmen charge, and America is paying the price in the increase
of drug trafficking, narco-terrorism and Chinese infiltration of
Panama and control of the canal. And in a recent case, two United
States investigators seeking to unravel the stunning abandonment of
tens of millions of dollars worth of American military equipment left
behind when the U.S. left Panama were ordered out of the country by
the U.S. ambassador before they could complete their work.
http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/8/7/210938

CONGRESSMAN ACCUSES RENO OF HIGH TREASON
A U.S. congressman accused Attorney General Janet Reno of a range of
illegalities, sexual improprieties and ties to the mob -- as well as
treason -- on a national television news show last night. Rep. James
Traficant, D-Ohio, who is currently under investigation by the FBI
for his own alleged ties to organized crime, made the explosive
charges on Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes program Monday.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_dougherty/20000808_xnjdo_congress
ma.s html

YEAR'S FIRST WEST NILE CASE CONFIRMED IN NEW YORK
Health officials on Friday confirmed the year's first human case of
the deadly mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which killed seven people
in the New York area last summer. A 78-year-old Staten Island man
who tested positive for the virus on July 27 but was subsequently
cleared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has upon
further testing been determined to be positive for the virus. The
man became ill with symptoms including fever and dizziness on July
20, was admitted to a local hospital two days later and released
after a week. He is now at home recovering.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000804/ts/health_westnile_dc_2.html

ARAFAT TALKS OF SUMMIT IN 10 DAYS
In what is likely to be as much a signal to the Americans as a hard
and fast prediction, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat
said in Abu Dhabi yesterday that a new summit may take place within
the next 10 days. Arafat's comments come just a day after Prime
Minister Ehud Barak said that a new summit is not immediately in the
offing, because there has been no "breakthrough" on the Palestinian
side. But a diplomatic source said that Arafat's comments may "be
signaling that he is now willing to make some moves."
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2000/08/08/News/News.10648.html

PUTIN PLANS MAY LEAD TO DICTATORSHIP
Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to amend the
constitution to allow the government to exercise dictatorial powers
aimed at building a capitalist state. According to the opposition
paper Segodnya, owned by Putin critic Vladimir Gusinsky, Putin wants
to use constitutional changes to tighten his control over politicians
and win the backing of journalists and businessmen. If Putin gets
his way, the paper warned, Russia will go back to totalitarian rule,
this time aimed not at building communism but instead at creating a
capitalist economy. http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/8/7/120916

A NUCLEAR WAR FEARED POSSIBLE OVER KASHMIR
Behind President Clinton's blunt warning last spring that South Asia
was the world's most perilous region lay an assessment from American
intelligence agencies that the likelihood of a war between India and
Pakistan that could erupt into a nuclear conflict had increased
significantly, according to officials with access to the secret
intelligence.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/global/080800india-pakistan.html

CHILDREN SEIZED BY ZIMBABWE FARM SQUATTERS
Squatters have raided a school on a white-owned farm in Zimbabwe and
kidnapped 17 children, it emerged yesterday. They were taken away for
political "re-education", but the Commercial Farmers' Union claimed
that the girls among them were sexually harassed. Although farm
squatters, who now occupy almost 1,200 properties, are blamed for
more than 2,400 recorded cases of assault and at least five murders,
this is the first incident of this kind. Local residents accused the
police of failing to respond to their pleas for help.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001136033854542&rtmo=Lllttx3d&atmo=kk
kkkk ku&pg=/et/00/8/8/wzim08.html

BUSH'S 'JESUS DAY' CALLED A FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATION
Four months ago in Texas, Gov. George W. Bush signed a proclamation
declaring June 10 to be Jesus Day, and urging all Texans to "follow
Christ's example by performing good works in their communities and
neighborhoods." The proclamation received little attention at the
time, except for some gratitude from a Christian organization that
had asked many governors to issue proclamations supporting its annual
day of charity, prayer and parades in Jesus' name. Now what seemed
purely ceremonial has turned into a controversy for Governor Bush.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/080600wh-bush-jesus.html

'JESUS DAY' PROCLAMATION MISSING FROM BUSH WEB SITE
Aides to Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP presidential nominee,
removed a controversial proclamation, declaring a recent statewide
"Jesus Day" from the governor's official Web site last week. The
removal was discovered by the Daily News right in the middle of
Bush's Philadelphia nominating convention, which focused heavily on
acceptance of racial and ethnic diversity. Linda Edwards, Bush's
governmental spokeswoman in Austin, Texas, said the proclamation that
June 10 would be "Jesus Day" had been removed from the governor's Web
site for no other reason than space concerns.
http://web.philly.com/content/daily_news/2000/08/08/local/JESU08.htm

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (8/8/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 12:22:33 -0400

LIKUD TO REQUEST SPECIAL SESSION; EITAN ATTACKS BARAK

The Likud has submitted a petition to conduct a special mid-recess
Knesset session. The request, signed by the required 20 MKs, states that
the issue to be debated is whether it is legitimate for Prime Minister
Barak to continue permanent-status negotiations even though he has lost
his parliamentary majority. In addition, the Likud wishes to raise the
matter of Barak's firing of several Foreign Ministry personnel and
ambassadors yesterday, following the resignation of David Levy as
Foreign Minister. Barak has recalled the Ambassadors to France,
Switzerland, Great Britain, and South Africa, as well as several
consuls. In response, MK Michael Eitan called upon the remaining
government ministers to topple Barak, "as every day that he remains in
power he causes further damage to the concept of 'proper government.'"

Likud leader Ariel Sharon met with MK David Levy today, in an attempt to
convince him to support the Likud's planned no-confidence motion. A
motion of this sort may be voted on during the Knesset recess only if 61
MKs have pledged their support of the bill. MK Yitzchak Mordechai, the
former Centrist party leader and Transportation Minister who was forced
to resign while waiting for his trial on harassment charges to begin,
has been courted by both Sharon and Prime Minister Barak. The latter
will meet with him this afternoon in an attempt to convince Mordechai to
continue to support the coalition. Sharon met with him last night for
the opposite purpose.

Prime Minister Barak denied this morning Yasser Arafat's recent claims
that another Israeli-Palestinian summit will soon convene in the United
States. "Conditions are not yet ripe," Barak said. He welcomed the
efforts by Shimon Peres - who met secretly with the PA's Abu Ala last
week - to renew the talks. Political commentators say that the
final-status talks are basically at a standstill, given the lack of
support for Barak's negotiation policies in the Knesset and government.
His government now is comprised only of One Israel - minus Gesher - and
the Centrist party, which together represent 30 Knesset seats, or 1/4 of
the voting public.

TISHA B'AV

The Coalition for Jewish Concerns-Amcha, the Yeshiva of the West Side,
and the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry will be holding a public
prayer service this coming Tisha B'Av - Thursday, 1:30 PM, opposite the
United Nations building in New York - on behalf of "Jewish communities
in danger" around the world. Tisha B'Av, which will be commemorated
this Wednesday night and Thursday, marks the climax and end of the
three-week mourning period over the destruction of both Holy Temples in
Jerusalem.

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2000 / Av 7, 5760

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekend News Today items (8/8/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 17:42:22 -0400

Iran sees China as role model

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Tue Aug 8,2000 -- The Islamic Republic of Iran regards communist China
as a role model. The reason, Iranian officials say, is that China has
succeeded where the much larger Soviet Union has failed. China has kept
the communist leadership intact while it has reformed the economy,
attracted Western investment and built its military. "They [Chinese]
consciously control the pace of domestic reforms and did not let
Americans deflect the trend [of reforms] from its right path," said
Habibollah Asgarowladi, secretary- general of the Society of Islamic
Coalition. "China is one of the most powerful states in the world; with
a population of over 1.2 billion it is able to command a strong army and
also has a strong say in politics."

Plans to build synagogue on Temple Mount 'may provoke a war'

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: London Times

Tue Aug 8,2000 -- Palestinian leaders warned Israel yesterday that a
plan to build a synagogue on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem could provoke
a war in the Middle East. The warning came after the Chief Rabbinical
Council announced that it was setting up a committee to "realise our
rights and sovereignty on the Temple Mount". The decision appeared to be
an attempt to avoid a confrontation with Muslims over what many regard
as the most sensitive site in the Middle East.

Ikrema Sabri, the Mufti of Jerusalem, said that building a synagogue on
the hill would start a war and "only God knows where it would lead".
Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, the most senior Islamic administrator at
al-Haram al- Sharif, appealed to Israel: "Don't play with fire, this is
not politics, this is religion, and if something happened, God forbid,
you will find millions of Muslims willing to sacrifice their souls for
our holy places."

Lebanon to deploy troops along Israel's border tomorrow

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Jerusalem Post

Tue Aug 8,2000 -- Lebanon is due to begin the deployment of its troops
along the border with Israel tomorrow, a Beirut spokesman said.
Meanwhile the UN plans to take up positions at 11 additional sites along
the Israeli- Lebanese frontier. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh
visited the Fatma bordercrossing today. He warned that Israel's patience
with the continued stonethrowing and other violations from Lebanon would
not last indefinitely.

China prepares lawsuit against Israel

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: IsraelWire

Tue Aug 8,2000 -- The government of the People�s Republic of China is
preparing a lawsuit against the State of Israel following Jerusalem�s
notification of cancelation of a $250 million Phalcon early warning
system deal the daily Yediot Ahronot reported. The suit may be asking
damages as high as $500 million. The U.S. fears the sale of the weapons
system might in the future harm its ally, Taiwan.

Israeli attacked by Arabs on Temple Mount for praying

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: IsraelWire

Tue Aug 8,2000 -- Claiming that they saw an Israeli man moving his lips
in prayer, Arabs on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem�s Old City on Monday
attacked the man and persons accompanying him. The Arab assailants used
a two-way radio that he was carrying to assault the worshiper. The
assailants, without making any apology, exclaimed they would not
tolerate Jewish prayer on the site under the control of the Wakf Islamic
Religious Trust. Tens of Arabs surrounded the group of four Jews. Israel
police moved in and promptly removed the Jews from the holy site.

http://www.upway.com/cgi/readnews.cgi?day=00_08_8&item=#965749867

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Harpazo News items (8/8/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 17:50:30 -0400

"State of the World Forum"
To Advance A Global Governance for Everyone! International leaders from
government, business and civil society will meet in New York for seven days
in September to muse about mankind and his future. Founded in 1995 by
former Soviet Communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the "State of the World
Forum" meets regularly to advance a bundle of mostly far left ideas.

The State of the World Forum "was founded with the explicit purpose of
gathering together the creative genius of the human family, its elders and
innovators, in a search for solutions to the critical challenges facing humanity
in the 21st century." Organizers call it "a powerful common evolutionary
enterprise for our species."

Three main principles drive the State of the World Forum; "ecological
sustainability" as opposed to the "generation of wealth," "global governance"
rather than "national sovereignty", and a "compassionate society" as
opposed to the "global flow of capital."

What is most striking about the Forum is the long list of international
heavyweights who participate. Even conservatives have turned up, such as
former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former US National Security
Advisor Zbigniew Brezinski, and new Mexican President Vincente Fox.
Sprinkled with world leaders has been a large number of New Age
proponents, including author Marianne Williamson, guru Deepok Chopra, and
"mythologist" Jean Houston.

The seven-day meeting beginning in New York on September 4 is intended to
coincide with a number of other important conferences attached to the United
Nations. The UN will convene a Millennium Summit of up 150 heads of state
and the World Peace Summit of religious and spiritual leaders meets just
before the Forum begins.

This State of the World Forum will address "Shaping Globalization:
Convening the Community of Stakeholders." Forum organizers contend the
violent riots that occurred during the last meeting of the World Trade
Organization in Seattle last December highlighted "the inadequacies of the
current system of global governance." This session of the State of the World
Forum is being pitched as a "global town meeting in which the private sector
and civil society can come together for substantive dialogue with selected
heads of state." Speakers include Earth Council Institute Chairman Maurice
Strong, UN Population Fund Executive Director Nafis Sadik, and Haitian
President Jean Bertand-Aristide.

The Forum will feature major sessions on business, children, education,
sustainable development, globalization, global governance, global security,
health, science and spirituality, and social development. While the Forum is
viewed as a democratic meeting, it is unlikely that most people will have ever
heard the terms "global governance" and "sustainable development." It is
also unlikely that most people have ever heard of those from civil society who
will represent them at these meetings. At some point it is likely that large
new programs and new laws will evolve from the State of the World Forum
and other such bodies. ewtn

Locusts Invade Russian Farmland
More than four million acres of agricultural land have been sprayed with
pesticide in a bid to combat swarms of locusts in Russia's Volgograd region.
A 20-kilometer wide cloud of green Asiatic locusts, each the size of a
sparrow, has swept on to farmland from neighboring Kazakhstan. The Tass
news agency said a swarm of locusts had been seen in Palassovsky district
of the region estimated to be 18 kilometers long (11 miles), 300 meters wide
and 150 meters deep. Last week the agency reported that locusts had also
invaded southern Siberia's Omsk region. CNN

Security, Terrorist Threats Increase At U.S. Embassies
Two years after the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed
more than 260 people, and despite stepped up security measures, the
number of threats against U.S. interests worldwide are at an all time high,
officials say. "Since the East Africa bombings, we've received threats on
virtually all continents where we have facilities," said Assistant Secretary of
Diplomatic Security David Carpenter. "And every one of our embassies has
received some sort of a threat -- be it a bomb threat or something even more
serious." Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Monday that the United
States was a target for terrorists because of its "role as the leading upholder
of democracy and law." CNN

It's Raining Fish!
The doomsayers would have had a field day in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, on
Sunday - the heavens opened, unleashing a storm of sprats upon the
seaside resort. Yet the residents need not fear plagues of locusts, the death
of their first-born and other threats of biblical proportions.

The storm of two-inch fish was likely to be the latest example of a rare - but
not unheard of - weather phenomenon. Reports of falling fish, frogs, tomatoes
and even coal date back to the dawning of the millennium. The phenomenon
also featured in Paul Thomas Anderson's 1999 film Magnolia, which went
further and explained how an underwater diver - a frogman - could also fall
from the sky.

Weather experts explain the freak showers thus - powerful updrafts
generated during thunderstorms form mini-tornadoes, which can suck up and
carry away debris in its path. If the storm brews out at sea, or crosses a
river, the tornado can scoop up water and small fish swimming close to the
surface. In the Norfolk case, the fish were probably carried along in the
storm clouds and dumped when the rain fell. BBC

Mexican Volcano Explodes
Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano exploded twice last Friday, spewing two
columns of smoke and ash 3 miles into the sky and blanketing the nearby
communities of Atlautla, San Juan Tehuixtitlan and San Pedro Nexapa with
ash. The volcanic ash drifted as far as the southern outskirts of Mexico City,
40 miles to the northwest, where it covered automobiles with fine dust.
Although Popocatepetl, which means "smoking mountain" in the indigenous
Nahuatl language, has erupted regularly during the past two years, officials
reported that Friday's explosion was the strongest recent occurrence. Earth
Alert

EU Rules Leave A Bad Taste in Italians' Mouths
As the EU matures and the 15 member governments expand its authority,
Europeans from Stockholm to Udine--Colomba's hometown--have been
surprised and at times upset to find its officials nosing into what they can
eat, how they travel, even how they incinerate their trash. Founded more than
four decades ago to foster trade and build cooperation between historic
enemies, the EU has increasingly become a force for social regulation. It is
now trying to find the common ground in its 15 societies and develop rules
for behavior that cross ethnic and national boundaries. Many Italians strongly
support the EU, welcoming it as filling the vacuum left by the country's
notoriously weak central government. Yet a growing number of citizens are
unhappy with it. In the biannual, region-wide polls known as
"Eurobarometers," public support for EU membership has begun to slide.
Washington Post

www.harpazo.net/news.html

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