Agent13
13th December 2003, 08:38 PM
The Fog of War History
By Thomas A. Desjardin
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2003/12/07/the_fog_of_war_history/
""The president is concerned that the story the American people are getting about the war is not accurate. What is happening on the ground in the war zone, he fears, is not being correctly reported in the media. In the end, however, history will reveal the truth.""
Lizard lady of Akron stumped doctors
By Mark J. Price
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/7440769.htm
"The strange case of Lovie Herman puzzled doctors for more than a decade."
The new weapon in crimefighting... prayer
By Giles Wilson
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3306185.stm
"Policing crackles with buzzwords nowadays, from zero tolerance to on-the-spot fines. The power of prayer is an unlikely addition to that list - but could it be an effective weapon in the battle against crime?"
Police probe death of 'healed' baby
By CLAIRE TREVETT
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3538851&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
"Police are investigating the death of a baby whose family had tried to heal him with prayer."
Never mind the facts
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1103958,00.html
"There's not a lot you need to know about the link between MMR and autism, except that there's very little evidence to suggest any link at all. You don't have to take my word for it, because I'll describe the science later, and, if you're interested, give you all the references you need to follow it up. But there is an interesting story here, and that is how a debate on scientific evidence became a question of personalities, and how the standard of reporting, and public understanding of science, has deteriorated to the point where Channel Five feels entitled to broadcast the poisonous and biased drama on the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella you will be treated to - and it is a treat - next Monday."
Controversial church sues N.C. social services agency
By TIM WHITMIRE
Associated Press
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/11churchsue.html
"A Rutherford County church known for its controversial use of "blasting prayer" has sued the county Department of Social Services, alleging violation of its freedom of religion."
Psychic Babble?
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Living/Michael_Shermer_031211.html
"20/20 recently profiled John Edward, a popular with psychic with a hit television show, Crossing Over, and several best-selling books to his credit. Dr. Michael Shermer, Editor and Publisher of Skeptic magazine and a monthly columnist and contributing editor to Scientific American, answers viewers' questions about psychics and the paranormal below."
Group sues government over UFO info
UPI
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20031209-032214-9185r.htm
"An advocacy group and a cable TV network are suing the federal government to release documents pertaining to a 38-year-old UFO incident."
Forum focuses on UFO visits
By Debra Mayeux
Associated Press
http://www.daily-times.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=201&num=6198
"Visits from extraterrestrials, alternative energy, chemical warfare and super flus, these are topics open for discussion at the monthly meetings of the Aztec Free Thinkers’ Forum."
Number four not so deadly for Chinese
by Anna Salleh
ABC Science
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1004497.htm
"People who speak Cantonese link the number four with bad luck and death. But according to researchers from Hong Kong, they are no more likely to die from a heart attack on dates containing the number four than on any other dates."
What's the story on Leo Strauss?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/031212.html
"What's the story on Leo Strauss? My extremely limited knowledge of this guy is that he was a crackpot political philosopher given to perverse readings of Plato and Aristotle, who nonetheless attracted a cult following of students. Now I read in a recent issue of Newsweek that one of the Bush administration apparatchiks who fed information to Dick Cheney is a Straussian and that Strauss believed in the "noble lie," the implication being that the search for weapons of mass destruction was a pretext to drag Cheney, Dubya, and us into the war in Iraq. A quick search on the Internet reveals wide belief that a Straussian neoconservative cabal is pulling the strings in Washington. It sounds bizarre, but these are bizarre times. What's going on?"
Healing oils
By Fiona Soltes
The Tennessean
http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/099322-1042-047.html
"Six years ago, when David Stewart's 85-year-old mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, the family chose an interesting path: They took her off her medicine, switched to natural supplements and herbal teas, and anointed her regularly with oil."
Quack treats, collects and bolts
Indian Express News Service
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=69936
"R L Dhokte, an Ayurveda practitioner who made millions by peddling herbal medicine for cancer cure since 1982, has taken flight."
Health pills law will increase prices by 15pc
By KEVIN TAYLOR
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3538364&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
"A new agency to regulate dietary supplements and alternative medicines will drastically cut consumer choice and increase the price of products by about 15 per cent, opponents say."
Egyptians Turn to Holy Medicine
By Lobna Sabry
Reuters
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3971296§ion=news
"The mother of six-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer Saif had given up hope that modern medicine could improve his health when a centuries-old alternative practised by the Muslim Prophet Mohammad came to the rescue."
Canadians to study herbal medicines
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1071097809639&call_pageid=991479973472&col=991929131147>
"Researchers at Queen's University have received $8 million (Cdn.) from a U.S. National Institutes of Health to test the effectiveness of herbal remedies on prostate and bladder disease."
Where did we come from?: Darby meeting to discuss teaching intelligent design
By JENNY JOHNSON
Revalli Republic
http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2003/12/09/news/news02.txt
"Nearly 80 years after the John Scopes "Monkey" trial helped established Darwin's theory of evolution as the benchmark in public science education, a theory known as intelligent design is clamoring for recognition across the country."
Intelligent design presentation draws hundreds
By JENNY JOHNSON
Revalli Republic
http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2003/12/12/news/news02.txt
"More than 200 people turned out for a presentation Wednesday about teaching an alternative to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution."
Venture aiming for a long life
By Marsha Austin
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~1812940,00.html
"Three Denver businessmen are gambling on a venture to sell a once-a-day pill they say could extend life spans to 120 years or more - without age-related scourges like cancer, heart disease or Alzheimer's."
Revered Relic Enshrined in L.A.
By Larry B. Stammer
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-me-saint10dec10,1,1367228.story
"A small piece of the cloak of St. Juan Diego — on which Catholics believe an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared — was permanently enshrined at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Tuesday amid prayers and the veneration of several hundred faithful."
'Pyramid swindlers' go on trial in Tajikistan
Associate Press
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1104438,00.html
"Three men went on trial in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, yesterday accused of heading a pyramid scheme which grew to involve 56,000 people investing more than $41m (£28m)."
Tajik women weep as bead scam goes to court
By Hugh Macleod
The Independent
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=472094
"It sounds like a simple scam, and to the 56,000 Tajik people who bought into it, and in some cases lost everything, it must have seemed like a chance to make easy money in one of the poorest countries in the world."
'I know I didn't do it'
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
BILOXI SUN HERALD
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/7469287.htm
"Rumors rage across this coastal community of 17,000, claiming Chris Garner is involved in the murder of Lynda Pham, who died nearly two weeks ago."
Message in bracelets: No message
By Paulette Tobin
Grand Forks Herald
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/7481405.htm
"Area teenagers who have been wearing popular plastic "jelly bracelets" probably don't realize their colorful fashion statements have been called sex bracelets in some parts of the country and in media reports, according to local teens and teachers."
Student 'sex bracelets' an urban legend?
Associated Press
BY MARTHA IRVINE
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/10/sex.bracelet.ap/
"Orange, red, blue, black -- they're just thin, rubbery bracelets that come in a rainbow of colors, but they're causing quite a stir."
Focus: Ufology in mysticism
China Daily
http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-12/12/content_289788.htm
"UFOs, flying saucers and ET conjure up images from Hollywood films and blurred photos in tabloid newspapers. But a number of true believers in China, many of them highly educated, see merit in exploring unidentified flying objects and alien encounters scientifically."
Secret life of dogs found in astrology
by Kelly Ryan
Melbourne Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8125177%255E2862,00.html
"OWNERS of pampered pooches can now look to the stars for cosmic advice about what lies ahead for their dogs."
Case Study: Orlando Station Investigates Wal-Mart Incident
By Al Tompkins
Poynter Online
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=56735
"The day after Thanksgiving, the news broke that Patricia Vanlester, 41, was knocked unconscious and, her sister said, "trampled by a herd of elephants," a stampede of shoppers reaching for DVD players that went on sale at 6 a.m."
The resurgence of voodoo in New Orleans
ABC Tasmania
http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1007105.htm
"Dr. Ina Fandrich, Professor of Religious Studies at Louisiana State University has devoted half her life to the study of Voodoo - that ancient religion rooted in Africa and introduced to the western world through the trans atlantic slave trade."
Horoscopes still tying spouse-hunters in knots
by Hiral Dave
Ahmedabad Newsline
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=70234
"Anamika Pandya, a beautiful and soft-spoken 28-year-old, is yet to find a match despite her parents’ best efforts. Position of shani grah in her kundali (horoscope) is creating problems in finding a suitable groom."
'What else could it have been but a miracle?'
By ROY MacGREGOR
Toronto Globe & Mail
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20031213/FCESSIAC13/TPHealth/
"These days, when she looks back at her remarkable, and largely unexpected, long life, Iona Hale will often permit herself a small, soft giggle."
Ageist spirit facing the ghostbusters
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=qw1071210601699B253&set_id=1
"An elderly Indian couple from Calcutta has filed a police complaint against an unfriendly, abusive ghost, it was reported on Friday."
Abusive 'ghost' haunts elderly couple
NDTV
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Abusive+'ghost'+haunts+elde rly+couple&id=46069
"In Kolkata, an elderly couple has gone to the police with the strangest complaint - they are hearing dismembered voices in their modest two-room flat."
Man charged with iPod email hoax
by Jo Best
silicon.com
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39118403,00.htm
"Cambridgeshire Police have confirmed they have made an arrest in connection with the denial of service attack that hit the force last week."
Hoax case prosecutor files more charges
Associated Press
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/154802
"A judge denied a defense attorney's motion to dismiss charges against a Kansas woman accused of impersonating a couple's long-missing daughter, and a prosecutor filed additional charges against her."
12 new ID fraud charges are filed
By Cathy Kightlinger
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/101139-4743-009.html
"A Kansas woman accused of impersonating a long-missing Thorntown girl faces additional charges of deception."
'Twin Peaks' Director Urges $1 Bln for Meditation
By Deborah Zabarenko
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3971507
"As director of such dark films as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" and the television series "Twin Peaks," David Lynch seems an unlikely leader for a world peace campaign based on mass meditation."
Mahesh Yogi now plans $1 bn varsity for world peace in US
by S Rajagopalan
Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_492588,00050001.htm
"It's never too late for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The 92-year-old Yogi, who turned his Transcendental Meditation (TM) into a thriving industry in the United States and elsewhere in the West, is now on to a new project: a university of world peace at a cost of $1 billion."
Hollywood role to raise Yogi billion
Calcutta Telegraph
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031212/asp/atleisure/story_2671488.asp
"Former Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has attracted an unlikely new protégé."
Study Doubts Benefits of Plant Oil for Eczema
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3984621
"The fatty acid supplement borage oil does not appear to ease the misery of eczema, according to a UK study."
Official puts to rest myth of free tuition
by Edie Hall
Kansas State Collegian
http://www.kstatecollegian.com/stories/112103/new_tuition.shtml
"Don't go jumping in front of K-State vehicles -- it won't get you anything but sympathy."
Moon's effect up in air
By Jessica Bock
Wausau Daily Herald
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/279293951160125.shtml
"It's on nights like tonightthat cops and emergency room workers gear up for what could turn out to be a strange and unusual shift filled with odd phone calls, weird complaints and symptoms that just don't make sense."
Treating more than symptoms Suzanne Lawton, once a skeptic, uses naturopathy to heal illness at its source
by KATE TAYLOR
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouthwest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_southwest_news/1070629282241150.xml
"Grab the aspirin, there's a headache coming on! Bring on the ibuprofen, the backache's back!"
Who was Count Cagliostro?
ABC Tasmania
http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1007850.htm
"Count Cagliostro was a notorist celebrity of the 18th century and is the subject of a new biography by Australian author Iain McCalman."
Psychic leads cat back home
By Colleen Wixon
Vero Beach Press Journal
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/pj_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1121_2493926,00.html
"After her cat Dolce had been missing for almost two weeks, Rachel Panay called on a modern-day Dr. Dolittle to help the pet find its way home."
Woman picks up cat found by psychic
By Colleen Wixon
Vero Beach Press Journal
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/pj_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1121_2497296,00.html
"Rachel Panay thought her cat looked pretty healthy, considering the cat had spent more than two weeks in the woods."
Communicating with animals all in a day's work for pet psychic
BY ANGELA BOUCHER
Hilton Head Island Packet
http://www.islandpacket.com/features/story/3124153p-2828864c.html
"Having trouble figuring out what to get your four-legged friends for Christmas? Why not just ask them what they want?"
Tale of missing dog has a happy ending
By Susan Bush
Berkshire Eagle
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~7516~1825816,00.html
"After a 2 1/2-week ordeal, Gillian Jones and her black chow, Dante, were reunited Wednesday afternoon after a hunter discovered the dog tangled in his leash and surrounded by snow."
Hollywood irony: Lies and broken lives
by Gil Spencer
Delco Daily Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10593776&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18168&rfi=8
"On Thanksgiving Day I went to see a movie called "Shattered Glass." It’s the true story of Stephen Glass, a young and rising star journalist for The New Republic magazine, who made a whole lot of stuff up, put it in the magazine and then lied like crazy to avoid getting caught. (Good news: He got caught anyway.)"
Scientologists’ E-meter running on empty
by Gil Spencer
Delco Daily Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10604383&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18168&rfi=8
"Astra Woodcraft grew up in the Church of Scientology and doesn’t have much nice to say about it."
Scientology: The gift that keeps on giving
by Gil Spencer
Delco Daily Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10652462&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18168&rfi=6
"The current issue of RAZOR magazine has a fascinating article on the "Curse of Scientology." Anybody interested in how this cult operates should pick it up. I include in that suggestion all the cult members I’ve heard from after recently writing unflatteringly about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard."
NASA lab to scrutinize tapes possibly showing Tabitha
By IAN DEMSKY
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/12/44017996.shtml?Element_ID=44017996
"Two surveillance videotapes that show girls who might be Tabitha Tuders will be enhanced and analyzed by NASA using state-of-the-art computer equipment, Metro police said yesterday morning."
Fortune teller sentenced to probation
Associated Press
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20031209psychic1209p7.asp
"A self-described psychic admitted in court to taking more than $40,000 from a woman to erase her "negativity" and was sentenced to a year of probation."
Bad vibes? Here's an irresistible deal
By John Grogan
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7446511.htm
"I'm sure you were as appalled as I was at news of the Doylestown woman who paid more than $40,000 to a local fortune teller for a sponge."
Alleged mastermind of 'It's me' scam held
Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031212wo23.htm
"A 25-year-old unemployed man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of masterminding extortion cases similar to the "It's me" fraud, in which fraudsters extorted large sums of money by calling elderly people and pretending to be their kidnapped grandchildren, officials of the Metropolitan Police Department said."
Carson man sentenced to prison in car sales scam
Associated Press
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/7410801.htm
"A California man was sentenced to nearly 25 years in prison for his role in a nationwide scheme to defraud people who were told they could get great deals on cars that didn't exist."
'Miracle Car' conspirator gets 22-year sentence
Associated Press
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/154843
"A California man was sentenced Thursday to nearly 22 years in federal prison for his role in a nationwide conspiracy to defraud people who were told they would get bargain prices on vehicles as a reward for their religious faith."
Transcending stress
By Christian Toto
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20031208-103036-9210r.htm
"A simple repetitive mantra can have complex benefits for those who set aside 20 minutes a day for peaceful contemplation. People who practice transcendental meditation tick off a litany of medical advantages attributed to its practice, but doctors generally agree that most kinds of meditation can boost the practitioner's health."
Arrest over baby sacrifice
Associated Press
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8142583%255E1702,00.html
"INDIAN police have arrested a woman who they say sacrificed a 2-year-old boy, believing it would help reform her alcoholic husband, a news report said today."
Woman sacrifices child
Agence France Presse
http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/Crime_Court/0,,2-1343-1345_1458698,00.html
"A two-year-old boy was battered to death in a cowshed in New Delhi by a woman who had been told by a Hindu mystic that if she sacrificed a child her abusive husband would reform, a report said on Friday."
Vatican does not approve 'Lady of Grotto weeping blood miracle'
by Paul Cachia
di-ve news
http://www.di-ve.com/dive/portal/portal.jhtml?id=117275
"The Holy See's Congregation for Teachings on the Faith has failed to conclude beyond any reasonable doubt, that the happenings, in which reddish tears appeared on the marble image of our Lady of Grotto, back in 1999, constituted a miracle."
Doubts remain over Madonna 'tears'
Times of Malta
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=142195
"The Archbishop's Curia said yesterday there were still doubts as to whether the "tears of blood" seen on the face of an image of Our Lady in a Rabat church were due to a supernatural intervention, though the possibility was not being ruled out."
Truisms or tales? Bigfoot book addresses both
By Wayne Ford
Athens Banner-Herald
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/121303/boo_bigfoot.shtml
"''Then on May 12 I heard the creature myself.''"
Customer disputes Wal-Mart stampede
By HENRY FREDERICK
Daytona Beach News-Journal
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/03NewsHEAD03120603.htm
"A Wal-Mart customer who was right up front where a woman claimed she was injured in a stampede for Christmas-sale DVDs the morning after Thanksgiving said there was no such rush."
St. Joseph sells
By Doreen Iudica Vigue
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2003/12/07/st_joseph_sells/
"Rosanne Bova's Middleton house was on the market for three months without any serious offers. She needed to begin construction on a new home before winter set in, and she did not want to carry two mortgages. So, feeling a little desperate, Bova got out her shovel and made up her mind: This was a job for St. Joseph the Homeseller, patron saint of the happy home."
Researchers Declare Miracle Of `Guadalupe' A Fake
Wireless Flash
http://www.ncbuy.com/news/2003-12-12/1008463.html
"Today (Dec. 12) is the 471st anniversary of the miracle of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" in Mexico, but researchers are saying those who believe in the miracle are pretty "lupe.""
Rumors of AIDS at WMHS prove false
By Renette McCargo
West Memphis Evening Times
http://www.theeveningtimes.com/articles/2003/12/09/news/news1.txt
"After 117 West Memphis High School students participated in the LifeBlood drive Nov. 17, rumors soon began to spread that 75 percent of the students who donated blood tested positive for AIDS. Students claimed this information was reported on a local news station. Calls were made to WMC TV 5, WPTY/WLMT ABC 24 and UPN 30, WREG News Channel 3 and WHBQ Fox 13 assignment editors, all of whom said their stations did not report anything about any West Memphis High School students with AIDS. Assignment editors said if this story were true, not only would they have been here covering the story, but network news would have been here also because of the high percentage."
Tipster leads to arrests in church vandalism case
by LINDA N. WELLER
Alton Telegraph
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10639469&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25271&rfi=8
"Church and law enforcement representatives say they are thankful for the caller who tipped off the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department to the identities of three youths who vandalized a small country church last month."
Trees that point the way?
By MARK DAVIS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/1203/12trail.html
"The next time you walk past that big, bent oak at Grandma's where you played horsey as a kid, stop and give it a closer look."
BHSU book confuses Mormon, American Indian beliefs
Associated Press
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/7471499.htm
"A book written to help school teachers understand the varying religious beliefs of their students will be pulled after complaints surfaced about its accuracy."
Accused explains cancer 'cure'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3310421.stm
"An alternative therapist accused of deceiving a cancer sufferer into buying a £2,500 machine which would "kill" his disease - has demonstrated its operation in court."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
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If you'd like to support the Skeptic NewsSearch, please consider making a donation via PayPal - <http://tinyurl.com/x81m>
By Thomas A. Desjardin
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2003/12/07/the_fog_of_war_history/
""The president is concerned that the story the American people are getting about the war is not accurate. What is happening on the ground in the war zone, he fears, is not being correctly reported in the media. In the end, however, history will reveal the truth.""
Lizard lady of Akron stumped doctors
By Mark J. Price
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/7440769.htm
"The strange case of Lovie Herman puzzled doctors for more than a decade."
The new weapon in crimefighting... prayer
By Giles Wilson
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3306185.stm
"Policing crackles with buzzwords nowadays, from zero tolerance to on-the-spot fines. The power of prayer is an unlikely addition to that list - but could it be an effective weapon in the battle against crime?"
Police probe death of 'healed' baby
By CLAIRE TREVETT
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3538851&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
"Police are investigating the death of a baby whose family had tried to heal him with prayer."
Never mind the facts
by Ben Goldacre
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1103958,00.html
"There's not a lot you need to know about the link between MMR and autism, except that there's very little evidence to suggest any link at all. You don't have to take my word for it, because I'll describe the science later, and, if you're interested, give you all the references you need to follow it up. But there is an interesting story here, and that is how a debate on scientific evidence became a question of personalities, and how the standard of reporting, and public understanding of science, has deteriorated to the point where Channel Five feels entitled to broadcast the poisonous and biased drama on the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella you will be treated to - and it is a treat - next Monday."
Controversial church sues N.C. social services agency
By TIM WHITMIRE
Associated Press
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/11churchsue.html
"A Rutherford County church known for its controversial use of "blasting prayer" has sued the county Department of Social Services, alleging violation of its freedom of religion."
Psychic Babble?
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Living/Michael_Shermer_031211.html
"20/20 recently profiled John Edward, a popular with psychic with a hit television show, Crossing Over, and several best-selling books to his credit. Dr. Michael Shermer, Editor and Publisher of Skeptic magazine and a monthly columnist and contributing editor to Scientific American, answers viewers' questions about psychics and the paranormal below."
Group sues government over UFO info
UPI
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20031209-032214-9185r.htm
"An advocacy group and a cable TV network are suing the federal government to release documents pertaining to a 38-year-old UFO incident."
Forum focuses on UFO visits
By Debra Mayeux
Associated Press
http://www.daily-times.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=201&num=6198
"Visits from extraterrestrials, alternative energy, chemical warfare and super flus, these are topics open for discussion at the monthly meetings of the Aztec Free Thinkers’ Forum."
Number four not so deadly for Chinese
by Anna Salleh
ABC Science
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1004497.htm
"People who speak Cantonese link the number four with bad luck and death. But according to researchers from Hong Kong, they are no more likely to die from a heart attack on dates containing the number four than on any other dates."
What's the story on Leo Strauss?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/031212.html
"What's the story on Leo Strauss? My extremely limited knowledge of this guy is that he was a crackpot political philosopher given to perverse readings of Plato and Aristotle, who nonetheless attracted a cult following of students. Now I read in a recent issue of Newsweek that one of the Bush administration apparatchiks who fed information to Dick Cheney is a Straussian and that Strauss believed in the "noble lie," the implication being that the search for weapons of mass destruction was a pretext to drag Cheney, Dubya, and us into the war in Iraq. A quick search on the Internet reveals wide belief that a Straussian neoconservative cabal is pulling the strings in Washington. It sounds bizarre, but these are bizarre times. What's going on?"
Healing oils
By Fiona Soltes
The Tennessean
http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/099322-1042-047.html
"Six years ago, when David Stewart's 85-year-old mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, the family chose an interesting path: They took her off her medicine, switched to natural supplements and herbal teas, and anointed her regularly with oil."
Quack treats, collects and bolts
Indian Express News Service
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=69936
"R L Dhokte, an Ayurveda practitioner who made millions by peddling herbal medicine for cancer cure since 1982, has taken flight."
Health pills law will increase prices by 15pc
By KEVIN TAYLOR
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3538364&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
"A new agency to regulate dietary supplements and alternative medicines will drastically cut consumer choice and increase the price of products by about 15 per cent, opponents say."
Egyptians Turn to Holy Medicine
By Lobna Sabry
Reuters
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3971296§ion=news
"The mother of six-year-old cerebral palsy sufferer Saif had given up hope that modern medicine could improve his health when a centuries-old alternative practised by the Muslim Prophet Mohammad came to the rescue."
Canadians to study herbal medicines
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1071097809639&call_pageid=991479973472&col=991929131147>
"Researchers at Queen's University have received $8 million (Cdn.) from a U.S. National Institutes of Health to test the effectiveness of herbal remedies on prostate and bladder disease."
Where did we come from?: Darby meeting to discuss teaching intelligent design
By JENNY JOHNSON
Revalli Republic
http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2003/12/09/news/news02.txt
"Nearly 80 years after the John Scopes "Monkey" trial helped established Darwin's theory of evolution as the benchmark in public science education, a theory known as intelligent design is clamoring for recognition across the country."
Intelligent design presentation draws hundreds
By JENNY JOHNSON
Revalli Republic
http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2003/12/12/news/news02.txt
"More than 200 people turned out for a presentation Wednesday about teaching an alternative to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution."
Venture aiming for a long life
By Marsha Austin
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~1812940,00.html
"Three Denver businessmen are gambling on a venture to sell a once-a-day pill they say could extend life spans to 120 years or more - without age-related scourges like cancer, heart disease or Alzheimer's."
Revered Relic Enshrined in L.A.
By Larry B. Stammer
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-me-saint10dec10,1,1367228.story
"A small piece of the cloak of St. Juan Diego — on which Catholics believe an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared — was permanently enshrined at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Tuesday amid prayers and the veneration of several hundred faithful."
'Pyramid swindlers' go on trial in Tajikistan
Associate Press
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1104438,00.html
"Three men went on trial in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, yesterday accused of heading a pyramid scheme which grew to involve 56,000 people investing more than $41m (£28m)."
Tajik women weep as bead scam goes to court
By Hugh Macleod
The Independent
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=472094
"It sounds like a simple scam, and to the 56,000 Tajik people who bought into it, and in some cases lost everything, it must have seemed like a chance to make easy money in one of the poorest countries in the world."
'I know I didn't do it'
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
BILOXI SUN HERALD
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/7469287.htm
"Rumors rage across this coastal community of 17,000, claiming Chris Garner is involved in the murder of Lynda Pham, who died nearly two weeks ago."
Message in bracelets: No message
By Paulette Tobin
Grand Forks Herald
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/7481405.htm
"Area teenagers who have been wearing popular plastic "jelly bracelets" probably don't realize their colorful fashion statements have been called sex bracelets in some parts of the country and in media reports, according to local teens and teachers."
Student 'sex bracelets' an urban legend?
Associated Press
BY MARTHA IRVINE
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/12/10/sex.bracelet.ap/
"Orange, red, blue, black -- they're just thin, rubbery bracelets that come in a rainbow of colors, but they're causing quite a stir."
Focus: Ufology in mysticism
China Daily
http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-12/12/content_289788.htm
"UFOs, flying saucers and ET conjure up images from Hollywood films and blurred photos in tabloid newspapers. But a number of true believers in China, many of them highly educated, see merit in exploring unidentified flying objects and alien encounters scientifically."
Secret life of dogs found in astrology
by Kelly Ryan
Melbourne Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8125177%255E2862,00.html
"OWNERS of pampered pooches can now look to the stars for cosmic advice about what lies ahead for their dogs."
Case Study: Orlando Station Investigates Wal-Mart Incident
By Al Tompkins
Poynter Online
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=56735
"The day after Thanksgiving, the news broke that Patricia Vanlester, 41, was knocked unconscious and, her sister said, "trampled by a herd of elephants," a stampede of shoppers reaching for DVD players that went on sale at 6 a.m."
The resurgence of voodoo in New Orleans
ABC Tasmania
http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1007105.htm
"Dr. Ina Fandrich, Professor of Religious Studies at Louisiana State University has devoted half her life to the study of Voodoo - that ancient religion rooted in Africa and introduced to the western world through the trans atlantic slave trade."
Horoscopes still tying spouse-hunters in knots
by Hiral Dave
Ahmedabad Newsline
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=70234
"Anamika Pandya, a beautiful and soft-spoken 28-year-old, is yet to find a match despite her parents’ best efforts. Position of shani grah in her kundali (horoscope) is creating problems in finding a suitable groom."
'What else could it have been but a miracle?'
By ROY MacGREGOR
Toronto Globe & Mail
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20031213/FCESSIAC13/TPHealth/
"These days, when she looks back at her remarkable, and largely unexpected, long life, Iona Hale will often permit herself a small, soft giggle."
Ageist spirit facing the ghostbusters
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=126&art_id=qw1071210601699B253&set_id=1
"An elderly Indian couple from Calcutta has filed a police complaint against an unfriendly, abusive ghost, it was reported on Friday."
Abusive 'ghost' haunts elderly couple
NDTV
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Abusive+'ghost'+haunts+elde rly+couple&id=46069
"In Kolkata, an elderly couple has gone to the police with the strangest complaint - they are hearing dismembered voices in their modest two-room flat."
Man charged with iPod email hoax
by Jo Best
silicon.com
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39118403,00.htm
"Cambridgeshire Police have confirmed they have made an arrest in connection with the denial of service attack that hit the force last week."
Hoax case prosecutor files more charges
Associated Press
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/154802
"A judge denied a defense attorney's motion to dismiss charges against a Kansas woman accused of impersonating a couple's long-missing daughter, and a prosecutor filed additional charges against her."
12 new ID fraud charges are filed
By Cathy Kightlinger
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/101139-4743-009.html
"A Kansas woman accused of impersonating a long-missing Thorntown girl faces additional charges of deception."
'Twin Peaks' Director Urges $1 Bln for Meditation
By Deborah Zabarenko
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3971507
"As director of such dark films as "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive" and the television series "Twin Peaks," David Lynch seems an unlikely leader for a world peace campaign based on mass meditation."
Mahesh Yogi now plans $1 bn varsity for world peace in US
by S Rajagopalan
Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_492588,00050001.htm
"It's never too late for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The 92-year-old Yogi, who turned his Transcendental Meditation (TM) into a thriving industry in the United States and elsewhere in the West, is now on to a new project: a university of world peace at a cost of $1 billion."
Hollywood role to raise Yogi billion
Calcutta Telegraph
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031212/asp/atleisure/story_2671488.asp
"Former Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has attracted an unlikely new protégé."
Study Doubts Benefits of Plant Oil for Eczema
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3984621
"The fatty acid supplement borage oil does not appear to ease the misery of eczema, according to a UK study."
Official puts to rest myth of free tuition
by Edie Hall
Kansas State Collegian
http://www.kstatecollegian.com/stories/112103/new_tuition.shtml
"Don't go jumping in front of K-State vehicles -- it won't get you anything but sympathy."
Moon's effect up in air
By Jessica Bock
Wausau Daily Herald
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/wdhlocal/279293951160125.shtml
"It's on nights like tonightthat cops and emergency room workers gear up for what could turn out to be a strange and unusual shift filled with odd phone calls, weird complaints and symptoms that just don't make sense."
Treating more than symptoms Suzanne Lawton, once a skeptic, uses naturopathy to heal illness at its source
by KATE TAYLOR
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrosouthwest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_southwest_news/1070629282241150.xml
"Grab the aspirin, there's a headache coming on! Bring on the ibuprofen, the backache's back!"
Who was Count Cagliostro?
ABC Tasmania
http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1007850.htm
"Count Cagliostro was a notorist celebrity of the 18th century and is the subject of a new biography by Australian author Iain McCalman."
Psychic leads cat back home
By Colleen Wixon
Vero Beach Press Journal
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/pj_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1121_2493926,00.html
"After her cat Dolce had been missing for almost two weeks, Rachel Panay called on a modern-day Dr. Dolittle to help the pet find its way home."
Woman picks up cat found by psychic
By Colleen Wixon
Vero Beach Press Journal
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/pj_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1121_2497296,00.html
"Rachel Panay thought her cat looked pretty healthy, considering the cat had spent more than two weeks in the woods."
Communicating with animals all in a day's work for pet psychic
BY ANGELA BOUCHER
Hilton Head Island Packet
http://www.islandpacket.com/features/story/3124153p-2828864c.html
"Having trouble figuring out what to get your four-legged friends for Christmas? Why not just ask them what they want?"
Tale of missing dog has a happy ending
By Susan Bush
Berkshire Eagle
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~7516~1825816,00.html
"After a 2 1/2-week ordeal, Gillian Jones and her black chow, Dante, were reunited Wednesday afternoon after a hunter discovered the dog tangled in his leash and surrounded by snow."
Hollywood irony: Lies and broken lives
by Gil Spencer
Delco Daily Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10593776&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18168&rfi=8
"On Thanksgiving Day I went to see a movie called "Shattered Glass." It’s the true story of Stephen Glass, a young and rising star journalist for The New Republic magazine, who made a whole lot of stuff up, put it in the magazine and then lied like crazy to avoid getting caught. (Good news: He got caught anyway.)"
Scientologists’ E-meter running on empty
by Gil Spencer
Delco Daily Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10604383&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18168&rfi=8
"Astra Woodcraft grew up in the Church of Scientology and doesn’t have much nice to say about it."
Scientology: The gift that keeps on giving
by Gil Spencer
Delco Daily Times
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10652462&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18168&rfi=6
"The current issue of RAZOR magazine has a fascinating article on the "Curse of Scientology." Anybody interested in how this cult operates should pick it up. I include in that suggestion all the cult members I’ve heard from after recently writing unflatteringly about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard."
NASA lab to scrutinize tapes possibly showing Tabitha
By IAN DEMSKY
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/03/12/44017996.shtml?Element_ID=44017996
"Two surveillance videotapes that show girls who might be Tabitha Tuders will be enhanced and analyzed by NASA using state-of-the-art computer equipment, Metro police said yesterday morning."
Fortune teller sentenced to probation
Associated Press
http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20031209psychic1209p7.asp
"A self-described psychic admitted in court to taking more than $40,000 from a woman to erase her "negativity" and was sentenced to a year of probation."
Bad vibes? Here's an irresistible deal
By John Grogan
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7446511.htm
"I'm sure you were as appalled as I was at news of the Doylestown woman who paid more than $40,000 to a local fortune teller for a sponge."
Alleged mastermind of 'It's me' scam held
Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031212wo23.htm
"A 25-year-old unemployed man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of masterminding extortion cases similar to the "It's me" fraud, in which fraudsters extorted large sums of money by calling elderly people and pretending to be their kidnapped grandchildren, officials of the Metropolitan Police Department said."
Carson man sentenced to prison in car sales scam
Associated Press
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/7410801.htm
"A California man was sentenced to nearly 25 years in prison for his role in a nationwide scheme to defraud people who were told they could get great deals on cars that didn't exist."
'Miracle Car' conspirator gets 22-year sentence
Associated Press
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/154843
"A California man was sentenced Thursday to nearly 22 years in federal prison for his role in a nationwide conspiracy to defraud people who were told they would get bargain prices on vehicles as a reward for their religious faith."
Transcending stress
By Christian Toto
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20031208-103036-9210r.htm
"A simple repetitive mantra can have complex benefits for those who set aside 20 minutes a day for peaceful contemplation. People who practice transcendental meditation tick off a litany of medical advantages attributed to its practice, but doctors generally agree that most kinds of meditation can boost the practitioner's health."
Arrest over baby sacrifice
Associated Press
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8142583%255E1702,00.html
"INDIAN police have arrested a woman who they say sacrificed a 2-year-old boy, believing it would help reform her alcoholic husband, a news report said today."
Woman sacrifices child
Agence France Presse
http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/Crime_Court/0,,2-1343-1345_1458698,00.html
"A two-year-old boy was battered to death in a cowshed in New Delhi by a woman who had been told by a Hindu mystic that if she sacrificed a child her abusive husband would reform, a report said on Friday."
Vatican does not approve 'Lady of Grotto weeping blood miracle'
by Paul Cachia
di-ve news
http://www.di-ve.com/dive/portal/portal.jhtml?id=117275
"The Holy See's Congregation for Teachings on the Faith has failed to conclude beyond any reasonable doubt, that the happenings, in which reddish tears appeared on the marble image of our Lady of Grotto, back in 1999, constituted a miracle."
Doubts remain over Madonna 'tears'
Times of Malta
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=142195
"The Archbishop's Curia said yesterday there were still doubts as to whether the "tears of blood" seen on the face of an image of Our Lady in a Rabat church were due to a supernatural intervention, though the possibility was not being ruled out."
Truisms or tales? Bigfoot book addresses both
By Wayne Ford
Athens Banner-Herald
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/121303/boo_bigfoot.shtml
"''Then on May 12 I heard the creature myself.''"
Customer disputes Wal-Mart stampede
By HENRY FREDERICK
Daytona Beach News-Journal
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/03NewsHEAD03120603.htm
"A Wal-Mart customer who was right up front where a woman claimed she was injured in a stampede for Christmas-sale DVDs the morning after Thanksgiving said there was no such rush."
St. Joseph sells
By Doreen Iudica Vigue
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2003/12/07/st_joseph_sells/
"Rosanne Bova's Middleton house was on the market for three months without any serious offers. She needed to begin construction on a new home before winter set in, and she did not want to carry two mortgages. So, feeling a little desperate, Bova got out her shovel and made up her mind: This was a job for St. Joseph the Homeseller, patron saint of the happy home."
Researchers Declare Miracle Of `Guadalupe' A Fake
Wireless Flash
http://www.ncbuy.com/news/2003-12-12/1008463.html
"Today (Dec. 12) is the 471st anniversary of the miracle of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" in Mexico, but researchers are saying those who believe in the miracle are pretty "lupe.""
Rumors of AIDS at WMHS prove false
By Renette McCargo
West Memphis Evening Times
http://www.theeveningtimes.com/articles/2003/12/09/news/news1.txt
"After 117 West Memphis High School students participated in the LifeBlood drive Nov. 17, rumors soon began to spread that 75 percent of the students who donated blood tested positive for AIDS. Students claimed this information was reported on a local news station. Calls were made to WMC TV 5, WPTY/WLMT ABC 24 and UPN 30, WREG News Channel 3 and WHBQ Fox 13 assignment editors, all of whom said their stations did not report anything about any West Memphis High School students with AIDS. Assignment editors said if this story were true, not only would they have been here covering the story, but network news would have been here also because of the high percentage."
Tipster leads to arrests in church vandalism case
by LINDA N. WELLER
Alton Telegraph
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10639469&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25271&rfi=8
"Church and law enforcement representatives say they are thankful for the caller who tipped off the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department to the identities of three youths who vandalized a small country church last month."
Trees that point the way?
By MARK DAVIS
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/1203/12trail.html
"The next time you walk past that big, bent oak at Grandma's where you played horsey as a kid, stop and give it a closer look."
BHSU book confuses Mormon, American Indian beliefs
Associated Press
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/7471499.htm
"A book written to help school teachers understand the varying religious beliefs of their students will be pulled after complaints surfaced about its accuracy."
Accused explains cancer 'cure'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3310421.stm
"An alternative therapist accused of deceiving a cancer sufferer into buying a £2,500 machine which would "kill" his disease - has demonstrated its operation in court."
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