Recycled urban legend leaves Cubs fans mystified
BY RICHARD ROEPER
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeper/cst-nws-roep13.html
"Lots of columns for the price of one: I keep hearing from Cubs fans about the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part II," in which the Michael J. Fox character travels forward in time to 2003 -- and learns the Cubs have defeated Florida to win the World Series. Other than the fact that the Marlins and Cubs are in the NLCS and not the World Series, the coincidence is downright eerie!"
The "Back to the Future" Prophecies
by Joal Ryan
E! Online
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12704,00.html
"Nervous Chicago Cubs fans need not sweat about Wednesday night's decisive playoff game. The Back to the Future franchise has foretold your victory."
Suspected Penis Snatcher Beaten to Death
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...&e=1&u=/nm/20031012/od_nm/odd_gambia_penis_dc
"A 28-year-old man accused of stealing a man's penis through sorcery was beaten to death in the West African country of Gambia, police said."
Just a housewife who sees dead people
By Karen Palmer
Mansfield News Journal
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/news/stories/20031010/localnews/425983.html
"Chris Woodyard has a dubious gift. She sees ghosts. The 49-year-old writer was in Mansfield recently to walk through the old Renaissance Theatre in search of hair-raising experiences and otherworldly events."
Parents Sue School Over Wi-Fi
Reuters
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60769,00.html
"A pioneering elementary school district outside Chicago has been sued for installing a wireless computer network by parents worried that exposure to the network's radio waves could harm their children."
US parents sue over WLAN school fears
By Tim Richardson
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/69/33294.html
"Parents in Oak Park, Illinois, have launched a class action lawsuit against their local school board for allegedly threatening the health of children by installing wireless local area network technology in classrooms."
Many soldiers, same letter
by LEDYARD KING
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20031011/frontpage/121390.shtml
"Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours."
Form Letters From G.I.'s to the Editors
By JACQUES STEINBERG
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/international/middleeast/14LETT.html
"At least 11 American newspapers have inadvertently published identical or nearly identical letters from soldiers serving in the same unit in Iraq, each signed by a different person, as a result of a coordinated effort within the unit to get positive news about the war printed in their hometown papers, an Army spokesman traveling with them said yesterday."
Bush & Co. Use the Orwell Sales Strategy
by James P. Pinkerton
Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vppin3494396oct14,0,7265251.column
"There's nothing like a war to bring out the inner George Orwell in a government. In ways little and small, Uncle Sam has been morphing into Big Brother - spinning the news, even, apparently, manufacturing news."
Letters From Iraq, But From Who?
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/13/iraq/main577716.shtml
"What are the chances that different GIs serving in Iraq would sit down and individually write their hometown papers the very same letters, using the exact same words to talk about U.S. success in efforts to rebuild Iraq?"
Publishing a bogus letter
Everett Herald
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/03/10/14/17613895.CFM
"One of the best-read features in this newspaper is the daily compilation of letters to the editor. They represent The Herald's and every newspaper's responsibility to provide a voice to citizens and facilitate public debate."
Troops' Letters Not What They Seem
by Aaron Zitner
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-na-letters14oct14.story
"The letter to the local newspaper was detailed and personal, relaying the work that American soldiers were doing to rebuild the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk. The police force and fire department have been rebuilt, it said, and the streets are largely clear of trash."
Letters Home
By Martha Raddatz
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/World/iraq031013_letters-1.html
"The letters appeared in roughly 12 newspapers across the country. From Massachusetts to California, and many places in between, family members and local newspapers received letters from soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment detailing their successes in northern Iraq."
Gold fever in Papua New Guinea
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3179060.stm
"Papua New Guinea is awash with rumours that the government is searching New Ireland province for up to 10 tonnes of gold."
Light shed on witchcraft -- Sewer initiation encounter brings group into spotlight
By BENJAMIN DUER
New Philadelphia Times-Reporter
http://www.timesreporter.com/left.php?ID=23441&r=0
"Most people in the Tuscarawas Valley have probably never heard of the Dragon Knights or Black Dragons _ two area wiccan-pagan groups."
Our ghostly good wishes
By Bob Caylor
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/6983251.htm
"A world with ghosts in it would be ever so much more exciting, unpredictable and perhaps even more charming. But for now, ghosts remain shackled inside the worlds of terrifying novels and children's pretend games."
30 years later, UFO incident still hovers over Pascagoula River
By LICI BEVERIDGE
Mississippi Press
http://www.gulflive.com/mississippi/index.ssf?/base/news/106578096493130.xml
"Charles Hickson has spent the last 30 years living with something most other people couldn't even imagine."
Observers question UFO experience
By DONNA HARRIS
Mississippi Press
http://www.gulflive.com/mississippi/index.ssf?/base/news/106578094393130.xml
"More than a decade before Charles Hickson claimed an intergalactic encounter, Fritz Breland had his own brush with an object of an unidentified sort."
Crackpots hampering UFO study, author says
by JENNIFER ROBINSON
CANADIAN PRESS
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...310&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467>
"Blame Ed Wood's spinning pie plates, the Raelian obsession with cloning and theme parks, or maybe Erich von Daniken's premise that ancient gods were once travellers from outer space."
Membership has its price
by BRIGITTE MCCANN
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/10/221857.html
"Becoming a Raelian doesn't come cheap. It cost me more than $2,000 and I only spent the strict minimum. For starters, there's the annual dues to the national movement, which represent three per cent of a member's take-home pay. I chose the student rate and sent $100 to a post-office box."
Raelians give cash blindly
by BRIGITTE MCCANN
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/10/221858.html
"Saying he works for free, the man known to his followers as Rael takes advantage of the annual "awakening" seminar staged in Maricourt to empty his disciples' pockets. On Thursday, July 17, we witnessed a talent show attended by about 400 Raelians. The show turned into an auction intended to help Rael in his mission."
Raelian deception complete
by BRIGITTE MCCANN
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/11/222880.html
"It's a great day to be a Raelian. At last, I can "educate" humanity. I make my way through the crowd of 250 or so Raelians waiting excitedly for the annual "celebration of the creation of the first humans in a laboratory.""
Raelian expose big news in U.S.
by KEVIN CONNOR
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/11/222881.html
"The Raelians, who welcomed worldwide attention earlier this year for human cloning claims, are protesting their latest turn in the media spotlight. And cult experts say Sun Media's series, in which two journalists infiltrated the Raelians, will shake up the organization."
Duo used fake names
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/11/222882.html
"Patience, calm, luck and astuteness allowed two Sun Media reporters to collect photos and information over nine months without revealing their true identities. To cover their tracks and infiltrate the Raelians, the reporters chose false names and rented a post office box to receive all Raelian correspondence."
His Holiness Rael and The Raelian Movement Refute Allegations Recently Published in the Media
Press Release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031010/flf010_1.html
"The following was released today by the Raelian Movement:"
Why clones don't keep well
by LISA KRIEGER
Knight Ridder Newspapers
"The birth of a lab-built lamb in 1996 seemed to defy nature."
Dangerfield, Celebs Clone Around
by Joal Ryan
E! Online
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12685,00.html
"How to keep up with the Jonses in 21st century Hollywood? Daily Botox injections? Fully equipped Hummers? Try clones."
Ghosts (or at least their stories) ride the river
By Jeff Wilson
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/10/12/tallstacks/tem_tallstacks12ghoststory.html
"It was a woman's voice that woke first mate Mike Williams when he thought himself alone on the famous steamboat Delta Queen. The sound of a slamming door led Williams to the engine room, where a broken intake pipe for the boilers would have spelled disaster were it not for his visitor."
Strange full moon behavior more myth than reality
Midland Reporter-Telegram
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10297691&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475590&rfi=6
"Beware: The moon is full tonight. That must mean that District 3-5A football is upon us once again. At least, it should be a beautiful scene at Grande Communications Stadium with a full moon as the background."
Paranormal expert knows the answers are out there
By Minauti Dave
Parsippany Daily Record
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news1-xfiles.htm
"It's approaching Halloween, a time to spotlight the occult, the otherworldly and the just plain weird. But don't expect to impress Joe Nickell."
Traffic snarls Peru’s mysterious lines
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.msnbc.com/news/980498.asp
"A coastal town set up a garbage dump inside Peru’s mysterious Nazca Lines, sending trucks rumbling across the markings etched into the desert sands more than a millennium ago, authorities said Tuesday."
UFO'S:The truth and the proof are out there
By HEIDI J. SHRAGER
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1065966442150970.xml
"About 11 years ago, at 5:30 a.m., a Great Kills man named Andrew woke up to find his entire house shaking."
Candle in the Dark
By Michael Shermer
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=00065121-BF3B-1F80-B57583414B7F0103
"Ever since Galileo began the tradition of communicating science in the vernacular so that all might share in its fruits, a tension has existed between those--call them "excluders"--who think science is for professionals only and regard its dissemination to wider audiences as infra dig and those--call them "includers"--who understand that all levels of science require clear composition and public understanding of process and product."
Close encounter in Shag Harbour
By Brian Medel
Halifax Herald
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2003/10/13/f183.raw.html
"A busload of UFO zealots landed in Shag Harbour on Sunday afternoon to see for themselves the spot of ocean where some think a UFO crashed 36 years ago."
Washakie school board weighs 'intelligent design'
By ZACHARY SCHNEIDER
Casper Star-Tribune
http://www.casperstartribune.net/ar.../wyoming/3d736b9975a8a119bddbf04d11c6dc8b.txt
"A Washakie County school board member wants to authorize the teaching of "intelligent design" theory in district science classrooms as an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution."
Evangelical activities sometimes have dark side
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/columns/11close_b7empireb.html
"A recent column by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof praised the work of "evangelical missionaries" in Africa. It was a good, but not completely balanced column -- especially in regard to the AIDS pandemic."
State Republicans distancing themselves from religious right
By Ralph Thomas
Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001765410_craswell14m.html
"Above the lane leading up to Ellen Craswell's home in rural Kitsap County, a hand-painted archway proclaims in bold letters: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.""
Naturopathic college to develop health science center
By Angela Gonzales
Business Journal of Phoenix
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famuluscom/bizjournal10-11-010538.asp?bizj=PHO
"A Tempe naturopathic college is developing a health science center to allow researchers to study naturopathic treatments in a scientific way."
Gangs, hate groups busy in ET, officer says
By BRYAN MITCHELL
Knox News
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_2342629,00.html
"A Blount County Sheriff's Department officer who recently took part in a conference on combating gang activity said the issue needs "more attention.""
Tai Chi May Boost Shingles Immunity
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21102-2003Oct13.html
"Participation in the slow-motion martial arts program known as tai chi chih may help older people battle shingles."
Going under the needle: Acupuncture therapy growing in acceptance among patients and some doctors
By Joseph D. Wilcox
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03287/230591.stm
"Some days Sharlene M. Shellito couldn't get out of bed. On days she did struggle out from under the covers, she'd be so exhausted by the time she finished her shower, she'd flop back into the sack."
Maintaining low pH reduces HIV replication
East African Standard
http://www.eastandard.net/midweek/mwk151003005.htm
"Didi Ananda Ruchira is popular in Nairobi’s Kariobangi slums and Eastleigh estate for her use of alternative medicine to treat a range of diseases, including opportunistic deases in people infected with HIV/Aids."
Psyched out
By Joel Beck
Lynn North Shore Sunday
http://www.townonline.com/lynnfield/news/local_regional/nss_feanspsychicsjms10102003.htm
"Church bulletins aren't exactly a breeding ground for controversy, unless you're the sort of person who seethes at the mere mention of parish bake sales or takes offense at religious education class schedules."
Can the 'Curse of the Bambino' be lifted? Pitches are made at Ruth's grave site
By Jim Fitzgerald
Associated Press
http://www.post-gazette.com/pirates/20031011bambinocursep7.asp
"Chris Sobotka, wearing a Red Sox cap, walked up to Babe Ruth's grave and offered the Bambino -- dead for 55 years -- a 12-ounce bribe."
Odd Outpost of Icy Immortality in Sunshine State
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/n...00&en=42b9eb692abbd02b&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
"On a winding street in a nondescript industrial park, the odd science of preserving the dead is creating a new outpost here."
Aurora Heights poltergeists could be settlers
by Andrew Hind
York Region Newspaper Group
http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/erabanner/story/1417374p-1668518c.html
"Thousands of youngsters have passed happily through the halls of Aurora Heights Public School, a facility known for its academic standards and for fostering a nurturing environment."
What's With Shoes On Wires?
by Michael Geeser
KLAS
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1482560&nav=168XIXDy
"You see them everywhere. But what does it mean, all of those pairs of sneakers hanging by their laces over phone, cable, and power lines? We've all heard of a bird on the wire, but what's behind sneakers on a wire? "I have no idea," says one man who walks bear chested down Senson Avenue, shoes hanging just above him on a wire."
Father of missing Chisholm girl stands behind mother
Associated Press
http://www.kstp.com/article/view/123752/
"The father of a missing Chisholm girl said he's standing behind his wife, even though she's charged with trying to run him over with their car."
New Form of Alternative Medicine Gaining Popularity in Israel Shows That Results Are What Count
Press Release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/lnth010_1.html
"A growing number of alternative medicine clinics are gaining popularity in Israel. Although the apparent purveyor of treatment is typically a healer, no one is quite sure who is doing what. However, with the growing record of remarkable results, no one cares. And if the results are remarkable, their possible explanation is more remarkable still."
9/11 Conspiracy Theory Books Dominate Debate at Frankfurt Book Fair
Deutsche Welle
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1441_A_993523_1_A,00.html
"At this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest gathering of publishers, editors and writers, everyone's talking about 9/11 conspiracy theory books. Organizers may have highlighted Russia as the official country of this year's conference, but it's the United States -- particularly its role in 9/11 -- that has captured the popular imagination."
Finding a future in the Big Easy
by Chris Rose
New Orleans Times-Picayune
http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1065851924229310.xml
"I was sitting in a French Quarter bar catching up with Maria Shaw, a rising star in a curious fringe of show business: an Astrologer to the Stars. And what stars they are."
Blame it on the stars
TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=229093
"As criminologists scratched their heads pondering about socio-economic causes of crime, astrologers participating in the 27th All India Criminology Conference in Lucknow University blamed it all on the stars namely the Moon, the Saturn, the Mars and Mercury, not to forget the devils Rahu and Ketu who, they said, were primarily responsible for criminal mental tendencies and converting them into criminal acts."
Now a call centre for astrology in Bhopal
Business Standard [India]
http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=23&story=24951
"Basic telecom company Touchtel has launched a unique call centre in Madhya Pradesh. Contrary to the trend, the employees of this call centre are oldies, with little expertise in English and only hands-on experience in computers."
Poll predictions go awry at astrologers' conference
By Deepak Mahaan
Sify
http://sify.com/news/politics/fullstory.php?id=13283908
"Astrology one thought was serious business but in Jaipur it is providing enough humour to last a lifetime!"
More Believe In God Than Heaven
By Dana Blanton
FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html
"More Americans believe in God than in angels, miracles, and even heaven. And while half attend worship services on a regular basis, a majority thinks religion plays too small a role in people’s lives today."
The Ugly Truth About 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
By Mike Szymanski
Zap2it.com
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/features/scenes/story/0,1259,---19093,00.html
"New Line is doing a lot these days to scare people these days. Audiences are faced with the ads of horrifying chases through a farm by a maniac with a roaring powertool for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" -- a remake of the original 1974 slasher classic. Then, people see the chilling tag line that these events are "inspired by a true story.""
Hoax most perfect
by Ashley Crawford
The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/09/1065676092105.html
"The work of the obscure Leipzig artist Johann Dieter Wassmann is to be a feature of this year's Melbourne International Festival."
Judge won't reduce hoax suspect's bail
By Josh Duke
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/2/082355-1872-009.html
"A Boone County judge on Friday denied Donna Walker's request to reduce her $50,000 cash bond."
Lawsuit Filed in Missing Girl Hoax Case
Associated Press
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brf-missing-girl,0,3717638.story
"The mother of a long-missing girl has filed a lawsuit against a woman charged with falsely portraying herself as the child."
Easthampton exposes gun hoax
By NICOLE SEQUINO
Daily Hampshire Gazette
http://www.gazettenet.com/10152003/news/9843.htm
"Eighteen months ago, police mobilized and parents feared for their children's safety when a woman reported seeing a man with a gun inside the Maple Street School."
Teens Face Charges For Spreading Rumors Online
WDIV
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2555401/detail.html
"An alleged high school prank has two Livonia teenagers in trouble with police."
Dean's 'Urban Legend'
By WILLIAM SAFIRE
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/13/opinion/13SAFI.html
"The persistence of a quotation he insists is an "urban legend" is evidently infuriating Howard Dean."
Myth debunked: Immigrants pay business taxes
By Brian Gray
Monroe Times
http://www.themonroetimes.com/o1013pur.htm
"The problem with an urban myth is that once it gets started, it's hard to put to rest."
Doctors fight flu shot myth
by Laura Ungar
Gannett News Service
http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/146035
"Annette Nester won't be getting a flu shot this year. Like millions of Americans, she believes the vaccine could bring on rather than ward off influenza."
The flu-shot myth
By MICHAEL de YOANNA
Mansfield News Journal
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/news/stories/20031015/news/456610.html
"Laura Townsend recalls being laid up in bed with the flu every year for five years running back in the 1960s."
Naturopath offers alternative approaches to health care
By Melanie Béchard
Fort Frances Times
http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/6/2003-10-15/15602
"Naturopathic medicine, while gaining in popularity in recent years, still is a relatively unknown science to many."
Suit against pastor thrown out
by Noel S. Brady
King County Journal
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/145871
"For four years, Jerry Rose has struggled through the loss of his beloved stepdaughter and the knowledge that his wife tried to have him murdered."
DNA IDs suspect in '85 homicide
Associated Press
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031014/APN/310140674
"More than 18 years after someone sexually assaulted a 70-year-old woman and smothered her with a satin pillow, a DNA match has given police a new suspect."
Meditation or Medication?
KTVO
http://www.ktvotv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1478135&nav=1LFsITg1
"Statistics show that nearly half of all Americans will die from heart disease, despite advances in medication and surgical procedures."
Profit-making potion: Business sense, magic
By Maureen McDonald
Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/2003/business/0310/14/b02-297313.htm
"As Halloween approaches, the hottest-selling items at Royal Oak's Isle of Avalon include several witch-themed tarot decks, cast-iron cauldrons and magic wands. The more interest in the occult, the merrier, says owner Kristen Clark, 40, who moved to a new location this fall to draw more sales from traffic on Washington."
UFO expert comes to Brevard
By Billy Cox
FLORIDA TODAY
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/peoplestoryA3622651066154284A.htm
"George W. Bush raised a few eyebrows during the 2000 presidential campaign when he responded to a question about releasing government files on unidentified flying objects. "It'll be the first thing he (Dick Cheney) will do," Bush said. "He'll get right on it.""
A View From Bottom Of Loch Ness
Associated Press
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/09/world/main577386.shtml
"Lloyd Scott has just spent 12 days at the bottom of Loch Ness, but he reported no sightings of the lake's legendary monster."
True love... lasts forever
by Molly McMillen
Echo Press
http://www.echopress.com/article.cfm?articleID=375FB8E4-D1B7-4B01-A7B9F3C5209417E2
"When it’s true love — there is no mistaking the signs. They are everywhere, says Avis Lorenz of Alexandria. She may even have some proof of her theory."
The Maserati Behind the Wall
By Winston Goodfellow
Motor Trend
http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0310_mas/
"It's something every serious car freak dreams of: unearthing a rare automotive treasure that time has somehow forgotten. It usually starts with a rumor here, a secret there; somebody who knows somebody who might have heard something "about an old classic car so-and-so had until the day he died." The proverbial "Bugatti in a barn.""
Genesis of this serpent's tale is unbelievable
BY CATHLEEN FALSANI
Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-fals10.html
"Hiding on a shelf deep in the archives of the Chicago Historical Society among some 20 million other antiquities and documents of historical significance is the oddest of treasures."
School cries foul over assembly
By Jennifer Hagan
York County Coast Star
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/yorkstar/ys10_9d.htm
(see also <http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/30/bernall/index.html>)
"The school district is claiming that a group who held an assembly at the junior high and high schools last week misrepresented their assembly and did not mention that they were a religious organization. The presenters are saying the school got the secular assembly they signed on for."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
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BY RICHARD ROEPER
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeper/cst-nws-roep13.html
"Lots of columns for the price of one: I keep hearing from Cubs fans about the 1989 film "Back to the Future Part II," in which the Michael J. Fox character travels forward in time to 2003 -- and learns the Cubs have defeated Florida to win the World Series. Other than the fact that the Marlins and Cubs are in the NLCS and not the World Series, the coincidence is downright eerie!"
The "Back to the Future" Prophecies
by Joal Ryan
E! Online
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12704,00.html
"Nervous Chicago Cubs fans need not sweat about Wednesday night's decisive playoff game. The Back to the Future franchise has foretold your victory."
Suspected Penis Snatcher Beaten to Death
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...&e=1&u=/nm/20031012/od_nm/odd_gambia_penis_dc
"A 28-year-old man accused of stealing a man's penis through sorcery was beaten to death in the West African country of Gambia, police said."
Just a housewife who sees dead people
By Karen Palmer
Mansfield News Journal
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/news/stories/20031010/localnews/425983.html
"Chris Woodyard has a dubious gift. She sees ghosts. The 49-year-old writer was in Mansfield recently to walk through the old Renaissance Theatre in search of hair-raising experiences and otherworldly events."
Parents Sue School Over Wi-Fi
Reuters
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60769,00.html
"A pioneering elementary school district outside Chicago has been sued for installing a wireless computer network by parents worried that exposure to the network's radio waves could harm their children."
US parents sue over WLAN school fears
By Tim Richardson
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/69/33294.html
"Parents in Oak Park, Illinois, have launched a class action lawsuit against their local school board for allegedly threatening the health of children by installing wireless local area network technology in classrooms."
Many soldiers, same letter
by LEDYARD KING
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20031011/frontpage/121390.shtml
"Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public opinion on the mission sours."
Form Letters From G.I.'s to the Editors
By JACQUES STEINBERG
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/international/middleeast/14LETT.html
"At least 11 American newspapers have inadvertently published identical or nearly identical letters from soldiers serving in the same unit in Iraq, each signed by a different person, as a result of a coordinated effort within the unit to get positive news about the war printed in their hometown papers, an Army spokesman traveling with them said yesterday."
Bush & Co. Use the Orwell Sales Strategy
by James P. Pinkerton
Newsday
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vppin3494396oct14,0,7265251.column
"There's nothing like a war to bring out the inner George Orwell in a government. In ways little and small, Uncle Sam has been morphing into Big Brother - spinning the news, even, apparently, manufacturing news."
Letters From Iraq, But From Who?
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/13/iraq/main577716.shtml
"What are the chances that different GIs serving in Iraq would sit down and individually write their hometown papers the very same letters, using the exact same words to talk about U.S. success in efforts to rebuild Iraq?"
Publishing a bogus letter
Everett Herald
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/03/10/14/17613895.CFM
"One of the best-read features in this newspaper is the daily compilation of letters to the editor. They represent The Herald's and every newspaper's responsibility to provide a voice to citizens and facilitate public debate."
Troops' Letters Not What They Seem
by Aaron Zitner
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-na-letters14oct14.story
"The letter to the local newspaper was detailed and personal, relaying the work that American soldiers were doing to rebuild the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk. The police force and fire department have been rebuilt, it said, and the streets are largely clear of trash."
Letters Home
By Martha Raddatz
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/World/iraq031013_letters-1.html
"The letters appeared in roughly 12 newspapers across the country. From Massachusetts to California, and many places in between, family members and local newspapers received letters from soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment detailing their successes in northern Iraq."
Gold fever in Papua New Guinea
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3179060.stm
"Papua New Guinea is awash with rumours that the government is searching New Ireland province for up to 10 tonnes of gold."
Light shed on witchcraft -- Sewer initiation encounter brings group into spotlight
By BENJAMIN DUER
New Philadelphia Times-Reporter
http://www.timesreporter.com/left.php?ID=23441&r=0
"Most people in the Tuscarawas Valley have probably never heard of the Dragon Knights or Black Dragons _ two area wiccan-pagan groups."
Our ghostly good wishes
By Bob Caylor
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/6983251.htm
"A world with ghosts in it would be ever so much more exciting, unpredictable and perhaps even more charming. But for now, ghosts remain shackled inside the worlds of terrifying novels and children's pretend games."
30 years later, UFO incident still hovers over Pascagoula River
By LICI BEVERIDGE
Mississippi Press
http://www.gulflive.com/mississippi/index.ssf?/base/news/106578096493130.xml
"Charles Hickson has spent the last 30 years living with something most other people couldn't even imagine."
Observers question UFO experience
By DONNA HARRIS
Mississippi Press
http://www.gulflive.com/mississippi/index.ssf?/base/news/106578094393130.xml
"More than a decade before Charles Hickson claimed an intergalactic encounter, Fritz Breland had his own brush with an object of an unidentified sort."
Crackpots hampering UFO study, author says
by JENNIFER ROBINSON
CANADIAN PRESS
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...310&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467>
"Blame Ed Wood's spinning pie plates, the Raelian obsession with cloning and theme parks, or maybe Erich von Daniken's premise that ancient gods were once travellers from outer space."
Membership has its price
by BRIGITTE MCCANN
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/10/221857.html
"Becoming a Raelian doesn't come cheap. It cost me more than $2,000 and I only spent the strict minimum. For starters, there's the annual dues to the national movement, which represent three per cent of a member's take-home pay. I chose the student rate and sent $100 to a post-office box."
Raelians give cash blindly
by BRIGITTE MCCANN
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/10/221858.html
"Saying he works for free, the man known to his followers as Rael takes advantage of the annual "awakening" seminar staged in Maricourt to empty his disciples' pockets. On Thursday, July 17, we witnessed a talent show attended by about 400 Raelians. The show turned into an auction intended to help Rael in his mission."
Raelian deception complete
by BRIGITTE MCCANN
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/11/222880.html
"It's a great day to be a Raelian. At last, I can "educate" humanity. I make my way through the crowd of 250 or so Raelians waiting excitedly for the annual "celebration of the creation of the first humans in a laboratory.""
Raelian expose big news in U.S.
by KEVIN CONNOR
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/11/222881.html
"The Raelians, who welcomed worldwide attention earlier this year for human cloning claims, are protesting their latest turn in the media spotlight. And cult experts say Sun Media's series, in which two journalists infiltrated the Raelians, will shake up the organization."
Duo used fake names
Sun Media Newspapers
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/11/222882.html
"Patience, calm, luck and astuteness allowed two Sun Media reporters to collect photos and information over nine months without revealing their true identities. To cover their tracks and infiltrate the Raelians, the reporters chose false names and rented a post office box to receive all Raelian correspondence."
His Holiness Rael and The Raelian Movement Refute Allegations Recently Published in the Media
Press Release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031010/flf010_1.html
"The following was released today by the Raelian Movement:"
Why clones don't keep well
by LISA KRIEGER
Knight Ridder Newspapers
"The birth of a lab-built lamb in 1996 seemed to defy nature."
Dangerfield, Celebs Clone Around
by Joal Ryan
E! Online
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12685,00.html
"How to keep up with the Jonses in 21st century Hollywood? Daily Botox injections? Fully equipped Hummers? Try clones."
Ghosts (or at least their stories) ride the river
By Jeff Wilson
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/10/12/tallstacks/tem_tallstacks12ghoststory.html
"It was a woman's voice that woke first mate Mike Williams when he thought himself alone on the famous steamboat Delta Queen. The sound of a slamming door led Williams to the engine room, where a broken intake pipe for the boilers would have spelled disaster were it not for his visitor."
Strange full moon behavior more myth than reality
Midland Reporter-Telegram
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10297691&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475590&rfi=6
"Beware: The moon is full tonight. That must mean that District 3-5A football is upon us once again. At least, it should be a beautiful scene at Grande Communications Stadium with a full moon as the background."
Paranormal expert knows the answers are out there
By Minauti Dave
Parsippany Daily Record
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news1-xfiles.htm
"It's approaching Halloween, a time to spotlight the occult, the otherworldly and the just plain weird. But don't expect to impress Joe Nickell."
Traffic snarls Peru’s mysterious lines
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.msnbc.com/news/980498.asp
"A coastal town set up a garbage dump inside Peru’s mysterious Nazca Lines, sending trucks rumbling across the markings etched into the desert sands more than a millennium ago, authorities said Tuesday."
UFO'S:The truth and the proof are out there
By HEIDI J. SHRAGER
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1065966442150970.xml
"About 11 years ago, at 5:30 a.m., a Great Kills man named Andrew woke up to find his entire house shaking."
Candle in the Dark
By Michael Shermer
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=00065121-BF3B-1F80-B57583414B7F0103
"Ever since Galileo began the tradition of communicating science in the vernacular so that all might share in its fruits, a tension has existed between those--call them "excluders"--who think science is for professionals only and regard its dissemination to wider audiences as infra dig and those--call them "includers"--who understand that all levels of science require clear composition and public understanding of process and product."
Close encounter in Shag Harbour
By Brian Medel
Halifax Herald
http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2003/10/13/f183.raw.html
"A busload of UFO zealots landed in Shag Harbour on Sunday afternoon to see for themselves the spot of ocean where some think a UFO crashed 36 years ago."
Washakie school board weighs 'intelligent design'
By ZACHARY SCHNEIDER
Casper Star-Tribune
http://www.casperstartribune.net/ar.../wyoming/3d736b9975a8a119bddbf04d11c6dc8b.txt
"A Washakie County school board member wants to authorize the teaching of "intelligent design" theory in district science classrooms as an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution."
Evangelical activities sometimes have dark side
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/opinion/columns/11close_b7empireb.html
"A recent column by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof praised the work of "evangelical missionaries" in Africa. It was a good, but not completely balanced column -- especially in regard to the AIDS pandemic."
State Republicans distancing themselves from religious right
By Ralph Thomas
Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001765410_craswell14m.html
"Above the lane leading up to Ellen Craswell's home in rural Kitsap County, a hand-painted archway proclaims in bold letters: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God.""
Naturopathic college to develop health science center
By Angela Gonzales
Business Journal of Phoenix
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famuluscom/bizjournal10-11-010538.asp?bizj=PHO
"A Tempe naturopathic college is developing a health science center to allow researchers to study naturopathic treatments in a scientific way."
Gangs, hate groups busy in ET, officer says
By BRYAN MITCHELL
Knox News
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_2342629,00.html
"A Blount County Sheriff's Department officer who recently took part in a conference on combating gang activity said the issue needs "more attention.""
Tai Chi May Boost Shingles Immunity
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21102-2003Oct13.html
"Participation in the slow-motion martial arts program known as tai chi chih may help older people battle shingles."
Going under the needle: Acupuncture therapy growing in acceptance among patients and some doctors
By Joseph D. Wilcox
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03287/230591.stm
"Some days Sharlene M. Shellito couldn't get out of bed. On days she did struggle out from under the covers, she'd be so exhausted by the time she finished her shower, she'd flop back into the sack."
Maintaining low pH reduces HIV replication
East African Standard
http://www.eastandard.net/midweek/mwk151003005.htm
"Didi Ananda Ruchira is popular in Nairobi’s Kariobangi slums and Eastleigh estate for her use of alternative medicine to treat a range of diseases, including opportunistic deases in people infected with HIV/Aids."
Psyched out
By Joel Beck
Lynn North Shore Sunday
http://www.townonline.com/lynnfield/news/local_regional/nss_feanspsychicsjms10102003.htm
"Church bulletins aren't exactly a breeding ground for controversy, unless you're the sort of person who seethes at the mere mention of parish bake sales or takes offense at religious education class schedules."
Can the 'Curse of the Bambino' be lifted? Pitches are made at Ruth's grave site
By Jim Fitzgerald
Associated Press
http://www.post-gazette.com/pirates/20031011bambinocursep7.asp
"Chris Sobotka, wearing a Red Sox cap, walked up to Babe Ruth's grave and offered the Bambino -- dead for 55 years -- a 12-ounce bribe."
Odd Outpost of Icy Immortality in Sunshine State
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/14/n...00&en=42b9eb692abbd02b&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
"On a winding street in a nondescript industrial park, the odd science of preserving the dead is creating a new outpost here."
Aurora Heights poltergeists could be settlers
by Andrew Hind
York Region Newspaper Group
http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/erabanner/story/1417374p-1668518c.html
"Thousands of youngsters have passed happily through the halls of Aurora Heights Public School, a facility known for its academic standards and for fostering a nurturing environment."
What's With Shoes On Wires?
by Michael Geeser
KLAS
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1482560&nav=168XIXDy
"You see them everywhere. But what does it mean, all of those pairs of sneakers hanging by their laces over phone, cable, and power lines? We've all heard of a bird on the wire, but what's behind sneakers on a wire? "I have no idea," says one man who walks bear chested down Senson Avenue, shoes hanging just above him on a wire."
Father of missing Chisholm girl stands behind mother
Associated Press
http://www.kstp.com/article/view/123752/
"The father of a missing Chisholm girl said he's standing behind his wife, even though she's charged with trying to run him over with their car."
New Form of Alternative Medicine Gaining Popularity in Israel Shows That Results Are What Count
Press Release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031009/lnth010_1.html
"A growing number of alternative medicine clinics are gaining popularity in Israel. Although the apparent purveyor of treatment is typically a healer, no one is quite sure who is doing what. However, with the growing record of remarkable results, no one cares. And if the results are remarkable, their possible explanation is more remarkable still."
9/11 Conspiracy Theory Books Dominate Debate at Frankfurt Book Fair
Deutsche Welle
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1441_A_993523_1_A,00.html
"At this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest gathering of publishers, editors and writers, everyone's talking about 9/11 conspiracy theory books. Organizers may have highlighted Russia as the official country of this year's conference, but it's the United States -- particularly its role in 9/11 -- that has captured the popular imagination."
Finding a future in the Big Easy
by Chris Rose
New Orleans Times-Picayune
http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1065851924229310.xml
"I was sitting in a French Quarter bar catching up with Maria Shaw, a rising star in a curious fringe of show business: an Astrologer to the Stars. And what stars they are."
Blame it on the stars
TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=229093
"As criminologists scratched their heads pondering about socio-economic causes of crime, astrologers participating in the 27th All India Criminology Conference in Lucknow University blamed it all on the stars namely the Moon, the Saturn, the Mars and Mercury, not to forget the devils Rahu and Ketu who, they said, were primarily responsible for criminal mental tendencies and converting them into criminal acts."
Now a call centre for astrology in Bhopal
Business Standard [India]
http://www.business-standard.com/today/story.asp?Menu=23&story=24951
"Basic telecom company Touchtel has launched a unique call centre in Madhya Pradesh. Contrary to the trend, the employees of this call centre are oldies, with little expertise in English and only hands-on experience in computers."
Poll predictions go awry at astrologers' conference
By Deepak Mahaan
Sify
http://sify.com/news/politics/fullstory.php?id=13283908
"Astrology one thought was serious business but in Jaipur it is providing enough humour to last a lifetime!"
More Believe In God Than Heaven
By Dana Blanton
FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99945,00.html
"More Americans believe in God than in angels, miracles, and even heaven. And while half attend worship services on a regular basis, a majority thinks religion plays too small a role in people’s lives today."
The Ugly Truth About 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
By Mike Szymanski
Zap2it.com
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/features/scenes/story/0,1259,---19093,00.html
"New Line is doing a lot these days to scare people these days. Audiences are faced with the ads of horrifying chases through a farm by a maniac with a roaring powertool for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" -- a remake of the original 1974 slasher classic. Then, people see the chilling tag line that these events are "inspired by a true story.""
Hoax most perfect
by Ashley Crawford
The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/09/1065676092105.html
"The work of the obscure Leipzig artist Johann Dieter Wassmann is to be a feature of this year's Melbourne International Festival."
Judge won't reduce hoax suspect's bail
By Josh Duke
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/2/082355-1872-009.html
"A Boone County judge on Friday denied Donna Walker's request to reduce her $50,000 cash bond."
Lawsuit Filed in Missing Girl Hoax Case
Associated Press
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brf-missing-girl,0,3717638.story
"The mother of a long-missing girl has filed a lawsuit against a woman charged with falsely portraying herself as the child."
Easthampton exposes gun hoax
By NICOLE SEQUINO
Daily Hampshire Gazette
http://www.gazettenet.com/10152003/news/9843.htm
"Eighteen months ago, police mobilized and parents feared for their children's safety when a woman reported seeing a man with a gun inside the Maple Street School."
Teens Face Charges For Spreading Rumors Online
WDIV
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2555401/detail.html
"An alleged high school prank has two Livonia teenagers in trouble with police."
Dean's 'Urban Legend'
By WILLIAM SAFIRE
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/13/opinion/13SAFI.html
"The persistence of a quotation he insists is an "urban legend" is evidently infuriating Howard Dean."
Myth debunked: Immigrants pay business taxes
By Brian Gray
Monroe Times
http://www.themonroetimes.com/o1013pur.htm
"The problem with an urban myth is that once it gets started, it's hard to put to rest."
Doctors fight flu shot myth
by Laura Ungar
Gannett News Service
http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/146035
"Annette Nester won't be getting a flu shot this year. Like millions of Americans, she believes the vaccine could bring on rather than ward off influenza."
The flu-shot myth
By MICHAEL de YOANNA
Mansfield News Journal
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/news/stories/20031015/news/456610.html
"Laura Townsend recalls being laid up in bed with the flu every year for five years running back in the 1960s."
Naturopath offers alternative approaches to health care
By Melanie Béchard
Fort Frances Times
http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/6/2003-10-15/15602
"Naturopathic medicine, while gaining in popularity in recent years, still is a relatively unknown science to many."
Suit against pastor thrown out
by Noel S. Brady
King County Journal
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/145871
"For four years, Jerry Rose has struggled through the loss of his beloved stepdaughter and the knowledge that his wife tried to have him murdered."
DNA IDs suspect in '85 homicide
Associated Press
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031014/APN/310140674
"More than 18 years after someone sexually assaulted a 70-year-old woman and smothered her with a satin pillow, a DNA match has given police a new suspect."
Meditation or Medication?
KTVO
http://www.ktvotv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=1478135&nav=1LFsITg1
"Statistics show that nearly half of all Americans will die from heart disease, despite advances in medication and surgical procedures."
Profit-making potion: Business sense, magic
By Maureen McDonald
Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/2003/business/0310/14/b02-297313.htm
"As Halloween approaches, the hottest-selling items at Royal Oak's Isle of Avalon include several witch-themed tarot decks, cast-iron cauldrons and magic wands. The more interest in the occult, the merrier, says owner Kristen Clark, 40, who moved to a new location this fall to draw more sales from traffic on Washington."
UFO expert comes to Brevard
By Billy Cox
FLORIDA TODAY
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/peoplestoryA3622651066154284A.htm
"George W. Bush raised a few eyebrows during the 2000 presidential campaign when he responded to a question about releasing government files on unidentified flying objects. "It'll be the first thing he (Dick Cheney) will do," Bush said. "He'll get right on it.""
A View From Bottom Of Loch Ness
Associated Press
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/09/world/main577386.shtml
"Lloyd Scott has just spent 12 days at the bottom of Loch Ness, but he reported no sightings of the lake's legendary monster."
True love... lasts forever
by Molly McMillen
Echo Press
http://www.echopress.com/article.cfm?articleID=375FB8E4-D1B7-4B01-A7B9F3C5209417E2
"When it’s true love — there is no mistaking the signs. They are everywhere, says Avis Lorenz of Alexandria. She may even have some proof of her theory."
The Maserati Behind the Wall
By Winston Goodfellow
Motor Trend
http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0310_mas/
"It's something every serious car freak dreams of: unearthing a rare automotive treasure that time has somehow forgotten. It usually starts with a rumor here, a secret there; somebody who knows somebody who might have heard something "about an old classic car so-and-so had until the day he died." The proverbial "Bugatti in a barn.""
Genesis of this serpent's tale is unbelievable
BY CATHLEEN FALSANI
Chicago Sun-Times
http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-fals10.html
"Hiding on a shelf deep in the archives of the Chicago Historical Society among some 20 million other antiquities and documents of historical significance is the oddest of treasures."
School cries foul over assembly
By Jennifer Hagan
York County Coast Star
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/yorkstar/ys10_9d.htm
(see also <http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/30/bernall/index.html>)
"The school district is claiming that a group who held an assembly at the junior high and high schools last week misrepresented their assembly and did not mention that they were a religious organization. The presenters are saying the school got the secular assembly they signed on for."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
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