To: "'bprlist@egroups.com'" <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: RE: [bprlist] ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE FAITH
From: "Elphick, David (WS)"
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:23:13 +1030
This quote:
'Ramadan requires Muslims to abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures
from dawn to sunset.'
suggests 1Tim 4: '1 But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and
teachings of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, being seared in their own
conscience, 3 forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which God
has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know
the truth.'
David
-----Original Message-----
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Sent: Tuesday, 28 November 2000 4:33 am
To: bprlist bprlist
Subject: [bprlist] ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE FAITH
Published Sunday, November 26, 2000, in the Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/content/today/news/broward/digdocs/012130.htm
ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE FAITH
There are an estimated 6 million Muslims in the United States and 1.2
billion
worldwide. Only about 20 percent of Muslims live in the Arab-speaking world,
and Indonesia has the largest Muslim population.
There are nearly 2,000 mosques, Islamic schools and Islamic centers in the
United States.
Islam has five pillars of faith: a declaration of faith in God and Muhammad
as the messenger of God; five daily prayers; charitable giving; pilgrimage
to
Mecca; and fasting during Ramadan.
Ramadan requires Muslims to abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures
from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar, which means
that
it begins about 11 days earlier each year.
Ramadan ends with a celebration and feast known as Eid ul-Fitr.
Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations
____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975371373/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Wireless Net news
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 19:16:33 -0500
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,38803,00.html
Free the Wireless Net!
by Leander Kahney
3:00 a.m. Sep. 19, 2000 PDT
Five years ago, do-it-yourself activist James Stevens rigged up a
wireless network that let his London neighbors share the high
bandwidth Internet connection he'd installed.
These days, Stevens has far more ambitious plans: He wants to
wirelessly network all of London by using relatively cheap,
off-the-shelf parts. Stevens' project is one of several regional,
free-wireless initiatives trying to combat the high cost of Internet
access.
With the help of dozens of volunteers, Stevens is hoping to create a
city-wide wireless network, built and maintained by the users
themselves.
Unlike the commercial wireless networks, Stevens' Consume the Net
network will offer free access to anyone with a computer and a US$100
wireless networking card.
"Broadband is prohibitively expensive," Stevens said. "A reasonable
level of connectivity is absent. Technology gives us the opportunity
to do it ourselves."
The network will use wireless cards based on the 802.11 ethernet
standard and manufactured by vendors such as Lucent and
Apple. Networked computers will communicate over the unlicensed 2.4
GHz range of the spectrum, the same frequency used by cordless phones
and
Bluetooth devices.
Data between computers can be transmitted at a rate of up to 8
Mbps. Access to the Internet will be limited by the speed of the
primary broadband, cable modem, or DSL connection, which is often
significantly slower.
Computers will have to be within 45 meters (148 feet) of the closest
broadband connection, but the group is also experimenting with booster
antennas to extend coverage to between 1 and 4 kilometers.
Stevens hopes that enough volunteers with broadband connections will
invest about $1,000 to hook up their Net feeds to wireless base
stations and booster antennas so that the project can stretch across
the entire city.
So far, the group has attracted about a dozen committed members, and
more than 180 people have subscribed to the group's mailing list.
Stevens said the first three nodes of the network will be up and
running sometime this week. The nodes will cover about a square mile of
East London, which, while one of the poorest parts of the city, is
becoming a hotbed for new-media business.
Stevens, a firm believer in cooperative action, said Consume isn't
just about sharing broadband costs, but is also an attempt to bring
Net access to those who can't afford it.
"We'll put up this data cloud and anyone in the vicinity can tune in," he
said.
Stevens has no plans to commercialize the project. "There will be
plenty of spin-off opportunities later on. This is the new way of the Net
-- user constructed networks," he said. "We're demonstrating the
potential without outside commercial pressure."
Stevens has been active in cooperative projects for years. He also
founded Backspace, an arts community that provided free Net access to the
homeless and others from a converted warehouse in South London.
"It's a great idea," said Steve Tyler, a director of Mase Integration and
Communications, which is networking hundreds of buildings for Newham
Borough Council, one of London's local authorities, using essentially the
same equipment.
Tyler cautioned, however, that because the network operates in the
unlicensed 2.4 GHz range, there could be interference from other
devices that use the same frequency.
"It's not a problem yet," he said. "But it will probably become a
problem in a year or two. If someone else puts up their own antenna
and it interferes, there's nothing anyone can do about it."
Steven's group also has to grapple with a number of other
obstacles. The nodes of the network require specific software to
connect; the network is purely line-of-sight and won't penetrate trees and
houses; and there could be interference problems with signals bouncing off
buildings.
On the plus side, the group has access to a sophisticated
network-mapping tool called Web Stalker, which was commissioned for
the troubled Millennium Dome project. Web Stalker will generate a 3-D map
of the network to help users find the nearest access point.
Stevens is not alone in his desire to create community-run wireless
networks. Similar efforts are underway in Seattle, Boston and San
Francisco.
In Seattle, Matt Westervelt is trying to coordinate a similar
802.11-standard wireless network in the city's residential Capitol
Hill district.
The plan is to allow free wireless access to Net-connected computers
at home, Westervelt said. He had been a subscriber to Metricom's
Ricochet service, but tired of the monthly charges.
"We're building our own infrastructure," said Westervelt, a systems
administrator for Real Networks. "You shouldn't have to pay a monthly fee
to be on the airwaves. You should be able to do this for free."
Like Stevens, Westervelt has experience jerry-rigging guerrilla
networks. A few years ago he shared a T1 line with his neighbors in
Seattle's Pioneer Square by stringing Ethernet cables through windows and
across alleyways.
Westervelt and his colleagues have been running about half a dozen
independent wireless nodes from apartments in the area since June, but
face the problem of hooking them up into one seamless network.
He said they need more volunteers to fill in the gaps or someone on a
neighboring hill whom they can bounce signals off of. The group also is
toying with the idea of charging users who don't contribute to the network
by running a node.
Seattle Wireless recently linked up with Xlan, a project started by
Greg Daly, an engineering student at the University of Washington who is
designing homemade booster antennae for 802.11 networks.
Daly said his designs will allow broadband-connected users to share
their connections with others up to 20 kilometers (12.42 miles) away
by setting up inexpensive base stations hooked to a booster antenna.
"Right now a lot of people have cable or DSL connections, but people
down the street don't because of distances," he said. "We hope to help
eliminate that."
Daly has designs for a 4-kilometer directional antenna that costs
about $20, and a 20-kilometer directional antenna based on a used
satellite dish. He expects to publish detailed plans for the antennae on
his site within a month.
In Boston and surrounding areas, Guerrilla Net members are creating a
decentralized, wireless alternative to the Internet.
"The purpose is to ensure that the flow of information is not
obstructed, captured, analyzed, modified, or logged," said Brian
Oblivion, a member of computer security site L0pht Industries.
"This requires a networking fabric which lies outside of governments,
commercial Internet service providers, telecommunications companies, and
dubious Internet regulatory committees," he wrote in an email.
Oblivion said that while the project is centered in Boston, it has
"hundreds" of interested parties worldwide, particularly in the United
States and Europe. If there are enough people in a particular location,
they set up a "cell," Oblivion said.
http://public.wsj.com/sn/y/SB975000515459708837.html
Tech-Savvy Web Users Are Taking
Indoor Wireless Technology Outside
By Kevin J. Delaney
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
LONDON -- Julian Priest is walking east down Clink Street away from
his office. He's holding his laptop in both hands and surfing the Web as
he goes through an enviable five-megabits-per-second link to his desktop
computer. A BBC correspondent appears in a small box on the screen,
delivering a report on the U.S. elections, just like you would see on
television. "It's pretty cool," Mr. Priest says with a laugh.
The 31-year-old technical director of a Web agency is one of a growing
number of tech-adept individuals who are taking inexpensive
wireless-networking technology designed for inside homes and offices and
putting it to work outdoors. What they've found is that they can get
Internet access as far as a kilometer away from their transmitters -- and
at more than twice the speed that the much-touted next-generation cellular
systems will offer. That means they can surf the Web at blazing speeds
while sitting in a park or cafe, for example, access demanding multimedia
applications, and even make voice calls over the Internet. The basic gear
required is available off-the-shelf for less than 1,000 euros ($843). And
the radio spectrum in which it operates, it turns out, is generally free
to use. (Outdoor connections can, however, run afoul of the law in some
countries, including France.)
That's not bad when you consider that operators in Europe have plunked
down as much as 8.5 billion euros for national next-generation wireless
licenses and will spend billions more to build the required
infrastructure. When it's rolled out in most places in coming years, the
cellular data-transfer speed will likely max out around two megabits per
second, about one-fourth of what wireless local area networking, or
wireless LAN, technology offers today.
That said, wireless LANs have significant limitations that make it
extremely unlikely they will compete with the next-generation cellular
services. For starters, the systems being patched together by Mr. Priest
and others are nowhere near as reliable as what the telephone operators
will provide. They aren't backed up by the industrial software and
computer systems that handle billing, client accounts, and assure a
general quality of service. The signals are much weaker, easily blocked by
buildings and thick walls; inside buildings, they are often limited to
about 70 meters. The transmission points, or nodes, set up by individuals
remain scattered to date, with little or no infrastructure to let users
roam and connect through anything other than their home nodes. And the
ultimate speed at which users can wirelessly surf the Web is determined by
the Internet link with which they are communicating and the number of
other people connecting at the same time; a lot of users or a slow line
between a node and the Internet mean the experience is less impressive.
But for Mr. Priest and James Stevens, who have begun gathering the
wireless LAN actors in England through an association called
Consume.net (www.consume.net ), that's beside the point. The
technology lets tech hobbyists tinker in a way that they've never
really been able to in the heavily regulated wireless sector.
"There's a space to do stuff with freely available equipment that if
you try to do it another way people charge you a lot of money," says
Mr. Priest.
He and Mr. Stevens see community wireless LAN networks as an extension
of
the open-source software movement, letting engineers and users experiment
at the same time they're enjoying high-speed connections. And if they wind
up building a serious network at the same time -- sort of the wireless
equivalent of Linux -- so much the better.
For the moment, it remains a tinkerer's enterprise. The basic
configuration involves inexpensive wireless-transmission base stations
compatible with the 802.11b standard, available from companies like Apple
Computer Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Lucent Technologies Inc., Symbol
Technologies Inc. and usually attached to an Internet-connected personal
computer. Wireless networkers often then add on booster antennas, though
there are strict legal limits in Europe on how much they can increase the
signal. People who want to log on to the system just need one of the
wireless LAN cards that are available for well under 200 euros.
In fact, U.K. regulations essentially prevent anyone from making a
profit on services that operate in the 2.4-gigahertz band, which is
generally reserved for industrial, scientific and medical
use. Wireless experts often refer to it as "trash" spectrum because
there are so many radio transmissions on it. It's the frequency used
by the new Bluetooth technology. And it turns out even microwave ovens
emit signals in this band.
But that hasn't stopped individuals around the world from setting up
public-access points in the hopes of spurring the growth of broad
wireless LAN networks. There's an association in San Francisco called
SFLan that started rolling out a network in the Presidio neighborhood
about three years ago. Today, it has over half a dozen nodes in the city
through which users can connect to the Internet for free. Similar
nonprofit organizations have taken root elsewhere, including Seattle and
Stockholm.
Using a wireless LAN, students at Wake Forest University in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, can log on to the university's network from
sites throughout the campus, including some outdoor locations. There's
even a taxi in Aspen, Colorado, that connects to the Internet through a
wireless LAN network set up in that town.
What about the telecommunications operators, many of whom have plunked
down a fortune for cellular licenses and infrastructure? Believe it or
not, they're embracing the unlicensed technology in some instances. Take
Sweden's Telia AB, for example. The telephone company has built its own
Homerun-branded system, which it has begun installing in hotels, airports,
train stations, and other public places. Homerun's business service costs
1,500 Swedish kronor (173 euros) per month, with a 5,000 kronor set-up
fee. The company is also trying to sell its proprietary software and
expertise in the area to other operators and Internet service providers.
Ultimately, most of the tinkerers and the operators agree that
wireless LANs aren't much of a threat to the anticipated
next-generation cellular networks. What they are predicting instead is
that laptops and handsets will be able to connect using both technologies
and switch to the cellular networks when they go out of LAN range.
Back on Clink Street, Mr. Priest gets about 100 meters from his office
when his Internet connection is blocked by an immense brick building. The
BBC correspondent disappears. "Now is when someone else's node should
pick
up," Mr. Priest says.
There is clearly still work to be done.
Write to Kevin J. Delaney at kevin.delaney@wsj.com
via: transhumantech@egroups.com
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975371316/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (11/27/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 19:16:33 -0500
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 / Cheshvan 29, 5761
***see IMRA announcement following news
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. KNESSET PROTECTS JERUSALEM
2. FUND FOR KFAR DAROM
3. PALESTINIAN SHOOTING
4. SHARON WILL TALK UNITY AFTER TOPPLING-MOTION PASSES
5. MORE VIOLENCE EXPECTED IN NORTH
6. INCITEMENT: TARGET-DEPENDENT?
7. TRAVEL IN YESHA
8. REMINDER: TEMPLE MOUNT IS HOLIEST JEWISH SITE ON EARTH
9. FIVE TERRORISTS KILLED
10. SUPPLIES TO GAZA
11. IDF GENERAL: PALESTINIANS LIKELY KILLED 12-YR.-OLD BOY
1. KNESSET PROTECTS JERUSALEM The Knesset voted in favor of the
final reading of the Jerusalem Bill today. The bill stipulates that a majo
rity of
61 MKs is required to approve any change to the borders of Jerusalem.
Likud MK Yehoshua Matza, who sponsored the bill, said that it would head
off any attempts by the government to implement the "unprecedented
concessions" made by Prime Minister Barak in Jerusalem.
2. FUND FOR KFAR DAROM Two of the eight children who were wounded in
the Kfar Darom bus bombing last week were officially released from the
hospital today - but one of them, Matania Daifani, chose to remain in the
hospital with his mother, who was also wounded in the attack. Rachel
Hadad returned home. The Boneh family, which lost their daughter/sister
Mira Amitai - mother of 4 - in the bombing, visited the wounded in the
hospital today on their way to an end-of -shiva memorial service in Kfar
Darom this afternoon. Doctors at Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva reported
that Tehilla Cohen, who lost both her legs (below the knee) in the bombing,
is recuperating; her two siblings, Orit and Yisrael, each lost part of thei
r right
leg.
The town of Kfar Darom has set up a fund for the families of the victims -
including the family of 34-year-old father-of-six Gabi Biton, the Amitai fa
mily,
the Cohen family, and those of the other wounded children. Donations can be
deposited in Bank MaMizrachi, branch #491, account #103681, or written out
to "Terror-Victims' Families Fund in Kfar Darom" and mailed to Kfar Darom,
M.P. Hof Aza, 79720 Israel.
3. PALESTINIAN SHOOTING Palestinians detonated roadside bombs this
afternoon as IDF patrol jeeps passed near the Shomron town of Elon Moreh
and on the Karni-Netzarim road. The soldiers returned fire. The Shomron
bomb went off in the same place at which Palestinians opened fire three
times at army patrols over the past week. Other IDF patrol jeeps, near
Kibbutz Alumim in the Negev and on the Karni-Netzarim, were also fired
upon today; the soldiers returned fire.
Palestinian terrorists also shot at Shdemah, south of Bethlehem; Kalkilyeh;
an IDF post in the Jewish Quarter of Hevron; Erez; and Rachel's Tomb. The
army is allowing Jewish worshippers to pray at Rachel's Tomb, but "at a slo
w
pace," they claim. There was violent rioting at intersections south of Hev
ron,
and Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli vehicles on the Tunnels Highway,
causing its intermittent closing.
4. SHARON WILL TALK UNITY AFTER TOPPLING-MOTION PASSES The
Supreme Court will not rule today on the Likud's suit against Knesset
Speaker Burg's decision to require a 61-MK majority for the first reading;
but
it appears - according to Likud sources - that more than that number will v
ote
for the bill in any event. Shas sources say that Likud leader Ariel Sharon
told Shas leader Eli Yeshai that after the Knesset votes tomorrow to approv
e
the first reading of the bill to topple the government, he will be ready to
talk
seriously with Prime Minister Barak about forming a unity government.
Barak said that an emergency-government will have "no problem" signing
international agreements, and that he would strive now for a "gradated" fin
al
agreement with the Palestinian Authority. MK Yosef Lapid (Shinui), who has
been mediating between Barak and Sharon, said that the two are close to an
agreement on five points of contention.
A meeting of Labor party ministers was marked by high tension and mutual
veiled accusations between Prime Minister Barak and Minister Shimon
Peres. Barak said that "voices from within our party against a unity
government" do not reflect well on the Labor party, and "the concessions th
at
have already been made to Arafat cannot be taken further left by anyone who
is honest." Barak also said, "There seem to be ministers competing with
each other to see who can offer more concessions to Arafat." Peres replied
,
"No one has offered him more than you did; don't smear us." Justice
Minister Yossi Beilin said, "I'd rather be in the opposition than be in a u
nity
government with Ariel Sharon."
5. MORE VIOLENCE EXPECTED IN NORTH Sgt.-Maj. Halil Taher, an IDF
tracker who was killed yesterday morning near the Lebanese border by a
Hizbullah bomb, was buried at the Moslem cemetery in Acco today. He was
the first soldier killed by Hizbullah since the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon
six
months ago - although the condition of the three soldiers kidnapped by
Hizbullah on Oct. 7 is unknown. Health Minister Roni Milo said today that
hospitals and health services in the north must prepare themselves for the
increased violence that is expected in the near future in the north.
6. INCITEMENT: TARGET-DEPENDENT? The Supreme Court ruled today
that Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane is guilty of incitement to rebellion - minutes
before it acquitted journalist Mohammed Jabarin of incitement to violence.
Kahane, a leader of the Kahane Chai movement and a proponent of his late
father Rabbi Meir Kahane's ideas, was found guilty of distributing flyers
during the 1992 election campaign calling on the IDF to bomb the Israeli-
Arab town of Um el-Fahm. He was originally found guilty of incitement to
rebellion, but the ruling was overturned upon appeal to the Supreme Court.
Today, the Court overturned its previous decision, and found that Kahane's
call "might not have the potential to lead to immediate acts of violence, b
ut it
does have a strong effect on the social climate, and could lead to violence
in
the future." [Kahane's sentence of four months in prison was not re-instate
d,
but Kahane was given a one-year suspended sentence.] On the other hand,
the Court reversed the conviction of Jabarin, who wrote in the early 1990's
,
"Whenever I [cheered] and threw a rock, I felt that the victory was calling
to
us, =01'Keep on throwing!'=85 Whenever I threw a firebomb, I felt that I w
as
enveloped in glory and splendor=85" The Court ruled that the conviction of
Jabarin for "supporting a terrorist group" did not apply in this case, sinc
e his
praise of anti-Israel violence did not mention any specific terrorist
organization.
7. TRAVEL IN YESHA IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul Mofaz has issued a
directive forbidding army personnel from traveling throughout Yesha in non-
bullet-proof vehicles. The order includes soldiers and officers who are
residents of Yesha. IDF officers of Yesha who refused to leave their vehic
les
at army roadblocks yesterday were ticketed by the military police.
Former Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu declared that
all Israelis should "keep up their normal lives," and should travel through
out
the country in accordance with security guidelines. The rabbis said that t
his
would encourage a sense of responsibility in the army and induce it to make
every effort to maintain high security standards. The two leaders called o
n
the public to be "strong, determined and courageous." About 1,000 people,
including Sephardic Chief Rabbi Bakshi-Doron and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef,
arrived at the Western Wall for special prayers today, in light of the dang
ers
facing the nation.
8. REMINDER: TEMPLE MOUNT IS HOLIEST JEWISH SITE ON EARTH Is
Associated Press reporting objectively? In one of its articles on the Midd
le
East yesterday, it writes of the Temple Mount as "The al-Aqsa Mosque, part
of a compound in east Jerusalem that Israeli troops captured in 1967, is th
e
third-holiest shrine in the Muslim world." No mention is made of the fact
that
it is the first-holiest shrine in Judaism. Another AP article yesterday,
featuring a similar sentence, quotes Egyptian President Mubarak as calling
for "the liberation of al-Aqsa Mosque," and a Jordanian official as express
ing
the hope for salvaging "the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque from the hands of the
aggressors..."; no mention is made of Israel's 3,685-year-old connection wi
th
the site.
9. FIVE TERRORISTS KILLED Five terrorists were killed yesterday in a
clash with an IDF force near Kalkilye. The five, coming off a failed shooti
ng
attack at an Israeli vehicle near Alfei Menashe, were on their way to attac
k
an IDF outpost nearby, when a waiting IDF force lying in ambush shot and
killed them.
10. SUPPLIES TO GAZA Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh visited the
Karni checkpoint today, and instructed army forces to allow food, gas, and
other materials to pass through into the Gaza Strip. He said that he would
not give anyone the pleasure of painting us as "causing the Palestinians to
starve or be =01'dried out.' When it comes to warfare, [we will fight], bu
t in
other areas, we will be more ethical than [the Palestinians]," said Sneh.
Shortly after he left the Karni Checkpoint, Palestinians opened fire on two
IDF patrol jeeps on the Karni-Netzarim road.
11. IDF GENERAL: PALESTINIANS LIKELY KILLED 12-YR.-OLD BOY O.C.
Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yom Tov Samiyeh said today that it is very
likely that Palestinian bullets were those that killed 12-year-old Muhammed
Al-Dura almost eight weeks ago. A video clip of his killing - filmed by a
French journalist who happened to be there at the time - was broadcast all
over the world, and Israel admitted then that its shots may have inadverten
tly
killed the boy. Samiyeh, however, said that an in-depth investigation,
including a re-enactment of the scene and computer simulations, show that
the boy - who, for an as-yet unexplained reason, was caught in a crossfire
-
was most likely shot in the back by Palestinians. An investigation by form
er
IDF sniper Yosef Doriel found that the guilty Palestinians most likely stoo
d
behind the cameraman. Pictures of the incident and possible explanations
can be seen at <"http://www.geocities.com/rachav/netzarim.html">.
***The IMRA email list has lost the addresses of all its new subscribers
since June 2000. Re-join the list now by writing to
<"imra_israel@hotmail.com">.
Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975371317/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Harpazo.net news items (11/27/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 19:25:25 -0500
Italian Maverick Politician Urges Abolition of Vatican State
Maverick Italian politician Marco Pannella on Monday called for the Vatican
's
more than 70-year-old status as a separate country to be abolished as
Catholicism was the only religion to be granted a sovereign state. Pannella
's
appeal came nine days after European deputies of three Dutch parties
launched a campaign demanding that the European Union sever all
diplomatic ties with the Vatican.
The deputies argue that the Vatican wields too much political power
compared to other religions, blocking decision-making in international
organizations on issues such as AIDS prevention and women's rights. The
Vatican does not represent any people, and should not be able to force the
United Nations into policy concessions on women and youth.
The first Italian politician to come out in favor of abolishing the Roman
Catholic Church's temporal powers, Pannella said on private Radio Radical
he was backing a campaign to change this status, notably at the United
Nations. The campaign has been initiated by the See Change movement
which wants the church's current status as a Non-member State Permanent
Observer reviewed.
See Change argues that the Holy See, the government of the Roman
Catholic Church, should participate in the United Nations as the world's ot
her
religions do -- as a nongovernmental organization. "Not even at Mecca, the
church is a state, even though some Islamic countries are confessional
countries," said Pannella, 70. "It is about time that we too start reforms
to
immediately disband and convert the Vatican City State." AFP
Beware The Ides of Ramadan
The most important Islamic observance of the year begins today, November
27th. It is the month long observance of Ramadan, marking the year 1421 on
the Moslem calendar. The Moslems mark the month with prayer and fasting
during the daylight hours.
The Israeli security forces are bracing for a potential wave of violence gr
eater
than any seen since the beginning of this new round of Intifada. Moslems
have already announced that they will not obey the recent restriction that
forbids men 45 years or younger to enter the Temple Mount for Friday prayer
and worship at the Mosque Al Aqsa. more @ hallindseyoracle.com
More Countries Should Join The Mideast Peace Process, Putin Says
President Vladimir Putin stressed Monday that Russia and Italy were both in
favor of enlarging the number of countries involved in the Middle East peac
e
process. "The base of mediating countries must be expanded," ITAR-TASS
quoted Putin as saying during a Kremlin meeting with Italian counterpart
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. Putin added that "international control, with the
agreement of all sides involved, must be strengthened," according to RIA-
Novosti. Ciampi for his part said the two leaders also discussed the
possibility of stationing more international observers in the region. Russi
a
Today
Egyptians Turn Away Aid for Gaza
Volunteer organizations attempting to provide aid for Palestinians were thi
s
morning turned away at the el-Arish border-crossing point by Egyptian
forces. The group was trying to cross into the Gaza Strip from Egypt. After
a
delay of several hours, Egyptian security forces instructed them to return
to
Cairo. There was no explanation given for the refusal. Jerusalem Post
Annan Expected to Declare Shaba as Israeli
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to declare tonight
that the disputed Shaba area on Israel's northern border is not a part of
Lebanon, and that Hezbollah's claim that the land is Lebanese is incorrect.
Israeli sources also expect Annan to affirm that Israel has abided by UN
Security Council Resolution 425, which called for the withdrawal of Israeli
forces from Lebanon, and that a lethal Hezbollah attack yesterday, in which
an IDF soldier was killed and two were wounded, was a violation of UN
resolutions. The attack, which took place in Har Dov, is adjacent to Shaba,
which Hezbollah claim belongs to Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami spoke with Annan last night and
presented to the secretary-general a detailed account of Israel's claims
regarding the situation on the northern border. Ben-Ami asked that Annan
expand UNIFIL and position those forces along the entire border, as Lebanon
has yet to fulfill its obligations under the UN resolution and position mil
itary
forces in the southern part of the country. Ha'aretz
Knesset OKs Bill Against Palestinian Right of Return
The Knesset approved, on its first reading, by a 90-9 vote, a bill that rul
es out
the right of Palestinian refugees to return to within the Green Line. The l
aw
specifies that such refugees may be allowed within the Green Line only upon
the approval of at least 61 MKs. Meretz MKs were among those who
supported the bill. Jerusalem Post
Six in 10 Say Gore Should Concede
Six in 10 Americans, including a fourth of Al Gore supporters in a new poll
,
say it is time for the vice president to concede now that George W. Bush
(news - web sites ) has been certified as the winner of Florida's 25 electo
ral
votes.
Nonetheless, about six in 10 in the ABC News-Washington Post poll also
said they would accept Gore as legitimately elected if he were to emerge as
the president. More, almost eight in 10, say they would accept Bush as
legitimately elected.
About 40 percent in the poll taken Sunday night said Gore should concede
because the vote was fair, while almost 20 percent want him to quit because
they ``want to get this over with.'' AP
PA Threaten Violence Over Ramadan Prayers
Sources in the Palestinian Authority are threatening violent opposition to
possible Israeli plans limiting numbers of Moslem prayergoers on the Temple
Mount during the month of Ramadan. The PA says clashes are likely to
break out at IDF checkpoints in and around Jerusalem if any limitations are
enacted. The Police will recommend to the political echelon in coming days
whether to allow free entry to Moslems or to continue allowing access to
prayergoers over the age of 45. Jerusalem Post
Latest Developments: (09:50 IST) Likud says it has 61+ majority for
Tuesday's first reading of its bill to dissolve the Knesset and force early
elections. Ha'aretz
Israeli Officials Okay Construction of Hundreds of New West Bank Settler
Homes
The Israel Lands Authority last month approved the construction of hundreds
of new homes in West Bank settlements, prompting fresh calls by Israeli
peace activists for a freeze on homebuilding in Jewish enclaves in the
territories, Israel Radio reported Monday. It said the Authority had given
a
green light to construction of 607 new homes, and that the Housing Ministry
last week published a tender for building 76 housing units in Elkana
settlement. Meretz MK Mussi Raz urged the government to freeze
construction in all settlements. Settlement expansion has long been a focus
of Palestinian rage, and has often been cited by Washington as a main
obstacle to peace. Settlement leaders, however, said the current wave of
violence against settlers was precisely the time to boost home construction
in settlements, and to provide permanent housing for settlers now living in
caravans. Ha'aretz
US Rebukes Putin For Arms to Iran
Washington is expected to impose sanctions on Moscow this week after
President Putin=92s Government insisted that it would resume arms supplies
to
Tehran. In a sudden breakdown of relations, Igor Ivanov, the Russian Foreig
n
Minister, flew to Vienna yesterday for what is likely to be a cool meeting
with
Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of State.
Mr Ivanov said before he left that President Khatami of Iran was to make an
official visit to Moscow next year. The timing underlines the row between
Russia and the United States over Moscow=92s decision to resume arms
supplies to Iran. Ms Albright is expected to tell Mr Ivanov that if new arm
s
exports go ahead, Washington will impose selective sanctions on Russia.
Moscow has told the US that it intends to ignore a secret 1995
memorandum agreeing not to sell arms, signed by Vice-President Al Gore
and Viktor Chernomyrdin, the former Russian Prime Minister, because the
Americans had leaked the contents to deflect attacks by Republicans on Mr
Gore. The Russians denied that they were about to supply Tehran with
nuclear materials or any components prohibited by international treaties. t
he
times
Mideast Observer Idea Needs Local Backing -Germany
A Russian-backed plan to use international peacekeepers to stem the
spread of Israeli- Palestinian violence will work only if all sides agree t
o such
a force, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Sunday. "It"s not
only a proposal of Russia, it"s within the discussion," Fischer told Reuter
s
after meeting Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov. "All proposals should be ver
y
carefully discussed. It depends on the reaction from the parties on the
ground." Reuters
U.S. and EU Blamed For Collapse of Climate Talks
Environmentalists are laying the blame for the collapse of the U.N. climate
summit with the U.S. and European Union. The summit in The Hague broke
up on Saturday in disarray after delegates failed to reach an agreement on
proposals to cut greenhouse gases and reduce global warming. Britain's
Deputy Prime Minister walked out of the meeting, declaring he was "gutted"
at the failure of the talks. Some delegates said a compromise deal on
implementing a pact reached in Kyoto in 1997 was rejected at the 11th hour
by members of the 15-nation EU. CNN
UK paper: Euroforce Chief is Son Of Nazi Officer
The German head of the proposed European Rapid Reaction Force is a son
of a Nazi officer who fought during the Second World War and later taught a
t
a Hitler military academy, the Sunday Times newspaper said. Horst Bodo
Schuwirth, who died in 1983, had a model military career that began in the
Wehrmacht and ended more than three decades later after he reached the
rank of major-general in the Bundeswehr, the West German army, the
newspaper said. "The most decisive moment of his career was in the
summer of 1943 when his regiment, the 73rd Panzer Grenadiers, was
defeated by the Red Army at the battle of Kursk," the Sunday Times said.
The battle at Kursk was the biggest tank battle in history and signaled the
end of Hitler's ambitions in the east. The newspaper said the new Euroforce
commander, Gen. Rainer Schuwirth, as well as German authorities, had
refused to discuss the officer's past but Rainer's brother Werner, a lawyer
,
broke the family silence Saturday. Werner Schuwirth told news media, "Of
course my father was never a Nazi party member" but a professional soldier
called on to fulfil his duties for his country." UPI
Fears Over Genetic Information
British people are keen to see genetic breakthroughs that will benefit heal
th
but do not want their employers or insurers to use the information against
them. A new survey, commissioned by the national advisory body, the
Human Genetics Commission (HGC), found that most people agree human
genetics research will lead to cures for disease and healthier babies. But
it
also revealed that most people have little or no confidence that regulation
s
are keeping pace with scientific developments. The survey of 788 members
of the People's Panel, set up by the Cabinet Office, coincides with the
launch of a major consultation exercise on the future use of genetic
information. BBC
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Set to Lead Solidarity
Mission to Israel
Fellowship Founder Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein Announces Series of Trips to
Encourage Tourism To Israel. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, Founder and
President of The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a Chicago
based organization with over 200,000 members, will lead his second trip in
the past month of Christians to Israel. Last month Eckstein led a group,
which included Bishop Keith Butler of Detroit, representing over 600
Churches during which time he presented a check for $10 Million to Prime
Minister Ehud Barak's office. Israel Wire
http://www.harpazo.net/news.html
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975374146/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Let the dead speak again
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 20:18:10 -0500
November 27th
LET THE DEAD SPEAK AGAIN
British scientists believe they will soon be able to carry out the first
fully functional "voice transplant".
It may sound like something out of a horror film, with the dead being able
to
speak again, but such an operation could bring relief to thousands of
speechless people.
Dead donor
A =A31.2 million programme researching the transplant of a voice box from a
dead donor to a living person is being carried out by a team from the
University of Bristol and the city's Southmead hospital.
Team leader Martin Birchall, reader in head and neck surgery at the
university, and honorary consultant at North Bristol NHS Trust, said he
hoped the first procedure could be performed in the city by 2004.
The operation would for the first time transplant personal characteristics
that
identify an individual.
The vocal chords would take months to start working again - with the
recipient having a voice with the same pitch and quality as the deceased
donor.
Keep relatives away
The team would have to ensure the lives of the donor and recipient did not
overlap.
"It could cause the donor's loved one considerable distress if they heard t
heir
voice coming out of someone else," said Mr Birchall.
Help cancer patients
The procedure would help thousands whose voice boxes have stopped
working as a result of cancer or injury. The research, funded by the
Wellcome Trust, will study how to perfect the transplant and how to reduce
rejection.
The only operation currently available was introduced in 1850, and involves
total larynx removal - leaving the patient to breathe through a hole in the
neck.
Nice try
The only previous laryngeal transplant was carried out in Cleveland, USA, i
n
1998, but was only partially successful. The patient got some speech back,
but the voice box was not fully functional, and the patient had to breath
through an air pipe.
http://sky.com/news/health/story21.htm
via: isml@egroups.com
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975374773/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Software monitors e-mail with ease
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 13:21:32 -0000
Published Sunday, Nov. 26, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News
http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/business/docs/emailpriv26.htm
Software monitors e-mail with ease
Difficult-to-detect technology worries Net privacy advocates
BY AMY HARMON
New York Times
It was during a recent job search that Donald Bell gave in to the
temptation to bug his own e-mail. Bell, 55, had e-mailed dozens of
r=E9sum=E9s to prospective employers and received scant response.
Naturally he wondered: Was he being rejected, or had his messages
gone unread?
Anyone who has been left hanging knows it is the sort of nagging
question that is rarely answered. But thanks to a furtive application
of a feature common to the latest e-mail programs, Bell was able to
learn, undetected, that people were indeed opening his messages. With
a service he found on the Internet, he could even tell precisely when
the recipients read his e-mail and if they sent it on to anyone else.
``It feels a little naughty, because you can't do this with postal
mail,'' said Bell, who has since started his own company in San
Francisco and sometimes uses the e-mail service to check whether
colleagues forward messages that he considers confidential. ``But e-
mail is a different animal. You have to just reach into your heart
and decide what you're going to do.''
Monitoring easy
Bell is not alone in taking advantage of new e-mail software that
makes certain kinds of monitoring easy and nearly imperceptible. At a
time when many Internet users have come to grips with advertisers'
tracking their anonymous trail of clicks across the World Wide Web,
the frontier of the electronic privacy wars is shifting to the more
personal realm of the e-mail ``in'' box.
Marketing companies now regularly keep tabs on which prospective
customers open their e-mail solicitations, and at what time of day,
arguing that consumers benefit because the information is used to
devise more personalized promotions. Individuals who have used e-mail
tracking services say they feel entitled to monitor their own
correspondence in a medium where it is so easily passed along or
ignored.
But privacy advocates contend that such practices open a new window
of surveillance on a traditionally private sphere of communications.
They compare it to having someone who leaves a message on your
answering machine -- a telemarketer, say, or your mother -- alerted
the moment you listen to it. More troubling, they say, is that the
same technology can be used to attach an e-mail address to previously
anonymous records of the Web sites visited from a single computer.
Connecting the data collected through files known as cookies with an
e-mail address, the privacy advocates argue, will be irresistible to
marketers seeking to identify the buying habits and personal tastes
of individual consumers. The linked databases, they say, could also
be consulted by law enforcement agencies, insurance companies,
employers and others who would need only an e-mail address to look up
a record of an individual's activities on the Web.
``You can buy 50,000 addresses of people who subscribe to the New
Yorker,'' said Richard M. Smith, chief technology officer of the
Privacy Foundation. ``But you don't know what articles they're
reading in it, or what books they've bought or what medical problems
they've been researching lately. That's very much a possibility
within this technology.''
The technology in question is seemingly innocuous: the ability of the
latest e-mail programs to send and display images. E-mail senders use
the feature, based on the Web's computer language, to create colorful
messages known as HTML mail.
But many also use it to embed tiny images that are invisible to the
recipients. Marketers call them pixel tags and say they are used to
gauge the success of e-mail campaigns. Privacy advocates prefer a
more ominous moniker -- Web bugs.
The instant someone opens e-mail that contains instructions to
display a graphic file, his or her computer automatically fetches the
image from a specified location on the Internet. By adding a unique
identifying code to those instructions, a sender can record when a
particular recipient retrieves the image, and, thus, when the e-mail
is opened.
Subsequent retrieval of the image can tell the sender how often the
message is reopened, and sometimes whether it has been forwarded
(though not the precise forwarding address).
Direct marketers, the most frequent users of the technique, say it is
akin to the standard practice among Internet advertisers of tracking
which banners Web surfers click on.
``I don't see any privacy issues there because the data is secure and
never sold,'' said William Park, chief executive of Digital Impact,
an e-mail marketing company that has designed campaigns for dozens of
clients.
More privacy risks
The emergence of HTML mail may well make reading e-mail more like
visiting a Web site, with all the attendant privacy risks. But for
many Internet users, those risks may seem more acceptable on the Web
than they do in their ``in'' box.
Sophisticated Internet users know that when they click on a Web
advertisement they are likely exposing themselves to scrutiny, and
that it is possible to reject the files that record such behavior.
But few are aware of the tracking capability of HTML mail. And while
some e-mail programs, like Microsoft Outlook and Eudora, give users
the option of screening images out, others, like America Online 6.0
and Web-based Hotmail do not.
Some recipients of e-mail newsletters say they do not mind if the
sender knows when they open a message, particularly if the point is
to alert them to a sale or a new product they may be interested in.
But others argue that it violates their right to communicate, or not,
without being observed. And particularly in a country where postal
mailboxes are protected by federal law, the notion that reading e-
mail is no longer a private act may prove disconcerting.
``We would shudder if regular letters were implanted with secret
signals that alerted their senders when they were opened,'' said
Jeffrey Rosen, author of ``The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of
Privacy in America''. ``It seems to invade both the privacy of the
home and in some sense the privacy of the mind.''
Still, the practice is becoming more common. About 60 percent of e-
mail users have software that can read HTML mail, according to the
online research firm Jupiter Media Metrix, a number expected to grow
significantly as America Online users install version 6.0, the first
update to include the feature, released last month.
As advertising on Web sites proves increasingly ineffective, scores
of companies like Eddie Bauer and Borders are relying more heavily on
e-mail solicitations whose value lies in part in the ability to track
recipient response. How many subscribers actually open e-mail has
also become an important measurement by which e-mail newsletter
companies like Lifeminders sell advertising. Companies that send
unsolicited bulk e-mail use tracking to increase the value of their
address lists by weeding out those who never open their messages.
And individuals can use Postel Services, the Korean company whose
service Bell used to learn the fate of his job applications. Messages
routed through its servers have tiny graphic files appended before
being sent on. When the recipient opens the message, Postel is
alerted and in turn alerts the sender.
Soobok Lee, the company's founder, said about 30,000 people have used
the service since its introduction in May, in addition to several
companies that have purchased licenses to track all of their
correspondence. The first 30 messages a month are free, after which
Postel charges 2 cents a message.
Unsettling potential
But whatever the utility or etiquette involved in monitoring the
opening of a single piece of e-mail, it is the potential for that act
to open a door to far more personal information that some find most
unsettling.
The main object of concern is advertising companies like DoubleClick,
Engage and 24/7 Media that already track the Web travels of tens of
millions of Internet users, anonymously, by way of cookies.
The first time someone visits a site where DoubleClick places
advertisements, for instance, the company deposits an identifying
code -- No. 1234, say -- on his computer. After that, every time the
computer with cookie No. 1234 visits one of the several thousand
sites that contract with DoubleClick, the company records the visit.
DoubleClick and others use the information gleaned from cookies to
choose which advertisement from the hundreds of clients they
represent is most suited to an individual's tastes. They may know,
for instance, that No. 1234 has recently visited sites related to
quitting smoking, sport utility vehicles and the Green Party -- but
they have generally had no way of knowing who No. 1234 is.
The opportunity to identify the person behind the cookie comes when
one of the advertising firms sends HTML mail to a consumer on behalf
of a client, tagged with a unique identifier to track when it is
opened. When the recipient opens such a message, his cookie code is
exposed to the sender's server computer, which can compare it to
those stored in its own database. At that moment, No. 1234 could be
revealed as joe@computer.com.
After drawing scrutiny this year from the Federal Trade Commission,
the major advertisers have vowed to refrain from linking personally
identifiable information to anonymously collected data without
permission from the consumer. But privacy advocates say consumers may
consent unwittingly, and they note that voluntary privacy policies
are easily modified.
Another practice, which involves using e-mail as a kind of Trojan
horse to deliver a cookie file, recently prompted the Michigan
attorney general's office to warn that it would sue one Web site,
Evite, under the state's Consumer Protection Act unless it began to
inform consumers.
Invitation service
Party organizers use Evite, a San Francisco-based online invitation
service, to e-mail HTML invitations. In addition to collecting the
official RSVP's, Evite is able to tell the organizer who opened the
mail without responding, and who did not open it at all. Those who
open the invitation receive a cookie from Evite, which would not
otherwise be possible unless they visited its Web site.
Privacy advocates speculate that the company could ``rent'' the
cookie and the e-mail address it is associated with to other sites.
Evite's chief executive, Josh Silverman said in a statement that the
cookies Evite delivers are not linked to addresses.
But Nick Ragouzis, a technically savvy business consultant in San
Francisco who discovered Evite's invisible pixel in an invitation he
received recently, said that alone was enough to make him feel his
privacy had been invaded.
``I don't really care that they know I opened this particular
message,'' said Ragouzis. ``But they never asked me. And there would
be other messages that I would care about. I feel I should be asked.''
Ragouzis said he told the host of the party, Jad Duwaik, to refrain
from sending him future Evite invitations and asked that he stop
using the company's services altogether. But Duwaik, who organizes
networking events for entrepreneurs, said the information provided by
Evite about how many of the invitees open the e-mail helps him gauge
interest in his parties.
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975423257/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Annan appeals to governments to revamp peacekeeping
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:23:50 -0500
Annan appeals to governments to revamp peacekeeping
By Evelyn Leopold
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan
challenged governments to approve funds for an overhaul of peacekeeping
operations, saying delays would injure 58,000 troops, police and civilians
in 15 missions.
In an address to a key U.N. finance committee on Monday, Annan asked the
189-member General Assembly to approve an emergency $22 million next
year,
add 250 new staff to the department and create a new unit to gather and
analyze intelligence on impending crises.
"It is in the field that we succeed or fail," Annan said. "This is truly
an emergency requirement, demanding emergency action."
The peacekeeping department currently has some 400 professional and
clerical employees overseeing 15 operations around the world, including
Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Eritrea, East Timor and Kosovo. About 32 staff
have military expertise.
Annan also sought to meet complaints from developing countries that new
efforts for peacekeeping, particularly the intelligence unit, would come
at the expense of funds for projects in poor nations.
Saying he shared their concerns, Annan, however, told members, "It would
be folly to imagine that we can make adequate resources available for
development by preventing the United Nations from developing an adequate
capacity to pay for peacekeeping."
Annan's proposals were based on a major report he commissioned last
summer
from former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar Brahimi on shortcomings in
peacekeeping following disasters during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and
the 1995 slaughter of Bosnian Muslims in the enclave of Srebrenica.
SHARPER OPERATION
Brahimi's report had been greeted by the Millennium Summit of world
leaders in September as a way to give peacekeepers, who can take months
to
reach a crisis, a sharper operation.
And the 15-member Security Council adopted a resolution on Nov. 13 lauding
the report and promising to do its part by giving clearer mandates to
peacekeeping missions.
But India, Pakistan, Egypt, Cuba, among many others, have criticized some
of the new plans and asked why the large Department of Political Affairs
could not fulfill the function of an intelligence unit.
On Monday, South Korea's U.N. ambassador, Sun Joun-Yung said
proposals for
additional posts for the peacekeeping department needed more study before
the General Assembly could approve them.
U.S. ambassador Richard Holbrooke, a prime mover in revamping
peacekeeping, told the committee that "mounting demands for increasingly
complex operations in the most vulnerable parts of the globe have brought
the situation in the United Nations in this area to the brink of
collapse."
But he acknowledged a major concern was the large U.S. debt to the United
Nations, which has now amounted to $1.8 billion. About half will paid by
Congress only after the assembly agrees to lower U.S. contributions to the
U.N. budget.
In addition, the United States has insisted on a zero growth budget, which
Norway's U.N. ambassador Ole Peter Kolby said "has become increasingly
counterproductive both in terms of U.N. reform, and in terms of allowing
the U.N. to respond to new challenges and tasks."
Annan also expressed sympathy with those who deplored "the lack of
political will to contribute to peacekeeping missions in Africa" in what
he called the "commitment gap."
Developing countries who provide most of the troops for missions have
attacked wealthy nations for refusing to send their own soldiers to
peacekeeping operations.
Bangladesh, a Security Council member, tried unsuccessfully to set a five
percent quota of troop contributions for the Security Council's five
permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
23:19 11-27-00
http://www.reuters.com/news.jhtml
via: Third_Watch@egroups.com
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975422731/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] TB, malaria return as killer diseases - WHO
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:23:50 -0500
TB, malaria return as killer diseases - WHO
DHAKA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Tuberculosis and malaria, once believed under
control, are killing millions of people in Southeast Asian countries, a
World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Monday.
"TB and Malaria, which were once considered to have been brought under
control, are (now) rampant ... in developing countries and specifically in
our region," Dr Uton Muchtar Rafei, WHO regional director in Southeast
Asia, told a Dhaka health conference.
The three-day conference on tuberculosis and malaria, attended by about 50
parliamentarians from 10 Southeast Asian countries, was opened by
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"An estimated 40 percent of the population is infected with TB in our
region and more than 1.5 million people died of TB last year," Rafei said.
"The poor are more than twice as likely to get TB than non-poor. Globally,
95 percent of TB cases occur in poor countries," he said.
He said an estimated 25 million people suffered from malaria and over 1.25
billion people were at risk of contracting malaria in the region.
05:36 11-27-00
http://www.reuters.com/news.jhtml
via: Third_Watch@egroups.com
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975422731/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report (11/27/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:23:50 -0500
AUSTRIA MUST OFFER MORE NAZI ERA COMPENSATION
The United States has warned Austria it must offer more in compensation
for Jews whose property was seized during World War II, and push the
private sector to contribute, a US official said Monday. US Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright made it clear in a meeting with Austrian leaders i
n
Vienna on Sunday that she expected both the state and industry to offer
larger payments to Jews who were stripped of their assets in Nazi Austria.
"The secretary stressed the need for further commitments on the part of
Austria and on the part of the private sector," state department spokesman
Richard Boucher told AFP.
Preliminary figures mentioned by Austrian negotiators in early talks were
turned down by representatives of the victims. US Deputy Treasury
Secretary Stuart Eizenstat is due in Vienna on Thursday for a 2 day
meeting on the subject, while US lawyers back home are threatening law
suits if no satisfactory deal is struck between the parties. Renowned US
lawyer Ed Fagan wants Austria to pay some $750mn in compensation for
seized property to his clients.
"To reach a resolution, they (the Austrians) are going to need to satisfy t
he
claimants by getting the support of the private sector," a senior US offici
al
said. But Austrian companies have not fallen over themselves to subscribe
to the government's compensation plans to date, making only modest
payments into a fund for forced labour victims, which as a result is still
short of funds.
Vienna signed a deal with the US at the end of last month, agreeing to
compensate some 150,000 forced labour victims with a fund of $366mn,
half of which was to be raised by Austrian industry. Austrian negotiators
have not yet given a total figure for property compensation, nor have they
yet appealed to private industry for payment into a fund. The deal on force
d
labour compensation was struck on the condition that Austria would move
quickly to make property payments. If it does not do so, Austria will not
have the safeguard of "legal peace", or protection from law suits claiming
more in compensation. (Agence France-Presse)
PRODI TELLS FRANCE TO YIELD VETO FIRST
Romano Prodi turned the tables on France yesterday by urging it to
surrender its national veto in sensitive policy areas to break a =93dangero
us
and difficult impasse=94 before next month=92s Nice summit. Speaking at a t
ime
when Paris is pressing Britain to give up its veto on tax and social securi
ty
matters, the President of the European Commission said that France, as the
current holder of the EU=92s presidency, should set an example by dropping
its opposition to qualified majority voting (QMV) in areas such as external
trade.
=93No one is going to give any ground on the veto question until someone el
se
does. It should be France, which holds the presidency at the moment, to set
the example,=94 Signor Prodi told Italy=92s La Stampa newspaper. The French
have listed 52 matters to which QMV might be extended at the Nice
summit, whose purpose is to reform the EU=92s decisionmaking machinery so
that it does not seize up when a dozen new member states join.
Although most member states agree that QMV should become the rule,
each is insisting on maintaining its veto on different issues they consider
sacrosanct. For France that covers external trade. =93Without letting that
veto
go, Europe will never be able to sign a trade treaty,=94 Signor Prodi said.
=93Only if every country takes a step back from defending their right to ve
to
will we all be able to take a step forward together.=94 He also urged Franc
e
to compromise on the composition of the EC. The big member states want
its size limited, but most small states favour one commissioner per state.
(The London Times)
* Ten days before the start of a potentially landmark European Union
summit on treaty reform in Nice, hopes for a result that would exceed the
present low expectations primarily lie with the traditional motor of Europe
an
integration: Germany and France. According to negotiators preparing for
the meeting -- in which a series of contentious reforms left over from the
1997 Treaty of Amsterdam are to be hammered out to pave the way for
EU enlargement -- it all depends on both nations checking their differences
at the door and working together on an ambitious new treaty. (Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung)
A TEST FOR EUROPE
The European Union can equivocate no longer. At a summit meeting early
next month in Nice, the heads of state should firmly commit to enlarge the
Union within the next 4 years by taking in qualified new members from
Central and Eastern Europe. Failure to do so would imperil the Continent's
stability by reaffirming its division into 2 halves, one united and prosper
ous,
the other fragmented and still vulnerable to resentful national rivalries.
Ever since giving a prominent speech on the issue last May, Germany's
foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, has been the most forceful advocate for
the proposition that enlarging the EU is a moral and historical
imperative.Mr. Fischer recently said, "We must allow Poland into the heart
of Europe, lest we accept the legacy of Hitler and Stalin." He is right, an
d
the good news is that other European governments appear resolved to press
ahead with enlargement. But their leaders should do more to sell the
economic merits of enlargement to their citizens.
Meanwhile, the Union is engaging a dozen candidates in negotiations to
pave the way for eventual membership. Poland, Hungary, the Czech
Republic, Slovenia and Estonia are considered the strongest candidates,
expected to join between 2003 and 2005. The promise of eventual
membership has been the greatest incentive for economic and political
reform in the entire region, from Bulgaria to the Baltics.
At Nice, the EU will have to embrace institutional reforms of its own as a
prelude to enlargement. Its decision-making processes, designed for a
trading bloc of 6 nations, are hardly suited for today's common market of 1
5
nations, let alone one of 27. The trouble is that individual member states
champion reforms that suit their often conflicting views of the Union's
fundamental nature. France and Germany, for instance, both remain strong
proponents of "deepening" the Union, although one sees it more as a
federation of nations, the other of peoples. France would like to reaffirm
the
supremacy of the Council of Ministers, whose members represent the
national governments, while Germany would like to strengthen the
supranational policy-making European Commission.
To be more effective, the EU must increasingly turn to majority voting,
instead of unanimity, as a basis for action. But member states may haggle
at Nice over which issues will remain susceptible to a veto. Also on the
summit meeting agenda are the makeup of the commission, the weighting of
nations' votes in the council, a charter of fundamental rights and "enhance
d
cooperation." The last item is Brussels jargon for the idea that if a subgr
oup
of members wants to create, say, a shared set of financial securities
regulations, it should forge ahead on its own.
Despite its constituents' differences, the EU has a heartening track record
of coming together at such moments to keep the Continent's remarkable
integration on track. It should do so again at Nice, agreeing to reforms th
at
can set the stage for an ambitious enlargement. (Int'l Herald Tribune -
Editorial)
TENSIONS HIGH IN SERBIA AS DEADLINE NEARS
Ethnic Albanian guerrillas who have been staging attacks in southern Serbia
warned Monday of an imminent offensive by Yugoslav forces after
Belgrade set a deadline for stopping the violence. Tension was high in the
Presevo valley ahead of the 7:00 pm deadline set by Belgrade for Kosovo
peacekeepers to end the rebel activity in a buffer zone near the UN-
administered province. Yugoslav tanks were seen in the area near the
demilitarized zone but President Vojislav Kostunica said the heavy
weaponry would not move into the area in line with an agreement with
NATO signed last year.
Kostunica said Belgrade would respect the agreement under which only
police with light arms, and not army troops, are allowed in the buffer zone
.
"In the so-called Ground Safety Zone .. only Serbian police with light
weapons should move, and we are going to respect that provision of the
military-technical agreement." Displaced persons arriving in Kosovo Sunday
reported the "heavy presence of tanks" near their villages around
Bujanovac, Peter Deck, a field officer in Kosovo for the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, told AFP. (Agence France-Presse)=0E
* Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung says that former Yugoslav President
Slobodan Milosevic's re-election to chairman of his Socialist Party of Serb
ia
shows to what extent the changeover remains unfinished. It says that
Milosevic was re-elected in a secret ballot during a party congress this
weekend. The paper believes that Milosevic's party will probably still be
unable to beat the Democratic Opposition of Serbia or DOS - as the newly
ruling coalition is called - in December's parliamentary elections.
The Slovak daily Novy Cas says that some of the insults hurled by
Milosevic at the Yugoslav government and at former party colleagues
during his speech must have made his current supporters wonder whether
they could actually take him seriously. In addition, confidence in Milosevi
c
must have eroded because of his supporters' "awareness that the new
Yugoslav authority has the full moral right to outlaw the entire gang... an
d
that Milosevic himself is sought for war crimes", Novy Cas concludes.
(BBC)
FINDING SECURITY IN A NEW CENTURY
Speaking on day 3 of an official 4-day visit to Germany, Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov used the platform provided him by a private
conference to outline his views on European-Russian relations in the 21st
century. "Europe can and must become the generator of comprehensive
strategic stability in the world," Mr. Ivanov announced at the 6th Annual
Berlin Europa Forum, a meeting of leading politicians from almost 24
countries. Mr. Ivanov went on to link this call with an appeal to the
countries of the EU to cooperate with Moscow in matters of arms control.
Mr. Ivanov said that disarmament could no longer be a matter for
"exclusive cooperation" between the US and Russia. In the future, the EU
also needs to be involved, he said. He urged Europe to work with Russia to
preserve the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Washington wants to
modify to allow for a national missile defense system. However, Mr.
Ivanov qualified his opposition to changing the treaty by saying that his
country was entirely "open" to a unified missile defense system in Europe.
The minister also expressed strong support for strengthening both the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the United
Nations. But in a reference to NATO's intervention in the Kosovo conflict,
Mr. Ivanov opposed western attempts to turn the OSCE into an "instrument
of forced democratization."
The Russian foreign minister also called for solidarity with the new
leadership in Belgrade to "secure democracy for Yugoslavia," but he made
clear that the "fate" of this democracy depended on the situation in Kosovo
,
insisting that the province must remain part of Yugoslavia. So far, he said
,
everything that had taken place in Kosovo had "actually strengthened the
position of the separatists."
Mr. Ivanov accorded relations between his country and the EU the rank of
a strategic partnership and said that his country was investigating "in
particular" the possibility of a Russian contribution to EU troop deploymen
ts
within the context of crisis-management operations.
With regard to EU enlargement, Mr. Ivanov said this was as a "normal
process" not harmful to Russian interests, but Russia also needed to be
absolutely certain that the Atlantic military alliance would "not permit
violations of the basic agreement between Russia and NATO in the future."
The Europa Forum agreed with G=FCnther Verheugen, the EU commissioner
in charge of enlargement, that there was no consensus on where Europe
ended whether in terms of politics and geography. In addition to the group
of existing candidates, a second group of 5 Balkan countries was now
emerging, Mr. Verheugen said, adding that the position on Russia, Belarus,
Ukraine and Moldova remained unclear.
The latter point did not sit well with the guests from Ukraine and Moldova.
The Ukrainian foreign minister, Anatoly Zlenko, warned that the regions on
the periphery of the EU could descend into chaos if outdated borders were
set in stone again. The Moldovan prime minister, Dumitru Braghis,
expressed concern that Europe could again be divided into an area of
prosperity and another of poverty and backwardness.
The Lithuanian president, Valdas Adamkus, reminded conference
participants that if Lithuania and Poland both became EU member states,
Russia's Kaliningrad region -- wedged between the 2 countries and the
Baltic Sea -- would become a Russian enclave within the EU. There would,
he said, be no alternative to greater regional cooperation with the Russia.
The leader of Germany's Christian Democrat Union, Angela Merkel,
assured the Russian foreign minister that his country, "part of which forms
part of Europe," could do away with the notion that it was not being taken
sufficiently seriously by Europeans. Mr. Ivanov ended his 4-day visit to
Berlin after meeting on Sunday with his German counterpart, Joseph
Fischer, and German defense minister, Rudolf Scharping. Mr. Ivanov then
traveled to Vienna, where the OSCE is to commemorate the 25th
anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
GADHAFI ADVISES U.S. POWER SHARING
Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi has advised the United States to split
the presidency between Al Gore and George Bush in order to avoid "a civil
war." Gadhafi, in an interview with an Italian television station to be
broadcast in the coming days, said loosing the logjammed U.S. presidential
election was "a complicated problem." "For U.S. to avoid a civil war, power
should be split between the presidential candidates. In case Bush wins, Al
Gore could be his deputy and vice-versa. I advised the American friends to
announce this now since this would lead to solving the problem, meaning
that the one who wins more votes will be President and the one with less
votes will be deputy president."
The Libyan leader reiterated that he does not believe in elections but only
in
"direct popular democracy, meaning that people rule themselves." He
described the present democracy in the world as "fabricated democracy"
asking how "40% of the people can accept a person they did not elect?"
Gadhafi said there was "no difference between Bush and Gore," saying the
problem "lies in the Congress and the imperialist circles."
He said President Clinton was " a nice man but he could not do much for
his people because they implicated him in dangerous cases." He accused
the Congress of "ignoring the world and fighting a country without knowing
its location. I am sure the Congress does not know where Kosovo, Libya or
Kuwait are located." Gahdafi said if the Americans take his advice, both
Democrats and Republicans will be in power and both have "interests to be
in the White House." (United Press International)
GLOBAL WARNING
Paris' Liberation summarizes the result of the summit on climate change in
The Hague in a 2 word banner headline on its front page: "Bitter Failure".
The photograph that forms the backdrop to the headline is one of
environmental gloom and doom: 2 giant black chimneys spew out dark
smoke into a greenish-brown kind of smog, which diffuse sunlight is
struggling to penetrate.
Belgium's Le Soir in a front-page article entitled "Six months to rekindle
hope for the planet" strikes a slightly more optimistic note. It admits tha
t the
summit was what it calls a "resounding failure". But it highlights that the
181
countries present in The Hague have given themselves 6 months to put the
negotiations back on track. "The aim is still to find an agreement on how t
he
Kyoto protocol, obliging the industrialized countries to reduce their
greenhouse effect gas emissions by 5.2%, can be put into practice."
Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau also says that the "climate ministers", as
it describes them, still have one chance left. "The summit has formally onl
y
been interrupted, not broken off." However, it says that if the countries
attending the summit do not reach a binding agreement within half a year,
then the process under UN auspices can be "buried once and for all".
The US election saga is having truly planetary consequences,says Italy's La
Stampa in its Sunday edition. "It is certain... that the failure of the wor
ld
climate conference is a serious negative consequence of the power vacuum
in the United States. Amid the total uncertainty over the successor to
President Clinton, the American delegation was deprived of any negotiating
flexibility. It was left fenced into a position unacceptable to the Europea
ns
and Japanese which would have given the United States the chance of
acquiring from the poorest countries... the 'right to pollute'."
Madrid's El Pais blames disagreement between the US and Europe on how
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the summit's failure. It says that t
he
USA considers unrealistic the aim of reducing emissions in fixed
instalments, saying it would also be too costly. "Given the European positi
on,
which is more conservationist and moral," the paper says, stressing the
word "moral", "Washington also opposes financial sanctions against those
who fail to meet the targets." The paper says that its is poorer countries
which will most be affected by global warming, even though they contribute
the least to the emission of polluting gases. "We are all losers in the fia
sco
achieved in The Hague," it says.
Vienna's Die Presse is also scathing of the outcome of the conference, yet
is far more concerned by the lack of viable solutions to the problem of
global warming. "What is really frightening is that ways out of the predict
ed
climate collapse cannot be discerned anywhere." It says that the currently
most favoured solutions - the burning of biomass, solar and wind power, or
hydrogen-powered cars - all suffer from being too expensive and not widely
enough available. "For as long as alternative energy sources cannot
challenge conventional energy without millions in subsidies to back them,
environmental protection will remain nothing but hot air," it says. (BBC)
MICHAEL TURNER =0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975422732/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] U.N. human rights chief accuses Israel of using excessive force
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:31:58 -0500
U.N. human rights chief accuses Israel of using excessive force
November 28, 2000
Web posted at: 1:19 a.m. EST (0619
GMT)
CNN White House Correspondent Kelly
Wallace, Fionnuala Sweeney and CNN
Correspondent Jerrold Kessel
contributed to this report
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Mary Robinson, the U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights, on Monday accused Israel of using excessive force against
Palestinians in her report assessing the latest cycle of Mideast violence.
"My overall impression remains that there is an excessive use of force; that
the response (by Israel) has been one that is beyond what is needed,"
Robinson told CNN.
"There has also been shooting on the Palestinian side, but the superior
firepower (by Israel) has been used, I believe, excessively -- particularly
against youths throwing stones," she said.
Since September 28, at least 270 people have been killed, the majority of
them Palestinians and Israeli-Arabs.
Speaking in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Robinson expressed deep
concern over the escalating violence, saying, "it is vital that both parties
renew efforts to halt the current dangerous escalation."
The report was submitted Monday to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights
and the General Assembly.
Security forces on both sides must not overreact, Robinson said. Citing
international codes pertaining to the proper use of force by authorities, the
U.N. official wrote: "Whenever force is used, the principle of proportionality
has to be applied, and all necessary measures have to be taken to avoid
loss of life or injury to civilians or damage to civilian property."
Robinson based her report on a visit to Israel and the occupied territories, as
well as Egypt and Jordan, from November 8 to 16. The most frequent
complaint she heard, she said, is that Israeli soldiers were using
disproportionate force when reacting to a threat.
Robinson's report came as former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell said Monday
that the fact-finding committee he heads on Israeli-Palestinian violence will
travel to the Middle East "in the near future." The committee will complete a
report by March on what triggered the clashes, Mitchell said.
Monitoring body urged
Robinson, Ireland's former president, called in her report for the
establishment of an international monitoring body.
The report urged that all cases of lethal force -- employed by both sides -- be
investigated and subjected to a judicial process to avoid a climate of
impunity. Israeli authorities, her report said, also should facilitate access and
ensure the freedom of movement of international and national staff of U.N.
agencies and those in need of assistance.
Robinson, referring to Israel, said countries that are signatories of the
Geneva Convention should "assume their responsibility" regarding the
conduct of forces in occupied territories. The international agreement signed
in Geneva obligates members to observe laws of warfare and requires
standards of conduct regarding the humane treatment of civilians, prisoners
and the wounded.
Israeli officials had no immediate response to Robinson's statements or
report.
More fighting in region
Robinson's report came as Israeli-Palestinian fighting continued Monday in
the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. In addition, funerals were held for five
Palestinians who were killed Sunday night by Israeli soldiers in Qalqilya on
the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Palestinians were
shot after they fired at an Israeli civilian car and a military outpost.
The IDF official said those killed were members of Palestinian Authority
President Yasser Arafat's Fatah military wing.
But Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudieneh rejected that account. He
told CNN he was outraged by the killings and insisted the Palestinians -- two
of whom he said were teen-agers -- were unarmed civilians. He called the
killings an unprovoked "massacre."
Two other Palestinians were injured in the clash, Rudieneh said.
Also on Monday, a funeral was held for an Israeli army officer who was killed
Sunday when a roadside bomb exploded in a disputed area on the Israeli-
Lebanese border. Hezbollah militia claimed responsibility for detonating the
bomb that killed Sgt. 1st Class Kalil Tahor and wounded two other soldiers.
Israel, meanwhile, relaxed social and economic restrictions on Palestinians
living in Gaza in respect for the beginning of the Islamic holy month of
Ramadan.
Bloodshed follows peace efforts
Just before the latest bloodshed, top Palestinian and Israeli security officials
held a flurry of meetings aimed at renewing cooperation on the ground.
"We are facing real efforts from the Americans, the Russians, the
Jordanians, to help ease things down," Rudieneh, the Palestinian
spokesman, said. "We are surprised to see this massacre take place in the
middle of the effort."
It was also disclosed that the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service,
Avraham Dichter, met in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday with the top Palestinian
security official, Mohammed Dahlan.
Last week, Israel blamed Dahlan's security unit for a rash of attacks on
Israeli settlers and troops in Gaza.
Mitchell meets with Annan
As the violence continued, Mitchell met Monday morning with U.N. Secretary-
General Kofi Annan. Mitchell told reporters he had met with representatives
from both sides in the conflict, who "assured us of their full support for the
committee."
Mitchell added, "We emphasized our strong belief that the violence between
Israelis and Palestinians must be brought to an end."
The former Senate majority leader, a Democrat from Maine, pledged to work
closely with both sides "to provide an independent assessment of the recent
events involving violence with the goal of preventing their occurrence."
Mitchell declined to give a date on which the fact-finding commission would
depart.
In October, Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak attended an
emergency summit in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, where they agreed to the
formation of the international fact-finding commission to investigate the
causes of, and possible solutions for, the violence. Besides Mitchell, the
committee includes former U.S. Sen. Warren Rudman, former Turkish
President Suleyman Demirel, former NATO chief Javier Solana and
Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland.
Although the members were chosen by the United States and would seek
advice from many quarters, Mitchell said the committee would strive to
provide an independent assessment of the situation. "If we're to serve a
useful purpose, we must be independent," he said.
'Well-meaning people'
"It's a lot of excellent, well-meaning people who have an impossible job to
do," U.S. Institute of Peace analyst Jon Alterman told CNN. "There's no way
they can make both sides happy when they're done with their investigation
and filing their report."
But other analysts say the commission can help build confidence among
leaders in the turbulent region.
"The most important part of the commission is that you have a process that
is credible," University of Maryland professor Shibley Telhami told CNN. "The
Palestinians, in particular, feel that the U.S. has jumped to the conclusion of
blaming them first, and they have wanted to investigate that."
Indeed, Arafat initially objected to Israel's insistence that the commission be
led by a U.S. representative. He said he preferred that the group be headed
by a U.N. diplomat.
Mitchell, who helped to negotiate peace in Northern Ireland, told CNN that
possible next steps in efforts to end the violence include separate meetings
with Israeli and Palestinian representatives -- talks that could occur as soon
as this week.
Barak faces crucial Tuesday vote
Meanwhile, Barak is facing his own battle -- this one in parliament. The
Knesset votes Tuesday afternoon on a bill to dissolve the body, and the
opposition has said it has enough votes to begin the process. Barak lost his
parliamentary majority in July, and polls show his popularity at an all-time
low.
There is some question as to whether Barak's shaky political coalition will
garner the 61 votes needed to defeat the bill. Some observers said they see
a peace deal with the Palestinians as Barak's only chance of surviving
politically.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/meast/11/28/mideast.03/index.html
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975422732/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Vatican ban on exorcism at Mass
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 14:36:38 -0000
Tuesday 28 November 2000
Vatican ban on exorcism at Mass
By Bruce Johnston in Rome
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
THE Vatican has ordered a stop to exorcisms and healings during Mass
in a bid to limit the growth of "charismatic" or "neo-pentecostal"
movements.
The ban, which was signed by the Pope's chief of doctrine, Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, appeared especially aimed at the type of populist
healing sessions presided over near Rome by a controversial African
Archbishop, Emmanuele Milingo.
The document attacked "sensationalist and hysterical" movements where
crowds gathered "in expectation of a miracle". It said that while
every Catholic could pray for someone to be healed, this could only
be done in a holy place under the guidance of an ordained person.
In addition, a diocesan bishop could forbid another bishop from
carrying out an exorcism or healing in church. This point seemed to
be a specific counter to Mgr Milingo, Emeritus Archbishop of Lusaka,
whose sensational healings have caused anger in the Vatican. His post
as special delegate for the Pontifical Council for Migrants was
recently cancelled, stripping him of any importance in the Church.
Contacted in the small town of Zagarolo, south-east of Rome, after
saying several Masses dedicated to healing, the archbishop said: "I
cannot comment, because I haven't seen the ban - but I don't think it
is aimed at me."
He recently told the newspaper La Repubblica: "I celebrate Mass in
honour of Jesus Christ, as I do every day. I am a bishop, a pastor,
and I go where I am in need."
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975423256/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Barak opts for interim agreement
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:37:13 -0500
Tuesday, November 28, 2000
Barak opts for interim agreement
By Aluf Benn and David Landau
Ha'aretz Correspondents
At the center of a new political initiative from Prime Minister Ehud Barak is a
proposal to achieve an interim agreement or "graded permanent settlement"
with the Palestinian Authority. The proposal will be based on "the declaration
of a Palestinian state in coordination with Israel," according to political
sources.
According to the sources, Israel will recognize the Palestinian state and will
hand over to it more territory in the West Bank as part of the third
redeployment; Israel will mark out the settlement enclaves that will come
under its sovereignty following the implementation of the permanent
arrangement; and Israel will consider the evacuation of isolated Jewish
communities in the territories in return for Palestinian agreement to
annexation of the large settlement enclaves.
"Barak hasn't given up his demand for an end to the conflict," said a senior
diplomatic source in Jerusalem yesterday, "but will agree to consider other
alternatives stemming from the fact that at this time, the Palestinian
Authority is not ready for a permanent arrangement that would bring an end
to the conflict."
The prime minister does not propose "to set aside" the problematic issues
such as Jerusalem and the refugees, the source continued, but rather to
predetermine the mechanism for discussing them.
The alternatives, which have yet to be raised with the Palestinians, are being
formulated by National Security Adviser Uzi Dayan and the director of the
Prime Minister's Bureau, Gilad Sher.
Meanwhile, Israel is holding talks with the Palestinian Authority through a
variety of channels in an effort to put together a "package" of measures that
would lead to a cease-fire and the renewal of the political negotiations. The
package will include confidence-building steps designed to ease the distress
of the Palestinian population and achieve quiet during the month of
Ramadan, which began yesterday.
Speaking last night in Tel Aviv to foreign diplomats at the Millennium Balfour
Dinner to mark the 83rd anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, Foreign
Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami outlined the a series of steps entitled: "Israeli
confidence-building measures: Ramadan, November 2000."
The list of steps included:
1. Civilian
l The Rafah and Allenby Bridge crossings will be opened.
l Israel will transfer 33 percent of Palestinian remittances and payments to
the PA.
l Gas and fuel supplies will continue.
l Food, medical supplies, agricultural produce and other humanitarian aid will
pass through the Karni crossing.
l Construction material will be permitted into the territories, with priority given
to material originating from Jordan.
l Permission to import 18 ambulances through the Rafah crossing.
l Holders of VIP-1 identity cards will be allowed freedom of movement, except
those connected to or identified with terrorist activities.
l Dahaniyeh airport in Gaza will open on November 29, contingent upon
security coordination.
2. Military-Operational
l Minimized engagement and friction in critical points.
l Reconvention of the Trilateral Security Committee.
l Tanks: The Israel Defense Forces will withdraw its tanks wherever possible
and scale down their presence in other areas.
3. Religious
l Temple Mount (Haram a-Sharif): Israel will allow Israeli Arabs and residents
of East Jerusalem to enter and pray at the site throughout the month of
Ramadan, with no age restriction, subject to the authorization of the security
services.
Ben-Ami dedicated a large portion of his speech to praising the Camp David
summit in July. "I have no doubt," the minister said, "that no future
negotiations will be able to ignore the achievements of Camp David ... I am
convinced that the collective memory of Camp David must serve as the basis
for any discussion on the final settlement."
The foreign minister also said that in recent days, "we have managed to
renew what appear to be promising negotiations with Chairman Arafat and
his entourage," adding that security cooperation between.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=11/28/00&
id=102092
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975422733/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Artists Cries Censorship Over Nazi Uniforms
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:40:05 -0500
Monday November 27 7:45 AM ET
Artists Cries Censorship Over Nazi Uniforms
WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish artist accused Culture Minister Kazimierz
Ujazdowski of censorship for closing his exhibition featuring portraits of
famous actors in Nazi uniforms.
Piotr Uklanski said he was shutting down for good his exhibition ``The
Nazis,'' featuring actors such as Roger Moore and Jean-Paul Belmondo,
because of the minister's interference.
Ujazdowski ordered the closure Wednesday, saying the exhibition at the
state-owned Zacheta gallery in Warsaw's Old Town could only reopen if a
commentary was added to explain its significance.
He said a state institution must be free of suspicion of promoting Nazism.
``I am ending my exhibit....The minister's demand is nothing else but
censorship,'' said Uklanski, who had displayed his collection in several
Western cities.
The exhibition stirred a national debate in Poland after outraged actor Daniel
Olbrychski destroyed several of the portraits with a theatrical sword last
week.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001127/od/artist_dc_1.html
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975422733/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] The end of 'the end of the conflict'
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:41:55 -0500
Tuesday, November 28, 2000
Analysis
The end of 'the end of the conflict'
By Aluf Benn
Prime Minister Ehud Barak unveiled a sharp turnaround in his peace policy
yesterday. Throughout his political career, Barak has advocated an end to
the method of interim agreements. His goal was a permanent settlement with
the Palestinians that would declare "an end to the conflict." Anything less,
he said, would force Israel to cede precious territorial assets without
receiving anything of value in exchange.
Yesterday, his tone changed. At a One Israel Knesset faction meeting,
Barak called for either a long-term interim agreement with the Palestinians or
a gradual permanent settlement that would leave the hard issues for the
future. The demand for "an end to the conflict," without which Barak had
previously said he would not make a deal, has been shelved.
Barak has consistently opposed the "salami tactics" of the Oslo accords. He
abstained in the vote on the interim agreement signed by prime minister
Yitzhak Rabin, and he called prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "fool" for
signing the Wye Agreement, which gave the Palestinians 13 percent of the
West Bank. As prime minister, he ignored the warnings of Shimon Peres,
Haim Ramon and Yossi Sarid, who all said the gaps were too wide for a
permanent settlement, and he should therefore set more modest goals. Even
after he returned from the Camp David summit empty-handed, he continued
to speak of a comprehensive agreement.
Barak explained his latest zigzag by saying that Yasser Arafat is "not ripe"
for a permanent settlement. This statement is an admission that his policy
has failed. Another possible explanation - denied by Barak's office - is that
the new policy is a desperate attempt to save his political skin by
encouraging Likud leader Ariel Sharon, a well-known proponent of interim
agreements, to join the government.
Two months into the Al Aqsa Intifada, Arafat has racked up two important
achievements. He has frustrated the Camp David plan, in which Barak and
U.S. President Bill Clinton tried to force him to sign a permanent agreement
with no right of return and no Palestinian sovereignty on the Temple Mount.
The interim agreement Barak is now proposing will give him his state, plus a
stronger basis for future claims on Jerusalem and the right of return. Second,
Israel has signaled that in exchange for quiet in the territories, it would
accept international observers.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=11/28/00&
id=102093
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975423265/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] IDF allows fuel supplies into Gaza
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:48:49 -0500
Tuesday, November 28, 2000
IDF allows fuel supplies into Gaza
By Mazal Mualem
Ha'aretz Correspondent
Senior Israel Defense Forces officers decided to lift the blockade on the
movement of fuel and gas supplies through the Karni crossing last Friday,
ten days after it was imposed. The decision to set up the blockade was
taken by officers in the Gaza Brigade following numerous shooting attacks
on Israeli gas and fuel trucks.
The trucks had become a target, and it was just a matter of time before one
of them exploded, a military source said.
By last weekend, gas for cooking purposes had almost completely run out in
homes in Gaza, while filling stations were left with very little fuel. Despite
pressure to continue with the measure from the Prime Minister's Office and
the IDF, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh decided last Thursday to
renew the supply of gas and fuel to Gaza, following discussions with the
Finance Ministry Director-General Avi Ben Bassat, military officers,
representatives of the Shin Bet security service and legal experts.
Sneh's decision was an attempt to avoid playing into the hands of
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who would like to see Israel
portrayed on CNN as depriving Palestinian babies of warm milk, according to
an IDF officer who visited the Karni crossing yesterday.
The supply of gas and fuel was eventually renewed last Friday by Dor
Energy, the sole supplier of these products to the Gaza Strip.
The deputy general manager of Dor Energy, Muli Or, visited the fuel depot at
the Karni crossing yesterday and described the decision to suspend the
supply as "mistaken." He said that Dor had suffered financial losses and that
homes in Gaza had been left without gas for cooking. Since Friday, Or
continued, some 400 tons of gas had been pumped into Gaza, but added
that there was still a shortage of another 2,500 tons in the Strip.
The fuel and gas depot at the Karni crossing is designed to allow trucks to
pump the gas or fuel into 250 meter-long underground pipes that link Israel
and Gaza. The area around the crossing is currently being guarded by two
IDF tanks
As part of the measures to ease the flow of goods to and from Gaza, the
security establishment has also decided to permit the export of fruit,
vegetables and flowers from Gaza, and as of yesterday, permits were also
granted for iron, cement, agricultural fertilizers and raw materials for factories
in the Karni industrial zone.
Sources in the security establishment said that allowing the joint industrial
zone to perish would only cause damage and all efforts should be made to
ensure its survival.
Director of the Karni crossing Yonatan Dotan told Sneh that since the unrest
began, the average number of trucks passing through the crossing had fallen
by some 50 percent.
Yesterday, around 250 trucks went through the crossing, including six laden
with foodstuffs such as flour, sugar, coffee, rice and oil donated by Jordan
and Egypt.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=11/28/00&
id=102097
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975423276/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Britain 'Backing U.S. Against World Court'
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:12:21 -0500
Britain 'Backing U.S. Against World Court'
NewsMax.com Wires
November 28, 2000
Human rights activists have accused Britain of giving way to US pressure
and siding with Washington to undermine efforts to create an international
criminal court to try those charged with crimes against humanity. The claim
came as the White House prepared to tell a UN conference in New York that
the US would only sign the treaty to create the court if it was given
guarantees that no American would ever be put on trial before it.
As recently as August the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, opposed the US
position, telling Washington that its objections were "misplaced" and that the
treaty would not expose US military or civilians to vexatious prosecutions, as
the White House and Republican congressional leaders believe.
Britain denies that it has weakened its approach, but human rights activists
claim that it tried to block an effort by the EU to take a firm common stand
this week against continuing US demands for exemption.
At an intergovernmental EU meeting in Paris on October 31, the British
delegate Elizabeth Wilmshurst, who is Mr Cook's deputy legal adviser,
opposed parts of a plan for European countries to unite in opposition to
Washington's demand for Americans to be exempted.
The demand is among the key issues under discussion at the UN
preparatory commission meeting on the international court, which began
yesterday.
Campaigners say that a strong common position by EU members is crucial
to resisting US efforts to secure an exemption. "A weak position by the EU
will undermine the efforts of other countries to stand up to the US," Richard
Dicker, of Human Rights Watch, said. "Britain is playing a dangerous game
which puts the effectiveness and credibility of the court at risk."
British sources agree that Ms Wilmshurst successfully objected to part of a
"lobbying note" drafted by France for presentation to the US. But Britain
remained committed to the EU common position agreed in Paris, the
sources said.
The US is one of only seven countries - the others include China, Iran, Iraq
and Libya - which voted against the plan to set up the court, known as the
Rome treaty, in 1998.
Pentagon chiefs oppose any attempt to put US service personnel under any
form of international jurisdiction, and Republican leaders in Congress have
made it clear that any treaty that failed to exempt the US from international
jurisdiction would not stand a chance of being passed.
The court would be "dead on arrival" on Capitol Hill, the Senate foreign
relations committee chairman, Jesse Helms, said earlier this year. He has
even proposed legislation barring US officials from cooperating with the court
as long as Congress has not ratified the treaty.
It seems unlikely that the US will ratify the treaty, even with the exemption
sought by the Clinton administration, if George W Bush becomes the next
president. The secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, supports the setting up
of the court, but her prospective Bush administration successor, General
Colin Powell, is not expected to agree.
Britain and the other EU states were among the 115 countries which signed
the treaty. The court will come into existence when 60 states have ratified
the treaty. So far 22 have done so, including France.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2000/11/28/71354.shtml
via: Third_Watch@egroups.com
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975424883/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Father Baker miracle investigation begun
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 28 Nov 00 12:35:53 EST
Father Baker miracle investigation begun
Tuesday, 28 November 2000 1:05 (ET)
http://www.vny.com/cf/News/upidetail.cfm?QID=139496
Father Baker miracle investigation begun
LACKAWANNA, N.Y., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A Vatican investigation has begun to
determine whether the blood of the late Rev. Nelson H. Baker, which some say
remains fresh 63 years after his burial, is a miracle.
A tribunal named by the Buffalo Diocese at the direction of the Vatican
will collect sworn testimony from medical experts and people who handled the
blood and bodily fluids exhumed last year. At that time, Bishop Henry J.
Mansell of the Buffalo Diocese said a panel of doctors and university
experts had found the blood to be "unexplainably fresh."
The work of the new tribunal is not made public, and no timeline is given
for the investigation, which could lead Baker one step closer to sainthood.
"When Father Baker was buried, some anticipated he may someday be
considered for canonization so the blood and bodily fluids that filled three
large jars were collected and buried in a separate concrete vault
underground," said Beth Donavan, spokeswoman for Our Lady of Victory Homes
of Charity.
Last March, Baker's body was exhumed from Holy Cross Cemetery in
Lackawanna, N.Y., and placed at the nearby Our Lady of Victory Basilica at
the suggestion of the Vatican, "where more would be inspired to pray for
his intercession," according to Donavan.
Donavan stressed that the Vatican requires that the church not bring
additional attention to the canonization process, but when a tent appeared
at the grave site of Baker, the reaction was a "bit overwhelming."
"On the day of internment at the basilica 2,500 people attended," Donavan
said. "We estimate that about 10,000 people visit the Our Lady of Victory
Basilica each year, but since Baker's remains were placed in the church,
that number has doubled."
Because of his "life in service to children and adults that society
ignored," Baker was named "Servant of God" in 1987 by Pope John Paul II --
the first step in the canonization process.
Baker, a Buffalo, N.Y. native, served as a union soldier at Gettysburg in
the Civil War and later ran a successful feed and grain business, but was
unfulfilled, so he entered a Roman Catholic seminary.
When he was ordained in at age 34, he was assigned to the Lackawanna
orphanage, which was heavily in debt at the time. Baker used his own
personal fortune to retire the debt, and then proceeded to expand the
orphanage and build an extensive series of services for children and adults
in Lackawanna, a city located adjacent to Buffalo.
Baker founded a "protectory" for troubled youth, a school and a hospital.
Known as "Padre of the Poor," he served a parish with very poor immigrants
many of whom worked in the steel industry.
He founded a home for unwed mothers after he learned that each summer when
the Buffalo River was dredged infant bones were found from babies that had
been drowned.
By the time he was age 85, he had raised the funds and built the massive
Our Lady of Victory Basilica and National Shrine in six years.
When he died at age 95, a half-million people attended his funeral.
Since his death, the complex of services provided under the Our Lady of
Victory umbrella has grown. It currently serves up to 2,000 at-risk children
a day. The complex is the largest employer in Lackawanna.
____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975437574/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Tracing the origin of the gospels
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 28 Nov 00 12:37:50 EST
Tuesday, November 28, 2000
Tracing the origin of the gospels
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/features/2000/1128/fea12.htm
CHRISTIANITY 2000: Gospel artefacts at the Chester Beatty library in Dublin
are of significance for both Christian and secular worlds argues Sean Freyne
A conference in Dublin this coming weekend is intended to heighten public
awareness of a jewel in the crown of the remarkable collection which is the
Chester Beatty gospel papyri. Or P45 to give them their official scholarly
designation.
They form a substantial part of one of the earliest known codices of the four
gospels, dating from the third century (circa AD 250) and are a direct link
with the Christian Church while it was still a persecuted sect within the
Roman empire.
They also put us in touch with the earliest period of a movement destined to
shape much of Western and global civilisation.
The papyri are then cultural artefacts of the highest significance, of
interest to the concerned secularist as well as being worthy of respect from
the committed Christian.
Like all such artefacts, the papyri call for contextualisation within their
own world if their significance for ours is to be properly assessed. Jesus and
the first Christians were heirs to the tradition of the Torah as a written
collection of Israel's sacred writings. Yet, unlike some other Jewish reform
movements, such as the Essenes whose library is now known from the Dead Sea
Scrolls, the early Christians were not a scholastic community.
Jesus's Pharisee opponents accused him of being "unschooled" (John 7, 15). His
earliest followers were described as ``ignorant" and "illiterate" (Acts of the
Apostles 4,13). But it is important to judge these statements as vilification
by the small literate elite in Jerusalem.
True, Paul used letter-writing as a way of communicating with the communities
he had established in various cities, and a collection of his letters must
have been made shortly after his death. An early version of this is also
represented in the Chester Beatty collection (P46). The case of Paul indicates
a shift in the social standing and urban context of some at least of his new
converts, as distinct from Jesus's own ministry which was largely concentrated
on the rural villagers of Galilee. Yet even Paul insists that his preference
was for the spoken rather than the written word.
The impulse to produce a narrative account of Jesus's life and ministry was
probably due to liturgical and catechetical needs, the death of the
eyewitnesses to Jesus's life and the shift from the Aramaic-speaking oral
culture to the Greek-speaking urban world of the Pauline mission. In that
circle history writing and biography were well-established literary genres. So
it was necessary to produce "an accurate account of all that has been
accomplished among us, as these were handed on by those who from the beginning
were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word" (Luke 1, 1-4).
This statement echoes the literary practices of contemporary Greco-Roman
historians and no doubt helped to maintain the credibility of the movement
among its pagan competitors.
Unlike its Jewish precursors, the early Christians adopted a relatively novel
form of the codex or book rather than the scroll for practical reasons such as
travel and portability, but also probably for ideological reasons to emphasise
its separateness from the parent religion.
Modern scholarship has highlighted the fact that several different "lives" of
Jesus were produced with considerable variations even among the so-called
synoptic gospels (i.e. Matthew, Mark and Luke) which shared the common pool of
stories and sayings of Jesus that had circulated orally from the very
beginning. John's gospel has always been recognised as being quite different
in tone and emphasis.
There were also the gospels of Thomas, Peter and Mary, as well as gospels
attributed to dissident groups such as the Ebionites and the Gnostics.
Evidence points to the fourfold gospel, comprising our canonical ones,
establishing themselves relatively early as authoritative, probably because
they were attributed to known disciples of Jesus (Matthew and John) or to
those closely associated with that circle (Mark/Peter and Luke/Paul). It was
this development that gave rise to the production of codices such as the
Chester Beatty one, containing the four gospels as well as Acts of the
Apostles in one book.
Despite some recent attempts to rehabilitate the other gospels, the likelihood
is that they were derivative and in several respects were regarded as not
conforming to an emerging orthodoxy.
So, towards the end of the second century the gospel of Peter was in
circulation in Antioch. The earliest commentators on this fourfold gospel,
such as Justin Martyr (died circa AD 165) and Irenaeus of Lyon (died circa AD
200), were conscious of the differences between the individual accounts,
possibly because pagan critics had sought to discredit them on the basis of
these seeming discrepancies. Yet these first apologists stressed the deeper
unity that existed between them, based on the one Spirit "that bound them
together".
Thus, both writers prefer to speak of the Gospel rather than gospels (plural),
and Irenaeus goes to great pains to justify the fourfold gospel in terms of
the four cardinal points of the compass, implying the universality of the
message they contained. This message was Gospel, "good news" about Jesus
Christ as God's final word for the human family, a conviction which had driven
the movement from its inception, as Paul already emphasised for his Galatian
converts. There is only one gospel, he writes, and if "I myself, or an angel
from heaven were to preach another, we should be anathema" (Galatians 1, 8).
Others were less sure about the fourfold gospel and its unity as seen by
Justin and Irenaeus. The Chester Beatty collection contains another highly
significant manuscript, the only extant version in the original Syriac of a
commentary on a second-century gospel harmony, the Diatessaron, compiled by a
Syrian monk, Tatian, about AD 175. Apparently troubled by the discrepancies in
the gospels he sought to harmonise the four into one account (hence the Greek
name). His concerns were, therefore, more historical than theological,
probably because of his desire to present a single coherent account of the
"life" of Jesus to counteract the pagan despisers. Its importance lies in the
fact that not all in the new movement shared the theological conviction that
lay behind the fourfold gospel, faced with the historical difficulties posed
by their differences.
Tatian's concerns had to await the 18th-century Enlightenment's preoccupation
with history before they would be addressed again. Indeed they are still very
much at the centre of Gospel studies to this day.
There is then a seeming paradox at the heart of the early Christian
self-understanding as this was expressed in the fourfold gospel.
The good news is indeed one, yet its human expressions can be varied. The Word
of God can never be exhausted or fully represented in the words of humans. It
is for this reason that early Christian writers sought to compare the
Scriptures with the Incarnation: one was the written Word of God, the other
was the Word made flesh. Both modes, the written and the enfleshed, reveal and
conceal the mystery of the divine love for the world.
Human language, like human life, is always culturally and historically
conditioned, a partial and imperfect expression of the deeper meaning of
things. It calls for a special attuning of the ear to hear that deeper voice,
the lectio divina of Christian worship and prayer.
The recognition of the limits of life and language allowed Irenaeus and others
after him to imagine the Christ in glory with four faces, each painted by a
different evangelist. My own favourite expression of this profound idea is
that of the 13thcentury Window of the Evangelists at Chartres Cathedral
outside Paris.
The central axis of the depiction consists of the Virgin and child at the
lower level (the Word made flesh), while the glorious risen Christ surrounded
by the 12 apostles occupies the upper, rose section, directly above.
On either side of the Virgin and child are two panels, each containing a giant
figure carrying a dwarf on his shoulders with an orientation towards the rose
centre. What is utterly surprising about this portrayal is that the
evangelists are depicted as the dwarfs and the Old Testament prophets as the
giants, thus giving expression to a famous medieval saying that "we are like
dwarfs on the shoulders of the giants of the past; we can see farther because
we are raised higher".
Each of the evangelists has his own giant, allowing him to see Christ in a
distinctive fashion. And yet, despite the diversity of perspective which the
different panels suggest, the whole window has a harmonious unity that
encapsulates the Christian story of the one and fourfold gospel, and its
indebtedness to its Israelite precursors.
Insofar as we can ascertain, Christianity came to Ireland almost two centuries
after the production, probably in Egypt, of the Beatty Codex. By then it had
become the official religion of Empire, and the urgency was to spread the
gospel to the very outer regions of the known world.
At the other end of Dame Street in Trinity College, the great uncial
manuscript of the Book of Kells bears witness to this "triumph" of
Christianity with its elaborate illumination and highly decorative
calligraphy.
By contrast, the Beatty Codex was written in small script by a notvery-elegant
hand and without any illumination. It is written on papyrus, not vellum, and
each sheet is folded in two to economise and fit in all four gospels in a
codex of manageable proportions. This contrast between the styles and
execution of the two codices tells its own story of two very different moments
in early Christian self-expression - the struggle for survival in a hostile
environment and the high culture of triumphant Christendom.
At the beginning of this third millennium by Christian reckoning, Christendom,
as the unified world of Church and Empire, is now no longer a reality, even in
Ireland, where, ironically, it survived longer than within its original
boundaries on mainland Europe.
As we search for ways of rescuing some of the more important gospel values
that shaped our culture from the jaws of the Celtic Tiger we might spare a
thought for the moment represented by the Beatty Codex. The pioneering spirit
of those who produced it and dared to live their lives by its message could
serve us well today.
Sean Freyne is Professor of Theology, Trinity College and a Trustee of the
Chester Beatty Library. Among his publications dealing with the gospels are
Galilee, Jesus and the Gospels. Literary Approaches and Historical
Investigations (1988) and Galilee and Gospel. Collected Essays (2000).
____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975437719/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] BRITONS ABANDON THE CHURCH IN DROVES /UK is 'losing' its religion
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 28 Nov 00 12:45:46 EST
BRITONS ABANDON THE CHURCH IN DROVES
http://sky.com/news/uk/story4.htm
Britain is giving up on religion in greater numbers than ever before.
The number of people who call themselves 'Church of England' has fallen
massively in less than two decades. And more and more Britons claim to have no
religion.
The Church of England officially said it was not alarmed at the figures, part
of a huge report called British Social Attitudes. It said it showed only that
people were practising their religion differently.
Only a quarter of people now consider themselves members of the national
religion. In 1983 40 per cent of people thought they were Church of England,
now only 27 per cent do.
Secular society
And the poll, for the National Centre for Social Research found 44 per cent of
the UK now say they belong to no religion, up from 31 per cent in 1983.
Less than half - 48 per cent of Britons - claim to belong to a religion,
compared with 86 per cent of people in the US and 92 per cent of Italians.
The decline in religious belief is most marked among the younger generation,
with older people more likely to worship.
Two-thirds of 18-24-year-olds in the UK say they have no religious
affiliation, compared with a quarter of pensioners.
'Different religions'
A spokesman for the Church of England said: "This is hardly surprising - 100
years ago many, many more people would have said they were Church of England.
In the past people were much more likely to automatically say they were CofE
because it was the state religion - people are less likely to do that now.
"And many more people now belong to different religions such as Islam. It is
not about a fall in the number of people who worship but the way worship has
changed over the years."
Sex attitudes
The generation gap and differences in attitude towards religion is also
reflected in other moral and ethical stances.
Two-thirds of adults under 24 see "nothing wrong" in having sex before
marriage, but only a quarter of pensioners adopt the same permissive attitude.
And while 36 per cent of young adults believe homosexuality is "not wrong",
only 9 per cent of over 65s share the same opinion.
Other findings include:
32 per cent of people living in England see themselves as more English than
British
24 per cent of English people believe Scotland should become completely
independent
One in three people living in big cities would like to live in the country
Only one in 10 people aged 18-24 is interested in politics, compared to one in
three people over 65
23 per cent of people think "frank heterosexual acts" should be banned from
TV, compared with 48 per cent who want homosexual acts banned from screens.
Tuesday, 28 November, 2000, 06:41 GMT
UK is 'losing' its religion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1043000/1043986.stm
Religious worship is declining rapidly
Almost half of all adults in the UK say they have no religious affiliation,
according to a new survey.
The decline in religious belief is most apparent in the Church of England
which now claims the loyalties of just over a quarter of the population.
The number of people who say they are members of the state religion has
dropped by 40% since 1983, according to a poll by the National Centre for
Social Research (NCSR).
The British Social Attitudes poll of more than 3,000 people showed 44% said
they had no religious affiliation, down from 31% in 1983.
Churches have tried innovative advertising to get worshippers back
That figure rises to two-thirds of 18-24 year-olds in the UK who say they have
no religious affiliation, compared with a quarter of pensioners.
The report found that 48% of people in the UK claim to belong to a religion,
compared with 86% of people in the US and 92% of Italians.
The NCSR's nationwide survey will alarm churches battling against constant
secularisation in British society.
Attendances at Church of England services fell below the one million mark for
the first time in the late 1990s.
Turn to Islam
Earlier this year, Peter Brierley, the leading expert on church attendance in
Britain, suggested that Christian life will be all but dead in 40 years with
less than 0.5% of the population attending a church service.
In his book, Steps to the Future, published by the Scripture Union, he said
the decline in church attendance will also be marked by a general decline in
the basic beliefs of Christianity.
A spokesman for the Church of England said the relative decline in those
saying they were CofE was the result of changes in society in general.
Nearly two-thirds of people say there is no excuse for begging
"This is hardly surprising - 100 years ago many, many more people would have
said they were Church of England.
"In the past people were much more likely to automatically say they were CofE
because it was the state religion - people are less likely to do that now.
"And many more people now belong to different religions such as Islam. It is
not about a fall in the number of people who worship but the way worship has
changed over the years."
The survey also found that almost two-thirds of people interviewed believe
there is "no excuse" for begging.
Nearly half said it was "just an easy way to make a living", while 60% said
the existence of a welfare state meant no one had an excuse for vagrancy.
____________________________________________________________________
Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975437786/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Peres and Barak clash
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 13:42:39 -0500
Peres and Barak clash at One Israel
caucus, after reporters leave room
By David Franklin
(November 29) - Regional Cooperation Minister Shimon
Peres had to be restrained yesterday during a bitter clash
with Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the weekly meeting of
the One Israel caucus in the Knesset, a Labor Party
official who attended the session said.
The confrontation was seen as the peak in the growing
animosity between the two men, which began with
Barak's emergence as Labor Party chairman after
Peres's 1996 election loss to Binyamin Netanyahu for
prime minister, culminating with recent tensions over how
to conduct contacts with the Palestinians.
The meeting began with comments by Barak on his
desire to achieve peace despite the violence of the past
two months. This portion of the gathering was open to
the media. The prime minister raised the possibility of
reaching a gradual permanent status accord, or a
long-term interim status agreement.
Significantly, the latter is an idea that has been promoted
by Likud chairman MK Ariel Sharon, who Barak has
been trying to lure into an emergency government.
Whatever is "a possible target, we will approach," he
said.
However, once the media was asked to leave the caucus
room on the top floor of the Knesset, the confrontation
began. Angered over internal opposition to his effort to
join forces with Sharon, the prime minister fought back.
"I don't understand the members who are organizing
against an emergency government, something which is
seen in the public as a lack of faith, that we don't believe
that the government which we lead is doing everything
possible to reach a peace agreement with the
Palestinians," he said, according to the official.
Then, Barak launched a personal attack seen as aimed at
Peres, if not Justice and Religious Affairs Minister Yossi
Beilin as well.
"I am telling you that on the day that it becomes known
what we agreed to discuss with [Palestinian Authority
chairman Yasser] Arafat at Camp David, it will be clear
to all that there is no room left for maneuvering left of an
honest person. For political manipulators, there is always
room, but not for honest people," he charged.
"The only thing that I didn't do is auction off the country,"
an embittered Barak told the caucus. Hinting that he
viewed some cabinet ministers as trying to work behind
his back and making clear their differences with him to
the Palestinians, the prime minister added: "I have a
feeling that Arafat's people are saying to each other, 'We
won't be holier than the ministers from the Israeli
government.'"
Beilin was the first to respond. "A dispute on the subject
of a unity government is legitimate, and can be
discussed," he said, following his appearance at an
anti-unity government get-together on Sunday night.
"I don't think that it's possible to reach peace in a
government in which Sharon is a member. I will not be a
member of a government in which Sharon has veto
power. Sharon's entry into the government will be seen in
the world as his second ascension to the Temple Mount,"
he argued, referring to the Likud leader's visit to the holy
site in late September, viewed by many in the
international community as having prompted the latest
wave of Palestinian violence.
Then Peres took over. "I don't know of anyone who
offered the Arabs more than you offered. We are all
faithful. Don't cast aspersions on us, and don't use such
expressions as 'auctioning off the country' against us," he
retorted.
According to the official, Peres leaned dangerously close
to Barak, who was sitting two seats away at the head
table in the caucus room, prompting caucus chairman
MK Ophir Pines-Paz, who was sitting between the two,
to move his body in the way so that the confrontation
would not further deteriorate.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2000/11/28/News/News.16404.html
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975437432/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Western Wall spectacle marks special fast day against violence
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 13:45:27 -0500
Tuesday, November 28 2000 18:47 2 Kislev 5761
Western Wall spectacle marks special
fast day against violence
By Haim Shapiro and Jonathan Krashinsky
(November 29) - Worshipers gathered at the Western
Wall yesterday to mark the end of a special day of
penitential prayer and fasting, called by a wide spectrum
of rabbinical leaders to seek heavenly help in the present
situation.
The fast lasted for half a day, from dawn until noon.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitch, the rabbi of the Western
Wall, said that such a fast had not been called for many
years. He said that although no special gathering had
been announced for Rachel's Tomb, outside of
Bethlehem, a large number of worshipers also gathered
there yesterday morning.
Rabinowitch noted that the call for the special day of
penitence had been signed not only by Ashkenazi Chief
Rabbi Yisrael Lau and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Eliahu
Bakshi-Doron, but by Shas mentor and former Sephardi
chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef. In addition, the call was signed
by the leaders of the haredi community, including Rabbi
Shalom Eliashi.
The special fast drew hordes of people to the Western
Wall during the day.
"This is the busiest I've seen it in ages," one woman
commented as she entered the Western Wall plaza.
"Usually at this time of day, there are four or five people
here."
The plaza was bustling with haredi men and a huge
crowd of women that filled the women's side of the Wall
and spilled out into the approaches.
Shofarot sounded at the arrival of each of the prominent
rabbis in attendance - the first to arrive was
Bashki-Doron, followed by Lau - but the real show was
reserved for, and put on by, Ovadia Yosef. Arriving
fashionably late, Yosef's car brazenly drove down the
pedestrian ramp through the steadily thickening crowds
and penetrated almost to the Wall itself. His arrival
sparked a frantic rush of people toward him, some with
cameras at the ready, some merely seeking to get a
better look.
A cordon of police moved alongside him, batons in hand,
as he walked toward a special enclosure set up against
the Wall for him.
The force had to fight off Yosef's admirers during the
entire service.
The entire event, from the massive sound system to the
frantic crowds to the flamboyant entrances of the rabbis,
was more like a rock concert than a Torah reading - but
some members of the crowd weren't impressed. Many
of the worshipers ignored the rabbi's lead to pray on
their own, while others, it seemed, were in attendance
mostly for the spectacle of it all.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2000/11/28/News/News.16409.html
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975437815/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Ehud Baraks off white paper By Evelyn Gordon
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 14:53:52 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: BSaphir
Date sent: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:26:36 EST
Subject: Ehud Baraks off white paper By Evelyn Gordon
To: freemanlist@lists.io.com
The Jerusalem Post
Ehud Barak's off-white paper
By Evelyn Gordon
(November 28) - American and European officials were furious last week
when Prime Minister Ehud Barak released a "white paper" detailing
Yasser Arafat's efforts to undermine the peace process over the last
seven years. They sharply criticized its contents and said its
publication casts doubt on Barak's own commitment to peace.
Yet even while publishing this white paper, Barak and his cabinet
continue to declare - and to prove daily by their veto of most of the
army's proposed actions - that Israel's goal is not to defeat the
Palestinians militarily, but rather to return to the negotiating table
and cede the bulk of the West Bank to an independent Palestinian
state. Barak has refused to withdraw the offers he made at Camp David,
even though this refusal has prevented formation of the unity
government he needs to survive politically, and he is even now
reportedly working on a new diplomatic initiative.
This behavior is extremely perplexing. If Barak still considers Arafat
a potential partner, why release a document denouncing the Palestinian
leader, angering many world leaders into the bargain? And if he truly
believes that Arafat is not a partner - that he is an enemy whose goal
remains Israel's destruction - why is he not exerting every effort to
convince the world of this, rather than confusing his message by
repeatedly declaring the opposite?
Barak's handling of the white paper is a classic example of his
waffling on this issue. Initially, the document was not even
distributed to Israeli missions overseas; Israeli diplomats learned of
its existence from the press. In response to the diplomats'
complaints, the Foreign Ministry gave them the paper, but without
instructing them to make any use of it. Why bother to issue such a
document at all if you are not going to use it?
Barak's confused message has also had diplomatic consequences. The
cabinet, for instance, is reportedly upset that the US is not
unequivocally backing Israel. But since Barak continues to insist that
his goal is to resume negotiations, he can hardly blame the Americans
for doing what he himself has often said is necessary to achieve that
goal: trying to remain evenhanded.
Furthermore, how can he seriously expect the US to paint Arafat as the
villain when Israel is unwilling to do so itself?
Having staked his political life on the assumption that Arafat is a
partner for peace, one can understand why Barak is having trouble
changing course. But after November 19, it is hard to see how he could
still have any doubts.
On November 17, the situation looked hopeful. For the first time,
Arafat publicly ordered his troops to implement a partial cease-fire:
No more shooting from territory under full Palestinian control. The
very next day, a Palestinian police officer ambushed and killed one
Israeli soldier and mortally wounded another, and was killed himself.
However, also for the first time, Arafat announced that the
Palestinian Authority would investigate the incident, and asked Israel
not to retaliate. Needless to say, Barak agreed.
The next day, the PA completed its investigation - and concluded that
the officer should be posthumously promoted. It is hard to find a
clearer statement of Arafat's intentions than this: Rather than
deeming the man who violated his cease-fire a miscreant, Arafat deemed
him a hero for having slain two Israelis.
It may not be coincidental that Barak released his white paper the
following day. But unfortunately, the prime minister is still talking
out of both sides of his mouth.
The message of the white paper is admittedly a hard one to sell - a
fact for which Barak and his political allies are largely responsible.
After all, much of the evidence it cites, from the incessant
incitement against Israel in the Palestinian media to the PA's refusal
to collect illegal firearms, is not new.
Rightists have been pointing out these disturbing facts for years,
only to have left-wing politicians dismiss them as unindicative of the
Palestinians' true intentions. But after seven weeks of nonstop
violence, punctuated by repeated cease-fires that Arafat has failed to
honor, it should not be impossible for Barak to explain why he now
views this data in a new light. And precisely because he staked his
career on the success of the peace process, he is qualified to make
this case.
Barak may also fear the public relations fallout. But in the long run,
waffling will be far more damaging - because only if the world is
convinced that Arafat does not want peace will the easy assumption
that Israel is largely responsible for its absence become untenable.
What is needed, therefore, is a clear, consistent, well-documented
campaign to expose the Palestinian Authority's true face. For as long
as Israel espouses the fiction that Arafat is a partner, the rest of
the world will never view him otherwise.
------- End of forwarded message -------
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975441847/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BULLETIN: Ehud Barak agrees to early elections
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 14:58:20 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Send reply to: <benyosef@torahvoice.org>
From: "Ben Yosef"
To: "ben Yosef"
Subject: BULLETIN: Ehud Barak agrees to early elections
Date sent: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 21:39:10 +0200
Shalom,
Prime Minister Ehud Barak just a few minutes ago announced to the
Israeli Knesset. "You want early elections. I am for early elections."
Barak was attempting to head off what looks to be an overwhelming vote
of "No Confidence" in his government. 61 Knesset members must vote for
new elections to signal the end of the current Barak government. It
seems clear at this point that the opposition can muster that many
votes and more.
Behind the scenes strategists think Barak will continue with his peace
initiative and use the "No Confidence" vote tonight as a bargaining
tool with the Palestinians to the effect: "your best chance of peace
is with me still as prime minister."
He believes, according to analysts, that if he is able to deliver a
peace deal before early elections, that the majority of the Knesset
will approve it.
The debate tonight has been quite intense. Shouting matches between
different Knesset speakers at the podium and members of Knesset who
are supposed to be listening have been common place. At least two
Knesset members were ejected.
The official vote on early elections should be held later tonight,
although the Knesset was in recess after Barak's surprise
announcement. They should reconvene shortly. It is not known whether a
date for elections will be set tonight or later, but earlier the date
of May 15, 2001 was discussed.
Shalom Shalom & may Hashem's hand be in the selection of the next
government ben Yosef
------- End of forwarded message -------
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975441899/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Real World News -- 11/28/00
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 20:41:01 -0000
Selected items from...
REAL WORLD NEWS 11/28/2000
Visit Real World News online at http://www.realworldnews.net
RUSSIA AND U.S FIND COMMON ENEMY IN BIN-LADIN
The United States is considering co-operating with Russia to launch a
military strike against Osama bin Laden, the accused terrorist
mastermind based in Afghanistan. The exiled Saudi radical is wanted
in connection with the bombing of two American embassies, in Kenya
and Tanzania, in 1998, which killed 246 people, including 12
Americans. For the Russians, bin Laden is almost as great a threat as
he is to the Americans. They hold him responsible for Afghan aid to
the Chechen rebels and for encouraging militant Islamic rebel groups
in Central Asia. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,41667,00.html
'CHRISTMAS' BANNED IN GEORGIA SCHOOLS
The Newton County, Ga., School Board Voted Last Week To Remove
References To Christmas From Its Web Site And School Calendars
Beginning Next Year. The move - approved by a vote of 4-1 - came
under pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, which said
such wording constituted "an endorsement of a particular religion,"
reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. From now on, the Christmas
holidays will be referred to simply as the "semester break" by the
school system. http://foxnews.com/national/tonguetied/index.sml
TURKEY'S MILITARY ANGERED BY E.U. TERMS
Turkey's military has broken its silence and has expressed dismay
over conditions set for Ankara's membership in the European Union.
Military commanders said the EU conditions are harsh and could change
Turkish society and endanger security. Gen. Nahit Senogul, commander
of the War Academy, cited such conditions as Turkish guarantees for
Kurdish and other minority rights. The general said such terms could
destroy the fabric of society, where Kurds compose as much as 20
percent of the country. http://www.menewsline.com/headline2.html
RUSSIA SEEKS POLITICAL MILEAGE FROM MIDDLE EAST
Russia's recent efforts to step up its role in the Middle East give
it political kudos and a chance for Israelis and Palestinians to put
their hopes in an arbiter other than the United States, analysts said
on Monday. But they added that Russia's role was likely to be of
psychological value rather than containing any real substance, and
remained sceptical of finding a solution to the conflict. "It is
important for Russia to show that it can succeed where the United
States failed," Russian political analyst Andrei Piontkovsky told
Reuters. http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=224649
'MAD COW' DISEASE PANIC SPREADS ACROSS EUROPE
The European Union was last night trying to contain consumer panic
over beef as the first cases of BSE emerged in Germany and the
Azores. Only 24 hours earlier, Spain discovered two cows infected
with the disease while infection is spreading in France. Twelve
European countries have now reported the disease. Reports of the
first suspected home-grown BSE case in Germany means the three
largest EU herds have the disease. France's 20m cattle account for
25% of the 80m cattle in the EU. Germany has a herd of 18m and
Britain 12m.
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/bse/article/0,2763,402805,00.html
EBOLA KILLS FOUR MORE UGANDANS
The director-general of health services in Uganda, Francis Omaswa,
has urged the public to maintain its vigilance against the deadly
Ebola virus. Professor Omaswa said four more people had died of the
disease over the past twenty-four hours in the northern district of
Gulu, where the outbreak was first reported. He said twenty-six
suspected cases in Gulu were under observation. The latest victims
bring the total number of deaths to one hundred and forty nine since
the Ebola outbreak was first reported in mid-September.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1044000/1044764.s
tm
VOTER ERROR INVALIDATED 2 MILLION BALLOTS NATIONWIDE
The uncounted ballots in Florida - which have played a key role in
Democratic challenges - are just a drop in the bucket of ballots
dismissed nationwide because of voter error, say political observers.
An estimated 180,000 votes were dismissed in Florida -out of 6.1
million votes cast - because of improper voting procedures.
However, more than 2 million ballots were tossed out in all 50 states
and also will not be counted, said Curtis Gans, director of the
Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/default-20001128225142.htm
GULF WAR SYMPTOMS LINKED TO BRAIN DAMAGE
Symptoms such as memory loss and dizziness suffered by US veterans
with Gulf War syndrome can be correlated to specific areas of the
brain where cells have died, probably from chemical exposure,
researchers said on Monday. In 1999, doctors from the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas reported that brain scans
performed on people with symptoms of Gulf War syndrome showed
depleted cells in three areas of their brains.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001127/hl/syndrome_1.html
AMERICAN MUSLIMS A NEW FORCE
American Muslims began the Ramadan month of fasting last night as a
remarkably well-organized religious minority. Advocacy efforts have
put Muslims on the political map, secured religious liberties,
discouraged media and corporate slighting of Islam, and included its
religious symbols in national holidays. As a relatively new minority,
Muslims overall do well financially in the United States, especially
among Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants who make up most of the
estimated 6 million followers of Islam here.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/default-20001128221132.htm
EXORCISTS AND EXORCISMS PROLIFERATE ACROSS U.S.
There are demons here, some people say, the kind that torment and
manifest themselves with spit-spewing and violent convulsions through
the people they possess, evil spirits that can trap people inside
themselves and utter foreign languages. That belief was at the root
of a decision by the archdiocese of Chicago to appoint a full-time
exorcist last year for the first time in its 160- year history. The
number of exorcists and exorcisms has increased across the country in
the last 10 years, experts said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/28/national/28EXOR.html?printpage=yes
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975449390/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Russian grandmother 'wanted to sell child for organs'
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 22:12:13 -0000
Russian grandmother 'wanted to sell child for organs'
Five-year-old Andrei was sold for $90,000
November 28, 2000
MOSCOW, Russia -- Police in a Russian city have discovered a
grandmother allegedly trying to sell her five-year-old grandson for
his organs.
Five-year-old Andrei was allegedly sold for $90,000 in an operation
that stunned police in Ryazan, an hour's drive south of Moscow.
While illegal adoptions are nothing new in Russia, police were
alarmed that those suspected of selling Andrei, who had been living
at an orphanage, were his own grandmother and an uncle.
They were also shocked that he was bought for such a high price
because he was sold for his organs -- kidneys, eyes, possibly the
heart or the lungs.
A police detective said: "Such a betrayal. We've never had a crime
like it. It was hard to believe, listening to the conversations (on
the surveillance tape).
"But there is an illegal market for organs, especially children's
organs."
The uncle, a married butcher with two daughters, told police during
his interrogation that he was pursuing a dream.
"I wanted to buy a house and a new car and some clothes. It was my
dream. I wanted to leave him at the orphanage, but my mother was
insisting that we could get $70,000 for organs."
Full story at:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/11/28/russia.children/index.html
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975459714/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (11/28/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:36:30 -0500
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000 / Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5761
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT IN DOUBT
2. THREE EXPLOSIONS IN GAZA
3. TWO WOMEN
4. STATE TO FOOT THE BILL
5. CRITICISM OF THE SUPREME COURT
6. RUSSIA ADMITS TO KILLING WALLENBERG
7. TENSION IN THE NORTH
8. P.A. REFUSES TO BE DRAGGED IN TO COMPROMISE
9. SOLIDARITY WITH YESHA
1. FUTURE OF GOVERNMENT IN DOUBT
Panicky political uncertainty continued throughout the day. With the
afternoon announcement by the left-wing Shinui party that it would vote
against the government today, it became clear that the Likud's bill to
topple the government would have well over the 61 MKs required to pass its
first reading today. Shinui leader Tommy Lapid made it clear, however,
that he is in favor of a national unity government, and that he will
continue to put pressure on both Prime Minister Barak and Likud leader
Ariel Sharon to form such a government. Lapid said that Sharon had agreed
"in principle" to a five-point document that he composed, and implied that
Barak had agreed as well - although Barak said publicly only that he
"welcomes the initiative" and that he will have to review it. The
document reads, in part, as follows:
"There will be no changes in the borders of Israel and those held by the
IDF without the consent of both Barak and Sharon... The government will
work to achieve peace with the Palestinians in the framework of long-term
interim agreements, with most of the vital assets remaining in Israeli
hands until a final-status agreement. Within these interim agreements,
the government will agree to create territorial contiguity for the
Palestinian Authority... The holding of any talks with the PA is
absolutely contingent upon a complete stop to all Palestinian violence and
incitement by Palestinian authorities, media, and schools... No change in
the status quo in Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, will be made
without Sharon's agreement."
Sources close to the Prime Minister said that he would not accept it, as
it would mean abandoning key Labor party leaders such as Yossi Beilin and
others. Meretz leader MK Yossi Sarid said that if in fact Barak accepts
the above document, Meretz will not join the government, and would even
consider fielding its own Prime Ministerial candidate in the next
elections. Labor MK Ophir Pines said that after he perused the Lapid
document, he thought that it was composed by one of the Likud MKs; Lapid,
however, said he wrote it after consulting with Barak many times over the
past few days. MK Avraham Poraz (Shinui), however, explained that if
Barak does not accept the unity proposal, he will face new elections, "and
as we all know, his electoral prospects are not bright. He will have to
choose between no-government and half-government." He said that although
Shinui is voting against Barak today, it may not vote this way in the
final readings of the bill, "because we will continue to work for the
formation of a unity government." Labor MK Uzi Baram said that the Prime
Minister should accept the fact that the government will fall, and take
advantage of the fact that he was personally elected as Prime Minister [as
opposed to his party being chosen to form a government] and sign an
agreement with the Palestinians on his own and then bring it to the
electorate.
Barak has another option: that of having the vote declared a motion of
confidence or no confidence, which would cause a one-week delay in the
vote. During the interim, additional efforts to form a unity government
would be made. Tonight's vote, if held, will be held at the end of
tonight's Knesset session, which could be close to midnight; 70 MKs have
asked to speak during the session.
Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson asked Likud spokesman Ophir Akunis if it was
true that the Likud had accepted the Lapid document calling for
"territorial contiguity for the Palestinian Authority" and its resultant
critical implications for the Yesha settlement enterprise. He responded,
"The Likud did not deal with this document. You'll have to speak to Ariel
Sharon or his spokesperson" - who was unavailable. Asked about the same
issue, MK Tzippy Livny said, "My goal today is to topple the government -
everything else will have to wait." MK Yuval Shteinitz said, "I'm against
a national unity government" - but could not elaborate, as he was called
urgently to the Knesset plenum. The National Religious Party, which has
been an outspoken proponent of a unity government, accepts the Lapid
agreement - except for the above clause; Arutz-7 learned as much from the
office of MK Sha'ul Yahalom.
2. THREE EXPLOSIONS IN GAZA
Three explosive bombs were set off today against Jewish targets in Gaza;
none of them caused injuries. The first was placed near the greenhouses of
Morag; IDF bulldozers then tore down a nearby grove of trees that had been
used by the terrorists for cover. The second bomb went off as an IDF
patrol jeep passed near Rafiach, on the Israeli-Egyptian border. The
final explosion occurred late this afternoon on the Karni-Netzarim road,
causing damage to one of the vehicles in an armed IDF convoy.
Palestinians opened fire today on a military jeep on the southern-Shechem
bypass road, and at a patrol near Tulkarm. A burst of gunfire was shot,
for the second day in a row, at an IDF outpost in Hevron. An Israeli
ambulance - carrying a wounded Palestinian to a Jerusalem hospital - was
stoned by Arabs in Atarot, in northern Jerusalem. This was the 42nd
incident of Arabs stoning an Israeli ambulance in the past two months.
Palestinian para-military policemen took part in the shooting against
Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood last night; no Israelis were hit, despite
the fact that bullets penetrated one of the apartments (see below). The
IDF returned heavy fire towards the source of the shots, which was
ascertained to be a Christian Orthodox building in Beit Jala.
Palestinians also fired on Beit El twice last night, as well as on Israeli
targets in Hevron, Gaza, Ofrah, and elsewhere.
Despite previous Israeli declarations that talking and shooting were
mutually exclusive, Israeli military leaders met their Palestinian
Authority counterparts until the early hours of the morning last night.
Itim News Agency reports that Israel warned the Palestinians that free
entry for Moslems to the Temple Mount this Friday - the first Friday of
Ramadan, when 300,000-400,000 Moslems usually arrive for prayers - would
be contingent upon a reduction of violent incidents in Judea, Samaria, and
Gaza. Ma'ariv reporter Eli Kamir told Arutz-7 today of Barak's
confidence-building measures for the Palestinians, some of which were
implemented today: "Less tanks around Palestinian-controlled areas, less
shooting from Israel, possibly allowing all Moslems to pray on the Temple
Mount on Friday, more deliveries of building materials to PA areas, the
restoration of most VIP privileges, and more."
A terrorist attack near Avnei Hefetz late this morning ended less
tragically then it could have. Aharon Gil of Avnei Hefetz - east of the
PA city of Tulkarm, between Netanya and Shechem - recounted his story to
Arutz-7: "I was on my way to the Netanya area when a car in front of me
stopped on the side, and when I passed by, 3-5 shots were fired from a
Kalachnikov rifle towards my car. The bullets hit the car and flew
inside; I bent down, and to my good fortune and happiness, thank G-d
nothing happened to me."
3. TWO WOMEN
Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane spoke with two women living under Palestinian fire
today, Miri Eldad of Gilo and Yiskah Levinger of Hevron. Ms. Eldad: "We
were gathered in our apartment last night, and my daughter had just opened
the refrigerator when a bullet hit right above her - I saw the flash; she
screamed and fainted, but she was not hit. I also fainted, and we spent
the night in the emergency ward=85 We have no protection on any windows,
despite the fact that every one of them except one faces Beit Jala, and
despite all the money that the government talked about giving=85 I am a
simple person, and I don't want to give the government diplomatic advice -
but one thing I do know: The government must give its citizens security.
My children don't go on buses, don't go to the mall, I try to protect them
from everything - but even within their own home they can't be safe?
Security is an basic demand!"
Yiskah Levinger of Hevron: "For us, every night is a night of miracles;
we are shot on all the time... Last night a bullet went through the
plastic shade, broke the glass, and hit the sand bags inside. My husband
went out and directed the soldiers as to where the firing came from=85 We
feel as if we are alone in this war; people have to wake up and realize
that there is a war going on."
4. STATE TO FOOT THE BILL
The paychecks of government workers who live in Yesha will not be docked
because of latenesses and absences caused by the violence. So announced
Public Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander. A Yesha resident who is
late or absent because of the present situation must simply inform his
office's security officer.
5. CRITICISM OF THE SUPREME COURT
Two additional instances of judicial criticism of the Supreme Court's
decision yesterday to convict Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane of incitement to
rebellion were noted today. Kahane had passed out flyers several years
calling upon the IDF to bomb the Israeli-Arab city of Um el-Fahm. The
Association for Civil Rights stated today that the conviction endangers
Israel's principle of freedom of speech, and that Kahane's words held no
danger of leading to violence. Law Prof. Ze'ev Segal similarly attacked
the decision in today's Ha'aretz.
6. RUSSIA ADMITS TO KILLING WALLENBERG
Yediot Acharonot's website Ynet reported today that Russia admitted last
night that it executed Raoul Wallenberg - the Swedish diplomat who saved
thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis - in 1947. "We are now sure
that Raoul Wallenberg was executed in the Lubianka [KGB] Prison [in
Moscow]," announced the Chairman of the Committee for Purifying the
Victims of Political Oppression. After more than 50 years of mystery
surrounding the fate of Wallenberg, this the first time that Russia has
admitted to executing him. According to Per Anger, Wallenberg's friend
and colleague, the saving of 100,000 Jews can be attributed to Wallenberg.
7. TENSION IN THE NORTH
Tzfat city council member Shai Maimon, who as a child was one of the
hostages in the 1974 Ma'alot school massacre in which Arab terrorists
killed 22 children, discussed his sensation today that his city is not
totally prepared for the future: "I feel that the current situation is
very reminiscent of 1974, what with the kidnappings of the three soldiers,
and the recent bombing by Hizbullah, and with Health Minister Milo's
warning to northern hospitals to prepare for violence, and it appears that
the dangers are increasing. Before the Peace for Galilee war [in 1982],
katyushas were fired upon Tzfat, and now again, after the IDF's withdrawal
from Lebanon, the border has come closer. Even Haifa is considered to be
in katyusha range... We have a problem in that there are not enough
private shelters in the city, and I have submitted a motion on this matter
for the upcoming municipal council session. We also need an increase in
our security budget..."
The IDF Spokesman released a special announcement yesterday
emphasizing,
in contrast to previous announcements by Hizbullah reported in the media,
that the explosion of the roadside bomb that killed an IDF soldier on
Sunday took place not in disputed territory, but within Israeli territory,
close to a kilometer south of the final IDF redeployment line as confirmed
by the United Nations. "The claims by Hizbullah and other bodies that the
area is occupied Lebanese territory are not supported by the authorized
international bodies," said the announcement, and continued, "Hizbullah,
aided by Lebanon and Syria, is attempting to drag the area into conflict.
The IDF views these parties as directly responsible for the terrorist
attack."
8. P.A. REFUSES TO BE DRAGGED IN TO COMPROMISE
Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee Mahmoud Abbas,
known also
as Arafat's deputy Abu Mazen, recently made clear - yet again - the
Palestinian position on Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the refugees.
Following are excerpts of an article he wrote in the London-based Arabic
daily Al-Hayat, in which he boasts to having rejected one Israeli proposal
after another, as translated and distributed by Middle East Media and
Research Institute (MEMRI):
"In Camp David... [the Israelis] spoke of annexing [not only the Jewish
quarter of the Old City, but also the Armenian quarter]. We categorically
rejected all of these proposals, and so they dropped the bomb of their
demand for sovereignty over the Al-Haram [the Temple Mount]... They also
demanded praying privileges [there] for a set number of people per day or
per week. We rejected this as well, but we agreed that they could pray
next to the [Wailing] Wall... as long as they do not use a Shofar. After
the summit they demanded, through mediators, to establish a small
synagogue [on the Mount]... When their proposal was rejected [by us],
they proposed that a Muslim state establish an installation on Temple
Mount, part of which would be used by the Jews as a synagogue. However,
we rejected this proposal as well. Afterwards, they proposed that the
sovereignty [over the Temple Mount] be [given] to God and that neither
side demand proprietorship. We rejected this proposal... Israel operates
in such a way in order to indicate to its adversary or enemy that any
demands of it are futile... it tries to cause its enemy or adversary to
doubt his own rights and his ability to achieve them... [The impression
is created] that it is Israel that makes concessions and demonstrates
flexibility, so that the other side is expected to answer in kind and
begin the process of compromising..."
Regarding the refugees, Abu Mazen makes it clear that the Palestinians
will settle for nothing less than the fulfillment of the UN resolution
calling for 'achieving a just settlement for the refugee problem;' Israel
may and must offer compensation, but only to those who do not wish to
return to Israel. Abu Mazen quotes "Israeli new historians" who "prove
that the main reason for the exile of the refugees was the premeditated
massacres committed by the Zionist organizations in order to empty the
land of its inhabitants..." - although he does note the Israeli position,
that "the Palestinians left... of their own volition and after a call [to
leave] by Arab and Palestinian leaders, who wanted to annihilate Israel."
9. SOLIDARITY WITH YESHA
Solidarity and unity among the people is growing. The municipality of
Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, announced that 1,500 children from Yesha will
spend a day next week at the city's famous Safari, free of charge...
Dozens of Yesha families will be hosted, free of charge, in guest houses
in the Golan this Shabbat... The Omanut La'Am [Art for the Nation]
association has sponsored and encouraged performances for besieged areas,
and has even threatened not to work with performers who refuse to appear
in these areas for ideological reasons... Upper Galilee Regional Council
head Aharon Valenci took a day off today to visit the Binyamin Regional
Council today. "This is not politics," he told Arutz-7 while travelling
from Psagot to Ofrah. "It's just that when Jews have troubles, we have to
be with them." He acknowledged that he was able to learn from the
security measures taken by the Binyamin towns for possible clashes that
may arise again in the Galilee.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior will pay a solidarity
visit Psagot and Eli tomorrow. He announced today that he condemns
left-wing calls to evacuate Yesha residents, and believes that such calls
"encourage aggression against them."
Hebrew News Editor: Ariel Kahane
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9699/2/_/_/_/975455389/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (11/28/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:36:31 -0500
Russia proposes international Mideast peace conference
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: AFP
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- Russia has proposed holding an international conference
to broker a peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, the top
Palestinian envoy in Moscow told AFP on Tuesday. A new Russian peace
initiative discussed last Friday in Moscow between Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called for a peace
conference to be held "as soon as possible," said Khairi Aloridi. But Russi
an
hopes of a Kremlin-brokered breakthrough in the two-month-long Middle East
crisis suffered a setback Tuesday when Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben
Ami again postponed a trip to Moscow to discuss the initiative.
The second postponement of Ben Ami's visit in as many days came after
Putin called Monday for "international control" to be strengthened in the
Middle East. Israel is opposed to broadening international involvement in t
he
peace process. Ben Ami said Sunday that the United States would remain
the main mediator in the Middle East despite Russia's bid to play a greater
role in the region. The Russian plan calls for the European Union, Middle
Eastern countries and China to all join the negotiating process alongside t
he
United States and Russia, the Palestinian envoy told AFP. The new talks
would begin after a cease-fire accord.
Moscow also suggested dispatching international observers to the
Palestinian territories and Jerusalem to monitor the ceasefire, according t
o
Aloridi. "We believe there must be a minimum of 2,000 international
observers," he said. The Palestinian observer to the United Nations, Nasser
Al-Kidwa, said on Friday that he would ask the Security Council to pass a
resolution this week calling for about 2,000 unarmed UN observers in the
West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. But Israel has rejected the resolution, and
the United States, one of five permanent members with a power of veto in th
e
council, said it would reject any proposal that did not have the support of
both sides.
Bush moving key staff to Washington D.C.
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: AP
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- George W. Bush, in a bold gesture to assert authority, i
s
moving key operatives to Washington and seeking private financing for a
presidential transition. In the face of Democratic court challenges to the
Florida presidential balloting, the Texas governor was pressing ahead with
plans to form a new government and to fill thousands of top positions now
held by Democrats. "We can move fairly rapidly in a couple of areas, but he
has to decide the timing," Bush's vice presidential running mate, Dick
Cheney, said Tuesday on NBC's "Today."
He said there was a "good possibility" that a Bush Cabinet would include
some Democrats. "The governor has given me instructions to look in those
areas," said Cheney, who is overseeing transition planning. "We clearly wil
l."
For survival, Barak prepares one last peace effort
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: Middle East Newsline
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- Prime Minister Ehud Barak has launched what could be
his last diplomatic offensive in what his aides say is an attempt to turn a
ny
future campaign into one that will present Israeli voters with either peace
or
war. Barak, who faces the prospect of early elections, has ordered aides to
prepare plans for a comprehensive settlement with the Palestinians as well
as an alternative that envisions a long-term interim peace. The interim pea
ce
would postpone such issues as Jerusalem and the refugee issue for several
years.
Aides to the prime minister said the plans are being drafted by the Nationa
l
Security Council, the Israeli military's planning division and the General
Security Services. They said Barak has told both the United States and
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat that he wants to convene a
peace summit to discuss the Israeli plans. Such a summit, the aides said, i
s
meant for the end of the month, only weeks before President Clinton leaves
office. On Sunday, Israeli General Security Services chief Avi Dichter met
PA
security director Mohammed Dahlan in Cairo to discuss the plans.
Netherlands becomes 1rst country to legalize mercy killings
Weekend News Today
Lead: faith
Source: BBC
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- The Netherlands has become the first country in the
world to legalize euthanasia, also known as mercy killings. The bill was
carried in the Dutch parliament by a vote of 104 for and 40 against.
Euthanasia has been tolerated for many years in the Netherlands, but it
remained illegal and doctors administering a lethal drug to a patient were,
in
theory, liable to be prosecuted. The law still needs the approval of the
Senate, but this is considered a formality, and it is expected to enter int
o
force next year. Labour Party leader Ad Melkert welcomed the vote.
On the other side of the battle, Rita Marker, executive director of the
International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, said the law will send a dangerou
s
signal. "It will be like giving the household seal of approval. What is cur
rently
a crime will be transformed into medical treatment," Marker told The
Associated Press. Rita Marker, anti-euthanasia campaigner stated, "It will
give freedom of choice at the most emotional moment of one's life."
Under the new law, parental consent will be required up until the age of 16
. In
terms of the practice of mercy killing, little will change when the new law
comes into effect. But with doctors now only reporting half the total numbe
r
of euthanasia cases, the government is hoping that without the threat of
prosecution, they will become more open about their activities. Earlier thi
s
month a study published in the medical journal The Lancet raised questions
over the use of voluntary euthanasia to end the lives of terminally ill pat
ients.
Researchers also found that in a small number of cases lethal drugs were
administered without the patients' explicit consent.
Weird weather gets warmer and breaking records in UK
Weekend News Today
Lead: faith
Source: BBC
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- Britain's climate chaos: November is set to break
temperature records after already being declared the wettest month on
record. With rain still falling in many parts of the UK, thermometers were
creeping upwards on Tuesday. The high temperatures are good news for
home owners with high heating bills but they provide yet more evidence of
the global warming phenomenon. Southern winds bringing Mediterranean
temperatures are responsible for the current warm spell.
On Monday, the Met Office confirmed that the total nationwide rainfall this
month of 18.1 inches was the highest since records began 300 years ago.
The previous high came in 1852 when 17.9 inches fell in November. With 2
days of the month remaining, and rain still ongoing, it is expected that th
e
record-breaking total will still go higher before November is out.
And the UK is not alone in suffering from freak weather. Emergency services
in Sweden are working franticly to protect towns in the west of the country
which are facing the worst floods in a century. Much of the problem is due
to
the unseasonable temperatures as normally rain would have frozen.
Flood disaster in Indonesia
Weekend News Today
Lead: faith
Source: Weather.com
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- Deadly flooding in Indonesia is the worst natural disast
er
to hit the region in 20 years. The death toll has reached 146 and rescuers
were searching today for more victims. 4 days of heavy monsoonal rain
caused flooding and mudslides on Indonesia=92s Sumatra island. Small villag
es
were buried under tons of rock and mud. As many as 75,000 people in West
Sumatra were forced from their homes and many of the people left homeless
were =93on the brink of starvation.=94 Roads to major towns have been washe
d
away, which has disrupted food supplies. Power and communication lines
also are down.
Kostunica snubs Albright in Austria
Weekend News Today
Lead: Leo
Source: Nando Times/AP
Tue Nov 28,2000 -- A handshake and a short exchange of words were all that
Yugoslavia's new leader granted Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at a
meeting Monday of foreign ministers of Europe's leading security
organization.
President Vojislav Kostunica had little to gain by cozying up to the Wester
n
official most closely identified with last year's NATO bombing campaign
against Yugoslavia. Despite a U.S. pledge of $100 million in aid to
Yugoslavia, the outgoing Clinton administration - and Albright in particula
r - is
highly unpopular in Yugoslavia because of the 78 days of bombing. Albright,
Yugoslav sources said, met briefly with Yugoslavia's foreign minister, Gora
n
Svilanovic, following a ceremony in which Belgrade joined the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Kostunica, who succeeded Slobodan Milosevic after an uprising last month,
said he didn't have time to meet the emissary of the world's only superpowe
r
because of fighting between Serb police and ethnic Albanians in southern
Serbia.
http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day=3D00_11_28&item=3D#975436441
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975455389/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
=======
To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: "Arafat King of Missed Opportunities"
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:55:42 -0500
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 18:38:02 -0800
To: memri@erols.com
From: MEMRI <memri@erols.com>
Subject: Ha'aretz: "Arafat King of Missed Opportunities"
Special Dispatch - Israel
November 29, 2000
No. 159
Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 7837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-mail: MEMRI@erols.com
Website: www.memri.org
[MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be cited
with proper attribution.]
Ha'aretz: "Arafat King of Missed Opportunities"
The continuing violence between Palestinians and Israelis has sharply
affected the Israeli debate on the peace process. MEMRI's Israel studies
program - monitoring Israeli reactions to the fighting - noted a change in
attitudes and public mood towards the PLO in general and Yasser Arafat in
particular, especially among left-leaning commentators such as Ha=92aretz
columnist Yoel Marcus in his November 17, 2000 op-ed entitled "The king of
missed opportunities." Marcus writes:
"I could easily fill three volumes with all the mistakes [PM Ehud] Barak ha
s
made. In the peace process, in politics, and in interpersonal relations,
there is not a single pothole he has met which he has not leapt into with
both feet. At the same time, there has not been a more suitable man or one
with more of the required courage to bring about a final agreement between
Israel and the Palestinians at this particular moment in time, and for
putting that agreement to vote in a national referendum. But [PA Chairman
Yasser] Arafat, about whom former foreign minister Abba Eban once said that
he never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity, is utilizing old
tactics again."
"In the fumbles department, Barak is out of Arafat's league. The differenc
e
between the two leaders is that while Barak primarily hurts himself up,
Arafat hurts both himself and his people. The 'Rais' [his much-honored
title in Arabic] is unable to detach himself from being the halo on the hea
d
of a national liberation front engaged in an armed struggle - a
revolutionary who prefers to board and disembark from jet planes dressed in
military uniform rather than to devote his energies to dealing with all the
grubby work needed to turn an embryonic state into an actual country. We
too had our own national liberation front leader in David Ben-Gurion, who
meticulously molded the character of the embryonic Jewish nation, and his
blueprint for the future State of Israel covered every possible aspect of
human life. A pragmatic leader, Ben-Gurion had the courage to content
himself with whatever gains he could make as long as they brought us a bit
closer to the goal - an independent State of Israel. So he was willing to
accept the idea of a Jewish state with a divided capital, Jerusalem, and
with extremely narrow 'hips.' He was willing to live with the United
Nations' Partition Plan for Palestine, and he was willing to accept
compromise solutions."
"Arafat keeps on talking about the 'peace of the brave,' but whenever
decision time gets uncomfortably close, he is the one who comes down with a
bad case of cold feet. An independent Palestinian state is within his
grasp. He is not only failing to take the opportunity but he is unable to
shake himself free from the image of a national liberation front leader
whose feet are anywhere but firmly on the ground. Meanwhile, the
Palestinian state-in-the-making is getting to look more and more like an
actual country - it has its very own corrupt leadership with a contemptuous
disregard for basic human rights, and a future head of state who has no
orderly, comprehensive agenda."
"Arafat is an opportunist who never hesitates to sacrifice his own people,
especially Palestinian children and adolescents, just so he can appear as
the victim in the media. The 'new Arafat' who emerged after the signing of
the Oslo agreement is the same old Arafat. Even his closest aides are
unable to 'read' or even understand him. Where Arafat is concerned,
agreements were never made to be honored, and the concept of giving your
word is a hollow, meaningless slogan."
"Arafat was expatriated from Jordan and from Lebanon, and he became an
international pariah when he supported Saddam Hussein's Iraqi occupation of
Kuwait. His list of blunders is truly astounding: he blundered in 1996 whe
n
he gave the green light to the Hamas organization to carry out mass
terrorist attacks - contrary to the counsel and warnings of then prime
minister Shimon Peres, the inventor of, and driving force behind, the Oslo
agreements. In giving that green light, Arafat brought the Likud to power.
He blundered by not preparing his people for conciliation [with the
Israelis], and he blundered in choosing to promote incitement through every
medium - from the muezzin in the mosque to the elementary school textbook."
"Arafat himself has continued to speak of Israel as an enemy state and to
address it in the language of threats and ultimatums. Arafat blundered whe
n
he failed to summon the courage needed to tell his people a peace treaty
will require painful compromises, that the idea of a total Israeli
withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 lines is unrealistic, and that there will be
many subjects that will have to remain - for Palestinians and Israelis - in
the sphere of wishful thinking. He has deluded them with militant speeches
about the right of return [of Palestinian refugees] and by harping on an
independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Not for even
a
single instant has he stopped poisoning the atmosphere as he skillfully use
s
his standing as the underdog facing a much more powerful foe to the hilt an
d
as the representative of an occupied people facing the representatives of
the occupier."
"[President Bill] Clinton has opened every possible door for Arafat, yet
Arafat has been unable to grasp that moment of truth when leaders either
define their greatness or demonstrate that they are nonentities. In dozens
of meetings - at Camp David, in Paris, in Sharm el-Sheikh, and finally with
his old friend Shimon Peres - Arafat has made no promises nor has he honore
d
any. Instead, he launched a jihad - a holy war - a war of attrition. In
launching jihad, Arafat hopes to internationalize the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict and to force Israel to carry out some action that will lead to
international military intervention and an [externally] imposed solution.
Recent public opinion polls show that 65 percent of the Israeli people stil
l
support the peace process. However, Arafat will not rest until the last
peace dove flies to the tented camp of Likud MK Limor Livnat."
"Time is quickly running out. There will never be another Bill Clinton. Th
e
next president - either way with a majority of 300 votes and a split
Congress - will focus on domestic political survival. There will never be
another Ehud Barak. He is still the best imaginable Israeli prime minister
for promoting the cause of peace. If he is ousted, he will be replaced by
an extreme rightist government that will be dragged into a war in which
there can be no victors. If Arafat really does not want to end his
political career as the retired king of missed opportunities in Tunis, he
has no other option. He must return to the 'dialogue of the brave.'"
The Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization providing translations of the media of the Middle
East and original analysis on developments in the region. Copies of articl
es
and documents cited, as well as background information, are available upon
request.
------- End of forwarded message -------
-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
eGroups eLerts
It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free!
http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/2/_/_/_/975456048/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
bprlist-unsubscribe@egroups.com
Bible Prophecy Research
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr
Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.