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Tuesday, March 7, 2000 08:56 p.m. SkeptiNews 000307c - - - - - - - - - - -
All The News That's Fit To Question
* Passages starting with ':' are editorial comments to provoke discussion. * PLEASE do NOT include the ENTIRE bulletin when you reply; cut/paste, eh? * Portal to notices, excuses, overflow, links: http://skepticon.pitas.com * No noisy cosmic catastrophes were engineered to produce this bulletin. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ @ Conehead: http://www.srv.net/~bhw/conehd2.jpg _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Japan: 30% view fertilized eggs as humans - human eggs become human beings when fertilized and therefore should never be exploited. 70% think human eggs should be fried & eaten: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/0307sc13.htm # Human Genetics, The DOE, Lockheed Martin, & Nuclear Weapons. There's some- thing very unique & special in the human DNA, and the wizards and warlocks at the highest levels of the US government, academic and corporate worlds are trying to decipher it. This is a huge effort on a par with the push to develop the atomic bomb. http://www.sightings.com/politics6/gends.htm : Do humans and other lifeforms need protection before/after birth/death? Do humanity and personhood necessarily overlap? Are you one of those bigots who doesn't like nonhuman persons, nonperson humans, disincarnate intelligences? Is human DNA special, or just a set of variations on a widely-used code? Eh? # Give a dog a clone. The vet says that Goldie, the family pet labrador, is suffering from old age and will have to be put down. Today all you can do is comfort the children. But very soon, if you have enough money, you will be able to order up a carbon copy clone of Goldie, maybe re-engineered to be somewhat less flatulent: http://www.independent.ie/2000/66/d11a.shtml _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Call It the SyDNA Olympics. (Wired) SYDNEY, Aus. -- If you buy official merchandise at this year's Sydney Olympics, you'll be taking home a piece of one of Australia's top athletes. The ink derived from the undisclosed athlete's DNA has been placed on each piece of official Olympic merchand- ise to thwart counterfeiters. The ink is invisible, impossible to reverse- engineer, and easy to check with special scanners no larger than a garage door-opener. In short, it's a biotechnology security tag. And you can clone the donor: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,34774,00.html # U.K. Crypto Law a Key Issue. (Wired) British politicians all agree that police need new powers to read the email of drug dealers, terrorists, and pedophiles. But campaigners are furious that other Net users are about to lose their right of innocence until proven guilty. Bend over and smile: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,34776,00.html : What's your favorite security measure? Is DNA good because it's secure; not so good because of the cloning potential; aesthetically pleasing; tasteful? Is security worth any price, any sacrifice, any imposition? Are you secure? # NSA Crypto Museum: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesat/20000304.wesat.12.ram # Coolio fries: Off the hook for the DDoS frenzy, he now faces charges for other hack-attacks. http://wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,34741,00.html # MicroSoft Gives Grants to Solve DoS Attacks - search & destroy, leave none alive, burn their brains: http://techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000302S0012 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Cosmic Catastrophe: Planetary Alignments and Cosmic Disasters. The word is out: The planets come into alignment in May, 2000, and some are predicting that Earth will be affected by cosmic forces that will trigger a "cosmic catastrophe." http://www.griffithobs.org/Planetarium.html#anchor4181640 @ Planetary Alignments 2000: http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyAlignments.html @ Alignments & Destruction: http://www.teleport.com/~tcollins/conjunct.shtml @ Alignments - Why Panic? http://www.skypub.com/news/special/whypanic.html @ Planetary Alignments: http://www.sunspot.noao.edu/PR/alignment.html @ Alignments Cause Quakes: http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/planets.html @ Planet Conjunctions: http://drumright.ossm.edu/astronomy/conjunctions.html @ CALENdeRsign® - THE ALIGNMENTS OF THE NAKED EYE PLANETS - PRECURSERS OF THE PLANETARY BEAD OF 5-5-2000. The "time turning" point approaches! A very rare and remarkable planetary alignment is taking place! Give your- self up! http://www.calendersign.ric.at/english/alignment2000random.htm @ 60 days to go until the planetary bead in May 2000. Help us plan the ceremony at time turning point: http://www.calendersign.ric.at/mayfest.htm : Are you prepared for the inevitable catastrophe(s)? Was your home planet torn apart recently? How did you escape? D'ya run from planetary alignments? To where? Have you warned us, or do we deserve our fate? Are we that bad?? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Volcano Mayon To Cool World Temperatures - Again. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - While villagers living near Mayon volcano in the Philippines are feeling the force of brutal eruptions almost daily, the rest of the world could feel Mayon's impact through cooler global temperatures. Use more freon: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000305/sc/environment_volcanoes_1.html # Earth enters the big thaw. (BBC) The world's ice cover is melting faster and in more places than at any time since records began. Grow more hair. Fast. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_669000/669051.stm @ Worldwatch Institute: http://www.worldwatch.org/ @ British Antarctic Survey: http://www.nerc-bas.ac.uk/ @ World Glacier Monitoring Service: http://www.geo.unizh.ch/wgms/ : Will Earth freeze over, break apart, suffocate in smog/shit, melt down, go into another dimension, implode, get even weirder? What's y'r favorite Earth Change? Have you altered any climates/biospheres/lithospheres lately? How? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SkeptiWinks - your turn to ask questions: # MedSchool Puts Virtual Reality To The Test - surgical residents to face biomedical tele-immersion. The residents will participate in a unique research project to measure whether virtual reality technology, high- performance computing and high-speed networking can improve medical education. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000306075800.htm # HIV Vaccine 'At Least Another Decade Away' - AidsBiz conglomerates to stay profitable, powerful: http://foxnews.com/health/030600/hiv_vaccine.sml # Nurse Transmits HIV To Patient http://www.sightings.com/health3/hivinf.htm # AMA Tries To Suppress Pic [posted here recently]: http://www.geek.net/ama/ # 'I pledge avoidance to the flag' - Fewer campuses leading students in pat- riotic recitation - nor public readings of US/state constitutions and UN charter: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/natwor/docs/pledge0306.htm @ ReligiousEuphemisms: http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~werdna/alliteration.html # The wrath of Genghis Khan - Hordes of Mongolians threaten to name selves for ancient warrior: http://www.smh.com.au/news/0003/07/world/world12.html # Parlez-vous e-mail? France pooh-poohs modern English business phrases. Au revoir: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0003/07/A59112-2000Mar7.shtml # Jupiter's moons in focus. (BBC) The Galileo spacecraft returns sharp images of Jupiter's icy and volcanic moons. Hot and cold hells, clearly seen: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_669000/669092.stm $ Radar Robots Rule: http://www.mcphee.com/products/future/10289.html _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." --St. Teresa of Avila * Rev.R.Carter, ULC * http://skepticon.pitas.com * FAX: 603-415-3736 * SkeptiNews bulletins now *ONLINE* at: http://skeptinews.pitas.com/ * Fringes of: Science, Faith, Paranormal, Conspiracy, Sex, Dope, Art Tuesday, March 7, 2000 02:18 p.m. SkeptiNews 000307b - - - - - - - - - - -
All The News That's Fit To Question
* Passages starting with ':' are editorial comments to provoke discussion. * PLEASE do NOT include the ENTIRE bulletin when you reply; cut/paste, eh? * Portal to notices, excuses, overflow, links: http://skepticon.pitas.com * No humanoid robots were flown to Albuquerque to produce this bulletin. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ @ Are You Demotivated Yet? http://www.demotivate.com/ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Sky lights are flares, not UFOs. PHOENIX, AZ. Look to the sky, conspiracy buffs: See the spheres of light floating eerily in the night sky. It's ... the return of the fabled "Phoenix lights!" Well, it's a flare-lit night- training exercise, which the Arizona Air National Guard says will be held on the Barry Goldwater Range near Gila Bend. A similar scenario - almost exactly 3 years ago - sparked an ongoing run of UFO buzz over mysterious lights in the sky. Coverup?? http://www.azcentral.com/news/0307ufo.shtml # UFO POLITICS. "It's time that our presidential candidates woke up to the fact that a growing number of Americans take this subject seriously enough to consider it when casting their votes." UFOcity intends to make this a main course of business as we head into the presidential elections. Follow UFOcity.Com's Campaign Watch 2000: http://www.UFOcity.com/campaign2000.cfm : Do all political/military/govt institutions routinely coverup their alien links? Can public pressure force full disclosure? Would that be REAL disclo- sure, or more disinfo? How could you tell? Are you enslaved by ignorance?? # Army frees 'slave'; is 'indefinite re-enlistment' involuntary servitude? http://worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_bresnahan/20000307_xex_army_release.shtml # Tough on alien criminals: http://insidedenver.com:80/news/0301rule2.shtml _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Good Pot, Bad Pot. (Wired) One study says pot could help patients with multiple sclerosis. Another says it can give you a heart attack. Is some- body stoned? http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,34724,00.html # HAY-FEVER MEDICATION WORSE THAN ALCOHOL IN IMPAIRING DRIVER SKILLS - better drunk than dosed: http://CNN.com/2000/HEALTH/03/06/allergy.driving/ # HERBS MAY CAUSE UNEXPECTED BLEEDING AFTER SURGERY - ginseng, gingko biloba and other herbs: http://CNN.com/2000/HEALTH/03/06/anesthesia.herbs/index @ Which Saw Palmetto & Ginko Biloba Stuff To Buy http://www.consumerlab.com/ # Prozac Pulls Stocks? http://slate.msn.com/Earthling/00-03-03/Earthling.asp : What's your favorite herbal product? Does it impair/injure/infect you? Do you care? Do contradictory test results just reveal the richness/complexity of observable reality? Does reality intrude on your health, or vice-versa?? # Rabies vs. HIV. (BBC) Scientists have uncovered a new weapon in the fight against HIV - the rabies virus. Virologists have developed a HIV vaccine using a weakened rabies virus to carry a piece of the HIV virus safely into the cells of laboratory mice. The cells responded by creating immune system antibodies to attack the fragment, fighting off the HIV virus. Zowie. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_667000/667971.stm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # The future of Humanoid Robots. (DSC) Owning your own mechanical servant may happen a lot sooner than you think, say our expert panelists. The big question is: Just how human should they be? And should they be allowed to drink, drive, vote? http://www.discover.com/mar_00/featfuture.html @ Panel Participants: Alan Schultz: www.aic.nrl.navy.mil/~schultz; @ Kazuhiko Kawamura: http://mot.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/ece/~kawamura.htm Center for Intelligent Systems http://shogun.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/CIS @ Joe Herkert: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jherkert/jrh.html; @ Sebastian Thrun, Robot Learning Lab: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rll @ Joe Engelberger: http://www.helpmaterobotics.com @ Marvin Minsky: http://www.media.mit.edu/~minsky @ John McCarthy: http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc. # Robots right for defense, health care, scientist says. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Within decades, simple robots could be defending America, monitoring its environment for poisons & helping an elderly nation control - and perhaps reduce - its growing health care bill. But should we intermarry with'em? http://insidedenver.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=SPACEROBOTICS-03-01-00&cat=AS : How many robots are enough? Will we need robot slaves to help us conquer the universe? When will robots outsmart/dominate us? Will they keep us as pets? Will they breed us into interesting new forms, like human Chihuahuas? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Godz'R'Us: # Spring has come to Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. (Time) Wander by the bookstore & see material on Catholicism under the heading "Cults." "The Pope isn't necessarily THE Antichrist. He is AN Antichrist." Is that clear? http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,39948,00.html @ The Anti-Christ: http://www.macromind.org/maps/nz/a-christ.htm # Pope to apologize for Church failings - Cites heterodoxy, forced convers- ions, violence, anti-Jewish prejudice - but Holocaust, Inquisition, witch- burnings OK: http://jpost.com/Editions/2000/03/07/News/News.3639.html @ Second Vatican Council: http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/v1.html @ Catholic Worker: http://www.catholicworker.org/dorothyday/library.cfm # THE JESUS REPORT - Losers, wimps hailed as 'good guys' - see http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/features/2000/0306/fea5.htm @ On Jews and Christians Living in the Same Space (A Quo Primum): http://listserv.american.edu/catholic/church/papal/benedict.xiv/b14aquo.html # Guilty Plea in Bible Shootings: http://newshub.com/cgibin/rd.cgi?9486286 $ Deepak Chopra Unveils HowtoKnowGod.Com - Provides Visitors with Interac- tive Tools for Spiritual Self-exploration and Establishes Global Forum for Discussion of Life's 'Mystery of Mysteries'. God: 'Who is this putz?' http://live.altavista.com/scripts/editorial.dll?ei=1544239&ern=y @ Opium-Eater: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/dequinc1.htm @ What's your <http://emode.com/tests/superpower.html> superpower? Are you a sex god www.emode.com/tests/god.html or www.emode.com/tests/goddess.html goddess? And play around at http://www.memepool.com/Subject/Games/ # Is God a ready-for-prime-time player? Who does the audience warm-up schtick? http://insidedenver.com/saunders/0307dusty.shtml @ Largest Unorganized Religion In The World: http://www.beerchurch.com/ # Creation museum overcomes legal hurdle - construction may start in 2001: http://kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/030700/statedocs/07creation.htm # Is your computer possessed by a demon? Are you? Do you get faster access that way? Sex chats? http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/stories/1745.html _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "Humming a cheerful tune, Millicent continued removing the organs from the body, rinsing them, patting them dry with a thick terry towel, then placing them gently in Jeff's Li'l Playmate cooler, all the while won- dering what he'd think of her single brilliant solution to two nagging problems -- his mother and her constant and bitter complaints about Millicent's neglecting her, and Jeff's repeatedly verbalized wish for something in his lunch besides peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." --Deanna D. Ledgett * Rev.R.Carter, ULC * http://skepticon.pitas.com * FAX: 603-415-3736 * SkeptiNews bulletins now *ONLINE* at: http://skeptinews.pitas.com/ * Fringes of: Science, Faith, Paranormal, Conspiracy, Sex, Dope, Art Tuesday, March 7, 2000 07:14 a.m.
SkeptiNews 000307a - - - - - - - - - -
- All The News That's Fit To Question
* Passages starting with ':' are editorial comments to provoke discussion. * PLEASE do NOT include the ENTIRE bulletin when you reply; cut/paste, eh? * Portal to notices, excuses, overflow, links: http://skepticon.pitas.com * No holy cells were extracted and cloned to produce this bulletin. Damn. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ @ That Tickles: http://www.srv.net/~bhw/photo.htm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Large UFO Lands Near Village In West Maylasia. TANAH MERAH, KELANTAN: A large object emitting rays of light was reported to have landed on a piece of marshland here three days ago, holding some 1,000 people of Kampung Gobek in a state of high suspense. http://www.sightings.com/ufo6/mal.htm # Rectangular UFO: Boyne I., Queensland: http://www.caus.org/ft030600.htm @ UFOs and The New Physics: http://www.stardrive.org/ufos.shtml @ The Starship Builders: http://www.stardrive.org/starship.shtml # UFOs in Arizona - or Black Helicopters? http://www.caus.org/mu030700.htm # MULTINATIONAL FORCE SPREADS ACROSS MOZAMBIQUE - black helicopters harvest flood victims: http://CNN.com/2000/WORLD/africa/03/07/africa.floods.02/ : Have UFOs / Black Helis / Giant Triangles harvested your community lately? Why did they leave you? Are you less than appetizing? Are you vegetarian? Do you eat garlic? Do ETs harvest many garlic-eaters? Are vampires really ETs? @ Why Are There More Questions Than Answers? Throughout recorded history, non human life forms have interacted with humans. These beings come from different places. Some are clearly ET and have stated so. Some are other dimensional beings that have bridged gaps between dimensions. Others have been speculated as being time travelers. Evidence indicates beings inhabit underground facilities on our planet. http://www.caus.org/mc030700.htm _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Frozen Prehistoric 'Zoo' In Siberian Ice. Scientists have located a frozen "zoo" of prehistoric creatures under the Siberian permafrost. www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/00/03/05/stinwenws03011.html?999 # Bringing The Mammoth Back To Life - excavate the frozen remains, thaw & clone the tissues: http://foxnews.com/science/030300/times_mammoth.sml # Tests Said to Link Turin Shroud to Israel, Jordan. MILAN, Italy (Reuters) New scientific tests on the Shroud of Turin, revered by some Christians as Christ's burial shroud, link the relic to the area of Israel or Jordan, a church committee said. What, no Levantine relic-forgers? Let's clone Jesus now: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000306/18/science-italy-shroud : Would'ya rather clone mammoths, dinosaurs, deities, me? Suppose you cloned a deity and it destroyed the world? Suppose it didn't? Would you rather have kids/clones/chimerae with genes from mammoths, Jesus, dinosaurs, me? Why?? # Public-Private Genome-Mapping Coalition Falls Apart - cloning setback: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000306/17/science-genome-coalition # Japan Readying Law To Ban Human Cloning - even at a research level: http://news.excite.com/news/r/000306/22/science-japan-cloning2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # DESTRUCTION, NEGLECT AND PILLAGE: Archeological treasures in Afghanistan have been massively damaged and destroyed after years of civil war. Damn the Taliban: http://www.allemandi.com/TAN/news/article.asp?idart=1033 @ Do we live in a world glutted with brands & billboards? Naw; that's only where we shop: http://www.laweekly.com/ink/00/15/wls-lloyd.shtml And see http://www.mediachannel.org/views/oped/seabrook.shtml or else. @ It's not nostalgia that upsets you when they bulldoze your childhood sledding hill. It's seeing the hill replaced by a suburban parody of Leave It to Beaver: http://www.feedmag.com/feature/fr298_master.html : Has your culture been outlawed, revived, marketed, bulldozed, parodied? Is your culture all-devouring, mutable, resilient, flexible, protected, French? # The Maori Art of Moko. Moko -- the traditional body and facial tattooing of the Maori people of New Zealand -- was lost for centuries. After the British colonized New Zealand in the 18th century, moko, as well as many other aspects of Maori culture, were outlawed. But in past few decades, Maoris have rediscovered their traditions and the tattoos once again are becoming popular. http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20000301.me.15.ram _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # China Ups Military Spending - increased to record levels - is it enough? http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_667000/667352.stm # Analysis: China's Military Thinks Long-Term - but are they competitive? http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_667000/667559.stm # CHINESE GENERAL SAYS WESTERN FORCES TRYING TO SPLIT CHINA. A senior Chinese general, in what could be considered a veiled jab at the United States, has accused outside "enemy" forces of trying to Westernize and divide China. http://CNN.com/2000/ASIANOW/east/03/07/china.taiwan.02/ # China in Internet Frenzy - is Communism doomed to World Wide Wait? http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20000306/t000021678.html # Taiwan spy agency Web site hacked - China ruled out as perpetrator: http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564777387-73f # China detains 4 Americans during roundup of Falun Gong members: http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564777850-22d : Has y'r conspiracy targeted/conquered/devoured China yet? Are you slicing China into small, easily-digested pieces? D'ya have enough MSG, soy sauce, fried rice? Are Chinese military forces especially delectable? Crunchy?? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Skyworker Robot Has the Light Touch. -- Just like building towering structures here on Earth, assembling future "space-scrapers" in orbit demands balance, dexterity & skill from any girder-walking high-steeler. http://www.space.com/space/technology/skywalking_robots_000303.html @ Skyworker and LEMUR: http://www.space.com/images/v_radial_scene_02.jpg # Also - Robotic Arm Scoop Ready to Deliver: http://www.space.com/space/mplscoop_991130.html # Robotic Outposts a Necessary Next Step in Exploring Other Worlds: http://www.space.com/space/robot_outposts_991116.html # Androids and Filling Stations: The Needs of Human Missions to Mars: http://www.space.com/space/isuit_future_991110.html @ Links - The Robotics Institute: http://www.ri.cmu.edu/ @ NASA's Skyworker: http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/projects/skyworker/ @ Space and Robotics 2000 Conference: http://www.spaceandrobotics.org/ RWWF http://news.excite.com/photo/img/ap/japan/robot/contest/20000305/tok102 # A community of robots. Robot `teams' are being developed to perform tasks that are too difficult for a single machine to do. The concept was inspired by the collective intelligence shown by social insects such as ants and bees. http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/sci_docs/017282.htm : Who's your favorite robot? Are the best robots hive-minds? D'ya prefer big /medium/little/nano robots? Do robots fill all your physical/spiritual needs & desires? Do your robots have "the light touch?" Are they sensuous? Really? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "The slight pressure between his eyes puzzled Tyler since the telltale tinkle had told him that his prince-nez had tumbled during their tustle; the conundrum was clarified when, upon opening his glazed eyes, he discov- ered the prehensile tip of Freita Mannlicher's marvelous gelatinous tongue -- the remainder of which snaked up his shirt before reemerging out his collar -- gently grasping the bridge of his nose." --Raphael X. Reichart * Rev.R.Carter, ULC * http://skepticon.pitas.com * FAX: 603-415-3736 * SkeptiNews bulletins now *ONLINE* at: http://skeptinews.pitas.com/ * Fringes of: Science, Faith, Paranormal, Conspiracy, Sex, Dope, Art |
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