Utah Targets Polyg Prophet
BY JOHN DOUGHERTY
Phoenix New Times
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2003-08-21/feature.html/1/index.html
""We are under attack," declared fundamentalist Mormon Prophet Warren Jeffs
from his pulpit in Colorado City during an August 10 sermon."
The Heretic
by John Bloom
D Magazine
http://www.dmagazine.com//article.asp?articleid=563
"IF YOU DRIVE WEST FROM THE CITY, through the neo-modern lunarscape of Las
Colinas, past the airport on our denuded prairie, into the warren of
faceless office buildings that make up cosmopolitan Grapevine, you'll never
find Benny Hinn."
Crop circles appear in a Wilkie field
CBC
http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=crop_circles030815
"Harvest is getting underway across the province and that means more time
and attention is being paid to what's in the fields. What people find in
their fields can come under a lot of scrutiny, and not just by food
inspection officials."
Wilkie circle not a hoax: researcher
by Silas Polkinghorne
Saskatchewan News Network
http://www.canada.com/regina/news/story.asp?id=D6BD2DEC-9A69-4588-A4B4-57801BE93\
F9C
"A Saskatoon research assistant with the Canadian Crop Circle Research
Network says it's highly unlikely a recent crop formation near Wilkie was a
hoax."
The Untruth Hurts, Even Online
By Keith R. Taylor
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29305-2003Aug21.html
""Hey, take it easy, Dipsey. It can't hurt." The admonition addressed to my
screen name came back over the Internet. It was tweaking me for objecting
to an urban legend. As usual my friend didn't originate the tale. Those
things aren't originated. They just appear and they go on forever. It's
like the proverbial snake that won't die until the sun goes down, except
that an urban legend goes round and round the world, always ahead of the
sunset."
Once when you were Pharoah...
BY ERIC ALAN BARTON
New Times Broward-Palm Beach
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/issues/2003-08-21/feature.html/1/index.html
"Irv Mordes has a manuscript under his wrinkled and spotted hands, but he
doesn't want to open it yet. It's too soon. He needs to build up
anticipation for that four-inch-thick text of his life's most important
work. So he ponderously goes through his story the way old men do, hitting
the highlights to emphasize how successful he's been in his 84 years, first
as a nobody salesman and then in a second career with its asterisk of fame.
He'll end his story with that secret he's selling in his book, the one
about living forever."
Forward thinking
BY DAVID VALDES GREENWOOD
Providence Phoenix
http://www.providencephoenix.com/features/out_there/documents/03106998.asp
"I think I’m supposed to find the e-mail I just opened enticing. An
enthusiastic friend is passing on this amazing deal: if I just send this
same e-mail to nine other people, I will get a $50 gift certificate to
Applebee’s. Free food just nine mouse clicks away — how can I refuse,
right? All I have to do is spam my own friends."
Astrologers fail to predict proof they are wrong
by Robert Matthews
The Telegraph [UK]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/17/nstars17.xml
"Good news for rational, level-headed Virgoans everywhere: just as you
might have predicted, scientists have found astrology to be rubbish."
Scientology wanted millions, gets $4,500
By ROBERT FARLEY
St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/21/Tampabay/Scientology_wanted_mi.shtml
"A tiny smile creased Ken Dandar's face as a clerk read the first count of
the jury verdict."
A push to map the mystical
By Jeremy Licht
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-te.theology18aug18,0,1994969.story
"Sister Constance Fitzgerald of the Carmelite Monastery in Towson can't
describe Unio Mystica, the direct and immediate experience of God that
Christian mystics seek through contemplative prayer. All she can say is
that it's a gift from God -- achieved through a lifetime of fidelity."
Man sacrificed for hidden treasure
By Bibhuti Mishra
Sify
http://sify.com/news/offbeat/fullstory.php?id=13227413&vsv=94
"In a bizarre incident reported from Jagitia village in Kantamal district
of Orissa, a newly married man has been killed as human sacrifice to
unearth hidden treasure."
Nursing Administrator Doris Bloch, 75, Dies
By Claudia Levy
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23475-2003Aug20.html
"Doris Bloch, 75, a National Institutes of Health administrator who worked
to increase research programs in the nursing profession, died Aug. 10 at
Suburban Hospital. She had a heart ailment."
Thou Shalt Not Pray
By Dahlia Lithwick
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2087287/
"One hesitates to spill one more drop of ink over Chief Justice Roy
Moore—the demagogue judge who heads the Alabama Supreme Court and who—as of
midnight last night—is in violation of a federal court order to remove a
5,000-pound monument to the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the
Alabama State Judicial Building."
Power to ruin a life
by Bennett Akuaku
Ghanaian Chronicle
http://www.ghanaian-chronicle.com/230820/page2d.htm
"This is the true story of how, in Ghana, a witch is made."
Witches' Camps Violate Human Rights, Some Say
Ghanaian Chronicle
http://allafrica.com/stories/200308200522.html
""Witches' camps," set up to provide havens for people accused of being
witches, are now raising concerns that their conditions violate residents'
human rights."
American, Husband Nabbed in Mexico Murder
by MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/6600442.htm
"Cynthia Kiecker says she and her Mexican husband stood out as "kind of the
hippies of Chihuahua," a conservative northern Mexico city where cowboy
hats and boots are the norm."
Parents charged in abduction
By Matt Canham and Ashley Broughton
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Aug/08212003/utah/85706.asp
"State officials are worried a 12-year-old Sandy boy will die from a rare
form of bone cancer if he does not receive chemotherapy soon."
Police press parent search
By Matt Canham
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Aug/08222003/utah/86035.asp
"Detectives are focusing on Houston as they continue their search for a
Sandy couple wanted for violating a court order by refusing to treat their
son's cancer with chemotherapy."
Judge rejects JP loser's claim of voting by illegal entrants
By Ignacio Ibarra
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
http://www.azstarnet.com/star/wed/30820ILLEGALVOTERS2fmst2fjmd.html
"A complaint by a McNeal woman that voting by illegal entrants cost her the
election to a justice of the peace post was dismissed Tuesday by a judge."
For a paranormal investigator, he's so normal
by Charles Walsh
Connecticut Post
http://www.connpost.com/Stories/0,1413,96%7E3754%7E1585239,00.html
"Jon Nowinski takes an inside window seat in a booth at the Sherwood Diner
in Westport and orders up coffee and a hefty slice of diner chocolate mocha
cake (more chocolate mocha than cake)."
Doubts surface about repeated monster sightings
Midland Reporter-Telegram
<http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10029580&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_\
id=475590&rfi=6>
"The monsters of our mind usually turn out to be the stuff dreams are made
of -- even Nessie."
Ernest H. Taves, 87; doctor left practice to craft stories
By Laura Levis
Boston Globe
<http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2003/08/21/ernest_h_tav\
es_87_doctor_left_practice_to_craft_stories/>
"Dr. Ernest Henry Taves of Cambridge, a psychoanalyst turned fiction
writer, died in Mount Auburn Hospital on Aug. 16 of complications following
a heart attack. He was 87."
Ghost hunters materialize in state
by Chris Stirewalt
Charleston Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/200308233/
"West Virginia is considered a hotbed of paranormal activity by the
supernatural sleuths gathered here this weekend."
State history includes paranormal mysteries
Associated Press
http://www.dailymail.com/news/News/200308219/
"From mysterious noises and lights in the sky to apparitions of lifelike
figures, West Virginians are fascinated by unexplained phenomenon that have
helped create the state's rich history and folklore."
Justices Order Commandments Monument Removed
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN with MARK J. PRENDERGAST
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/21/national/21CND-JUDGE.html?ex=1062129600&en=19\
50c27b8952dd65&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"Chief Justice Roy Moore was overruled by his eight associates on the
Alabama Supreme Court today when they ordered the removal of ``Roy's Rock''
from the lobby of their building here."
Alabama chief justice suspended
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/954934.asp?0cv=CA01&cp1=1
"The chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court was suspended Friday
pending an ethics investigation for his defiance of a federal judge’s order
that he remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the
state judicial building."
Roy’s Rock
by Eleanor Clift
NEWSWEEK
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/956098.asp?cp1=1=?iso-8859-1?Q?Story:_=22Roy's_Rock=2\
2?=>
"By stubbornly refusing a federal court order to remove the Ten
Commandments monument in his courthouse, Alabama Supreme Court Chief
Justice Roy Moore has been hailed by Christian fundamentalists as a man of
great courage. Lesser known, but no less courageous is the woman who dared
stand up to Justice Moore."
Minister Fights To Add Creationism To Classes
KHBS
http://www.thehometownchannel.com/news/2421920/detail.html
"A Hometown pastor is launching an assault on local school boards in an
effort to remove the concept of human evolution from Arkansas textbooks."
A textbook case of bad science
By Katharine Mieszkowski
Salon
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/08/20/textbook/index_np.html
"Charles Darwin, Satan, Joseph Stalin, aliens, Raelians and fire-breathing
dragons hibernating at the bottom of the sea all put in cameos last month
at a Texas board of education public hearing on textbooks."
Ohio officials warn against evangelist's 'miracle water'
By Ken Garfield
Knight Ridder News Service
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/news/local/6547267.htm
"If evangelist Leroy Jenkins hands you a bottle of his so-called miracle
water at his revival through Sunday at the Charlotte Convention Center, you
might want to think twice about letting it pass your lips."
Jesus Christ Beyond Thunderdome
By Cathy Young
Reason
http://www.reason.com/cy/cy081903.shtml
"Mel Gibson's upcoming movie The Passion is already stirring up passions
more than half a year before its scheduled release—which is not surprising,
since it deals with the emotionally charged subject of the crucifixion of
Jesus. The intensity of the debate recalls the firestorm sparked by Martin
Scorcese's 1988 movie The Last Temptation of Christ."
Silly Season: Mucky the Lake Monster
Blather
http://www.blather.net/shitegeist/000112.htm
"Welcome to the depths of the silly season...we've had pumas, wild pigs...
now lake monsters. Excellent..."
James Randi
Interviewed by Paul Harris
KTRS
http://www.harrisonline.com/audio/listings/jamesrandi.htm
"Known as The Amazing Randi during his years as a magician, he's long been
the top debunker of psychic and paranormal claims. He talks with Paul
about the Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge, how there are psychic
believers all over the world, why prosecutors should go after the phonies
who perpetrate these frauds, and much more -- including his 1978 appearance
on "Happy Days," in which he taught Henry Winkler how to do the classic
Milk Can Escape."
Journey through time
by Bill Choy
Redding Record Searchlight
http://www.redding.com/news/stories/20030817lo032.shtml
"Dressed as a minstrel and strumming a tune on his lute, Francis Mangels
played it to the hilt at Fantasy Faire 2003 at the Dunsmuir Park and
Botanical Gardens on Saturday morning."
WHO Okays Traditional Healers
New Vision [Kampala]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200308181162.html
"The World Health Organisation is to recognise August 31 this year as the
African Traditional Medicine Day."
Canadian healer offers touch of faith
Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/919_344756,001800010001.htm
"In a land of miracles, it's not just the locals who are doing the
impossible. People in Indore queued up for Clive Harris, a faith healer
from Canada, who claims to cure various ailments through touch."
FISHY RESEARCH
By DEBORAH MANN LAKE
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2056565
"Sharks, one of the most feared predators of the sea, may prove to be a
potent partner in the war against cancer."
HC to hear doctor's plea for recognition of AIDS cure
Press Trust of India
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_340659,0008.htm
"The Bombay High Court has allowed a notice of motion filed by a city-based
doctor urging the Union government and various authorities to examine his
research on AIDS cure and grant recognition to his study based on herbal
and spiritual treatment in alternative medicine."
Prayer doctor vows to carry on 'healing'
By ELIZABETH BINNING
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3518312
"Dr Richard Gorringe was working as an "ordinary" GP until his family were
struck with an illness no one seemed able to cure."
Panel backs off evolution debate
by KYTJA WEIR
Charlotte Observer
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/6581373.htm
"The Union County school board on Tuesday flirted with, then backed away
from, a more-than-century-long debate questioning evolution's place in
science education."
Battle over evolution heating up
News 8 Austin
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=81294&SecID=2
"The debate continues over what information Texas biology books should
present."
An exuberant life of Cagliostro, the count of many callings
Review By Matthew Price
Boston Globe
<http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2003/08/17/an_exuberant_life_of_caglios\
tro_the_count_of_many_callings/>
"Freemason and mystical magician, rascal and raconteur, Count Alessandro di
Cagliostro was one of the most extravagant, eccentric characters of the
18th century. Cagliostro's celebrated exploits took him from the back
alleys of Palermo, Italy, to the ruling circles of St. Petersburg and
revolutionary Paris, where he dazzled the brightest men and women of the
age with his potent psychic powers. Still, he was a divisive figure, and
his long list of powerful enemies included Casanova, Goethe, Marie
Antoinette, Pope Pius VI, and Catherine the Great."
Apology is issued for Web photos of body
By JORGE SANCHEZ
St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/18/Citrus/Apology_is_issued_for.shtml
"The man at the center of the latest controversy surrounding the frozen
body of baseball legend Ted Williams said Sunday he was sorry for posting
pictures of Williams' body on a Web site."
Florida's invasion of body freezers
By TOM ZUCCO
St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/19/State/Florida_s_invasion_of.shtml
"The city already had a reputation as the tabloid capital of America and
ground zero for the anthrax attacks. Then a London newspaper did a study
and found it is also home to 40 of the world's 200 most prolific spam
operations."
State BOE elections spark evolution debates
By John Hanna
Associated Press
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/142609
"Connie Morris was exasperated by the battery of cameras and reporters
watching her and her fellow State Board of Education members as if they
were zoo animals."
The Fault, Dear Voters, Is in the President's Stars
BY DRU SEFTON
Newhouse News Service
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/sefton082103.html
"Out in the political world, the chances for President Bush's re-election
look good. But celestial bodies suggest trouble."
Texan gets 24 years for fraud
By Mike Carter
Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001597442_scam23m.html
"A key player in a scam that catered to tax protesters and members of the
so-called "patriot movement" was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison
yesterday."
Community of rumors keep lynching theories alive
By JILL BARTON
Associated Press
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030823/APN/308230669
"Three years ago in the tiny Mississippi town of Kokomo, a father found his
black son's body hanging from a pecan tree, conjuring up memories of
gruesome murders from the South's ugly racist past."
Pentagon: Soldiers Said Captured Are Safe
Associated Press
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030822_1221.html
"By the time a shadowy group of Iraqis claimed to have captured Maj. Andrew
C. Peters, he had spent a week in an Army hospital in Texas recovering from
a land mine explosion in Iraq."
Supposedly captured GI is BAMC patient
By Lisa Marie Gómez
San Antonio Express-News
http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=1044042
"Maj. Andrew Peters, one of the soldiers reported Friday morning by a
Lebanese television station as being captured by an unknown Iraqi group,
actually is recovering from a blast injury at Brooke Army Medical Center."
Houdini Days debut drawing attention
By Linda Martinez
Appleton Post-Crescent
http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_11825590.shtml
"People are taking a serious look at Appleton’s first-ever Houdini Days."
Do births surge after a blackout? Statistics say no
By Markus Verbeet
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/6579887.htm
"Even before the power came back after last week's blackout, Toronto Mayor
Mel Lastman predicted the consequences."
Iraq mayhem gives conspiracy theorists a field day
By Luke Baker
Reuters
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters08-21-030922.asp?reg=MIDEAST
"U.S. forces did not win the war, Saddam Hussein is a CIA agent and Ariel
Sharon just bought a house on the banks of the Tigris -- so say the pages
of Baghdad's newspapers, where conspiracy and rumour reign supreme."
Snake! Did government stock rattlers in Pineywoods?
By Chester Moore, Jr
Orange Leader
http://www.orangeleader.com/articles/2003/08/21/sports/sports3.txt
"Have you heard that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) officials
have stocked venomous timber rattlesnakes in the Pineywoods?"
Woman's scheme foiled when she runs into childhood friend
Associated Press
http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=154119
"Misty Quackenbush had almost gotten away with it - until she ran into a
childhood friend in Texas."
Witchcraft fears at Katutura school
by PETROS KUTEEUE
Namibian
http://www.namibian.com.na/2003/august/national/03EF3F1EEC.html
"PARENTS at Katutura's Theo Katjimune Primary School are threatening to
withdraw their children from the school because of allegations of witchcraft."
Dr Snake offers web voodoo hoodoo
Norwich Evening News
<http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/News/story.asp?datetime=22+Aug+2003+12%3\
A00&tbrand=ENOnline&tCategory=NEWS&category=News&brand=ENOnline&itemid=NOED22+Au\
g+2003+12%3A02%3A02%3A280>
"THEY say it's better the devil you know and a Norwich voodoo practitioner
is offering musicians the chance to snap up a pact with the Devil over the
internet."
Charges unfairly aimed at Target
By Tom Hennessy
Long Beach Press Telegram
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21474~1581915,00.html
"Joseph Del Rio's war was in Korea."
'Major Incident' Staged
By Davey Porter
Crestline Courier-News
http://www.mountain-news.com/articles/2003/08/21/news/news01.txt
"In the preceding weeks - while mountain residents seriously contemplate
their ability to evacuate their families and remain safely out of harm's
way in the event of a major forest fire - rumors have crisscrossed the
mountain alleging the coroner is storing thousands of body bags in
anticipation of mass casualties; that officials are callously planning to
protect residents with upscale homes, while withholding resources from
communities and neighborhoods with lower property values; and claiming that
fire and emergency management officials are doing nothing to further
disaster or evacuation planning - that, in essence, officials have given
up, and are merely marking time until a fire occurs."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Judge: Court Official to Visit Sick Child
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030503/ap_on_re_us/brf_surge\
ry_debate_4
"A couple who has chosen to treat their 2-year-old's potentially
life-threatening brain tumor with homeopathic medicine must allow court
representatives to visit the child, a judge ruled."
Michigan May Force Toddler's Surgery
By JAMES PRICHARD
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030507/ap_on_re_us/surgery_d\
ebate_6
"Surgeons say 2-year-old Noshin Hoque will probably die within a year or
two unless the tumor growing deep in her brain is removed. But the
operation itself will probably kill her or leave her blind or paralyzed."
Calm urged as recall list grows
By KAREN INGRAM
Townsville Bulletin
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,6374591%255E14787\
,00.html
"A TOWNSVILLE naturopath is urging twin cities residents to remain calm as
the Pan Pharmaceuticals recall escalates."
Can natural remedies recover?
by Paul Heinrichs
The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/03/1051876900577.html
'"It's a disaster!" exclaims Ian Collins, a former North Balwyn pharmacist
of 20 years' standing and now an alternative medicine purveyor."
2nd recall in health products
By MICHELLE BROOKER
The Press [New Zealand]
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,2445279a6530,00.html
"Canterbury retailers have taken hundreds more health supplements off
shelves, after the Government issued a second recall of products made by
Pan Pharmaceuticals."
Alternative medicine under microscope
By MIKE NAHAN
Herald Sun [Australia]
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6372236%255E664,00.htm\
l
"THERE is big money in biased regulation. The Pan Pharmaceuticals recall
crisis has a bright side it has lifted the lid on the alternative
"medicine" industry."
Herbal pills linked to death
By MICHELLE POUNTNEY
Herald Sun [Australia]
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6382786%255E2862,00.ht\
ml
"A MELBOURNE woman died after taking herbal anti-anxiety pills containing
kava and an unidentified ingredient."
Pan founder won't sell up
By Jennifer Sexton
The Australian
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6395101%255E421,0\
0.html
"THE man being blamed for the nation's biggest medicines scandal, Jim
Selim, is refusing to sell his controlling shareholding in Pan
Pharmaceuticals."
Vanished Pan chief dismissed
By Jennifer Sexton and Trudy Harris
The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6405408%255E2702,0\
0.html
"JOHN Brennan has been sacked as general manager of Pan Pharmaceuticals,
owing $2 million to the company and seven weeks after he disappeared from
work."
Stopper put on more herbal companies
By Kirsty Needham and Jeni Porter
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/08/1052280380521.html
"The medicines watchdog yesterday cancelled the product licences of more
than a dozen companies that have failed to disclose whether or not they
have ties with Pan Pharmaceuticals."
Bastyr shows nation the way to naturopathy
by Carole Beers
King County Journal
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/130342
"John Bastyr University of Natural Health Sciences has grown up fast."
Make Pain Go Away, Naturally
by Cherie Bank
WCAU
http://www.nbc10.com/health/2187975/detail.html
"Around the world, people are living with pain so acute it affects every
part of their lives."
Power of Prayer
by ANNE T. DENOGEAN
Tucson Citizen
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/5_8_03prayer.html
"In an altar room at the Tucson Johrei Center on River Road the same scene
will play out many times during the next two years."
East meets West
By Amanda N. Wegner
Madison Capital Times
http://www.madison.com/captimes/features/stories/48230.php
"Patients with chronic pain, illness and stress-related complaints have
been demanding more of medical professionals for relief from their
problems. Many patients have exhausted what Western pharmaceuticals and
technology can offer and are now finding answers and comfort through
integrative medicine."
Author melds science, religion
By Les Gehrett
Albany Democrat-Herald
http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2003/05/02/news/religion/religion01.txt
"Cary Bybee believes that his scientific training gave him a unique
perspective as he wrote a series of three books about the end times."
Iraq war breeds doomsday fears
By Elise Ackerman
San Jose Mercury News
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5782604.htm
"The end is near."
UFO festival features many activities
By STARLA POINTER
McMinnville News-Register
http://www.newsregister.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=165814
"Now in its fourth year, McMinnville's UFO Festival and Alien Daze brings
visitors from far and wide."
Blood runs on time for Naples 'miracle'
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s846532.htm
"Thousands of Neapolitans breathed a collective sigh of relief as the dried
blood of the city's patron saint liquefied, an event which according to
tradition will safeguard their city from disaster for another year."
The end of the world, continued
by Declan Hayes
The Daily Yomiuri
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20030504wo61.htm
"Hail Carpathia, our lord and risen king;"
UFO researchers looking for witnesses to N.M. crashes
Associated Press
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/5789967.htm
"Were you looking into the New Mexico sky in 1947 or 1948? Did you see
little green men or the smoldering wreckage of a strange ship? A pair of
researchers trying to uncover the secrets of two purported UFO crashes
wants to pick your brain."
Bright lights spark UFO rumours
By Rajiv Maharaj
Northern Territory News [Australia]
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6390720%255E13762,00.html
"A SET of mysterious bright lights in the Northern Territory's night sky
have residents in the beachside suburb of Nightcliff abuzz with talk of an
alien encounter."
Padre Pio's People Stake Claim to Shrine
By Daniel Williams
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27496-2003May7.html
"On Monday, a line of bulldozers and trucks blocked the entrance to the
sanctuary dedicated to Pio da Pietrelcina, arguably Italy's most popular
saint. Demonstrators held up a long banner asserting, "We defend our Padre
Pio.""
Saint's Town Up in Arms Over Vatican Move
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&ncid=583&e=18&u=/nm/2003050\
6/od_nm/monk_dc>
"The small Italian town where the world famous mystic monk Padre Pio is
buried was up in arms on Monday after the Vatican named a commissioner to
oversee his shrine that generates hundreds of millions of dollars."
Wandering Cult Befuddles Japan
Associated Press
http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20030503_433.html
"For years, they have traveled the back roads of Japan in an all-white
caravan, swathing their camps in white fabric. They say they are protecting
a sick prophet from an invisible enemy, and the world from Armageddon."
Cultists enter Nagano; issue statement about Tama-chan
Kyodo News
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=258869
"About 50 members of the Panawave Laboratory, a cult known for its white
attire, entered Nagano Prefecture on Tuesday after camping out on a
mountain road in the village of Kiyomi in Gifu Prefecture, but in a bizarre
development issued a statement about Japan's celebrity seal Tama-chan."
Doomsday cult makes waves in Japan
by Jonathan Watts
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,950027,00.html
"Less than a fortnight before the day it predicts the world will end,
Japan's latest high-profile cult rolled slowly and bizarrely away from a
confrontation with the police yesterday, leaving behind sniggers, fears and
a mountainside draped in white sheets."
Japanese cult guru gives her first interview
Agence France-Presse
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/06/1051987694819.html
"The woman claiming to be the guru of a bizarre Japanese cult said today
she was terminally ill and would die soon, according to a reporter who met
her and said she looked fine."
Japan cult guru 'close to death'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3004237.stm
"The alleged leader of a mysterious Japanese cult has said that she will
die in the next few days."
Pana Wave group stays in Nagano parking lot
Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20030508wo24.htm
"Members of a white-clad doomsday cult that has been touring central Japan
in a caravan of white vehicles were parked Wednesday night at a parking lot
in Kayano, Nagano Prefecture."
NPA promises to keep monitoring Pana Wave cult
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030509a6.htm
"Hidehiko Sato, chief of the National Police Agency, stressed Thursday that
police will continue to monitor the Pana Wave Laboratory cult, citing
public concerns over its members' behavior."
Notre Dame priest: Creationism debate unique to U.S.
By WALT WILLIAMS
Bozeman Chronicle
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2003/05/06/news/creationbzbigs.txt
"Despite movements across the nation to teach creationism in public
schools, a science historian said Monday that Christians haven't always
used a literal interpretation of the Bible to explain the world's origins."
Victorian-era house has an extra guest
By KRISTINE KISKY
Portland Tribune
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=17884
"The distinctive John Palmer House has been mentioned in many newspapers,
magazines and books. However, an interior presence also has garnered some
attention, including a passage in Jefferson Davis’ “Ghosts, Critters &
Sacred Places of Washington and Oregon II.”"
Ghosts lurking in scientist minds
By SIMON COLLINS
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3500527
"A survey has lifted the veil on an unexpected secret - many scientists
believe in ghosts."
Black, by popular demand
By Constantine Yermilin
Budapest Sun
<http://www.budapestsun.com/full_story.asp?ArticleId=%7B9C728A525F7F494BA85B0F37\
8032D1DC%7D&From=Style>
"ONCE upon a time there was a lovely princess. But she had a fearful
enchantment, which could only be broken by love's first kiss. Many fairy
tales have a similar theme. From our childhood, we all remember those
bedtime stories about bewitched princesses, brave princes, wise wizards and
wicked witches."
Spiritualist voice leads Norman on
Altona-Laverton Mail
http://www.altonalavertonmail.com.au/read.asp?article=2088073.txt&s=news
"`WEE' Norman Gunn (1.6 metres or 5 feet 3 inches) was looking forward to a
drink on a night in April, 1970, when he saw the light and thought, at
first, he was hallucinating."
Where Celebrity Meets the Mystical World
By LISA KEYS
Forward
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.05.09/fast1.html
"At the release party last month for the latest Kabbalah Centre tome, "The
72 Names of God: Technology for the Soul," the talk was not of Jewish
mystical practices, but of Madonna. Madonna, Madonna!"
Evolution not an easy topic for educators - or students
By MIKE JACCARINO
Press of Atlantic City
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/ocean/050803EVOLUTION08.html
"It's just after 9 a.m. on a gray morning in mid-March - a little early in
the day, some would say, to contemplate the origin of human beings."
Bigfoot symposium a big deal
By John Driscoll
Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1368987,00.html
"In September, the greatest minds in Bigfoot science will converge upon the
little town of Willow Creek, a town that appears destined to forever be
known as the sasquatch capital of the world."
Officials: Animals Killed, Mutilated As Part Of Satanic Ritual
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2184936/detail.html
"A dozen dogs, cats and deer were found dead -- mutilated and skinned -- in
Lorain County."
2 dogs found skinned in LaGrange Township
by Catherine Gabe
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lorain/105238669522290\
.xml
"Two dogs were found skinned and mutilated this week, and investigators are
considering whether they were used in a satanic ritual, a sheriff's
official said."
Reward Offered For Information On Slain, Mutilated Animals
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2188295/detail.html
"There's new information regarding a disturbing case of animal abuse in
Lorain County."
Dead Animals May Not Be Result Of Satanic Cult
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2191596/detail.html
"It was a sight so ghastly that a county humane officer believed it had to
be something Satanic, NewsChannel5 reported."
Ghostly rumors swirl around 'Swamp Church'
By Rich Kerstetter
Centre Daily Times
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/5783271.htm
"Mary Sennholz has never seen the ghost, but she knows of others who claim
they have."
A faerie affair
by Michael Kiefer
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0506faerie06.htm\
l
"Amy Ford sees fairies."
Vodou's Veil
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5767152.htm
"Word-of-mouth leads you to Clotaire Bazile's mission-style house on a
nondescript corner in Little Haiti, somewhere off Northeast Miami Avenue."
First Task in the Graveyard: Evicting Dot-Com Ghosts
By DEAN E. MURPHY
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/04/national/04SACR.html?ex=1052625600&en=3114769\
d8f44a3ee&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"There has been a little-mentioned downside to the migration of small
companies and nonprofit groups into what is commonly referred to as the
dot-com graveyard here."
West Michigan Ghost Stories
WXMI
http://fox17.trb.com/news/050203-wxmi-ghoststories,0,7865455.story
"There are certain stories in West Michigan that never seem to go away.
Some are legends passed from generation to generation. Others are simply
dismissed as "old wives tales.""
Houdini museum exhibit to reappear
By Steven Hyden
Appleton Post-Crescent
http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_10136615.shtml
"The Outagamie Museum is about to make its long-running Harry Houdini
exhibit disappear, and the man who helped get it started feels left in the
dark."
N.C. Supreme Court rejects tax-exemption for meditation center
by EMERY P. DALESIO
Associated Press
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/5772748.htm
"A spiritual center near Boone where patrons practice transcendental
meditation is not exempt from taxes, despite claims that it's an
educational institution, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday."
Estate sale opens windows to Victorian era
BY WIL SHANE
Northwest Arkansas Times
http://nwanews.com/times/story_News.php?storyid=106565
"About 75 people came out into Sunday’s drizzling rain looking to buy a
piece of history at the estate sale of a family prominent during
Fayetteville’s Victorian era."
Star-gazers pinpoint the hour Jesus died
by DAVID MONTGOMERY
Glasgow Herald
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/9-5-19103-0-41-16.html
"THEORIES on the exact date of Christ's death have been debated for
centuries, but now two astronomers claim to have pinpointed it to the exact
hour."
Equine minds
By Mary Meehan
LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/sports/5775928.htm
"The pet psychic takes a deep breath as dragonfly and spiral chimes
pirouette below sheer curtains of sea foam green and shimmering gold
sprinkling sound through the pastel living room."
Is The End Of The World Upon Us?
WLKY
http://www.thelouisvillechannel.com/news/2182344/detail.html
"The Bible predicts it, ministers preach about it and many others fear it."
UMC to test power of prayer to help heal
By Carla McClain
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
http://www.dailystar.com/star/today/30508powerofprayer2fpmb2fmst2f.html
"The power of spiritual prayer to heal traumatic injury - long a belief in
religions worldwide - will now be put to tough scientific testing in Tucson
to see if it really works."
Alamedan explains handwriting analysis
by Suzanne T. Storar
Alameda Times-Star
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~1486~1377547,00.html
"THINK TWICE the next time you lump handwriting analysis in with psychic
hot lines and online Tarot card readings. Rosemary Arnold says that
graphology, the correct term for handwriting analysis, is more about
psychology than prophesy, or even physiology."
Couple Reports Seeing UFO Wednesday Night
BY MATTHEW MORIARTY
Southern Pines Pilot
http://www.thepilot.com/news/050403ufo.html
"A local man and his wife saw what he describes as a UFO Wednesday night."
They're out there ... in the suburbs
By RAJIV MAHARAJ
Northern Territory News
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6389132%255E13569,00.html
"Beachside residents thought they were being invaded by aliens when a set
of mysterious bright lights appeared in the night sky."
SCI FI Seeks Mad Lives
SciFi Wire
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-sfc.html?2003-05/06/10.45.sfc
"The SCI FI Channel is seeking five people with "alternative lifestyles" to
appear in its upcoming reality series Mad Mad House. Producers are seeking
people who identify themselves as Wiccans, vampires, Trekkers, witch
doctors, "modern primitives," yogi masters, etc., to live together in "Alt
Manor" for a month and compete for a grand prize."
China Farmers Fight SARS Spirits with Firecrackers
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=9&u=/nm/20030507\
/od_nm/superstition_dc>
"Chinese peasants, lacking the medical know-how and funds to fight the
deadly SARS virus, are lighting firecrackers to scare off the "god of plague.""
A drop of the milky stuff is the latest cure
by Leo Lewis
Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-672796,00.html
"HONG KONG is turning to drink, cigarettes and miniature bottles of
Japanese milk bacillus in a desperate attempt to ward off Sars."
Scientology gets lift from Cruise popularity
By GLENN MCLEAN
The Daily News [New Zealand]
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dailynews/0,2106,2457402a6554,00.html
"Church Of Scientology officials are hoping Hollywood star Tom Cruise's
popularity in Taranaki will ignite interest in his religion."
Lion attacks spark 'witch' killings
Agence France-Presse
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6390593%255E401,0\
0.html
"ANGRY villagers in Mozambique have killed a dozen people suspected of
being witches after a killing spree by man-eating lions, police said."
Dried geckos, bear bile and rhino horns
By Fred Pearce
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/126/science/Dried_geckos_bear_bile_and_rhino_h\
orns+.shtml
"It felt and looked like a large black prune. But you can't be too careful.
''What is it?'' I asked. ''It's a birth sac, a placenta,'' came the reply.
''What animal?'' A brief smile. ''Oh, a human. You take it for women's
problems, and to make you more beautiful.''"
Water witch work ignored
By Karen Morrison
Saskatoon Western Producer
http://www.producer.com/articles/20030508/news/20030508news18.html
"A university researcher is having trouble convincing his colleagues that
water witching works."
Natural wonders prove Kim Jong-Il's divinity
Agence France-Presse
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030503/323/dz5rv.html
"A story about a "natural wonder" surrounding North Korea's supremo Kim
Jong-Il has been spreading like a legend in the communist state,
Pyongyang's propaganda mills said."
Is someone there?
By KELLI LACKETT
Fort Collins Coloradoan
http://www.coloradoan.com/news/stories/20030504/lifestyle/240494.html
"If you talked to Stan Romanek a few years ago about UFOs or aliens, he
would have called you a fool."
UFO Festival to see some changes
by Ryan Stark
Roswell Daily Record
http://www.roswell-record.com/archives/050603/news02.html
"Fans of both extraterrestrials and country music might be very happy as
two big changes for the 2003 Roswell UFO Festival were announced at a
Monday afternoon press conference in Roswell."
Class turns students into ghost hunters
By Elaine Jarvik and Jennifer Toomer-Cook
Deseret News
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,490033717,00.html?
"Michele Buck, a woman with a mane of curls that reaches to her waist, is
standing in the lobby of the Kirk Hotel in Tooele. The other people in the
lobby, at least those who are visible to the naked eye, are Buck's students."
Raelians Are Here At Home
KNTV
http://www.nbc11.com/morenews/2176793/detail.html
"You may think the Raelians, the group that announced they'd cloned a baby
in December, are out of this world. The fact is, they are here among us."
Bad Science: Phony pharmaceuticals
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,951018,00.html
"Jim Gobert writes from Australia with the news that Pan Pharmaceuticals,
the country's largest contract manufacturer of alternative medicines, is
having to recall what could amount to 70% of all complementary medicines
sold there. It all began in January when a complementary travel sickness
pill, Travacalm, sent 19 people to hospital and caused 91 adverse
reactions. According to Australia's health secretary, "some people were
very, very ill and tried to jump out of planes and off ships because of the
hallucinatory effect it had"."
Listening to Fido
by Anya Kamenetz
Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0319/kamenetz.php
"Animals know things we don't. New York City's 1.5 million dogs and 4
million cats live in two worlds: the ecosystem of instinct, and the web of
interaction with humans. Increasingly, eager pet owners are exploring the
possibility that our pets' thoughts can be as accessible as our own—and
that their knowledge can form a bridge that transforms our lives."
Does John Baldacci belong to a secretive, powerful, conservative Christian
group?
BY LANCE TAPLEY
Portland Phoenix
http://www.portlandphoenix.com/features/top/ts_multi/documents/02877355.asp
"What does it mean for Maine that, when he was a congressman, John Baldacci
lived for four years in a church in Washington, DC, run by a secretive,
powerful, right-wing Christian organization?"
Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County
The True Story
by Chad Plambeck
3B Theater
http://www.badmovieplanet.com/3btheater/a/alienabductionII.html
"Okay, where were we. Oh, yes. The true story behind Alien Abduction. Here
is our original e-mail correspondence."
Study Examines Acupuncture's Effect On Stroke Victims
WCVB
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/2169759/detail.html
"A stroke is an attack on the brain, and it can leave its victims
paralyzed, restricting movement and memory. Now researchers in Watertown
are looking at whether an ancient tool can help."
Fear Factor
by Robert Ito
Los Angeles Magazine
http://lamag.com/media.htm
"FOR THE LAST FIVE DECADES Jack T. Chick has been writing tiny comic books
about damnation. In the pocket-size tracts, people are stabbed, burned
alive, and eaten by snakes. There is cannibalism and human sacrifice. The
apocalyptic works are equal parts hate literature and fire-and-brimstone
sermonizing, with a tough-guy Christ—"Jesus is not a weak fairy," he
writes—as protagonist. Chick, a fundamentalist Christian and president of a
Rancho Cucamonga-based publishing company, wants his books to scare the
hell out of you."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
SAMS -- Severe Acute Media Syndrome?
By DAVID BALTIMORE
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB105149466087443500,00.html
"Restaurants sit empty in Chinatowns. Parents keep children home from
school in Toronto. Asian hotels and airlines reel at dramatic drops in
bookings. Just as the media recently gave us a new and particularly
intimate experience of war, we're now getting a new and particularly
fearsome experience of a public health crisis with SARS -- in which a
media-transmitted epidemic of concern for personal safety outpaces the risk
to public health from the actual virus."
Ripples from SARS scare felt in Las Vegas restaurants
By Max Jacobson
LAS VEGAS SUN
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/do/2003/apr/30/515017209.html
"Various Asian businesses have been drastically affected by the SARS scare
in Asia, which has both reduced the number of Asian tourists here and
curtailed the local trade as well."
Communities suffer as SARS fears spread
By Tatsha Robertson
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/125/nation/Communities_suffer_as_SARS_fears_sp\
read+.shtml
"The rumor that Chivy Ngo had died after contracting SARS spread so quickly
through Chinatown not even Ngo himself could control it. A month later, his
friends have finally stopped calling with condolences, but his business is
still suffering."
A drop of the milky stuff is the latest cure
by Leo Lewis
Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-672796,00.html
"HONG KONG is turning to drink, cigarettes and miniature bottles of
Japanese milk bacillus in a desperate attempt to ward off Sars."
Outbreak of rumors has China reeling
by Lisa Chiu
San Francisco Chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/05/07/MN34984.DTL
"After rumors circulated last week that this capital city of 13 million
inhabitants would be sealed off from the rest of the country because of the
SARS epidemic, residents went on a shopping frenzy."
Newlyweds Furious at SARS False Alarm
By Maria Abraham
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2673122
"An Indian whose supposedly SARS-afflicted bride was publicly shamed for
insisting their church wedding go ahead blamed government panic over the
killer virus on Friday for ruining the happiest day of their lives."
Dogs becoming victims to fear of SARS in China
BY MICHAEL A. LEV
Chicago Tribune
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/5799648.htm
"There is no scientific evidence linking dogs to the SARS epidemic, but the
animals are becoming victims nonetheless."
'Women's Garden Circle' Victims Sue Alleged Leaders
KGTV
http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/2188977/detail.html
"Two women are seeking more than $3 million in damages in a civil suit
involving a pyramid scheme called the "Women's Garden Circle." Three
alleged leaders in the scam have been charged with fraud and
misrepresentation."
Former deputy DA rolling with punches
By William Ferchland
Tahoe Daily Tribune
<http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=TD&Date=20030507&Ca\
tegory=NEWS&ArtNo=305070103&Ref=AR>
"Erik Schlueter didn't look like a man fired from his job by a former
friend who defeated him in an embroiled election for El Dorado County
district attorney."
"Urban Legends Revealed" - Stone Fort Museum
by Jessica Cervantez
KTRE
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=1262177&nav=2FH5Fbg4
"With graduation just around the corner, many students at Stephen F. Austin
State University have most likely heard the urban legend floating around
involving the Stone Fort Museum on campus. If you haven't, there is a
special treat in store."
Richard J. Sinnott, 76, Boston's City Censor'
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1051961597248300.\
xml
"Richard J. Sinnott, 76, the last official champion of morality in Boston,
died Wednesday at his home."
Rumors and peer pressure
By Brett Schaeffer
Benicia News
http://www.benicianews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=32404&webpage=0&s=1
"On their face, the stories sound unlikely: Sex in the high school's
bathrooms; after-school oral sex parties; middle schoolers having sex in
the classroom. But, as anyone who has ever shared an urban legend knows, it
only takes a small dose of plausibility to make a viable tale."
Urban legend on personal credit information spreads
by DAN ESHELMAN
Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7939460&BRD=2554&PAG=461&dept_id=50713\
4&rfi=6
"A report circulating on the Internet stating that a consumer's personal
credit information will soon be available to anyone is an example of an
"urban legend," according to state officials."
E-mail hoax rears its ugly head again
By PAUL WENSKE
Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/5753881.htm
"An e-mail message again is making the rounds with the bogus claim that
credit bureaus soon will be authorized to hand out your personal financial
data to anyone who asks."
CITY OF DEADLY RUMOR
By JONATHAN FOREMAN
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/75129.htm
"THIS is a city of wild stories that pass for news, inflaming this or that
section of the population, while U.S. authorities lack the resources, human
or material, to counter myth with truth."
Forest Service's details give the lie to monster hunting myth
By PETER PORCO
Anchorage Daily News
http://www.adn.com/front/story/3077881p-3101204c.html
"Tina in Louisiana wanted to know if the photographs were real. So did
Martin, a pastor from Michigan, who wrote, "Are you able to verify for us
that they are indeed genuine and true?""
Grizzly legend still growing
Associated Press
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~1378352,00.html
"A massive grizzly has taken on mythical proportions since it was killed in
Prince William Sound 19 months ago."
Huge lion taken locally - or was it?
By Lance Frazier
Logan Herald Journal
http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2003/05/07/news/news01.txt
"First off, let's debunk this myth about the enormous mountain lion
pictured here being killed in Logan Canyon."
Blogger: Catch Me If You Can
By Leander Kahney
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,58754,00.html
"A mysterious weblog purporting to be the journal of an anonymous heiress
on the run from her wealthy family appears to be a hoax. But the site and
offline elements supporting it are so elaborate and so well executed that
many bloggers suspect the whole thing just might be true."
Despite rumors, front plates are required
by Larry Sandler
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/traffic/news/may03/138575.asp
"If you're a ghost writer living in a ghost town, you might need some ghost
laws to follow."
Floating Cat Prank Has Radio Listeners Outraged
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2167037/detail.html
"A local radio station wants you to listen, but the stunt some morning disc
jockeys pulled has people outraged."
Radio Station's Floating Cat Story Copies Cleveland Stunt
KMGH
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2180253/detail.html
"You can relax. The cat floating over the the metro area is a hoax."
Radio station apologizes after morning show hoax
By Susan Wells
KUSA
http://www.9news.com/storyfull-newsroom.asp?id=14080
"Listeners of the Greg and Bo show on Alice 106 Monday morning flooded the
911 system worried about a kitten floating on a balloon over the
Lakewood-Denver area."
Cat-on-balloon story turns out to be hot air
By John C. Ensslin
Rocky Mountain News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1940704,00.ht\
ml
"Cat got your 911 system?"
Ghostly rumors swirl around 'Swamp Church'
By Rich Kerstetter
Centre Daily Times
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/5783271.htm
"Mary Sennholz has never seen the ghost, but she knows of others who claim
they have."
West Michigan Ghost Stories
WXMI
http://fox17.trb.com/news/050203-wxmi-ghoststories,0,7865455.story
"There are certain stories in West Michigan that never seem to go away.
Some are legends passed from generation to generation. Others are simply
dismissed as "old wives tales.""
Lion sculpture myths laid to rest
By Genevra Fletcher
Reading Chronicle
<http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0300reading/page.cfm?objectid=12933\
751&method=full&siteid=50102>
"READING'S favourite rumour was scotched this week."
Digging Up Dirt On Worm Deal
By JOHN JURGENSEN
Hartford Courant
<http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/newsat3/hc-worms.artmay07,0,2275705.story?coll\
=hc-headlines-newsat3>
"Like most worm farms, Don Concascia's started small."
Individual body parts have price tags
By JENNIFER SARANOW
Wall Street Journal
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=8&ID=98543&r=1
"People want your body. And they are willing to pay for it."
Mexicans Doubt Theory on Juarez Killings
By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030508/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/me\
xico_organ_trafficking_4>
"Over a decade in which they have seen dozens of their daughters turn up
dead in the desert, residents of this tough city across the border from El
Paso thought they had heard every bizarre theory about the killers' motives."
Saving Amina
by Libby Brooks
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gender/story/0,11812,951471,00.html
"Over the past week, the Rev Louise Franklin, a United Reformed church
minister from Ilford in Essex, has been receiving an unusual number of
international calls on her mobile phone. "It's beginning to really hack me
off," she confesses. "I've had people calling from all over the world. All
I did was forward an email that was sent to me by another minister.""
Deputy Cowley blames drink for date rapes
Western People [Ireland]
http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story.asp?j=13303
"One in four people people treated in hospital casualty departments at
weekends are suffering from alcohol related problems, according to Dr Jerry
Cowley, TD."
Officials: Animals Killed, Mutilated As Part Of Satanic Ritual
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2184936/detail.html
"A dozen dogs, cats and deer were found dead -- mutilated and skinned -- in
Lorain County."
2 dogs found skinned in LaGrange Township
by Catherine Gabe
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lorain/105238669522290\
.xml
"Two dogs were found skinned and mutilated this week, and investigators are
considering whether they were used in a satanic ritual, a sheriff's
official said."
Reward Offered For Information On Slain, Mutilated Animals
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2188295/detail.html
"There's new information regarding a disturbing case of animal abuse in
Lorain County."
Dead Animals May Not Be Result Of Satanic Cult
WEWS
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2191596/detail.html
"It was a sight so ghastly that a county humane officer believed it had to
be something Satanic, NewsChannel5 reported."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
News media are making SARS worse than it is
By Bill Steigerwald
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/columnists/steigerwald/s_132058.h\
tml
"Are you sufficiently terrified?"
Outbreak
By Duncan Watts
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082308/
"Since SARS was first reported, the World Health Organization has freely
issued travel advisory warnings, and the press has had a field day covering
every incremental detail of the unfolding epidemic. At last there's been a
backlash to all the hysteria: In today's Los Angeles Times, the
distinguished virologist David Baltimore, president of Caltech, spoke out
against a media-driven epidemic of fear that, among other things, has
emptied Chinatowns all over North America. And today's New York Times
Op-Art piece made the point that compared with many other infectious
diseases SARS really isn't a player—especially not in the United States."
SARS reporting requires tender care
By ANTHONY VIOLANTI
Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030502/1001888.asp
"SARS appears to be under control in Toronto, but it may be harder to
contain the American media."
Contagion of fear infects Americans
By Ted Gup
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-04-30-gup_x.htm
"A couple of Fridays ago, I took the family to dinner at our favorite
Chinese restaurant in Chagrin Falls, a tiny Ohio hamlet that hugs the
Chagrin River and could easily serve as the set for the film, It's A
Wonderful Life. Only things were not wonderful — and you knew it the moment
you pulled into the parking lot."
Organ Trafficking Probed in Mexico Deaths
By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030501/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/me\
xico_juarez_slayings_2>
"Federal investigators are looking into claims that some of the dozens of
women slain in the border city of Ciudad Juarez over the last decade may
have been killed for their internal organs."
Border slayings may have been for body parts
By JO TUCKMAN
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/1892981
"Mexican federal authorities have entered the Ciudad Juarez murders case,
saying that some of the young women killed in the border city over the past
decade were targeted for their body parts."
SUBURBAN HAUNT
By Josh Shaffer
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/5750998.htm
"Down a cracked concrete road choked with weeds stands Crazy Man's Tower, a
rusting shell with charred wooden beams and "Satan's Playground" scrawled
on the side."
Parents warned about masked man
WTLV
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=3621
"Parents in one neighborhood on the First Coast are walking their children
to the bus stop after a 16-year-old girl says she saw a masked man with a gun."
Teens Targeted In Bizarre Kidnappings
By Wil Cruz
New York Newsday
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/crime/nyc-fume0501,0,1588895.story
"Police are investigating a possible link between two bizarre abductions in
which two young Bronx girls were forced into dark-colored vans and later
dropped off on nearby streets."
'Lords' Story Hit Close to Home for 'Californian'
By Mark Fitzgerald
Editor & Publisher
http://www.mediainfo.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_co\
ntent_id=1878759
"Three months after The Bakersfield Californian published his mammoth
expose, "The Lords of Bakersfield," Robert Price still hasn't been able to
get back to his old column in the "Metro" section. He's getting too many
new investigative tips to check out, almost all of them unrelated to the
lurid tale of double lives, murder, pedophilia, and corruption he detailed
in his report."
Harry Potter and the Internet Hoax
By Nancy Pate
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/books/orl-livpotter24042403apr24,0,65020\
17.story
"Cory Hoekstra couldn't believe it."
Century has passed since prank took place in Leola
By Richard Hauffe
Aberdeen American News
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/5768651.htm
"An advertisement printed in the McPherson County Herald 100 years ago
ignited a true small town legend."
'Myth' or not, violence hit hard
By John C. Ensslin
Rocky Mountain News
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_1931629,00.html
"Ask Sonny Jackson what he thinks about the "Summer of Violence" and you'll
get a blunt off-the-cuff reply."
On computers, even the village idiot is one step quicker than me
by Steve Brewer
Albuquerque Tribune
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/opinions03/050103_opinions_brewer.shtml
"When marketing experts and social scientists extol the benefits of the
Computer Age, there's one factor they omit. A computer - unlike any other
tool in our history - gives one the ability, on a global scale, to look
like a jackass."
Weather to vote or not
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2986377.stm
"Does the weather make a difference to voting?"
Police Investigate Runaway Car Incident
By Jon Hanian
KBCI
<http://www2.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5157&ContentID=x41033&Layout=KBC\
I.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154>
"Police radios crackled to life around 8:30 Tuesday evening. "His throttle
is stuck. He's unable to get the car out of gear. He cannot get the key to
shut off.""
Jousting With Rumor Mills
By Ellen McCarthy
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62981-2003Apr30.html
"One evening last week Pauline "Polly" Elmore received an e-mail
notification that her computer had been infected with a virus. Worse yet,
Elmore, the owner of Fairfax-based PR Works, was informed that the bug had
infected the computers of more than 200 people listed in her address book.
She immediately sent the message on to all of her contacts, informing them
of the problem."
Sheriff warns against coven
by Heather Freret
Stone County Enterprise
<http://www.communitypapers.com/STONECOUNTYENTERPRISE/sites/STONECOUNTYENTERPRIS\
E/0065edition/myarticles800880.asp?P=800880&S=582&PubID=13289>
"According to Stone County Sheriff Mike Ballard, an individual claiming to
be affiliated with a coven of witches is distributing flyers around town
promoting “The Coven of Wiggins.”"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Polygamists Probed
BY JOHN DOUGHERTY
Phoenix New Times
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2003-05-01/news.html/1/index.html
"The spiritual leader of a fundamentalist Mormon sect along the
Arizona-Utah border apparently fathered a child with a second underage girl
he considers one of his many wives, according to Utah birth records
obtained by New Times."
"Shui" To Go
BY GRETCHEN GILES
Seven Days Vermont
http://www.sevendaysvt.com/-thisweek/feat/04.html
"We're gathered to talk about the stuff that piles up. The piles that stuff
up. We're here in the pink plushness of a suburban hotel to fervently
discuss the spiritual aspects of last week's newspapers and all of those
unanswered emails, unopened bills, shoeboxes full of photos and unread
magazines. We will confess to jumbled closets, yearn toward clean surfaces
and speak of old clothes. We have huddled together, as have thousands of
other pilgrims around the globe, to hear the Queen of Clutter-Clearing,
Karen Kingston, explain the dire soul-implications of our messy, messy lives."
Teacher arrested in student sex investigation
BY AMY MAYRON
Minneapolis Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/5756003.htm
"A Minneapolis schoolteacher arrested for allegedly having a long-term
relationship with a male student lured the now-21-year-old victim by
getting him involved with black magic and sorcery, as well as providing
alcohol and drugs, according to Minneapolis sex crimes investigators."
'I dreamed a sacrifice would bring me wealth'
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1051612741508B253&set_id=1
"A nine-year-old boy was sacrificed in the central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh by three men who believed the act would bring them wealth and
prosperity, a news report said on Tuesday."
How can dogs sniff out human cancers?
by Ian Sample
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/thisweek/story/0,12977,946532,00.html
"If Barbara Sommerville, a vet at the University of Cambridge is funded to
test the idea, we will soon find out. Although Lassie never saved the day
by excitedly leading doctors to a hidden melanoma, stories of
cancer-spotting dogs abound. The first involves a border collie-dobermann
cross that in 1989 evidently sniffed out a cancerous mole on a woman's leg.
Then, in 1997, George (above), an explosives-sniffing schnauzer was trained
to sniff out skin cancers. Despite George's reported success, dogs are not
yet standard equipment in hospitals. "This idea still has to be
scientifically verified," says Paul Waggoner, director of the canine and
detection research institute at Auburn university in Alabama."
Trashquatch
by Tom Modern
New York Press
http://www.nypress.com/16/18/news&columns/feature.cfm
"Loren Coleman believs that Bigfoot is an animal living in the montane
forests of the Pacific Rim. The renowned cryptozoologist has been tracking
Bigfoot both academically and in the field for forty years, and is
confident that 1500 "giant, hairy, apelike hominoids" inhabit the Pacific
Northwest."
The truth about the Triangle
by Gavin Shorto
Royal Gazette [Bermuda]
<http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=RG&Date=20030428&Cate\
gory=OPINION&ArtNo=104280025&Ref=AR>
"There's this new theory."
SUBURBAN HAUNT
By Josh Shaffer
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/5750998.htm
"Down a cracked concrete road choked with weeds stands Crazy Man's Tower, a
rusting shell with charred wooden beams and "Satan's Playground" scrawled
on the side."
Strange Memphis UFO Case Still Unsolved
By Dennis Turner
WREG
http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=1258261
"Lamar Todd always thought UFO's were the stuff of science fiction. "As far
as UFO sightings and all that, I normally wasn't a believer, no." he said.
That is, until he had two 'close encounters of his own in Memphis during
the 1970's."
Record number of tourist inquiries this month
By Sara Watson Arthurs
Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%257E2896%257E1362157,00.html
"Residents already know that Humboldt County's towering redwoods,
spectacular seascapes and charming Victorian architecture attract tourists
in droves. Add a Bigfoot conference to the mix, and this year may be a record."
Cult murders haunt retired city detective
by GREGG M. MILIOTE
Fall River Herald News
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7876836&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784\
&rfi=6
"Paul Carey, the former detective sergeant who led the investigation into
the "cult murder" of Karen Marsden 23 years ago, has spentthe past four
years working to exonerate her convicted murderer, Carl Drew."
Another bizarre cult raises concern
Agence France-Presse
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/01/1051382050173.html
"Japanese police said yesterday they were ready to crack down on a bizarre
"white-costume" cult which has stirred unease among local people by
occupying a public road and shrouding the surrounding area with mysterious
white screens."
Tense standoff with doomsday cult
Reuters
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/05/01/japan.cult.reut/
"Around 40 members of a mysterious doomsday group are involved in a tense
standoff with police in rural Japan, in a chilling reminder for many
Japanese that such cults remain active eight years after a deadly gas attack."
Cult hopes to save the world with white sheets
By Colin Joyce
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/05/02/wcult02.xm\
l&sSheet=/news/2003/05/02/ixworld.html>
"Members of a cult occupying a road in Japan say that the world may soon be
destroyed by electromagnetic waves which they are trying to deflect by
hanging white sheets on trees."
Bad timing paints modern artist as bizarre cultist
Mainichi Shimbun
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030502p2a00m0dm011000c.html
"An open-air display of modern art has drawn the unexpected attraction of
local police because of its uncanny resemblance to the works of the
controversial all-white cult, the Panawave Laboratory."
New Age Group in Japan Breaking Camp
By GARY SCHAEFER
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030501/ap_on_re_as/japan_sus\
pected_cult_2
"Members of a New Age cult who blocked traffic on a mountain road in
western Japan for almost a week began departing Thursday, after police
warned they were breaking traffic laws and could be arrested."
Japan cult ends stand-off
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2991439.stm
"Members of a mysterious cult who have been engaged in a stand-off with
police on a mountain road in central Japan have finally moved on to an
unknown destination."
Japan's lethal doomsday cults
By Uwe Siemon-Netto
UPI
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030501-052825-4335r
"Once again, Japan is fretting over a bizarre doomsday cult that reminds
the country of the religious terrorists accused of killing 12 and injuring
nearly 6,000 in a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995."
They've Got Spirit, Yes They Do
BY DYLAN OTTO KRIDER
Houston Press
http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2003-5-1/calendar.html/1/index.html
"When hunting for paranormal activity, there are a few simple rules to
follow. Go out in only good weather, preferably during a full moon, when
spirits are more active. Make sure your lens is clean. And be respectful --
when in the presence of a ghost, you don't want to do anything rude. This
means absolutely no smoking or drinking."
Co-authors fascinated by faeries
By MARCIA ARMSTRONG
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2003/042003/04302003/959175
"An intriguing mystery shrouds the origin of the five-volume series of "The
Spiderwick Chronicles," written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black."
Prochnow's ghost spookier than any flick
by Scott Kirkessner
The Lumberjack [Northern Arizona University]
http://www.lumberjackonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/05/01/3eb17935df6e5
"The unexplained feelings of uneasiness or euphoria, the sound of nails
dropping and doors shutting behind student workers. All these are
characteristics associated with Orgo, a ghost said to be inhabiting NAU's
Prochnow Auditorium."
Genies Haunt Saudi Media
by Sarah Abuljadayel
Arab News
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=25298
"Stories about the supernatural haunt the Saudi media, with both readers
and journalists betraying an endless fascination with stories of genies and
witchcraft."
Bad Science: Staying beautiful is easy to do
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,946535,00.html
"It's been a great week for Bad Science spotters."
COUNCILMAN BIDS TO BAN OVER-COUNTER EPHEDRA SALES
By STEPHANIE GASKELL
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/74636.htm
"Calling it legal "speed," a City Councilman introduced a bill yesterday to
ban the easy sale of ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to the death of
Baltimore Oriole pitcher Steve Bechler."
Hundreds more brands are to be recalled
by Morgan Mellish
Australian Financial Review
http://afr.com/companies/2003/05/01/FFXCXKJ74FD.html
"A further 449 alternative medicine products manufactured by Pan
Pharmaceuticals but sold by other companies would be recalled, the
Therapeutic Goods Administration announced yesterday."
No problems at Pan, says director
Australian Associated Press
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/30/1051381974162.html
"A director of suspended pharmaceutical manufacturer Pan Pharmaceutical
said today the company has yet to establish it had done anything wrong."
Pan staff 'shredded files'
By Trudy Harris, Luke McIlveen and Elizabeth Colman
The Australian
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,6364490%255E462,0\
0.html
"PAN Pharmaceuticals senior staff shredded files and refused to return
telephone calls when the industry watchdog first discovered one of the
company's products was tainted in January."
Boss and founder falls on his sword
By Jennifer Sexton and Trudy Harris
The Australian
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6369522%255E462,0\
0.html
"PAN Pharmaceuticals boss Jim Selim has been forced to quit, relinquishing
control of the alternative medicine company he founded 29 years ago."
Australia's disgraced vitamins boss resigns
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2991195.stm
"The chief executive of a disgraced Australian vitamins firm has resigned
after claiming he has been the victim of a witch-hunt."
I'm not worthy, Selim told industry award givers
By Andrew Stevenson
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/05/01/1051382048483.html
"The Lady Cilento Award is no ordinary award in the alternative medicine
industry. In fact, it is so prestigious it is often not awarded."
NZ powerless to recall possibly poisoned pills; FSA warns consumers
National Business Review [New Zealand]
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=5770&cid=2&cname=Australia
"Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issued a blanket recall
on Monday of alternative medicines made or containing products supplied by
Australian company Pan Pharmaceuticals after a series of health and safety
breaches, but it now appears the products will remain on New Zealand store
shelves unless retailers pull them voluntarily."
Hypnosis solves study woes
by Sara Frieden
The Red & Black [University of Georgia]
http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/05/01/3eb12b255c5b8
"For students looking to pull themselves out of an academic slump and
improve their grades in upcoming finals, hypnosis maybe the answer."
Dreams, hypnosis offer path to healing
By TOBY HENRY
Brattleboro Reformer
http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8862~1362708,00.html
"Centuries-old techniques such as hypnosis and dream interpretation are now
part of the local alternative therapy scene with the recent arrival of The
Ballroom Healing Center."
Mentalist brings his `Mind Games' to town
by Stuart Low
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/entertainment/arts/theater/ent_1060.shtml
"When Marc Salem asks you what's on your mind, he means business."
Debate over evolution might be heard again in halls of state government
By Ron Barnett
Greenville News
http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/05/01/200305015608.htm
"For the education establishment, and for all but a small group of
scientists, the debate over evolution was put to rest a long time ago."
PLEASE PRAY FOR CITY!
Exeter Express & Echo
<http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=100384&command=displayCont\
ent&sourceNode=99903&contentPK=5415799>
"Uri Geller has urged fans to save a prayer for relegation-haunted Exeter
City ahead of tomorrow's crucial game against Southend."
Is this art?: Lee Mingwei says, 'Trust me.'
By Ken Gewertz
Harvard University Gazette
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.01/16-seers.html
"When Lee Mingwei writes a grant application, he always hesitates before
filling in the section that asks what medium he works in. Most artists are
able to answer, "metal," "stone," "oils," or "mixed media." Lee's medium is
people."
ACLU Files Suit Against Independence School District
KMBC
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/2173718/detail.html
"The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Independence School
District, KMBC reported."
ACLU Sues School District Over Religion
Associated Press
http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=1260511&nav=1PuZFaNl
"The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the
Independence school district, alleging improper religious activities in a
high school history class."
Cult Moves Into Ithaca
By GAUTHAM NAGESH
Cornell Daily Sun
http://cornelldailysun.com/articles/8741/
"Cornell students won't be the only ones shepherded into acting uniformly
on the Slope today. The Twelve Tribes religious organization recently
purchased a building across from the Ithaca Commons, expanding their
holdings in Ithaca significantly since their arrival several months ago."
Aum's Asahara still wields influence 8 years after arrest
by Kazuo Ishida
Kyodo News
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=2&id=258457
"Aum Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, who is charged with murder for
ordering the 1995 Tokyo subway gas attack and other crimes, still holds
sway over many followers even eight years after his arrest."
Zundel branded security threat
by Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, with files from Adrian Humphreys
National Post
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=B64FA70D-87E8-4F4B-BCE9-89F8D390C10C
"The federal government will officially declare Ernst Zundel a national
security threat today and begin proceedings to immediately deport the
Holocaust denier to Germany, the National Post has learned."
'Peace palace' project launched by Maharishi's followers
by MARK ABLEY
Montreal Gazette
http://www.canada.com/montreal/news/story.asp?id=B14CC8FB-847F-4C5D-B0E1-7AF6805\
ED072
"All they were saying is, "Give the peace palace a chance.""
Tomb-Raiding Colombian Indians Dig Up Their Dead
By Phil Stewart
Reuters
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=2674316
"Pounding on a heavy metal spike with a rusty hammer, a leather-faced Wayuu
Indian chisels away at the outer wall of his family tomb in the sweltering,
windswept deserts of northeastern Colombia."
Sheriff warns against coven
by Heather Freret
Stone County Enterprise
<http://www.communitypapers.com/STONECOUNTYENTERPRISE/sites/STONECOUNTYENTERPRIS\
E/0065edition/myarticles800880.asp?P=800880&S=582&PubID=13289>
"According to Stone County Sheriff Mike Ballard, an individual claiming to
be affiliated with a coven of witches is distributing flyers around town
promoting "The Coven of Wiggins.""
Minneapolis teacher charged with sex abuse practiced black magic, complaint
says
by Howie Padilla and Allie Shah
Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1405/3859805.html
"At a black magic altar, a Minneapolis high school teacher and coach kept a
three-page spell he apparently wrote in the hope spirits would compel one
of his students to be his sex slave, according to criminal charges filed
Thursday."
Reward offered in '84 homicide case
By Tim Fields
Fairfield Daily Republic
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/articles/2003/05/02/news/news3.txt
"Twenty-one years after workers found DeAnna Johnson's body by the railroad
tracks off Elmira Road, the state has earmarked a $50,000 reward to help
find who killed the 14-year-old girl."
Florida psychic predicted Laci was dead
By Rachel Harris
Stuart News
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/living/article/0,1651,TCP_1043_1927304,00.html
"The scenes flooded her mind instantly: the rocks, a bridge. Definitely
there was water, but whether it was a lake, maybe an ocean, was unclear."
A psychic sleuth
By DOUANE D. JAMES
GAINESVILLE SUN
<http://gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=GS&Date=20030501&Category=\
LOCAL&ArtNo=205010362&Ref=AR>
"A Gainesville woman has been making the rounds on national television
lately, answering questions about her "psychic investigation" into the case
of Laci Peterson, the pregnant California woman who was missing since
Christmas Eve until her body was found April 14."
Fairies 'tower' of strength for Donegal's White Witch
By Suzanne Rodgers
Belfast Telegraph
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=402422
"WHILE many children believe in fairies, most grow out of it around the
same time as Santa Claus. However for one North West woman, not only are
fairies real beings who regularly communicate with her, they have a
constant influence on all our lives."
The Debate About Silver Products
by Val Clark
WXYZ
http://www.detnow.com/news/0305012200.html
"It's the hot thing in healthcare, but it's also sparking a heated debate.
Some tout it as a cure-all for everything from herpes to cancer. Others,
including the government, are warning consumers to stay away, saying the
remedies may not only have a 'tarnished' image, but it may actually tarnish
your skin!"
Local women bringing body awareness to community
By Brenna Doheny
Oregon State Barometer
http://barometer.orst.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/05/02/3eb231cc9d8a0
"Three Corvallis women have joined the recent Pilates trend by opening
their own studio, which offers a unique twist on the traditional bodywork
exercises."
Little green men and big cold beers
by Tara Merrill
Portland State University Vanguard
http://www.dailyvanguard.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/30/3eaf461aa6971
"Something unusual happened near McMinnville, Ore., during the early
evening hours of May 11, 1950."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Man Who Impersonated War Hero Imprisoned
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030428/ap_on_re_us/hero_impe\
rsonator_1
"An ex-Marine who pretended to be a Vietnam War hero was sentenced to eight
months in prison for altering military identification documents and wearing
a warrant officer's uniform adorned with medals he didn't earn."
Don't panic: flu, malaria and falling down stairs are bigger killers
by Tim Radford
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/story/0,12976,945113,00.html
"You are more likely to die from influenza, malaria or even by falling down
the stairs at home. But that hasn't stopped the fear of Sars escalating out
of all proportion to the risks."
Health Center seeks to debunk SARS myths
By EMILY KIRBY
Red & Black [Athens, GA]
http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/25/3ea940accfc97
"Chills, headaches, trouble breathing, fevers -- not only are these
indicators of the infamous flu, they also are symptoms of the deadly Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)."
Gator gets crocodile boot out of Queens
New York Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/79399p-72968c.html
"It's no crock - cops corralled a 4-foot baby alligator in a Queens park
yesterday."
A Parkgoer in Alligator Skin? Call 911
By COREY KILGANNON
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/29/nyregion/29GATO.html?ex=1052280000&en=75a308c\
48436cceb&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"A man walking his dog in a Queens park yesterday afternoon interrupted a
cold-blooded sunbather. It was at least three feet long. It was scaly. It
had olive and brown stripes. It had sharp teeth."
E-Mail Medical Alerts: Real Or Rumor?
WCAU
http://www.nbc10.com/health/2164808/detail.html
"Many of us get medical alert e-mail from our moms, our friends and others
-- e-mail that tells us what to do or not to do to keep ourselves and our
families safe."
Hemley Faces a Jungle of Fact, Fiction in Tale of Tasaday
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Apr/04272003/arts/51496.asp
"Robin Hemley, a University of Utah creative-writing professor, will
discuss his new book Invented Eden: The Elusive, Disputed History of the
Tasaday, at Sam Weller Books on Monday. In an e-mail conversation from the
Philippines, Hemley discussed his book, an anthropological detective story
about a supposedly "lost" tribe in a remote area of that country. Hemley's
book takes a look at a phenomenon that was at first embraced, then deemed a
hoax, and which may have actually deserved some of both."
Dispelling the myth: Agent Orange and the Purple Heart
Middletown Press
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7846639&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=33198\
&rfi=6
"Unfortunately over the years veterans have been the target of many scams.
Two have just recently come to light."
Faking an illness can pay
By Trevor Velin
Badger Herald
http://www.badgerherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/28/3eaca4bf421e9
"In Darlington, Wisconsin, it's not just elementary school students faking
sick."
Entrepreneurs and Internet scam artists try to cash in on SARS scare
by MARIA BABBAGE
Canadian Press
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/national/n042747A.html
"Face masks and frequent hand-washing may be the best defence against SARS,
but they aren't stopping scam artists and would-be entrepreneurs from
cashing in on public fears of the deadly disease."
Thousands still pin hopes on reparations schemes
By DON SCHANCHE
Macon Telegraph
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5736015.htm
"When Casey Nance heard about an offer to get a $40,000 tax refund for
slavery reparations, it sounded like a good idea."
Mobile man pleads guilty in slave reparations tax scam
Associated Press
<http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030429&Category=APN&ArtN\
o=304290552&Ref=AR>
"A Mobile man pleaded guilty to three federal charges involving a slave
reparations tax scheme."
Pompano Beach man pleads guilty to having role in scam
Associated Press
<http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-29060001.apds.m0053.bc-ct--\
nigeapr29,0,111430.story>
"A 68-year-old Pompano Beach man faces five years in federal prison after
pleading guilty to a charge of wire fraud."
Trial by fear
By Darren Barbee and Brett Hoffman
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/living/5723137.htm
"A mysterious illness is spreading through Asia. Iraq, home to ancient
Babylon, is in disarray. At home, the government warns that the risk of
terrorism is high."
Villagers in fear of `ninja' gang
by Anucha Charoenpo
Bangkok Post
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/30Apr2003_news19.html
"Rumours of a black-clad ninja gang of thieves continue to hold many remote
villages in fear in the southern border provinces, despite repeated
assurances by authorities the gang does not exist."
Reporting from Iraq: Baghdad awash with rumours
by Shamsul Akmar
New Straits Times [Malaysia]
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Frontpage/20030426091457/Artic\
le/
"Rumours are rife in the capital where communication with the outside world
is almost non-existent apart from the fact that information and news have
ceased to flow after US troops took over on April 9."
The history that winners write
by David Beresford
The Guardian
http://www.observer.co.uk/worldview/story/0,11581,942986,00.html
"Senator Patrick Moynihan, who died a few weeks ago, told a story about a
Nato general, who had spent much of his professional life monitoring the
state of the Soviet economy and hence its ability to wage war. Then the
Berlin Wall fell and the general was at last able to visit the country he
had studied so long. He arrived at an airport in the former Soviet Union
and was met by a jeep. He climbed in. The driver started the vehicle and
put it into gear, upon which the gear stick came away in his hand. It was
the first inkling the general had had of the parlous state of the Soviet
economy. The time and money wasted by Nato misapprehensions about the state
of the "enemy" hardly bear contemplation."
Rush on Chinatown Bank Follows 9/11 Woes
By JENNIFER FRIEDLIN
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030427/ap_on_bi_ge/chinatow\
n_bank_rush_2>
"Cathy Wu had heard only that "something bad" had happened at her Chinatown
bank. But in an immigrant community already on edge, the rumors were enough
to spark a bank run reminiscent of the Great Depression."
Teen arrested for posing as teacher
Associated Press
http://www.wsmv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1251110
"A 19-year-old high school dropout was arrested and accused of posing as a
substitute teacher at a Nashville school. Andre Marcell Fayne was charged
Thursday with facilitation of aggravated trespassing, a misdemeanor."
TALE OF BUSH TWIN IN THE BUFF
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04292003/gossip/pagesix.htm
"HUSTLER magazine honcho Larry Flynt is hunting for a videotape rumored to
show First Daughter Barbara Bush in the nude."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Parents don't want surgery for ailing girl
By James Prichard
Associated Press
http://www.lsj.com/news/local/030422_surgerydebate_1b.html
"A county prosecutor in Michigan who has asked a court to order brain
surgery for a 2-year-old girl with a cancerous brain tumor says he only
wants what's best for the child."
Judge rules against white supremacist church
By Shia Kapos
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-030424hale,1,2444139.story
"A federal judge ruled today the former World Church of the Creator,
renamed the Creativity Movement, must pay $1,000 for each day it continues
to use its old name, which the court has said violates the trademark of
another church."
Atchison sees its ghost stories on TV
BY KIMBERLY GEFFERT
Atchison Daily Globe
<http://www.atchisondailyglobe.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=1381&S\
ectionID=16&SubSectionID=33>
"A small group of curious people made their way to Mueller's Lockeroom on
Thursday evening to catch a glimpse of Atchison on television."
Seeing, believing are put to the test at Harvard
By Christine Temin
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/115/living/Seeing_believing_are_put_to_the_tes\
t_at_Harvard+.shtml
"When Lee Mingwei was growing up in Taiwan, his grandmother consulted a
seer, asking her to write books about his parents, his three siblings, and
himself."
Helena man a true believer in UFOs
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON
Helena Independent Record
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/04/25/top/a01042503_01.txt
"Leo Dworshak was a boy in 1932, doing what boys do when growing up in
Killdeer, N.D."
UFO? The public wants to know
By Rachel R. Basinger
CONNELLSVILLE DAILY COURIER
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailycourier/s_131195.html
"It's been a controversial subject for members of the Kecksburg community
in Mount Pleasant Township for the past 37 years and a local investigator
as well as members of the Coalition for Freedom of Information think it's
high time some official light was shed on the subject."
Co-authors catalog region's weirdness
By LOHR McKINSTRY
Plattsburgh Press-Republican
http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2003/04_2003/042520034.htm
"If you're going to write a book about weird places to see in the
Northeast, do you drive around to all of them?"
Ghosts aside, tavern is a pleasant haunt
BY LISA ROSE
Newark Star-Ledger
http://www.nj.com/living/ledger/index.ssf?/base/living-0/105125282110872.xml
"The West Side Tavern in Point Pleasant serves music, food and spirits, not
just the bottled kind."
The end is near -- but only south of the border
By MICHAEL VALPY
Toronto Globe & Mail
<http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030426/FCCOLU_2/T\
PColumnists/>
"A Time/CNN poll has found that 17 per cent of Americans -- nearly one in
five -- believe that the end of the world will come in their lifetimes, and
59 per cent believe that the prophecies about the end of the world found in
the Christian New Testament Book of Revelations are true and will happen,
if not in the near future."
Virgin Mary 'weeps' once more
By Paul Colgan
The Sunday Times [Perth]
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6344316%255E26462,00.html
"THE Rockingham statue of the Virgin Mary, which became the centre of world
attention last year when it appeared to be "weeping" rose-scented tears,
began crying again over the Easter weekend."
UFO buffs report strange light over Table View
by Shanthini Naidoo
Sunday Times [South Africa]
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2003/04/27/news/cape/nct03.asp
"The truth is out there and a group of dedicated Capetonians reckon they
are on to it."
Sparks lead to UFO report
By Matt Mullenneaux
Fairfield Ledger
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1139&dept_id=142642&newsid=7850930&PAG=46\
1&rfi=9
"Some local residents aren't sure whether the flashing lights in the sky
they saw Thursday evening were a sparking transformer or an unidentified
flying object."
Research proves the existence of a 'sixth sense'
By Karin Goodwin
Glasgow Sunday Herald
http://www.sundayherald.com/33398
"Scottish academics claim to have found scientific proof of a 'sixth sense'
after completing radical experiments which seek to establish how spiritual
mediums obtain information supposedly transmitted from beyond the grave."
Reward grows in mutilation of cattle
BY PAUL HAMMEL
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=36&u_sid=726692
"A reward fund rose Monday to $6,000 and investigators enlisted the help of
a Las Vegas organization in hopes of solving two mysterious cases of cattle
mutilation northwest of Lincoln."
Assertions of visions of Virgin discounted
By Gretchen Parker
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20030427-89473271.htm
"The Vatican has confirmed a decision by Baltimore Cardinal William H.
Keeler to stop prayer services that drew hundreds to worship with a woman
who said she was receiving messages from the Virgin Mary."
TEARS FROM THE STATUE OF MARY AT S. GABRIELE DELLA MAIELLA
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia
http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200304281209-0050-RT1-CRO-0-NF11
"A group of pilgrims from the parish of S. Giovanni Battista witnessed a
phenomenon that appears to be a miracle yesterday afternoon during a visit
to the sanctuary of S. Gabriele della Maiella, a place of worship near Gran
Sasso, in the Teramo region."
A regular haunt
By Vince Gledhill
Newcastle Evening Chronicle
<http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100local/page.cfm?objectid=1289928\
7&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=A%20regular%20haunt>
"A seaside hotel with more ghosts than guests is becoming a hot spot for
phantom hunters."
Carson history preserved
by Linda Hiller
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2003/04/27/40566.php
"One piece of early Carson City history will remain protected as long as
the newest occupants (and maybe some old ghosts) of the 143-year-old
Stewart-Nye residence have their way."
The mystery in the woods
by James F. Sweeney
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/1051263016302\
521.xml
"This is not a serious Bigfoot hunt."
Religion versus science might be all in the mind
By Chris McGillion
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/28/1051381900365.html
"For years now, one small branch of science has been chipping away at the
foundations of religious belief by proposing that "otherworldly"
experiences are nothing more than the inner workings of the human brain.
Many neuroscientists claim they can locate and explain brain functions that
produce everything from religious visions to sensations of bliss,
timelessness or union with a higher power."
Meat Shower part of history
By Berry Craig
Associated Press
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/04/28/loc_kymeatshower28.html
"The Good Book says manna fell from Heaven for the Israelites. Bath
countians got meat from on high, according to Sarah Staton. "That's what
people claimed. They called it the 'Meat Shower.' ""
A march of saints
By JAY TOKASZ
Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030420/1028350.asp
"Catholics in Peoria pray mightily for Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the famous
Catholic televangelist."
Illinois diocese seeking sainthood
By Jay Hughes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/5704697.htm
"Karen Fulte sits amid a room full of photos, books and other items related
to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a pioneer of television who made the nation
his pulpit."
Brave new world or miniature menace? Why Charles fears grey goo nightmare
by Tim Radford
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/story/0,12976,945755,00.html
"The scenario is a familiar one: scientists open Pandora's box, awaken
Frankenstein's monster, or maybe just play God. But this time the menace on
the laboratory bench is undetectable with any conceivable optical microscope."
Massive recall of faulty health pills
By Kirsty Needham
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/28/1051381901424.html
"Consumers have been warned not to take any vitamins or herbal supplements,
and even to check the label of common headache pills, amid the biggest
medical product recall in Australian history."
Pan sued over 10-year-old's travel sickness pill 'trip'
Australian Associated Press
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/29/1051381928891.html
"A law firm has launched legal action against Pan Pharmaceuticals after a
10-year-old girl suffered a severe reaction to travel sickness medication."
Hundreds more medicines face recall
Australian Associated Press
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/29/1051381928103.html
"Hundreds more non-prescribed pharmaceuticals could be recalled following
the suspension of Pan Pharmaceuticals' licence, the Therapeutic Goods
Administration said today. And prime minister John Howard said the
six-month suspension of Pan Pharmaceuticals' production licence could be
extended."
Pan slow to tell ASX of its licence suspension
By Eli Greenblat
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/28/1051381901262.html
"The Australian Stock Exchange will investigate why Pan Pharmaceuticals
yesterday failed to call for a trading halt in its shares as soon as it
learnt its licence had been suspended."
Rigour needed on medical labels: AMA
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s842441.htm
"The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called for more rigorous
assessment of complementary medicines."
Mayne May Take A$20 Million Charge on Drug Recall
By Emily Parkinson
Bloomberg
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000081&sid=aKD2_L_4L2ZU&refer=austral\
ia
"Mayne Group Ltd. will take a charge of as much as A$20 million ($12
million) to recall drugs made by Pan Pharmaceuticals Ltd., whose license
was suspended yesterday for substituting and falsifying ingredients."
Vitamin deficiency
by Julie Robotham
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/29/1051381946743.html
"ALASTAIR MacLennan does not hold out much hope for a crackdown any time
soon on what he sees as the excesses of the complementary health-care
sector. "Sixty per cent of women and 42 per cent of men use alternative
medicines. What political party is going to say to them, 'we're going to
regulate what you're doing?'," he says."
Placebo or panacea?
by MEREDITH BOOTH
The Advertiser [Australia]
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6359497%255E20221,\
00.html
"WHEN 19 people were hospitalised and 68 others had adverse reactions to
the anti-travel sickness tablet Travacalm in January, regulators moved
swiftly."
Pan Pharmaceuticals chairman speaks about recall order
AM
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2003/s843246.htm
"LINDA MOTTRAM: But first this morning, the Chairman of Pan
Pharmaceuticals, Ross Brown, is speaking about claims that senior executive
management of the company is implicated in ongoing quality problems."
More Malaysians opt for herbal treatments
by Susanna Pillay
New Straits Times [Malaysia]
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/National/20030428082229/Article\
/
"The herbal industry is growing at 15 per cent annually as more Malaysians
are opting for herbal treatments."
Demand leads to increase in 'complementary' medicine
by Allen Powell II
Capital News Service
http://www.gazette.net/200317/business/news/155603-1.html
"Hiroshi Nakazawa concedes that his old solution to many medical problems
was "to cut people." But the general surgeon challenged himself about 13
years ago to learn acupressure, as a non-invasive way to help his family
and patients."
A Different Kind Of Med
By Michael Lollar
Memphis Commercial Appeal
http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/lifestyle/article/0,1426,MCA_521_1915659,00.html
"With a job that put her among the top executives in Memphis, Lucy Shaw was
a driven woman until she hit the wall, taking to her bed, unable to
remember the names of her children."
Cancer survivor's new center offers alternatives
By Stefanie Cohen
Berkshire Eagle
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~6282~1355462,00.html
"When local resident Linda Norris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost
four years ago, she was told to have surgery, undergo chemotherapy and take
painkillers for the three to six months she had left to live."
Spaced out or the Rael thing?
By John Preston
The Age [Australia]
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/29/1051381928199.html
"Canadian Claude Rael runs a bizarre sect that claims to have cloned three
human babies. He also says he's met Jesus and has been visited by green
spacemen."
An intelligent design
by TRACY JAN
The Oregonian
<http://www.oregonlive.com/metroeast/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_east_news/1\
051272050176220.xml>
"In Terry Verlo's fourth-period biology class, lessons begin with a few
minutes of prayer."
Henk Admits To Killing Son
WOWT
http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/312171.html
"Ivan Henk has confessed to killing his four-year-old son, Brendan
Gonzalez, saying he thought his son was the Antichrist."
Meditators demonstrate "flying" technique
By Erik Gable
Fairfield Ledger
<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7850895&BRD=1139&PAG=461&dept_id=1426\
42&rfi=6>
"This wasn't a typical track meet."
Best Yogic Fliers In World Compete
WKMG
http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-216278220030428-090459.html
"Some of the country's best yogic fliers soared to new heights during a
national competition in Iowa this weekend, according to a Local 6 News report."
Meditators let fly in contest
By AMANDA PIERRE
Des Moines Register
http://desmoinesregister.com/life/stories/c5351764/21107043.html
"From a seated, full-lotus position, his legs crossed with the bottoms of
his feet facing the ceiling, Martin Davy faced a great test of his mental
and physical prowess."
LaRouche: the forgotten candidate
By Charlie Gasner
Crimson White [University of Alabama]
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/25/3ea8b2fcc8e4b
"He has more campaign donors than any Democratic presidential candidate not
named John Kerry, John Edwards or Howard Dean. He's raised $3.7 million
toward his 2004 election effort. He's been running a continuous campaign
for president of the United States since 1976, and he's been doing it as a
Democrat since 1980."
Schools to teach 'creationism'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/2981663.stm
"More schools teaching biblical creation are to be established across the
north east of England."
'Creationist' schools attacked
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/2982933.stm
"A leading academic has attacked plans to open more schools teaching a
'creationist' view of the origins of life."
Dawkins attacks 'educational debauchery' of creationist schools
by Tania Branigan
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,945475,00.html
"The organisation criticised for promoting creationism in state education
has admitted that anti-evolutionary theories will be taught in its new
schools."
EXPLORATIONS - Mysterious Creatures
By Paul Thompson
Voice of America
<http://www.voanews.com/SpecialEnglish/article.cfm?objectID=67371407-3D90-4141-9\
16192BF78705EA0>
"Many people in America's Pacific Northwest believe in the existence of an
animal that is half human and half ape. Other people have reportedly seen a
huge creature in a famous lake in Scotland. Today we tell about these and
several other mysterious creatures."
Cultists fearing microwave attack whitewash roadside
Mainichi Daily News
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030429p2a00m0dm019001c.html
"Some 40 members of a bizarre cult have taken over a 200-meter stretch of
road in Gifu Prefecture, covering up crash barriers and roadside trees with
huge white cloths, it was learned Tuesday."
Cult raises spectre of subway gas attack
By Kwan Weng Kin
The Straits Times [Singapore]
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,186144,00.html
"Japan is baffled by the appearance of a potentially menacing New Age cult
just as the country is trying to close a chapter on the Aum Shinrikyo
doomsday sect which sprayed subway commuters with deadly sarin gas eight
years ago."
Army raps her fear of vaccine
By DEREK ROSE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/79032p-72730c.html
"Kamila Iwanowska says she's just trying to safeguard her reproductive
health. The Army says she's insubordinate."
Peterson's Mom Hires Psychic
KABC
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/042903_peterson_psychic.html
"Scott Peterson's mother hired a psychic to help find her daughter-in-law,
Laci Peterson."
Trial by fear
By Darren Barbee and Brett Hoffman
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/living/5723137.htm
"A mysterious illness is spreading through Asia. Iraq, home to ancient
Babylon, is in disarray. At home, the government warns that the risk of
terrorism is high."
Come to 'Lily Dale' for fun, not to stay
By Susan Hall-Balduf
DETROIT FREE PRESS
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/entertainment/5728725.htm
"GHOSTS DON'T SPOOK me. Touchy-feely people give me the heebie-jeebies."
Experts: Special interests ruin textbooks
By Christian Bourge
UPI
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030425-104721-4853r
"Conservative and liberal special interest groups have hijacked the process
of designing textbooks and standardized tests in the United States, in the
process effectively lowering the quality of much of the education materials
produced for American schoolchildren, according to education policy experts."
'Witch' killed by mob in West Bengal
Press Trust of India
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_242321,0008.htm
"A group of people killed a 45-year old woman at Sarugaon tea garden in
Jalpaiguri district allegedly for practising witchcraft, police said on
Monday."
Man dies after drilling head
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/2982391.stm
"A man has died after attempting to drill a hole in his head with a power
tool."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Show Me the Body
By Michael Shermer
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00063976-C758-1E8C-8EA5809EC5880000&c\
atID=2
"The world lost the creators of two of its most celebrated bio-hoaxes
recently: Douglas Herrick, father of the risibly ridiculous jackalope (half
jackrabbit, half antelope), and Ray L. Wallace, paternal guardian of the
less absurd Bigfoot."
Mystical City
New York Metro
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/culture/features/n_8624//index.html
"Believe this: New Yorkers will stop at nothing to get the latest
information. Which is one reason why this city is the medium capital of the
world. From the storefront palmists watching CNN in the glow of their neon
signs to the most prestigious Fifth Avenue seers, psychics rival trainers
and nannies as city dwellers’ indispensable support staff. In the secular
culture of the city, they’re as close as some of us get to spiritual."
Meteor caused Lesotho 'poltergeist'
By David Ambrose
BBC Focus On Africa
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2911269.stm
"An outbreak of ghost activity that struck Lesotho last year has been found
to have been the result of a spectacular meteor shower."
Little behind Clonaid, files reveal
By Raja Mishra
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/113/metro/Little_behind_Clonaid_files_reveal+.\
shtml
"The fringe scientific group Clonaid, which earned international notoriety
last year by claiming to have cloned a human baby, has no address, no board
of directors, and only two employees, according to sealed court documents
obtained by the Globe. Yet the group is pushing forward with plans to
charge dozens of prospective cloning patients up to $200,000 apiece for its
services."
Raelians discuss cloning, human life
By Andrea Forgianni and Maeghan Killeen
Daily Cardinal [UW]
http://www.dailycardinal.com/news/423634.html?mkey=323350
"Speaking to an audience of more than 300 at Memorial Union Tuesday
evening, representatives of the Raelian Movement and Clonaid explained the
science behind human cloning, the beliefs of the Raelians and UFO evidence
that supports the beliefs of the Raelians and human cloning work done at
Clonaid."
Raelians Bring Weird Message To Campus
by Lisa Schuetz
Wisconsin State Journal
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=wsj:2003:04:23:265080:LOCAL/WISCONS\
IN
"The Raelian Movement was a hot ticket on campus Tuesday night. It cooled
quickly."
People of earth, you are clones
by Rachel Alkon
Badger Herald
http://www.badgerherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/23/3ea6163c15628
"Representatives from the Raelian Revolution and its offspring
human-cloning company, Clonaid, explained the extraterrestrial revolution
and the mission of cloning Tuesday evening in the Memorial Union."
Health NW: Are dietary supplements safe?
by Kathryn B. Brown
Blue Mountain Eagle
<http://www.bluemountaineagle.info/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&SectionID=10&Art\
icleID=1723&SubSectionID=29>
"What if you bought a 50-pound bag of rice, then realized you don’t like
it. What would you do with it all?"
Supporters say essential oils can play a role in medical care
By CHERYLL POWELL
Knight Ridder Newspapers
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/5640469.htm
"Aromatherapy -- the ancient art of using essential oils from plants for
therapeutic reasons -- is moving from the realm of massage and alternative
medicine to some pockets of mainstream medicine."
Atheist Group Pushes Church-State Divide
By JILL KING GREENWOOD
Tampa Tribune
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGAJW2S9QED.html
"While Bay area Christians head to Easter services today to celebrate one
of the holiest days in their religion, dozens of atheists will gather to
promote the separation of church and state."
Atheists Gather For Tampa Convention, Visit Site of Alleged Miraculous Vision
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press
<http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=LL&Date=20030419&Category=N\
EWS&ArtNo=304190364&Ref=AR&Profile=1004>
"What else would a bunch of atheists do on Good Friday?"
Placebo prince
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2003/04/20/d\
l2002.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2003/04/20/ixopinion.html>
"The Prince of Wales is said to be delighted that the Government has agreed
to spend £1.3 million on research into the effectiveness of alternative
medicine, particularly homeopathy. Scientists, however, suggest that the
money is being wasted."
Complementary therapy research boost
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2956973.stm
"The government is to pump more than a million pounds into research
projects involving alternative medicine, it was announced on Monday."
In Southern Maryland, finding relief that stings
By Stephanie Desmon
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-md.bees21apr21,0,2039609.story?coll=bal-h\
ealth-utility
"By the time the grandfather clock strikes 12, Pat Wagner's modest living
room is already filled with visitors - they're strangers really, whose
faith and ailments have brought them into the world of the woman they'll
come to call the bee lady."
Native healers discuss spirituality at symposium
By Eddie Glenn
Tahlequah Daily Press
<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1825&dept_id=129120&newsid=7776914&PAG=4\
61&rfi=9>
"As effective as modern medicine may be in treating illness, it can often
lack a spiritual aspect, which is an important part of healing in Native
American cultures."
Herbal Pharmacy
by Elisa Kronish
SKI Magazine
http://www.skimag.com/skimag/ski_essentials/article/0,12795,398916,00.html
"When freeskiing national champion Cat Smiley paused for an off-mountain
minute to consider the herbs she uses to energize her body for skiing every
day, she quickly came up with eight of them. "I didn’t realize how many
herbs I was taking daily to help my ski performance," she says. And she’s
not alone."
HIV/Aids: How Far Can Traditional Healers Go?
by Godwin Haruna
This Day [Lagos]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200304210923.html
"Located on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway at Okokomaiko, a Lagos suburb, the
four-storey White House, is very popular among residents. Ask anybody
walking along the street in the environs, he easily directs the unwary
visitor to the White House. The uninitiated may not easily decipher the
reason behind the popularity of the house, but the unwary visitor probes
further undaunted."
Herb mix relieves chemo-induced fatigue
By Carolyn Susman
Palm Beach Post
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/accent/content/auto/epaper/editions/wednesday/acce\
nt_e35a387270f6004710c1.html>
"The first words out of a doctor's mouth when you mention alternative or
complementary therapies are likely to be: There are no scientific trials to
back those up."
Alternative medicine highlighted
by Betty Beard
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0424healthfair.html
"Since modern medicine hasn't cured the widespread diabetes on the Gila
River Reservation, David Van Druff hopes traditional Native American and
alternative medical healers can help."
Drs. Fang, Shang: Partners in life, medicine
By KELLI B. GRANT
Ithaca Journal
http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20030415/localnews/119105.html
"Husband and wife John Shang and Jin Fang are a team in both life and work."
High marks on evolution instruction upset Fair
By Ron Barnett
Greenville News
http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/04/15/200304154775.htm
"Seventy-eight years after the famous Scopes "monkey trial," Charles Darwin
is stirring up trouble again."
Fox, WOFL-TV to carry 'Crossing Over'
Orlando Business Journal
http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2003/04/14/daily23.html
"The Fox Television Stations, which cover nine of the nation's top 20
markets, including Orlando, have picked up United Domestic Television's
"Crossing Over with John Edward.""
Japan's doomsday guru may get death penalty
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
http://www.modbee.com/24hour/global/story/866150p-6049365c.html
"Prosecutors on Thursday demanded the death penalty for a doomsday cult
guru charged with masterminding the 1995 nerve gas attack that killed 12
people on Tokyo's subways."
Death demanded for Asahara
By YUMI WIJERS-HASEGAWA
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030425a1.htm
"Exactly seven years after the trial began, prosecutors Thursday demanded
the death penalty for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara, accused of
masterminding two sarin attacks in the mid-1990s as well as other heinous
crimes."
Aum facilities rocking social boat
Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20030425wo31.htm
"The Aum Supreme Truth cult currently operates 28 facilities that carry out
its practices and promotional activities and about 120 residential
facilities that house its followers in 17 prefectures, The Yomiuri Shimbun
has learned."
Aum Shinrikyo plagued by guru's whims, journalist says
By YUMI WIJERS-HASEGAWA
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030425b4.htm
"The crimes perpetrated by the disciples of Shoko Asahara and those
allegedly committed by the Aum Shinrikyo guru himself were the product of
one man's whimsical impulses and not a concerted quest for power, according
to journalist Shoko Egawa."
Marathon trial could have gone on longer
By YUMI WIJERS-HASEGAWA
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030425b5.htm
"The trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara is unprecedented both in
the nature of the crimes involved and the way the court proceedings have
progressed."
World’s ‘most controversial priest’ visits
Newry Democrat
http://www.newrydemocrat.com/news/story.asp?j=1772
"A CONTROVERSIAL priest with an apocalyptic message addressed 350 people in
the City Hall recently for five hours."
Cutting a hot knife through nonsense
by Pat Huff
Student Printz [University of Southern Mississippi]
http://www.printz.usm.edu/opinion/4-16-2003nonsense.html
"For many centuries philosophers have strived to develop knowledge systems
that can provide answers, tentative at least, to the many questions that
arise from philosophical inquiry."
Hideout tied to hate group
By KEVIN SHEA
Trenton Times
http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1050579105193071.xml
"A hidden, military-style bunker fortified with sandbags and cinder blocks
has been discovered on an island in a remote area near Mercer County Park,
and authorities believe it may have been built clandestinely by a white
supremacist or neo-Nazi group."
State joins probe of bunker
By KEVIN SHEA
Trenton Times
http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1050660120152202.xml
"State authorities have joined forces with Hamilton police in an effort to
unravel the mystery of who built a hidden, fortified bunker in Mercer
County Park and whether the people responsible are connected to the murder
of a Hamilton mother."
Psychic, investigator clash at hearing
By Joline Gutierrez Krueger
Albuquerque Tribune
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/041703_news_psychic.shtml
"The whereabouts of murder victim Girly Chew Hossencofft remain unknown
after a private investigator denied under oath that he had told an
Albuquerque psychic that he knows where her remains are located."
Henning to be sentenced
By Joline Gutierrez Krueger
Albuquerque Tribune
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/041803_news_linda.shtml
"Linda Henning is to discover today how many years of freedom she'll lose
when a judge decides sentencing for her involvement in the 1999 slaying of
her lover's wife. At the very least, she will be an elderly woman when she
leaves prison."
Henning gets 73-year sentence
By Joline Gutierrez Krueger
Albuquerque Tribune
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/041803_news_homlinda.shtml
"After nearly four years of remaining silent save for a few notable
outbursts, convicted killer Linda Henning loudly professed her innocence
today in court and railed against everyone involved in her case, saying it
mirrored "the former Soviet penal system.""
Henning lawyer seeks retrial
By Joline Gutierrez Krueger
Albuquerque Tribune
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news03/041903_news_henning.shtml
"Four years, two sentencings and countless quirky tales of alien queens and
ninja swords later, the saga of convicted killer Linda Henning and her
cohorts might not be over yet."
Residents tout ancient exercises
By THERESA WINSLOW
The Capital [Annapolis, MD]
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/live/04_20-13/LIF
"Risa Hyman couldn't breathe."
Debate will make a mockery of truth
By Caitlin Hall
Arizona Daily Wildcat
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/96/140/03_2.html
"There are essentially two types of proselytizers: those who argue with
reason and those who argue with deceit. The former persuade with logic and
sound premises, which they air openly and honestly. The latter persuade
with trickery and misrepresentation, and attempt to undermine opposing
arguments rather than seek affirmation of their own. It is this second
species, the vulture of intellect, that will descend upon the McKale Center
on May 10."
Help in uncovering dogs’ secret thoughts
by MIKE ARGENTO
York Daily Record
http://ydr.com/story/mike/8744/
"Ever wonder what your dog’s thinking?"
Meditation center in Lexington could serve as a global model
Associated Press
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/04/16ky/ke041603s397058.htm
"A $4 million Peace Palace expected to become a model for others throughout
the world will serve as a gathering place for people wanting to spread
peace through transcendental meditation."
Peace palace proposed for Marin
By Keri Brenner
Marin Independent Journal
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~1344529,00.html
"Plans for a $1.2 million, 12,000-square-foot "peace palace" - complete
with bouncing yogis - were unveiled yesterday in Sausalito by followers of
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement."
Group hoping to build peace palace in county
By Erinn Hutkin
Ventura County Star
http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_1898245,00.html
"It is not enough to demonstrate for peace. Nor will it come from legislation."
Bigfoot lore's deep imprint lures believers
By Eric Bailey
LOS ANGELES TIMES
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/5676307.htm
"Here on the doorstep of the Pacific Northwest, trees grow tall and mystery
runs deep. For generations, the dark gorges have yielded lumber, and a legend."
Killer claims lawyer misled her
By CURT BROWN
New Bedford Standard-Times
http://www.s-t.com/daily/04-03/04-24-03/a01lo008.htm
"Robin Marie Murphy wants a new trial after serving 22 years in prison for
the ritualistic slaying of her friend. She claims her trial attorney misled
her into thinking she would be out in 12 to 15 years."
‘Cult murderer’ wants retrial
by GREGG M. MILIOTE
Fall River Herald News
<http://www.heraldnews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7808731&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id\
=99784&rfi=6>
"After 22 years behind bars for her part in the infamous "cult murders" of
1979 and 1980, the Fall River woman who once confessed to killing a city
prostitute and who became the star witness against the apparent cult leader
is now requesting a new trial."
The spooky secrets of Spon Street
By Simon Dudman
Coventry News
<http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/page.cfm?objectid=1287\
9620&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=The%20spooky%20secrets%20of%20Spon%20Stre\
et>
"An amateur ghost hunter has been unearthing the spooky secrets of
Coventry's medieval Spon Street."
Shooting Ghosts
by Robb Crocker
Richmond.com
http://www.richmond.com/News/output.cfm?ID=2468143&vertical=News
"Not a ghost of a chance: My editor randomly dropped an assignment on my
desk when I was away on a three-day weekend. When I returned to work, I
thought to myself, "He has got to be kidding. I'll bet this is some sort of
test." Since I had my reservations about the assignment, I took my time
beginning it but I knew my editor eventually would ask about it."
Police: Trespassers looking for haunted tunnels
by Margaret Fitzcharles
Pottstown Mercury
<http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7783911&BRD=1674&PAG=461&d\
ept_id=18041&rfi=6>
"Township police are being "haunted" by amateur ghost hunters who trespass
onto the property of the former Pennhurst State School and Hospital to roam
the abandoned halls searching for displaced spirits."
Chester Co. Ghost Hunters in Trespass Trouble
Associated Press
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/04222003_nw_ghosthunters.html
"Police say amateur ghost hunters are trespassing on the property of the
former Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Chester County."
Saddam's safety: Tall tales run rampant
By LISA HOFFMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=IRAQ-WHEREISHE-04-24-03&cat=II
"A psychic in the Philippines says Saddam Hussein is still alive and
lurking somewhere in the bowels of Baghdad."
Valley Hill Believers Continue Searching For Miracles
By Jackie Hays
WAVE
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1248075&nav=0RZFFQp9
"A quiet spot near Springfield, Kentucky, has been in the news off and on
for the last 10 years. It's because of what some claim are miracles that
happen in an area known as "Valley Hill." Is it a religious experience or a
hoax? It depends on who you ask."
Harry Potter To Appear On Shelves
By John T. Anderson
FORT SMITH TIMES RECORD
http://www.swtimes.com/archive/2003/April/23/news/HPotter.html
"The magic of Harry Potter is once more available to all Cedarville students."
Judge Orders Potter Books Back On Shelves
By CARYN ROUSSEAU
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030423/ap_on_en_ot/harry_pot\
ter_1
"A federal judge ordered Harry Potter books back onto an Arkansas school
district's library shelves Tuesday, rejecting a school board's claim that
tales of wizards and spells could harm school children."
The truth about lying: Course explores history of deception
BY JOHN SANFORD
Stanford Report
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2003/april23/deception-423.html
"Ladies and gentlemen, with nothing up his sleeve, Michael John Gorman
ripped up a white envelope containing a dollar bill and made the money
reappear inside an orange. Sliced open, the fruit revealed a tightly furled
but fully restored bill bearing the same serial number as the one Gorman
had torn to pieces."
Man beheads 'witch', takes head to police
Indo-Asian News Service
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_237547,000900030001.htm
"A tribal man in West Bengal beheaded a woman after dubbing her a witch and
then calmly walked into a police station carrying her severed head."
Valley Haunts Air on Travel Channel
by Erin Tate
WHSV
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/302881.html
"Rusty Edmunson is a Civil War historian, a museum curator and a cave
operator. He also says he's a medium for ghosts."
Hotel's five spooky guests
By Andrew Heath
Coventry News
<http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/page.cfm?objectid=1284\
9686&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=Hotel's%20five%20spooky%20guests>
"Spook experts discovered a Coventry hotel is home to five ghosts after
they were called to investigate a number of paranormal incidents."
Creaks, squeaks make a creepy Chico
by Adam Causey
The Orion [CSU]
http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/16/3e9cafd6daa30
"Chico State University student Carlos Sawyer said he woke up one night
after a disturbing dream to his room filled with smoke."
He's the Phantom Hunter, to Whom the Haunted Turn
By Megan Merrill
Moscow Times
http://www.tmtmetropolis.ru/metropolis/stories/2003/04/18/106.html
"Things that go bump in the night. Monsters under the bed. There's
something strange in the neighborhood."
Mobile mast 'spreading cancer'
By Nick Britten
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/25/nmast25.xm\
l&sSheet=/news/2003/04/25/ixhome.html>
"Residents of a hamlet near a mobile telephone mast have recorded high
levels of illness, including seven cases of cancer, raising fresh concerns
over the safety of the transmitters."
Computer voice stress analysis test, lie-detector tests come under question
By Marc Dadigan
Vero Press Journal
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/pj_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1121_1910982,00.html
"The pace of your heartbeats quickens, your breaths deepen and beads of
sweat slide down your skin."
Psychic accused of bilking client
By AMY KLEIN
North Jersey News
<http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3JmZnYmVsN2\
Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MzY2ODk4JnlyaXJ5N2Y3MTdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Mw==>
"Behind the storefront advertising tarot-card readings and a glimpse into
the future, police say, a woman claiming to be a psychic bilked a client
out of nearly $24,000 over two years."
Psychic sentenced to 2 to 10 years in prison
By ANGELA MULLINS
Port Huron Times Herald
http://www.thetimesherald.com/news/stories/20030416/localnews/127002.html
"A Port Huron woman who claimed she was a psychic was sentenced Tuesday to
23 months to 10 years in prison after admitting in January she defrauded at
least one client of $45,000."
Psychic didn't see cops, arrest coming
By Amy Yarbrough
SAN MATEO COUNTY TIMES
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87~11268~1342416,00.html
"Psychic Janet Adams, it seems, never saw it coming."
Bond increased for man accused of satanic crime
By KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ
Great Falls Tribune
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20030423/localnews/167753.html
"Editors note: This story contains graphic descriptions of alleged sex
crimes and satanic rituals. It may not be suitable for younger readers and
may offend some readers."
Feds Warn Consumers About Silver Supplements
WMAQ
http://www.nbc5.com/money/2122661/detail.html
"Target 5's Lisa Parker reported on a "silver" supplement that is said to
be able to heal everything from a simple scrape to cancer. Silver remedies,
widely used before antibiotics, are now making a big comeback on the
Internet. While there are different kinds of supplements, Parker said, the
claims are the same."
Who needs proof?
by MICHAEL MCATEER
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_\
Type1&c=Article&cid=1035781080058&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154>
"With the tantalizing, eye-catching headline, "Evidence of Jesus Written in
Stone," the prestigious Biblical Archaeological Review heralded its world
exclusive on the discovery of the now famous "James" ossuary on the front
cover of its November-December issue."
Funny Money
by Shane McCammon
Salt Lake City Weekly
http://www.slweekly.com/editorial/2003/city_2003-04-17.cfm
"Don’t call Bernard von NotHaus a conservative. “What the hell does that
even mean?” he says. “I’d rather be called a son of a bitch because at
least I know what that means.”"
Last of Marinwood cult sentenced
by Peter Fimrite
San Francisco Chronicle
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/19/BA200092.DTL
"The last member of a Marin County family "cult" whose 13 abused and
malnourished children lived under the iron fist of a man portrayed as a
violent megalomaniac was sentenced Friday to state prison, ending a bizarre
and tragic saga."
Making a case for UFOs
By John Andrews
Brookings Register
http://www.zwire.com/site/News.cfm?BRD=1127&dept_id=92759&newsid=7752054&PAG=461\
&rfi=9
"Area UFO buffs and those with just mild curiosity got an opportunity
Tuesday to judge for themselves the legitimacy of unidentified flying objects."
'Hannibal' goes on trial
South African Press Association
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1351237,00.html
"An Indonesian who has reportedly confessed he engaged in cannibalism to
gain supernatural powers went on trial on Thursday in Central Java province."
Self-confessed cannibal goes on trial in Java
Agence France-Presse
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,185274,00.html
"A farmer who has reportedly confessed to eating human flesh in a bid to
obtain supernatural powers has gone on trial in Central Java province."
Among the atheists
By William Dean Hinton
Orlando Weekly
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/story.asp?ID=3919
"Gone are the dark days of atheism, when philosophers like Giordano Bruno
were burned at the stake for denying that Jesus possessed God-like power
and contradicting the belief that souls have the ability to transmigrate to
heaven."
Mexican villagers stone 'witch' to death
Associated Press
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/04/14/mexico.witchs.ap/
"An angry crowd stoned to death an Indian man accused of practicing
witchcraft in a southern Mexico town with a long tradition of religious
violence."
Angels fall from perch on high
By Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2003-04-23-angelmain-usat_x.htm
"Angels — a '90s pop-culture craze seen everywhere from the big screen and
books to endless bric-a-brac — seem to have taken a dive."
"Colossal Squid" Revives Legends of Sea Monsters
by James Owen
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0423_030423_seamonsters.html
"Last month fishermen in the icy Ross Sea encountered a deep-sea giant."
Mysteries, delving into history's puzzles
By Jeff Bercovici
Media Life
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2003/apr03/apr21/3_wed/news3wednesday.html
"Magazines are great sources of information, but most of the time that
information is, if not exactly boring, then at least pretty quotidian: how
to diversify your portfolio, whom the Broncos will pick in the first round,
where to stay in Provence for $99 a night."
New England's rock mysteries explored
By John E. Mitchell
North Adams Transcript
http://www.thetranscript.com/Stories/0,1413,103%7E9054%7E1342592,00.html
"A nearly four decade-old group that formed to investigate "America's
Stonehenge" and grew to probe other mysterious stone structures around New
England is convening a May 2-4 weekend conference at the Williams Inn."
Cattle mutilations spur memories from '70s, '80s outbreaks
BY MARGARET REIST
Lincoln Journal Star
http://www.journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=40782
"Mike Benes has been in the cattle business all his life, lives on a farm
just a pasture away from his dad's place."
Bad Science: Apes and antibiotics
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,937894,00.html
"The terrifying epidemic of inaccurate fear-mongering continues to rage
over the Sars virus. Dominik Diamond of the Daily Star blames you, the
general public, for creating the super virus: "We've wasted our defences
against this, by demanding antibiotics at the mere hint of a sniffle."
Clever boy. Perhaps there's a GCSE biology student out there who could
explain to him why antibiotics only kill bacteria, and not viruses."
Bad Science: Chocolates and homeopathy
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,941905,00.html
"I was delighted to see that the government has given £1.3m to the
pseudo-scientists marketing alternative therapies such as homeopathy and
acupuncture. This money will go towards research projects to determine
whether their money-making scams really help people, and whether they
should be available on the NHS. I can think of nothing better, though why
an industry reported this week to make £130m a year out of the British
public can't be bothered to spend 1% of that on sorting out its own
research is another question."
SEDUCTIONS OF PSEUDOARCHAEOLOGY: PSEUDOSCIENCE IN CYBERSPACE
BY KRISTIN M. ROMEY
Archaeology
http://www.archaeology.org/found.php?page=/0305/etc/web.html
"Like so many others of his generation, John Wall was bitten hard by the
Egyptology bug following a visit to the landmark Tutankhamun exhibit that
toured the world's museums in the 1970s. A resident of southern England and
an electrical engineer by trade, Wall was soon taking trips along the Nile
and reading voraciously on the subject, dismissing the occasional
"alternative" publications and television shows as "pyramidiocy." That is,
until he plugged into the World Wide Web."
Satan's highway
By Electa Draper
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1328606,00.html
"South of here, U.S. 666 is the only asphalt cutting through a barren
desert that looks about as Godforsaken as can be imagined."
Is handwriting analysis legit science?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030418.html
"What's the Straight Dope on handwriting analysis? I know that handwriting
experts' testimony can be accepted in court, so there must be something to
it. But I have a hard time believing that a smart criminal wouldn't be able
to change his writing to avoid detection. On a related issue, can an
"expert" really tell something about your personality from your handwriting
(e.g., that loops in your g's and y's indicate a high sex drive)? If that
were true, it would seem that one's handwriting would change from day to
day, which it doesn't."
HK squashes SARS smoking 'cure'
CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/18/china.sars.smoking/
"As the SARS virus spreads in Hong Kong and China, remedies and rumors
about how to avoid contracting the disease are on the increase."
Fellowship finances townhouse where 6 congressmen live
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press
http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/03/04/31786118.shtml?Element_ID=31\
786118
"Six members of Congress live in a million-dollar Capitol Hill townhouse
that is subsidized by a secretive religious organization, tax records show."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Judge throws out suit in gifting circle case
By Chris Loos
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
http://www.hilohawaiitribune.com/daily/2003/Apr-16-Wed-2003/news/news3.html
"A Big Island judge has thrown out a lawsuit against 21 people who
complained to the government about a "women's gifting circle" pyramid scheme."
Salazar goes after pyramid scams
By Karen Abbott
Rocky Mountain News
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1891960,00.html
"The state sued 10 people Tuesday who allegedly promoted illegal pyramid
schemes while working in the Adams County Justice Center."
Court workers are accused in two scams
By Annette Espinoza
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1328366,00.html
"Attorney General Ken Salazar named nine Adams County court employees and a
former deputy sheriff in a civil lawsuit, accusing them of participating in
two illegal pyramid schemes."
The Great Nigerian Scam
By John C. Dvorak
PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1020614,00.asp
"For those who have not received the Nigerian scam e-mail letter or a newer
variation, the letter says that your name was given to someone in Nigeria
(or elsewhere) as a "trustworthy person who can help." For some long-winded
reason, the sender has access to a large amount of money—usually around $20
million—that he needs to get out of the country. If you help him, you can
earn 10 to 20 percent of the money as a fee. Then the letter gets vague and
goes into weird, off-the-wall details."
"What's a Military Family Worth?"
By Rush Limbaugh
RushLimbaugh.com
http://rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041703/content/internet_myth_detector_2.\
guest.html
"Folks, please question all of your news sources. Be especially suspicious
of anything you get forwarded to you in an e-mail - or see on CNN. An
e-mail has been floating around on the Internet for almost a year now,
attributing my name to some statements I made and some I did not. The main
point is a comparison of the compensation for victims of the 9/11 attacks
and military families."
Avoid Iraqi Cons Online
by Charles Bermant
PCWorld.com
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110343,00.asp
"While the war in Iraq is unprecedented in supporting timely reports from
the front lines, much of the online activity surrounding the conflict has a
familiar tone. Besides the expected digital humor and free expression,
pervasive scam artists are seizing the opportunity to cadge money from
unwitting patriots."
Putting an urban legend to rest
by NORMA MENDOZA
Edwardsville Intelligencer
<http://www.goedwardsville.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2291&dept_id=473648&newsid=7764\
863&PAG=461&rfi=9>
"It's all a cruel hoax to stop people from using cell phones."
Urban lore links sneakers to drugs
by Angela Townsend
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1051003864146\
230.xml
"They are probably an urban legend, but stories of drug dealers dangling
sneakers from power lines as an advertisement have raised genuine concerns
in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood."
SARS linked to high-tech headaches
by ANDY RIGA
Montreal Gazette
<http://www.canada.com/montreal/specials/business/story.html?id=D8DD6F4E-8306-45\
B4-BC65-BF7A4BDE09DE>
"No, you can't get SARS online, but anti-virus experts are warning of a new
computer virus that spreads via e-mail by exploiting growing anxiety over
the deadly infectious disease."
SARS: epidemic of fear?
by RENE DENFELD
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1050753\
514132180.xml
"Regulars shunning Asian restaurants, travelers scrapping their plans --
even pop band Matchbox 20 and stalwart crooner Andy Williams canceled their
concert tours -- all because of SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome."
HK squashes SARS smoking 'cure'
CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/18/china.sars.smoking/
"As the SARS virus spreads in Hong Kong and China, remedies and rumors
about how to avoid contracting the disease are on the increase."
In U.S., Fear Is Spreading Faster Than SARS
By DEAN E. MURPHY
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/17/health/17SARS.html
"The rumors have been frantic and virtually impossible to contain."
Fear grips local Asian community
By Stephanie Erickson
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/science/orl-asecsars24042403apr24,0,5\
554555.story
"Patrick Wong wants his parents to lead normal lives."
Chinatown hit by Sars rumours
by Jeevan Vasagar
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,939048,00.html
"Britain's Chinese restaurants have reported a downturn in trade after
customers were frightened by rumours that staff were infected with the Sars
virus."
Sars Soft Drink Unaffected by SARS Scare
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=817&ncid=757&e=10&u=/ap/200304\
22/ap_on_fe_st/sars_drink>
"A popular Taiwanese soft drink called Sars (news - web sites) may raise a
few eyebrows these days because of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory
syndrome. But many here are still gulping down the root beer-like beverage
without hesitation."
Chinese Bank Run Continues
By Jeff Meyer, Tania Padgett and Zubin Jelveh
New York Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-bzbank233250124apr23,0,4115037.s\
tory
"For a second day, thousands of customers of the small New York-based
Abacus Federal Savings Bank frantically tried to withdraw their money
despite assurances from federal regulators that their deposits are safe."
NYC Customers Again Rush Chinatown Bank
by TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Associated Press
http://www.belleville.com/mld/newsdemocrat/5701419.htm
"After trying in vain to convince customers their money was safe, a
Chinatown bank hit by rumors of financial problems diverted cash from other
branches Wednesday to cover more than $2 million in withdrawals over two days."
Hundreds rush bank in Chinatown
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/5698627.htm
"Hundreds of ethnic Chinese customers rushed a Chinatown bank today to
withdraw their money, one day after a rush on a branch of the same bank in
New York City."
Decades-old tradition of peddling swamp still thrives on Internet
by JOE NEWMAN
Associated Press
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/5681719.htm
"For 20 years, Lucille Wallace had been the not-so-proud owner of an acre
of Florida swamp right in the middle of Volusia County."
Search For The Lost
By James Rupert
New York Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wotunn243251507apr24,0,2147845.\
story
"On Friday, desperate hope drove thousands of Iraqis to jam the underpass
at a bustling downtown square. People crammed against railings above the
gloomy tunnel and leaned down to peer inside."
Saddam's safety: Tall tales run rampant
By LISA HOFFMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=IRAQ-WHEREISHE-04-24-03&cat=II
"A psychic in the Philippines says Saddam Hussein is still alive and
lurking somewhere in the bowels of Baghdad."
Rumours thrive on images of sex and short skirts
by Richard Lloyd-Parry
Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5944-655795,00.html
"HE MAY not have seen it himself, but Ayatollah Salih Altaiee has it on the
best authority that terrible things are happening in the southern city of
Basra."
Champagne Charlies
Belfast Telegraph
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=398916
"CHAMPAGNE-sipping luvvies in Ulster had their bubbles burst after they
were duped in a cheeky chain-mail con on the internet."
The truth about lying: Course explores history of deception
BY JOHN SANFORD
Stanford Report
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2003/april23/deception-423.html
"Ladies and gentlemen, with nothing up his sleeve, Michael John Gorman
ripped up a white envelope containing a dollar bill and made the money
reappear inside an orange. Sliced open, the fruit revealed a tightly furled
but fully restored bill bearing the same serial number as the one Gorman
had torn to pieces."
Creaks, squeaks make a creepy Chico
by Adam Causey
The Orion [CSU]
http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/16/3e9cafd6daa30
"Chico State University student Carlos Sawyer said he woke up one night
after a disturbing dream to his room filled with smoke."
Phony Kuwait Sultan Nabbed for Fraud - Prosecutors
By Jeanne King
Reuters
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2616675
"A con artist who posed as the son of Kuwait's prime minister and a
Harvard-educated brain surgeon was charged on Wednesday with bilking two
women out of over $65,000 in cash, state prosecutors said."
Pair indicted in slavery-reparation scam
By Jerry Seper
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030423-4227228.htm
"A Richmond father and daughter have been indicted by a federal grand jury
on charges of conspiring to defraud the government and filing a false tax
return that claimed a $500,000 refund for slavery reparations, the Internal
Revenue Service said yesterday."
Pompano retiree accused of Nigerian fraud role
By John Pacenti
Palm Beach Post
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/thursday/news_e3\
e9132765d6c04d0039.html>
"It is one of the more familiar pieces of junk e-mail."
Fake bank site part of Nigerian scam
By Bob Sullivan
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/900824.asp?0cv=TB10&cp1=1
"They’re certainly persistent. Another flavor of the well-known Nigerian
scam has popped up, this one even more elaborate than the familiar e-mail
solicitation. The scam appears to target former recipients who were
initially drawn in by an e-mail offer, but abandoned the scheme half-way
through. To ease potential victims’ fears, scam artists have set up a fake
online bank, and even deposited funds into a bogus account there. One pair
of victims has reportedly lost $100,000 to such a fake bank scam. And now,
thanks to a private citizen who did a little sleuthing of his own, here’s a
chance to see it in action."
Hoaxes flourish online
By PAUL GILSTER
Raleigh News & Observer
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2443468p-2272456c.html
"Every column has a catalyst, but this one has two. The first was the
umpteenth arrival of an e-mail message telling me that I had been infected
by a computer virus, and would be safe only if I deleted a certain file on
my hard disk. The other was a message from a Ms. Lindar Camara of the Ivory
Coast, who offered me $4.5 million if I would help her get her late
father's money out of a Nigerian bank."
Mysteries, delving into history's puzzles
By Jeff Bercovici
Media Life
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2003/apr03/apr21/3_wed/news3wednesday.html
"Magazines are great sources of information, but most of the time that
information is, if not exactly boring, then at least pretty quotidian: how
to diversify your portfolio, whom the Broncos will pick in the first round,
where to stay in Provence for $99 a night."
Fakers make mockery of support groups
By Anne E. Stein
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.sunspot.net/news/sns-othernews-fakes-orl,0,4817588.story
"The boy named "Chris" posting to an online support group for migraine
sufferers had a story that was odd but plausible enough, at least initially."
No prison in park razor case
By RACHANEE SRISAVASDI
Orange County Register
<http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=34811§ion=LOCAL&subsect\
ion=CRIME_COURTS&year=2003&month=4&day=15>
"A Mission Viejo woman who faced prison time for lacing eight south Orange
County parks with razor blades, glass and nails was sentenced Monday to
five years' probation but must live for a while in a psychiatric facility."
Is it really a bad moon rising?
By Michael Smith
Texas City Sun
http://texascitysun.com/report.lasso?WCD=2498
"The moon is on the wane, and some police officers and nurses may be relieved."
Fake hate e-mails mar activists' reputations
Associated Press
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/04/21/hate.email.ap/index.html
"Arab-American activist Nawar Shora checked his e-mail one day and found
scores of angry messages asking why he hated Americans and Jews. The
messages were responding to e-mails marked as coming from him. Only one big
problem: Shora never sent the hate mail."
For some, flap persists in aviation history
By Johnathon E. Briggs
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/features/bal-to.wright22apr22,0,872649.story
"There are those who would have you believe that on Dec. 17, 1903, in the
fishing village of Kitty Hawk, N.C., two men with a penchant for starched
white collars and bowler hats did not solve the age-old riddle of human
flight."
Squaw Peeved
BY ROBERT NELSON
Phoenix New Times
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2003-04-17/nelson.html/1/index.html
"Although "Oft Penetrated Native American Vagina Peak" has a nice ring to
it, it would not be an appropriate new name for Squaw Peak."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Fear factor
By Bob Shemeligian
Las Vegas Mercury
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Apr-10-Thu-2003/21067138.html
"At Chinatown Plaza on Spring Mountain Road, the Chinatown Florist Shop
displays several carefully pruned bamboo trees in the front window. Known
as "money trees" in the Chinese community, the waxy floral stalks are
considered good financial omens."
Chinese market in Chandler victim of false SARS rumors
by Kerry Fehr-Snyder
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0411az-sars11.html
"A Chinese market in the Valley has become an economic casualty of SARS,
the new virus that began in Southeast Asia and spread to other parts of the
world, including the Valley."
Don't shake hands, they tell us - 'just say hi and wave goodbye'
by Rachel Aris
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sars/story/0,13036,934436,00.html
"New cases 80; total hospital admissions 610; total patients discharged 79;
death toll 15. Personal paranoia level:5 stars"
Chinatown eateries suffer from rampant SARS misinformation
By Craig Gima
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
http://starbulletin.com/2003/04/10/news/story2.html
"Kwok Wah Chan looks around his nearly empty restaurant in Chinatown and
laments that his business has dropped in half since Friday."
San Gabriel Valley Abuzz With Rumors About SARS
By Jia-Rui Chong and Carla Hall
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/yahoo/la-me-sars12apr12,0,221845.story
"SARS hasn't made much headway in Los Angeles County. But false rumors
about the disease have become a virulent contagion in parts of the San
Gabriel Valley."
Hong Kong City Mall hit by fears of SARS
By LEIGH HOPPER
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/1864266
"The rumor mill is churning at Hong Kong City Mall on Bellaire Boulevard."
In cyberspace, writings take on life of their own
by Mary Schmich
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0304110150apr11,1,7065105.colu\
mn
"A few days ago, I was lunching with my newspaper when the diner next to
me--a stranger--looked over my shoulder at the war headlines."
Who killed Miss Norway?
By Tracy Spaight
Salon
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2003/04/14/who_killed_miss_norway/index.html
"In the spring of 2002, after more than a year in preproduction, I began
work on "Real People Virtual Worlds," a documentary film exploring how
people interact with each other in the graphically and textually mediated
settings of online worlds. Along the way, I expected to interview people
who make like they're elves or slay monsters or just hang out in virtual
taverns with their virtual friends. And I did. What I didn't expect is that
I'd stumble into a real-life murder mystery, complete with intrigue,
deception, and, ultimately, the disappearance and death of a beauty queen."
Spam I Am
By Emily Yoffe
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2081378/
"I have always been tempted by offers promising that my laziness and lack
of skill are the perfect qualifications for making lots of money in my
spare time. For "Human Guinea Pig," a column in which I explore intriguing,
sometimes idiotic parts of life everyone wants someone else to check out
for them, I decided to answer one of these e-mail solicitations and get
rich, quick."
'Barfing Barb' is kept alive as ISU legends are passed down
By Shamesia Parker
Indiana Statesman
http://www.indianastatesman.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/11/3e96c98e307ea
"ISU's campus is full of folklore and urban legends that contribute to the
society we exist in. Much like many other colleges and universities,
folklore helps ISU students to relate to one another with the use of
legends that allow the listener to decide its validity."
Leader of 'La Luz de Oro' sentenced to 20 years in prison
Associated Press
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5598557.htm
"The ringleader of a pyramid scheme that authorities say bilked thousands
of Hispanics of as much as $20 million was sentenced Wednesday to the
maximum 20 years in state prison."
Old Nigerian scam easy to spot, still works
Action Line
San Jose Mercury News
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5601059.htm
"I believe the attached is a scam. It's from someone who supposedly
represents the children of General Sani Abacha, the late Nigerian military
president. In a nutshell, I can get 20 percent of $76 million if I allow
them to deposit the money in my checking account. I'm supposed to provide
the account number. Should I be referring this e-mail scam to someone or
just deleting it?"
Net tale of phony police stop isn't true
By Robert Airoldi
The Argus [Oakland, CA]
http://www.theargusonline.com/Stories/0,1413,83~1971~1323369,00.html
"It seemed to be a reasonable story making the Internet rounds from e-mail
to e-mail."
FIRST-PERSON: Taking responsibility
By Kelly Boggs
Baptist Press News
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=15667
"Someone once said, "Making mistakes isn't stupid. Disregarding them is."
It is in the spirit of this quote that I must take responsibility for a
mistake I made in my most recent column."
Life in a City of Spirits
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12202-2003Apr12.html
"Upon moving to Fredericksburg, newcomers will be briefed by locals on the
basics: The frozen custard at Carl's is worth the long lines, move your car
every two hours downtown or you will get a ticket, and the trees that bloom
with gorgeous white flowers in spring will make you viciously allergic. And
one other thing -- the city has ghosts."
'No school'
By Rachael Jackson
The Diamondback [University of Maryland]
http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2003/04/14/news2.html
"No school on Friday!"
Busting the cowboy code
by Lindsay Kines
Canwest News Service
<http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.asp?id=69BC8062-E43E-40F0-\
A108-A508C90A9DB0>
"Like so many boys of his generation, Brian Dippie wanted to be a cowboy.
He dressed like a cowboy, played cowboys and Indians, and worshipped
cowboys riding across the screen in Edmonton movie houses of the late 1940s."
Milbrandt case intrigues world
By SHAWN ANKROM
Springfield News-Sun
<http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/04/13/1050290\
415.00353.4527.8527.html>
"Hannah Milbrandt believed she was dying."
Newspaper publisher fired over April Fool's story
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=18&ID=94594&r=0
"The publisher of the Washington Court House Record Herald has been fired
because of a front-page April Fool's hoax that said the city had rehired
its ousted city manager."
Bidding War
By Brian Braiker and Elise Christenson
NEWSWEEK
http://www.msnbc.com/news/899433.asp
"If Saddam Hussein wants any of his stuff back, we know where he can look.
In an almost too-predictable side effect of the war on Iraq, items
connected to the U.S. government's most-wanted despot have become eBay's
hottest commodity. Minutes after a larger-than-life Saddam statue was torn
down in Baghdad, chunks of it went up for sale on the auction site. A
listing for "Saddam's Head" promised, "Condition is very good, with the
exception of a few scratches from being pulled down the street.""
Wacky question, April 12
Rocky Mountain News
<http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/lifestyles_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN\
_4537_1879752,00.html>
"I say there is an animal called the Pacific Northwest tree octopus and my
family disagrees."
No more Gulf War Syndromes
by MICHAEL FUMENTO
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.modbee.com/24hour/opinions/story/851417p-5968640c.html
"The war is winding down, with remarkably few coalition casualties. Yet
soon somebody will try to start another casualty list, that of a second
Gulf War Syndrome (GWS). The only way to stop it is to finally acknowledge
that, in any meaningful sense, no such thing as GWS exists."
Man Accused of Selling Fake Bjork Tickets
Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11939-2003Apr12.html
"A 25-year-old man accused of selling tickets to a nonexistent concert by
Icelandic singer Bjork has been ordered to stand trial."
Campaign against rape is launched
Natal Witness
http://www.witness.co.za/content%5C2003_04%5C14544.htm
"Rape is one of the most horrendous crimes against humanity and should not
be tolerated, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Friday
at the launch of the provincial Anti-Rape Strategy in Durban."
Homicide ruled in death of man with missing organs
By ROSE DeWOLF & JIM NOLAN
Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/5608379.htm
"The bizarre death of Willie James Kent, a homeless man who was found with
his internal organs mysteriously missing, was officially ruled a homicide
yesterday by the Philadelphia medical examiner's office."
Justice seeks end to slavery-tax scam
By Jerry Seper
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030412-89243694.htm
"The Justice Department has asked a federal court to block a Georgia man
from selling what authorities call a bogus tax-refund scheme involving
slavery reparations."
N.Y. Arrests 33 in 9-11 Charity Scams
By SAMUEL MAULL
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030411/ap_on_re_us/attacks_\
charities_scams_2>
"Police have arrested 33 people, including shelter residents and government
employees, for allegedly stealing almost $135,000 from charities helping
victims of the World Trade Center attacks."
SEPT. 11 DEATH $CAMS BARED
By LAURA ITALIANO
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/56454.htm
"Prosecutors charged nearly three dozen greedy ghouls yesterday with trying
to scam money meant for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks - including a group
of people who tried to obtain fake death certificates for loved ones so
they could claim benefits."
AT&T Warns Of Static In Phone Scam E-Mail
By WILL RODGERS
Tampa Tribune
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGA9GR1IDED.html
"An e-mail that first warned of a phone scam about five years ago is
bouncing around the Internet again, giving people bad information about the
very real 809 telephone fraud."
Hoaxster hacker discovers infinite-wealth algorithm
By Thomas C Greene
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/30185.html
"Hacker stunt-double and convicted financial fraudster Kim Schmitz (aka
Kimble) is up to his old tricks, this time with a package of techno
trickery for making a killing in the stock market. To satisfy the dreams of
instant fortune common to those who believe in fairy tales, he's devised an
"AI-based decision system" for share trading which scientifically "selects
the optimal combination of trading strategies for current market conditions"."
Internet hoax claims restaurants won't serve military because of war opposition
BY DAVE MUNDAY
Charleston Post and Courier
http://www.charleston.net/stories/041003/loc_10cadets.shtml
"At least two South Carolina restaurants have been targeted by a popular
Internet hoax called "The Shunned Serviceman.""
How to fool a broke artist
by Jack Ruttan
Hour
http://www.hour.ca/magazine/index.asp?id=2278&parution=1111
"For jobseekers and artists in the city, it's hard to know what to take
seriously. Bills were posted last month in health food stores and public
places in the Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods advertising various
happenings: a model search, dogs needed for movies, a children's art
festival, even a lecture by environmentalist David Suzuki. A classified ad
also made it to the February 27th Hour asking for medieval movie extras,
which sucked in this long-haired bearded writer. The events might sound
diverse but they had one thing in common: They were all bogus."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Author recounts his book on UFO
By GARY HOLLAND
BILOXI SUN HERALD
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/local/5590328.htm
"Charles Hickson, who made international news with an account of his
encounter with robots and an unidentified flying object, recalled the Oct.
11, 1973, incident at a book signing Tuesday night."
Royal fairytale bewitched by sex and vampires
By Lawrence Bartlett
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=qw1049945944472B254&set_id=1
"A bizarre tale of a bewitched palace, sexual jealousy and the murder of a
beautiful royal bride is holding Malaysians spellbound as it unfolds in a
sombre courtroom."
Human cloning 'flawed'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2936401.stm
"Human cloning may never be possible because of a quirk of biology."
TV ghost team to haunt city vaults
BY LYNN DAVIDSON
Edinburgh Evening News
http://www.edinburghnews.com/index.cfm?id=428822003
"A TEAM of paranormal investigators is to spend 24 hours in a spooky
underground vault in Edinburgh’s Old Town as part of a television series
featuring the most haunted places in Britain."
Crystal Clear
BY ERIC CELESTE
Dallas Observer
http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-04-10/buzz.html/1/index.html
"A few years ago, we told you about Dallas' own Music Man, J. Jovan Philyaw
("Goodbye Kitty," June 6, 2001), the man behind the CueCat, Net Talk Live!,
Tripledge Wipers and other testaments to his con-artistry. Now, Jovan has
reinvented himself again--and this time, Buzz must say, he's really outdone
himself, in the same entertainingly psycho way that Iraqi Information
Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf outdoes himself with each new press
conference. ("There are no tanks. Oh, those tanks, the ones behind me? We
have those tanks surrounded.")"
Resurrection skeptic goes to baroque extremes
by JAY INGRAM
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_=9d5e358265ca\
d4ae&pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1035780886571&call_page\
=TS_Canada&call_pageid=968332188774&call_pagepath=News/Canada>
"What better time than the Christian holy week to look once again at the
sometimes- strained relationship between science and religion."
Ghostly goings-on for builders
By Andrew Heath
Coventry Evening Telegraph
<http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/page.cfm?objectid=1284\
0334&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=Ghostly%20goings-on%20for%20builders>
"When builders start work on a £60 million underpass at Toll Bar Island in
Coventry who they gonna call?"
Rapture Index Inventor Tracks End of Time
By Linda Fantin
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Apr/04122003/saturday/47371.asp
"Saddam Hussein's tyrannical reign appears to have ended and Brian David
Mitchell is behind bars, but the world -- or at least the world according
to Todd Strandberg -- is not necessarily a safer place."
Ghost Trackers roam halls of IMU
By David Horn
Hoosier Times
http://www.hoosiertimes.com/stories/2003/04/13/news.0413-SH-A1_JLR06805.sto
"Some rooms in the Indiana Memorial Union are haunted, according to
assistant building manager Nadia Dotsenko."
A reporter checks out some ghost stories
By Jackie Loohauis
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/5617930.htm
"Dropping a reporter off in a town full of spiritualists is a little like
unleashing a terrier in a sausage factory."
Ghosthunters get a fright
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/2943903.stm
"A group of ghostbusters had to leave a County Durham museum - after
finding the experience too frightening."
Be very afraid
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,928140,00.html
"It was the MMR story that finally made me crack. My friends had always
seemed perfectly rational: now, suddenly, they were swallowing media
hysteria, hook, line and sinker. All sensible scientific evidence was
twisted to promote fear and panic. I tried to reason with them, but they
turned upon me: I was another scientist trying to kill their baby."
The onslaught begins...
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/badscience/story/0,12980,933047,00.html
"As I rush towards the hideous reality of my 30th birthday, I am very
excited to read about Longevity, a new kind of anti-ageing tablet that
"delivers 2-AEP directly to outer cell walls to strengthen, seal and
protect them". The tablets have been awarded the National Council on
Ageing's Silver Fleece award for "the product that makes the most
outrageous or exaggerated claims about human ageing". Last year's winner
was "Clustered Water", and their panel recently announced that "no
effective anti-ageing intervention currently exists". The marketers of
Longevity have fought back, however, and their website has listed happy
customers: John Wayne, Yul Brenner, Anthony Quinn, Princess Caroline of
Monaco." Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can tell, at least three
of those people are dead already."
Cold fusion
by Mark Pilkington
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/farout/story/0,13028,933064,00.html
"On March 23 1989, two respected chemistry professors, Stanley Pons and
Martin Fleischmann, made an announcement that looked, briefly, like it
might change the world forever. They claimed to have achieved nuclear
fusion - normally produced by the intense heat and pressure inside stars -
in a glass jar, at room temperature. This was "cold fusion". What's more,
their fuel cell was pumping out four times the energy that was going into
it. As the University of Utah's press release stated, the pair may have
discovered an "inexhaustible source of energy" - the Holy Grail of physics."
The battle for American science
by Oliver Burkeman and Alok Jha
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,933055,00.html
"One of the first signs that something was changing came in March last year
in the suburbs of northern Atlanta, when people started talking, a little
more frequently than might be expected, about mousetraps. It was hardly
unprecedented in the US that a group of local parents should be lobbying
for their children to be taught that evolution was a disputed theory, not a
fact. But the way some of them were doing it was new, which is where the
mousetraps came in."
Alternative medicine bill in state House
By Mitch Kokai
News 14 Carolina
http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=27130&SecID=2
"Folks who like acupressure, biofeedback and herbal medicine could have an
easier time finding those therapies soon."
Bills aim to alter mix of Medical Board
by KAREN GARLOCH
Charlotte Observer
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/5607998.htm
"Accusing the N.C. Medical Board of unfairness in its treatment of certain
physicians, groups representing black physicians, alternative medicine
practitioners and trial lawyers are pushing state legislators to change the
way board members are selected."
Children recruited for UA asthma study
by ANNE T. DENOGEAN
Tucson Citizen
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/4_11_03asthma.html
"University of Arizona researchers are seeking children with asthma for a
study that might help youngsters reduce reliance on inhaled steroids."
Calming arts
by Kevin Fagan
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/12/BA14549.DTL
"It was bad enough that Dr. Robert Rosenbaum got six colds every year and
had persistent back and sciatic nerve pain most of his life. But cold hands
that never warmed up?"
Holy Week exhibit to display replica of the Shroud of Turin
By GAYDA HOLLNAGEL
La Crosse Tribune
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2003/04/12/news/3news.txt
"That is the hope of Bishop Raymond L. Burke of the Diocese of La Crosse,
who said Friday that he negotiated for nearly two years to bring the
exhibit to the diocese, but had no way of knowing beforehand that it would
be here for Holy Week."
Author again claims to find codes in Bible
By RICHARD N. OSTLING
Associated Press
http://www.courier-journal.com/features/2003/04/20030413code.html
"It may not help religious faith much, but the "Bible code" phenomenon has
at least boosted the book business. New York journalist Michael Drosnin has
made best-seller lists with "The Bible Code" (1997) and again with his
"Bible Code II: The Countdown" (Viking)."
Aum cult man flies to Moscow
Agence France-Presse
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1345737,00.html
"The new figurehead of the Aum Supreme Truth doomsday cult left Japan for
Russia on Thursday in an apparent bid to shore up the loyalty of followers
there."
About 250 fans wait to meet ''Left Behind'' authors
by Lucy Y. Her
Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/3816252.html
"For his 14th birthday, Ross Lubinski went to get the latest book in the
"Left Behind" series signed by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins."
Czechs set sports ahead of science
By Kevin Livingston
Prague Post
http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2003/Art/0410/news4.php
"A recent Eurobarometer report conducted by the Gallup Organization reveals
that while Czechs are slightly better informed about science than in
neighboring nations, the country continues to lag behind European Union
member states."
Unicorn Center and Avatar to help change lives
By ANGELA JEFFS
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20030412a1.htm
""Enter my dream," invites Rosalyn Hagiwara, opening a door in Villa
Holonica, in Ogikubo, Tokyo. Husband Nobuyuki, an architect who retired
from full-time practice three years ago, designed the building."
Judge pares school free-speech case
By Pervaiz Shallwani
Allentown Morning Call
http://www.mcall.com/news/yahoo/all-b1_2bakerapr12.story
"A federal judge has gutted creationist Joe Baker's free-speech case
against the Pennridge School District."
Internet Ads Promising Cures and Protection
By MELODY PETERSEN
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/14/science/sciencespecial/14SELL.html?ex=1050984\
000&en=8b47ed530cfb0885&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"Type "SARS" into an Internet search engine and advertisements from a
variety of companies pop up offering products as diverse as health
supplements, disinfectants and special protective suits that marketers say
will keep the new disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome, at bay."
Ghost soup? You haven't heard the rest of it ...
by Hector Mackenzie
Glasgow Herald
http://www.sundayherald.com/33083
"WHEN reports emerged in China last week about a 'ghost soup' made out of
female skeletons, many people's reaction was total disbelief. But a few
police sources maintained that bones, apparently dug up from caves near the
tourist resort of Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province, were being
used to make a soup designed to cure a range of ailments."
Life in a City of Spirits
By Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12202-2003Apr12.html
"Upon moving to Fredericksburg, newcomers will be briefed by locals on the
basics: The frozen custard at Carl's is worth the long lines, move your car
every two hours downtown or you will get a ticket, and the trees that bloom
with gorgeous white flowers in spring will make you viciously allergic. And
one other thing -- the city has ghosts."
Bioethicists Say Honesty Needed in Cloning Debate
By Alicia Ault
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=4&u=/nm/2003041\
1/hl_nm/cloning_ethics_dc>
"Congress and researchers are not being honest in debates about stem cell
research and human cloning, and the lack of clarity is giving false hope to
patients and confusing the issues, a bioethicist said Friday."
Clonaid, Raelians Landing In Madison
WISC-TV
http://www.channel3000.com/news/2106877/detail.html
"Here's your chance to learn more about how aliens created life on Earth."
fairy tale: Area shops find magic selling sculptures
By MICHAEL IACUESSA
Santa Cruz Sentinel
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2003/April/13/biz/stories/01biz.htm
"Renee LaFabrae recalls one Christmas Eve she was closing Dragginwood & The
Magic Crystals, a magic crystal shop she had owned in Capitola. She
remembers lightheartedly telling the fairies inside to have a good time
because the shop was theirs for the following day."
Scientists seek answers to phenomenon
by Anchalee Kongrut
Bangkok Post
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/14Apr2003_news17.html
"Scientists will launch a probe into the Naga fireballs phenomenon in Nong
Khai province in May, said the deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry
of Science and Technology."
No more Gulf War Syndromes
by MICHAEL FUMENTO
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.modbee.com/24hour/opinions/story/851417p-5968640c.html
"The war is winding down, with remarkably few coalition casualties. Yet
soon somebody will try to start another casualty list, that of a second
Gulf War Syndrome (GWS). The only way to stop it is to finally acknowledge
that, in any meaningful sense, no such thing as GWS exists."
Campaign against rape is launched
Natal Witness
http://www.witness.co.za/content%5C2003_04%5C14544.htm
"Rape is one of the most horrendous crimes against humanity and should not
be tolerated, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Friday
at the launch of the provincial Anti-Rape Strategy in Durban."
Phantom speaker
Ellesmere Port Pioneer
<http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/ellesmereportpioneer/page.cfm?\
objectid=12830655&method=full&siteid=50020>
"A GHOSTHUNTER from Ellesmere Port gave a lecture on his spooky business
during a week-long science event."
'Satanist' may reopen case
South African Press Association
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1346133,00.html
"An alleged Satanist, accused of repeatedly molesting three Pretoria
children, may reopen his case to call an expert to testify on children who
invent incidents of molestation."
Homicide ruled in death of man with missing organs
By ROSE DeWOLF & JIM NOLAN
Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/5608379.htm
"The bizarre death of Willie James Kent, a homeless man who was found with
his internal organs mysteriously missing, was officially ruled a homicide
yesterday by the Philadelphia medical examiner's office."
Estate ruling for psychic will stand
By ALAN J. KEAYS
Rutland Herald
http://timesargus.nybor.com/Regional_News/Story/63780.html
"A Dorset psychic has one less legal roadblock to worry about as she tries
to fulfill one of her latest predictions of a healing center in Ira."
Pseudoscience casts shadows on genetics
by DAVE PARKS
Birmingham News
<http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xs\
l?/base/news/105022551161240.xml>
"There's a dark side to human genetics, a nasty past filled with forced
sterilization, the Holocaust and the Tuskegee syphilis experiment."
How things are, according to Fido
By Theo Douglas
San Bernardino County Sun
http://u.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,216~24290~1319462,00.html
"Thelma's mommy has what is frequently seen as a glamorous job, even today.
She is a flight attendant and has seen places some folks won't glimpse in a
lifetime."
Psychic to learn her own fate in court
Port Huron Times Herald
http://www.thetimesherald.com/news/stories/20030412/localnews/105838.html
"A self-proclaimed Port Huron psychic who admitted to unlawfully taking
money from a client will be sentenced Monday before St. Clair County
Circuit Judge James Adair."
Group blames medication
By Ellen Barry
Boston Globe
http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/101/metro/Group_blames_medication+.shtml
"As friends, family, and investigators searched for a possible motive in
Tuesday's slaying of a Massachusetts General Hospital cardiologist, an
antipsychiatry ''watchdog group'' said that Colleen Mitchell's psychiatric
medication had spurred her to shoot Dr. Brian McGovern and then turn the
gun on herself."
Psychic investigator's help sought by Peterson
By PATRICK GIBLIN
MODESTO BEE
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/6532131p-7474671c.html
"Laci Peterson's husband, Scott, hired a psychic investigator about three
weeks after Laci disappeared, and the investigator turned over a report to
Modesto police."
Pet psychic reveals all
By Todd Hilliard
Daily Texan
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/10/3e957297b2164
"The UT kiosks have been tapped out. Bands seeking players, beds for sale
and music tutors are only interesting the first time around, after all. The
search for fliers expanded to the entire downtown area this week, and Whole
Foods Market proved fertile for kiosk points of interest."
Believers Buy Tapes of 'Horse Talker'
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/5623369.htm
"She doesn't call herself a horse whisperer, but Sheila Ryan says she can
communicate with the animals."
Cloned human embryo reported
By Wendy Goldman Rohm
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/100/nation/Cloned_human_embryo_reported+.shtml
"A Kentucky fertility specialist says he has created a cloned human embryo
that he plans to implant in a woman in the next month if genetic tests show
that the embryo is healthy. Scientists say it could be the most credible
human cloning experiment to date."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Medicaid cuts may lead to increase in alternative health care
By ELIZABETH PIERSON
Brownsville Herald
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sections/archive/topstoryjmp/4-06-03/news7.htm
"Patients in the Rio Grande Valley may begin turning to alternative
medicine if a tight state budget pushes them off the Medicaid rolls."
Needles and pins
by Ryan Bornheimer
Oregon Daily Emerald
http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/08/3e9314569dc77
"The numbers speak for themselves. When licensed acupuncturist Dina Harmon
opened her clinic in 1997, there were eight such establishments in Eugene.
As of today, there are nearly 40."
Center for alternative medicine to open
By MAYRAV SAAR
Orange County Register
<http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=33910§ion=LOCAL&subsect\
ion=LOCAL&year=2003&month=4&day=9>
"Down the hall from the radiology department, just past cardiology, Jianfu
Jiang greets her patient in an examination room, inserts fine needles into
his back and captures his chi."
Goggaman children 'are lying' - defence
By Zelda Venter
The Star [South Africa]
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=15&art_id=vn20030409051307751C390822&set\
_id=1
"ET the alien, who was on a visit to Pretoria; a green devil with a blazing
tail; and babies sacrificed to Lucifer were elements of the evidence of
three siblings against Robbie Classen, the man dubbed "Goggaman"."
Kids' evidence 'imaginary'
South African Press Association
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7-1442_1344803,00.html
"The evidence of three young children, who testified at length about the
sexual rituals they endured at the hands of an alleged Satanist, was the
product of their imagination and could not be accepted, the Pretoria High
Court heard on Tuesday."
Alleged cult member pleads guilty in murder conspiracy
By Sheridan Lyons
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/carroll/bal-ca.plea08apr08,0,6651495.story
"A woman who lived with reputed cult leader Scott Caruthers admitted
yesterday conspiring with him to try to have her ex-husband murdered."
Grisly finds at Hardin County cemetery prompt investigation
By WILLIAM WILCZEWSKI
Hardin County News-Enterprise
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/articles/2003/04/08/news/news05.txt
"Two members of a Louisville ghost research group checking on a supposedly
haunted cemetery in Hardin County — a burial site also known as the Gates
of Hell — made a gruesome discovery over the weekend."
First proof of cloned embryo
by Sarah-Kate Templeton
Glasgow Sunday Herald
http://www.sundayherald.com/32912
"Doctors trying to clone human beings have published the first scientific
evidence of their success."
Black Cohosh May Make Breast Cancer Drug More Toxic
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=6&u=/nm/2003040\
7/hl_nm/cancer_cohosh_dc>
"Women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy may want to avoid
black cohosh, the herbal remedy often used to treat menopausal symptoms
such as hot flashes, according to Connecticut researchers."
Herbal Sexual Stimulant Recalled Due to Tampering
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=2&u=/nm/2003040\
8/hl_nm/herbs_sex_dc>
"Bionate International Inc., an Arizona-based maker of dietary supplements,
is voluntarily recalling 750,000 pills that were sold over the Internet for
sexual enhancement because the product may have been laced with the active
ingredient in Viagra."
Brother in court today to claim Tucsonan's body
by DAVID L. TEIBEL
Tucson Citizen
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/4_8_03killeen.html
"The brother of a Midvale Park man whose body was decomposing in his home
for at least three weeks is here from Rhode Island to claim the remains for
"a proper burial.""
Judge allows brother to handle cremation in decomposition case
by DAVID L. TEIBEL
Tucson Citizen
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/4_9_03killeen.html
"A Superior Court judge told a Rhode Island man he may make arrangements to
cremate and inter the remains of his brother, Tucsonan James W. Killeen."
The ghost of the LST-325 Strange happenings attributed to lost crewman
BY GENE OWENS
MOBILE REGISTER
<http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/gowens.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.x\
sl?/base/news/1049879916106990.xml>
"When strange noises woke Gayle Lyon from her sleep aboard LST-325, the
first thing she thought of was Jonathan."
Baby doctor reveals cloned human embryo
New Scientist
http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/cloning/cloning.jsp?id=ns99993610
"Controversial reproductive scientist Panayiotis Zavos has published a
short report and picture of what he claims is "the first human cloned
embryo for reproductive purposes"."
Inmates did renovation work at Scientology church
By MICHAEL BEEBE
Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030406/1048379.asp
"Buffalo's Church of Scientology, soon to be forced from its downtown
church for a new city parking ramp, turned to Erie County prison inmates to
help get its new Main Street home ready."
Snake Handlers Hang On in Appalachian Churches
by Brian Handwerk
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0407_030407_snakehandlers.html
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast
out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay
hands on the sick, and they shall recover. —Mark 16:17-18"
Indian health workers seek to eradicate polio
By Neelesh Misra
Associated Press
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87~11268~1306673,00.html
"Health workers in India knocked on millions of doors Sunday in a campaign
to vaccinate 165 million of the country's children against polio this year
-- the largest immunization drive ever against the disease."
Davis OKs parole of killer hurt by abuse
By Brian Melley
Associated Press
http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21474~1302710,00.html
"A woman convicted of murdering a man who bought her as a sex slave when
she was 16 and then abused her for five years has been cleared for parole
next year, a spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis said Saturday."
Kurtz group opens New York City office
By CHET BRIDGER
Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030408/1009622.asp
"The Amherst-based Center for Inquiry, a non-profit organization which
debunks paranormal and fringe science claims, has opened a New York City
office."
UCI Professor Faces Pending Lawsuit
by Jamie Claridad
New University [UC Irvine]
http://horus.vcsa.uci.edu/article.php?id=915
"UCI’s Distinguished Professor in Social Ecology Elizabeth Loftus, widely
known for her studies in false memory research, is currently facing an
impending lawsuit filed against her by Nicole Taus in Solano County, Calif."
Man in notorious sex case finishes term
by BRAD SHANNON
THE OLYMPIAN
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20030408/frontpage/38738.shtml
"A former officer with the sheriff's department who was convicted in one of
Thurston County's most notorious criminal cases gets his release from
prison today in the Spokane area."
Both coaches, psychic are NCAA winners
By MIKE LOPRESTI
Gannett News Service
http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/04/09/spt_wwwncaa1aab9.html
"The airline is to blame. Otherwise, we'd be coming to you today from my
new villa in Maui."
Psychic convergence
Croydon Guardian
http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/display.var.716988.index.psychic_convergen\
ce.html
"Healers, psychics and clairvoyants gathered on Sunday for the Psychic Fair
at the Aerodrome Hotel, Purley Way."
Apocalypse now
By Jeffrey C. Billman
Orlando Weely
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/news/story.asp?ID=3897
"The Rev. John Butler Book's two-story Cracker house in Maitland, built in
1876, is one of the oldest homes in Orange County. Inside, it feels like a
museum -- look but don't touch. Blankets cover the chairs, and
old-fashioned clocks hang on the walls. I'm sitting in the dining room
listening to Book, and the table wobbles and rattles as I take notes."
Ghostbusters meet phantom menace
By Carmen Lichi
Hampstead & Highgate Press
http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/archived/2003/0404/news/asp/p8col1.asp
"SCEPTIC or believer, cynic or sucker? Whichever the case, when Britain’s
largest-ever live interactive psychic experiment came to a landmark
Victorian hotel, the Midland Grand, in King’s Cross, the hotel’s ghoulish
past was bound to be laid bare before the nation."
Senate votes to repeal sterilization law
By David Rice and John Railey
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/MGB4WN6L3ED.html
"The N.C. Senate unanimously agreed yesterday to remove one of the last
remnants of a state eugenics program that sterilized more than 7,600 people
from 1929 through 1974 - often against their will."
Psychic stays grounded in her work
by Suzanne Zalev
San Mateo County Times
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87%257E11268%257E1306552,00.ht\
ml
"Barbara Courtney's been answering people's questions for about 30 years.
Courtney, 62, a psychic consultant, doesn't tell people what stocks to buy,
but she has been called upon to help law enforcement solve crimes."
Myths of Saddam's immortality keep Iraqis in fear
By SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN
Knight Ridder Newspapers
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5596859.htm
"Ahmed Ali believes Saddam Hussein can never die. All his life, the
23-year-old laborer has heard about the dictator's powerful stone."
Some See a Blessing, Others a Curse in a Visiting Python
By Davan Maharaj
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-fg-snake6apr06.story
"Since this nation has been basking in a new beginning -- its first change
of government in four decades -- many Kenyans have been searching for signs
that their hardships will soon be over."
Look, up in the sky, it's a bird poo, it's a plane, it's a trick of the eye
By Richard Macey
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/06/1049567566839.html
"They have been blamed on flying saucers, evil spirits and mythical beasts.
The "Min Min lights" appear in the night sky, dancing above the horizon,
sometimes chasing victims along dusty roads."
PSYCHIC'S 'BLIND' FAITH RETESTED
By GERSH KUNTZMAN
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/commentary/72844.htm
"NATASHA Lulova is showing off again. She picks up a book and starts
reading aloud. Then she flips through a pile of colored paper and
identifies each sheet."
McCracken to give program on hoax about King Crowley
By Curt Hodges
Jonesboro Sun
http://www.jonesborosun.com/archivedstory.asp?ID=4089
"It's a hoax that won't go away."
Things that go bump in the night
by Penny Fray
Liverpool Daily Post
<http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=\
12821961&method=full&siteid=50061>
"IMAGINE waking up in the dead of night to find that you can't move a
single muscle but can sense, or even see, a dark and terrifying presence in
your bedroom that threatens to harm you as you lie helplessly in bed."
At its Core, it was a silly publicity stunt
by JAY INGRAM
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_\
Type1&c=Article&cid=1035780532043&call_page=TS_Columnists&call_pageid=9705991097\
74&call_pagepath=Columnists>
"The Core is a spectacular movie in which, Paramount says, "the Earth's
magnetic field is rapidly deteriorating, resulting in global catastrophes
that include the Earth being hit by superstorms, people with pacemakers
dropping dead, the collapse of the Golden Gate bridge and the ancient walls
of the Roman Colosseum turning to rubble.""
Voodoo a religion in Haiti
South African Press Association
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10-1462_1344553,00.html
"The government of Haiti has recognised Voodoo as a religion, President
Jean-Bertrand Aristede announced Monday in celebration of a Haitian
independence fighter."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Slights of military still legends
by Jim Heffernan
Duluth News Tribune
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/5570751.htm
"Last Sunday in this space, I wrote about what appears to be an urban
legend circulating in Duluth in which military personnel in uniform are
denied service at various business establishments."
UPS Rumors Are Uniformly Wrong
By Don Oldenburg
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52817-2003Apr7.html
"Should we beware of UPS deliveries? That's what a Maryland reader asked
last week after receiving a troubling e-mail supposedly reporting that
$32,000 worth of the service's famous brown uniforms were purchased on eBay
over the last 30 days."
Council votes in favour of 'Hell'
Australian Associated Press
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,6256308%255E1702,0\
0.html
"A DEVIL of a fuss is being made in a central Queensland city over whether
its streetlights spell the word 'hell'."
The spirit of freedom
By Dave Berry
Bolivar Herald-Free Press
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=48&dept_id=436922&newsid=7647261&PAG=461&\
rfi=9
"There is an amazing amount of information related to current world events
making its way around the world via e-mail. Some of it is good and some of
it is shallow. Some of it is true and some of it isn't. I rank what follows
among the best of what I've received, even though it isn't entirely true as
circulated."
Grisly finds at Hardin County cemetery prompt investigation
By WILLIAM WILCZEWSKI
Hardin County News-Enterprise
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/articles/2003/04/08/news/news05.txt
"Two members of a Louisville ghost research group checking on a supposedly
haunted cemetery in Hardin County — a burial site also known as the Gates
of Hell — made a gruesome discovery over the weekend."
Red Cross warns of prank calls to military kin
By PAUL WOOD
CHAMPAIGN NEWS-GAZETTE
http://www.news-gazette.com/story.cfm?Number=13579
"You get a call in the middle of the night. It's the Red Cross, and your
son is missing in battle ..."
POW's father worries about scams
by Nadra Kareem
El Paso Times
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20030409-98468.shtml
"Claude Johnson would like to make one thing clear."
Soldier pitches in back home
By Mark Boshnack
Oneonta Daily Star
http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2003/04/08/soldier.html
"When Hartwick College sophomore Rob Williams saw news reports of coalition
soldiers at the Baghdad airport, he said, "This is when I would get my call
— this is what I do.""
Student's soldier story turns out to be a hoax
By Mark Boshnack
Oneonta Daily Star
http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2003/04/09/hoax.html
"A 27-year-old Hartwick College sophomore featured in a front-page story in
Tuesday's Daily Star admitted to college officials Tuesday he perpetrated a
hoax on Hartwick and the newspaper."
Despite safeguards, we fell for a tall tale
By Sam Pollak
Editor
Oneonta Daily Star
http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2003/04/09/mea.html
"Just about every reporter and editor has heard this very sound
journalistic advice:"
Road rage story a hoax
By William Ferchland
Tahoe Daily Tribune
<http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=TD&Date=20030409&Ca\
tegory=NEWS&ArtNo=304090102&Ref=AR>
"A 19-year-old woman now says she accidentally shot herself in her white
Mazda with a .32-caliber handgun in what was first reported as a road rage
incident."
Indian health workers seek to eradicate polio
By Neelesh Misra
Associated Press
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87~11268~1306673,00.html
"Health workers in India knocked on millions of doors Sunday in a campaign
to vaccinate 165 million of the country's children against polio this year
-- the largest immunization drive ever against the disease."
SARS Fear Roils Chinatowns Across U.S.
By THEO EMERY
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030408/ap_on_he_me/mystery_\
illness_chinatown_4>
"The Chung Wah Hong Market in Chinatown offers everything from vegetables
to exotic fish to trinkets. These days, it also offers informational
leaflets about a deadly illness."
Menino says Chinatown's seen no SARS
by Kevin Rothstein
Boston Herald
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/sars04072003.htm
"Mayor Thomas M. Menino went to Chinatown yesterday to eat dim sum and try
to squelch a fast-moving rumor that the neighborhood was harboring the
deadly Asian flu bug."
Do Surgical Masks Stop SARS?
By Jon Cohen
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2081235/
"The dramatic photos of surgical-masked people walking the streets of Asian
cities hit by severe acute respiratory syndrome pose the question: Do the
masks offer them any meaningful protection against the disease?"
World of scams and cons
By James B. Meadow
Rocky Mountain News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/technology/article/0,1299,DRMN_49_1874493,\
00.html
"A variation on a time-dishonored international scam is showing up in
business e-mails."
Old Nigerian letter scam
BY MICHAEL FINNEY
San Francisco Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.finney.0409w
"THE NIGERIAN letter scam is back in two new forms. The first uses the war
as a come -on. These rip-off artists are trying to play off the sympathy
Americans are feeling toward Iraqi civilians caught up in the war."
Con man weaves a web of deception across country
By VANESSA THOMAS
Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030406/1016927.asp
"Jerome J. Brandl Jr. has been a Wisconsin firefighter, an Australian
student who lost his passport and money, a grief-stricken widower whose
wife died of ovarian cancer. Or was she killed in a car accident?"
Snake Charmer: An Interview With Alan Moore - Part Two
by Frank Beaton
Ninth Art
http://www.ninthart.com/display.php?article=536
"It's hard not to be intimidated by Alan Moore. In addition to being an
acclaimed and hugely influential writer, Moore is also a big scary man with
an enormous beard and an absolutely biblical voice. He's also been the
subject of more urban legends than any author since JD Salinger. I'm sure
we've all heard them:"
IRS: State leads in slavery claims
By Jimmie E. Gates
Jackson Clarion-Ledger
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0304/06/m02metro.html
"Mississippians are leading the nation in filing frivolous claims for
slavery reparations on federal income tax returns, the Internal Revenue
Services says."
Mississippians most likely to file for false slave reparations credit
Associated Press
<http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030406&Category=APN&A\
rtNo=304060719&Ref=AR>
"Mississippians lead the nation in filing frivolous claims for slavery
reparations on federal income tax returns."
Durant man ordered not to prepare tax returns
By Barbara Powell
Associated Press
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0304/01/m06.html
"A 79-year-old black man — who defied a federal judge and continued seeking
tax refunds for black taxpayers based on his contention they are
second-class citizens — has been permanently barred from preparing tax
returns."
Scam spam keeps on flooding out of Africa
By John McLeod
Halifax Daily News
http://www.canada.com/halifax/dailynews/story.asp?id=56677DEE-40ED-4B0C-9A67-4A5\
D4C0528D2
"Yet another one was lurking in the electronic Money mailbox Monday
morning. Recently, they seem to be popping up at least once a week. We’re
not sure whether that’s because Atlantic Canadians are seen as particularly
gullible, or it’s just that the flow of scam spam from the African
hucksters is casting a wider net."
Myths of Saddam's immortality keep Iraqis in fear
By SUDARSAN RAGHAVAN
Knight Ridder Newspapers
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5596859.htm
"Ahmed Ali believes Saddam Hussein can never die. All his life, the
23-year-old laborer has heard about the dictator's powerful stone."
Leavitt Bill Signings Make News, But They're Bogus
By Dan Harrie
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/apr/04082003/utah/45968.asp
"Gov. Mike Leavitt has been busy in the past few days signing a flurry of
bills passed by the Utah Legislature -- or so it would seem."
Nagoya woman lied about knife attack to get attention
Mainichi Shimbun
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030408p2a00m0dm015000c.html
"A housewife lied to police that she had been slashed by a knife-wielding
woman on a bicycle to "draw the attention of her partner" away from
computer games, police said Tuesday."
Information Minister Says Iraqis Take Shea Stadium
RushLimbaugh.com
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_040703/content/illustrating.guest.ht\
ml
"At approximately 2:29 PM ET on Monday, I reported the latest bulletin from
the Iraqi Minister of Information. I announced that while Donald Rumsfeld's
briefing was going on, the Iraqi information minister had announced that
the brave troops of Iraq have successfully now landed on the U.S. mainland.
He subsequently amended his statement to say they'd taken Shea Stadium,
home of the Mets."
Let's not tie patriotism to lame criminal ballad
BY RICHARD ROEPER
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeper/cst-nws-roep09.html
"We have to put a stop to this. The sentiments behind it are 100 percent
valid, and the practice has been gaining momentum for years--but it's not
as if we're talking about a tradition that dates to the Revolutionary War.
It doesn't even harken back to the Bicentennial."
McCracken to give program on hoax about King Crowley
By Curt Hodges
Jonesboro Sun
http://www.jonesborosun.com/archivedstory.asp?ID=4089
"It's a hoax that won't go away."
Parade of Fools
By Buck Wolf
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/WolfFiles/wolffiles258.html
"Did you see the drooling journalists chase the Raelian Clone Hoax Float
down Fifth Avenue? If you've ever gone to New York's April Fools' Day
Parade, the joke's on you."
Noted War Blogger Cops to Copying
By Daniel Forbes
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,58346,00.html
"Like any number of webloggers trying to make their mark with commentary on
the war in Iraq, Sean-Paul Kelley knew geography and career experience
didn't favor him."
A War of Rumors
by Mahmoud Ahmad
Arab News
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=24940
"The current US-led war on Iraq has been a fertile source of rumor. The
main purpose of rumor is to instill fear and confuse people’s minds. How do
we face rumors as a society? What types of rumors impact us? Al-Madinah
newspaper examined the local rumor mill."
Charges expected after assault on Internet server
By Chery Sabol
The Daily Inter Lake
<http://www.dailyinterlake.com/NewsEngine/SelectStory.tpl?command=search&db=news\
.db&eqskudata=43-808258-23>
"Kalispell police are investigating a suspected computer crime that buried
a local Internet provider with 20,000 e-mails an hour Thursday."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Anyone can be fooler of the world
by Sandra Dick
Edinburgh Evening News
http://www.edinburghnews.com/capitalcity.cfm?id=395492003
"A CERTAIN HG Wells came up with the idea first: invent a fancy machine,
step inside, press a few buttons and before you ask what the time is,
you’re drinking tea with the ancestors."
Senators call for probe of Guard incident
By David Mace
Barre-Montpelier Times Argus
http://timesargus.nybor.com/Story/63270.html
"Some Vermont senators are calling for a legislative investigation into an
allegation that some teens recently cursed at and threw stones at a
uniformed off-duty Vermont National Guard member in a store parking lot."
"Granny Get Your Gun"
by Marv Essary
ChronWatch
http://www.chronwatch.com/editorial/contentDisplay.asp?aid=2175
"Here's a delightful news item sent our way by Sandra Sparkman, niece of
our publisher. The story is reported to be true, and is not an urban legend."
Triathlete-in-Iraq war tale becomes Internet sensation
By Timothy Carlson
Inside Triathlon
http://www.insidetri.com/news/fea/1465.0.html
"It beat April Fools Day to the punch by a week, although it trailed Orson
Welles' hysterical radio hoax of an alien invasion, War of the Worlds, by
65 years."
Occult link investigated in slaying, organ theft
By Thomas J. Gibbons Jr.
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/5562974.htm
"It was a death so bizarre that veteran city Homicide Division detectives,
some with more than 30 years' experience, couldn't remember a similar case."
Mutilation Murder Probed
KYW-TV
http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_094174730.html
"Philadelphia police have called in a specialist in crime scenes and the
occult to help them solve the bizarre murder of a 60-year-old-man."
Now, SARS hysteria becomes an epidemic
Agence France-Presse
<http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?articl\
e_oid=12987721&category_oid=-20609&page_no=1>
"Fear of the SARS virus is becoming a more dangerous epidemic than the
disease itself, commentators and academics warned Friday."
In Chinatown, an Outbreak of Fear
By SUSAN SAULNY
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/04/nyregion/04CHIN.html
"Chivy Ngo found himself in the awkward position this week of hearing the
details of his own demise, a horrible death that was said to have happened
on Monday after a lost battle against SARS, the mysterious, sometimes fatal
respiratory disease."
Callers deceiving families with news of military deaths
by ANNE T. DENOGEAN
Tucson Citizen
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/4_4_03hoaxes.html
"Cruel hoaxsters are preying on military families with false calls
reporting that the deployed service member is missing in action or dead."
Missing blueprints found (of course) in a secret drawer
By JANIS MACKEY FRAYER
Toronto Globe & Mail
<http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030405/RJANI/TPBu\
siness/TopStories>
"The long-lost blueprints for an invention that could have revolutionized
the auto industry have been found in the secret compartment of an old tool
box."
Oil industry suppressed plans for 200-mpg car
By Simon de Bruxelles
Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-2-629399,00.html
"THE original blueprints for a device that could have revolutionised the
motor car have been discovered in the secret compartment of a tool box."
Hoax victims need to grin and bear it
by James Coates
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0304050123apr05,0,3769742.column
"One of your recent columns mentioned hoaxes that get the receiver to
delete the teddy bear logo. It happened to me. I got rid of Java Debugger;
I even emptied the Recycle Bin. Can I get it back? I have a new Compaq with
Windows XP Home Edition."
Cruel April Fool’s
By Brian Braiker
NEWSWEEK
http://www.msnbc.com/news/896054.asp?0cv=KB20&cp1=1
"The phone rang last Tuesday at the Michigan home of a military family.
When a loved one is deployed overseas, fighting in a war with flashes of
sheer brutality, every ring can be torture. In this case, the worst seemed
to have happened. With only rudimentary English skills, the mother
struggled to understand what the Red Cross representative on the other end
of the line was telling her—it sounded like her baby boy had been killed."
Red Cross warns of cruel hoax
By JOHN WRIGHT
Murray Ledger & Times
<http://www.communitypapers.com/MURRAYLEDGER/myarticles.asp?P=788345&S=548&PubID\
=13088>
"During wartime, the good in people is what is mainly exhibited. In recent
days, though, it has become obvious that those with the worst of intentions
also have a way of rearing their ugly heads."
Bill Gates hoax hits Korean market
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2916135.stm
"There's nothing like the internet for making people look foolish."
Brown-Waite's name on war hoax
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK,
St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/04/04/Hernando/Brown_Waite_s_name_on.shtml
"On first glance, Nathan Cook thought the e-mail -- all in uppercase
letters, skewering President Bush -- was just another piece of junk."
The mystery of Gobbler's Rock
By George McLaren
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/8/033513-3318-108.html
"Rocks and trees are natural sights in the forest."
Signs land seven in court
By CLIFFORD JEFFERY
STURGIS JOURNAL
http://sturgisjournal.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2003/April/03-3319-\
news1.txt
"What started as an April Fool's joke involving bad grammar landed seven
people in jail Tuesday."
Men arrested for “All Your Base” prank
By Holly Doyle
WWMT
http://www.wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=468&template=breakout_local.html
"An April Fools joke has seven young men in Sturgis explaining a punchline
that the police say was no laughing matter. They put up signs that read
"ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US, YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE MAKE YOUR
TIME.""
Bottles and baboon tails
by NALINI NAIDOO
Natal Witness [South Africa]
http://www.witness.co.za/content/2003_04/14319.htm
"It's a story that has gained wide currency, fuelled by an almost primal
fear - that of being rendered helpless while burglars have free rein in
your house. The story is that of different substances used by burglars to
induce a state of deep sleep in occupants of the houses they target."
GANG ALERT ON RIFLE THEFTS
By LARRY CELONA and TODD VENEZIA
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/56181.htm
"National Guard troops protecting New York's transportation hubs are on the
lookout for Bloods and Crips street-gang members allegedly planning to
steal troopers' M-16 assault rifles as part of a bizarre initiation rite."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
Supplements, which are unregulated by the government, can turn your skin
strange colors.
And that's not the worst of it
by GABRIELLE GLASER
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/living/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/living/10493748992902\
80.xml
"For most of her adult life, Rosemary Jacobs has lived quietly as a
Montessori teacher in upstate Vermont. She attributes her lifestyle to her
appearance: Her skin, a strange blue-gray, is a tone seen generally only in
the recently departed. "Believe me, being gray affects your social life,"
she said."
Stars, studio in El Paso to film movie
by Leonard Martinez
El Paso Times
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20030405-96750.shtml
"El Pasoans should not be alarmed to see Army soldiers and their equipment
moving in and around the city with hordes of people appearing to flee in a
mass panic."
Public hospital pitches spa at locals, tourists
by Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
Bangkok Post
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/06Apr2003_news09.html
"Building on the burgeoning number of spas in Thailand, Chaophya
Abhaibhubejhr hospital in Prachin Buri is the country's first public
hospital which has assembled alternative medical treatments at its Thai
health spa centre."
Whole-istic medicine: being treated the traditional Chinese way
By MASAMI ITO
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20030406a1.htm
"Thanks to modern medicine, many diseases that were fatal a few decades ago
can now be cured. And with the decoding of the human genome, Western
medicine is on the verge of taking another mighty leap forward."
Time of the signs
By Jennifer Garza
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/story/6401462p-7353897c.html
"These are busy days for Pastor Nathaniel Wilson. He believes they may also
be his last."
Sister Helen Arnold, librarian, teacher
By LYNWOOD ABRAM
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/1852058
"Sister Helen Arnold, a former librarian and teacher in Catholic schools in
Houston, Galveston and Beaumont, died of cancer Sunday at Christus St.
Joseph Hospital. She was 73."
Inspirational program coming to St. Mary's church
Port Clinton News Herald
http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/news/stories/20030405/localnews/65740.html
"On Palm Sunday, April 13, St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church in
Marblehead will host an expert and inspirational program combining
historical, scientific and theological aspects of the Shroud of Turin. The
program will be presented by speaker and Sindonologist, studier of the
shroud, David M. Onesko."
'Left Behind': The Revelation Revolution keeps spinning
by Lucy Y. Her
Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/614/3802248.html
"Claire Torrey sometimes catches herself praying for Rayford Steele and
Buck and Chloe Williams as they match wits with the Antichrist."
Is anybody there?
by Phillip Inman
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,929555,00.html
"The psychic medium is a fairground cliché. She sits in her small gilded
tent, overly tanned and gilded in jewellery, a cross between a pirate and
an Indian goddess. But today the cliché is dead. Psychics have gone
mainstream: they work from offices, they pay rent, they pay tax (well, some
of them do) and they appear on primetime television, albeit largely cable
or satellite."
Creationism vs. evolution central debate behind rejection of textbooks
by Erin Hudson
Maryville Daily Times
http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/127192
"The Blount County Board of Education denied the adoption of three new
biology textbooks because they teach evolution but do not cover creationism."
Key 'Family' member gets 10 years in prison
by Peter Fimrite
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/05/BA295930.DTL
"The tearful mother of a child who died of malnutrition in the Marin County
home of the cultlike "Family" -- which subjected their 13 children to
beatings, forced fasts and neglect -- was sentenced Friday to 10 years in
state prison."
The Story of O: Life in and out of a political cult
by Kay Miller
Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/3796442.html
"On a sunny balcony in New Orleans, Alexandra Stein and her mother listened
to jazz and feasted on freshly fried beignets. Stein's mother had flown all
the way from London to vacation with her daughter."
The O. fits classic definition of a cult, expert says
by Kay Miller
Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/3799790.html
"People tend to think of cults as primarily religious, but the O. fits the
classic definition with its clandestine structure, charismatic leader and
all-controlling environment, said Janja Lalich, author of "Captive Hearts,
Captive Minds." Lalich is an assistant sociology professor at California
State University-Chico who has studied the O. She considers it a cult."
Cloning cult enters Lanka
by Farah Macan Markar
Sunday Observer [Sri Lanka]
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2003/04/06/new18.html
"Will Sri Lanka become the latest 'hub' for human cloning? Speculation
about an international cloning movement setting up base here has been rife
following the arrival of one of its officials, with 'setting up office' as
one of the tasks on his agenda. Kotaro Murakawa, a delegate of
International Raelian Movement (IRM) which claims to have cloned the first
human baby, is in Sri lanka ostensibly to oversee the Sinhala translation
of 'The Message Given To Me By Extra Terrestrials' by Thomas Rael."
Lore of the jungle
by John van Tiggelen
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/04/1048962926036.html
"In a town where the men haul cane, women brew banana wine and the mayor
keeps a crocodile in his dam, Ron Hunt seems pretty much a regular Tully
bloke. Big hat, big ute, big gut, big handshake, big knife."
Heart Association Urges Federal Ban on Ephedra
By Guy Gugliotta
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23466-2003Apr3.html
"The American Heart Association urged the federal government yesterday to
ban sales of the herbal supplement ephedra, saying the dangers of using it
far outweigh any possible benefits it could have as a weight loss aid or
workout enhancer."
Citations filed in 3-week-long resurrection effort
by DAVID L. TEIBEL
Tucson Citizen
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/4_4_03killeen.html
"The leader of a religious group that prayed over the body of a Union
Pacific Railroad supervisor for three weeks after he died has been cited on
suspicion of failure to report a death, police said yesterday."
FDA: Stop selling herbal products
By ELAINE HOPKINS
Peoria Journal Star
http://www.pjstar.com/news/topnews/g140527a.html
"A Peoria man has been warned to stop selling some herbal products because
their marketing implies they are "street drug alternatives," or untested
drugs."
Occult link investigated in slaying, organ theft
By Thomas J. Gibbons Jr.
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/5562974.htm
"It was a death so bizarre that veteran city Homicide Division detectives,
some with more than 30 years' experience, couldn't remember a similar case."
Mutilation Murder Probed
KYW-TV
http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_094174730.html
"Philadelphia police have called in a specialist in crime scenes and the
occult to help them solve the bizarre murder of a 60-year-old-man."
Bible codes and mysteries of faith
by Adam English
Dallas Baptist Standard
http://www.baptiststandard.com/2003/4_7/pages/comment_english.html
"Once you answer the call to ministry, something very strange happens at
birthdays and holidays. People start giving you wacky religious books: "The
Y2K Survival Guide," "Exorcising Demons with Holy Ghost Power," "The
Catholic Conspiracy," "The Late Great Planet Earth." They do this because
they know that, as a "man of God," you are now interested in all things
supernatural and paranormal. You will need pulpit material, they say.
Ironically, the same people who give you these essential tools for
preaching will warn you about the brainwashing effects of going to seminary."
A peek into Perak's royal house of horrors
Straits Times
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,181496,00.html
"The court was given a peek into the supernatural beliefs and practices of
a Perak royal family in the ongoing trial of the murder of a prince's
second wife, who was killed last October."
Championship in the cards
By MIKE LOPRESTI
Gannett News Service
http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/04/05/spt_wwwncaa2b5.html
"With the deadline imminent for my Final Four predictions, and my bracket
already smelling worse than the French Quarter, I decided to consult the
highest basketball authority available."
Search continues for Japanese visitor
By Trace Christenson
Battle Creek Enquirer
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20030404/localnews/54059.html
"More than two months after Yuji Harada disappeared, searchers found no
clues during a search Thursday."
Suspect list narrows in Emily Stuart murder case
By Jennifer Potash
Princeton Packet
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1091&dept_id=425695&newsid=7606246&PAG=46\
1&rfi=9
"After 14 years, investigators say they are making progress and appeal to
public for help."
Court acquits 'satanic' youths
News24 [South Africa]
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,6119,2-11-1447_1343328,00.html
"An appeal court in Morocco has acquitted 11 youths and reduced the
sentences pronounced against three others for "acts against Islam" in a
controversial case that linked heavy metal music to satanism."
SCI FI Gets Real
Sci Fi Wire
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-sfc.html?2003-04/02/13.00.sfc
"The SCI FI Channel unveiled a new slate of "alternative reality" programs
that deal with psychic investigation, science-fact documentaries and a
candid look at life on Mars. The reality series are all in development. A
full list follows."
Hot, sweaty and scandalous
By Nora Isaacs
Salon
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2003/04/04/bikram/
"Kim and Mark Morrison thought they had achieved small-business nirvana.
Eight years after Kim borrowed $25,000 to open a tiny yoga studio in Costa
Mesa, Calif., it has grown into a bustling enterprise that employs 12
instructors and offers 40 classes a week in several styles of yoga. After
years of working long hours, and investing more than $100,000 in expensive
renovations, the Morrisons' venture, Yoga Studio Costa Mesa, has become
more than just a place to bend and stretch. The studio -- with its
meditation room, yoga programs for kids and pregnant women, spaces for baby
showers and weddings -- has become the nexus of a small but devoted community."
Where Does the White Buffalo Roam?
By Mark Eddington
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03312003/utah/utah.asp
"He may be white, but this Juab County star is hardly white bread."
The mystery of Gobbler's Rock
By George McLaren
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/8/033513-3318-108.html
"Rocks and trees are natural sights in the forest."
Vegans guilty on all counts for malnourishing baby
By Harriet Ryan
Court TV
http://www.courttv.com/trials/swinton/040403_ctv.html
"A jury in Kew Gardens, N.Y. convicted a vegan couple of nearly starving
their baby to death with a strict diet that the prosecutor described as "a
path to hell.""
What is the Holy Grail?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030404.html
"I like to read the Straight Dope columns on religious artifacts. You have
covered the Ark of the Covenant and a little bit about the Dead Sea
scrolls, and I would like to know about the Holy Grail. I wasn't born into
a Bible-reading family, so my knowledge of the subject is limited. I know
it was used by Christ at the Last Supper and was used by Joseph of
Arimathea to gather the blood of the fallen Christ. I want to know some
more of the details surrounding it, and what some theories are regarding
its location today. Also, are there still people searching for it?"
Unique foreteller with reverse palm technology
Central Chronicle [India]
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20030329/2903006.htm
"The United States and its allies will never be able to fulfil their dream
of catching Iraq President, Saddam Hussain. This efforts would further
decline the popularity of President George Bush. Moreover, both of them may
use Chemical weapons against each other."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Another urban legend leaves calling card
By Frank Herron
Syracuse Post-Standard
http://www.syracuse.com/living/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-1/1048\
930618169460.xml
"Don't worry about Craig Shepard. He's OK."
Pepsi says Gonzalez was wrong to kick its can
Fayetteville Observer
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=local&Story=5553735
"Pepsi officials are upset that Fayetteville City Councilwoman Juanita
Gonzalez asked the public last week to boycott the soda over something that
the company says is untrue."
Warchalking remains subject of technology-industry debate
By Chris Cobbs
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/6/032952-4976-031.html
"Warchalking has received lots of coverage in the tech media, and Web sites
are devoted to it."
Tall tales
By Stefanie Scarlett
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/5531763.htm
"So, these drunk guys are driving along a road in Australia when they hit
something. They get out and find a kangaroo lying on the ground."
How hot dogs came to baseball
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-hotdog01apr01,0,3325082.story
"The frankfurter may date back to the 1400s, but hot dogs didn't become
synonymous with baseball until the turn of the last century. Visitors to
the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 consumed huge quantities of the
sausages. That same year, a St. Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, who also
owned the Browns baseball team, began serving them at ballgames."
Tunnels Connect Campus Buildings
By CHRIS MITCHELL
Cornell Daily Sun
http://cornelldailysun.com/articles/8251/
"Rumors abound about subterranean passages traversing various quads and
connecting buildings on The Hill. Regularly, "Uncle Ezra" answers inquiries
online about tunnels under the Arts Quad and various other points on campus."
Panic attack
By RICK BELL
CALGARY SUN
http://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/cs.cs-04-03-0014.html
"Fear. Scare. Scare. Fear. Howard May of the provincial health department
just loathes it when the press let loose with this lingo in stories on the
killer bug, the ominous SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a disease
with a long name and no known cause."
April Fools' Special: History's Hoaxes
By John Roach
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0331_030401_aprilfool.html
"At first glance, the headlines sound plausible: Shark leaps from ocean to
attack a hovering helicopter. Mild winter brings Swiss a bumper spaghetti
crop. Taco Bell Corporation purchases Liberty Bell from U.S. Government.
Alabama legislature votes to change the value of the mathematical constant
pi. But they are all lies."
Text Messages Quell Hong Kong SARS Rumors
By MARGARET WONG
Associated Press
<http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030403&Category=APF&\
ArtNo=304030809&Ref=AR&cachetime=5>
"When an Internet story that Hong Kong was designated as an "infected city"
sent new fears about Asia's mystery illness through the area, authorities
used a fast and simple way to quell the rumor - they sent a blanket text
message to about 6 million mobile phones."
Story of Stanford
By KRISHAN KALRA
The Statesman [India]
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=3&id=33128&usrsess=1
"But for a quirk of fate, a tragic death, some very insistent parents who
wanted to erect a memorial to their young son, and the fact that a certain
very important man was, well, just doing his job, the great Stanford
University in California may have never come up."
STANFORD STORY-I
By ARKADEV CHATTERJEA
The Statesman [India]
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=10205
"A “story” of the founding of Stanford University has been circulating in
cyberspace for over five years. The story carefully blends facts with
fiction and is fun to read. The tale seemed so plausible that at one point
Stanford University acknowledged its existence in its official website and
then dismissed it as a hoax."
An urban legend goes sour
by Jim Heffernan
Duluth News Tribune
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthtribune/5517211.htm
"Many years ago in this column I attempted to track down an urban legend.
It was the one that surfaces every few years about the person whose cat
dies or is killed and the owner is taking it someplace to dispose of it."
Duluth buzzes with a rumor
by Chris Julin
Minnesota Public Radio
http://news.mpr.org/features/2003/04/01_julinc_warrumor/
"Jim Heffernan works on the editorial page at the Duluth News-Tribune. He
deals with the letters to the editor."
Pyramid Scheme Victims Can Begin Filing Claims for Money
KNBC
http://www.nbc4.tv/money/2072828/detail.html
"Victims of a Panorama City-based pyramid scheme that bilked primarily
Hispanic investors out of millions of dollars can begin filing claims for
reimbursement, prosecutors announced Friday."
Pyramid-style fund promoted at parties
Liverpool Daily Post
<http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=\
12793368&method=full&siteid=50061>
"TELEVISION presenter Cilla Black has urged people not to get involved in a
get-rich scheme after she "naively" found herself attending parties to
recruit would-be investors."
Odessa restaurant bankrupt: Files under Chapter 11; owes Dedham $24K in taxes
By Sarah MacDonald
Waltham Daily News Transcript
http://www.neponsetvalleydailynews.com/news/local_regional/dedh_odessa04032003.h\
tm
"The owner of a local Ukrainian restaurant has filed for bankruptcy, but
the restaurant remains open for business."
No fine or jail over faked death that cost police $100,000
By Les Kennedy
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/03/1048962881588.html
"When Dane Colson was extradited from Melbourne after faking his own
murder, police put the cost of the five-month investigation at almost
$100,000."
April Fuel fee to help reduce city congestion
Cambridge News
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/search/dispstory2.asp?id=10151&db=1
"MOTORISTS will find themselves having to pay an extra £20 for a trip into
Cambridge as part of what has been dubbed an April Fuel Day experiment."
Were you fueled?
Cambridge News
http://w3.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/story.asp?StoryID=10258
"GOTCHA! Don't get hot under the collar about the April Fuel story we ran
on Tuesday – it was an April Fool joke."
Package Of Bones Arrives At Rep. Brown-Waite's Office
By ANDY REID
Tampa Tribune
http://news.tbo.com/news/MGA1HLQBZDD.html
"A German magazine's Bones For Peace campaign could be to blame for a
smelly package received by U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown- Waite."
Florida congresswoman's e-mail account hacked with anti-war message
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030403/ap_wo_en_po/na_gen_u\
s_congresswoman_hacked_2>
"A hacker broke into a congresswoman's e-mail account and used it to send a
message condemning President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq, her office
said."
Cubs year not here: goat curse lives on
by Justin Noel Shimko
Oklahoma Daily
http://www.oudaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/03/3e8bb794b47c2
"Every year the same group of fans gear up for what they call "their year."
Fans of the Chicago Cubs baseball team think the right pitcher, the perfect
slugger and the best formula is in place for a run at the World Series."
Strange black 'cat' caught!
By Jason Carr
WJRT
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/news/040103_NW_da_dog.html
"Local authorities and animal experts are baffled by the capture of a wild
animal, the origin of which is unknown. ABC12's Jason Carr had this
stunning news."
Klan rally in North Port?
by Amy Oshier
WBBH
http://www.nbc-2.com/News/stories/040103-klanrally.shtml
"An April Fool's prank turned out to be anything but harmless Tuesday when
a sign popped up in North Port announcing a rally for a white supremacist
group. It caught cops off guard and put residents on guard."
Comedy Network pulls April Fool's joke on press
Canadian Press
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1049259034364_91/?hub=Entert\
ainment
"The Comedy Network announced in a news release some time ago that it was
remaking an early '70s sitcom called The Trouble With Tracy, which some
have called the worst Canadian TV program ever."
File-Trading Hoax Snares Victims
By Katie Dean
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,58319,00.html
"An executive who claimed to have developed a file-trading service that
intentionally flouted copyright protection laws revealed Wednesday that he
made the whole thing up for a laugh -- and to sell a book."
P2P site changes its story
By Sandeep Junnarkar
CNET
http://news.com.com/2100-1024-995396.html
"A self-proclaimed file-sharing venture that had received attention in the
press as a Napster-like threat to copyright holders has apparently made an
abrupt change of course."
Peer-to-Peer Service Revealed as a Prank
by Joris Evers
IDG News Service
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110106,00.asp
"Internet users hoping for a rush of new file-swapping services have been
tricked. A February announcement from a Dutch company promising a platform
for such services turns out to have been an April Fools' Day joke."
Will the real David Rhodes stand up?
by Tony Levene
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,924653,00.html
"It is the most famous chain letter ever and promises a recipe that turns a
£10 note and around £80 worth of stamps, envelopes and paper into £40,873
profit within weeks. It is sent out by David Rhodes from Norfolk, who
claims he was "deep in debt in September 1997" when he lost his job, his
home, and his car. He now boasts wealth of £582,710."
Nigerian swindle leads Winona man to jail
By Jerome Christenson
Winona Daily News
http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2003/04/01/news/1swindle.txt
"Winona District Court Judge Lawrence T. Collins sentenced Carl Fratzke
Jr., 59, 412 W. Fifth St. president of Fratzke Sales, to 20 years probation
with a three-year, three-month prison sentence hanging over his head, a
$30,000 fine and ordered him to serve up to a year in the county jail for
swindling $207,000 from seven friends and bouncing a $49,259 check at a
local business to send to the Nigerian con men who promised him millions
through the mail."
Life ban for adviser over Nigeria scam
By Kirsty Needham
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/01/1048962754666.html
"A financial planner who took $700,000 of his clients' money and sent it
overseas to a Nigerian letter scam has told the corporate watchdog he will
cease acting as an investment adviser."
New 419 e-mail scams move to Iraq
Silicon.com
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-994970.html
"Fraudsters attempting to perpetrate the infamous 419 scam have updated
their pitch to include a topical war angle--hoping it will give a new lease
of life to their well-known crime."
Elusive alligator subject of park search
by Emily Bowers
Victoria Times Colonist
<http://www.canada.com/victoria/news/story.asp?id=%7B75972C37-5FDE-47D2-9326-801\
F10CFCD94%7D>
"A reported sighting of a nearly one-metre-long alligator in a Colwood park
sparked a two-day search for the creature this week, but despite the
efforts of police, fire, SPCA and city officials, no reptile was found."
Jersey ghosts are a shore thing
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
Associated Press
http://newsobserver.com/features/story/2391690p-2227736c.html
"A woman known only as Emily doesn't have a room at the Flanders Hotel in
Ocean City. But workers say she spends a lot of time on the premises anyway."
Myth about U.S. war duty runs rampant in Mexico
by Lisa J. Adams
Associated Press
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0329war-mexico29.html
"While polls show as many as 80 percent of Mexicans oppose the U.S.-led
military action against Iraq, the war has revived a common but mistaken
belief: If you fight for the United States, you can live there."
Local businesses punished by SARS rumours
by MIKE OLIVEIRA
CANADIAN PRESS
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_\
Type1&c=Article&cid=1035780135837&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037>
"The usually busy halls of North America's largest Chinese shopping mall
were nearly empty today as fears about the SARS outbreak, fuelled by online
rumours, continued to stifle sales."
Super-pneumonia or super scare?
By MICHAEL FUMENTO
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.naplesnews.com/03/03/perspective/d922370a.htm
""It is the worst medical disaster I have ever seen," the dean of medicine
at the Chinese University in Hong Kong told a prominent Asian newspaper.
This irresistible quote was then shot 'round the world by other media,
seeking desperately to hype the "mysterious killer pneumonia" or
"super-pneumonia." But a bit of knowledge and perspective will kill this
panic."
Icecream time! Rumours sow uncertainty in US ranks
By Matthew Green
Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30451502.htm
"They say an ice cream machine is on its way."
Rumor mill keeps Marines entertained
By NAHAL TOOSI
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/news/gen/mar03/129629.asp
"Jennifer Lopez was supposed to visit the Marines of the 6th Engineer
Support Battalion on a USO tour weeks ago. She didn't show."
Gnome sends news from abroad
Hermanus Times [South Africa]
<http://www.news24.com/Regional_Papers/Components/Category_Article_Text_Template\
/0,2430,486_1336009~E,00.html>
"Being the owner of a rather eccentric garden filled with gnomes and other
interesting garden ornaments, Mr Arthur Farnham of Main Road, Onrus has
become used to various items disappearing from his property from time to time."
Weapons of misinformation
by Diane Taylor
The Guardian [UK]
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,925908,00.html
"It's not that easy to find a British nursery school angle on the war in
Iraq, but the Times Educational Supplement managed to when it ran a story
recently headlined Pupils Get Trigger Happy."
Sex, Crackers and Subliminal Ads
By Eleftheria Parpis
ADWEEK
http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1852593
"When considering creative concepts for Chivas Regal's ad on the back cover
of Sports Illustrated's 2003 swimsuit issue, Brand Architecture
International played with one of the greatest urban legends in advertising:
subliminal messaging. In a magazine full of beautiful women in barely there
bikinis, what better way to entice the male target than to invite readers
to find a naked woman in a glass of scotch?"
Website Hoax on Killer Virus Triggers Hong Kong Panic
By Tan Ee Lyn
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=564&ncid=564&e=10&u=/nm/200304\
01/ts_nm/health_pneumonia_dc_154>
"A teenager's Web Site hoax about the killer virus sweeping Hong Kong
sparked panic food buying and hit financial markets on Tuesday, and the
government said it was placing more than 200 people into isolation camps."
Online hoax on Sars prompts HK panic buying
By Rahul Jacob
Financial Times
<http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=St\
oryFT&cid=1048313373847&p=1012571727169>
"Hong Kong was in a state of panic on Tuesday over the new deadly strain of
pneumonia, which has killed 63 people and infected almost 1,900 around the
world, after a hoax on a website prompted frantic buying in supermarkets."
Anti-milk campaign's Spanish translation hits sour note
By Noaki Schwartz
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-dmilkmar31,0,4708430.story
"The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has long relished
controversial ads to spread its message, but in an effort to reach out to
Spanish-speaking children, something got lost in the translation -- with
unintentionally lewd results."
Fake "war correspondent" has cover blown
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20030331/od_uk_nm/oukoe_iraq\
_swaziland_media>
"Listeners to Swaziland's state-run radio station thought it had its own
correspondent in Baghdad covering the war -- until legislators spotted him
in parliament at the weekend."
Brush monkeys reported in Upper Peninsula
BY ERIC SHARP
DETROIT FREE PRESS
http://www.freep.com/sports/outdoors/eric1_20030401.htm
"As if wolves and cougars weren't controversial enough, scientists in the
Upper Peninsula said Monday that they are getting an increasing number of
sightings of the UP brush monkey. The animal is Michigan's version of the
Yeti of the Himalayas and the Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest."
Yellow blends with red, white and blue
By Mark Bliss
Southeast Missourian
http://www.semissourian.com/story.html$rec=105634
"Americans today count yellow ribbons as a patriotic gesture, but local
historian Frank Nickell says the tradition has more to do with an Irish
drinking song than a salute to troops."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Police unearth body in Wilkins
By Cindi Lash
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030315bodydig2.asp
"For nearly three years, her family and friends haunted the neighborhood
where she'd once worked, watched for her when they shopped at a mall and
even consulted a psychic on a television talk show."
N. Braddock man held in mother-in-law's killing
By Michael A. Fuoco
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_east/20030318arrest0318p1.asp
"Hours before family and friends paid their last respects to Lynda
McClelland yesterday, Allegheny County police took the first step in
prosecuting her son-in-law as the person who killed her nearly three years
ago."
Million-Dollar Psychic Challenge Awaits Brooklyn Girl
By MAX GROSS
FORWARD
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.04.04/news15.html
"It will be the rematch of the year."
Vegan Mom Takes The Stand
By Herbert Lowe
New York Newsday
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/crime/nyc-veg0329,0,5270371.story
"A vegan mother told a Queens jury Friday that "knowing what I know now"
she would not have fed her daughter a diet that lacked protein and calcium
and left the child weighing 10 pounds at age 15 months."
Recklessness at issue in vegan couple's child starvation case
By Harriet Ryan
Court TV
http://www.courttv.com/trials/swinton/040203_ctv.html
"As they began deliberations Wednesday, jurors in the case of a vegan
couple accused of nearly starving their daughter to death, could pore over
hundreds of pages of hospital records, examine family snapshots and debate
the accounts of many witnesses who testified during the three-week trial."
Complementary and alternative medicine: A public forum
Pittsburg Morning Sun
http://morningsun.net/stories/032903/agr_20030329040.shtml
"A news report about concerns with a dietary supplement catches your
attention. Two months ago in an effort to lose weight you started taking
this dietary supplement recommended by your friend. Over the first week
you've felt some nausea and abdominal pain. Perhaps it's the flu. Is it
possible that your symptoms are due to this dietary supplement? Having lost
12 pounds, you want to keep using it, but are uncertain if you should."
ALS treatments questioned by FDA
By DAVID WAHLBERG
Cox News Service
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/coxnet/headlines/0329_als.html
"A doctor who gave experimental blood treatments in Atlanta to patients
with ALS -- or Lou Gehrig's disease -- is under investigation by the Food
and Drug Administration for not seeking the agency's approval and allegedly
overselling the promise of the procedure."
Springs plan not popular with residents
by Bill DeYoung
North Port Sun
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/033103/tp7ew11.htm?date=033103&story=tp7e\
w11.htm
"More than 12 centuries ago, Warm Mineral Springs was the site of
life-or-death struggles between prehistoric man and the likes of
saber-tooth cats."
Animals may benefit from positive energy
By Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/s_126773.html
"Some medical research suggests that having pets can reduce a person's
blood pressure and stress, and nourish a more heightened sense of well-being."
Best anti-aging tool is the mind: health guru
by Sue Pratt
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
<http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/story.asp?id=%7B4726FEC1-C001-4404-\
8A4A-D6306125F506%7D>
"Forget anti-wrinkle creams and botox treatments. The key to slowing the
aging process starts with an injection of positive attitude, according to
one of the world's most famous wellness gurus."
Homeopathy Same as Placebo for Kids with Asthma
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=4&u=/nm/2003040\
2/hl_nm/asthma_homeopathy_dc>
"Homeopathic remedies offer no additional benefit above and beyond the
traditional inhalers and steroids given to children with asthma, according
to researchers in the United Kingdom."
Armageddon? Some say war means end is near
By RICK LAVENDER
Gainesville Times
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20030330/localnews/21521.html
"Evalou Kelley knows her views will be scoffed at and even criticized."
The time was right
By John Anastasi
Philadelphia Intelligencer
http://www.phillyburbs.com/intelligencerrecord/article1.asp?F_num=1503763
"David Montaigne's book, "Nostradamus World War III, 2002" finally found a
publisher immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks. Now, it's getting a
great deal of attention."
Nostradamus' prophecies examined
Philadelphia Intelligencer
http://www.phillyburbs.com/intelligencerrecord/article1.asp?F_num=1508000
"David Montaigne did extensive research on the facts. You might find some
of it surprising."
3 end-days scholars offer their interpretations of Christian apocalypse
By Joe Chapman
Amarillo Globe-News
http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/033003/rel_3enddays.shtml
"Frank Keplar's vision is familiar to him: A blond man and a black-haired
man. The black-haired man is on all fours eating grass growing between the
rocks at the beginning of a bridge. In the vision, Keplar asks the man why
he's eating the grass, but he doesn't get an answer."
Korea's 'lucky' triplets seized
Sunday Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6206548%255E663,00.htm\
l
"ALL triplets in North Korea are being forcibly removed from parents after
their birth and dumped in bleak orphanages."
Skeptics, believers meet with the medium
By Sheila Rayam
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/news/0331story12_news.shtml
"A funny thing happened to Ann Maid when a pal dragged her to a psychic
reading in the late 1980s."
Of history, slaves and ghosts
By AARON KEIRNS
Coshocton Tribune
http://www.coshoctontribune.com/news/stories/20030403/localnews/50657.html
"George W. Adams was very proud of the magnificent mansion he built near
Dresden in 1856. He named his new home "Prospect Place.""
Hearing To Probe Pol's Denial That Nazis Persecuted Gays
By AMI EDEN
FORWARD
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.04.04/news14.html
"The Minnesota state legislature is set to hold an ethics hearing next week
concerning one Republican member's repeated claims that homosexuals were
not persecuted by the Nazis."
Bill Nye christens new wing of Sciencenter
By JESSICA KELTZ
Ithaca Journal
http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/stories/20030402/localnews/38523.html
"Motorists passing by the Sciencenter on Route 13 Tuesday afternoon might
have wondered what all the fuss was about when they saw more than 100
people gathered in the pouring rain and sleet."
Little Pebble sex charges
By LISA CARTY
Illawarra Mercury
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/articles/2003/04/02/1048962786251.html
"A DISTRESSED woman yesterday told a court how her mother had approved of
her having a sexual relationship with a religious cult leader when she was
just 14 years old."
York's wife pleads guilty
By Stephen Gurr
Athens Banner-Herald
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/040203/new_20030402067.shtml
"The wife of convicted child molester and cult leader Dwight ''Malachi''
York pleaded guilty to a felony charge Tuesday in federal court."
Nuwabian Woman Pleads Guilty
Associated Press
http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.asp?storyid=29909
"A woman facing state child molestation charges in Putnam County has
pleaded guilty to knowing about incidents of sexual abuse and not reporting
them."
Is This Hair Treatment Just a Tease?
By Robert Cooke
New York Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-dssupp3200739apr01,0,6117769.story
"THE PRODUCT AND WHAT IT'S MARKETED FOR: The Avacor hair system is
advertised as a three-treatment regimen aimed at the problem of hair loss.
It consists of organic herbal tablets to be taken twice daily, a "deep
cleansing shampoo" and a "topical solution" that is applied next.
Advertisements have appeared on television, radio, in the Sunday newspaper
supplement Parade and on the Internet."
Herbal not necessarily natural in process
by Diane Evans
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/5530405.htm
"Would you take an herbal supplement if you knew that it might contain even
a minuscule amount of residue from an industrial chemical solvent --
possibly the same kind of solvent you'd find in nail polish?"
St. Joseph's embraces 'Our Lady'
By Marty Bodwicz
Huntington Herald
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1346&dept_id=433113&newsid=7595601&PAG=46\
1&rfi=9
"Parishioners gathered for the blessing and dedication of the portrait of
Our Lady of Guadalupe Thursday at St. Joseph's Church in Shelton."
Homeopathy 'useless' for asthmatic kids
South African Press Agency
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw1049271301829B251&set_id=1
"Homeopathic treatment has no effect on childhood asthma a disease that is
attaining near-epidemic proportions in the developed world, according to a
study published on Tuesday in the specialist British journal Thorax."
Strange black 'cat' caught!
By Jason Carr
WJRT
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/news/040103_NW_da_dog.html
"Local authorities and animal experts are baffled by the capture of a wild
animal, the origin of which is unknown. ABC12's Jason Carr had this
stunning news."
India guru brings message to Lebanon
by Hannah Wettig
Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/02_04_03/art3.asp
"The women in the row behind me breaths heavily as we have all been told.
“You are a fountain of Peace,” says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar."
Jewish Scholar: Holocaust Denial Poses Future Danger
By LINDA COMINS
Wheeling News-Register
http://www.news-register.net/community/story/042202003_com01.asp
"A prominent Jewish scholar and author believes the biggest threat posed by
those who deny the Holocaust is a future danger - when few Holocaust
survivors remain to speak the truth."
Is the CIA using psychics to find Osama Bin Laden?
The Western Mail [Wales]
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/page.cfm?objectid=12803156&me\
thod=full&siteid=50082>
"AUTHOR Lynne McTaggart, who has written a new book on the paranormal,
believes the CIA is using psychics to track down Osama Bin Laden. She said,
"As far fetched as it sounds, the CIA started a project during the Cold War
to see what uses the paranormal could have in finding information about the
Russians."
Some churches want schools to ban ‘Harry Potter’
by Natalie Missakian
New Haven Register
<http://www.newhavenregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7550494&BRD=1281&PAG=461&d\
ept_id=7573&rfi=6>
"Saying "Harry Potter" makes witchcraft and wizardry alluring to kids,
members of several city churches want the popular children’s series banned
from school libraries and reading lists."
Religious activist seeks to remove children's books from schools
Associated Press
<http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-31065738.apds.m0769.bc-ct--\
harrmar31,0,1460109.story>
"A religious activist wants the Harry Potter children's books removed from
local schools, saying the series makes witchcraft and wizardry alluring to
children."
Think someone's staring at you? 'Sixth sense' may be biological
By CECELIA GOODNOW
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/115082_stare01.shtml
"If Rupert Sheldrake is right, at least seven out of 10 of you reading this
article have felt the prickly sensation of being stared at."
Psychic `sees' girl's murderer after more than 50 years
by Robin Turner
Western Mail [Wales]
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/page.cfm?objectid=12803154&me\
thod=full&siteid=50082>
"POLICE are re-examining the murder of a schoolgirl after more than
half-a-century because of claims by a psychic that she knows where the
killer lives."
Psychic warfare
By George Knapp
Las Vegas Mercury
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Apr-03-Thu-2003/21007160.html
"The last time the U.S. military was trying to paint a bullseye on Saddam
Hussein's surly mug, during the Gulf War, intelligence officials quietly
turned to a secret panel of "psychics" for information about his
whereabouts. History suggests the psychic spies weren't successful in
helping to pinpoint the Iraqi dictator--he is still alive, after all, or
was until recently--but the fact that the Pentagon would rely on psychics
at all during wartime suggests people in high places give some credence to
the potential power of mental abilities."
Pet psychic comforts people grieving over los
By SARAH CASEY NEWMAN
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
<http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/Entertainment/Home+&\
+Garden/54756FFB7524303A86256CF60075C35D?OpenDocument&Headline=Pet+psychic+comfo\
rts+people+grieving+over+los>
"WHEN Sonya Fitzpatrick speaks, however softly, animals seem to listen."
Enter the dome
By MARLA JO FISHER
<http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=32024§ion=TRAVEL&subsec\
tion=REGIONAL_TRAVEL&year=2003&month=3&day=31>
"The sign in front says "UFO Parking Only. All others will be towed.""
Bomoh tells court of casting out evil spirit
by Mimi Syed Yusof
New Straits Times [Malaysia]
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/20030402075127/Arti\
cle/
"An accused in the Hasleza murder trial told the High Court today that he
was asked by Raja Puan Muda Perak Datin Seri Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar
Shah to cure her of a santau (a spell cast on her by someone) by “killing” it."
Court told of idol that appeared in a bowl
by Jothi Jeyasingham
New Straits Times [Malaysia]
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/MM/Wednesday/National/20030402103921
"MORE recollections of black magic followed at the Hasleza Ishak murder
trial yesterday, when fourth accused Rahim Ismail told of how he saw an
idol not bigger than a palm appear in a white bowl while he was casting a
spell to rid the Raja DiHilir's palace of supernatural forces."
Decoding Bible's 'cryptogram'
by Ron Csillag
National Post
http://www.nationalpost.com/world/story.html?id=49A6AF5F-A64C-4031-AF96-C478FFBD\
D643
"Among the hundreds of meetings and briefings that took place in the
Pentagons bowels in the months leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, one
earned the fleeting disdain of The New York Times, whose columnist, Bill
Keller, sniffed that "several man-hours of valuable intelligence-crunching
time" had been "consumed [by a writer] who claims -- I am not making this
up -- that messages encoded in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament provide
clues to the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden."
Psychics seek the spirits of Castle Stuart
By Shirley Hastings
Inverness Courier
http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news.asp?storyvar=6532
"Big Angus is resolutely refusing to show — even at the prospect of TV
stardom — but other spirits were raised when a psychic school and a film
crew took over a haunted Highland castle this week."
Jersey ghosts are a shore thing
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
Associated Press
http://newsobserver.com/features/story/2391690p-2227736c.html
"A woman known only as Emily doesn't have a room at the Flanders Hotel in
Ocean City. But workers say she spends a lot of time on the premises anyway."
Telling Tales
by Nancy Nall
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/5525114.htm
"Neil Armstrong has spent the almost 34 years between July 20, 1969, and
today proving that the first man to walk on the moon might also be the
solar system's most self-effacing one. He has given only a few interviews
in the intervening years, and while not exactly a recluse, he has lived an
extremely private life far from the world's media spotlight."
Author uses ‘witchcraft’ to explore area history
By Elizabeth Kenny
Portsmouth Herald
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03312003/maine/20525.htm
"Historian Emerson "Nad" Baker said no one from Salem State College is
surprised when he tells them he went on sabbatical to write a book about
witchcraft."
Straight and crooked
The Star [Malaysia]
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/3/31/features/wind3103&sec=\
features
"IN popular Chinese ghost stories, vampires would hop along straight lines.
These vampires may hop to turn, but would have to travel in straight lines.
This reflects the Chinese cultural and feng shui belief that evil spirits
and forces travel in straight lines. To block them, a path, especially to a
house, should be crooked and winding. A bridge across a river should not be
straight but be in a zig-zag pattern. Alternatively, the straight path must
be fringed with protective devices. Western geomancers also believe that
“spirit” entities travel along straight lines, known as leys in Europe."
Harvard psychiatrist shares data on faith-health connection with Baylor
students
By TERRI JO RYAN
Waco Tribune-Herald
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/03/31/1049172508.00353.3\
976.5971.html
"Doctors aren't quite to the point of "read two chapters of Scripture, and
call me in the morning," but a visiting Harvard psychiatrist told Baylor
University students Monday that scientists continue to amass data
demonstrating that having a faith life is better for one's mental and
physical well-being than not."
Cloudbusting Means It Never Rains ... Or It Pours
By Irina Titova
St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/856/top/t_9110.htm
"It's hardly surprising that most self-respecting St. Petersburg residents
treasure their umbrellas so highly, as the city's climate has been a
problem since its foundation almost 300 years ago. The main problem is
precipitation: It rains in fall, drizzles in spring, snows in winter, and
not even a sunny summer day is immune from a torrential downpour."
Writer finds ghostly tales in Watkinsville
Athens Banner-Herald
http://www.athensnewspapers.com/stories/040203/boo_20030402011.shtml
"Kathleen Walls was sitting in the dining room of the Ashford Manor one
recent afternoon when nothing unusual happened."
Johnson out to prove Bigfoot is not a myth
By MARK FREEMAN
Medford Mail Tribune
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2003/0403/sport/stories/01sport.htm
"While Matthew Johnson cooked camp coffee for his two guests one morning
last October, a long, guttural roar from a half-mile away rattled the
otherwise hush Siskiyou Mountains around them."
Giganto pithecus predated Bigfoot legend
By MARK FREEMAN
Medford Mail Tribune
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2003/0403/sport/stories/03sport.htm
"With only samples of unidentified hair, footprints, the occasional
videotape and thousands of reported sightings to support them, most people
who study the Bigfoot/Sasquatch question all point to one large and
officially extinct primate from Asia as the creature most likely to be the
body under all that hair."
Could U.S. 666 Be a Highway to Hell?
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49331-2003Mar29.html
"New Mexico state lawmakers have set about exorcising Satan from the state
-- or at least from one of its highways."
Contact
BY CARLTON STOWERS
Dallas Observer
http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-04-03/feature.html/1/index.html
"It was a snow-covered December in 1995 when President Bill Clinton,
visiting Northern Ireland in support of the country's new and fragile peace
process, spoke to a large gathering that had arrived for a Christmas tree
lighting ceremony. The president opted to dismiss politics and keep the
mood of his speech light. At one point, he drew laughter as he referred to
a letter he'd recently received from a 13-year-old boy in Belfast."
Heavenly Hoax
BY CARLTON STOWERS
Dallas Observer
http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-04-03/feature2.html/1/index.html
"Long before there was the riddle of Roswell, Texas had its own strange
story of the crash of an unidentified flying object and the recovery of its
pilot. It happened in the Wise County community of Aurora, west of Fort
Worth--a decade before Orville and Henry Wright got their flimsy plane off
the ground."
Colonics fans feel better after a flushing
Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/news/cfp/4/tcolon27_20030327.htm
"It's not that Michelle Sobel loves talking about her colon. But she does
it anyway. Often. With strangers."
Sex, Crackers and Subliminal Ads
By Eleftheria Parpis
ADWEEK
http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1852593
"When considering creative concepts for Chivas Regal's ad on the back cover
of Sports Illustrated's 2003 swimsuit issue, Brand Architecture
International played with one of the greatest urban legends in advertising:
subliminal messaging. In a magazine full of beautiful women in barely there
bikinis, what better way to entice the male target than to invite readers
to find a naked woman in a glass of scotch?"
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Blarney From Beyond the Grave
By Timothy Noah
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2080776/
""Rising up from Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan," declaims a tribute to the
late senator from New York on the editorial page of the New York Times,
"Mr. Moynihan made his way to academia, which set him on a passionate
course into the world of politics." Daniel Patrick Moynihan loved to say
that he grew up in Hell's Kitchen, and during his lifetime, he got many
other people to repeat that claim."
Reformed con man smells a rat, rejects a windfall
By Edgar Sanchez
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/scam_alert/story/6338216p-7291443c.html
"Frank Milatzo, a former con man, thought he knew every trick in the book."
Be on Alert for Viruses, and for Hoaxes, Too
By J.D. BIERSDORFER
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/27/technology/circuits/27askk.html
"Virus alerts like the ones about SULFNBK.exe and Jdbgmgr.exe are sometimes
forwarded to me by well-intentioned friends. I often discover later that
the alerts were hoaxes. Is there a place on the Web where I can learn
whether a warning is legitimate?"
Oops! Kentucky tourism ad features New Hampshire bridge
Associated Press
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/087/region/Oops_Kentucky_tourism_ad_featu%3A.sht\
ml
"Want to see covered bridges in Kentucky? Visit New Hampshire."
April Fool jokers spin wicked Web
By Yukari Iwatani
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=857&e=13&u=/nm/oukoe_tech_april\
fool
"Did you hear about the genetically engineered whistling carrot that was
covered with air holes, so it whistled when it was cooked? How about the
hamburger for left-handed customers?"
Iowa Town May Make Lying a Crime
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=817&ncid=716&e=10&u=/ap/200303\
28/ap_on_fe_st/lying>
"Lying could be perceived as more than just a character flaw in this
southeast Iowa town. It could become a crime."
Those Wacky Editors at the Wall Street Journal Strike (Out) Again
By Rick Shenkman
History News Network
http://hnn.us/articles/1355.html
"According to the editorial writers at the Wall Street Journal, "The Senate
dealt America's wartime economy a blow ... by voting to chop President
Bush's tax cut proposal by more than half, to a maximum of $350 billion
over 10 years.""
Scheme operators to refund millions
Associated Press
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/business/5476238.htm
"Operators of what the government contended was an illegal pyramid scheme
have agreed to refund $20 million to investors, the Federal Trade
Commission announced Monday."
E-business firm settles with FTC
Reuters
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-993980.html
"An Oklahoma e-business firm has agreed to pay back $20 million to settle
charges it ran an illegal pyramid scheme that took in millions of consumers
across the globe, according to the Federal Trade Commission."
April Fools joke has no one laughing
By Scott Morgan
Windsor-Hights Herald
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7521103&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=42572\
8&rfi=6
"Reports of Councilman Richard Pratt's resignation from the Borough Council
turned out to be an April Fools joke. The trouble is, no one but Councilman
Eugene Sarafin is laughing. And Mr. Pratt is considering formal charges."
Mysterious Scribe Captivates Cyberspace With Baghdad Blog
By RACHEL KONRAD
Associated Press
<http://santafenewmexican.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2144&dept_id=509832&newsid=75332\
26&PAG=461&rfi=9>
"Every day, tens of thousands of people turn to the Web seeking updates
from a mysterious scribe whose detailed accounts of life in besieged
Baghdad have made him a cyberspace celebrity."
Jolie dress appeal a hoax
Ireland Online
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=65968640&p=65969346
"The appeal for the return of Angelina Jolie’s stolen Oscars dress has
turned out to be a hoax – she doesn’t even know the man who claims to have
designed it."
On computer or in community, knowledge is power
By JIM McDEVITT
Modesto Bee
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/community/story/6459944p-7404451c.html
"Recently, a good friend sent an e-mail warning me he had accidentally sent
me a virus."
'Libertine teens' just a myth, analyst says
by Bruce Ward
Ottawa Citizen
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/story.asp?id=345E42F1-1872-4A6D-8ED6-1C435AD17B1B
"Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, a sociology professor at the University of
Windsor, has a favourite cautionary tale about teenagers and sexuality."
The Return of the Hoaxers
BY JEFF ISRAELY
Time Europe
http://www.time.com/time/europe/eu/daily/0,13716,437691,00.html
"The all-clear has been sounded at the United States embassy visa office in
Rome, which had been closed to visitors since Monday after an envelope
received there was found to contain an unidentified white powder, sparking
a security alert."
Only 5% of child rapists convicted
News24 [South Africa]
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Aids_Focus/0,6119,2-7-659_1299353,00.h\
tml
"Child rape has increased by up to 400% in the past eight years, but there
is still only a 5% average conviction rate, national children's rights
group Childline says."
Mom makes insanity plea
By SHAWN ANKROM
Springfield News-Sun
<http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/03/26/1048739\
432.00353.7764.4901.html>
"A woman accused of faking cancer in her 7-year-old daughter to bilk this
sympathetic community of thousands of dollars has pleaded innocent by
reason of insanity to charges of assault and theft."
Parents, grandmother of 7-year-old girl plead innocent in faked cancer case
By JAMES HANNAH
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030326/ap_wo_en_he/na_gen_u\
s_faked_cancer_1>
" A mother pleaded innocent by reason of insanity Wednesday to theft and
child endangerment charges alleging she faked her 7-year-old daughter's
leukemia to obtain donations."
Mom in cancer scam enters insanity plea
By Shawn Ankrom
Cox News Service
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0327cancerscam.\
html
"A mother accused of faking a deadly illness in her 7-year-old daughter to
bilk a community of thousands of dollars has pleaded not guilty by reason
of insanity to several felonies, including child endangering and theft."
B.C. man charged in cancer scam
By Trace Christenson
Battle Creek Enquirer
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20030326/localnews/1252993.html
"A Battle Creek man who raised money more than a year ago for brain surgery
he didn't need has been charged with fraud."
Black farmers' case pulls crowd
by PATRICIA DEDRICK
Birmingham News
<http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xs\
l?/base/news/1048587386187860.xml>
"Hundreds of people here have paid $25 to sign up for a share of the money
the U.S. Department of Agriculture set aside to pay black farmers who were
unfairly denied loans."
Kenyan Breast Cancer Survivor Fights Stigma, Shame
By Henry Neondo
WEnews
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1267
"This year, the Kenya Breast Health Programmme received corporate
assistance for the first time."
What Does a "Thumbs Up" Mean in Iraq?
By Brendan I. Koerner
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2080812/
"Iraqis are giving passing Americans the "thumbs up" sign, which the troops
interpret as a symbol of support. But many veteran travelers insist that
the gesture is a crass Middle Eastern insult. How should coalition forces
take those skyward thumbs?"
As rumor has it, there is no panic
By John Grogan
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/5499588.htm
"No need to panic, folks, but Pennsylvania's rumor-control hotline, after
barely 72 hours in operation, has gone the way of the rotary telephone."
Cell-Phone Fires: A Lot of Static
By Elisa Batista
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,58188,00.html
"An Indonesian man suffered severe burns on his face when his cell phone
ignited a fire at a gas station in 1999, according to an e-mail message
circulating on the Web. That same year, the message claims, an Australian
man exploded when his cell phone rang near the gas pump."
The Greatest Myths, Hoaxes & Mysteries in Astronomy and Space Science
By Robert Roy Britt
Space.com
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/myths_hoaxes_030325.html
"Few scientific disciplines seem to generate as many mysteries and
falsehoods as astronomy and, by extension, the supporting space science
effort to explore the unknown. From alleged hoaxes and conspiracies to
unintentionally inaccurate accounts, there is plenty to debunk and correct."
Trio Pizza: We Deliver, Literally
By Brooke Adams
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03262003/wednesda/41790.asp
"Talk about pizza delivery!"
MPs cross over buns ban
ITN
http://www.channel4.com/apps26/news/news_story.jsp?storyId=962905
(See also
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,920373,00.html )
"A Tory MP has tabled a motion protesting at the ban in some schools of
hot-cross buns."
Movie Answer Man
BY ROGER EBERT
Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/output/answ-man/sho-sunday-ebert231.htm
(Fourth Item)
"Q. In an interview with Salon.com, "Irreversible" director Gaspar Noe
mentioned that the scene in the gay nightclub included a sound track that
consisted of "27 Hz of infrasound--a low frequency sound which the police
use to quell riots." Did you notice such an effect when you watched that
segment? What are your thoughts on the practicality of putting such a
difficult sound in the movie?"
Do camel spiders eat a camel's stomach until its intestines fall out?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcamelspider.html
"For the last few years, I've read things about the famed camel spider or
wind scorpion (Eremobates gladiolus) in the Middle East. From pictures I've
seen, it's a little bigger than your hand and very aggressive. Here's what
I've heard that I can't verify conclusively:"
Cheney's daughters not going to Baghdad
By Jennifer Harper
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030326-68526143.htm
"Vice President Richard B. Cheney's daughter is not going to be a human
shield in Baghdad."
Killer flu churns up online storm in Asia
By John Lui and Winston Chai
CNETAsia
<http://star-techcentral.com/cnetasia/story.asp?file=/2003/3/28/cnetasia/0,39001\
147,39122921,00&sec=cnetasia>
"A pneumonia-like illness which has claimed over 50 victims across Asia has
sparked a flurry of online activities in the region."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
Heaven Is Hell
BY ALLIE JOHNSON
Kansas City Pitch
http://www.pitch.com/issues/2003-03-27/feature.html/1/index.html
"All is not well in heaven. In Kansas City, Kansas, the United Nation of
Islam has lost the daughter of Allah, the Mother of Civilization. Moreen
Jenkins was to lead the faithful to heaven and teach them the divine
principles of mathematical thinking and the secret language of Allah. Under
Allah’s protection, it is said, the 144,000 chosen ones will weather the
Final Destruction of 2010 — a war against Satan that will rid the world of
the “negative” and its embodiment: the white race. The survivors will
inherit all of creation, traverse the universe in spaceships and never die.
Until then, the members of the United Nation of Islam are making their
preparations and striving to attract members. But Moreen’s abrupt departure
has shaken the foundations of the Quindaro-area colony that was supposed to
be heaven on Earth."
Coral Calcium: A Barefoot Scam
by Leon Jaroff
Time
http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,433084,00.html
"It may be one of the more successful scams of our age. Through books,
lectures, audiotapes and infomercials, Robert R. Barefoot has spread his
theory that a product he calls coral calcium provides "the scientific
secret of health and youth," as well as preventing cancer and a host of
other diseases."
God on the Brain
By Liz Tucker
BBC Horizon
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2865009.stm
"Controversial new research suggests that whether we believe in a God may
not just be a matter of free will. Scientists now believe there may be
physical differences in the brains of ardent believers."
Virgin Mary sheds tears of blood for Iraq
Daily Times [Pakistan]
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_22-3-2003_pg9_8
"Hundreds of Venezuelan Catholics are flocking to a small chapel in Caracas
where they say a Virgin Mary statue has been weeping tears of blood as a
peaceful message against the US-led war with Iraq."
Venezuelans say statue weeps before looming war
Reuters
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030319/80/dvts4.html
"Hundreds of Venezuelan Catholics are flocking to a small chapel in Caracas
where they say a Virgin Mary statue has been weeping tears of blood as a
peaceful message against a looming U.S.-led war with Iraq."
Company shows 'cloned baby'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2883161.stm
"A company claiming to have created the world's first cloned babies has
distributed a photograph of one of the "clones" for the first time."
Pleasanton veterans dowse for terrorists
By Matt Carter
Tri-Valley Herald
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86%7E10669%7E1268110,00.html
"As war with Iraq heightens fears of terrorist attacks, Pleasanton veterans
groups think they've found a way to address the threat: the ancient
practice of dowsing."
All eyes on the skies: UFO watchers to meet
By ERIN SMITH
Pueblo Chieftain
http://www.chieftain.com/wednesday/news/index/article/19
"Judy Messoline is signing up speakers for her UFO Watch 2003 to be held
Aug. 9-10 at the UFO Watch Tower north of here."
Faculty cult expert helps explain Smart case
by Devin Davis
The Orion [CSU]
http://www.orion-online.net/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/26/3e811eba7f2c1
"Elizabeth Smart is home safe. But as Professor Janja Lalich knows from her
own experience, the hard part isn't over."
UFO was ... cat
Aftenposten [Norway]
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=516591
"Most observations of mysterious flying objects in the sky are eventually
identified and explained, but the UFO and suspected meteorite over Lardal,
Norway got the highly unusual solution of being attributed to a cat."
Let’s get metaphysical
By SARAH LEMON
Medford Mail Tribune
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2003/0326/local/stories/03local.htm
"They’re hee-ere — the little green men are everywhere."
Cop crackdown on ‘godmen’
The Telegraph [Calcutta]
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030327/asp/calcutta/story_1810440.asp
"Met a godman promising a magic cure? Call the cops."
Skeptical professor tracks paranormal
By Joseph Szadkowski
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://www.washtimes.com/technology/20030327-51677057.htm
"Bob Carroll always knew he was a skeptic. His skepticism started when he
was young, with a disbelief in Santa Claus, and it has led the professor of
philosophy to spend more than three decades studying the psychology of
deception and self-deception, questioning most things supernatural and
paranormal and explaining the principles of sound logical reasoning to others."
Woman talks to audience about her visions
BY LEAH THORSEN
Lincoln Journal Star
http://www.journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=34589
"Patricia Gagliardo does not have psychic powers; rather, she says, she has
paranormal abilities."
Rutherglen UFO mystery
Rutherglen Reformer
http://www.inside-scotland.co.uk/lanarkshire/reformer/NEWS/sighting.html.html
"IN true X-Files fashion it’s a case that Mulder and Scully would love to
get their teeth into."
http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20030325.html
Study to Compare St. John's Wort, Rx Antidepressant
By Alicia Ault
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=571&ncid=751&e=2&u=/nm/2003032\
4/hl_nm/wort_depression_dc>
"The National Institutes of Health (news - web sites) (NIH) announced that
it is beginning a four-year study that will see how the herbal remedy St.
John's wort stacks up against a prescription drug when it comes to fighting
depression."
Local vet uses alternative methods to treat pets
By Deborah Rose
New Milford Spectrum
http://www.spectrum.newmilford.com/032803/pets.htm
"Sherry Levesque of New Hartford drives more than an hour to bring her cat,
Ginger, to a veterinarian in Bridgewater."
End times not a new revelation
By DON MUNSCH
Amarillo Globe-News
http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/032703/bel_notanew.shtml
"For some Christian denominations, the end times is serious business. For
others, the Book of Revelation is highly symbolic, not to be taken literally."
Religious leaders, scholars debate end-time prophecies of Bible
By Tony Lombardo
Iowa State Daily
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/28/3e83dc4bbf5e7
"The rampant popularity of novels about the end times -- such as the "Left
Behind" series -- has heightened the public awareness of the way some
Christians think about events as they happen in relation to biblical prophecy."
M.U.M.'s Hagelin plans "second government"
By Erik Gable
Fairfield Ledger
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1139&dept_id=142642&newsid=7492866&PAG=46\
1&rfi=9
"After three tries at running for president, John Hagelin is turning his
focus elsewhere: making his own government."
Cons say witness isn't down to earth
By Franci Richardson
Boston Herald
http://www.townonline.com/malden/news/local_regional/mal_newmonewtrialtppc032520\
03.htm
"Lawyers for two men convicted of a 1999 gangland style execution are
angling for a new trial after learning the state's star witness is an
alleged junkie who claims he was once abducted by sperm-stealing aliens."
Closing the book
By Marshall Allen
Pasadena Star News
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~22097~1273563,00.html
"The Worldwide Church of God will receive $3 million in a settlement of a
six -year legal battle with one of its splinter groups in exchange for the
rights to 19 books by church founder Herbert W. Armstrong."
The Core: Hollywood Fiction or Science?
by Chad Cohen
National Geographic Today
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0327_030327_tvcore.html
"Deadly asteroid impacts, reincarnated killer dinosaurs, alien invasions.
Just when you thought Hollywood had thrown it all at us, a fresh, new,
end-of-the-world scenario opens in theaters tomorrow—this time the action
is 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) below our feet in The Core."
Shuttle astronaut amuses Winnipeg students with tales of vomiting in space
Canadian Press
http://www.fftimes.com/index.php3/6/2003-03-27/13504
"There’s nothing like describing vomiting in space to get a teenager’s
attention for an important message."
ET fails to 'phone home'
By Helen Briggs
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2892269.stm
"Scientists have found no signs of alien beings after analysing radio
signals collected in the world's biggest distributed computing project."
Think peace
by DANA TIMS
The Oregonian
<http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouthwest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_southw\
est_news/1048683853194250.xml>
"Rick Hardt and David Fuerstenau sat wordlessly, side by side,
cross-legged, eyes closed. White sheets covered the double-stacked
mattresses on which they settled."
The angels descendeth to help
By IAN ROMBOLETTI
Bennington Banner
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/Stories/0,1413,104~8678~1266233,00.html
"For those who aren't satisfied by the way things are going in life -
whether, physically, mentally, or spiritually - Jane Glesne offers a
solution, with a little divine intervention, to get back on the right path."
Nixon files suit against maker of weight-loss supplement
Associated Press
http://newstribune.com/stories/032803/sta_0328030903.asp
"The state of Missouri on Thursday sued the Canadian maker of a popular
weight-loss supplement, accusing the company of false claims and
inadequately disclosing health risks associated with one of its original
ingredients, ephedra."
Missouri sues diet supplement company
By MICHAEL D. SORKIN
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
<http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/612D9CAFD5C23B2786256CF7\
0022C1F9?OpenDocument&Headline=Missouri+sues+diet+supplement+company>
"Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon on Thursday sued the maker of
Hydroxycut, a popular supplement marketed to dieters, athletes and students
as a safe and tested over-the-counter way to rapidly lose body fat."
Brothers admit to belonging to devil worshipping cult
The Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/28_03_03/art37.asp
"Mount Lebanon Investigating Magistrate Ali Ibrahim interrogated Wednesday
two of four suspects arrested over the weekend for allegedly belonging to a
devil worshipping cult."
Beverly Castle home to church, ghost tale
By Stephanie Gehring
Daily Southtown [Chicago]
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/seast/281seyt8.htm
"A three-story castle equipped with its own dungeon overlooks Longwood
Drive in Chicago's Beverly community, but no royalty lives there — nor did
they ever."
Great Caesars' ghosts!
By Vicky Wilks
South London Press
<http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0400lambeth/page.cfm?objectid=127\
86530&method=full&siteid=50100>
"SPOOKY things are going on at Caesars nightclub after a film crew
discovered the ghosts of gangster Reggie Kray and Ruth Ellis, the last
woman to be hanged in Britain."
Asahara again refuses to respond to questions by his own attorneys
By YUMI WIJERS-HASEGAWA
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030328a5.htm
"Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara refused again Thursday to answer
questions from his own lawyers, while victims of the cult's crimes called
for him to receive the death penalty."
Aum cult survivors and kin testify
Agence France-Presse
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,179746,00.html
"Relatives of the victims of gas attacks by the Aum Supreme Truth cult
vented their anger at the trial of its leader yesterday and demanded the
death sentence for him."
Cult victims' relatives call for death of leader
By Colin Joyce
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/28/wcult28.xm\
l&sSheet=/news/2003/03/28/ixworld.html>
"Relatives of the Aum Supreme Truth cult's victims confronted its leader in
court yesterday and demanded his execution."
Anguished family requests new trial
By Amy C. Rippel
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-locyurko27032703mar27,0,357\
2448.story
"An Orlando man serving a life sentence for shaking his infant son to death
is seeking a new trial, saying Orange County Medical Examiner Shashi Gore
blundered the child's autopsy -- including misidentifying the child's race
and age."
Cult church censured on drug ads
by Stephen Bates
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,922770,00.html
"A Church of Scientology advert claiming that its programmes had "salvaged"
250,000 people from drug abuse has been censured by the Advertising
Standards Authority as unproved, following a complaint by the Church of
England."
Scientologist drug claim on poster is censured
By Jonathan Petre
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/27/nasa27.xml\
&sSheet=/news/2003/03/27/ixhome.html>
"The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the
Church of Scientology, which stated in a poster that it had rescued 250,000
people from drug addiction."
Durbin pushes bill to restrict supplements
By LISA LIVERMORE
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
<http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/19B8C621EA197DF386256CF6\
00211F7E?OpenDocument&Headline=Durbin+pushes+bill+to+restrict+supplements>
"Sen. Dick Durbin called for new restrictions on makers of dietary
supplements Wednesday, a month after the high-profile death of Baltimore
Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler was attributed to ephedra."
Limits on ephedra advance
By Roger Miller
Bloomington Pantagraph
http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/032703/new_20030327008.shtml
"A new bill in the U.S. Senate would require manufacturers of dietary
supplements containing ephedra and other stimulants to prove their products
are safe before marketing them."
Only 5% of child rapists convicted
News24 [South Africa]
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Aids_Focus/0,6119,2-7-659_1299353,00.h\
tml
"Child rape has increased by up to 400% in the past eight years, but there
is still only a 5% average conviction rate, national children's rights
group Childline says."
Delray officer censured for poor records
By Dani Davies
Palm Beach Post
<http://www.palmbeachpost.com/auto/epaper/editions/friday/south_county_e3384d5ae\
08e103c10a0.html>
"Police internal affairs investigators have disciplined a veteran officer,
once accused of protecting two local lawbreakers, for a comparatively small
misstep -- poor documentation."
Delray officer cleared in internal investigation
By Nancy L. Othón
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pinternal28mar28,0,6016966.\
story
"A police officer accused of fraternizing with a self-proclaimed psychic
and her husband, who were under criminal investigation, has been cleared of
those allegations in an internal affairs investigation released Thursday."
Richmond's Own Dr. Dolittle
by Colleen Curran
Richmond.com
http://www.richmond.com/locallife/output.cfm?ID=2433572&vertical=locallife
"Did you know Richmond has its very own pet psychic?"
Night blaze disrupts 25 businesses
By Elizabeth Kenny
Portsmouth Herald
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03252003/news/19437.htm
"Flames rose more than 40 feet in the air above 1039 Islington Street early
Monday."
Astrologer, author to read at Psychic Fun Fair
by Patti L. Darnell
Midland Daily News
<http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7488907&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id\
=472542&rfi=6>
"The word "psychic" can conjure up different images for different people.
The psychics who will read at the Psychic Fun Fair in Midland next week are
not, according to professional astrologer and author Maria Shaw, into Wicca
or voodoo. They are, she said, intuitives."
Dai turns his hands to healing
By Nick Hilton
Liverpool Daily Post
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/page.cfm?objectid=12777792&method=fu\
ll&siteid=50061
"THE big strong hands that once plunged into flying boots to save the cause
of Everton and Wrexham are today the instruments of natural healing Dai
Davies offers to the world."
Pseudoscience applied to scientists
By Peg Brickley
The Scientist
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030326/01/
"Life scientists who work on sensitive government projects could find
themselves hooked-up to polygraph machines in spite of continued criticism
of the science behind such lie-detector tests."
Deputies pursue tip on women
By Laura Bauer
Springfield News-Leader
http://news.ozarksnow.com/news/0325-Deputiespu-19939.html
"Barry County investigators acting on a recent tip in the decade-old case
of three missing Springfield women say they'll continue working the lead
even after a fruitless backhoe search of land south of Cassville."
Priest 'makes human sacrifice'
by Mahesh Pandey
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2892333.stm
"Police have arrested a village priest in the central Indian state of
Madhya Pradesh for allegedly carrying out a human sacrifice."
Kenyan Breast Cancer Survivor Fights Stigma, Shame
By Henry Neondo
WEnews
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1267
"This year, the Kenya Breast Health Programmme received corporate
assistance for the first time."
Mystery of the Min Min lights explained
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818193.htm
"An Australian neuroscientist claims he can conjure up the mysterious
Australian outback phenomenon of the Min Min lights, now that he has worked
out what causes them."
N.M. Wants to Take the 'Devil' Out of U.S. 666
By STEVE TERRELL
Santa Fe New Mexican
<http://santafenewmexican.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2144&dept_id=500281&newsid=74857\
75&PAG=461&rfi=9>
"The devil's association with a highway in northwestern New Mexico might be
coming to an end."
Vegan parents on trial for baby's severe malnutrition
By Harriet Ryan
Court TV
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=99&ncid=720&e=2&u=/ct/20030325\
/cr_ct/vegan_parents_on_trial_for_baby_s_severe_malnutrition>
"Silva Swinton and her husband, Joseph, followed a strict vegan diet in
their Queens home. They swore off meat and dairy products and existed on a
regiment of vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts."
The Greatest Myths, Hoaxes & Mysteries in Astronomy and Space Science
By Robert Roy Britt
Space.com
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/myths_hoaxes_030325.html
"Few scientific disciplines seem to generate as many mysteries and
falsehoods as astronomy and, by extension, the supporting space science
effort to explore the unknown. From alleged hoaxes and conspiracies to
unintentionally inaccurate accounts, there is plenty to debunk and correct."
Trio Pizza: We Deliver, Literally
By Brooke Adams
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03262003/wednesda/41790.asp
"Talk about pizza delivery!"
Is your dog's bark worth the bite?
By Paul Simao
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20030320/od_uk_nm/oukoe_bizf\
eature_dogs_language>
"If you're wondering why your pooch howls at the moon, growls at the
mailman or barks uncontrollably at squirrels, the answer may be only a
click away."
Are gorillas using sign language really communicating with humans?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030328.html
"What is the bottom line with Koko the gorilla's ability to learn sign
language? I know she only communicates through her handler, who seems to
engage in a great deal of subjective translation. I saw an excerpt in
Harper's Magazine of a supposed Internet chat with Koko a few years ago
that made me rather dubious that the gorilla was capable of any use of
language. Nonetheless, there is a strong perception out there that Koko has
learned to sign. What is the straight dope?"
US Marines ditch their unlucky Charms
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1048836242680B262&set_id=1
"As a rule United States marines like their candy, but like any rule there
are exceptions and the multi-fruit flavoured assorted Charms is definitely
out."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
3-day rescission law is urban legend
by Rick DeBruhl
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0324action24.html
"I love reading about urban legends."
Canadian psychologists shoot holes in hockey's home-ice advantage
by CHRIS MORRIS
Canadian Press
http://canada.com/sports/story.html?id=277D054D-B216-4D03-BED2-76D84E581DF7
"A group of Canadian psychologists is shooting holes in the dearly held
belief that home ice is a big advantage when trying to win a hockey
championship."
Clemens uncovered hoax -- by accident
BY LAWRENCE ROCCA
The Star-Ledger [Newark, NJ]
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/104840536343340.xml
"Roger Clemens speaks willfully and movingly about his family's experience
with the Vietnam War, to this day vividly recalling the emotional scene
when his older brother, Richard, learned he'd been drafted into service."
Islanders fall for distant lure of Nigeria scam
By Timothy Hurley
Honolulu Advertiser
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Mar/23/ln/ln14a.html
"Alexa Russell was genuinely touched."
Police have egg on faces after fiasco
by David Behrens
Bradford Telegraph & Argus
http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/bradford__district/bradford/news/BRAD_NEWS7.html
"Police have been forced into a humiliating climbdown after falling for a
crude internet hoax."
McDamages denied in UK
by Richard Colbey
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/story/0,3605,919050,00.html
"The cliche "compensation culture" is frequently used to deride those who
claim damages after suffering injury and, by implication, the lawyers who
represent them."
'419' con men sell off assets to repay their victims
by Nicki Padayachee
Sunday Times [South Africa]
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2003/03/16/news/africa/africa04.asp
"Two victims of a Nigerian '419' scam will be repaid the money stolen from
them."
Author claims to have solved mystery of Mad Gasser's identity
BY BROOKE JOHNSON
Mattoon Journal Gazette
http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2003/03/24/news/news03.txt
"Scott Maruna says he is ready to name names."
The phantom army
By Mark J. Price
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/5469906.htm
"U.S. war machines rumbled into position and stretched across the horizon.
A force of 10,000 soldiers was building."
Rebutting a Book's Claim of Tarnished Valor
By DAVID CARR
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/nyregion/23JEAN.html
"It is the World Trade Center fire that will not go out — the startling
assertion in a book about ground zero that some firefighters not only
looted stores there, but did so before the towers fell, even as severely
burned people fled the buildings and other firefighters climbed unknowingly
to their deaths."
My cuttings
by Laura Barton
The Guardian [UK]
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,920373,00.html
"On March 16 the Sunday Telegraph ran a story claiming several councils,
including Liverpool, had banned hot-cross buns from school canteens on the
grounds that they might be offensive to non-Christians. Matt Finnegan, 46,
is assistant executive director (media) for Liverpool city council."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
Debate Over The End Times Resurfaces With War
KLTV
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1192977
"Reverend Jerome Milton has been preaching about the "end times" long
before war with Iraq broke out."
War evokes biblical tales
By ADAM BOWLES
Norwich Bulletin
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/stories/20030323/localnews/1234660.html
"Ever since Israel became a nation in 1948, fulfilling a biblical prophecy
that the Jews would return to their homeland shortly before the return of
Jesus Christ, some Christians have been on an end-days heightened alert."
Famed end-times author to visit city
By Don Munsch
Amarillo Globe-News
http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/032303/rel_famedend.shtml
"Tim LaHaye wants to be remembered as a man who loved Jesus Christ and
wanted to share Christ with others."
They See Dead People (and Animals) on TV
By ANITA GATES
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/arts/television/23GATE.html?ex=1049000400&en=\
cca21d6d58d8a01a&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"The last thought that Diana, adored and tormented Princess of Wales, had
before she lost her life in the Alma Tunnel in Paris was about her
children. No big surprise there. Her next-to-last thought, though, was
"What a dirty place to die!""
Selling space-alien fiction as truth
By Steve Weinberg
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/features/booksmags/bal-bk.alien23mar23,0,832647.story
"Authors and their publishers who push books labeled "nonfiction" about
UFOs carrying aliens to earth - where the aliens then sometimes implant
foreign objects under the earthlings' skin and engage in a form of sexual
intercourse - ought to be publicly scolded. Instead, academics who should
know better, book reviewers, retail booksellers and readers themselves
allow the misleading "nonfiction" labeling to go unpunished. As a result,
those publishers who know they are selling lies for profit (or else are
employing editors deluded to the point of being psychologically unbalanced)
remain in business with no apparent adverse consequences."
New Mexico has new holiday to honor extraterrestrial culture
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030322/ap_wo_en_po/na_odd_u\
s_space_alien_culture_1>
"Believers in space aliens, rejoice!"
Space Case: House Vote Honors UFOs for Publicity Role in State
By STEVE TERRELL
Santa Fe New Mexican
<http://santafenewmexican.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2144&dept_id=414519&newsid=74605\
38&PAG=461&rfi=9>
"The last full day of the Legislature and the House was feeling spaced out."
Stalling Science
By LISA CHEDEKEL, KIM MARTINEAU And JANICE D'ARCY
Hartford Courant
http://www.ctnow.com/news/custom/newsat3/hc-lostscience0323.artmar23,0,4119822.s\
tory
"Last fall, Guanfang Shi's research at Rutgers University was paying off.
Working with "Eph" molecules, she identified a mutation useful in stopping
cells from developing into tumors - a finding that could help crack the
mystery of why cancer cells multiply out of control."
Iraq war generates predictions of Apocalypse
By Bill Broadway
Washington Post
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/5455497.htm
"Since Jesus said that only God knows the hour or day of the Second Coming,
preachers and self-appointed doomsayers have been trying to predict when it
will happen -- and watching the sun rise on another generation."
Revelation: Is It Divine Inspiration or Delusion?
BY PEGGY FLETCHER STACK
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03222003/saturday/saturday.asp
"Some Mormons expect God to provide a personal road map of dos and don'ts.
(Marry Sam and take that job in Omaha. Don't buy stock in Microsoft.)"
Ghost hunters gather
Associated Press
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=51595&format=html
"The second annual Pennsylvania Paranormal Conference drew ghost hunters
from all over the state to Gettysburg, a small community known for its
infamous Civil War battle - and the ghosts some say still haunt the
battlefields."
Think you've seen a ghost? Join this crowd
By Joe McDermott
Allentown Morning Call
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-5paramar23,0,5965993.story
"Ghost hunter Katherine Ramsland considers herself a real-life Fox Mulder.
Like the fictional FBI agent on ''The X-Files'' who investigated strange
events, she wants to believe."
UFOs, Bigfoot, ghosts, oh my
By Jennifer Vogelsong
Carlisle Sentinel
http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2003/03/23/news/news04.txt
"Sharon Miller doesn't tell many people about the evening she saw a UFO
hovering above her Dauphin County home in the late 1960s."
Groups clash over textbooks
By Alicia Gooden
Galveston County Daily News
http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=8816
"Global warming, fossil fuels, acid rain and the history of slavery in the
United States might sound like ordinary subjects for public school
students, but when it comes to adopting textbooks in Texas, they are
fighting words."
Stars stir Indian indecision
By Thrasy Petropoulos
BBC Sport
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/cwc2003/hi/newsid_2870000/newsid_2871500/2871589.st\
m
"Predictions ahead of the World Cup final will vary wildly but one set of
forecasters believe the outcome is already written in the stars."
Pope endorses saint's aerial ecstasy
by Richard Owen
Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-621560,00.html
"THE Pope has endorsed the cult of a 17th-century “flying monk”, declaring
St Joseph of Copertino to be “a model for our times”."
4 young men charged with belonging to devil worshipping cult
by Maha Al-Azar
Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/24_03_03/art18.asp
"Police have arrested four young men on charges of belonging to a devil
worshipping cult."
Dead heroes will help me win election
by David Leask
Glasgow Evening Times
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5013973.html
"A MEDIUM who claims he speaks to assassinated US President John F Kennedy
is running for Glasgow City Council."
Appeals court rules against area doctor
By Amanda Wardle
Nashville City Paper
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=213\
32
"The medical license of a Nashville doctor whose patient suffered adverse
physical symptoms after he treated her with unorthodox “alternative”
medical practices will not be reinstated, following an order issued by the
Tennessee Court of Appeals."
Take a scientific look behind myth of ESP
By Dr. Steve Olivas and Dr. Shawn Stewart
Nashville City Paper
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=12&screen=news&news_id=21\
325
"OK, it is time to address the subject that has been one of the most
requested topics of discussion for undergraduate psychology students and
people at parties since our profession began — extra sensory perception
(ESP). We can’t tell you how many students ask about it or which family
members swear they have it. But interestingly enough, ESP falls under the
professional umbrella of psychology. Many of you know exactly what we are
talking about — the visions, voices, or our favorite, the “I just have a
bad feeling” vibe. So what is this phenomenon we all know about but remains
in a shroud of mystery?"
Nuke pill sales heating up
By Rachel Brand
Rocky Mountain News
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_1831171,00.\
html
"Until three years ago, potassium iodide's main consumers were a handful of
survivalists, paranoiacs and nuclear-reactor employees."
A meditation on the way to wellness
By Marilynn Preston
Forth Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/living/5468752.htm
"Everyone knows it: The U.S. health system is sick. Although no one denies
the marvels and miracles of Western medicine, our system of caring for
patients is being seriously questioned."
College to test homeopathic hay fever treatment
by William Hermann
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0324evallergy24.html
"The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences is
looking for people interested in participating in a free clinical trial
using a homeopathic product for hay fever and allergy symptoms."
Zundel remains in custody in Ontario
By Andrew Matte
Forest Hill Town-Crier
<http://www.towncrieronline.ca/main/main.php?direction=viewstory&storyid=1900&ro\
otcatid=&communityid=3&rootsubcatid=>
"Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel remains detained in a Niagra-area detention
facility as officials figure out how to best deal with the controversial
man’s application for refugee status."
Zundel knows hate's reward
By Thane Burnett
Sun Media
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Law/2003/03/23/49495.html
"From up here in his chalet, where the Smoky Mountains remind him of
Germany's Black Forest, Ernst Zundel could have easily seen his enemies
coming. But, this time, he didn't."
TV show, book join debate about artifact
By RICHARD N. OSTLING
Associated Press
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=90600
"It “may be the most astonishing find in the history of archaeology,” says
Hershel Shanks, enthusiastic editor of Biblical Archaeology Review."
Reality or myth, Gulf War Syndrome still lingers
By Jason Spencer
Kinston Free Press
http://www.kinston.com/Details.cfm?StoryID=9962
"As the night sky above Baghdad lights up once again with fiery explosions,
effects of America's previous encounter with Iraq still linger more than a
decade later. The debate on Gulf War Syndrome likely will outlast a second
war as well."
The replacements for hormone-replacement therapy
By ANDRÉ PICARD
Toronto Globe & Mail
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030322/FCHORM/TPHe\
alth/
"In 1991, Marion Rogers, then 52, was hit with a series of health problems:
a breast cancer diagnosis, fibromyalgia and then menopause."
Psychics converge on hotel for expo
By MATTHEW HIGBEE
Middletown Press
<http://www.middletownpress.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7474074&BRD=1645&PAG=461&de\
pt_id=10856&rfi=6>
"While the rest of the economy sputters, these are boom times for psychics.
Or so it seemed at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center Sunday, where
400-to-500 people descended on the Mind-Body-Spirit Expo. Twenty dollars
got you 15 minutes with one of the six psychic readers stationed in the
hallway outside the vendors’ exhibition room. By early afternoon, the
waiting list was nearly an hour long."
Religions Have Rules on Divine Communications
BY PEGGY FLETCHER STACK
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03222003/saturday/40487.asp
"Catherine of Siena got instructions from God on how to advise the popes.
Joan of Arc heard voices telling her to lead the French army against the
English. Paul was struck dumb by a light-swathed Jesus on the road to
Damascus."
SCIENTOLOGY vs. SATANISM
Letters to the Editor
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/32673.htm
"Page Six claims a link between humanitarian, author and Scientology
founder L. Ron Hubbard and occultist Aleister Crowley ("Scientology: A
satanic link?" March 16)?"
Whether it's a landing site or not it offers a nice hike and beautiful view
By Carol Cohea
Farmington Daily Times
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1265820,00.html
"Whether you're a believer, a skeptic or undecided, Sunday's warm spring
sunshine made for a beautiful day for a drive, hike and tour of the
purported landing site of a spacecraft."
Project Twinkle' details explored
By Debra Mayeux
Farmington Daily Times
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1264091,00.html
""Confidential" was stamped on the yellowed and fragile military document
Bruce Maccabee held out for inspection."
Old courthouse eyed for UFO museum
By Debra Mayeux
Farmington Daily Times
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6574%257E1262061,00.html
"Questions surrounding the future of the old county courthouse here may
have been answered Friday when a panel of ufologists and researchers met
with the Aztec City Commission."
Patient vomits cedi-notes and stones
GhanaWeb
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=34415
"Doctors at the Ho District Hospital on Friday dismissed speculations
ascribing money and stones vomited by a patient at the hospital on Thursday
to the supernatural."
The Basics of Vastu
Better Homes & Gardens
<http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/lhj/story/data/RZ_TheB\
asicsofVastu_04012002.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/bhg/category/data/health.xml#\
>
"Vastu, an ancient theory of architecture from India, is commonly referred
to as the Indian feng shui, though it predates feng shui by thousands of
years. Vastu theory, which emphasizes the harmony of nature and one's
interconnectedness with the universe, is derived from the Vedas -- four
volumes of sacred scripture that form the foundation of Hinduism. While
vastu is based in architecture, it is also concerned with the proper
placement and arrangement of property, gardens, buildings, rooms, and
interior objects. Thoughtful placement and perfect balance of dwellings is
thought to bring health, happiness, and wealth to the occupants."
Test aims to link holy visions with brain disorder
By Dr. Raj Persaud
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20030324-91340900.htm
"Does the biological structure of our brains program us to believe in God?
Advances in "neurotheology" have prompted some researchers to claim they
can induce the kind of holy visions prophets may have experienced — even in
those who are not religious believers."
Some thoughts on new ways to critique alternative medicine.
by Chris Mooney
CSICOP
http://www.csicop.org/doubtandabout/cam/
"Here we go again: The federal government has put together yet another
advisory body on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) policy, and
once again, science-based skepticism seems to have been left off the
agenda. This time the offender is the Institute of Medicine, part of the
National Academies, which has created a committee to investigate the "Use
of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the American Public." The
panel will be studying issues such as the licensing of non-mainstream
health practitioners, but it will not bother to first "assess the safety or
efficacy of CAM products." What's the point, you might wonder."
Author claims to have solved mystery of Mad Gasser's identity
BY BROOKE JOHNSON
Mattoon Journal Gazette
http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2003/03/24/news/news03.txt
"Scott Maruna says he is ready to name names."
KGB chief ordered 4m soldiers to keep watching the skies for UFOs
by Nick Paton Walsh
The Observer [UK]
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,920058,00.html
"Yuri Andropov, the former Soviet leader and long-time head of the KGB, had
an acute personal interest in UFOs and ordered a 13-year programme that
required every soldier in the military to monitor sightings over Russian
territory, according to new revelations."
Science fiction
By Frank Kuznik
Prague Post
http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2003/Art/0319/featu1.php
"It's hard to miss the Astrological Pharmacy. The shop occupies a large
storefront a couple of blocks south of the glittery Andel shopping complex
in Smichov. Faded posters and a clutter of odd products in the window
promise cures for everything from headaches to lung cancer."
Brewers prepare to seduce young drinkers with wave of 'Viagra pops'
by Stephen Khan
The Observer [UK]
http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,920079,00.html
"Libido-boosting drinks will flood into bars this summer as young clubbers
are targeted with a potent new range of products that have been dubbed
'Viagra pops'."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Boycott Mideast Oil? It's Tough to Spot at Pump
BY TED EVANOFF
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03192003/business/39485.asp
"For nearly a year, an emotional stream of electronic mail has urged
readers in the United States to avoid buying gasoline made from Middle
Eastern oil."
Leaping lizards
by Candus Thomson
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/sports/outdoors/bal-sp.thomson16mar16,0,6617127.story
(Fourth Item)
"Western Maryland's down-home delegate, George Edwards, has finally found
the woodsy counterpart to the urban legend."
Poison perfume hoax still stinks
By LUCAS WALL
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1821301
"It's hard to kill a good urban legend, especially one that appears to have
been generated in the county attorney's office."
Hopkins legend just a tall horse tale?
By GORDON DRITSCHILO
Rutland Herald
http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/Story/62275.html
"In October 1886, Frank Hopkins won a 31-day horse race from Texas to
Rutland, coming in 13 days ahead of the other riders. Or did he?"
Living in Jesse James' shadow sometimes hurt
By Jack "Miles" Ventimiglia
Liberty Sun-News
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7415800&BRD=1452&PAG=461&dept_id=44870\
8&rfi=6
"Growing up with Jesse James as his great-grandfather never bothered
retired California Superior Court Judge James Randal Ross, 76, Orange
County, Calif."
Jerry Lewis 'irate' over Los Angeles radio hoax with Chirac
Associated Press
http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=1192468
"Jerry Lewis is more than a little ticked off at a radio station whose disc
jockey impersonated him in a conversation with French President Jacques
Chirac."
Welcome to the (new) Hotel California
By BILL KAUFMANN
Winnipeg Sun
http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/03/16/44474.html
"After years of desolate disrepair, they'll be living it up at the Hotel
California again."
Filings Describe Terror Hoax
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03202003/utah/39939.asp
"An ExxonMobil employee fabricated an assault by two Middle Eastern-looking
men Feb. 19 because he wanted to know how police would respond to a
terrorist threat, according to documents filed in federal court last week."
State Says It's Not Selling Motorists' Information
Associated Press
http://www.wcjb.com/news.asp?id=6515
"It's either a hoax or just a bad rumor that caught fire, but it's been
driving officials at the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
buggy over the past several days."
Experts caution filers to avoid scam tax preparers
By MARY DEIBEL
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
http://newsobserver.com/24hour/business/story/818588p-5793552c.html
"The decorated 1st Marine Division known as "the Old Breed" distinguished
itself at Guadalcanal, in Vietnam's Tet offensive and the first Gulf War,
and now it's faced down an even older breed, to hear Uncle Sam tell it."
Dispelling myths calls for high IQ
by Clay Thompson
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0320clay20.html
"Do you remember a column several months ago about ducks and ducks' quacks
and echoes? One of you had heard somewhere that a duck's quack does not
echo and wondered why this was so."
Hoax e-mail controversy at Maroochy council
Queensland Courier-Mail
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6152698%255E3102,\
00.html
"A SUNSHINE Coast council has been accused of wasting public resources and
releasing staff names after its e-mail system was flooded by get-rich-quick
scheme e-mails."
Fire Dept. rescinds warning about cell phones, gas pumps
Berkshire Eagle
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~6282~1253884,00.html
"A warning to the public issued by the Pittsfield Fire Department last week
was incorrect, based on an Internet hoax that has circulated for the past
few years, improperly warning people that talking on a cellular phone while
pumping gas can spark an explosion."
Truths, half-truths and untruths
by SCOTT SIMMIE
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_\
Type1&c=Article&cid=1035779332868&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724>
"On a still night in the Iraqi desert, a snowstorm of leaflets flutters
gently from a coal-black sky."
Police officers accused of using scam to avoid taxes
by Terry Fiedler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3770943.html
"The state is policing a tax revolt from an unlikely quarter -- police
officers."
Court issues order stopping alleged tax scammers
By John Connor
Associated Press
http://boston.com/dailynews/079/economy/Court_issues_order_stopping_al%3A.shtml
"A federal court in Las Vegas issued a temporary restraining order barring
Irwin Schiff and two associates from promoting their alleged tax scams, the
Justice Department announced Thursday."
Would-be cable pirates conned
By Bob Sullivan
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/884359.asp
"Auction sites are flooded with sales of so-called “Universal digital Cable
TV descramblers.” For a small price, buyers are told, they can see all the
pay-per-view sports and movies they want. Free boxing, free Playboy, all
for $10. Needless to say, there’s a very big catch."
Armstrong breaks his silence
By Chris Kridler
FLORIDA TODAY
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/peoplestoryA46832A.htm
"He was the first man to set foot on another world, and after that, we
hardly heard from him."
For $75,000, B.C. firm will get you a kidney in China
CanWest News Service
http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=23D0230E-1A5B-40FD-A8F4-9736398A5395
"A Vancouver-based organ broker is arranging speedy overseas kidney
transplants for North American patients -- for $75,000 U.S."
Uproar over Nokia ad video
By Vanda Carson
The Australian
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,6138465%255E462,00.htm\
l
"MOBILE phone company Nokia is red-faced over an unauthorised advertisement
containing images of animal cruelty circulating via email."
Do poisonous spiders lurk under toilet seats?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspidertoilet.html
"I recently received the following e-mail and was wondering whether this is
just another hoax junk mail or if some person somewhere is stupid enough to
not worry about any spider bite on the their butt! Please help save the
teeming millions."
Keeping tabs? Cans worth more to recyclers
By ANNE PAINE
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/03/30222594.shtml
"People throughout Middle Tennessee — including many encouraged by Ronald
McDonald House — are popping the tabs off aluminum drink cans for recycling."
Doubts trip up runner's record claim
by Nic Fleming
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/16/nrun16.xml&s\
Sheet=/news/2003/03/16/ixhome.html>
"He has been acclaimed as the latest in a legendary line of British
adventurers: a university drop-out who defied the odds to become the first
man to run round the world."
Hear About the Kid Who Won Megabucks?
By Anthony Curtis
Las Vegas Weekly
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2003/03_13/columns_theplayer.html
"It didn’t happen again last week. The Megabucks jackpot, currently at a
record $37 million-plus, was not hit by an underage gambler at a prominent
locals joint. Lots of people thought it was, because the megarumor was all
over the street. Of course, that same rumor popped up the last time the
Megabucks meter went wild—just as it did the time before that, and the time
before that. How do I know that it didn’t happen? Because if it had, lots
of people would know about it. The hit would cause all the meters in all
the casinos to stop. It wouldn’t be a secret."
'42 rumors refuse to die despite facts
by BOB BESTLER
Myrtle Beach Sun News
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/news/local/5410736.htm
"Two local rumors that originated in World War II refuse to go away,
despite plenty of evidence that they ought to be filed under "U" for urban
myths."
Bombs over Bagdad, Ariz.?
by Mark Shaffer
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0319bagdad19.html
"OK, so there are not hundreds of cruise missiles aimed in this direction
or an invading army camped on the doorstep."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Diet used to calm autism
By Linda Theil
Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/2003/schools/0303/17/c05l-110293.htm
"Charlotte Clark's daughter was diagnosed with autism when she was 3 years
old. She was placed in a pre-primary impaired program for students with
disabilities."
Sniff out the aromatherapy controversy
By Cheryll Powell
Knight Ridder Newspapers
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/03/18/buzz18.htm
"These days, aromatherapy is more than sniffing pleasing smells."
Lessons in healing
By DEBORAH MANN LAKE
Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1826779
"By giving it medical students the opportunity to learn about alternative
medicine -- from acupuncture to herbs -- the University of Texas Medical
Branch at Galveston has earned a spot in a cutting-edge national consortium
of schools."
Swiss Firm to Sell Local Herbalist's Drugs
East African Standard [Nairobi]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200303200965.html
"A Swiss company has entered into a deal with a Nyeri-based herbalist to
test his drugs which treat ten diseases such as asthma, all over Kenya and
neighbouring countries."
UCI's Hewitt Hall to open
By GARY ROBBINS
Orange County Register
<http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=31067§ion=LOCAL&subsect\
ion=LOCAL&year=2003&month=3&day=21>
(see also
http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=31056§ion=LOCAL&subsecti\
on=LOCAL&year=2003&month=3&day=21
)
"The University of California, Irvine, today opens its newest science
building. Hewitt Hall will be home to some of the school's most
distinguished biomedical researchers. The $26.8 million building,
subsidized by public and private funds, mostly will be devoted to research
in immunology, infectious diseases, evolution and the genetics of aging.
Hewitt also features a large clinical center, expanding UCI's ability to
treat and study patients. Hewitt will be dedicated at 4 p.m. in a public
ceremony. Here are five of the school's top scientists, what they're
notable for and what they are working on:"
Alternative health care booming
by Eva Ferguson
CanWest News Service
http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=1FAABC7A-5132-4C7A-A73E-542F18AC7B5F
"It's a harrowing experience so many of us have had to weather."
Visionaries' draw a crowd to hear Mother Mary's message
By Bernadette LaPaglia
Marco Island Sun-Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7429142&BRD=2256&PAG=461&dept_id=45582\
3&rfi=6
"Ever get the feeling you were in a time machine? Although there was no
sign of Jules Verne, it might be one way to describe a rather extraordinary
event that happened one recent Sunday afternoon at the San Marco Catholic
Church. And just to prove it, there were well over 100 people in attendance."
Researchers Aztec UFO crash is something to look at
By Debra Mayeux
Farmington Daily Times
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1248110,00.html
"Eyewitnesses have never been located. The incident is shrouded in mystery."
Opponents: UFO crash a 'scam'
By Debra Mayeux
Farmington Daily Times
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1254056,00.html
"A hoax, a scam developed by two con men. That is what most in the
scientific community think about an alleged UFO crash in Hart Canyon north
of Aztec."
Film to examine Aztec UFO crash'
By Debra Mayeux
Farmington Daily Times
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1259585,00.html
"Could the 1948 UFO crash at Hart Canyon have been a real "X-File"?"
Parapsychologist draws believers to Orpheum
Wichita Eagle
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/entertainment/5441729.htm
"The phenomenal success of TV's "Crossing Over" with John Edward is ample
evidence that many people want to have contact with friends and family
members who have died."
Livermore woman talks to the deceased
By Scott Steinberg
Tri-Valley Herald
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10671~1254187,00.html
"DEAD PEOPLE are informative, according to Livermore resident and psychic
Irma Slage."
Girl calls tribute to her sister 'amazing'
by ANDREA MIGHT
Lorain Morning Journal
<http://www.morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1699&dept_id=46371&newsid=73962\
90&PAG=461&rfi=9>
"About 200 people showed up for a vigil where Mary Ann Creamer, adviser to
the Peer class at Huron High School, was expecting about 100."
MUW educator returned to post
By Andy Kanengiser
Jackson Clarion-Ledger
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0303/15/m06.html
"A Mississippi University for Women educator who believed she was removed
as a division head after voicing alternative views on evolution is back at
her post."
Reflexology Comes To Brunei At Last
Brunei Direct
http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Mar03/160303/nite07.htm
"The ancient healing art of reflexology has been known to man for many
thousands of years. It was first practiced by the early Indian, Chinese and
Egyptian civilisations."
"Crossing Over" Star Comes to Indy
WISH-TV
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1181199&nav=0Ra7Eb18
"Some Hoosiers were contacting deceased loved ones in Indianapolis Saturday."
Hagelin proposes new U.S. government
By Joyce Howard Price
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030317-87318556.htm
"The man who lost to Pat Buchanan in a struggle for Reform Party
presidential campaign funds in 2000 has announced plans to start a second
U.S. government: the U.S. Peace Government."
Mystics seek new dig
BY ANDREW PETKOFSKY
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/more/MGB3PTSPGDD.html
"A group of mystics says it's time to search again beneath the Bruton
Parish Church graveyard here for the secret keys to world peace."
UFOs are Saddam's secret - UFO watchers claim
By MARTIN DAVEY
New Zealand Truth
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2346716a4560,00.html
"President Bush decided to attack Iraq because he was scared Saddam Hussein
would use technology from a crashed alien spaceship, UFO watchers claim."
Doomsayer heaven
by Bill Broadway
The Age [Australia]
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/17/1047749716614.html
"Ever since Jesus said that only God knows the hour or day of the Second
Coming, preachers and self-appointed doomsayers have been trying to predict
when it will happen. Even those who chastise date-setters nearly always
say, "God's final judgement is coming soon, so get ready"."
California militias revive their rhetoric
By Thomas Peele
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/5436930.htm
"Extremist paramilitary or militia groups have re-emerged in California and
other western states, calling themselves a last line of defense but acting
like camouflage-wearing vigilantes."
Astral travelers touch down in Beirut
by Hannah Wettig
Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/21_03_03_a.htm
"The CIA supposedly did it, and probably the KGB. Now a small group of
Beirutis meets every week to learn how to do it."
Evolution Creates Controversy In Classroom
By Melissa Blouin
Springdale Morning News
http://www.nwaonline.net/298687907634974.bsp
"In his 18 years of teaching science-methods courses to University of
Arkansas students, associate professor Michael Wavering has encountered
resistance to teaching evolution in about one-third of the pre-service
teachers."
Touching the cosmos
Natal Witness
http://www.witness.co.za/content%5C2003_03%5C13914.htm
"Astrologer Barbara Leiman believes planets can affect wars, weather and
people."
Skinwalker redux
by George Knapp
Las Vegas Mercury
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Mar-20-Thu-2003/20918321.html
(Final Item)
"Remember the Mercury cover story from last fall about strange activity at
a Utah ranch? The articles, dubbed "Path of the Skinwalker," have caused a
mini-sensation in paranormal circles."
Ephedra use declines, but lawmakers aren't satisfied
By Ray F. Herndon
LOS ANGELES TIMES
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/5437054.htm
"Wary consumers are beginning to shy away from diet preparations containing
ephedra, with U.S. sales of some of the most popular brands falling 30
percent or more over the past year. But some researchers and lawmakers
worry that without a change in federal law, untested substitutes will take
their place."
Proof of cloning coming, firm says
Reuters
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/079/nation/Proof_of_cloning_coming_firm_says+.\
shtml
"The head of a company that says it has produced the first cloned humans
said yesterday it would show proof at a gathering of some of the parents in
Brazil next week."
With due respect to the talking carp, prediction of world doom smells fishy
by Paula Simons
Edmonton Journal
<http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.asp?id=4DDD8D1F-B03F-4144-\
B8F2-27F0B930179B>
"Have you heard the one about the talking fish?"
New Age spring break
By Wendy Kale
Colorado Daily
http://www.coloradodaily.com/display/inn_news/BODY-SOUL/body01.txt
"Spring break is right around the corner, and every year students and
locals face the dilemma of trying to find inexpensive and fun places to
visit. This year is atypical - with war on the horizon, a bad economy
looming, and more people vacationing in-state."
Gruesome death of Pete Kent still a mystery
By JIM NOLAN
Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/5425912.htm
"THREE weeks ago, the frozen body of William "Pete" Kent was found in an
abandoned house in North Philadelphia."
BYU student remembers Mitchell in Rock Canyon
By Melissa Kimball
BYU NewsNet
http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/43215
"Tucked up behind the LDS Provo temple sits Rock Canyon, a favorite hiking
spot for BYU students."
Miami-Dade jurors hear tale of occult, hired hit man
By Diana Marrero
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-dsanteria21mar21,0,1749058.stor\
y
"For $6,000, Henry Cuesta agreed to get rid of another man's little
problems -- an ex-wife and her new boyfriend -- a state prosecutor told
jurors Thursday as he wrapped up Cuesta's two-week murder trial."
Will big cat bring in big business?
By David Charters
Liverpool Daily Post
<http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/page.cfm?objectid=\
12762059&method=full&siteid=50061>
"TELEPHONES have been trilling in West Lancashire with news of a big cat on
the prowl."
Lighthouse ghost stories lure paranormal group
by Ashley Branch
Pensacola News Journal
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/031803/Local/ST004.shtml
"Professional ghostbusters are investigating the things that go bump in the
night at the Pensacola Lighthouse and the keeper's house."
Annual Scientology celebration slated
Redlands Daily Facts
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/Stories/0,1413,209~22484~1255282,00.html
"Members of the Church of Scientology will mark the birthday of their
founder, L. Ron Hubbard, on March 22 at the Shrine Auditorium. Doors open
at 6 p.m."
'Divine Revelation' Unlikely to Influence Court
BY STEPHEN HUNT
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03192003/utah/39564.asp
"Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee may believe God ordered them to
kidnap Elizabeth Smart, but legal experts say divine revelation will be
little help to them in the courtroom."
The ritualistic melting pot
by Tony Lombardo
Daily Kent Stater
http://www.stater.kent.edu/today/wedsstories/pagan.html
"Two years ago people simultaneously loved, hated and lampooned Ms. Cleo."
Professor questions study, then others question her
By Susan Kelleher
Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/134654818_loftus170.html
"Elizabeth Loftus was suspicious."
LivingTV interactive offering to include psychic readings
By Emily Booth
Revolution UK Online
http://www.revolutionmagazine.com/news/view.cfm?r=1&id=96511
"LivingTV, the Flextech-owned women's channel, has launched a range of new
interactive services."
Armstrong breaks his silence
By Chris Kridler
FLORIDA TODAY
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/peoplestoryA46832A.htm
"He was the first man to set foot on another world, and after that, we
hardly heard from him."
For These Witch Doctors, the Spell Begins With WWW
By Matthew Robb
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35557-2003Mar16.html
"Jay Leno and David Letterman got their barbs in and moved on, but I'm
still intrigued."
Blowing Up the Moon’s Conspiracy Theory
By Patricia Ward Biederman
Los Angeles Times
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=18&ID=89470&r=0
"Phil Plait, 38-year-old astronomer and skeptic, was on the California
State University, Northridge, campus Friday, punching holes in the
tenacious myth that American astronauts never landed on the moon."
SURVIVALISTS PREPARED FOR THE WORST
By Ronnie Polaneczky
Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/5417832.htm
"WHEN ARMAGEDDON hits, I tell Kathleen Merkle, I want to be wherever she
and her husband are. After all, she and Bill have spent the last three
decades preparing for planetary meltdown."
From faith to fanatic delusion
By Carrie A. Moore
Deseret News
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,465033668,00.html?
"With the arrest this week of a couple who allegedly believe God told them
to abduct Elizabeth Smart, many Utahns are wondering again what moves
people of seemingly deep religious faith into fanaticism."
Why I'm skeptical — even of the Skeptic
by JAY INGRAM
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_\
Type1&c=Article&cid=1035779332795&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467>
"Readers of this column know that one thing I can't stand is when
influential figures misrepresent the research of others to make a point."
Old Base gym cited as a favorite haunt of the supernatural
By JOE LoTEMPLIO
Plattsburgh Press-Republican
http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2003/03_2003/031720031.htm
"It’s not uncommon to hear grunts and groans coming from the Old Base gym
as people work out. But are some of those noises not of this world?"
Exploring space, protecting water
By Harold Reutter
Grand Island Independent
http://www.theindependent.com/stories/031803/new_carpenter18.shtml
"Do not weep for the Columbia astronauts, but thank them."
A search without boundaries
BY SCOTT BEVERIDGE
THE OBSERVER-REPORTER [Washington, PA]
http://www.observer-reporter.com/324240311916873.bsp
"A Mon Valley woman has turned to a prominent psychic for help in finding
her missing brother, the likely victim of foul play."
Great ghost story goes up in flames
by DAVE BAITY
Charlotte Observer
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/states/north_carolina/counties/\
gaston/5425434.htm
"A ghost story that spooked children and made them avoid an old house on
Neal Hawkins Road for about 20 years went up in smoke Monday."
Ghost of Toto
By Tod Goldberg
Las Vegas Mercury
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Mar-20-Thu-2003/20907160.html
"I have a student who believes that Jeff Porcaro, the late drummer of the
band Toto, is haunting her house. She states this as absolute fact, as if
it isn't even a remote possibility that the ghost is John Bonham or Keith
Moon. It is Jeff Porcaro and that is that."
May Source be with those in the psychic fair business
By Karen Lindell
Ventura County Star
http://www.staronline.com/vcs/lifestyle/article/0,1375,VCS_230_1828552,00.html
"Mitch Lang, spiritual intuitive and part-time office administrator, feels
your pain. So he says."
The Bible Code
Letter to the Editor
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/11/opinion/L11DROS.html
"I am the author of "Bible Code II: The Countdown," mentioned by Bill
Keller in his March 8 column."
Unlicensed healer accepts guilty plea
By DELVIN HARSHAW
Springfield News-Sun
<http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/03/22/1048311\
717.00353.9613.3983.html>
"An operator of a local healing center pleaded guilty Friday in Common
Pleas Court on charges he practiced chiropractic without a license."
SCIENTOLOGY: A SATANIC LINK?
By RICHARD JOHNSON with PAULA FROELICH and CHRIS WILSON
New York Post
http://www.pagesix.com/seven/03162003/pagesix/pagesix.htm
"THE trendiest religion in Hollywood was founded on the teachings of a
Satanist, a new essay by Camille Paglia claims."
'Prophet' opens theme park for our alien heritage
by Robin McKie
The Observer [UK]
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,915242,00.html
"He has written books that have sold more than 56 million copies, served
three years in jail for tax evasion, and spent the past 30 years trying to
convince the world that most of our famous ancient structures were built by
creatures from another world."
New scrutiny of role of religion in Bush's policies
By Jane Lampman
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0317/p01s01-uspo.html
"President Bush has never been shy about injecting his faith into the
public arena - his campaign remark that Jesus Christ was his "favorite
political philosopher" was an early signal. But his rising use of religious
language and imagery in recent months, especially with regard to the US
role in the world, has stirred concern both at home and abroad."
Man represents himself in court on abduction charge
By DAVE SERENO
Canton Repository
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=15&ID=90063&r=0
"John L. Porter is going it alone."
Mediums Are Regular In Lily Dale
Wireless Flash
<http://www.ncbuy.com/news/wireless_news.html?qdate=2003-03-20&nav=VIEW&id=Y4223\
2DH87M030320>
"If you're planning your summer vacation now, consider Lily Dale, New York,
the town where everyone sees dead people."
The Curse of the 52 Pickup
Metro Santa Cruz
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/03.19.03/nuz-0312.html
"Santa Cruz, so the story goes, already has its fair share of curses so Nüz
was shocked to learn that another curse could be on the cards--the tarot
cards, to be precise."
Tunnel Vision
by Art Levine
Fort Lauderdale
http://www.citylinkonline.com/coverstory.html
"They walk among us, seemingly normal but somehow different, having been
changed forever by indelible memories of what they believe have been visits
to the afterlife. They are survivors of near-death experiences (NDEs), and
though skeptics tell them it’s all been nothing more than a hallucination,
a trick of the dying brain, there’s a place in Broward County where they
can tell their strange stories of angelic beings, lost souls and the
landscapes of heaven without being ridiculed. On the first Friday of every
month, the South Florida chapter of the International Association for
Near-Death Studies (IANDS) meets in an annex of University Hospital in
Tamarac to offer these survivors and other spiritual seekers a safe space
to get support and inspiration."
Mysterium Tremendum
by John Adamian
Hartford Advocate
http://hartfordadvocate.com/gbase/Guides/content?oid=oid:6506
"Connecticut isn't known for being mysterious. We're the khaki state, the
Constitution State. But Connecticut really does have its share of
mysteries. There's even a town named after it, Mystic -- although being
mystical is a bit different from being mysterious, I suppose."
Uncommon Causes
By Buck Wolf
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/WolfFiles/wolffiles255.html
"I'd like to publicly apologize to the trailer park residents I offended
when I reported a few months ago on a new breed of ghosts who reportedly
haunt mobile homes."
Clonaid Receives 'Anti-Aging' Award
By LINDSEY TANNER
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=816&ncid=816&e=9&u=/ap/2003031\
4/ap_on_re_us/aging_awards>
"A group that claims to have cloned the first human babies, and capsules
that purport to combat old age, are recipients of tongue-in-cheek awards
from three prominent aging experts."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
Healer who cures through spiritual therapy
Indo-Asian News Service
<http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IE320030311044740&Title=Features+-+\
Health+%26+Science&rLink=-162>
"Be it a physical affliction or a social blight, a popular holistic healer
in Bihar claims he has the cure for it all."
Hypnotherapist Barbara Hug get help you cure common ailments
Pacifica Tribune
http://www.pacificatribune.com/Stories/0,1413,92%257E3244%257E1242017,00.html
"Hypnotherapist Barbara Hug offers a possible solution to such common
ailments as quitting smoking, losing weight, or controlling stress and
anger. Getting in control of your mind means being able to relax, change
the scene in your mind as to what is happening and not go through the
destructive emotions that you normally exhibit during road rage or other
stress related events."
'Rasputin' row hits Lithuanian leader
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2850503.stm
"Lithuanian President Rolandas Paksas has rejected criticism of his links
with a faith healer who allegedly employs bizarre methods such as wrapping
people in toilet paper."
Leader's astrology idea is a 'pact with the Devil'
By Ben Aris
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/15/wlithu15.x\
ml&sSheet=/news/2003/03/15/ixworld.html>
"The Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church has accused the country's new
president of making a pact with the Devil after he brought an astrologer
into his inner circle to advise him on how to run the Baltic republic."
Assignment America: The stranger next door
By John Bloom
UPI
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030311-094657-7512r
"The peril of Iraq is not that more terrorists will attack us, or that
we'll be bogged down in foreign climes, or that our economy will be
wrecked, or that we'll ignite Islamic fundamentalist anger worldwide."
Truth behind conspiracy theories
By David Derbyshire
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/14/npsy214.xm\
l&sSheet=/news/2003/03/14/ixnewstop.html>
"Wild conspiracy theories are becoming more widespread because people are
increasingly distant from government and corporations, an expert said
yesterday."
Why conspiracy theories live on despite the facts
By Jeremy Laurance
The Independent [UK]
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=386885
"Britain's most popular conspiracy theory is that the food supply is being
poisoned and the Government is covering up the evidence."
Partisan flap distrubs the peace in Blue Valley
By Jonna Lorenz
Johnson County Sun
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7358636&BRD=1459&PAG=461&dept_id=15572\
5&rfi=6
"The rift between Johnson County conservatives and moderates has crept into
this year's Blue Valley school board races."
Watchdog in sniff round `miracle' cult
By ELLEN WHINNETT
The Mercury [Tasmania]
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6127036%255E3462,00.h\
tml
"A CULT which offers wands and waters as miracle cures for ailments
including cancer has come under the scrutiny of Tasmania's Office of
Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading."
Silver as a Cure ?
KOLR
http://www.kolr10.com/Global/story.asp?S=1180578&nav=0RXJEaXo
"Some tout it as a cure for everything from herpes to cancer, but others,
including the government, say it can turn your skin blue. What has people
so passionate -- and, yet, so divided?"
Marin patriarch receives maximum term in son's death
by JUSTIN PRITCHARD
Associated Press
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5396913.htm
"Winnfred Wright believed his regimen of strict discipline and a diet of
herbal supplements was a holy pursuit that would bring his large family
closer to God."
Lemon balm lifts the puzzled mind
by Vikram Dodd
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,913926,00.html
"The common garden herb lemon balm can improve the memory and increase
feelings of calmness, according to research at Northumbria University. For
centuries it has been used for its beneficial effects, and the research
suggests that its reputation in folklore is justified."
Fish Talks, Town Buzzes
By COREY KILGANNON
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/15/nyregion/15FISH.html?ex=1048309200&en=b0f85b8\
140a241d1&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"And so it came to pass that a talking carp, shouting in Hebrew, shattered
the calm of the New Square Fish Market and created what many here are
calling a miracle."
Squash Appears Filled With Letters, Symbols
BY KATHY STEPHENSON
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03142003/utah/38192.asp
"Cutting into a 15-pound banana squash Thursday, Kasim Barakzia thought
perhaps he had lost his gourd."
New age store opens on Main Street
By Carolyn Kessel
Hudson Sun
http://www.townonline.com/hudson/news/local_regional/hs_newsnewbusinesspic031320\
03.htm
"Angels, fairies and karma are specialties of a new Main Street store
dubbed Divine Elements, which its owner is turning into a stress-free haven
and a place for youth to socialize."
Secretive sect softens ban on outside contact
by Stephen Bates
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,914540,00.html
"One of the world's most reclusive Christian sects, the Exclusive Brethren,
may be thawing towards the world after the appointment of a new worldwide
leader."
Murr promises ISF will help to eradicate devil worshipping 'perverts'
by Badih Chayban
The Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/15_03_03/art20.asp
"Interior Minister Elias Murr has vowed to fight to eradicate "devil
worship," saying that Internal Security Forces won't rest until the alleged
"perverts" are arrested."
Destructive Superstitions Key Part of Political Life in Swaziland
by James Hall
Inter Press Service
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=16715
"''Ritual murder'' has allegedly long been a dark and secret part of
politics in Swaziland, a conservative kingdom where traditions good and
bad, including some destructive superstitions, are a key part of life."
Cameroon bans urine 'health drink'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2847557.stm
"The Cameroon health minister has deemed it necessary to warn people that
drinking urine may not be good for your health."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Spam's Being Used For Identity Theft And Blackmail, Symantec Says
By Mitch Wagner
Internet Week
http://www.internetwk.com/breakingNews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=7800052
"Crooks are sending spam using the Symantec Corp. name to sell counterfeit
software, engage in identity theft, steal credit card numbers, and even
blackmail victims through the use of pornography, Symantec officials said."
Assignment America: The stranger next door
By John Bloom
UPI
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030311-094657-7512r
"The peril of Iraq is not that more terrorists will attack us, or that
we'll be bogged down in foreign climes, or that our economy will be
wrecked, or that we'll ignite Islamic fundamentalist anger worldwide."
Truth behind conspiracy theories
By David Derbyshire
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/14/npsy214.xm\
l&sSheet=/news/2003/03/14/ixnewstop.html>
"Wild conspiracy theories are becoming more widespread because people are
increasingly distant from government and corporations, an expert said
yesterday."
Why conspiracy theories live on despite the facts
By Jeremy Laurance
The Independent [UK]
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=386885
"Britain's most popular conspiracy theory is that the food supply is being
poisoned and the Government is covering up the evidence."
Police answer rumor hot line during St. Patrick's bash
By Anne Hart
Savannah Morning News
http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/031503/LOCSTPATrumorline.shtml
"For the first time, authorities have set up a rumor hot line to dispel or
confirm rumors -- from the ridiculous to the realistic -- that may arise
during St. Patrick's weekend."
Department of Defense Warns of Possible Scam
KCRG
http://www.kcrg.com/article.aspx?art_id=54151&cat_id=123
"Is it a possible hoax or is it a legitimate way for troops to keep in
touch with loved ones back home?"
Miami University Student Pleads Guilty To Sending Hoax E-mail
WCPO
http://wcpo.com/news/2003/local/03/14/mu.html
"A Miami University student has pleaded guilty to sending a hoax e-mail to
students, faculty and staff that said classes would be cancelled for a day."
U.S. Seeks to Shut Down Income Tax Foe
By Albert B. Crenshaw
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22991-2003Mar13.html
"Continuing its recent series of court actions against alleged tax
scofflaws, the government has asked a federal court in Nevada to shut down
one of the nation's most prominent tax protesters -- who operates the
PayNoIncomeTax.com and Freedom Books (www.livetaxfree.com) Web sites and
argues that the income tax is voluntary."
Man loses money in e-mail scheme
By ZEKE BARLOW
ROANOKE TIMES
http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story146466.html
"A Bedford County man has become the latest victim of an Internet hoax that
bilks people out of cash when they think they are helping foreign
countries. The Nigerian e-mail scam is very common and very effective,
according the U.S. Secret Service."
MU student pleads to hoax e-mail
Dayton Daily News
http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/localnews/daily/0314hoax.html
"The Miami University senior accused of sending a hoax e-mail to more than
31,000 students and professors pleaded guilty Thursday in Butler County
Area One Court to a reduced misdemeanor charge."
Slant hoax ends in apologies
by Meredith Berger
Vanderbilt Hustler
http://www.vanderbilthustler.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/14/3e71a2dbcee09
"Vanderbilt's chancellor and its student newspaper have spent the week
recoiling after a practical joke that some said went too far."
Grand jury indicts parents of 7-year-old in faked-cancer case
Associated Press
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=13&ID=89317&r=1
"A Champaign County grand jury returned multiple-count indictments Thursday
against the parents of a 7-year-old girl who authorities said had been told
she had leukemia as part of a fund-raising hoax."
MU student guilty of misdemeanor in e-mail hoax
By Jon Gambrell
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/03/14/loc_miamihoax14.html
"A Miami University senior pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge
stemming from an e-mail hoax."
What's this rumor worth to you?
By Meghan Collins
CNN/Money
http://money.cnn.com/2003/03/13/markets/rumors/
"The stock market is driven by rumor and speculation. It's the nature of
the beast."
Parents, grandmother indicted in cancer scam
By Shawn Ankrom
Cox News Service
http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/localnews/daily/0314cancerscam.html
"A mother and father accused of fooling the community into believing their
7-year-old daughter had leukemia while they collected $31,493.62 in
donations have been indicted on multiple charges."
Parents indicted in fake disease case
By SHAWN ANKROM
Springfield News-Sun
<http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/03/13/1047615\
620.00353.9870.2448.html>
"A mother and father accused of fooling the community into believing their
7-year-old daughter had leukemia while they collected $31,493.62 in
donations were indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges."
Alleged scam victims' judgment nullified
By KEVIN MARTIN
CALGARY SUN
http://www.canoe.ca/CalgaryNews/cs.cs-03-14-0031.html
"The alleged victims of a Nigerian government contract ripoff are back to
square one in a bid to get $90 million from the African nation."
3 Charged in Potentially Huge Tax Scam
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030314/ap_on_re_us/tax_scam_\
2
"Charges of preparing false income tax returns have been filed against
three tax advisers, one of whom allegedly told clients they were eligible
for a "slavery reparation tax credit," authorities said."
Sex scam linked to Schenectady homicide
By MIKE GOODWIN
Albany Times Union
<http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=115454&category=REGION&B\
CCode=HOME&newsdate=3/14/2003>
"Daniel Jamison wasn't the first person lured to a Crane Street apartment
by three people to have sex, but he was apparently the first to resist the
trio's true plan -- robbery, law enforcement sources said Thursday."
Businessman bilked in "special liquid" bank note scam
Mainichi Shimbun
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030314p2a00m0fp020000c.html
"Two foreigners who conned an executive into paying for a "special liquid"
designed to clean what they called black-coated U.S. bank notes worth
millions of dollars were arrested Friday, police said."
Do poisonous spiders lurk under toilet seats?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspidertoilet.html
"I recently received the following e-mail and was wondering whether this is
just another hoax junk mail or if some person somewhere is stupid enough to
not worry about any spider bite on the their butt!"
Internet Parody Hands French Military a Defeat
By Richard J. Dalton Jr
New York Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wogoog133170831mar13,0,2821577.\
story
"The French always end up as military toast, or so it seems from a search
on the popular Google search engine. But a miffed Canadian student is
actually behind a prank that says no documents are found in a Google search
for "French military victories.""
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
First, a blast from the past courtesy of The Skeptic's Dictionary -
http://skepdic.com/
No real reason to bring it up, I guess.
Police, Archaeologists Wary of Psychics' Theory of Smart Mystery
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
http://www.sltrib.com/2002/Sep/09072002/utah/769194.htm
"The months-old search for Elizabeth Smart took a strange twist last week
when two Salt Lake City detectives -- at the behest of a group of psychics
-- ventured into a crypt that holds the skeletal remains of ancient
American Indians."
--------------------
Senator, His Son Get Boosts From Makers of Ephedra
By Chuck Neubauer, Judy Pasternak and Richard T. Cooper
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-ephedra5mar05004435,1,1509742.sto\
ry
"For more than a decade, the dietary supplements industry has counted on
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch to fend off tighter regulation of products such as
ephedra, the controversial stimulant linked to more than 80 deaths -- most
recently a young Baltimore Orioles baseball player."
Substance Abuse, Science Abuse
By Iain Murray
TCS
http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/techwrapper.jsp?PID=1051-250&CID=1051-031\
103B
"The death of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler on February 17 has
been linked to his consumption of ephedra. Bechler became the second major
athlete to die while taking the substance, following Minnesota Vikings
player Korey Stringer in 2001. Ephedra is a stimulant herb long used in
Chinese medicine, and is also known as ma huang. As a natural dietary
supplement it is available without restrictions, yet its use has come under
increasing scrutiny as it has been linked to more and more deaths. The
problem is that this natural product has been promoted in a most unnatural
way by the alternative medicine industry. Moreover, and bizarrely, the
pseudoscience behind ephedra's promotion has helped it escape regulation."
Not so modern medicine
By Rich McKay
Orlando Sentinel
<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/science/orl-locnaturopathy12031203ma\
r12,0,5447712.story>
"Looking a bit like a human pincushion -- with 5-inch steel needles in her
forehead, neck, arms and right leg -- 79-year-old Dorothy Beisler sat
contented and smiling."
The Road to Hellville
By Todd Seavey
TCS
http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/techwrapper.jsp?PID=1051-250&CID=1051-031\
303A
"Like many people who have Oxford health insurance, I got a pamphlet in the
mail recently that said: "Acupuncture. Massage Therapy. Yoga. When you hear
these words, do you think about your health plan? Probably not. But you
should." I guess I will now."
New Mexico May Honor Space Aliens with Special Day
Reuters
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=638&ncid=762&e=5&u=/nm/2003031\
0/en_nm/odd_aliens_dc>
(See also http://news.findlaw.com/wsj/docs/aliens/nmhb766etbill.pdf )
"E.T.: Phone New Mexico. They may have a little something special for you."
Call to honour space aliens
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2841455.stm
"A bill has been put forward in the United States to designate a day to
honour space aliens."
Shroud of Turin replica on display at Portland churches
NewsRadio WMTW
http://www.wmtw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1173219
"A replica of the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be the burial shroud
of Christ, will be on display at Portland area churches until Easter."
Archaeology find subject of lectures
The State [Columbia, SC]
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5380338.htm
"When two Washington state residents found a skull on the shores of the
Columbia River in 1996, they had no idea they would be opening a window
into the origins of people on this continent, and kicking off a bitter
legal controversy."
Asahara maintains his silence
By YUMI WIJERS-HASEGAWA
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030314a1.htm
"Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara has refused to speak throughout much
of his seven-year trial on charges related to the deadly 1995 sarin gas
attack on Tokyo's subway system, so it came as little surprise when he
remained tight-lipped at Thursday's session at the Tokyo District Court."
SPARE A THOUGHT FOR REAL BASEMENT BATTLE
BY LOU MACARI
Staffordshire Sentinel
<http://www.thesentinel.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=67567&command=displayConten\
t&sourceNode=67245&contentPK=4608947>
"If Stoke and Vale think they have it bad at the bottom of the First and
Second Divisions, then think of those at the very bottom of the Football
League. The likes of Swansea, Bristol Rovers, Exeter, Macclesfield and
Carlisle are fighting for their lives - literally."
Preacher Says Iraq War Could Be Apocalypse Now
Associated Press
http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/2030063/detail.html
"The Rev. Irvin Baxter is afraid he's already read about the looming war in
Iraq -- in the Bible's book of Revelation."
‘As above, so below’
By John Klun
Bloomington Sun Current
http://www.mnsun.com/story.asp?city=Bloomington&story=109202
"As a professor of philosophy and a student of Jungian psychology, Ira
Gordon spent much of his life looking within, delving into the inner-truths
of the human experience. Where this journey led him, ultimately, was to the
firmament – to the patterns and complexities of the stars and planets."
Asahara silently snatches air during gas attack trial
Mainichi Shimbun
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030313p2a00m0dm012000c.html
"Court questioning of Shoko Asahara, the AUM Shinrikyo cult guru indicted
over the lethal gassing of Tokyo subways in 1995, began on Thursday with
Asahara ignoring his lawyers' questions and suddenly snatching at the air
around him."
Cellulite Treatment Maker Settles Charges
By DAVID HO
Associated Press
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030311/ap_on_go_ot/ftc_cellu\
lite_pill_2
"A Florida company that promised its dietary supplement could erase
cellulite agreed Tuesday to repay customers up to $12 million to settle
federal charges of deceptive advertising."
Cellasene settlement may set mark
BY PATRICK DANNER
Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/5369393.htm
"Rexall Sundown's coffers may end up as much $12 million lighter now that
it has settled charges that the Boca Raton company made unsubstantiated
claims that its Cellasene pills reduced or eliminated cellulite."
Devil worshipping rumors rife among children
by Maha Al-Azar
The Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/12_03_03/art4.asp
"Rumors involving supposed devil worshippers kidnapping children and
extracting their hearts to drink their blood, or offering them as a
sacrifices to Satan, are spiralling almost out of control."
Homeopathy can be route to beat Alameda allergies
Alameda Times-Star
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~1486~1240641,00.html
"SPRING IS in the air, along with grains and grains of pollen. Allergy
sufferers find temporary relief from itchy eyes and runny noses with
doctor-prescribed and over-the-counter medications. Few expect that next
spring will be any different."
Group that debunks paranormal strives to improve scientific coverage
by CHAKA FERGUSON
Associated Press
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--paranormal-skepti0313mar13,0,58\
89260.story
"When the Center for Inquiry opens its newest office in Manhattan, it
couldn't ask for a better greeting."
San Diego exec pleads guilty in anti-anthrax hoax
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030312/ts_nm/crime_anthrax_d\
c_1
"The former chief executive of an obscure California holding company
pleaded guilty on Tuesday to falsely claiming to have developed an
anti-anthrax product during the 2001 U.S. anthrax scare, prosecutors said
on Tuesday."
Reward out for `Milford Monster' spotted by pub's lunch customers
The Western Mail [Wales]
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/page.cfm?objectid=12729380&me\
thod=full&siteid=50082>
"IT makes you wonder what's in the beer."
Villagers axe 'witch', son in Jharkhand, 24 arrested
Indo-Asian News Service
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_209951,0009.htm
"In a shocking incident, 52 villagers attacked a woman with axes, saying
she was a witch, and hacked her to death along with her son."
Italian Museum Solves 'Mummy Curse' Mystery
Zoomata.com
http://www.zoomata.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=885
"Young visitors to Turin's famed Egyptian museum seemed to be possessed by
evil spirits -- sneezing, fainting, vomiting and a general malaise overtook
them as they admired the sarcophagi. ESP experts volunteered to 'clean out'
the karma of the museum, Egyptologists mused about a curse of the pharaohs
and skeptics thought the cause might be harsh cleaning agents."
Teen Satanist cell found
by Lizel Steenkamp
News24 [South Africa]
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7-1442_1331728,00.html
"The West Rand is the new "witches' Mecca" of Gauteng with hundreds of
minors - including primary school pupils - allegedly involved in Satanism."
Satanism: Pagans spell it out
by Bryan Porter
News24 [South Africa]
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7-1442_1332050,00.html
"The South African pagan community has hit back after reports earlier this
week that a "witches Mecca" was operating on the Gauteng West Rand, with
hundreds of school pupils involved in Satanism."
Preston touts Scientology on TV?
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/884415.asp
"Was Kelly Preston providing a valuable public service on a Montel Williams
show? Or was she merely touting some controversial policies of Scientology?"
Scientology case settled out of court
Radio Telefís Éireann
http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0313/scientology.html
"A High Court action for damages by a Dublin sports shop owner against the
Church of Scientology has ended after out of court talks."
Satanist pleads guilty to raping daughter
BY MARIA HEGSTAD
Manassas Journal Messenger
http://www.manassasjm.com/news/MGBCJN3L5DD.html
"A former Prince William-Manassas regional jail corrections officer pleaded
guilty Monday to raping his daughter multiple times during Satanic rituals
in his Woodbridge home."
Farmworker Blames Murder on Voodoo Hex
Associated Press
<http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V9755.AP-BRF-\
Voodoo-Murd.html>
"A Haitian immigrant farmworker told a judge he killed one man and wounded
two others because he believed they had placed a voodoo hex on him."
Company strives to send messages to the dead
By Ellen Warren
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/showcase/chi-0303110040mar11.story
"You've got to hand it to Paul Kinsella, of New Athens, Ill."
Police accused of using witchcraft to catch fugitive
By Margaret Wilson
The Telegraph [UK]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/08/wwide08.xml
"Claims that the Zambian police removed their underpants in order to search
more effectively for a fugitive are the latest bizarre revelation in a row
about the role of witchcraft in the capture of Zambia's most wanted man."
Crowds Flock To Portrait Of Christ Weeping Blood
WKMG
http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-202999120030310-110327.html
"Crowds are flocking to a church in India to see a portrait of Christ that
has been observed weeping blood, according to a Local 6 News report."
Who ya gonna call Vic Tandy!
By Simon Dudman
Coventry Evening Telegraph
<http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/page.cfm?objectid=1272\
2447&method=full&siteid=50003>
"Ghostbuster Vic Tandy has been called in to try to solve the mystery of
one of Britain's most haunted places."
Spiders caused mysterious webs
By Michael A. Smith
Galveston County Daily News
http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=8484
"Webs visible in the sky in Galveston and parts of Brazoria counties for at
least five hours Dec. 20 probably were produced by nothing creepier than a
whole bunch of spiders."
Civic spirit in La Joya
By Macarena Hernandez
San Antonio Express-News
http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=962176
"They suspected it all along. How else to explain the moaning heard from
the empty jail cell, the cool drafts in the ventless hallways and the
invisible force that poked the billing clerk as she stood by the kitchen door?"
Wrestling with Bigfoot
BY MARY LEE GRANT
Houston Press
http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2003-03-13/news.html/1/index.html
"A cold rain beats steadily in the deep forest of the Big Thicket as Bobby
Hamilton slogs down a muddy trail, peering into the swamps in search of
Bigfoot."
The Lowdown on Ginkgo Biloba
By Paul E. Gold, Larry Cahill and Gary L. Wenk
Scientific American
<http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=0005D1A1-2400-1E64-A98A\
809EC5880105>
"The ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) is remarkable in many ways. Although
indigenous to Korea, China and Japan, the tree can be found in parks and
along city sidewalks around the world. It may grow as high as 40 meters and
live for more than 1,000 years. Ginkgo fossils have been dated as far back
as 250 million years ago, and Charles Darwin referred to the tree as "a
living fossil."Nowadays, however, the ginkgo's primary claim to fame is the
extract obtained from its fan-shaped leaves."
The Power of Prayer
The Connection
WBUR
http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2003/03/20030311_b_main.asp
"America has always been a praying nation. But rarely have those prayers
been so organized. In the last couple of years, millions of people have
signed up to pray in virtual prayer groups on the Web. Now an organization
called The Presidential Prayer Team is asking people to register on a web
site and "adopt" a government official or an overseas soldier, and pray for
them."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Today is deadline to claim winning lottery ticket
by Lisa Amin
WTHR
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=1177361
"Time is running out for the secret winner. He or she only has hours to
come forward or else the money is gone for good."
A revealing look at security screening
By Jayne Clark
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/2003-03-13-embarrass.htm
"Have you heard the one about the nun in the Amarillo, Texas, airport? A
surprised inspector opened her suitcase to find 10,000 condoms that were
destined for a relief project in Africa."
Oil Boycott is Idiotic, Won't Work
by Rush Limbaugh
RushLimbaugh.com
http://rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_031203/content/eib_e_mail.guest.html
"I have dozens of e-mails on this Internet proposal to boycott "Exxon and
Mobil, the two largest oil companies" to bring down gas prices. Then
there's this website claiming that the U.S. Army hired Al-Qaeda operatives
to repair Blackhawk helicopters and other military equipment, and that they
sabotaged them like that one at Fort Drum."
Team tackles tall tales about America
By Connie Cass
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/5372832.htm
"A Cold War-era office with a shadowy name and a colorful history of
exposing Soviet deceptions is back in business, this time watching Iraq."
A Blast on Bourbon Street
by Heidi Burns And Katie Sullivan
The Cavalier Daily [University of Virginia]
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=15233&pid=981
"Every single spring break idea we had didn't pan out. No one wanted to
shell out the money to leave the country. Even free housing in Maui wasn't
enough to convince us to purchase ultra-expensive plane tickets. Then it
hit us: when, in the rest of our lives, would we be handed a week off
during Mardi Gras? Clearly, New Orleans had to be our spring break
destination. Apparently we weren't the only University students who thought
so."
Dangling Shoes On Power Lines Are Urban Legend
KNBC
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2030624/detail.html
"If you live in Los Angeles, you've seen them -- tennis shoes dangling over
power lines."
Downing power-line shoes a first step
By Mariel Garza
Pasadena Star-News
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206~22097~1235088,00.html
"Mayor James Hahn climbed into a cherry-picker lift Monday and plucked a
pair of black high-top Adidas shoes from a utility line, all in order to
publicize a new city initiative against a "broken window" problem blamed
for crime."
Devil worshipping rumors rife among children
by Maha Al-Azar
The Daily Star [Lebanon]
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/12_03_03/art4.asp
"Rumors involving supposed devil worshippers kidnapping children and
extracting their hearts to drink their blood, or offering them as a
sacrifices to Satan, are spiralling almost out of control."
Chain letter seeking business cards for boy a hoax
By MIKE JACCARINO
Press of Atlantic City
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/ocean/031303SENDCARDS.html
"A chain letter circulating in the state is touching and persuasive but its
ailing subject doesn't exist."
French Fry Ban Targets Wrong Country?
Reuters
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2375353
"The U.S. Congress picked on the wrong country when it replaced "French
fries" with "Freedom fries" on its menus to protest France's opposition to
a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq, according to a Belgian fry expert."
Linguistic jingoism has little impact overseas
By Michael Collins
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc/iraq/article/0,1713,BDC_10087_1808564,00.html
"Angry Americans fed up with French pacifism have banned french fries and
french toast from restaurant menus."
Belief that pregnancy weakens the brain 'is a myth'
Coventry Evening Telegraph
<http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200nationalnews/page.cfm?objectid=1\
2732201&method=full&siteid=50003>
"The idea that a woman's memory and attention span becomes worse when she
is pregnant is a myth, according to research."
Frozen sewer lines not caused by running water
By Kelli Cooley
Cadillac News
http://www.cadillacnews.com/articles/2003/03/13/news/news01.txt
"As the advisory to run a trickle of water continuously continues, the
question still remains why this is necessary."
Gee Dead? False Headline Sparks Campus Distress
WCMH
http://www.nbc4columbus.com/news/2037414/detail.html
"Former Ohio State University president and current Vanderbilt Chancellor
Gordon Gee is alive and well, despite the headlines in a spoof publication
distributed on the Nashville campus Wednesday."
Fake shuttle pictures fool few
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/space/orl-asecsshoax13031303mar13,0,2\
071950.story
"For a moment, Dan Burson of Winter Springs was incredulous, wondering if
someone had just shared with him a horrible secret about the Columbia
disaster."
PIX OF TOKYO GIRLS SKIRT THE LINE
By LIBBY CALLAWAY
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/70510.htm
"JAPANESE fashion is known for being outrageous - but are Tokyo gals really
wearing skirts that put their panty lines on display?"
Rumors aside, driving and phoning still legal
by Manju Subramanya
The Gazette [MD]
http://www.gazette.net/200311/montgomerycty/county/147894-1.html
"Talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving may not be a good idea,
but it is not against the law in Maryland."
San Diego exec pleads guilty in anti-anthrax hoax
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030312/ts_nm/crime_anthrax_d\
c_1
"The former chief executive of an obscure California holding company
pleaded guilty on Tuesday to falsely claiming to have developed an
anti-anthrax product during the 2001 U.S. anthrax scare, prosecutors said
on Tuesday."
Smoking pipes
By Will York
San Francisco Bay Guardian
http://www.sfbayguardian.com/37/24/art_music_pipes.html
"Anton Lavey pipe organ Lp church of satan !!!"
People shouldn't worry in ATM alert, police say
By Ken Raymond
The Oklahoman
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=998155&pic=none&TP=getarticle
"An electronic message about scam artists trying to steal automatic teller
cards and passwords is no cause for alarm, police said."
Nigeria Pays High Price for Its Con Artists
By Dino Mahtani
Reuters
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=2375516
"Nigerian banker Anthony Owuye loses no opportunity to voice his bitterness
after failing to clinch promising partnership deals with British banks."
Spam Is Put To New Use By Web Enthusiasts Who 'Scam Bait'
By Lynn Cowan
DOW JONES
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/030313/15/38x5r.html
"E-mails promising to share a Nigerian royal's fictional fortune are
providing grist for a new hobby among Internet enthusiasts: Scam baiting."
Man Gets 41 Months In Scam That Promised Kingdom's Riches
Associated Press
http://www.wnbc.com/news/2036983/detail.html
"A man convicted in a scam that collected more than $3 million by promising
people loans from a fake bank tied to a phony kingdom called Mombessa was
sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison."
Letter scam claims to be bushfire charity
by Fleur Anderson and Maria Moscaritolo
The Courier Mail [Queensland]
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6117032%255E953,0\
0.html
"THE Nigerian letter scam has mutated yet again this time it's a "British
living in Dubai" whose dying wish is to give $15 million to the victims of
the Canberra bushfires."
Pottstown Victim Of Nigerian Scam Facing Charges
WCAU
http://www.nbc10.com/money/2034330/detail.html
"A Pottstown man says he is a victim of a money scam that NBC 10's Consumer
Alert team has warned viewers about several times. But this man not only
lost big bucks, he now faces serious criminal charges."
March 13
The Smoking Gun
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/fdnymemo1.html
"Somebody needs to tell the New York City Fire Department about snopes.com,
the Internet's leading urban legend site. Because an FDNY chief last week
circulated the below internal memo warning of the "huge purchase" of United
Parcel Service uniforms on eBay--perhaps by terrorists planning to pose as
delivery men who could "drop off anything to anyone with dangerous
consequences." Chief Lawrence Connors told TSG that he issued the memo to
FDNY personnel after receiving intelligence information from the U.S.
Army's Regional Support Command."
Brussels bites back over press errors
by Matt Wells
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,910923,00.html
"There was a time when barely a week went by without an outcry in the press
about a "bizarre" decision by "barmy EC bureaucrats" - usually involving
fruit. After something of a lull, it seems the media are at it again."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
Beacon Journal will add news you can use
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/5352017.htm
"Starting today, your Akron Beacon Journal will be even more useful and
informative."
How people heal is focus of feature
by Diane Evans
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/5351929.htm
"Last spring, I got an idea for a new column -- something along the lines
of what everyday people do, on their own, to heal themselves."
State seeks to take back Hot Wells for cleanup and redevelopment
by Bill Sumrall
Town Talk [Alexandria, LA]
http://www.thetowntalk.com/html/59AF0FD4-C1CB-47BC-8DFA-18A61BBC4978.shtml
"The state again may take over Hot Wells and clean up the former health
resort for further development."
Some see Iraq war in Scripture
By Bill Hillburg
Los Angeles Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~1230768,00.html
"For millions of Americans, the looming war with Iraq is far more than an
effort to eliminate a dictator and his weapons of mass destruction. Citing
Scripture, they fervently believe that the conflict is yet another strong
sign that the end of time is approaching."
Threat of war conjures visions of Armageddon
By Deb Richardson-Moore
Greenville News
http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/03/08/200303082564.htm
"Popular movies and culture have co-opted the name Armageddon and made it
synonymous with the end of the world."
Can good vibrations stop war?
by Dennis Roddy
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/columnists/20030309edroddy09p1.asp
"With Americans prepared to invade Iraq in reaction to terrorist strikes by
Saudis and Saddam Hussein destroying weapons he denies having, logic's
tattered remnants strode across the international stage in the robes of the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi."
Many Kucinich backers are out there way out
by Mark Naymik
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1047214686213\
910.xml
"Some of Dennis Kucinich's politics are a long way from polka, bowling and
kielbasa."
Bend it like Geller
By Rachel Pinder
Coventry Evening Telegraph
<http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0800whatson/entertainment/page.cfm?objectid=1\
2719125&method=full&siteid=50003>
"Spoon-bending celebrity Uri Geller said he had a “psychic feeling” he was
going to be the first contender to be sent home on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity
... Get Me Out of Here."
Big reward offered for Bigfoot phonies
by Alex Breitler
Redding Record Searchlight
http://www.redding.com/top_stories/local/20030309toplo022.shtml
"For decades, Bigfoot believers have searched for evidence the beast exists."
People in Kecksburg want to resolve what fell from the sky in 1965
By Tom Gibb
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_westmoreland/20030309kecksburgwestmor1p1.asp
"Dec. 9, 1965. A day that will live in incongruity."
Haunted hot spot
By DON FERNANDEZ
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/gwinnett/0303/10ghosts.html
"Mavis Stevens has all but memorized each crack in her stairwell."
Chinese Herb Makers Seek U.S. Market
By MARGARET WONG
Associated Press
<http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030310&Category=APA&A\
rtNo=303100701&Ref=AR>
"China's testing of herbal remedies has for centuries been based on the
word of the people who used the herbs."
ITC monitors Diana spirit show
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2826403.stm
"A TV watchdog is to monitor a documentary which claims to contact the
spirit of Princess Diana as part of a review into paranormal programming."
Judge Rejects Suits That Sought Headsets for All Cellphone Users
BLOOMBERG NEWS
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/08/technology/08CELL.html?ex=1047704400&en=32ac7\
d73b5097290&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"Motorola Inc., Nokia Inc., Verizon Wireless Inc. and two dozen other
mobile phone manufacturers and carriers have won dismissal of lawsuits
seeking to force them to provide headsets for their customers."
Judge Dismisses 5 Cell Phone Lawsuits
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=562&ncid=738&e=8&u=/ap/2003030\
7/ap_on_hi_te/cell_phones_cancer>
"A federal judge dismissed five lawsuits seeking to force cell phone
manufacturers to provide headsets to protect users from radiation emitted
by the devices."
Mystery girl of Ubin
By Tan Shzr Ee
Straits Times
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/story/0,4386,175898,00.html
"THEY call her the German Girl, or the Nadu Guniang - a Malay-Chinese
appropriation of the words 'Datuk' and 'Miss'."
Santeria, intrigue surround alleged hit man murder case
By Diana Marrero
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-dsanteria09mar09,0,57387\
91.story
"Even after the divorce, he kept sending her flowers. Constantly, he'd call
her and pass by her house at night."
Diana seance edited for British TV
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/10/diana.tv.seance/
"Lurid scenes of psychics trying to get in touch with the late Diana,
Princess of Wales, have been cut from a U.S. television programme being
shown on British television Monday."
ITC to investigate paranormal shows
by Matt Wells
The Guardian [UK]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,911009,00.html
"Tonight's coverage by a satellite TV channel of an attempt to raise the
spirit of Princess Diana has prompted television regulators to launch an
investigation into the proliferation of programmes about the paranormal."
Dear health minister, don't waste time on unproven drugs
Malaysia Kini
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/200303100034009.php
"Medicine, like education, should not be a field where politicians can play
around with unproven policies and concepts. Medicine should be treated with
respect and care, and all medical treatment should be based on
scientifically researched techniques and drugs, which have undergone
rigorous testing and surveys. We cannot rely on traditional medication and
other forms of supernatural healing process, where the only proof of
efficacy is in its subjective relief of symptoms."
'Bewitched school': Kids return
by Riot Hlatshwayo
News24 [South Africa]
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7-1442_1331045,00.html
"Classes returned to normal at a Limpopo school where superstitious fears
reached a fever pitch last week, resulting in the killing of a baboon
believed to be a witch's familiar."
Manipogo remains a mystery
By KATIE CHALMERS
Winnipeg Sun
http://www.canoe.ca/WinnipegNews/ws.ws-03-10-0014.html
"The mystery of legendary lake monster Manipogo will have to go unsolved a
while longer."
'Diana having fun in afterlife'
By Rob McNeil
London Evening Standard
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/3742614?source=EveningStandard
"The controversial television programme in which psychics claim to have
contacted the spirit of Diana, Princess of Wales, has been screened in the US."
Shock of the new couldn't save quack
By Tim Harris
The Age [Australia]
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/09/1047144867398.html
"For centuries, the field of health has been a lucrative hunting ground for
crafty operators. New remedies, if assiduously promoted, generally attract
enough patients to make a tidy pile. In the 21st century, people are still
taken in by "miracle" weight-loss plans and questionable treatments for
serious ailments. In a way, little has changed since the 18th century, when
James Graham touted his remarkable, curative schemes."
Direst of Predictions For War in Iraq
By Bill Broadway
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58894-2003Mar7.html
"Ever since Jesus said that only God knows the hour or day of the Second
Coming, preachers and self-appointed doomsayers have been trying to predict
when it will happen -- and watching the sun rise on another generation.
Even those who chastise date-setters nearly always say, "God's final
judgment is coming soon, probably in our lifetime, so get ready.""
Religious ritual sparks outrage in India
By V. K. Raghunathan
Straits Times
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,175990,00.html
"Devotees, mostly women, in south India are allowing a priest, wearing
thick wooden sandals embedded with nails, to walk over them in the belief
that the ritual would cure them of their ailments or even bless the
childless with a baby."
Raelians Disrobe to Protest Iraq War
By NADA EL SAWY
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=816&ncid=816&e=7&u=/ap/2003030\
9/ap_on_re_us/raelian_protesters>
"The federal building in Westwood became a focal point for anti-war
demonstrators, with a few women stripping to their thongs and a separate
group led by actor Danny Glover marching down Wilshire Boulevard to protest
a possible war with Iraq."
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Spam, scam, thank you Mr. Tony Fred
by Al Sicherman
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/404/3735606.html
"Sometimes even Uncle Al is surprised at what the few remaining neurons of
his mighty mind can somehow pull together, given too much coffee and a
deadline. This week, for example, he will weave a tale that features the
late Laurent Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 14-year-old boy
in Scotland and the mutineers of HMS Bounty. Watch:"
Tabs don't pay dialysis tab
Erie Times-News
<http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=GE&Date=20030310&Category=LIFESTYL\
ES07&ArtNo=103100322&Ref=AR>
"People have been saving pop tops for 30 years, believing the tiny tabs of
aluminum help people with kidney failure buy time on dialysis machines."
Girl's science project got world's attention
By Daniel Kent
Y-Press
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/4/027736-9074-009.html
"A high school girl's science project has alerted many people to the
potential hazards of heating food in microwave ovens."
Bill aims to stop 'dot cons'
By Sue Major Holmes
Associated Press
http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129%257E6572%257E1231826,00.html
"The e-mail pleads: "PLEEEASE READ! It was on the news!" It goes on to tell
the reader that Microsoft founder Bill Gates is paying people who forward
the e-mail to friends because he's running a test of an e-mail tracking
system."
Why U.S. flag folded 13 times
By Howard E. Winstead
Rapid City Journal
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2003/03/09/news/opinion/opin02.txt
(see also http://www.snopes.com/military/flagfold.htm )
"Have you ever noticed on TV or at military funerals that the Honor Guard
pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the American flag 13 times?"
FBI nets Coarsegold woman in crackdown
By Jerry Bier
Fresno Bee
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/6346748p-7295448c.html
"As the economy continues to slide and investors look for other ways to
earn money, the FBI has targeted con artists promoting high-interest scams
that have defrauded Americans out of some $500 million."
IRS offers amnesty to offshore tax evaders
By DENISE ZOLDAN
Bonita Daily News
http://www.bonitanews.com/03/03/bonita/d870600a.htm
"Naples residents swept up by offers to avoid paying income taxes by using
offshore tax schemes can clean up their acts and avoid jail time by fessing
up now."
Nigerian scam goes abroad
By David Flaum
Memphis Commercial Appeal
http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/business_columnists/article/0,1426,MCA_441_1795710,\
00.html
"Age hasn't put a damper on the Nigerian letter scam."
Why are we in space?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030307.html
"During coverage of the recent Columbia space shuttle tragedy, the subject
of the importance of conducting medical experiments in space came up. How
does performing experiments in zero gravity aid in scientific and medical
research?"
Some Evidence on Iraq Called Fake
By Joby Warrick
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59403-2003Mar7.html
"A key piece of evidence linking Iraq to a nuclear weapons program appears
to have been fabricated, the United Nations' chief nuclear inspector said
yesterday in a report that called into question U.S. and British claims
about Iraq's secret nuclear ambitions."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
----------------------------------
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,
or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
Gifting circle figure is facing $90,000 fine
By Chris Loos
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
http://www.hilohawaiitribune.com/daily/2003/Mar-06-Thu-2003/news/news2.html
"After listening to testimony in Hilo last week, a hearings officer is now
considering a state request to fine a Big Island woman $90,000 for
allegedly running "women's gifting circles.""
$500,000 repair job for Lucea courthouse
JAMAICA OBSERVER
<http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20030307T200000-0500_40723_OBS________\
__REPAIR_JOB_FOR_LUCEA_COURTHOUSE.asp>
"The Lucea courthouse is currently being repaired to the tune of $500,000
following damage caused two years ago by an angry mob of pyramid scheme
'depositors'."
Choking Man may be fraud
By MALCOLM BRENNER
Charlotte Sun-Herald
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/030603/tp3ch21.htm?date=030603&story=tp3c\
h21.htm
"When Denise Tucker performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man who appeared
to be choking Monday morning, she thought she was saving a life."
Shoes on wires being removed
By ADAM TAYLOR
The News Journal [Wilmington, DE]
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2003/03/08shoesonwiresbei.html
"Wilmington work crews began removing sneakers from utility wires this week
because Mayor James M. Baker thinks they are placed there by drug dealers
to mark their turf."
CATS REJECT NOTION OF 'SI JINX'
By Jerry Tipton
LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/sports/5345755.htm
"As superstitions go, the Sports Illustrated jinx does not haunt Kentucky's
consciousness."
Justice in Guatemala Can Be Gasoline and a Match
By DAVID GONZALEZ
New York Times
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/08/international/americas/08GUAT.html?ex=1047704\
400&en=cd01bc402b143c40&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE>
"In this market town tucked into the western highlands, picking a pocket
can be a capital offense."
Haunting tales come alive as ghosthunter visits campus
By CHRISTINA STUEVE
Jefferson City News Tribune
http://newstribune.com/stories/030503/fea_0305030935.asp
"A body dragging itself down the stairs, scratching sounds at the door,
bloody footprints in a darkened corridor."
Revolution vet's grave is shrouded in mystery
By MIKE MARSHALL
Huntsville Times
<http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.x\
sl?/base/news/1047118807195900.xml>
"The temptation is to dwell on the buried treasure and the strangers who
drove from Chicago to steal it. The descendents of Jacob Sivley swear the
story's true, but they want you to remember him for more than a graveyard
theft that happened long after his death."
Another e-mail myth debunked; you ARE buying oil from the Middle East
By Rick Haglund
Booth Newspapers
<http://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?\
/base/news-1/1047058801200430.xml>
"You love your gas-guzzling SUV. But you hate the possibility that you may
be supporting Arab states linked to terrorism every time you gas up."
Liebermans Giving Game A Go? Ain't So
By JOHN MORAN
Hartford Courant
http://www.ctnow.com/technology/hc-senjoe.artmar07.story
"Is that U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman starring in a new version of the
popular computer game "The Sims"?"
The hoax is on MU - classes DO meet today
By Jon Gambrell and William A. Weathers
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/03/06/loc_greenbeer06.html
"Tongues will be green and eyes will be red today during Green Beer Day at
Miami University."
Hoaxers Attempt To Close University In Ohio
WLWT
http://www.nbc4columbus.com/news/2023528/detail.html
"Many students at a local university temporarily thought they had the day
off Thursday, thanks to an e-mail message sent to most of the campus."
Phony e-mail sent to Miami students
By Benjamin Poston
Cox News Service
http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/localnews/daily/0307hoax.html
"A phony e-mail sent to thousands of Miami University students, purportedly
from Miami President James Garland, claimed all Thursday classes were
canceled."
Man arrested in Miami hoax
By Jon Gambrell
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/03/08/loc_greenarrest08.html
"A Miami University student has been charged with sending a hoax e-mail to
faculty and students on Wednesday night claiming classes would be canceled
on Thursday - which was Green Beer Day."
Texas jail that Billy the Kid broke into will be restored
By CHRIS ROBERTS
Associated Press
http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=148144
"The thick adobe walls are pitted and bricks are dissolving along the base
where concrete footing traps destructive moisture. But help is on the way
for the old San Elizario courthouse, where legend says Billy the Kid broke
into jail."
Alleged John D. Lee Letter Contains 19th Century Ore
BY MICHELLE BEAVER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Mar/03072003/utah/35963.asp
"The ore in a lead-plate letter that blames early Mormon church leader
Brigham Young for a massacre in southern Utah 146 years ago was probably
mined during the life span of its purported author, researchers said Thursday."
Nigerian scam continues to thrive
By Bob Sullivan
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/881169.asp?0cv=TB10
"Two new flavors of the age-old Nigerian e-mail scam are making the rounds,
and at least one of them appears to be gaining traction. Hundreds of
victims have recently fallen for a variation that plays upon people’s
misunderstanding about how bank cashier’s checks work. Meanwhile, other
scammers are trying to take advantage of heightened interest in Iraq,
posing as frightened Iraqis trying to move money out of that country before
hostilities begin. The scam also took a deadly turn last month, when a
victim in the Czech Republic allegedly shot and killed a Nigerian diplomat
after losing his life savings to the scam."
Gas station email called 'silly:' Officials say chain-letter type message
is a hoax
By Erin Walsh
Medfield Press
http://www.townonline.com/medfield/news/local_regional/mp_newsmdgasemail03052003\
.htm
"Where do you buy your gas?"
Your name in the stars ... or maybe not
By Michelle Thaller
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0306/p25s01-stss.html
"Astronomers are terrible at names. It seems like every name we come up
with, whether for the mind-blowingly huge and complex structures in the
heavens, or our own telescopes, is either a statement of the obvious or a
criminally boring catalog number."
FBI Closes Fraudulent Investment Schemes
By Curt Anderson
Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030308/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/fb\
i_fraud_arrests_3>
"FBI agents cracked down Friday on get-rich-quick schemes that defrauded
hundreds of people nationwide, including Oklahoma City, of $500 million."
Altus resident becomes victim
By Nick Trougakos
The Oklahoman
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=996214&pic=none&TP=getarticle
"All Eddie Becerra wanted was insurance."
Buyer Beware: the Nigerian scam
by Judi Gatson
WIS-TV
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1168871&nav=0RaPERa8
"In the so-called Nigerian Scam a con artist sends unsolicited e-mails,
letters or faxes to his victim asking him or her to deposit funds for the
crook in a US bank account. In return, the con says, the victim can keep
some of the money and send the rest back to Nigeria."
Family Says Boy's Cancer Is No Scam
by Drew Mikkelsen
KOIN
http://www.koin.com/webnews/2003/20030307_cancerdonations.shtml
"Did a local family pretend that their young son was dying of cancer as a
way to make money? Police think that's what happened, but the family says
that's a horrible and inaccurate accusation."
Web posting: A sad story or just scam?
by HOLLY DANKS and JOHN SNELL
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/104704195568621.xm\
l
"A Web site with a desperate appeal. A fund-raising dance. A raffle.
Features in newspapers and on television stations."
Officials confirm 'help story' is a scam
By Ian Rollins
Hillsboro Argus
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/104699002611180.xml
"A 9-year-old boy supposedly stricken with leukemia is actually fine,
Hillsboro Police detectives say."
Nigerian letter scam prompts investigation in Sask., Alberta
CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/03/07/Consumers/letterscam_030307
"Officials in Alberta and Saskatchewan are investigating three people for
allegedly scamming thousands of dollars in a so-called Nigerian letter scam."
Salinan loses big in scam
Salina Journal
http://www.saljournal.com/stories/030703/new_scam.html
"A Salina man was bilked out of more than $7,500 in what has been called a
twist on the old Nigerian letter scam."
Mind-reading Web site seems eerie
by Mark Layman
Tacoma News Tribune
http://www.tribnet.com/entertainment/story/2729628p-2776855c.html
"Andy Naughton's Flash Mind Reader is one of the most fun - and spooky -
Web sites out there."
Hotmail struggles with Nigerian scam
By Tony Hallett
Silicon.com
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-991117.html
"E-mail users, up in arms over the massive amounts of spam allegedly from
wealthy Nigerian money-laundering refugees, want to know what ISPs and
e-mail providers are doing about this scam."
A highly inflated version of reality
by BENEDICT CAREY
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-liars3mar03.story
"The world's con artists and hustlers and philanderers have to lie — it's
how they get by. But the real masters of lying don't need a clear reason.
They spin war stories for neighbours, travel adventures for co-workers,
romantic fictions for friends."
He Did It All for the Etymologist Nookie
by Jason Gay and Sridhar Pappu
New York Observer
http://observer.com/pages/world.asp
"Before he landed in another heap of trouble for kissing-and-telling to
Howard Stern about his fling with Britney Spears, Fred Durst—the
backwards-baseball-cap-wearing lead singer of the rap-metal band Limp
Bizkit—endured a pissy scolding from the media for allegedly concocting a
word during his impromptu antiwar speech at the Feb. 23 Grammy Awards at
Madison Square Garden."
Missing organs could link cases
By John Bartlett
Erie Times-News
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2003103040284
"A grisly Philadelphia death investigation has police in that city checking
on possible similarities with the 1997 slaying in Crawford County of
76-year-old Clara Kenvin."
RAT-ATOUILLE IS OFF THE MENU: COUNCIL
by HELEN PEARSE
Plymouth Evening Herald
<http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=98912&command=displayCon\
tent&sourceNode=98821&contentPK=4413629>
"An Urban myth about rats and dogs being found in restaurant kitchens in
Plymouth has led to environmental health officers being swamped with calls.
Plymouth City Council's Environmental Regulation Service today took the
unusual step of rejecting the bizarre rumours, which have led to a growing
number of queries from the public about alleged poor standards at food
businesses."
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or we know where we can find information upon it."
- Samuel Johnson
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