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JAMES OSSUARY UPDATE: Biblical Archaeology Review SEP/OCT 2003 claims "The Storm over the Bone Box Continues" as the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) concluded its deliberations. To read about the committee's findings go further down this page to the BONE BOX section for UPDATES and the whole story.
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NEW THEORIES ON MARS
SOURCE: SCIENCE Magazine - January 2003
Torrential rains and giant meteor impacts may have carved the vast canyons and river valleys of Mars. New research appears to dismiss the notion that an Earthlike erosion lasting hundreds of millions of years was responsible for the geological evolution of the Red Planet. University of Colorado, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA and the SETI Institute, also in Mountain View, CA, say that meteors 60 to 150 miles wide were slamming into mars every 10 to 20 million years as our solar system was forming. These impacts would have turned the polar ice caps into enough steam and melting ice to flood the surface of Mars under torrents of raging water.
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OLMEC CYLINDER SEAL FOUND
SOURCE: SCIENCE Magazine - January 2003
TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Oldest evidence of writing in the New World was found at an Olmec site by a team of researchers from Florida State University. Radiocarbon dating indicates that a cylinder seal found in La Vente, Mexico, was created around 650 BCE. This is 350 years earlier than previously discovered evidence of writing in the Mesoamerican Gulf Coast region.
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CHINA TO PUT HUMANS IN SPACE
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES - 02 JAN 2003
SHANGHAI, China – Communist China is planning to launch a manned capsule into Earth orbit by the end of the year. According to Chinese government officials, this program will not only make China the third nation to put humans into orbit using rockets of their own program, it will challenge the American pre-eminence of space. Yuan Jie, head of the Shanghai Aerospace Institute, said China will be putting its manned “Shenzhou V” into space on “divine missions” almost two years ahead of schedule. Reminiscent of the 1960’s Apollo Mission here in the United Sates, China’s Communist party has begun to promote patriotism and enthusiasm for this national project. According to the head of their space program, the Chinese Air Force astronauts are “appropriate in stature, quick in movement and unafraid of hardship…Chinese astronauts are obviously superior.” China also claims it wants to be the first to set up industry on the Moon. Western experts say the only reason China is investing tens of billions of dollars in its military-linked space programs, while many of its citizens starve, is that it does not want to cede space to a United States program that use space based interceptors to shoot down ballistic missiles.
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BOWLING BALLS FROM SPACE
SOURCE: Salt Lake Tribune 10 JAN 03; The Observer, London 26 JAN 03
THIS IS NOT A JOKE - In January, the engineers and hobbyists of Utah's Salt Lake Astronomical Society told reporters they were planning to air-drop bowling balls, at very high altitude, to check out their impact when they land on the salt flats, to simulate the impact of meteorites. The society said it had been frustrated that it could not find any meteorites so far and had been wondering whether they had disintegrated or been pulverized on impact. Two days later, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, citing the many people engaged in work projects on the salt flats, said it was a bad idea to be dropping bowling balls around them.
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ANTHROPOLOGIST THREATENED BY CHURCH
SOURCE: Christianity Today Magazine, March 2003
Thomas W. Murphy is the Chairman of the Antiquity Department at Edmonds College in Lynnwood, Washington, an anthropologist and Mormon scholar who has narrowly avoided excommunication by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (at least for the time being). The controversy is over the essay he wrote, “Lamanite Genesis, Genealogy, and Genetics” which appears in the anthology called American Apocrypha for Signature Books. The essay states, “DNA research lends no support to traditional Mormon belief about the origins of Native Americans.” This enraged the church because this contradicts Mormon mythology contained in their holy texts, commonly known as the Book of Mormon. This sacred book details the supposed migrations of Israelites to the Western Hemisphere more than 4,200 years ago. However, Murphy’s scientific evidence shows that recent human molecular genealogy studies contradict that claim. “To date no intimate genetic link has been found between ancient Israelites and the indigenous peoples of the Americas,” Murphy said. The Mormon church also believes that these Lamanites were cursed with dark skin because of sin and therefore explains the Native American skin tone. This official church belief has been viewed by many as a racist position. According to Paul Carden, the director of the Center for Apologetics Research in San Juan Capistrano, California, Murphy’s position represents “a direct threat to the movement’s central truth claims and its racial mythology.”
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According the article in Christianity Today March 2003, the threats Murphy is experiencing are nothing new. As Mormon scholars become more enlightened many are excommunicated, put on temporary disfellowship, or placed on probation if they question Mormon Holy Scripture. But there’s good news for Thomas W. Murphy, because groundswell support, including 10 candlelight vigils around the country, prompted the church to postpone his disciplinary hearing indefinitely. The church said they were “concerned about the escalation of negative publicity” across the globe.
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WRESTLERS SELL JESUS LIKE PRODUCT
SOURCE: Christian Wrestling Federation Website
It is becoming more apparent every day that some Christian marketers are taking their goals to the extreme. Whether it's a bumper sticker claiming only “Real Men Love Christ,” nutritional products that "the Lord calls good," chrome fish symbols for your family car, or golf apparel that sports a Christian slogan like subtle propaganda, Jesus Christ is making a mark on pop culture. And if you think this crass commercialism is in bad taste, you haven’t heard the latest. There’s now a group of wrestlers who think that smacking the hell out of each other in front of audiences for cash will teach people the “Love of Jesus.”
According to its founder, the Christian Wrestling Federation was created as both a ministry and a "tool" to connect young professional wrestling fans to the message of Jesus Christ. Known by CWF fans as "Jesus Freak," the founder said his unorthodox Christian ministry has had its share of critics even though five of the CWF's twelve professional wrestlers are "licensed, ordained ministers." In addition, all wrestlers must complete an intensive 6-month training school to learn how to wrestle like a pro and effectively communicate the message of Jesus Christ to youthful fans. Or, as critics have said, “a whole six months to teach wrestlers how to sell the Lord.”
Jesus Freak said, "Whenever you're doing something for Christ that's going to influence a lot of people, you're going to have critics." The founder added that his motives for starting up the CWF are "pure" and he's "definitely not in it for the money." This is puzzling for most critics because the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and other pro wrestling organizations are surely in it for the money. And the church itself could not exist if it wasn’t for the money donated to them by their fans as well.
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Apparently, the CWF feels that the Bible tells them wrestlers are to “use unique and different ways to reach people for Christ. This is what the CWF is all about... reaching people in a unique way. With wrestlings' popularity at an all-time high, many people can be reached, and in turn, our goal is to convert them to Christ's love.” Being exposed to ferocious wrestlers with names like ANGEL, JONAH, PSYCHO SIMPSON and, of course, JESUS FREAK it seems unclear how fans get Christ’s message of love from all the violence. Maybe it’s the bigger than life, extroverted, muscle bound antics that mesmerizes and seduces potential converts once they’ve been whipped into a frenzy by the brutal acts of “Love” in the ring.
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PRE-PHARAONIC EGYPT THREATENED
SOURCE: Archaeology Odyssey Magazine May/June 2003
Deep in Egypt’s southwest desert, archaeologists are surveying a circle of stones that served as an ancient calendar, helping to predict the onset of the monsoon rains. From about 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, this now arid region west of the Nile River and Lake Nasser enjoyed a wetter climate in which Neolithic pastoralists thrived, building villages, tombs and monuments aligned with the heavens. These precious remains of Egypt’s ancestors are now threatened by a massive desert reclamation project that would turn this region into a community of six million farmers. The ancient remains of lakes, villages, cattle bones, burial graves, and huge megaliths aligned with the heavens would be destroyed. According to the director of the Heinrich Barth Institute of Cologne, “If measures are not taken immediately, (to protect this region) we will never understand the cradle of Egyptian civilization.” One village was dated to about 8,000 BCE by radiocarbon tests performed on charcoal and ostrich eggshells. One large stone circle was arranged to mark the position of the star Dubhe, the brightest star in the northern Big Dipper constellation during this period. Other stones were placed to align with Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky) and the belt of the Orion constellation in the southern sky. Another smaller circle was aligned to true north and the position of the rising sun at summer solstice. This was important because when these were constructed, the monsoon rains arrived in the region not long after the summer solstice.
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MR.ROGERS ASTEROID
SOURCE: Associated Press - May 2003
Mister Rogers now has an asteroid named in his honor.
"Misterrogers," formerly known as No. 26858, honors Fred Rogers, creator and host of public television's "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." Rogers died Feb. 27 at age 74. "I doubt that there are many who have not been touched in some way by the life and work of Fred Rogers," said John G. Radzilowicz, director of the Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium & Observatory at the Carnegie Science Center, which made the announcement Thursday.
The science center worked with Family Communications Inc., the production company Rogers founded, to produce a planetarium show for preschoolers called "The Sky Above Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." The show now plays at 15 planetariums across the country. "Misterrogers" can be found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and is about 218 million miles from the sun, which it takes about 3 1/2 years to orbit. It was discovered in 1993 by E.F. Helin at the Palomar Observatory in California. The International Astronomical Union names comets, asteroids and surface features such as moon craters after individuals. The honors cannot be bought, and they are based on merits judged by the astronomers.
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ISLAMIC NATION CONDEMS THE MATRIX
SOURCE: Associated Press - June 2003
In a statement from Egypt’s censorship board, it declared “Matrix” and the recently released “Matrix Reloaded” banned because they touch on subjects considered way to sacred to the religiously conservative Islamic nation.
The board stated, “It explicitly handles the issue of existence and creation which are related to the three divine religions, which we all respect and believe in”...the movie “tackles the issue of the creator and his creations, searching for the origin or creation and the issue of compulsion and free will.” (Translation: Enlightenment and free will is something the Islamic nation expressly forbids).
M. Kassem, a movie critic, from a panel of philosophers, professors of literature, writers, critics and psychologists, said he understood the reasoning behind their decision.“Islam rejects presenting God in human form,”he said. This is in reference to a character portrayed as “the creator” that has lengthy a conversation with Neo the superhero star of the movie.“Most (censors) are of the opinion they don’t want to allow the kind of movie which touches on creator and creation. They felt that a movie portraying God in human form or voice would be destructive to moviegoers,” he said. Kassem further stated the vast majority of viewers are uneducated people who uncritically accept what they see. (Translation: Uneducated people are the first victims of an oppressive society and are easily brainwashed by totalitarian regimes).
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According to the editor-in-chief of Cairo Times, “There is no clear value system on which to censor movies (in the Islamic nation). It depends on political circumstances and the mentality of the censors….While extremely violent movies may be released for public viewing, others are banned for violating religious beliefs,” he said. As with all Western movies here, all sex scenes are cut, and even kissing is banned. (Translation: While movies portraying religious pluralism and free will are banned, movies portraying violent themes are less likely to be censored).
Of course, not all American action movies are banned in Egypt. Many Egyptian newspapers are offering powerful advertisements for “A Man Apart” with Vin Diesel, promising “non-stop explosive action” and “X2: XMEN United”.
NOTE: If and when the Islamic censors discover that the XMEN were created to promote racial and religious equality and tell the story of the Jewish holocaust, the films will be instantly destroyed.
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MARS PROBES LAUNCHED
SOURCE: Associated Press - June 2003
It has been thirty years since the Apollo moon missions successfully explored a celestial body beyond our own atmosphere. Many of us believed that the lunar surface would become a launching site for further interplanetary exploration. From there we could get to Mars and beyond, but first we would need to send probes and gather needed data. Over thirty unmanned projects have tried for the red planet since 1960, but two - thirds have ended in failure. Most machines of the United States and the Soviet Union have died a robot’s death in the cold dark vacuum of space. Yet humans are determined to colonize our solar system and explore its wonders. That’s why more missions to Mars are under way around the world.
On 09 JUN 03, the United States launched the first of two Mars Exploration Rovers with the overall project cost of $800 million dollars. The U.S. Rovers’ landing sites are on opposite sides of the red planet. They were chosen for their likelihood of holding evidence of water. Also, the European Space Agency probe, the Mars Express, is scheduled to lift off from Kazakhstan this week and the Japanese’s Nozomi probe sent out in 1998 is attempting to make Mars orbit as you read this article. In January 2004, spacecraft from these nations will begin to arrive at the red planet and join up with two other U.S. satellites already in Mars orbit.
Why are so many sending robots into space at this time? Celestial mechanics are brining Mars and Earth closer than they have been in tens of thousands of years and that means less distance for the spacecrafts to travel. This translates into less time being bombarded by all matter of destructive elements in the harsh and dangerous void of space.
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JESUS’ BROTHER BONE BOX COULD BE FAKE
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times – 19 JUN 03
Last October, it came to light that a private collector revealed an ossuary that was immediately embraced as having held the bones of “James, Son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” It was considered by some to be one of the greatest discoveries of New Testament archaeology. But like the Shroud of Turin and many other supposed “holy relics,” this ossuary turned out to be a fraud, according to the Israeli Antiquities Authority. The bone box itself turned out to be 2,000 years old, but the inscription linking it to Jesus was a modern forgery. “The person who wrote the inscription was a person who thinks in Modern Hebrew. A person thinking in biblical Hebrew would see it as ridiculous,” said A.V. Horwitz, an epigrapher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Months ago the Geological Survey of Israel vouched for the antiquity of the James bone box which prompted TIME magazine to claim it was “the most important discovery in history of New Testament archeology “ and the Biblical Archaeology Review devoted much of it’s October issue to support claim that ossuary belong to James….the brother of Jesus. But after a truly comprehensive investigation using sophisticated scientific techniques, the layers of fraud were gradually peeled back, proving that the inscription was an amazing forgery because “The inscription appears new, written in modernity by someone attempting to reproduce ancient written characters,” said Israeli Antiquities Authority.
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Even the patina, a crusty natural coating formed from deposits of calcium carbonate, was artificial and the letters incised on the side of the ossuary were so identical they must have been originally scanned into a computer to create a template. The forger then incised the letters through the original varnish and patina of the genuine ossuary, and then applied the fake varnish and patina to make them appear equally old.
These findings are quite a disappointment to religious leaders because, according to biblical scholars, the ossuary would have been the first tangible evidence that Jesus the Christ existed as a real person. Of course, some aren’t accepting the findings and are praying for a miracle that in all probability won’t be coming.
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UPDATE: A rebuttal to the modern forgery theory has been published in the July/August 2003 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review magazine.
The article states the bone box has been restored and is more structurally sound than ever. Damage done in shipping provided and opportunity to study the soft limestone and inscription in a way that would have been impossible had the box not broken. The article states scientists used different analytical techniques to look at the interior and exterior encrustation or patina. The test results indicated traces of phosphate from either bone or dirt, if used as a flower box (plant fertilizer is high in phosphate).
Additionally, light-polarizing microscopic examination found the encrustation was built up in layers in a manner that seems to disprove the artificial patina theory. The article also implied the theory that "the last three words brother of Jesus were added by a second hand to an already existing inscription that read James son of Joseph" is discounted by evidence that discrepancies occurred in a too aggressive cleaning with a sharp tool. Eventhough the article insists that authenticity of the bone box is unquestionable, it cannot provide proof that it is unquestionably the bone box of the brother of Jesus the Christ.
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UPDATE: Biblical Archaeology Review SEP/OCT 2003 claims "The Storm over the Bone Box Continues" as the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) concluded its deliberations. The final report the committee members were supposed to create became an unfulfilled dream as no one could agree on the findings. They did however, summarize the results of their research and wrote an abstract of their findings as follows: And we paraphrase..."We, members of the committee for examination of the content and script in the Yehoash inscription and the James Ossuary (“James son of Joseph brother of Jesus”) conclude that to the best of our scientific judgement: the James Ossuary inscription is a forgery. We, the committee members for examination of the materials of the James Ossuary, conclude that the patina is forged and significantly varies from the original patina on the items."
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CHRISTIANS EMBRACE MYTH
SOURCE: Christian History Magazine - Issue 78, August 2003
An entire issue of a Christian publication has been dedicated to “Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien and more importantly the necessity of myth in our daily lives. The quarterly publication, “Christian History” states in its August issue, “This fantasy trilogy opened the world of myth and mystery to a generation disenchanted with the soulless corporate culture around them. The tale came from a man with a profoundly Christian imagination. Though many readers didn’t notice this fact, Tolkien has awakened at least some to the gospel.”
The issue goes on to commend an author who “…felt God was full of wonder and he treasured the Mysteries of the faith. A lover of trees and mountains, he read God’s handiwork in nature…A crafter of myth, he found in all such stories, echoes of that greatest Story of all -- the gospel itself. Like the best mythical tales, the gospel tells of a “eucatastrophe”-- a seeming disaster with a joyous ending.” According to Christian History magazine, J.R.R. Tolkien lectured that he saw in the gospels, “…many marvels – peculiarly artistic, beautiful, and moving: mythical in their perfect, self contained significance; and among the marvels is the greatest and most complete conceivable eucatastrophe. The Birth of Christ is the eucatastrophe of Man’s history. The Resurrection is the eucatastrophe of the story of the Incarnation.” The editor of Christian History ended by expressing hopes that readers of Tolkien, “find in them new vistas on the True Myth of the gospel.”
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THE OWL IN SPACE
Source: BBC News - 01 AUG 2003
A huge telescope called the Owl (Overwhelmingly Large Telescope) is being developed the European Southern Observatory organization. It would have a predicted resolution forty times better than the Hubble Space Telescope and a sensitivity several thousand times greater. The ESO is currently negotiating rights with Chile, as host country, and the Owl would be sited at an altitude of 5,000 meters and would be operated almost as a space observatory, with a base camp for the human operators nearby at a lower height of no more than 3,000 meters. The preferred site would be in the Atacama Desert, which is said to be the driest in the world, making it a perfect location for astronomy. Presently, there are a number of telescopes located there from the United States, Europe and the Eso's newest member, the United Kingdom.
The mirror of the Owl is much like the United States 10-metre Keck telescopes in Hawaii and would be made of 1,500 hexagonal segments. It would also use some of the clever computer techniques - active and adaptive optics - to further improve resolution. This is a telescope with a primary mirror the size of a football field and has ten times the collecting area of any telescope ever built. The Owl would be able to see objects several thousand times fainter than the faintest thing you see today with other telescopes. It would open an enormous new window on the Universe, allowing astronomers to detect the presence of oxygen on any possible Earth-like planets around nearby stars.
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SHECHEM TEMPLE REVEALS TRUE DESIGN
Source: Biblical Archaeology Review - July/August 2003
Nearly a half century ago, the Temple at Shechem was excavated revealing a site that is believed to fit the Old Testament Bible description of the temple in Judges 9. This ancient site, also called Tell Balata, stands at the crossroads between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim in the hill country of Ephraim, 41 miles north of Jerusalem. Excavations have revealed city walls, city gates, temple(s), housing and a granary which are the result of various occupation phases dating from the Middle Bronze Age II (c. 1900 BCE) up to the Hellenistic period (332-152 BCE). Mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible, this “temple of Ba’al of the Covenant” is not only associated with the Patriarchs of early Israelite lore it represents further proof how important celestial orientation was to the builders of these sacred sites.
In the courtyard in front of the temple stood a large rectangular altar of earth and stone probably used for animal sacrifices. About six feet east of this altar stood an enormous stela of shaped limestone called a Masseba which is the Biblical term for a “standing stone” erected for cultic purposes. Two smaller versions of this stela flanked the entrance to the temple. These massebot (plural of masseba) appear to have been once plastered and then painted over with an elaborate inscription. This is akin to the “large stone” instructions Moses gives to the Israelites; “…you shall set up large stones and cover them with plaster. You shall write on them all the words of the law…on Mt. Ebal” (Deuteronomy 27:2-4).
Additionally, the article indicates that these standing stones were much like the Oak of the Pillar, Oracle Oaks and the Oak of the Diviner that were so important during the era of Patriarchs. (Judges 9:37 and Genesis 12:6) All of these standing stones and great oaks were located on holy ground and were the places of worship long be
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MARS FRENZY GOES GLOBAL
Source: PLANETARY SOCIETY - August 2003
Have you looked up at the night sky lately? That brilliant star with a reddish hue dominating the heavens after 8:30 pm PST isn’t a star at all...it's MARS! And it has our planet in a frenzy! It seems that the looming proximity of Mars has fueled a frenzy of public and media interest around the globe. Everyone who is anyone is making plans to get together with friends to observe the neighboring world closer than ever before in recorded history. What's even more amazing, TELESCOPES ARE FLYING OFF STORE SHELVES and are in short supply globally. Reports from stores and manufacturers indicate sales of Mars merchandise — from eyepieces to books to globes — have jumped in recent weeks. Even more than telescopes, customers are looking for filters and high-powered eyepieces to boost the usefulness of equipment they already own.
At 2:51 a.m. PST on Aug. 27, Mars will be nearer to Earth than it has been in 59,619 years. A similar opportunity won’t occur again until the year 2287. In what is sure to be remembered by many as the “Summer of Mars,” folks are flocking to electronics stores to buy optical aids so they can see the Red Planet for themselves. Others are trekking to nearby observatories — or even to distant continents — to take advantage of public observatories. All over our nation, hundreds of Mars parties and other events are slated for this weekend and through next week. I’ll be at one, how about you? If you can’t get to a party, at least get outside, look up and see the light.
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HIDDEN TREASURE
SOURCE: Archaeology Magazine – SEP/OCT 2003
A tenth century parchment copy of Archimedes “On the Method of Mathematical Theorems” was discovered a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, this third century BCE Greek mathematicians work had been scraped and washed clean in the twelfth century for refuse as a prayer book. Beneath the pages of this Christian prayer book are the pages of the only existing copy of Archimedes work, which contain his final proofs and explanations of his discoveries. On 30 SEP 03, NOVA productions will air on PBS an episode examining the fascinating story of this books journey and how high-tech imaging is making diagrams and words clear so that the world can finally see the genius that was Archimedes.
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RICE BRAGGING RIGHTS
SOURCE: Archaeology Magazine – SEP/OCT 2003
A team from Korea’s Chungbuk National University Museum announced that remains of rice grains collected from a Paleolithic site at Sorori in Chungbuk Province yielded a radiocarbon date of 14,000 years ago. DNA analysis provides evidence that challenges the generally accepted notion that domesticated and cultivated rice originated in China around 12,000 years ago.
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AUSTRALIAN STAR SITE
In Australia, researchers have found an archaeoastronomical site that was used as a birthing spot. At this mountain the birthing tradition recorded the star constellations directly overhead by the midwife or the second mother. She would dot out on a piece of bark their position on the night that a girl child was born. Then that bark would be kept for that baby until she came into her childbearing years. For tens of thousands of years this mountain served as a focal point for cultural identity and mythology. To read more about this site go to
http://www.hunterinthesky.net/worldsites/worldmap.html
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IRAQ LOSSES GREATLY EXAGGERATED
Source: Biblical Archaeology Review - SEP/OCT 2003
Early reports on the looting of Iraq’s National Museum in Baghdad following the invasion of Iraq by U.S.-led coalition forces were incorrect. Fortunately, early assessments of the museum’s losses, which ranged up to a mind-boggling 170,000 items or more, have proved exaggerated. Apparently, the museum has made preparations as far back as the Iraqi-Iranian wars of the 1980’s. When they saw this newest conflict approaching, the museum curators stashed the majority of the collection in secret underground vaults. Even though damages and looting were not as extensive as previously reported, the museum has suffered some dreadful losses.
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BURNING BUSH EXPLAINED
Source: Bible Review Magazine - October 2003
As most every one knows, the Hebrew bible tells the mythological story of how God spoke directly to Moses in the form of a burning bush. It seems a group of Norwegian scientists believe they have an explanation for this seemingly miraculous event. According to these geologists and physicists, there is a natural phenomenon in the desert regions of North Africa that causes surface vegetation to spontaneously combust. Apparently there are underground fires visible through holes in the earth in this region and buried layers of peat, a highly flammable product of decayed vegetation, easily catches fire during times of drought. Vast peat fires can rage just below the surface over a large area igniting roots of trees and bushes, causing them to burst into flames. Even though the scientists have no explanation for the voice of God emanating from the burning bush, the simple and plausible explanation would be gases escaping from the fissures causing sounds that would seem like voices. Combine that with certain desert mushrooms and voila…we have a vision.
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ASTRONAUT TELLS ALL
Source: AARP Magazine - November/December 2003
The newest issue of AARP – American Association of Retired Persons- features an article by Col. Eileen Collins female astronaut and amateur astronomer. Colonel Collins not only gives good night sky observing advice but tells her story of what first got her interested in space. It seems the most moving experience took place in Oklahoma while serving in the US Air Force. She says that it was there that she really saw the night sky without air and light pollution for the first time – you know that unnecessary atmospheric litter that hampers most city dwellers vision. The Colonel said, “It was a blanket of stars form horizon to horizon. I’d sit in a lawn chair outdoors at night, looking at the stars. And just like that I was hooked on astronomy.” That’s right, just like our early ancestors, it was stars and naked eye observing that was responsible for the awe an inspiring experience that drove her to become an amateur astronomer and eventually an astronaut. Col. Collins said that even while performing her duties as an astronaut, she is still an amateur astronomer. “On the space shuttle, we use the stars for navigating.” The Colonel knows that whether one is sailing a vessel on terrestrial waters or piloting a craft in the celestial oceans, the stars have always been there to guide us.
NOTE: A little known fact … year after year, the most significant celestial sightings are made by amateur astronomers. Did you know that many retired professionals are interested in amateur astronomy?
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CELESTIAL HAWK CITY UPDATE
Source: Archaeology Magazine - November/December 2003
Excavations at Hierkonpolis (city of the hawk) in Egypt are rewriting the origins of early Egyptian civilization. It seems that this region was the center of long, gradual, peaceful development and the unification of Upper and Lower Eygpt came at the end of social and technological developments that began at least five hundred years prior to the accepted Predynastic period ( 4000-3100BCE). This is significant because it was previously thought that Narmer was the first Pharoah to establish order and unification after bloody battles in 3100BCE - thus inaugurating Egypt’s first dynasty. Archaeologists now believe evidence shows that the region was well established and thriving with industry 500 years before Narmer was born. Distinct social class cemeteries were found with elaborate burials rites that have been described as direct links to later funerary traditions that would become the standard of Egyptian mummification and burial rituals As at other pre dynastic cemeteries in Upper Egypt, the body was placed on a mat in a crouched position on the left side facing the west and the setting sun. Then covered with a linen shroud and protected by more mats. Egypt’s earliest funerary masks were found here and bodies were cut up in emulation of the Osiris myth that was the foundation of the people’s religious beliefs of f reincarnation. The ka or spirit of a human being was shown in human form in later dynasties, but these pre-dynastic rulers took on animal totems like the Scorpion King, or Catfish King (Narmer). But first and foemost, Pharaohs were considered the earthly incarnation of an all seeing celestial bird – the Hawk god Horus.
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BUSH PRESSES FUNDING FOR FAITH GROUPS
Source: Boston Globe, November 2003
WASHINGTON -- Through executive orders, an unstoppable courting of religious groups, and his tenacious dedication to use his presidency, President Bush has sidestepped a unenthusiastic Congress and continues to implement his inaugural promise to remove the historic separation of church and state.
The effort, carried out by Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and branches in seven federal agencies, encourages religious groups to compete for public funds and directs millions of dollars in social-service grants to ministries and houses of worship, which can retain their religious identity and sidestep federal civil rights laws that bar discrimination in hiring.
The Bush administration has amended federal rules, made first under President Roosevelt during World War II, that barred federal contractors from employment discrimination. Under Bush's executive order and unless expressly prohibited by statute, religious groups that receive government contracts can take faith into account in hiring -- a provision that the American Civil Liberties Union fought as discriminatory and lawmakers struck down when the faith-based legislation was debated on Capitol Hill.
Under these new rules, faith-based groups that contract with the government can maintain their religious identity, imagery, and mission as long as they do not proselytize or pray, turn away clients because of their beliefs, or purchase supplies such as Bibles with federal fundS.
"These `come-get-free-money' conferences are partisan in the worst sense of the word," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an advocacy group. The conferences are designed by political strategists in the White House, Lynn said, "to get the president 3 to 4 percent more of the African-American vote next year."
As he campaigns for reelection, Bush hopes to energize his important base of evangelical Christian voters by citing the faith-based initiative as a domestic-policy accomplishment and to convince African-Americans, who gave him only 8 percent of their vote in 2000, that his administration's outreach to inner-city churches proves he is a compassionate conservative, said a White House official.
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