Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
September 29, 2000


Digest Home | 2000 | September, 2000

 

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Daywatch items (9/29/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 08:23:51 -0400

MICHIGAN -- If Al Gore has his way, homosexual couples will gain
the same rights as heterosexuals. The Vice President on Tuesday
told a national television audience that he also favors granting
homosexuals full immigration rights, the New York Post reported.
Full Story: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000928a.htm

CHINA -- Two government-controlled Christian groups have called
upon the Roman Catholic Church to repent of sins allegedly
committed against the Chinese people. The Three-Self Patriotic
Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China and the
China Christian Council on Wednesday leveled charges against
missionaries, 120 of whom Pope John Paul II wants to canonize as
martyrs.
Full Story: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000928b.htm

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the first time in it's 11-year history,
the Republican presidential nominee will not speak at the annual
Christian Coalition Convention. Believing he already has a strong
foothold among Evangelical Christians, George W. Bush has opted
to stay on the campaign trail in swing-vote states.
Full Story: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000928c.htm

KENYA -- East African religious broadcasters have poised
themselves for a struggle with Kenya's President over freedom of
speech. Daniel arap Moi has proposed limiting FM radio broadcasts
to English and Kiswahili, the two most widely spoken languages in
the country.
Full Story: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000928d.htm

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- If a baby can survive outside a mother's
womb, it should legally be considered a person and granted full
protection under the U.S. Constitution. That is the conclusion of
the U. S. Congress which on Tuesday voted 380-15 to extend
recognition and human rights to newborns, even those who survive
an attempted abortion.
Full Story: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00b/20000928e.htm

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Thought Crime, 'Hate Crime'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 08:29:53 -0400

Thought Crime, 'Hate Crime'
Larry Elder
Sept. 28, 2000

Is political incorrectness a "hate crime"?

The federal government defines hate crimes as "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation, arson, and destruction, damage or vandalism of property."

Consider the case of Dr. Richard Zeller, formerly a professor of sociology at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. After 25 years of teaching at the school, Dr. Zeller retired in protest. Why? He wanted to teach a course on political correctness.

From talking to students, Zeller learned that many felt pressured to adopt politically correct views in order to get a passing grade. One student told Zeller that, in order to get a good grade, a professor virtually forced the student to agree that all whites are racist. Another student said that he felt pressured to adopt a "pro-choice" position on abortion, even though he considered himself staunchly pro-life.

Professor Zeller got an idea. What about a course on political correctness, on the tyranny within academia that forces students to conform to a prescribed set of views?

Zeller put together a proposed course curriculum. He included books like "Illiberal Education" by Dinesh D'Souza; "The Bell Curve" by R. Herrnstein and C. Murray; "Two Steps Ahead of the Thought Police" by J. Leo; "Inside American Education" by Thomas Sowell; "A Nation of Victims" by C. Sykes; and "Civil Wrongs: What Went Wrong With Affirmative Action" by S. Yates.

But Zeller's sociology colleagues said "no" to the course. Zeller protested, and ultimately the sociology department voted on whether or not he could teach the course. Zeller lost 9-5.

Zeller then attempted to teach the course in other departments, but no other department granted approval for the course. So much for academic freedom, for diversity of thought. Not only that, Zeller found friends few and far between.

For example, one newspaper quoted BGSU's Dr. Kathleen Dixon, the director of Women's Studies, who said of Zeller's attempted course, "We forbid any course that says we restrict free speech!" We forbid any course that says we restrict free speech?!

A BGSU ethnic studies professor said that Zeller's attitude would help students "feel good about the ruling paradigm, which since the inception of the United States, has said that genocide is good, racism is better, and exploitation of the women and poor is the best way to go." Gee, poor Zeller thought he was simply teaching a course on political correctness.

How about professor Gary Lee, the BGSU Sociology Department Chairman, who said, "Unfortunately, tenure protects the incompetent and malicious; Rich has tenure, so he cannot be fired without cause." Fired? For wanting to teach a course in political correctness? For good measure, Zeller also received death threats, and someone wrote "Zeller you die" on sanitary napkins left on the professor's front porch at home.

Weary of the battle, Dr. Zeller offered his resignation. In a letter to the school, Zeller expressed his frustration and anger. He directs his concern, said the professor, not at himself, but at the students deprived of an education that challenges assumptions and questions the status quo.

Zeller said, "But don't cry for me. I'm doing just fine, thank you. Cry out, instead, for the students who regularly get intellectually mugged on the BGSU campus"; "the traditionalist who believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, but can't say so for fear of failing"; "the conservative who believes in minimizing government interference in our lives and says so in a sociology class"; "the woman who believes that abortion is murder, but must write a pro-choice essay to pass English 111"; and "all of those who have 'adjusted' and 'self-censored' their ideas so that they can pass their classes."

Zeller also said, "BGSU has sold its soul to the thought police of political correctness. There was a time that ... honorable people could disagree honorably; now, any challenge to the campus sacred cows (feminism, affirmative action, and multiculturalism) is denounced as evil."

About Zeller's travails, the Christian Science Monitor's Sanford Pinsker said, "Amid all the self-congratulatory talk about diversity one hears on American campuses, it is not at all clear that intellectual diversity is alive and well. If the result of Zeller's pressing for a course that might expose students to controversial thinkers and books had been an honest debate - rather than an exercise in character assassination - all of us might well have benefited. As it stands, however, everyone at BGSU has lost."

Or, as BGSU's Women's Studies Director might have put it, BGSU prevents any discussion about any topic that suggests we prevent any discussion about any topic. Got that?


http://www.newsmax.com/commentarchive.shtml?a=2000/9/27/215054

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Daily World Affairs Report items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 08:55:18 -0400


THE 1ST E.U.

As Denmark votes on the euro, Julian Champkin reminds us that
Charlemagne first produced it 1,000 years ago

Half a dozen European nations united under common laws and a single
rule. Free trade between them, with Britain left outside. The first King
of Europe imposes a single currency on Europe. This is not a
Eurosceptic's nightmare of the future. Today, as Danes go to the polls
for their referendum on the euro, we should remember that it has all
happened before - more than 1,000 years ago. The first king of Europe
was not Jacques Delors but Charlemagne - the emperor Charles the Great,
who died in 814. The empire he created stretched from Bavaria down into
Italy and to the edge of Spain. Its heart was where France meets
Germany.

Look at it in a historical atlas and you see that the borders of
Charlemagne's empire coincide almost exactly with the borders of the
founding 6 nations of the EU - France, Germany, the Benelux 3, and
Italy. And that, say Euro- historians, is no coincidence. Charlemagne's
methods of unification were not exactly those of Delors and Brussels.
Brussels indulges in Byzantine politicking, shifting temporary alliances
in the council chambers, backed up, in the days before the euro, by the
invincible strength of the German mark.

It was much the same in Charlemagne's time, if a little more personal.
He deposed his father-in-law, repudiated his wife, seized his dead
brother's lands. He used one-sided, rather high-handed treaties to
extend his rule over neighbouring lands; and where that did not work, he
used his invincible army. EU legitimacy stems from the Treaty of Rome.
Charlemagne's came from promises he made, also at Rome, to protect the
Pope. It was more an affirmation of Rome than a treaty, but still, he
did have himself crowned there; so his legal authority over the core
countries of Western Europe could be said to stem from the place.

Aachen was where he placed his capital. Aachen is a small town, of no
more inherent significance than, oh, Strasbourg or Brussels. And it lies
roughly halfway between them - again, by no coincidence. Something else
that is not a coincidence is that President Giscard d'Estaing of France
and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of Germany first discussed setting up the
euro when they met in Aachen in the crypt of the Cathedral beside
Charlemagne's tomb.

And how did Charlemagne administer this natural heartland of Europe?
Today the debate is between completely centralised administration or a
federal Europe in which nation-states are allowed local variations of
their own. Charlemagne faced the same problem, and opted for the latter.
"In modern terms, he was the man who invented subsidiarity," says Chris
Bowlby, the producer of a 3-part series for Radio 4, Europe, Belief and
Belonging, starting tonight.

The system he chose had the huge advantage that it bought the loyalty of
the people that mattered: the small kings, the petty local rulers, the
local politicians. They could still rule, as long as they acknowledged
that their laws were subservient to his; and each of them, all the way
down the line, was allowed to keep his cut. And how did he create any
feeling of allegiance for this new concept called Europe? His
masterstroke more than preoccupies us today: it was the single European
currency.

Before Charlemagne there had been Roman gold coins, Frankish coins,
Saxon coins and half a dozen other ones as well. He made a single
coinage, and it ran from the borders of Hungary to the borders of Spain.
Such a thing has not been achieved since - although we may well see its
recurrence in 2002. "Ask any Europhile today why they are so keen on a
single Europe- wide currency, and they will say that it gets people
thinking of themselves as Europeans," says Bowlby. "A border ceases to
mean very much when you don't have to pay taxes at it, and when you
don't have to dispose of the change in your pocket when you cross it."

But where was Britain in all this last time around? Dithering on the
sidelines, that's where, and unable to make up its mind. We were still,
after all, half-a- dozen Saxon kingdoms, with King Offa of Mercia
foremost among them. Offa blew hot and cold on Europe. He began by
redesigning his currency to bring it in line with Charlemagne's
proto-euro: he got the lettering the same, the metal the same - new
high-tech silver instead of old-fashioned gold.

A few years later Offa had second thoughts. Charlemagne's own currency
was losing value against ours (ring a bell?). So Offa decided to make
the difference clear: he made British coins bigger, containing more
silver; the Anglo-Saxon shilling from then on was no longer compatible
with the European groat, livre, or krone, and we have had exchange-rate
fluctuations ever since.

But Eurosceptics can take heart. Charlemagne's seemingly secure empire
fell apart 30 years after his death. It maintained a ghost existence as
the Holy Roman Empire, a nebulous thing beloved of the legalistically
minded, but in reality neither a Holy nor Roman empire, before it faded
into meaninglessness. Even Charlemagne's example could not hold the
European ideal together. (The London Times)

PRAGUE PROTESTERS CLAIM VICTORY

Anti-capitalist protesters declared victory in Prague last night after
the IMF and World Bank ended their annual meeting a day early following
fierce clashes in the streets. Stefan Bienenfeld, a spokesman for the
protest organisers, Inpeg, said he hoped the decision marked the
beginning of the end for the international financial institutions: "We
see it as a success that they are getting out of town as fast as they
can."

The surprise announcement followed an exodus by most of the delegates.
Meetings were held in near-empty conference halls a day after fierce
street fighting when up to 12,000 protesters attempted to blockade the
venue. Many of the 2,000 IMF delegates were trapped in the conference
centre for up to 12 hours by the fighting, which at times came within 50
yards of the meeting, and 31 were injured. Police eventually got the
besieged delegates out of the building by commandeering an underground
train. Planned events, including a special performance at the State
Opera House were cancelled when demonstrators massed in the vicinity.
(The London Telegraph)

ISRAELI DIPLOMATS PRESS U.N. FOR ACCEPTANCE

Israeli diplomats in Europe in the last week have begun a concerted
campaign to win full acceptance for the state in the UN's Western
European and Others group (WEOG), 4 months after Israel was admitted on
a limited basis to the group's activities in New York. The action is
being coordinated with the American government, which has been a strong
backer of ending Israeli isolation at the UN by admitting it to WEOG.
"We have coordinated 2 demarches - one Israeli and one American, [to the
Europeans]," Ambassador to the UN Yehuda Lancry told The Jerusalem Post.
 

Israel was admitted last May in a limited and temporary manner to the
WEOG at UN headquarters in New York, one of the regional groups that
serve as venues for nominating candidates for UN bodies and formulating
policies for UN commissions. Israel is barred by some Arab states from
taking its natural geographic place in the Asian group. WEOG next year
will put forth candidates for 2 seats on the Security Council, and the
contenders are expected to be Norway, Italy and Ireland. However, it is
in UN forums in Geneva, Vienna and Bonn where most of the Western
European policies are formulated, and at which Israel is excluded from
participating.

While Israel was trying to broaden its role at the UN, the Palestinians
were expected to launch a new bid to upgrade their status at the UN and
be recognized as a member state. Lancry said that the Israeli campaign
has no relationship to the Palestinian membership plans at the UN.
"There is no relevant linkage between the Palestiniansā efforts and our
legitimate claim to belong to a regional group."

Lancry dismissed suggestions that it had been a mistake for Israel to
accept limited participation in WEOG, which had the effect of exchanging
one anomaly for another and also cost Israel its "public relations
advantage" as the only outsider at the UN. Rather than an error, he
said, "it was a big diplomatic achievement. We lose our moral authority
being outside. We lose our dignity, our responsibility. In New York, we
recovered our dignity as a member state. We are not the pariah of the
international community." Now "we would like to normalize our relations
in other places." (The Jerusalem Post)

The Daily
WORLD AFFAIRS REPORT
ISSUE #318

via: origin@egroups.com

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Riots in Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 09:02:23 -0400

RIOTS IN JERUSALEM

Rioting has broken out in Jerusalem. The latest violence erupted after Muslim
noon prayers at the holy site in Jerusalem. Emerging from two major
mosques in the walled compound, worshippers hurled stones at Israeli police
and at Jewish believers praying at the Western Wall. The rioting may be in
response to Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount two days ago (see item
2). However it is not uncommon to see rioting like this during the time of the
Jewish holidays.

At the present time (Sept. 29, 2:30 p.m. Israel time) Israeli radio is stating
that 20,000 Muslim worshippers are rioting on the Temple Mount, many are
injured, although no details are available yet. From our BFP offices, we hear
the sirens of many ambulances and we see helicopters criss-crossing the
sky above. We are praying for all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem. Please join us as we "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

Bridges for Peace

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - A History of the Olympic Games
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 08:10:31 -0500

A HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES
About's 20th Century History Guide, Jennifer Rosenberg, follows the
history of the Olympics from its mythical creation by Heracles, son of
the Greek god Zeus, through modern times.

http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa081000a.htm

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News items (9/29/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 09:17:55 -0400

PALESTINIAN POLICEMAN MURDERS ISRAELI JOINT-PATROL
COLLEAGUE

Another Israeli - a Border Guard policeman - has been killed at the
hands of a Palestinian Authority terrorist, the second in the past two
days. Close to 8 AM this morning, a Palestinian para-military policeman
walked up to a jeep in which were sitting Israeli troops with whom he
was serving in a joint patrol.

The killer, screaming "Allah is Great!," shot into the jeep, killing one of the
Israeli policemen. A second Israeli Border Guard policeman is in
light-to- moderate condition. A closure has been instated on the
Palestinian Authority city of Kalkilye, not far from Kfar Saba, and the
joint patrols - an Oslo Accord mechanism under which Israeli and PA
jeeps patrol together - have been suspended.

The Palestinian Authority, which arrested the murderer and is
questioning him, claims that he was mentally unstable and that the
Israelis taunted him. Israeli military sources rejected this "routine"
explanation, and said that there had been no Israeli instigation or any
reason for the shooting. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Herzl Gedz, who formerly
headed the autonomy liaison administration, said today, "The Palestinian
Authority's entire right to exist is based on its willingness to
cooperate with Israel - not only in terms of security, but in every
area."

"In Gaza, Palestinian soldiers cock their guns at their Israeli soldiers
almost every day for trivial reasons, while in Kalkilye this has not
been the case," said Border Guard police chief Yitzchak Dadon, "and this
is why this was so surprising." He could not point to a specific
terrorist attack that had been prevented by the joint patrols, and said
that he personally is against the renewal of the patrols. Dr. Aaron
Lerner of IMRA notes that similar joint patrols are a key security
component in the proposals for major Israeli withdrawals in a final
agreement. "We must take careful note of the recent increase of
Palestinian violence," Dadon said, "both verbal and physical. Yesterday,
at the Temple Mount, Border Guard policemen were standing guard, doing
nothing, and whoever wanted to came and threw objects at them..."

The Yesha Council's response to the joint-patrol murder: "The fact that
Palestinian police have been involved in both fatal attacks of the past
days proves that Arafat never abandoned terrorism and is not a true
partner in peace. The talks with Arafat must be stopped, and the IDF
should be instructed to behave towards the Palestinian police as an
all-out terrorist organization."

Nadia Matar of Women in Green responded to today's murder: "We demand
that the government repent, and cease all security cooperation with
Arafat and his murderers. This situation was brought upon us by the
Oslo Accords, in the framework of which the government provided the PA
with the rifles with which the Israeli policeman was likely murdered
today - and now Barak is left merely to 'condemn' the killing... May
this new year of 5761 see the end of Oslo - and the Hebrew rendition of
5761 is an acronym for this."

THE REWARDS OF TERRORISM

Sgt. David Biri, victim of a Palestinian remote-controlled roadside-bomb
attack in Gaza two days ago, was buried this morning in Jerusalem.
Another roadside bomb was detonated in Gaza yesterday evening, halfway
between Kibbutz Nachal Oz and the Erez Checkpoint [at the north-eastern
tip of the Gaza Strip]; it missed the army jeep that it had targeted,
and no one was hurt.

Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shachak, a former IDF Chief of Staff, said today,
"In the end, Netzarim will be evacuated anyway - as will 20% of Yesha
towns and people… The entrances to Netzarim are hard to protect, and
there is therefore no choice but to evacuate it." The Yesha Council and
Netzarim residents condemned these remarks, as well as similar calls by
Meretz, saying that they represent "a reward for terrorism."

Other Palestinian notes:
 Shomron Regional Council head Bentzy Lieberman was prevented by
Palestinian police from entering the city of Jenin yesterday, in blatant
violation of the Oslo Agreements...
 Haggai Huberman reports that the salinity of Gush Katif water supplies
will rise still more, following the drilling-start for another
Palestinian well adjacent to Gush Katif. The quality of drinking water
in the area has dropped steadily since the signing of the Oslo
Agreements...
 Israeli-Arab MKs were among the instigators of yesterday's violence at
 the
Temple Mount during the Likud Knesset Members' visit. "Murderers of
Palestinians!" and "This is not your Temple Mount" were among the shouts
heard from the Arab MKs...

YESHA POPULATION UP

The Jewish population of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza is now more than twice
what it was when the Oslo agreement was signed, seven years ago. Some
210,000 people now live in Yesha communities. Gush Etzion's Nokdim, for
instance, has grown from 35 families to 150 since the Oslo agreement,
while Netzarim has 70 families, up from 25.

Other statistics: Otniel, south of Hevron, boasts 100 families, Ofrah -
500, and Beit El has over 800.

WAVING THE FLAG

Is it legal to wave an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount? This is the
judicial question occupying the Justices of the Supreme Court and the
State Prosecution today, following yesterday's hearing in the latest
Noam Federman case. Federman is appealing rulings by Jerusalem courts
that forbade him from entering the Temple Mount after he was caught
waving an Israeli flag there. The Prosecution announced yesterday that
it would no longer insist on banning Federman's entry to the Mount - as
long as he does not wave an Israeli flag; Federman agreed to abide by
this compromise until after the judicial issues involved are clarified.

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 / Elul 29, 5760

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Report Warns of Increase in Natural Disasters
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 13:22:01 -0500

Report Warns of Increase in Natural Disasters
Updated 7:53 AM ET September 29, 2000

LONDON (Reuters) - Climate change is already increasing the frequency
and intensity of natural disasters, and the trend is likely to
continue according to a report released Friday by the World Wide Fund
for Nature.

The report, 'Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events', said global
temperatures would increase, sea levels would rise, and few places in
the world would be spared an increase in violent rainstorms,
droughts, tropical cyclones and other climatic disruptions.

Dr. Ute Collier, head of the WWF's Climate Change Program, said the
evidence to show extreme weather was the result of global warming was
overwhelming.

"We got leading scientists to investigate (the evidence) -- we wanted
scientists because they're often reluctant to link events such as
more floods and the disappearance of Arctic ice to climate change --
and they've said that climate change is clearly having an impact on
the frequency and intensity of natural disasters," Collier told BBC
radio Friday.

The report was compiled for the WWF by Pier Vellings and Willem van
Verseveld of the Institute of Environmental Studies at the Vrije
University in Amsterdam, using observations and documents on climate
patterns produced by various organizations over recent decades.

STARK CHOICE FOR WORLD

The authors said the increase in extreme weather would affect
different parts of the world differently, and that the southern
hemisphere would suffer most.

Southern Europe was expected to become drier while northern Europe
would become wetter. In Britain, summer droughts in the southeast
would become more frequent and there would be more winter rainfall
across the country, with more frequent flooding.

The authors are cautious over the causes of climate change, but said
"at least part of the damage caused by weather extremes is due to
human-induced climate change."

"The world faces a stark choice -- reduce emissions or face the fury
of nature," said Collier.

However, Richard North of the Institute of Economic Affairs said the
consensus view of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) -- a panel of leading world scientists -- was that little
could be done to reverse the trend of global warming, and that humans
needed to adjust to it.

"The IPCC says we've put our foot on the accelerator and taking it
off a bit won't make much difference," he told BBC radio. "The Greens
are defending very high petrol prices. They're ignoring evidence that
fuel prices have doubled in the last decade but it's had hardly any
impact on carbon dioxide emissions."

http://news.excite.com/news/r/000929/07/science-environment-warming-dc

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Real World News (09/29/00): ID Kids with their DNA at Birth
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 15:26:34 -0500

Selected items from...

REAL WORLD NEWS 09/29/2000

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


ID KIDS WITH THEIR DNA AT BIRTH, NOBEL SCIENTIST SAYS
The DNA of all newborn children should be taken and stored in a huge
ID database, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist suggests. Speaking to an
audience celebrating Illinois Wesleyan University“s 150-year
anniversary Wednesday night, Dr. James Watson, who won the Nobel
Prize for his pioneering work in DNA research, shocked listeners by
recommending that the DNA fingerprints of all children be collected
at birth and stored in computers, presumably to provide Big Brother
with a biological means of instant lifetime identification.
http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/9/28/233636

IT'S A DRIVER'S DREAM - A CAR THAT RUNS ON TAPWATER
Forget petrol taxes. You'll soon be able to run your car on tapwater,
say scientists. Petrol pumps could be dumped in favour of garden
hoses if their prototype kit, which will be ready in two months,
takes off. A power generator has run for 40 hours on water and the
scientists believe cars will get 200 miles to the gallon. American
inventor Dan Maarsman, 66, said: "The kit can convert a lawnmower or
a plane - anything with an internal combustion engine." It is
expected to cost £1,200 and works by separating hydrogen from the
oxygen in water.
http://www.lineone.net/express/00/09/28/news/n2340-d.html

THIS YEAR'S CHILD MAY LIVE TO BE 130 YEARS OLD
Children born this year may be able to live beyond the age of 130,
according to trends revealed by a new study of ageing. The age to
which human beings can live is increasing by more than a year every
decade and shows no signs of reaching any biological limit, American
scientists have discovered. If the trend continues, a handful of
children born in 2000 are likely to survive to the age of 130.
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/09/29/timfgnusa01004.ht
ml

BRITONS FIND 'LOST' CROCODILE IN CAMBODIA
Dozens of unknown species of animals have been discovered by a
British-led expedition to a formerly sealed part of Cambodia. The
scientists, working in a mountainous region near the Thai border
occupied by remnants of the Khmer Rouge, also came across across at
least two species - the wolf snake and the Siamese crocodile - which
were thought to be extinct. Jenny Daltry, a biologist, led the
expedition mounted by Fauna and Flora International of Cambridge.
http://www.foxnews.com/science/092800/times_crocodile.sml

JUDGE ISSUES EVICTION ORDER AGAINST BAPTIST TEMPLE
A federal judge today ordered the Indianapolis Baptist Temple to
vacate its property by Nov. 14 to pay off a tax lien to the Internal
Revenue Service. U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker's order gives
federal marshals authority to use "force as necessary" to complete
the eviction. Despite receiving support from militia groups, church
leaders have pledged not to use violence in countering any government
action. Anyone who disobeys the eviction order will be held in
contempt of court and face fines and arrest, Barker said in the
order. http://www.starnews.com/news/articles/templepm0928.html

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN
Last month, the United Nations met in New York to hammer out the
final details as outlined in the 1995 U.N. official document called,
"The Charter for Global Governance." During the same meeting, billed
as Millennium 2000, representatives of the global economy held their
own meetings. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the
major central banks have been working on global financial standards
that will eventually result in an openly controlled global economic
system operated under the authority of the U.N.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_lindsey/20000927_xchal_king_mount
s html

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - American Proconsuls
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 17:54:57 -0400

This article is far too long to post here, but it's worth a look if you have the
time. It's from the Washington Post and is about American generals and the
regional distribution of their authority. It's of note because it compares the
generals and their regional commands to the proconsuls of the Roman
Empire. America as the new Rome, where have I heard that before? LOL.
Joel

A Four-Star Foreign Policy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31642-2000Sep27.html

"Zinni, along with ith Adm. Dennis C. Blair, Gen. Wesley K. Clark and
Gen. Charles E. Wilhelm, served as regional commanders-in-chief, or
CINCs. The CINC offices were expanded 14 years ago to promote efficiency
by giving them command of operations involving the Army, Air Force, Navy
and Marines in assigned regions of the world. Since then, the CINCs
(pronounced "sinks") have evolved into the modern-day equivalent of the
Roman Empire's proconsuls--well-funded, semi-autonomous, unconventional
centers of U.S. foreign policy."

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Harpazo News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 18:04:50 -0400

September 29, 2000

Islamist Group Threatens Revenge Against Israel For Jerusalem Deaths

Muslim leaders across the Arab world responded with anger Friday at the
deaths of five Palestinians at Jerusalem's holy mosque, threatening to
seek revenge against Israel. "The blood of the Al-Aqsa martyrs will not go
without punishment," warned the group Islamic Jihad on the Qatari
satellite television station Al-Jazira. "The Palestinian people are going
to burn the territory under Israeli occupation," Islamic Jihad said,
calling on Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority to break off all peace
talks with Israel. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the leader of the Islamist group
Hamas, meanwhile called on Palestinians to continue their armed struggle
against Israel. "We will pursue our path: either victory or martyrdom to
win back our rights from occupation. The restoration of peace will not be
achieved except by resistance and force," Sheikh Yassin said by telephone
to some 3,000 people assembled in Amman by Islamist Palestinian refugees.
"The Palestinian people cannot accept abandoning one sole inch of
Jerusalem or Palestine," the Hamas leader said. AFP

Violence Casts Shadow On Jewish New Year

Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians cast a shadow over preparations
Friday for the two-day Jewish New Year holiday. With Israeli-Palestinian
peace talks frozen and Prime Minister Ehud Barak's government teetering on
the edge of collapse, attacks by Palestinian militants in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip pointed Israelis toward a harsh new reality that may face
them in the coming year -- tension and violence instead of peace and
quiet.

The Jewish new year, called Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew, begins a ten-day
period of solemn religious introspection, soul-searching and asking for
forgiveness for sins. People assess the past year and look ahead to the
prospects for the next one. As usual, peace and security issues dominate,
especially because of this week's violence. Palestinian attackers set off
bombs near an army-escorted convoy carrying settlers in the Gaza Strip
Wednesday, killing a soldier. On Thursday, a bomb exploded near an Israeli
patrol vehicle on the road along the fence between Gaza and Israel. No one
was hurt. And on Friday, a Palestinian policeman opened fire on his
Israeli partners in a joint patrol in the West Bank, killing one Israeli.

A visit Thursday by hawkish opposition leader Ariel Sharon to a disputed
hilltop in the Old City of Jerusalem, where Israeli and the Palestinians
both claim sovereignty over Jewish and Muslim holy sites, set off a riot
by Palestinians. All this was on the minds of Israelis as they crowded
shopping centers and open-air marketplaces, stocking up for the holiday,
which often includes family gatherings. At Jerusalem's outdoor Mahane
Yehuda market, extra police patrolled. Markets have been targets for bomb
attacks in the past. CNN

Israel Gets First Of 14 New U.S. Spy Planes

Israel has received the first of 14 reconnaissance planes from the United
States in a $125 million sale. The Israeli Air Force received on Wednesday
the B200-T spy plane, manufactured by Raytheon. The plane is a transport
aircraft that has been modified for reconnaissance missions. Three more
planes are expected imminently. In all, the planes will arrive in four
deliveries and replace older reconnaissance aircraft. Military sources
said the planes, equipped with Israeli electronic subsystems, will replace
the air force's Dakota aircraft. The first planes are expected to be
deployed by the end of 2001. world tribune

Sharon Vows To Fight Division Of Jerusalem

Likud leader Ariel Sharon vowed yesterday to use "every democratic means"
to resist attempts to divide Jerusalem, in response to Prime Minister Ehud
Barak's suggestion in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that a peace
agreement may allow for separate side-by-side entities called Jerusalem
and Al-Quds. "This is a major historical mistake. It is the first time
that a Jewish leader agreed to divide Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish
people for the last 3,000 years," Sharon said after his visit to the
Temple Mount. "Jerusalem does not belong to us, but to the entire Jewish
people. The fact that one man decided to divide Jerusalem is very wrong
and we will try to stop this in every democratic way." Earlier, Sharon had
referred to the Post story as evidence that Barak is not showing any
leadership and is weakening Israel. Jerusalem Post

Israel Closes Commercial Crossing To Gaza

In response to the two terrorist attacks in Gaza over the past two days,
in which Sergeant David Biri was killed, Israel has announced it is
closing commercial crossings to Gaza, thereby blocking the importation of
construction materials to PLO Authority (PA) autonomous areas. Likud MK
Gideon Ezra, a former deputy director of the General Security Service
(GSS/Shin Bet), decried Israel“s reaction, insisting that following the
murdering of a combatant, to respond by only closing a commercial crossing
sent a message of weakness to the persons responsible for the continue
terror attacks. Israel Wire

Barak Denies Giving Away Jordan Valley

Prime Minister Ehud Barak told settlers from the Jordan Valley yesterday
that any peace agreement made would allow Israel to maintain a presence
there. Barak met yesterday morning in Tel Aviv with the chairmen of the
Jordan Valley and Megillot Regional Councils and the Ma'ale Ephraim Local
Council, as well as members of the three councils' political-security
forum. They told Barak that they were worried over the fate of the Jordan
Valley, since there were rumors Israel may be negotiating to quit the
region. They also raised several issues related to the difficulties of
daily life in the area. Barak told them that in any settlement Israel
would maintain a "security and community foothold" in the area. He noted
that until now, he has not made any commitments and added that he has not
given anything to the Palestinian Authority. Jordan Valley leaders said
they came away from the meeting with Barak more concerned than ever before
for their future. In the first meeting between the settlers and the prime
minister since his election to office, Barak assured them that Israel
would continue to maintain security and a Jewish presence in the region,
but refused to divulge further details of specific areas. Jerusalem Post

On Eve of 5761, Population Reaches 6.3 Million

On the eve of Rosh Hashana, the nation's population stands at 6.3 million,
the Central Bureau of Statistics reported yesterday. During 5760, the
country's population grew by 2.5%, or 165,000, slightly less than in the
previous year. Jews and immigrants arriving under the Law of Return
constituted 82% of the population, growing 2.5% to 4.95 million, a growth
rate that is still high by world standards, where the average rate is
1.3%. Registered Jews were 78.57% of the total population. There are some
200,000 non-Jewish immigrants and their families living here, of which
180,000 are Christian and 20,000 unclassified. The Arab population reached
1.15 million, 18% of the total. This includes Moslems, Druse, and
Christians and has remained constant for the past few years. Net
immigration constituted 34% of the rise in the Jewish population, compared
to last year's 36%. Some 63,000 immigrants arrived, down from the previous
year's 73,000. Almost 90% of the immigrants came from the former Soviet
Union, 36% from the Russian Federation. Jerusalem Post

Hamas: Sharon Defies Muslim's Feelings By Visiting Al-Aqsa Mosque

Sheik Ahmed Yasin, the spiritual leader of Hamas, said that "the visit of
leader of the extreme rightist Likud party Ariel Sharon to al-Aqsa mosque
expresses the spirit of terrorism, criminality and assault to the sacred
places." Sheik Yasin denounced the visit in an interview published in the
London based al-Hayat newspaper, adding that the denunciation of the visit
is not sufficient. Sheik Yasin considered the visit a challenge to the
Muslims, referring to the possibility of violent retaliations and
confrontations to Sharon's motorcade and the police who will escort him in
the visit. Arabic News

Iraqis Demonstrate Against The Sanctions

Hundreds of Iraqis who are taking part at Babel 12th international Babel
festival demonstrated on Wednesday in Baghdad in protest of the continued
embargo imposed on Iraq since more than 10 years. Members of the
delegations who took part in the demonstration raised banners condemning
the sanctions imposed on Iraq while in other banners was written "No for
the siege." At the end of the demonstration, the representatives of the
delegations handed over the UNDP office in Baghdad a memorandum demanding
halting the sufferings of the Iraqis to be conveyed to the UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan. Arabic News

Arabs Regret Diplomatic Conference On Star Of David Emblem

A diplomatic source in Geneva said on Wednesday that the Arab League was
surprised by a request raised by Switzerland to convene a diplomatic
conference on October 25 and 26 in Geneva to adopt a new emblem beside the
"red Cross and the red Crescent." In a message addressed to Switzerland,
the country which is in charge of laying proposals concerning this emblem,
the permanent council of the Arab League AL member states announced that
no unanimous views were reached to this effect. The message reads that
Arab diplomats regret the fact that the last grace period to give
proposals expires on the evening when the meeting will be convened. A
matter which stands against consulting capitals of the AL member states.
Since the beginning of this year, the US has been pressuring Switzerland,
using the Geneva agreements which regulates the laws of war to
internationally recognize the " star of David" as an emblem. Arabic News

Turkey Rattled by Quake

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit Turkey's central Anatolian province of
Cankiri on Wednesday at 3:19 p.m. local time, but there were no immediate
reports of injuries or damage. The country's Bogazici University Kandilli
Observatory and Seismology Institute reported that the quake was centered
in Cankiri's city of Orta Earth Alert

Indonesia Shaken by Quake

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake jolted Indonesia's province of Bengkulu on
Wednesday just after 9:00 a.m., but there were no immediate reports of
injuries or damage. Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported
that the quake was centered about 85 miles to the west of the coastal city
of Manna, and occurred beneath the seabed of the Indian Ocean. Shaking was
also felt in the provincial capital of Bengkulu, located 300 miles
northwest of Jakarta. A magnitude 7.9 temblor hit Bengkulu in June,
killing at least 100 people and destroying numerous structures. Earth
Alert

Japanese Volcano Erupts

Mount Komagatake, a volcano in northern Japan, exploded on Thursday, the
Sapporo District Meteorological Observatory said. There were no reports of
injuries or damage. The 3,716-foot volcano, located 441 miles northeast of
Tokyo, on the island of Hokkaido, last erupted on Sept. 4. Hisao
Hashimoto, an agency spokesman, reported that the eruption left a light
coating of volcanic ash on cars in a town at the foot of the mountain,
according to The Associated Press. Earth Alert

Legacy of Poison Plagues Rivers in Northern Calif.

Mercury used in hydraulic mining in California's mountains more than a
century ago is showing up in catfish and bass in two northern Sierra
Nevada watersheds. California officials issued warnings about eating fish
caught in the Bear River and Yuba River following a report released on
Tuesday by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The group's research
revealed that the region's fish were contaminated with high levels of
liquid elemental mercury, commonly known as quicksilver. Mercury was used
in hydraulic mining to separate gold from ore, enabling it to be extracted
later. Charlie Alpers, the study's chief scientist, estimated that three
to eight million pounds of mercury had been dumped into the region during
the Gold Rush in the process. Although twelve bodies of water in
California have health advisories related to mercury in fish, there are no
such warnings for the state's historic gold country. Jason May, a USGS
biologist, warned of the more insidious presence of methylmercury, which
becomes more concentrated as it moves up the food chain. Predatory fish
such as brown trout and bass tend to have the highest concentrations of
methylmercury. Mercuric poisoning can cause developmental problems, nerve
damage, motor skill deficiencies and behavior disorders. Infants and
unborn babies whose nervous systems are still developing are
particularly susceptible. Earth Alert

www.harpazo.net/news.html

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - New Madrid earthquakes still threaten the central US
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 18:18:33 -0400

New Madrid earthquakes still threaten the central
     United States, scientists conclude

The threat of large earthquakes striking the New Madrid seismic zone
remains all too real for people in St. Louis, Memphis and other parts of the
central United States - despite recent reports to the contrary.

Full Story:
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/su-nme092700.html

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Chinese view mission-critical computer code
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 18:20:49 -0400

                 Chinese view
                 mission-critical
                 computer code
                 Report: FAA's air traffic control
                 systems open to 'malicious attack'

                 By Charles Smith
                 =A9 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

                 According to a newly released General
                 Accounting Office report on computer security,
                 the Federal Aviation Administration has
                 allowed Chinese nationals without security
                 clearances to inspect "mission-critical" computer
                 source code.

                 "We found instances in which background
                 searches were not performed -- including on 36
                 mainland Chinese nationals who reviewed the
                 computer source code of eight mission- critical
                 systems as part of FAA's effort to ensure Year
                 2000 readiness," states the August GAO report.

                 "By again not following its own policies, FAA
                 increased the exposure of its systems to
                 intrusion and malicious attack," the report
                 notes.

                 "FAA's own system penetration testing and
                 vulnerability assessments demonstrate
                 significant areas of weakness. Because of the
                 sensitivity of this information, we do not
                 publicly disclose details on these weaknesses."

                 The FAA security weakness, according to one
                 defense adviser, could spell disaster in the near
                 future. According to William Triplett, co-author
                 of "Year of the Rat" and "Red Dragon Rising,"
                 the possible Chinese army penetration of critical
                 U.S. air traffic control systems is part of an
                 ongoing information war being waged against
                 America.

                 "This has enormous implications for communist
                 Chinese cyber warfare against the United
                 States," stated Triplett, who has studied Chinese
                 army information warfare. "In the event of a
                 conflict, they could hold hostage the very lives
                 of hundreds of thousands of American men,
                 women and children."

                 According to Triplett's 1999 book "Red Dragon
                 Rising," Chinese army information warfare is an
                 "unheralded national security threat to the
                 United States."

                 "The American economic, political and social
                 system is essentially unprotected against a
                 Chinese information warfare attack. As the PLA
                 notes, 'America's economic system is extremely
                 vulnerable to information attacks.' Senior PLA
                 officers have begun to talk among themselves
                 about a pre-emptive strike using information
                 warfare," noted Triplett.

                 Concern over the GAO report is also growing on
                 Capitol Hill. There are reports that the House
                 National Security Committee discussed the
                 GAO report in closed session on Wednesday.
                 According to one congressional staffer, the FAA
                 air traffic control system has previously been
                 penetrated by the Chinese military.

                 "The Chinese signals intelligence base in Cuba
                 has already messed with FAA air traffic control
                 around New York during a test last year," stated
                 the source. "This whole situation is very
                 troubling. The key is that these Chinese
                 nationals were given access to 'mission-critical'
                 parts of the FAA system. They know exactly
                 where and how to bring it all down. If the
                 Chinese army does take control of the U.S. air
                 traffic control system, then planes will fall from
                 the sky."

                 There is open evidence that American air traffic
                 control is vulnerable to a Chinese cyber attack.
                 The GAO has repeatedly documented security
                 problems inside the FAA.

                 The August 2000 GAO report states that the
                 FAA has "a history of computer security
                 weaknesses in a number of areas, including its
                 physical management at facilities that house air
                 traffic control (ATC) systems, security for both
                 operational and future systems, management
                 structure for implementing security policies,
                 and personnel systems.

                 "While FAA reports that it has performed
                 background checks on the majority of its federal
                 employees, the same cannot be said for its many
                 thousands of contract employees," states the
                 report.

                 "In January 2000, FAA estimated that it had over
                 28,000 existing contracts and purchase orders
                 under which approximately 38,000 contract
                 employees were engaged. However, according
                 to the agency's database on contract personnel,
                 background searches have been performed for
                 only 16,000 contract employees since 1996,
                 which -- even with the unlikely assumption that
                 all of these people are still employed -- is less
                 than half of the current contract employee
                 population."

                 "Over the past three years, we have made over
                 20 recommendations to FAA to address these
                 weaknesses in the areas of physical security of
                 facilities, systems security, security
                 management, and personnel security," noted the
                 GAO report.

                 "While the agency is making progress in each of
                 these areas, much work remains to be done to
                 assess risks and to adequately protect critical
                 ATC facilities, information and resources. Until
                 this work is completed, FAA will remain
                 noncompliant with its own security policies and
                 the systems on which the flying public depends
                 will continue to have vulnerabilities that are not
                 being expeditiously identified and corrected."

                 In 1999, the General Accounting Office tested
                 the physical security of the Federal Aviation
                 Administration. GAO inspectors were able to
                 penetrate secure areas including the offices of
                 the secretary of State and critical air traffic
                 computer rooms inside FAA facilities. The GAO
                 auditors warned of the growing security
                 problems during congressional testimony.

                 "We found significant weaknesses that
                 compromise the integrity of FAA's air traffic
                 control operations," stated the GAO auditor.
                 "This review resulted in a number of findings
                 too sensitive to discuss in today's open hearing;
                 accordingly, my statement will refer only to
                 findings and recommendations contained in the
                 unclassified version of our limited official use
                 report. We can tell you openly, though, that we
                 found evidence of air traffic control systems that
                 had been penetrated, and critical ATC data had
                 been compromised."

                 "I am not familiar with this particular case at the
                 FAA," stated Ross Munro, director of Asian
                 Studies at the Center for Security Studies, a
                 Washington based think tank.

                 "However, I am at least very concerned," noted
                 Munro. "There are all too many instances where
                 this administration has held exchanges with the
                 People's Republic of China and the Americans
                 are far more eager to ingratiate themselves with
                 the Chinese than worry about U.S. national
                 security interests."

                 Munro's concern that air traffic security has a
                 lower priority than diplomatic overtures to
                 China may be correct. Declassified documents
                 from the FAA reveal that Chinese army officials
                 were being given unprecedented access to both
                 sensitive air control facilities and to American
                 military bases at the same time FAA security
                 had been compromised.

                 The Chinese military visits to U.S. air traffic
                 control facilities took place under a civil airline
                 modernization program for China. The
                 documents, forced from the FAA by the
                 Freedom of Information Act, are official Air
                 Force, Commerce Department and FAA reports
                 on Chinese military contacts between 1993 and
                 1999.

                 The documented meetings show that the
                 Clinton administration attempted to conceal the
                 military background of the Chinese
                 representatives. For example, in 1993, a Chinese
                 military delegation visited America under the
                 FAA civil exchange program. According to the
                 FAA, which sponsored the visit, the entire
                 delegation was civilian. One FAA official,
                 however, noted that many members of the
                 Chinese delegation actually held rank in the
                 People's Liberation Army.

                 In fact, the FAA official who attended the
                 meeting wrote "military" next to the names of
                 seven members of the 1993 "China Air Traffic
                 Control" delegation in an apparent effort to
                 track the Chinese army officers.

                 The 1993 FAA delegation list includes a "Mr.
                 Kui Fulin," who toured FAA headquarters in
                 Washington, D.C., Andrews AFB in Maryland
                 and Boeing Aircraft Corporation in Washington
                 state. According to the unknown FAA official,
                 Kui was actually "Gen." Kui Fulin, Chinese
                 army deputy chief of the General Staff. Kui is
                 also known as the man who planned the brutal
                 1989 army attack on unarmed student
                 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

                 The 1993 FAA list also states that "Mr. Li
                 Yongtai" was the commissioner of the Air Traffic
                 Control Commission of China. According to the
                 handwritten notes taken by the FAA, Li was
                 actually "Lt. Gen." Li of the Chinese air force.

                 According to the FAA documents, the Chinese
                 army access to the FAA continued through 1999
                 under the civilian air program. In May 1999,
                 documents show that Chinese air force and navy
                 officers toured Edwards Air Force Base for the
                 FAA civil program. Edwards AFB is a test center
                 for Air Force and NASA research aircraft,
                 including the space shuttle.

                 According to a May 1999 U.S. Air Force report,
                 the Chinese were given details on "special
                 airspace" areas inside America that are used for
                 military training, research and national security
                 zones. The Chinese military officers were also
                 briefed on the latest in advanced "mobile
                 radars," command and control systems, global
                 positioning system navigation and surveillance
                 radars.

                 During the tour, Chinese military officers were
                 also given training on U.S. Air Force combat
                 missions, including "bombing and strafing" and
                 "combat readiness." The U.S. Air Force
                 documents show Chinese air force officers were
                 given a "simulated" F-16 training mission under
                 the FAA civil program.

                 The training included a "two ship formation of
                 F-16s from Luke AFB, Ariz.," on a "bombing"
                 and over-flight mission in a training area,
                 code-named "Baghdad," northwest of Prescott,
                 Ariz. The simulated exercise also included
                 "in-flight refueling" with a tanker aircraft under
                 control of a U.S. Air Force airborne radar plane.

                 Related stories:

                 Defense denies sharing secrets with China

                 U.S. shares defense data with China


                 Charles Smith is a national security and defense
                 reporter for WorldNetDaily.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_smith_news/20000929_xnsof_chinese
_vi.shtml

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

_________________________
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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Mr. Potato Head Statue Said Racist
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 18:22:56 -0400

12:47 PM ET 09/29/00

Mr. Potato Head Statue Said Racist

 By GILLIAN FLYNN=
Associated Press Writer=

           WARWICK, R.I. (AP) _ A 6-foot Mr. Potato Head statue, one of
dozens dotting Rhode Island as part of a tourism campaign, will be
taken down because of complaints that the grinning, brown-skinned
figure appeared racist.

           The ``Tourist Tater'' was painted dark brown to appear suntanned
and wore an ill-fitting Hawaiian shirt, glasses and a hat.

           The fiberglass figure had been on display since May, but no one
had complained until its photo appeared Thursday in a newspaper.

           Tourism officials decided Friday to take it away from outside
City Hall.

           ``The whole Potato Head campaign is supposed to encourage people
to visit. Obviously, we did not intend to offend anyone,'' Mayor
Scott Avedisian said.

           East Providence affirmative action officer Onna Moniz-John said
she thought the statue resembled the antique figurines she collects
that portray blacks as buffoons, such as Little Black Sambo.

           ``If you look at this potato head, the only thing missing is a
watermelon,'' Moniz-John said.

           Tom Schumpert, head of the state Economic Development Corp.,
which is directing the Mr. Potato Head campaign, said the statue
seemed more offensive in the photo.

           ``If I saw it first, I would have said, `We need to correct
this,''' said Schumpert, who is black.

           Kathy Szarko, the artist who designed ``Tourist Tater,'' said
that she meant no offense and that several other spud statues are a
similar color.

           ``He's a potato. That's why he's brown,'' Szarko said.

           The statues for the ``Birthplace of Fun'' campaign are based on
the toy created by Hasbro Inc., which is based in Pawtucket.

           Other figures include the ``Salty Spud,'' dressed in bright
orange rain gear and carrying a fishing net, and ``Edgar Allen
Poe-tato,'' honoring the writer, who lived in the state for a short
time.
           ___=

           On the Net:
           Mr. Potato Head display by the Rhode Island Tourism Division:
http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/potato

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2570236382-0ef

From: moza@butterfly.mv.com

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