Ephraimite Forum-34
Date: 9/January/08 2 Shebet 5768
Contents:
1. Clarification and Apology
2. David Jackson: In Protest
3. Aram Paquin: Another Protest
4. Archaeology: Brit-Am version of Explorator 35-37
5. Honest Reporting: The al-Dura Controversy

Site Contents by Subject	Home Research Revelation Reconciliation	Publications	Site Map Contents in Alphabetical Order	This Site

1. Clarification and Apology
In
Ephraimite Forum   no.33
http://www.britam.org/Ephraimite/EF33.html#33
We drew attention to a Zionist website
and to an article
"Quakers for guns" by Ami Isseroff
The article describes how Quaker activists are against Israelite soldiers
confiscating realistic-looking  toy guns from Palestinian children in troublesome areas.
The problem is that children sometimes point such toys at soldiers
and sometimes the "toys" they point are not exactly playthings.
The Palestinians have attempted to make use of 10 and 12 year old children as suicide bombers.
Remember Mohammed Dura, the 12 year old boy, who was filmed by French TV being shot by Israelis?
it now becomes apparent that he was probably killed by Palestinians.
The confiscations of realistic looking "toys" are to prevent those types of mistakes and accidents for which
the Quakers are liable to be among the first to blame Israel for.
The article makes its point quite well.
That was why we referred to it.
The article also apparently uses expressions that some Christians consider offensive.
We did not intend this.
We are not seeking confrontation with Christians as such as we have emphasized often.
Even the Quakers despite their present anti-Israeli prejudice in the past
in other areas often played an historically significant role and displayed great heroism.
If we offended anyone we apologize.
The article in question also could be construed as taking a side-snipe at the NRA.
This also has nothing to do with us.
To tell the truth at the time we hardly noticed it.
The next two letters deal with these matters.
It should also be mentioned that we REFERRED to the article. We did not post it
or give extracts from it.
When we REFER to articles on OTHER sites it does not mean we agree with everything else on the site
in question or even with the article we are referring to, just in some cases to the overall point made (and not necessarily the
attendant details) we think worthy of attention. Even concerning the main point in an article we refer to
the intention is not to say that we necessarily agree with it but rather that we consider it worthy of attention.

In this life it often pays to ignore an intended insult let alone look for offence where none was intended.

---

2. David Jackson: In Protest
This line by Ami Iseroff is really quite insulting: 
"Be generous in the true Christian spirit and support the values of the
National Rifle Association too."
Why post this?
I am a Christian and a member of the NRA.  I'm certain the overwhelming
majority of NRA members would identify themselves as pro-Israel and oppose
the anti-Semite Quaker/CPT crowd.
Her article was tongue-in-cheek, but this comment wasn't.

It is typical leftist, anti-American sarcasm against people who happen not the share her pro-big government, high-tax, anti-individual rights mentality that characterize people like her.

The same mentality that prevailed in 1930s Germany.

David Jackson

---

3. Aram Paquin: Another Protest
Subject: RE: anti-Christian diatribe by Ami Isseroff

Yair,

This guy obviously has a huge chip on his shoulder and hates Christians simply for being who they are.  Sound familiar?
First of all, Quakers are notorious pacifists.  It's an intrinsic part of their doctrine.  That, alone, separates them from the vast majority of mainstream Christian denominations and especially from Evangelicals.  Evangelicals are also diametrically opposed to their views on Israel being, by far, the largest homogeneous demographic among fervent and vocal supporters of Jews and Israel.  We outnumber even American Jews in that regard.  Quakers are uniformly openly anti-Israel. and Left biased.
Any Evangelical who hasn't suffered brain damage would agree wholeheartedly with the IDF prohibition of toy guns.  Anyone promoting the removal of the restriction is either demented or demonstrably trying to cause the killing of Arab kids in order to make the IDF, i.e. the Jews, look bad.

The final line in the  diatribe sarcastically says "Be generous in the true Christian spirit....".
To which I reply "Be truthful in the true Jewish spirit.".
Additionally, I am not being sarcastic in my request.

Here's a final thought for you to ponder:
Is Isseroff is really just a misinformed Jew and a patriotic Israeli or is he, rather, an agent provocateur trying to weaken the growing bonds between Jews and Evangelicals in order to do harm to Israel?
It might also be useful to do a little detective background work on this website to see if they have a "history".

Aram

PS: It might help strengthen Jewish/Evangelical ties if some of you who are reading this were to reply to this bitter and divisive rant.

---

4. Archaeology: Brit-Am version of Explorator 35-37
From: david meadows <rogueclassicist@gmail.com>

================================================================
explorator 10.35-37 January 6, 2008
================================================================

================================================================
ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND EGYPT
================================================================

On the cult of the dead at Ebla:

http://www.archaeology.org/0801/trenches/goddesses.html

Israel was planning to resume work on that ramp:

http://tinyurl.com/39l9ts (KT)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=935358
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/124601

... or maybe they weren't:

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=129657


More coverage of those special playing cards US soldiers in
Iraq are playing with:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22991677-16947,00.html

... and it appears to be paying off, as some airmen found some
pottery:

http://www.standard.net/hilltop/122349/

================================================================
ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (AND CLASSICS)
================================================================
Interesting article on the possible implications of a Santorini
tsunami:

http://tinyurl.com/3bwdcs (Discover)

Can't remember if we've mentioned this find of remains of a
Roman soldier on an Israel beach:

http://tinyurl.com/2ut33x (JPost)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/936002.html

... or this Roman marching camp from Scotland:

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Water-plant-work-digs-up.3641122.jp

On the importance of Mesopotamia in Roman-India trade:

http://tinyurl.com/2bj3mk (Times)

Nice feature on Petra:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/10024576.html

================================================================
EUROPE AND THE UK (+ Ireland)
================================================================
Early evidence of skating in Finland:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7159057.stm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/w-waw122107.php
http://www.physorg.com/news117694542.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080104-first-skates.html
http://tinyurl.com/33mdbf (Telegraph)

Possible remains of combatants from the Battle of Aughrim:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3304353.ece

================================================================
NORTH AMERICA
================================================================

More on 'beer' brewing by Pueblo folk:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22421656/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318805,00.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20071228/sc_livescience/beerbrewedlongagobynativeamericans
================================================================
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
================================================================
A major Taino site from Puerto Rico:

http://tinyurl.com/32xuyp (AJC)

A pyramid find suggests revising the date for the founding of Mexico City:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071228/sc_nm/mexico_pyramid_dc_2
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/28/content_7328039.htm
http://www.enn.com/sci-tech/article/28253
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22412726/
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=844359762098598560 (video)

Nice feature on Columbus' 'lost fort':

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/fort-of-columbus-200801.html

More on ancient chocolate use:

http://tinyurl.com/396c5w (AJC)
================================================================
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
================================================================
On the DNA front, they're trying to figure out the peopling
of Greenland:

http://tinyurl.com/2qt5en

Medieval diets were apparently healthier than ours:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7148534.stm
http://tinyurl.com/2lgaxz (Daily India)

Looking for the Celtic 'Land of the Dead':

http://tinyurl.com/yq8hjm


The NY Times reviews assorted books about Islam:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/review/index.html

================================================================
TOURISTY THINGS
================================================================
Yemen:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/travel/30Yemen.html

Tikal:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/travel/tikal.php
================================================================
NUMISMATICA
================================================================
Major find of pre-Roman, Gaulish coins:

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3266591.ece
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3244,36-991019@51-985333,0.html

Interesting donation of a coin book to the ANA:

http://tinyurl.com/32dok5

Latest in Wayne Sayles' (et al) legal suit over restrictions
on Cypriot coins:

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/394858.html

Coins of India:

http://www.bharatcoins.com/1.html

Hobbyblog:

http://hobbyblog.blogspot.com/

Ancient Coin Collecting:

http://ancientcoincollecting.blogspot.com/

Ancient Coins:

http://classicalcoins.blogspot.com/
================================================================
EXHIBITIONS, AUCTIONS, AND MUSEUM-RELATED
================================================================
The Bactrian hoard is coming to the US:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071220-afghan-gold.html

Coverage of that auction of a copy of the Magna Carta:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7151152.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/nyregion/20magna.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/nyregion/19magna.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F05E2DE1F30F931A25751C1A9619C8B63

On museums making use of podcasts:

http://tinyurl.com/2pj2mt (El Pais)
================================================================
PERFORMANCES AND THEATRE-RELATED
================================================================
Trumpery:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/science/18darw.html

Edward II:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/theater/reviews/20edwa.html
================================================================
ON THE WEB
================================================================
Find A Dig:

http://www.findadig.com/

---

5. Honest Reporting: The al-Dura Controversy
http://www.honestreporting.com/a/alDura.asp
Article gives a chronological run-down (with links) of all the important
articles along with the media and legal developments in the case.

---

To Make an Offering to Brit-Am

Send a check to
Brit-Am
POB 595
Jerusalem 91004
Israel

or deposit a donation in our
PayPal Account
http://britam.org/books.html#donate

Contribute to Brit-Am

Correspond with us
Send Comments or Criticisms
You may not always receive an immediate answer but anything you say will be considered and appreciated
Send us an
 e-mail 

Books and Offering Opportunities

Main Page