Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
March 1, 2000


Digest Home | 2000 | March, 2000

 

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Scientists create half-human, half-silicon chip
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 08:32:24 -0500

Friday February 25 7:02 PM ET

Scientists Create Half-Human, Half-Silicon Chip

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists said on Friday they have
created a bionic chip that mixes human cells with layers of silicon,
a device they hope to use in research and to treat disease.

The chip is a sandwich that traps a cell within three layers of
silicon. The cell acts to complete an electrical circuit, and can be
altered -- perhaps to add a new gene -- as part of the process.

Yong Huang and Boris Rubinsky of the University of California at
Berkeley say their invention, described in the journal Biomedical
Microdevices, is used for a process called electroporation.

``We have developed a micro-electroporation chip that incorporates
a live biological cell in the electrical circuit,'' they wrote in their
report.

Electroporation is used extensively in genetic engineering and
other forms of research on cells. It uses an electrical current to
open pores in the membranes that surround cells, allowing
scientists to put in new genes or other compounds.

The chip integrates the cell, using it to complete the needed
electrical circuit and trapping it in place so the new genes or
compounds can be inserted.

``In a typical process, individual cells flow through the inlet tube to
the top chamber between the top and middle layers,'' the
researchers wrote.

A bottom chamber is kept at a lower pressure, and the cell is
automatically sucked into a hole that connects the two chambers.

``The cell becomes trapped in the hole, plugging the hole,''
Rubinsky and Huang wrote.

``Plugging the hole, the trapped cell effectively electrically insulates
between the top and bottom chamber electrodes and stops the
current.''

Then the cell is zapped with more current, which causes pores to
open in its membrane.

``The cell in the hole becomes part of the electrical circuit of the
chip,'' the researchers wrote.

Once the chemicals or genes are introduced, the cell is allowed to
flow out and another one can take its place.

``Because of the low cost of the chip and the possibility to
completely automate the process, it is conceivable that in
industrial operation there could be hundreds of chips operating
under computer control,'' they wrote.

The chip is transparent in places so researchers can watch the
process under a microscope if they wish.

They think the process could eventually be used to treat diseased
cells and then replace them in the body.

One of the weaknesses of gene therapy -- which attempts to use
new genes to treat disease -- is that is hard to make sure cells
actually absorb the new genes.

The new process might make it easier to ensure that genes get
into cells.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000225/sc/science_chip_1.htm
l

via: isml@onelist.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (3/1/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 08:42:44 -0500

*** Ariz. Internet primary cleared

PHOENIX (AP) - A federal judge's ruling Tuesday cleared the way
for Arizona Democrats to use the Internet to cast ballots in their March
11 presidential primary. The judge denied a temporary injunction
sought by a group trying to block the nation's first binding election
for public office using the Internet. The plaintiffs said they would
appeal. The Virginia-based Voting Integrity Project sued the Arizona
Democratic Party to stop the online voting, claiming it would
discriminate against minorities and the poor. Judge Paul Rosenblatt
called the planned voting a turning point in Arizona primaries but he
refused to dismiss the lawsuit, saying serious questions as to the
so-called digital divide remain. The Virginia group contends affluent
whites would have greater access to computers and the Internet
and would dilute the minority vote. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564657132-13a

*** China, U.S. swap Taiwan warnings

BEIJING (AP) - Seeking to ease tensions over Taiwan, the
commander of U.S. Pacific forces warned Chinese military leaders
Tuesday that any use of force against the island would be regarded
"with grave concern" by Washington, a U.S. official said. Adm.
Dennis Blair's appeal for restraint comes after China stepped up
pressure on Taiwan ahead of the island's March 18 presidential
election. In a declaration last week, China for the first time said
Taiwan risked attack if it indefinitely rebuffed demands for
unification talks. Blair's talks with Chinese Defense Minister Chi
Haotian and Gen. Fu Quanyou were aimed at re-establishing
contacts between the two militaries that Beijing severed when U.S.
warplanes bombed China's embassy in Yugoslavia in May. But
Taiwan dominated the talks so much so that other issues were
barely discussed. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564648286-317

*** Palestinian cave-dwellers banned

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has banned some 700 Palestinians from
living in caves in the hills of the southern West Bank, an Israeli
human rights organization said Tuesday. In the latest land struggle
between Israelis and Palestinians, over 100 Israeli soldiers
descended on cave-dwellings near the village of Jineba Monday and
removed the inhabitants' possessions, Betselem said. In the past,
the Israeli Army has declared the region a closed military area, to
be used as a firing range, but Betselem said "the true objective is
to create facts on the ground prior to the final-status agreement"
between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel and the Palestinians are
negotiating a permanent peace deal, and Palestinians have
accused Israel of grabbing as much land as it can before final
borders are settled. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564657244-b29

*** Census forms hitting cyberspace

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Census Bureau this year will give
Americans the choice of answering their census questionnaires
over the Internet, and hopes the new option will prompt more
people to respond to the once-a-decade survey. With the click of a
mouse, respondents will be able to log on to the Census Bureau's
Web site and answer the government's questions - How old you
are? What ethnicity are you? - without having to drop the form in
the mailbox. But it's unclear whether allowing forms to be returned
for the first time through cyberspace will get more people to
respond. Mail response rates have declined in each of the last
three surveys, from 78% of households in 1970, to 70% in 1980, to
65% in 1990. Officials estimate that rate will dip to 61% this year.
Census Day is April 1, meaning all the information requested by
the government concerns the people living in the home that day.
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564647424-
3f4

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Woman Files Patent Application on Herself
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 08:47:16 -0500

Tuesday February 29 8:41 AM ET

Woman Files Patent Application on Herself

LONDON (Reuters) - A British woman has become the first person
to attempt to patent herself, the national patent office said
Tuesday.

``I can confirm that we have received an application with the title
'myself' from Donna Rawlinson MacLean,'' the patent office's Brian
Caswell said.

Britain's Guardian newspaper said MacLean, a poet and casino
waitress from Bristol in western England, was angered at the
patenting of gene sequences by businesses.

``It has taken 30 years of hard labor for me to discover and invent
myself, and now I wish to protect my invention from unauthorized
exploitation, genetic or otherwise,'' Maclean told the newspaper.

Caswell said the full details of application GB0000180.0 would be
published in 18 months.

``It is not really worth patenting something unless you make a lot of
money from it,'' he added.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000229/od/patent_1.html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Eichmann diaries are window to his inner world
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 08:57:12 -0500

March 1, 2000

Eichmann diaries are window to his inner world

                  By Tom Segev
                  Ha'aretz Correspondent

Adolph Eichmann's journals, made public yesterday by the Israel
State Archives, contain a detailed description of the annihilation of
European Jewry, and Eichmann writes that the genocide program
was carried out under explicit orders given by Adolph Hitler.

After being kept under wraps for 28 years, the Eichmann journals
were released yesterday under dramatic circumstances, their
public presentation being recorded by half a dozen television film
crews from leading world networks.

Earlier, a copy of the journals was delivered to the defense in the
defamation suit brought in a London court by British historian David
Irving against American historian Deborah Lipstadt, who has
accused Irving of being a Holocaust denier. Among other
controversial claims, Irving insists that Hitler was not cognizant of
the systematic murder of the Jews.

Eichmann describes the Holocaust in his prison memoir as the
"worst crime in the history of humanity." The thrust of his journals
is to minimize his own role in the atrocities.

Describing his response to the use of the first gas chambers, at
Lublin, Eichmann claims that he needed large quantities of
cigarettes and red wine to steady his nerves. He adds that during
this period he "didn't take seriously" the idea of using gas for
genocide, believing that the plan would be canceled.

Eichmann's prison memoir does not reveal new information about
the Holocaust, nor does it contain any data that could be
construed as compromising the Zionist movement. Eichmann
consciously omits the name of a Jewish resident of mandatory
Palestine who met with him in Berlin, and briefed him about the
progress of Zionist projects.

Despite its self-serving intents and deliberate deletions, the newly
released journals provide an unprecedented window into
Eichmann's inner world, and thus provide clues important to
fathoming the magnitude of his crimes. Awaiting the trial's verdict in
his prison cell, Eichmann professes that he is not an anti-Semite,
and adds that his step-mother had Jewish relations and that he
even once kissed a half-Jewish cousin.

His best friend from his schoolboy days, he recalls, was Jewish -
Eichmann says that he subsequently had a drink with this old
friend while he wore a Nazi uniform, and that "he didn't care that I
was a Nazi, and I didn't care that he was a Jew."

Eichmann left meticulous instructions as to the fate of these prison
journals, covering details such as the color of their jacket cover and
the delivery of copies to his wife, in the event of publication. In the
event of their non-publication, he asked his attorney to supervise
their destruction. Instructions he delivered concerning the fate of
the manuscript suggest that at the time he composed it, Eichmann
did not expect to receive a death.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=
03/01/00&id=70672

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 12:24:12 -0500

KNESSET PASSES "SPECIAL MAJORITY" GOLAN BILL

Following a suspenseful and tense morning in the Knesset, the Israeli
Parliament voted 60-53 to approve a bill determining the required majority
for the passage of the Golan referendum. The bill, submitted by Likud MK
Silvan Shalom, stipulates that a majority of registered voters - an
estimated 60-65% of those actually voting - will be required in order to
approve Israel's retreat from the Golan. Today's vote was merely a
preliminary approval, and the bill will still have to undergo further
votes, contingent upon Law Committee deliberations. Despite this, the vote
is considered a clear signal to both Ehud Barak and Syrian President Assad
that a peace treaty involving the giveaway of the Golan will not be easily
approved by the Israeli public.

Within the coalition, three entire factions - Shas, the NRP, and Yisrael
B'Aliyah - voted for the bill, as did MKs Maxime Levy (One Israel), Chaim
Katz (Am Echad), and Victor Breilovsky and Modi Zandberg (Shinui).
Centrist Party MK Roni Milo abstained, and former coalition member party
United Torah Judaism voted in favor. Breilovsky explained to Arutz-7 today
that what pushed him to vote for the bill was largely the extensive
anti-Semitism prevalent in the Syrian press.

The vote is considered a significant blow to Barak, both in terms of his
prestige and his control of the coalition, reports Arutz-7's Haggai Seri.
After the vote, Barak said only, "I do not take what happened here lightly,
but on the other hand, let's not read things into it that do not exist.
Some 1.8 million people voted me into office, and no parliamentary trick
will prevent me from continuing on my path to strengthen Israel with
diplomatic agreements. I am determined to see to it that the agreement
that I achieve with Syria will be brought for the approval of Israel's
populace in which the majority of the participating voters [in contrast
with today's Knesset decision] will determine the result."

The Golan Residents Committee called today's vote "a clear message to the
citizens and government of Israel, Assad, and the international community
that [there will not be a majority] in support of a withdrawal from the
Golan. Israeli sovereignty on the Golan and its 33 Jewish communities is
irreversible." The GRC congratulated MK Shalom on his "determination and
commitment for the bill," and wished him "strength in the upcoming three
votes needed to make this bill into a binding law."

DEMOCRATIC DISPUTE

MK Yuli Edelstein, who heads the Golan Knesset lobby, vehemently denies
the claim by Justice Minister Yossi Beilin that the Silvan Shalom bill is racist
and against the spirit of democratic countries. "Beilin is quite aware that
Canada's Supreme Court recently approved a similar law," Edelstein said.
Beilin said today, before the vote, that if the bill passes, the government will
have to cancel its plans to hold a Golan-withdrawal referendum. Observers
noted that Beilin's intention is apparently for the Knesset to pass a bill
overriding the current law, passed by the Netanyahu government, which
states that sovereign Israeli territory cannot be ceded to a foreign entity
without a referendum.

All three of Israel's major daily newspapers came out today against the
"special majority" bill for the Golan referendum. Both Ma'ariv and
Ha'aretz editorialized that the bill is undemocratic, and called for the
cancellation of the referendum altogether. Yediot Acharonot wrote that a
special majority of 60% would be legitimate and democratic, but not the
attempt to allow stay-at-home voters to have a say [by virtue of their
being listed on the list of registered voters].

Dr. Asher Cohen of Bar-Ilan University's Department of Political Science,
speaking with Arutz-7 today, related to the question of special majorities
in democratic societies. "Such a requirement is customary in many nations
throughout the world," he said, "although not necessarily in the framework
of a national referendum. Nevertheless, on issues of principle and
fundamental legal issues, complex processes that are even more demanding
than a special majority are also often required... In the case at hand,
the status of the Arab minority in Israel is also at issue. The left
therefore claims that the proposal is 'racist,' while others stress the
democratic legitimacy of a special majority, and also emphasize that when
it comes to the forfeiture of sovereign territory, international peace
deals, and the uprooting of Israelis from their homes, the
Arab vote must be neutralized. These points are not totally without
logical foundation."

Dr. Cohen noted that today's vote was just a first reading of MK Shalom's
bill: "More than anything else, it has symbolic meaning. It could also
create greater coalition tensions, and may send an international message.
As far as its actual legal effect, after a bill's first reading, anything
can happen..." - an apparent reference to One Israel's option of "burying
the bill in committee."

Information from the Shalem Center shows that "special majority"
requirements exist in many other countries and U.S. states, including:
Germany, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Lithuania: 50% of eligible voters
("absolute majority")
Norway: Majority + 75% vote in parliament
New Mexico: 2/3 of votes cast + 2/3 of counties
New Hampshire, Sierra Leone, Gambia: 2/3 of votes cast
Illinois, Washington State: 60% of votes cast
Nevada: Majority during two consecutive terms
Spain, Sweden: Majority + 2/3 vote in both houses of parliament during two
consecutive terms
Switzerland: Majority + majority of cantons
Australia: Majority + 2/3 of the states
Austria: Majority + 2/3 vote of lower house of parliament
In the U.S., treaties must be ratified by 2/3 of the voting Senators.

THE POLITICS BEHIND THE VOTE

Coalition whip MK Ophir Pines-Paz is already making plans to "get back" at
the "rebellious" coalition members, and will submit two or three bills next
week known to be opposed by the religious parties. Spokesmen for the NRP
and Shas did not seem concerned, however. Housing Minister Rabbi
Yitzchak Levy (NRP) said, "I would advise [One Israel] not to threaten,
because threats can go both ways. Ehud Barak has a great interest in
maintaining and preserving his coalition." Infrastructures Minister Eli Suissa
(Shas), speaking with Arutz-7 today, spoke bitterly against Barak: "The
Prime Minister must now realize that even though peace is a great goal, not
all ends justify the means - if there is no security, then the goal has been
lost=85 There are too many unanswered questions about the agreement with
Syria - who will succeed Assad? Why should we rebuild Assad's economy?
Why should we help Clinton's political legacy and his wife's political career?
There is no commandment in the Torah for us to sign an agreement that will
worsen our security situation..." Suissa also made it clear that his party has
political beefs against Barak: "For instance, I want to appoint a professional
person as Water Commissioner, but Barak blocks me and makes me beg to
be able to do so - this is not the way to run things. There are other such
examples=85 If he wants to keep this coalition, he better keep his eyes open
and look around at what's going on=85 It's very nice that he says nice things
about us, but if this is not a real partnership, then we have no reason to
remain=85 "

ADS FOR THE GOLAN

The Ariel Center for Policy Research continues its series of full-page
newspaper ads explaining the dangers of giving away the Golan. The ad
published yesterday, the sixth in number, began with a quote from a book
written by the late Mordechai Gur, former Labor party Deputy Defense
Minister and IDF Chief of Staff. Gur wrote, "Israel cannot defend itself
against an eastern Arab offensive without the Golan Heights. Israel cannot
defend the Golan Heights without the central mountain ridge, which is the
current boundary... A military force which stares (from the bottom) upward
toward its adversary, is not a military force..."

Excerpts from last week's ad:
        Are Technology and Sophisticated Weaponry an Adequate Substitute for
the Golan?
The United States possesses, in the Persian Gulf, the most advanced
early-warning systems in the world. Surveillance aircraft and ships, spy
satellites, and land-based early-warning facilities operate there 24 hours
a day. Still, the US was surprised by Iraq's invasion of Iran (1980) and
Kuwait (1990)... due to climatic (fog, clouds, rain, sandstorms),
topographical, technical, and human limitations. Iraq's invasions led to
over a million fatalities, the devastation of Kuwait, and scores of
billions of dollars in other damages.
        Sophisticated Warning Systems vs. a Topographical Edge
In 1973, the IDF's early-warning facilities detected Egypt's and Syria's
preparations for war. Yet the IDF failed in its interpretations of the
threat assessment, as had happened before in the IDF and in the best
military forces in the world. It was the strategic depth of Sinai and the
mountain ridge on the eastern Golan (which overlooks Damascus and not the
Kinneret!) that made up for this human and intelligence failure. Critical
territorial features - and not advanced technology - enabled the fending
off of the Arab tanks, the
mobilization of Israel's reservists, and the snatching a victory out of the
jaws of defeat in the Yom Kippur War.

The full text of the first four ads can be seen at
"<http://www.acpr.org.il/gad/gad01e.html>.

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, March 1, 2000 / Adar Aleph 24, 5760

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Hitler: Evil Unprecedented?
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 12:39:50 -0500

Hitler: Evil Unprecedented?

Few will deny that in Adolf Hitler evil was personified. His name is the
yardstick against which we judge the grossest of human cruelties. The nature
of his character and the depths of his depravity have been well documented
in a multitude of books and articles published since World War II.

Full article:
http://www.vision.org/jrnl/0001/hitler.html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - SOFEX2000 invites 118 firms to show off military wares
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 13:42:11 -0500

SOFEX2000 invites 118 firms to show off military wares
By Tareq Ayyoub

AMMAN =97 Ministers of defence from the six continents, including the Israeli
defence minister, have been invited to attend the Special Operation Forces
Exhibition which is due to open in Amman on April 17, an army official
announced on Tuesday.

Brigadier Mohammad Eitan, spokesman of the four-day SOFEX2000 exhibition,
said that heads of state, chiefs of staff and high-ranking military officers
also have been invited to attend the event.

Eitan said 118 Jordanian, Arab and foreign firms have expressed their
willingness to exhibit their products, mainly used for peacekeeping
missions, anti-riot activities and special forces operations.

He indicated the number of participating companies could reach 130.

Eitan said the highest number of participants is likely to be from France,
where at least 15 firms have expressed the desire to take part in the
gathering.

Two firms from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will exhibit some
of their products. In addition 14 Jordanian firms will participate.

The official said that no reply has yet been received from Israel on the
invitation.

=93The exhibition has no political dimensions. It is a military one, and we
have invited many brotherly and friendly states including Israel and others
neighbouring countries,=94 he added.

=93The exhibition is designed to display the latest state-of-art technology of
the defence industry,=94 Eitan said.

=93It will focus on special operations, rapid forces and law enforcement
equipment,=94 he added.

Eitan said that among the countries that were invited to attend the event
were Iraq, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, the
U.S., the U.K, France, Italy, and Canada.

=93Participants will have an opportunity to sit with representatives of arms
manufactureres and do business with them during the meeting,=94 Eitan told a
press conference.

He said that planes, helicopters and light weapons will be displayed in the
exhibition, which will be inaugurated by His Majesty King Abdullah.

The official said the Jordan Armed Forces is planning to enlarge the size of
the exhibition in the coming years to include heavy weapons.

During previous exhibitions in 1996, 1997 and 1998, Israel and many Arab
states took part.

SOFEX 2000 is considered to be the second largest military exhibition in the
Middle East after the annual Dubai Military Show.


http://www.access2arabia.com/jordantimes/Wed/homenews/homenews7.htm

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Ottoman
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 17:06:40 -0500

Main Entry: ot=B7to=B7man
Pronunciation: '=E4-t&-m&n
Function: noun
Date: 1605

1 capitalized a : a member of a Turkish dynasty founded by Osman I that
ruled the Ottoman Empire b : a citizen or functionary of the Ottoman Empire

2 [French ottomane, from feminine of ottoman, adjective] a : *an upholstered
often overstuffed seat or couch* usually without a back b : an overstuffed
*footstool*

3 : a heavy clothing fabric characterized by pronounced crosswise ribs

***

Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of
giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of
the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits
the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

 06210 `eres {eh'res}

 from an unused root meaning perhaps to arch; TWOT - 1706a; n f

 AV - bed 5, couch 3, bedstead 2; 10

 1) couch, divan, bed

***

Main Entry: Ot=B7to=B7man Empire
Pronunciation: '=E4-t&-m&n
Usage: geographical name
former Turkish sultanate (capital Constantinople) in SE Europe, W Asia, & N
Africa including at greatest extent Turkey, Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine,
Arabia, Egypt, Barbary States, Balkans, & parts of Russia & Hungary

***

Murabitun has been massively revamped. LOTS of information:

http://www.murabitun.org/index.html

"The Murabitun Programme for the Re-establishment of Islam Today".

The Pan-Arab website color scheme: white, red, black, green (cf. Rev 6:1-8)

Daniel 11:38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god
whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with
precious stones, and pleasant things.

Note the header:

http://www.murabitun.org/new/worship.html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Pie for March 1st, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 17:55:44 -0500

Publishers of Internet Entertainment

Volume No. 2, Issue No. 3 March 1st, 2000

To read the online edition go to http://www.c-1st.com/

_____________________________________
 
Timeline mixes science and history and gets adventure!

Michael Crichton on his novel Timeline: "Physicists have known
for almost a century that there is a difference between the
macro and micro worlds. The features of the subatomic world are
not noticeable at the level of daily events in the world we live
in, but they are there all the same. Now there is an attempt to
make a technology from the subatomic features. These features
are very odd, and so is the "quantum technology" that is
starting to emerge. I talk about some of them in the book. The
most powerful computer in the world can be made from a single
atom. Information can be transported instantly across millions
of miles (even across the universe) without any connecting wires
or network. (This is "quantum teleportation," demonstrated in
three laboratories around the world last year.) You can send
information in such a way that it will tell if somebody is
tapping into your data lines during transmission. You can find
something without looking for it. You can examine a remote
object without looking at it. And on and on. This strange
technology will come into its own in the 21st century, which is
why I chose to write about it."

In TIMELINE, I tried to capture the experience of technologists
at the turn of every century: they don't know what is coming,
but they know it will overturn the past. We take for granted so
many technological miracles that it was hard to imagine what the
twenty-first century would find jolting and unexpected. Time
travel was my choice. If it's not that, it'll be something more
bizarre."

Read our review of Timeline. To read this article go to
http://www.c-1st.com/timeline.htm

_____________________________________

PIE, the official internet magazine of the Internet Entertainment
News Network is published by the PIE Company, Copyright(c)
2000 The Pie Company. The PIE Company retains all rights to
content. Executive Publisher: Leo Haffey, Editor: Thomas Anthony
Longo, Associate Editor: Robin R. Swensen, Contributing Editors:
Denise Nelson Longo, Caroline F. Hanson, various. The Pie
Company, the Law Offices of Leo Haffey, and Client 1st Agency
(or C1st Agency) are registered trademarks. Letters to the editor
may be addressed to T. A. L., P. O. Box 140169, Nashville, TN 37214,
USA, or The Pie Company, 515 Wade Road, Portland, TN, 37148
USA, or via e-mail at c1@nashville.net or T. A. L Phone calls
may be directed to (615) 325-0992.
Copyright(c) 2000 The Pie Company
Trademark(r) 2000 The Pie Company
For further information contact
c1@nashville.net

Editor
Publishers of Internet Entertainment Online Magazine
contact editor@c-1st.com

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - SELECTED ITEMS: [real_world_news] 02/29/2000...
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 18:12:45 -0500

SELECTED ITEMS...

From: Real World News <real_world_news@usa.net>

REAL WORLD NEWS 02/29/2000

---

CHINA THREATENS U.S. WITH MISSILE STRIKE
China stepped up its war of words over Taiwan yesterday, bluntly
threatening to fire long-range nuclear missiles at the United States
if it defends the island. The warning, published in the official
People's Liberation Army newspaper, comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier
and two cruise-missile destroyers recently began exercises off Japan.
Defense officials said the warships could be sent to the Taiwan Strait
in a crisis. http://208.246.212.80/world/news3-02292000.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------
A MIGHTY FORTRESS
Abandoning the fight for a Christian America, fundamentalists are
retreating into their own homes. But it's hard creating a world apart
when the secular world keeps knocking.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000227mag-christian.htm
l

----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's the news for today. If you are enjoying this mailing list,
please tell your friends. They can subscribe simply by going to
http://www.onelist.com/community/real_world_news or by sending an
email to real_world_news-subscribe@onelist.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - China's Road to Armageddon - 2000 Update
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 18:16:21 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: "Rapture Watch" [mailto:rls1@pcisys.net]
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2000 4:05 PM
To: Rapture Watch
Subject: China's Road to Armageddon - 2000 Update

Rapture Watch

China's Road to Armageddon - 2000 Update

The February 22, 2000 article of the Denver Post which
headlined, "Impatient China warns Taiwan of war risk" reported
that:

"Less than a month before presidential elections in Taiwan, the
Chinese government on Monday released the bluntest warning yet
that it will not wait indefinitely for the island to reunite
with the mainland: China declared that a prolonged lack of
negotiations, in itself, could provoke a military
attack...Andrew Yang, secretary-general of the China
council...said: "This is a signal that Beijing is getting
impatient...This is a warning to the people of Taiwan." The dire
warnings...where a reminder of what an emotional issue the
reunification of Taiwan with the "mother island' is for the
Chinese--and how potentially explosive the confrontation across
the Taiwan Straits is, potentially drawing the United States
into war with China. Monday's document lambastes the United
States for providing advance weapons to Taiwan, which China says
violates earlier promises, and for proposals in Congress for a
closer military relationship with the island...In 1996, prior to
Taiwan 's first direct elections...China...lobbed missiles near
Taiwan as a warning. The United States sent two aircraft
carriers into the region."

Then on February 25, 2000, the London Times article which
headlined, "U.S. aircraft carrier deployed near Taiwan Strait"
reported that:

"The deployment of an American aircraft carrier yesterday to
the East China Sea has been taken as a gesture of support in
Taiwan but an act of aggression by China after a week-long war
of words that has pushed cross-strait relations to a new low.
The USS Kitty Hawk, stationed in Japan, has been sent on a
"training mission", according to US officials. But the
deployment had not been previously announced and officials
acknowledged that the carrier would be monitoring the situation
in the Taiwan Strait. A Chinese government spokesman blamed
Washington for aggravating tensions. "If the US is really
concerned about the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,
then it should stop interfering in China's affairs," he said.
"US meddling has caused the current situation."

With this growing threat of war we will be reviewing our 1998
message 'China's Road to Armageddon'.

Concern continues to grow over China in 1998 as reports persist
in the worlds media that the Clinton administration has supplied
the Chinese with technology that has dramatically advanced its
ballistic missile targeting capabilities. This concern is
justified as can be substantiated by the Newswatch report of
February 28, 1996, which revealed that China had stated that
"If the U.S. attempts to intervene on behalf of Taiwan, America
should be prepared to lose Los Angeles".

Of greater concern to students of Bible prophecy is the
knowledge that China is to remain in power until the return of
Jesus Christ, while the fate of the United States is obscure.

Bible prophecy reveals that China is on a road of destiny,
which will bring it to the Middle East for the final great
conflict known as Armageddon. As we have shared in numerous
past messages, it is our understanding that the Arab Confederacy
written of in Psalm 83 will be broken first when it makes war
with Israel, followed by the destruction of Russia and its
confederates according to Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39. The two
remaining dominating world powers will be a ten nation European
Confederacy, which will be the kingdom of a world dictator known
as the "beast" or more commonly referred to as the Anti-Christ;
and then there will be China (Revelation Chapters 13 and 16).

In the Book of Revelation Chapter 16 verses 12 through 16, we
are told that the great Euphrates River will be dried up so that
the kings of the east can come to do battle with the beast and
his kingdom at the final horrible war of mankind called
Armageddon. In Revelation Chapter 9, we are given further
details about this awesome oriental army. In verses 14 and 15,
we are told that there are four angels, which are being held
captive until that day. These four will provide the paranormal
force, which will bring forth the kings of the east and will
ultimately kill a third of the world's remaining population. In
verse 16, we are told that the oriental army will number 200
million men. The television documentary on Red China called
"The Voice of the Dragon" quoted the boast of the Chinese
themselves when it was declared that they could field a "peoples
army" of 200 million militiamen".

By their very own words, they revealed the divine vision of God
demonstrated in prophecy. This prophecy was written at a time
when there were not even 200 million people upon the entire
earth! In Revelation 16:12, we read of where the Euphrates
River will be dried up so that the kings of the east can cross
over. This shows that China's vast army will go to confront the
world dictator by using a land route. An airlift of an army of
this size along with all of the supplies, equipment and
armaments needed to wage war in the Middle East is unrealistic.

Further confirmation of this prophecy's eventual fulfillment
came from the August 20, 1969, edition of the Los Angeles Times.
At that time it was revealed by India that 12,000 Chinese
soldiers were at work inside Pakistan- held Kashmir on a road,
which would give Chinese troops in Tibet a shortcut to the
subcontinent. India called the Chinese road-building activities
a "threat to peace in Asia." It was said that "a flurry of road-
building throughout the Himalayas is taking on increasing
strategic importance." When this road is completed, it will
make possible the rapid movement of millions of Chinese troops
into the Middle East.

China secured a recognized legitimate presence in the Middle
East in 1986 as was reported in the July 19, 1986, Jerusalem
Post article, which headlined, "Israel 'not worried' by Chinese
unit in Lebanon." Quoting we read:

"Israel is "not worried" by the impending arrival of some 200
Chinese officers in Lebanon to man the United Nations Truce
Supervision Organization lookout posts along Lebanon's border
with Israel. Foreign Ministry sources said that the UNTSO which
has units in Syria and Lebanon, has "always" had soldiers from
countries that do not have diplomatic relations with
Israel...Israeli observers interpret the imminent arrival of the
Chinese contingent as another sign of China's new interest in
taking an active role in developments outside its boundaries."

At that time only 200 were sent, very soon it will be 200
million. This will be the last great conflict of the present age.

With devilish empowerment as described in Revelation 16:13-14
the "beast" will be able to gather all the remaining forces left
in the world to do battle with the on-rushing oriental hordes,
when they meet in Israel for the battle of Armageddon.
According to Revelation 14:20, the blood from this battle will
cover 200 miles at a depth that would reach a horses bridle.

In Matthew 24:22, we are told that if Jesus Christ does not
return at this time to stop the carnage, there will be no life
left to save. For those mathematicians who may endeavor
calculating the body fluid ratio in-order to obtain the figures
needed to match the area that the blood is prophesied to cover,
you must remember to calculate in the displacement caused by
bodies, armaments, supplies and equipment.

It seems so foreign to conventional thinking to consider that
the awesome nation of China would be interested in the tiny plot
of ground called Israel, yet God has foreseen the desperate
yearnings for which the nations of the world will soon be
mercilessly warring over in this region. The mighty nations of
this planet now seek to control this small piece of real estate
for everything from the apex of a world religious center to the
continental crossroads from which a new world order might arise.
The mineral wealth, food staples, and the vast oil reserves
which can be controlled from this area are incalculable.
Intuitive analysts rightly surmise that the world is headed
towards a global war over Israel.

In case there are those who believe China's interest in Israel
might be waning, we have this July 14, 1998, Denver Post article
titled, "Red carpet greets Arafat" to dispel this notion we quote:

"Yassar Arafat received a red-carpet welcome on Monday and a
pledge of support for efforts to revive the Mideast peace
process from Chinese President Jiang Zemin. In their meeting
Jiang said China would "continue to support the efforts of
Palestinian people to gain their legitimate rights, including
the establishment of an independent state," the official Xinhua
News Agency reported. China "greatly appreciates Palestine's
stance for a solution through peaceful negotiations," Xinhua
said. Jiang also said China wanted to accelerate trade with the
Palestinians...Arafat's Palestinian National Authority hopes
China will use its U.N. Security Council seat to influence the
peace process...Although not a mediator in the process, China is
"deeply concerned" over the current Mideast stalemate and wants
to see signed agreements implemented., the newspaper said."

For further information on China's placement in Bible prophecy
refer to Chapters 9 and 16 in our study on the Book of
Revelation at: www.rapturewatch.com.

We believe that the Scriptures reveal that the believing Church
of Jesus Christ will be removed to Heaven at least seven years
before China goes to the Battle of Armageddon (I Thessalonians
4:4-18 and 5:9). These are the last days that Jesus and the
prophets warned would surely come. Time is running out. Today
is the day to have your sins forgiven by the Son of the Eternal
God. Why refuse the glorious gift of ever lasting joy which is
freely offered to you this moment?

For those believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are sick,
broken hearted, imprisoned or lame, look up to the heavens
towards where your deliverance will soon come, and rejoice that
your new and glorious eternal life is about to be revealed in
all its splendor.

Your Brother and friend in Christ, Jamma Saturday, February 26,
2000

If you would like to be placed on our mailing list to receive
the weekly Rapture Watch messages you may contact us at:
rls1@pcisys.net

Rapture Watch website: www.rapturewatch.com

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - BIOMETRICS ITEMS...
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 18:19:20 -0500

SELECTED ITEMS...

From: Bioweekly Email

Subject: [Bioweekly Email] 02/28/2000

Welcome to "Biometric Weekly " - a weekly e-mail report on
biometric identification news - a service of the Biometric
Digest. "Biometric Weekly" is distributed free of charge on
Monday of each week. We are providing you with this
complimentary service.

---------------------------------------
This week's news ... 2/28/2000 * San Francisco Examiner &
Chronicle features section on biometrics * Viisage Technology,
Inc. gets contract for Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles * SecuGen
Corp. partners with Samsung to incorporate fingerprint ID into
monitor * Precise Biometrics receives recognition at Smart Card
2000 in London

................................................
Viisage Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VISG), an enabler in e-
commerce through facial recognition biometrics technology and in
providing identification systems and solutions, announced that
it has been awarded a new $9 million contract with the Ohio
Bureau of Motor Vehicles to provide the next generation of
Digital Drivers' Licensing Technology.

.................................................
SecuGen Corporation a developer, manufacturer and supplier of
biometric fingerprint imaging systems and devices, has announced
a partnership with the Samsung Corporation to bring the world's
first biometric computer monitor to markets worldwide. A new
Samsung 17-inch monitor, Model 750, incorporates SecuGen's
unique fingerprint verification and identification system to
bring advanced security right to the desktop or workstation with
built-in ease of use. The new Samsung monitor will be available
through retail channels as well as to computer and systems
resellers and value added resellers. More details in the
printed edition of - "Biometric Digest."

..........................................
If you're interested in biometric technology in anyway, you may
want to sign up for the Biometric Technologies List Serv. This
is an open listserver & webspace for anyone interested in
biometric technologies. You can put links you find useful in the
Links section, and you can upload documents you wish to share by
uploading them to the vault. For more information (and to see
who else is participating), click on the following.

http://www.egroups.com/group/biometrics/info.html

..........................................
The San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle featured a large section
on biometrics in their February 21, 2000 newspaper. You can go
to the lengthy address below to access the various sections or
go to http://www.sfgate.com and do a search on "biometrics."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
bin/search/fastfind.cgi?jump=1&word=biometrics&word_option=or&Go.
x=71&Go.y=7

........................................
Precise Biometrics received first prize for their biometrics
fingerprint and combined smart card reader in the category "Best
New Peripheral" during the Smart Card 2000 event in London
recently.

........................................
A service of the "Biometric Digest," a monthly newsletter with
weekly e-mail updates published by Biometric Digest. "Biometric
Digest" is an advertising-free technology newsletter dedicated
solely to biometric identification technology. A sample copy of
the newsletter is available at two web sites:

     http://www.biodigest.com http://www.bio1.com

_________________________
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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Weekly Global Intelligence Update : Syria/Iraq
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 18:22:43 -0500

STRATFOR.COM Weekly Global Intelligence Update
29 February 2000

Two Rivals Draw Closer Together

Summary

For the first time in 20 years, Syria and Iraq have established
diplomatic ties. In a region that is enjoying a period of
comparative stability, this development is significant. These
first, tentative steps toward rapprochement between Damascus and
Baghdad are initially driven by concerns over petroleum and
water. But ultimately this new relationship will kick off a
larger, strategic dynamic - one that draws in Turkey, Russia and
Iran.

Analysis

Iraqi press reported Feb. 26 that Iraqi diplomats have opened
an interest section in the Algerian embassy in Syria, and that
Damascus will soon send diplomats to Baghdad to open an interest
section in the Algerian embassy there. These low-level
diplomatic ties are the first official warming of relations
between the two countries, at odds for 20 years.

In 1980, Iraq and Syria severed diplomatic ties. At the onset
of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, Syria sided with Iran. In 1991,
Syrian forces went so far as to join the U.S.-led coalition that
expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Despite a recent history of
poor relations, stronger diplomatic ties between Iraq and Syria
now serve the objectives of both countries.

The move is also a result of more recent events: Russia
projecting its influence into the Caucasus and Turkey's ensuing
reaction. In the new regional dynamic, Russia needs Syria and
Iraq to help counter Turkey. Syria and Iraq need to combine
their own influence - with or without Russia to counter Ankara.

At a tactical level, the new relationship between Syria and
Iraq is being spurred by concern over water. Both have been at
odds with Turkey over water issues. Turkey is currently
developing its $32 billion Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) that
will culminate in the construction of 22 dams on the waters of
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The two rivers, which originate
in Turkey, flow into Syria and Iraq and provide much of the
water supply for both nations.

But a more subtle and strategic motivation can be found in the
need to counter Iran. There has been serious confrontation here:
Tehran is disturbed at Syrian President Hafez Assad's rooting
out of Islamic militants in both Lebanon and Syria. Moreover,
Damascus fears an Iranian backlash if Hezbollah is further
restrained in southern Lebanon. Such a scenario could unfold if
Israel unilaterally withdraws forces without a peace agreement
and Syria is left to fill a power vacuum there.

Iraq stands to gain, too. It can acquire a more secure route
for transporting oil out of the country. Syria now serves as an
effective smuggling route for its oil exports, which have been
hindered by nearly a decade of U.N. sanctions. Though the
pipeline is currently out of commission, Iraqi oil is
transported by convoy - each carrying about 380 barrels - into
Syria's Mediterranean port city of Banias, far away from any
U.N. inspectors.

Iraqi oil can also reach the Mediterranean via an existing
pipeline from Kirkuk, Iraq to Ceyhan, Turkey. However, this is
where other players enter the picture. It appears that Russia
wants to use Iraq and Syria to put pressure on Turkey's southern
border and re-route Iraqi oil. Russia is upgrading an Iraqi-
Syrian oil pipeline in order to undermine Turkish profits. The
Moscow Times reported Dec. 18 that shareholders of Russia's
Transneft voted to set up an office in Baghdad and will upgrade
the Iraqi-Syrian pipeline that terminates in Syria's
Mediterranean port, Banias. And on Jan. 8, London-based Al-Hayat
reported that an Iraqi team of engineers and technicians was
repairing damaged sections of the Iraqi-Syrian oil pipeline.

Russia has recently begun to reactivate old Cold War
relationships with countries such as Iraq and Syria. For
example, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of Russia's ultra-
nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, announced Feb. 7 that he
reached an agreement with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on the
stationing of Russian warships at Iraqi naval bases.

As Russia continues to expand its own influence further in to
the Caucasus, it will continue to meet Turkish resistance.
Russia appears likely to promote Syrian-Iraqi ties, hoping that
the two will ally against Ankara. In that case, Turkey, an
emerging regional player, will be forced to shift its attention
closer to home - and away from the Caucasus.

Across the spectrum, this minor development has important
implications in the region. Syria gets a powerful political
lever against Iran. Iran may have to consider its own options;
one would be to strike up a new back channel relationship with
Israel. Iraq gets to crack the shell of its international
isolation as well as maintain important oil smuggling routes.
And Moscow could gain in the Caucasus.


(c) 2000, Stratfor, Inc. http://www.stratfor.com/

__________________________________________________

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Sydney Prepares for Gay Mardi Gras
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 18:35:36 -0500

[I'd like to do a little experiment. I just finished reading John McTernan's
"God's Final Warning to America" (please see BPR review at
http://philologos.org/guide/books.htm) where he states that around the time
of certain public events (usually dealing with abortion or homosexuality) there
is an increase in disastrous weather somewhere in the nation. Australia is
going to have their Gay Mardi Gras this weekend and it will be interesting to
see if there is anything unusual going on over there right after. If anyone sees
anything interesting along these lines, please send them to me and I will
post them on the list. Thanks.--Moza (moza7@netzero.net)]

02:24 AM ET 03/01/00

Sydney Prepares for Gay Mardi Gras

 By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press Writer

           SYDNEY, Australia (AP) _ Hundreds of thousands of spectators
will cram Sydney's streets Saturday for a glimpse of the Gay and
Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, which in nearly a quarter-century has
evolved from a civil rights protest to a riot of color.
           The annual event has become a huge money spinner for Sydney and
Australia as homosexual tourists flood the city. More than 5,000
foreign visitors are expected this year, 45 percent from North
America. An economic impact survey showed the 1998 event pumped
nearly $63 million into the Sydney economy.
           ``From the days when it was a protest and we were arrested by
police, it has shifted to become Australia's biggest tourist
event,'' Mardi Gras general manager Mark Goggin said.
           Australia's largest company, telecommunications giant Telstra,
and its largest airline, Qantas, are now among the businesses
sponsoring Mardi Gras to raise their profile in the gay community.
           This year's event, which has grown to a 23-day visual and
performing arts festival culminating in the show-stopping,
street-clogging Mardi Gras Parade on March 4, is expected to inject
up to $88 million into the local economy.
           The parade features about 200 spectacularly decorated floats
carrying 6,000 participants through the packed streets of
Paddington and Darlinghurst, former working-class neighborhoods
that are the center of Sydney's vibrant gay and lesbian community.
           Last year, one whole float was full of men dressed as Monica
Lewinsky. Float designers this year are expected to take aim at
Sydney's other huge event, the Olympic Games in September.
           For those unable to get to the parade route, the event is being
shown live for the first time on pay-per-view television and will
be broadcast over the Internet. An edited two-hour show will be
televised nationally the next day while foreign television crews
will send glimpses of the gaudiness around the world.
           Detractors say the event has outlived its purpose, now that
Sydney has become one of the world's most tolerant cities for
homosexuals.
           But organizers say they are looking further afield, hoping to
improve conditions for gays elsewhere.
           ``We have had a lot of gains in terms of legislative reform and
recognition (in Australia),'' Goggin said. ``That is not true in
large other parts of the world, particularly in the Asia Pacific
region where there are an enormous amount of human rights abuses
and enormous distance to travel in terms of recognition of gays and
lesbians.''
           Mardi Gras organizers try to highlight homosexual issues in
those areas by sponsoring performers and speakers from nations
including Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia to visit the Mardi Gras
festival.
           But New South Wales state lawmaker Clover Moore, whose district
hosts the parade, says there is still work to do in Australia.
           ``There are still battles,'' she said. ``Once you move out of my
electorate, you still encounter discrimination and it will take a
long time to win real victories in terms of tolerance.''

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564660279-cca

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Re: Sydney Prepares for Gay Mardi Gras
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Khazneh")
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 20:09:38 -0500

Cyclone batters Australian town, floods worsen

02/27/00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Australia's tropical resort town of Cairns
emerged battered after Sunday's direct hit by a cyclone and floodwaters were
rising in the state of Queensland.

Up to 40,000 homes in the Great Barrier Reef resort town were without
electricity on Monday after Cyclone Steve ripped down power lines, uprooted
trees and unroofed buildings on Sunday night, emergency service officials
said. There were no reports of injuries after the eye of the cyclone,
measuring 30 km (18 miles) across, swept across Cairns packing 170 kph (106
mph) winds. The weather bureau said monsoonal rains last week had already
flooded rivers in northern Queensland and Cyclone Steve was now exacerbating
the flooding along the coast and inland.

Two thirds of the state of Queensland are under water, while floodwaters
have covered large tracts of New South Wales, South Australia and the
Northern Territory.

``Levels are rising on the (Queensland) tablelands at the moment. It looks
like the rain is going to continue so it's not looking good at this stage,''
said the bureau's Mike Marrinan.

But the bureau warned Cyclone Steve, which had weakened over land, could
again intensify if it moved across the northern Cape York peninsula and
again over water in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

``The system will hang around for a while I guess. It'll move over towards
the Gulf and then remain an entity until the middle of the week,'' said the
bureau's meteorologist Geoff Callaghan.

``We'll be watching very closely,'' he said.

Queensland's sugar cane farmers believe the floods will cost up to A$100
million (US$63 million) in lost production. While farmers in Queensland and
New South Wales have reported thousands of sheep drowned in the floodwaters.

http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1541409&ern=y

***

Cyclone Batters Queensland State
12:17EST
By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press Writer
02/27/00

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

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Tropical cyclone Steve battered the tourist city
of Cairns in Queensland state with 105 mph winds Sunday, tearing roofs off
houses and uprooting trees.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths from the storm, whose
eye passed directly over Cairns, 1,860 miles north of Sydney. Witnesses had
described Cairns as looking like "a bomb had gone off,'' said emergency
services spokesman Wayne Hepple.

 There was widespread structural damage to houses, he said. Trees were down.
Much of the city plunged into darkness because of blackouts caused by fallen
power lines.

The cyclone came as residents mopped up from a rainstorm that dumped 6
inches of water on Cairns in just six hours Saturday.

The cyclone began to weaken Sunday night as it moved inland, but more
flooding was expected Monday.

Cairns, a city of 130,000, is the busiest tourist gateway for boats visiting
the spectacular coral formations of the Great Barrier Reef.

Nearly one third of Queensland state and swathes of inland New South Wales
and South Australia states, which are arid and dusty for most of the year,
have been left underwater by torrential rainfall in recent days.

Thousands of sheep and cattle are feared drowned.

http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1541751&ern=y

***
Cyclone Steve...

-----Original Message-----
From: "Moza" <bpr-list@philologos.org>
To: BPR Mailing List <bpr-list@philologos.org>
Date: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 7:28 PM
Subject: [BPR] - Sydney Prepares for Gay Mardi Gras

[I'd like to do a little experiment. I just finished reading John McTernan's
"God's Final Warning to America" (please see BPR review at
http://philologos.org/guide/books.htm) where he states that around the time
of certain public events (usually dealing with abortion or homosexuality)
there is an increase in disastrous weather somewhere in the nation. Australia is
going to have their Gay Mardi Gras this weekend and it will be interesting
to see if there is anything unusual going on over there right after. If anyone
sees anything interesting along these lines, please send them to me and I will
post them on the list. Thanks.--Moza (moza7@netzero.net)]

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