Woman's remains kept in freezer for years by husband
by ANABELLE GARAY
Associated Press
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/09/12/national0327EDT0445.DTL
"A 75-year-old man stored his wife's body for nearly six years in his backyard, twisted and upside down in an old freezer, because he hoped she could someday be brought back to life, authorities said."
Garner Ted Armstrong
The Independent [UK]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/17/db1702.xml
"Garner Ted Armstrong, who died on Monday aged 73, was one of the most successful, but also the most controversial, of American television evangelists."
Man jailed over imaginary 9/11 'victim'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3115682.stm
"A man has been jailed for more than a decade for defrauding charities of $160,000 by falsely claiming that his son died in the 11 September attacks."
'Ghost' from internet terrorises southern Indian city
DPA
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/18/1063625149078.html
"Cyber-savvy pranksters in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have unleashed a ghost phobia in Tiruchirappalli city leading to a steep drop in school attendance and spreading terror in many households, a news report said yesterday."
Indian city spooked by 'ghost' photo
Ananova
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_820471.html
"Police in an Indian city say children have stopped going to school after a local newspaper was duped into publishing a photograph of a 'ghost'."
Pat Robertson prays that Hurricane Isabel will turn away
Associated Press
http://www.nbc25.com/Global/story.asp?S=1444935
"The Reverend Pat Robertson, whose Christian Broadcasting Network could be hit by Hurricane Isabel, has asked God to turn the storm away from Virginia Beach and the U-S East Coast."
Ross admits 'telling lies'
by Jason Warick
Saskatchewan News Network
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=2e8ef3df-5e8b-4953-9e79-3db9b3f3bf62
"The boy who made up fantastic stories of ritual sexual abuse against his former foster parents admitted in court Monday that he lied because he was mad at them."
Accuser takes stand in ritual abuse case
CBC
http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ross030916
"A former foster child whose lies led to 12 people being charged with the sexual abuse of children is testifying in a civil case on Tuesday."
Sex case likened to witch trials
by Jason Warick
Saskatchewan News Network
http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/story.asp?id=3490243A-12DB-4727-B14D-B94E79F4D3FE
"The Saskatoon Crown prosecutor first handed the Klassen sex abuse file more than a decade ago compared the children's claims to the complaints made during the Salem witchcraft trials."
Urban myth exposed by trial
By Chris Summers
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3094170.stm
"The jury in the fraud trial of Michael Slamaj and Graham Halksworth were unconvinced by a conspiracy theory involving enormous amounts of Chinese gold and American money."
Police say man used Bible to justify sex with girls
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
<http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/htm...ocal+News&sp5=RGJ.com&sp6=news&sp7=local_news>
"Four people have been arrested after reports of sexual assaults on two girls, ages 13 and 15, a Washoe County sheriff's detective said Wednesday."
Japanese court upholds death sentence for Aum cult 'combatant'
Agence France-Presse
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030918/1/3e9jq.html
"A Japanese high court upheld a death sentence to a former Aum Supreme Truth sect member and martial arts expert for his part in 10 murders including victims of a 1994 nerve gas attack."
Beastly good story
by Jackie Loohauis
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/enter/gen/sep03/169234.asp
"Is it a devil dog or swamp gas? A werewolf or a kook in a costume?"
Peyote's Hallucinations Spawn Real-Life Academic Feud
By SIMON ROMERO
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/16/science/16PEYO.html
"In the 1960's and 70's, Carlos Castaneda captivated millions of readers with his tales of self-discovery under the influence of peyote, jimson weed and other hallucinogens."
Bigfoot symposium examines evidence of creature's existence
by Erin Miyabara
The Lumberjack
<http://media.humboldt.edu/merge1/mo...e=article&sid=677&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0>
"About 220 scientists, researchers and enthusiasts flocked to Willow Creek for the International Bigfoot Symposium last weekend to discuss the probability that the creature exists."
Doctor: Hypnosis could have fueled Hitler's rise
By DANNY HEITMAN
WBRZ
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/091703/peo_hypno001.shtml
"Dr. David Post didn't set out to become a globe-trotting lecturer on Adolf Hitler's mental health."
Eerie feeling? Maybe you're just hearing things
By Robert C. Cowen
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0918/p14s02-stss.html
"Call it The Acoustics of "The Twilight Zone." Episodes depicting the creepy feeling people get in "haunted" places may be reality TV after all."
Abominable Snowman really a bear, Japanese mountaineer states in study
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030918b4.htm
"The legendary Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas is actually a kind of brown bear, a Japanese mountaineer has asserted, casting doubt on an ongoing expedition to track down the beast."
Ohio residents report strange lights in sky
By TIM STEPHENS
Huntington Herald-Dispatch
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2003/September/04/LNlist5.htm
"Maybe it is something for the X-Files."
UFO may have been restaurant lights
By TIM STEPHENS
Huntington Herald-Dispatch
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2003/September/18/LNlist5.htm
"The Lawrence County UFO might have been Ronald McDonald."
Soybean field a bit too popular since design discovered
By MARLA TONCRAY
Maysville Ledger Independent
http://www.maysville-online.com/articles/2003/09/18/news/news02.txt
"A crop circle that appeared in a Peebles soybean field almost a month ago is still the object of curiosity seekers and researchers alike."
Nevada's Area 51 Will Remain Top Secret
Associated Press
http://www.ktvu.com/news/2494456/detail.html
"Invoking national security, President Bush has renewed an exemption allowing the Air Force to keep mum about its top-secret operations at Groom Lake, also known as Area 51, in southern Nevada."
Telepathy
by Mark Pilkington
The Guardian
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/sciences/story/0,12243,1044102,00.html
"At last week's British Association meeting, Professor Robert Morris of Edinburgh University's Koestler parapsychology unit announced that his team's experiments continue to suggest the reality of telepathy."
Tourist Draw for Sale, With Mystery the Lure
By SARAH KERSHAW
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/national/19VORT.html
"Deep in the woods of this old gold mining town in southern Oregon, there is an unusual 22-acre lot for sale."
Christian deliverance work widespread
By Jim Remsen
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/6810385.htm
"With his calm voice and steady eyes, Neal Lozano is a quiet commander. It's important in his unusual calling -- casting out evil spirits."
Masons in the sun
By Joel Beck
North Shore Sunday
http://www.townonline.com/lynnfield/news/local_regional/nss_feansmasons09192003.htm
"They've been called mysterious, secretive, even cultish. But as a people-friendly PR campaign gears up, is Freemasonry finally ready for the mainstream?"
School trustees to pick textbook-selection committee
by BRENT FLYNN
Plano Star Courier
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10161238&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=186027&rfi=6
"Public school trustees are scheduled to pick members of the textbook adoption committee at Tuesday's school board meeting as part of the consent agenda."
Parents Who Treated Infant's Illness With Prayer Get Jail Time
Associated Press
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2485537/detail.html
"A couple whose infant daughter died of meningitis after they treated her with prayer instead of medicine were sentenced to a year of weekends in jail."
Officials say Iowa couple aided ritual child abuse
By MARK SIEBERT
Des Moines Register
http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/22252337.html
"Neighbors had suspicions about the family living in the two-story rental house here, the one with the blinds shut tight and cardboard over the diamond-shaped window on the front door."
Former Fort Worth couple indicted in child sex case
By Toni Heinzl
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/6812569.htm
"A former Fort Worth couple who lived a discreet life has been indicted by federal authorities in California, accused of procuring children to be sexually abused by the leader of a religious sect who prescribed sex with minors as a rite of passage."
2 face federal sexual abuse charges
Associated Press
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6777831.htm
"A couple have been indicted, accused of participating in the sexual abuse of children, including a Fort Worth girl, as part of a religious rite of passage."
Alleged molester must undergo sanity testing
By Mareva Brown
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/7265792p-8210729c.html
"A judge on Wednesday temporarily suspended the molestation case against Allen Harrod, a self-proclaimed religious prophet accused of ritualistically abusing his own children over more than two decades, after Harrod's own attorney questioned his sanity and competence to stand trial."
Commandments battle grows
By Beth Hatcher
Athens Banner-Herald
http://www.athensnewspapers.com/stories/091803/new_20030918068.shtml
"The leader of a Ku Klux Klan splinter group has invited members of a black church to a Saturday rally he called in support of a controversial Ten Commandments display in the Barrow County Courthouse."
In Search of Intelligent Life at the SBOE
BY MICHAEL KING
Austin Chronicle
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-19/pols_feature4.html
"The Sept. 10 public hearing of the State Board of Education devoted approximately 12 hours (1pm to 1am) to discussing whether the high school biology textbooks proposed for state adoption are sufficiently critical of evolutionary theory to please those folks who believe that teaching evolution is part of the secular humanist plot to get God out of the schools. This was the second of two hearings; the board is scheduled to make its decision in November. The new state budget slashed the Texas Education Agency's textbook funds by $226 million (more than a third), but the biology texts, once approved, are expected to be purchased -- most other new textbook purchases have been postponed until at least 2005."
Waiting for the Messiah of Eastern Parkway
By JONATHAN MAHLER
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/magazine/21SCHNEERSON.html
"The synagogue in the basement of the Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is the closest thing to holy ground for the Hasidic movement, though with its peeling paint, dirty linoleum floors, wooden benches and unidentifiable odor, it feels more like a junior-high-school cafeteria than your average Jewish sanctuary. But at a little before 10 p.m. on a recent Friday night, the place is thick with spirituality. Small clusters of bearded men bob furiously in prayer, while a smattering of women watch from behind the plexiglass in the balcony above."
Polynesian fruit calls to alternative medicine users
By Stephanie Shapiro
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-hf.health14sep14,0,2068445.story
"As he waits for his barbecued tofu wrap at the Yabba Pot restaurant in lower Charles Village, Cecil Gray sings the praises of noni. Two tablespoons in the morning and two at night have cleared his sinuses, eradicated chest pains and made him feel "balanced.""
Quality of herbal formulas can vary
by Diane Evans
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/6768499.htm
"The newsletter Environmental Nutrition recently reported that a survey of ginkgo biloba supplements found only 22 percent of the products tested met quality standards."
Ozarks Medicinal Root Could Lift Farmers
by SCOTT CHARTON
Associated Press
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/6790073.htm
"American Indians and folk medicine practitioners swear by the root of black cohosh as a natural source of relief from the symptoms of menopause, ranging from fatigue to hot flashes."
Seneca Falls Health Center opens
By DENISE M. CHAMPAGNE
Finger Lakes Times
http://www.fltimes.com/Main.asp?SectionID=38&SubSectionID=121&ArticleID=2357
"The pen used by Gov. George Pataki to sign a law requiring continuing education for New York chiropractors was presented yesterday as a special token to New York Chiropractic College President Dr. Frank J. Nicchi."
Art Bell returns to weekends on overnight radio show from Nevada
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20030919-1554-nv-people-artbell.html
"Less than a year after retiring, Art Bell is returning as weekend host of the overnight radio talk show he founded about UFO sightings, arcane mysteries and conspiracy theories."
Cryonics center's income soars
by Craig Harris and Peter Corbett
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0912alcorgifts12.html
"Revenue nearly tripled for the Alcor Life Extension Foundation last year when the Scottsdale facility froze baseball legend Ted Williams, but a spokesman said Thursday there was no correlation."
M.U.M. celebrates 30th anniversary, advocates meditation in education
By Erik Gable
Fairfield Ledger
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10172621&BRD=1139&PAG=461&dept_id=142642&rfi=6
"Maharishi University of Management celebrated its 30th anniversary Friday, with a series of speakers touting the achievements of M.U.M. students, praising the Transcendental Meditation movement -- and criticizing schools that don't teach TM, with one speaker denouncing them as "deplorable.""
Ex-CEO pleads guilty in fraud scheme targeting blacks
Associated Press
http://www.naplesnews.com/03/09/business/d987165a.htm
"A former CEO has pleaded guilty in a pyramid scheme to fleece $31 million from primarily black victims who were told the money they placed in a purported investment house was insured and would produce a guaranteed return."
Defence raps 'muffin club' complainant
by HANK DANISZEWSKI
London Free Press Reporter
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/09/12/183954.html
"A woman who lost $5,000 in a "muffin club" pyramid scheme was simply a victim of her own greed, said the lawyer for the defendant yesterday. "It was a perfect example of excessive greed and avarice; she couldn't wait to make the big hit," said lawyer Michael Lerner."
Reluctantly, missing girl's mom seeks out psychic
By TAJUANA CHESHIER
Jackson Sun
http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_story.mv+link=200309155382527
"Immediately following the disappearance her daughter, Johnnie Carter wasn't ready to hear what a psychic could reveal on the whereabouts of Bethany Markowski who disappeared from Old Hickory Mall in Jackson more than two years ago."
Chain letters are targeting toddlers now
by Sheryl Harris
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/1063791238244701.xml
"Chain letters are circulating among the pre-K set."
Kids hot on the trail of knowledge
By RICK KARLIN
Albany Times Union
http://www.timesunion.com/aspstories/story.asp?storyID=170643
"It's a crime the way Dave Dykeman runs his 11th-grade science class."
A 'C' Change in Spelling Sought for the Koreas
By Barbara Demick
Los Angeles Times
http://www.sunspot.net/news/la-fg-corea15sep15,0,3882479.story
"Is alphabetical order destiny?"
E-mail hoax circulates through FdL
By Kelly Tucker
Fon du Lac Reporter
http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/news/archive/local_12312233.shtml
"An e-mail hoax forwarded through cyberspace for the past two years is loose in the Fond du Lac area, causing some alarm about cell phone usage."
Bigfoot fans flock to Willow Creek
By Sara Watson Arthurs
Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%7E2896%7E1631991,00.html#
"Dmitri Bayanov believes his trip to Humboldt County -- his first visit to the United States -- is fate."
Bigfoot faithful descend upon Willow Creek
By Sara Watson Arthurs
Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%7E2896%7E1630105,00.html
"They came from all over -- academics, believers, and the merely curious -- to the Bigfoot Capital of the world, intending to take a scientific approach to a topic usually discussed in whispers and jokes."
They take sasquatch seriously
By Blair Anthony Robertson
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/7399763p-8343027c.html
"They are tall, heavy, hairy, stinky -- at least to us -- and surprisingly nonaggressive. People say they must have excellent eyesight and a keen sense of smell."
Charlatan in a monkey suit? Bigfoot academics say no way
by Glen Martin
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/09/14/MN303756.DTL
"In the pantheon of legendary beasts, Bigfoot plays Rodney Dangerfield: a shambling hominid that doesn't get any respect."
Bigfoot enthusiasts from several states will gather in southwestern Pa.
By HAROLD GWIN
YOUNGSTOWN VINDICATOR
http://www.vindi.com/local_news/303878647446682.shtml
"It was about midnight Aug. 15 when a Westmoreland County woman, gathering lettuce from her garden to make her husband's lunch, suddenly noticed a large, hair-covered creature watching her."
Manassas man's quest: Finding Bigfoot
By DONNIE JOHNSTON
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2003/092003/09212003/1094327
"There are moments in a man's life that can change him forever, transform his perspective on the world, send him down paths he never dreamed existed."
Uh-Oh, Mercury's in Retrograde
By Daniel Terdiman
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,60424,00.html
"In the days leading up to the 2000 presidential election, most pundits were predicting an intensely close -- but conclusive -- finish to the race between Al Gore and George W. Bush."
Cody schools issue new religion policy
Associated Press
http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=221892
"The school district has developed a new religion policy in response to outcry last winter over a holiday program at Livingston School that included the word ''Christmas.''"
Toynbee tiler may be in Phila.
By Larry Fish
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/6750407.htm
"If you find yourself stuck in traffic on the Blue Route in Delaware County (don't try this at high speed), keep your eyes peeled on the northbound side, just beyond Milepost 12 near St. Davids and Villanova."
Police used cult website to link Zaoui to terrorists - lawyer
New Zealand Press Association
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2664469a10,00.html
"Police are under attack for relying on the cult website of a convicted fraudster which links asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui with a terrorist group."
Cult taught Cherie's guru to confront demons
by Jamie Doward and Ben Whitford
The Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1046462,00.html
"Carole Caplin's swift rise from soft porn model to trusted confidante of Cherie Blair owes much to the lessons she learnt working for a secretive telemarketing company which had strong links to the heart of government and acted as a front for a brainwashing cult."
Medical alert tattoo hoax defrauded investors
BY BEATRICE E. GARCIA
Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/6788470.htm
"The president of a Coral Springs company that purported to be manufacturing a tattoo-like medical alert device for the sick and elderly pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of defrauding investors of about $4 million in a private stock offering."
Fears of hoax cloud search for the dead
BY FRANCES ROBLES
Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/6782449.htm
"Panama needed to find its dead."
HEART ATTACK E-MAIL A HOAX
By Julie Myers
KGUN
http://www.kgun9.com/story.asp?TitleID=3325&ProgramOption=News
"An e-mail circulating the Internet promises to help you survive a heart attack."
Look, that cactus is full of tarantulas
By Denise Ellsworth
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/6817797.htm
"A friend of mine recently returned from a trip out west with a large, barrel-shaped cactus she bought at a roadside stand. One afternoon, while entertaining a group of ladies for tea, my friend pointed out the cactus to one of her guests. As they observed the cactus, both had the impression that it was breathing ever-so-slightly, as if something inside was pushing its way out. All of a sudden, the cactus burst open, and hundreds of huge tarantulas leaped across the room, getting caught in the guests' hair..."
Egypt Uses Science to Dispel Pharaonic Curse
By Tom Perry
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=2&u=/nm/20030912/sc_nm/egypt_curse_dc
"Egypt will use science to dispel the curse of the pharaohs, which popular myth blames for the deaths of those who have opened the tombs of Egypt's ancient rulers, Egypt's antiquities chief said."
Is cult linked to Peterson killings?
By GARTH STAPLEY
MODESTO BEE
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/7445017p-8362673c.html
"Before Scott and Laci Peterson, Stanislaus County had the Salida massacre."
Parents and drinkers watching the detectors
By Natasha Wallace
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/17/1063625097341.html
"Trading on the fear factor can certainly be profitable - just look at the worldwide business boom in post-September 11 protective paraphernalia."
Two guilty of $2.5 trillion swindle
By Chris Summers
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3116188.stm
"Two men have been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud in a case related to fake US government bonds worth $2.5 trillion."
Naive scam - or secret CIA counterfeits?
by TIM LUCKHURST
The Scotsman
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=1040642003
"A HAUL of $2.5 trillion dollars worth of United States Federal Reserve notes, dated 1934, bearing the signature of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, packed in sealed tins, some said to be protected by canisters of poisonous gas, does require explanation."
Psychic aims to foresee Emmy winners
by LYNN ELBER
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/6803671.htm
"Tony Shalhoub, clear shelf space for your Emmy."
Emmybody Loves "Raymond"
By Lia Haberman
E! Online
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=797&ncid=799&e=1&u=/eo/20030922/en_tv_eo/12536
"A whole lotta folks loved Raymond. The West Wing won the popular vote. Tony and Carmela whacked the competition. And Friends could've used some pals among Emmy voters."
Goff wins Bent Can Opener Award from Skeptics
New Zealand Press Association
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2659997a10,00.html
"Justice Minister Phil Goff has won the first-ever Bent Can Opener Award from the New Zealand Skeptics, for refusing to revisit the Christchurch Civic Creche case."
Doctor with a 'wonder drug'
by Kenneth Kwama
East African Standard
http://www.eastandard.net/midweek/mwk170903002.htm
"Nothing about Dr Leonard Frederick Wang'ang'a stands out. However, he is an achiever both in life and medicine. He rose from a street child in Nairobi to become one of the recognised parapsychologists in Africa, holding a PhD in naturopathy."
'Cult killer' will seek new trial
by GREGG M. MILIOTE
Fall River Herald News
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10169917&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6
"A tide of new evidence and allegations of prosecutorial misconduct may ultimately free the man convicted of brutally murdering and mutilating a young prostitute during a string of similar slayings two decades ago, dubbed "The Cult Murders.""
Evangelicals use clout to help Israel
By SHELIA M. POOLE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/new...rac=n&urvf=10642527950680.0040551308832450506>
"The small room full of guests at the Israeli consulate general on Spring Street listened attentively as two members of Rosh Ha'ayin Yemenite Mandolin Orchestra played a selection of songs."
Is there a secret in Madonna's book?
by Jeannette Walls with Ashley Pearson
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/957050.asp
"Madonna is coming under attack for preaching her new religion to children. The singer has penned a much-hyped kiddie's book "The English Roses," a tale about the hazards of jealousy."
Abominable Snowman 'a bear'
Agence France-Presse
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/21/1064082853528.html
"A Japanese mountaineer is attempting to settle once and for all the decades-long debate over the existence of the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas, claiming that his years of study have shown that the legendary apelike monster is in fact a brown bear."
FBI seeks public awareness on Internet fraud
By Quintin Cushner
Lompoc Record
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2003/09/21/news/news09.txt
"FBI Agent Edward J. Miller Jr. sits in the bureau's Santa Maria office, reading accounts of Internet theft and deception."
FRAUDSTERS EXPLOIT LOCKERBIE FOR SCAM
By Stephen Martin
The Sunday Mirror
<http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/...ERS-EXPLOIT-LOCKERBIE-FOR-SCAM-name_page.html>
"CONMEN have set up in business posing as a lawyer working with Lockerbie relatives in a sickening fraud scam."
Local developers buy old TWA Building
By KEVIN COLLISON
Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/companies/6780084.htm
"The old TWA Building, shuttered since 1988 and a relic from the old Power & Light District plan, has been bought by local developers."
Chapel Bedeviled by 'Blair Witch'
By David Snyder
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32039-2003Sep18.html
"The rickety old chapel, vacant for nearly 20 years, has withstood more than a century of rain, wind and snow in the rugged foothills of South Mountain, just outside the tiny Frederick County town of Burkittsville."
Family promises armed standoff
By KEITH MATHENY
Traverse City Record-Eagle
http://record-eagle.com/2003/sep/12dig.htm
"The peaceful, rolling farmland of Charlevoix County's Bay Township belies the potential armed confrontation that may develop there in a matter of days."
Chopstick wrappers not redeemable
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
http://starbulletin.com/2003/09/10/news/kokualine.html
"Question: Lately, I have been hearing that a lot of people within the state of Hawaii are saving chopstick wrappers in hopes of getting a free wheelchair. However, no one seems to know what company or organization is offering this promotion or how to redeem the wrappers for the "free" wheelchair."
Fans await murdered rapper's return
by NECO COCKBURN
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...757&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630>
"The mirror smashed by rapper and actor Tupac Shakur in a music video released after his death should have indicated seven years of bad luck."
Probe: No Proof Fla. Hanging Was Murder
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Hanging-Investigation.html
"The hanging of a black man that raised fears of a lynching in a small, rural town was a suicide, state investigators concluded Wednesday."
Heel Pain? Get Better Shoes, Not Magnets -Study
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...51&e=5&u=/nm/20030916/hl_nm/health_magnets_dc
"Magnets do not relieve pain, and the money spent on magnetic shoe inserts to battle aching feet would be better spent on more comfortable shoes, a scientist said on Tuesday."
Herbal Cures May Have Misleading Claims
by LINDSEY TANNER
Associated Press
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/6786384.htm
"Herbal remedies are often marketed on the Internet with misleading or unproven health claims that violate federal law, according to a study of 443 Web sites."
Online Herbal Remedy Claims Not Authorized By FDA
WCVB
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/2488252/detail.html
"If they were addictive, Americans would be hooked. In the '90s, the use of herbal supplements increased 380 percent, but according to a new study, you can't always believe what you read about herbal products -- especially when surfing the Net."
Mayo Clinic study: magnetic insoles no better than regular insoles
WIS-TV
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1447789
"Walking used to be painful for Sharon Ryg. She suffered from Plantar Fasciitis, a common condition causing pain in the arch and heel of the foot. She bought insoles at the drug store, but they didn't help, "If I would sit for very long, it was like they were cramped up, and it hurt for probably five or ten minutes before I could really walk.""
Suit charges Hispanic churches are 'false Catholics'
By BILL MONTGOMERY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...l?urac=n&urvf=10642592216110.9966797091764538
"The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta is suing a network of Hispanic churches across North Georgia, alleging the group falsely claims to be Roman Catholic."
Archdiocese says Capilla de la Fe churches deceive
By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6819099.htm
"The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta has filed a lawsuit accusing a network of Spanish-speaking churches of falsely claiming to be Catholic -- with priests who conduct Mass, hear confessions and offer Communion to immigrants who mistakenly think that the churches are tied to the Vatican."
Mess of red ink, not blood, closed McDonald's on South Waverly
by John Schneider
Lansing State Journal
http://www.lsj.com/columnists/schneider/030919_john_1b.html
"We can no longer just sit here and allow the McBody rumors to keep cooking in their vat of boiling grease."
2 fans cited in Kokomo hum
Associated Press
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/3/076174-1153-009.html
"An acoustics consulting firm concluded two industrial fans appear to be among the sources of a mysterious hum that some Kokomo residents believe is to blame for their health and sleeping problems."
Explaining unexplained phenomena just isn't sexy
by Lou Hudson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6825894.htm
"One of the things we homosaps are fond of doing is finding pattern and order where none exists. It's the way we're wired, apparently -- the brain doesn't like not having an explanation for things."
Scientists disagree on parapsychology
by Jessica Horn
Badger Herald
http://www.badgerherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/22/3f6e4fd331d82
"Lund University in Sweden will soon appoint northern Europe's first professor of parapsychology, hypnology and clairvoyance to teach the study of the paranormal."
Grandmother's trial scheduled today in cancer hoax
Springfield News-Sun
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n...ws/2003/09/21/1064200751.19830.8894.1213.html
"The grandmother accused of helping in the faked illness of a 7-year-old girl is to go on trial today in Champaign County Common Pleas court."
Court weighs fluoridation suit
by EIJIRO KAWADA
Tacoma News Tribune
http://www.tribnet.com/news/local/story/3956534p-3978367c.html
"From police power to tooth decay, Washington State Supreme Court justices pressed lawyers with questions Thursday as they waded into a debate over fluoridated water in Pierce County."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
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by ANABELLE GARAY
Associated Press
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/09/12/national0327EDT0445.DTL
"A 75-year-old man stored his wife's body for nearly six years in his backyard, twisted and upside down in an old freezer, because he hoped she could someday be brought back to life, authorities said."
Garner Ted Armstrong
The Independent [UK]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/09/17/db1702.xml
"Garner Ted Armstrong, who died on Monday aged 73, was one of the most successful, but also the most controversial, of American television evangelists."
Man jailed over imaginary 9/11 'victim'
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3115682.stm
"A man has been jailed for more than a decade for defrauding charities of $160,000 by falsely claiming that his son died in the 11 September attacks."
'Ghost' from internet terrorises southern Indian city
DPA
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/18/1063625149078.html
"Cyber-savvy pranksters in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have unleashed a ghost phobia in Tiruchirappalli city leading to a steep drop in school attendance and spreading terror in many households, a news report said yesterday."
Indian city spooked by 'ghost' photo
Ananova
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_820471.html
"Police in an Indian city say children have stopped going to school after a local newspaper was duped into publishing a photograph of a 'ghost'."
Pat Robertson prays that Hurricane Isabel will turn away
Associated Press
http://www.nbc25.com/Global/story.asp?S=1444935
"The Reverend Pat Robertson, whose Christian Broadcasting Network could be hit by Hurricane Isabel, has asked God to turn the storm away from Virginia Beach and the U-S East Coast."
Ross admits 'telling lies'
by Jason Warick
Saskatchewan News Network
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=2e8ef3df-5e8b-4953-9e79-3db9b3f3bf62
"The boy who made up fantastic stories of ritual sexual abuse against his former foster parents admitted in court Monday that he lied because he was mad at them."
Accuser takes stand in ritual abuse case
CBC
http://sask.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ross030916
"A former foster child whose lies led to 12 people being charged with the sexual abuse of children is testifying in a civil case on Tuesday."
Sex case likened to witch trials
by Jason Warick
Saskatchewan News Network
http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/story.asp?id=3490243A-12DB-4727-B14D-B94E79F4D3FE
"The Saskatoon Crown prosecutor first handed the Klassen sex abuse file more than a decade ago compared the children's claims to the complaints made during the Salem witchcraft trials."
Urban myth exposed by trial
By Chris Summers
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3094170.stm
"The jury in the fraud trial of Michael Slamaj and Graham Halksworth were unconvinced by a conspiracy theory involving enormous amounts of Chinese gold and American money."
Police say man used Bible to justify sex with girls
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
<http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/htm...ocal+News&sp5=RGJ.com&sp6=news&sp7=local_news>
"Four people have been arrested after reports of sexual assaults on two girls, ages 13 and 15, a Washoe County sheriff's detective said Wednesday."
Japanese court upholds death sentence for Aum cult 'combatant'
Agence France-Presse
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030918/1/3e9jq.html
"A Japanese high court upheld a death sentence to a former Aum Supreme Truth sect member and martial arts expert for his part in 10 murders including victims of a 1994 nerve gas attack."
Beastly good story
by Jackie Loohauis
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/enter/gen/sep03/169234.asp
"Is it a devil dog or swamp gas? A werewolf or a kook in a costume?"
Peyote's Hallucinations Spawn Real-Life Academic Feud
By SIMON ROMERO
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/16/science/16PEYO.html
"In the 1960's and 70's, Carlos Castaneda captivated millions of readers with his tales of self-discovery under the influence of peyote, jimson weed and other hallucinogens."
Bigfoot symposium examines evidence of creature's existence
by Erin Miyabara
The Lumberjack
<http://media.humboldt.edu/merge1/mo...e=article&sid=677&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0>
"About 220 scientists, researchers and enthusiasts flocked to Willow Creek for the International Bigfoot Symposium last weekend to discuss the probability that the creature exists."
Doctor: Hypnosis could have fueled Hitler's rise
By DANNY HEITMAN
WBRZ
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/091703/peo_hypno001.shtml
"Dr. David Post didn't set out to become a globe-trotting lecturer on Adolf Hitler's mental health."
Eerie feeling? Maybe you're just hearing things
By Robert C. Cowen
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0918/p14s02-stss.html
"Call it The Acoustics of "The Twilight Zone." Episodes depicting the creepy feeling people get in "haunted" places may be reality TV after all."
Abominable Snowman really a bear, Japanese mountaineer states in study
Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030918b4.htm
"The legendary Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas is actually a kind of brown bear, a Japanese mountaineer has asserted, casting doubt on an ongoing expedition to track down the beast."
Ohio residents report strange lights in sky
By TIM STEPHENS
Huntington Herald-Dispatch
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2003/September/04/LNlist5.htm
"Maybe it is something for the X-Files."
UFO may have been restaurant lights
By TIM STEPHENS
Huntington Herald-Dispatch
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2003/September/18/LNlist5.htm
"The Lawrence County UFO might have been Ronald McDonald."
Soybean field a bit too popular since design discovered
By MARLA TONCRAY
Maysville Ledger Independent
http://www.maysville-online.com/articles/2003/09/18/news/news02.txt
"A crop circle that appeared in a Peebles soybean field almost a month ago is still the object of curiosity seekers and researchers alike."
Nevada's Area 51 Will Remain Top Secret
Associated Press
http://www.ktvu.com/news/2494456/detail.html
"Invoking national security, President Bush has renewed an exemption allowing the Air Force to keep mum about its top-secret operations at Groom Lake, also known as Area 51, in southern Nevada."
Telepathy
by Mark Pilkington
The Guardian
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/sciences/story/0,12243,1044102,00.html
"At last week's British Association meeting, Professor Robert Morris of Edinburgh University's Koestler parapsychology unit announced that his team's experiments continue to suggest the reality of telepathy."
Tourist Draw for Sale, With Mystery the Lure
By SARAH KERSHAW
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/national/19VORT.html
"Deep in the woods of this old gold mining town in southern Oregon, there is an unusual 22-acre lot for sale."
Christian deliverance work widespread
By Jim Remsen
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/6810385.htm
"With his calm voice and steady eyes, Neal Lozano is a quiet commander. It's important in his unusual calling -- casting out evil spirits."
Masons in the sun
By Joel Beck
North Shore Sunday
http://www.townonline.com/lynnfield/news/local_regional/nss_feansmasons09192003.htm
"They've been called mysterious, secretive, even cultish. But as a people-friendly PR campaign gears up, is Freemasonry finally ready for the mainstream?"
School trustees to pick textbook-selection committee
by BRENT FLYNN
Plano Star Courier
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10161238&BRD=1426&PAG=461&dept_id=186027&rfi=6
"Public school trustees are scheduled to pick members of the textbook adoption committee at Tuesday's school board meeting as part of the consent agenda."
Parents Who Treated Infant's Illness With Prayer Get Jail Time
Associated Press
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2485537/detail.html
"A couple whose infant daughter died of meningitis after they treated her with prayer instead of medicine were sentenced to a year of weekends in jail."
Officials say Iowa couple aided ritual child abuse
By MARK SIEBERT
Des Moines Register
http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/22252337.html
"Neighbors had suspicions about the family living in the two-story rental house here, the one with the blinds shut tight and cardboard over the diamond-shaped window on the front door."
Former Fort Worth couple indicted in child sex case
By Toni Heinzl
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/6812569.htm
"A former Fort Worth couple who lived a discreet life has been indicted by federal authorities in California, accused of procuring children to be sexually abused by the leader of a religious sect who prescribed sex with minors as a rite of passage."
2 face federal sexual abuse charges
Associated Press
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6777831.htm
"A couple have been indicted, accused of participating in the sexual abuse of children, including a Fort Worth girl, as part of a religious rite of passage."
Alleged molester must undergo sanity testing
By Mareva Brown
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/7265792p-8210729c.html
"A judge on Wednesday temporarily suspended the molestation case against Allen Harrod, a self-proclaimed religious prophet accused of ritualistically abusing his own children over more than two decades, after Harrod's own attorney questioned his sanity and competence to stand trial."
Commandments battle grows
By Beth Hatcher
Athens Banner-Herald
http://www.athensnewspapers.com/stories/091803/new_20030918068.shtml
"The leader of a Ku Klux Klan splinter group has invited members of a black church to a Saturday rally he called in support of a controversial Ten Commandments display in the Barrow County Courthouse."
In Search of Intelligent Life at the SBOE
BY MICHAEL KING
Austin Chronicle
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2003-09-19/pols_feature4.html
"The Sept. 10 public hearing of the State Board of Education devoted approximately 12 hours (1pm to 1am) to discussing whether the high school biology textbooks proposed for state adoption are sufficiently critical of evolutionary theory to please those folks who believe that teaching evolution is part of the secular humanist plot to get God out of the schools. This was the second of two hearings; the board is scheduled to make its decision in November. The new state budget slashed the Texas Education Agency's textbook funds by $226 million (more than a third), but the biology texts, once approved, are expected to be purchased -- most other new textbook purchases have been postponed until at least 2005."
Waiting for the Messiah of Eastern Parkway
By JONATHAN MAHLER
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/magazine/21SCHNEERSON.html
"The synagogue in the basement of the Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is the closest thing to holy ground for the Hasidic movement, though with its peeling paint, dirty linoleum floors, wooden benches and unidentifiable odor, it feels more like a junior-high-school cafeteria than your average Jewish sanctuary. But at a little before 10 p.m. on a recent Friday night, the place is thick with spirituality. Small clusters of bearded men bob furiously in prayer, while a smattering of women watch from behind the plexiglass in the balcony above."
Polynesian fruit calls to alternative medicine users
By Stephanie Shapiro
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-hf.health14sep14,0,2068445.story
"As he waits for his barbecued tofu wrap at the Yabba Pot restaurant in lower Charles Village, Cecil Gray sings the praises of noni. Two tablespoons in the morning and two at night have cleared his sinuses, eradicated chest pains and made him feel "balanced.""
Quality of herbal formulas can vary
by Diane Evans
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/6768499.htm
"The newsletter Environmental Nutrition recently reported that a survey of ginkgo biloba supplements found only 22 percent of the products tested met quality standards."
Ozarks Medicinal Root Could Lift Farmers
by SCOTT CHARTON
Associated Press
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/6790073.htm
"American Indians and folk medicine practitioners swear by the root of black cohosh as a natural source of relief from the symptoms of menopause, ranging from fatigue to hot flashes."
Seneca Falls Health Center opens
By DENISE M. CHAMPAGNE
Finger Lakes Times
http://www.fltimes.com/Main.asp?SectionID=38&SubSectionID=121&ArticleID=2357
"The pen used by Gov. George Pataki to sign a law requiring continuing education for New York chiropractors was presented yesterday as a special token to New York Chiropractic College President Dr. Frank J. Nicchi."
Art Bell returns to weekends on overnight radio show from Nevada
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20030919-1554-nv-people-artbell.html
"Less than a year after retiring, Art Bell is returning as weekend host of the overnight radio talk show he founded about UFO sightings, arcane mysteries and conspiracy theories."
Cryonics center's income soars
by Craig Harris and Peter Corbett
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0912alcorgifts12.html
"Revenue nearly tripled for the Alcor Life Extension Foundation last year when the Scottsdale facility froze baseball legend Ted Williams, but a spokesman said Thursday there was no correlation."
M.U.M. celebrates 30th anniversary, advocates meditation in education
By Erik Gable
Fairfield Ledger
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10172621&BRD=1139&PAG=461&dept_id=142642&rfi=6
"Maharishi University of Management celebrated its 30th anniversary Friday, with a series of speakers touting the achievements of M.U.M. students, praising the Transcendental Meditation movement -- and criticizing schools that don't teach TM, with one speaker denouncing them as "deplorable.""
Ex-CEO pleads guilty in fraud scheme targeting blacks
Associated Press
http://www.naplesnews.com/03/09/business/d987165a.htm
"A former CEO has pleaded guilty in a pyramid scheme to fleece $31 million from primarily black victims who were told the money they placed in a purported investment house was insured and would produce a guaranteed return."
Defence raps 'muffin club' complainant
by HANK DANISZEWSKI
London Free Press Reporter
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/09/12/183954.html
"A woman who lost $5,000 in a "muffin club" pyramid scheme was simply a victim of her own greed, said the lawyer for the defendant yesterday. "It was a perfect example of excessive greed and avarice; she couldn't wait to make the big hit," said lawyer Michael Lerner."
Reluctantly, missing girl's mom seeks out psychic
By TAJUANA CHESHIER
Jackson Sun
http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_story.mv+link=200309155382527
"Immediately following the disappearance her daughter, Johnnie Carter wasn't ready to hear what a psychic could reveal on the whereabouts of Bethany Markowski who disappeared from Old Hickory Mall in Jackson more than two years ago."
Chain letters are targeting toddlers now
by Sheryl Harris
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/1063791238244701.xml
"Chain letters are circulating among the pre-K set."
Kids hot on the trail of knowledge
By RICK KARLIN
Albany Times Union
http://www.timesunion.com/aspstories/story.asp?storyID=170643
"It's a crime the way Dave Dykeman runs his 11th-grade science class."
A 'C' Change in Spelling Sought for the Koreas
By Barbara Demick
Los Angeles Times
http://www.sunspot.net/news/la-fg-corea15sep15,0,3882479.story
"Is alphabetical order destiny?"
E-mail hoax circulates through FdL
By Kelly Tucker
Fon du Lac Reporter
http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/news/archive/local_12312233.shtml
"An e-mail hoax forwarded through cyberspace for the past two years is loose in the Fond du Lac area, causing some alarm about cell phone usage."
Bigfoot fans flock to Willow Creek
By Sara Watson Arthurs
Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%7E2896%7E1631991,00.html#
"Dmitri Bayanov believes his trip to Humboldt County -- his first visit to the United States -- is fate."
Bigfoot faithful descend upon Willow Creek
By Sara Watson Arthurs
Eureka Times-Standard
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127%7E2896%7E1630105,00.html
"They came from all over -- academics, believers, and the merely curious -- to the Bigfoot Capital of the world, intending to take a scientific approach to a topic usually discussed in whispers and jokes."
They take sasquatch seriously
By Blair Anthony Robertson
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/7399763p-8343027c.html
"They are tall, heavy, hairy, stinky -- at least to us -- and surprisingly nonaggressive. People say they must have excellent eyesight and a keen sense of smell."
Charlatan in a monkey suit? Bigfoot academics say no way
by Glen Martin
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/09/14/MN303756.DTL
"In the pantheon of legendary beasts, Bigfoot plays Rodney Dangerfield: a shambling hominid that doesn't get any respect."
Bigfoot enthusiasts from several states will gather in southwestern Pa.
By HAROLD GWIN
YOUNGSTOWN VINDICATOR
http://www.vindi.com/local_news/303878647446682.shtml
"It was about midnight Aug. 15 when a Westmoreland County woman, gathering lettuce from her garden to make her husband's lunch, suddenly noticed a large, hair-covered creature watching her."
Manassas man's quest: Finding Bigfoot
By DONNIE JOHNSTON
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2003/092003/09212003/1094327
"There are moments in a man's life that can change him forever, transform his perspective on the world, send him down paths he never dreamed existed."
Uh-Oh, Mercury's in Retrograde
By Daniel Terdiman
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,60424,00.html
"In the days leading up to the 2000 presidential election, most pundits were predicting an intensely close -- but conclusive -- finish to the race between Al Gore and George W. Bush."
Cody schools issue new religion policy
Associated Press
http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=221892
"The school district has developed a new religion policy in response to outcry last winter over a holiday program at Livingston School that included the word ''Christmas.''"
Toynbee tiler may be in Phila.
By Larry Fish
Philadelphia Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/6750407.htm
"If you find yourself stuck in traffic on the Blue Route in Delaware County (don't try this at high speed), keep your eyes peeled on the northbound side, just beyond Milepost 12 near St. Davids and Villanova."
Police used cult website to link Zaoui to terrorists - lawyer
New Zealand Press Association
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2664469a10,00.html
"Police are under attack for relying on the cult website of a convicted fraudster which links asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui with a terrorist group."
Cult taught Cherie's guru to confront demons
by Jamie Doward and Ben Whitford
The Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1046462,00.html
"Carole Caplin's swift rise from soft porn model to trusted confidante of Cherie Blair owes much to the lessons she learnt working for a secretive telemarketing company which had strong links to the heart of government and acted as a front for a brainwashing cult."
Medical alert tattoo hoax defrauded investors
BY BEATRICE E. GARCIA
Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/6788470.htm
"The president of a Coral Springs company that purported to be manufacturing a tattoo-like medical alert device for the sick and elderly pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of defrauding investors of about $4 million in a private stock offering."
Fears of hoax cloud search for the dead
BY FRANCES ROBLES
Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/6782449.htm
"Panama needed to find its dead."
HEART ATTACK E-MAIL A HOAX
By Julie Myers
KGUN
http://www.kgun9.com/story.asp?TitleID=3325&ProgramOption=News
"An e-mail circulating the Internet promises to help you survive a heart attack."
Look, that cactus is full of tarantulas
By Denise Ellsworth
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/6817797.htm
"A friend of mine recently returned from a trip out west with a large, barrel-shaped cactus she bought at a roadside stand. One afternoon, while entertaining a group of ladies for tea, my friend pointed out the cactus to one of her guests. As they observed the cactus, both had the impression that it was breathing ever-so-slightly, as if something inside was pushing its way out. All of a sudden, the cactus burst open, and hundreds of huge tarantulas leaped across the room, getting caught in the guests' hair..."
Egypt Uses Science to Dispel Pharaonic Curse
By Tom Perry
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=2&u=/nm/20030912/sc_nm/egypt_curse_dc
"Egypt will use science to dispel the curse of the pharaohs, which popular myth blames for the deaths of those who have opened the tombs of Egypt's ancient rulers, Egypt's antiquities chief said."
Is cult linked to Peterson killings?
By GARTH STAPLEY
MODESTO BEE
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/7445017p-8362673c.html
"Before Scott and Laci Peterson, Stanislaus County had the Salida massacre."
Parents and drinkers watching the detectors
By Natasha Wallace
Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/17/1063625097341.html
"Trading on the fear factor can certainly be profitable - just look at the worldwide business boom in post-September 11 protective paraphernalia."
Two guilty of $2.5 trillion swindle
By Chris Summers
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3116188.stm
"Two men have been found guilty of conspiracy to defraud in a case related to fake US government bonds worth $2.5 trillion."
Naive scam - or secret CIA counterfeits?
by TIM LUCKHURST
The Scotsman
http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=1040642003
"A HAUL of $2.5 trillion dollars worth of United States Federal Reserve notes, dated 1934, bearing the signature of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, packed in sealed tins, some said to be protected by canisters of poisonous gas, does require explanation."
Psychic aims to foresee Emmy winners
by LYNN ELBER
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/6803671.htm
"Tony Shalhoub, clear shelf space for your Emmy."
Emmybody Loves "Raymond"
By Lia Haberman
E! Online
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=797&ncid=799&e=1&u=/eo/20030922/en_tv_eo/12536
"A whole lotta folks loved Raymond. The West Wing won the popular vote. Tony and Carmela whacked the competition. And Friends could've used some pals among Emmy voters."
Goff wins Bent Can Opener Award from Skeptics
New Zealand Press Association
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2659997a10,00.html
"Justice Minister Phil Goff has won the first-ever Bent Can Opener Award from the New Zealand Skeptics, for refusing to revisit the Christchurch Civic Creche case."
Doctor with a 'wonder drug'
by Kenneth Kwama
East African Standard
http://www.eastandard.net/midweek/mwk170903002.htm
"Nothing about Dr Leonard Frederick Wang'ang'a stands out. However, he is an achiever both in life and medicine. He rose from a street child in Nairobi to become one of the recognised parapsychologists in Africa, holding a PhD in naturopathy."
'Cult killer' will seek new trial
by GREGG M. MILIOTE
Fall River Herald News
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10169917&BRD=1710&PAG=461&dept_id=99784&rfi=6
"A tide of new evidence and allegations of prosecutorial misconduct may ultimately free the man convicted of brutally murdering and mutilating a young prostitute during a string of similar slayings two decades ago, dubbed "The Cult Murders.""
Evangelicals use clout to help Israel
By SHELIA M. POOLE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/new...rac=n&urvf=10642527950680.0040551308832450506>
"The small room full of guests at the Israeli consulate general on Spring Street listened attentively as two members of Rosh Ha'ayin Yemenite Mandolin Orchestra played a selection of songs."
Is there a secret in Madonna's book?
by Jeannette Walls with Ashley Pearson
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/957050.asp
"Madonna is coming under attack for preaching her new religion to children. The singer has penned a much-hyped kiddie's book "The English Roses," a tale about the hazards of jealousy."
Abominable Snowman 'a bear'
Agence France-Presse
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/21/1064082853528.html
"A Japanese mountaineer is attempting to settle once and for all the decades-long debate over the existence of the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas, claiming that his years of study have shown that the legendary apelike monster is in fact a brown bear."
FBI seeks public awareness on Internet fraud
By Quintin Cushner
Lompoc Record
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2003/09/21/news/news09.txt
"FBI Agent Edward J. Miller Jr. sits in the bureau's Santa Maria office, reading accounts of Internet theft and deception."
FRAUDSTERS EXPLOIT LOCKERBIE FOR SCAM
By Stephen Martin
The Sunday Mirror
<http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/...ERS-EXPLOIT-LOCKERBIE-FOR-SCAM-name_page.html>
"CONMEN have set up in business posing as a lawyer working with Lockerbie relatives in a sickening fraud scam."
Local developers buy old TWA Building
By KEVIN COLLISON
Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/companies/6780084.htm
"The old TWA Building, shuttered since 1988 and a relic from the old Power & Light District plan, has been bought by local developers."
Chapel Bedeviled by 'Blair Witch'
By David Snyder
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32039-2003Sep18.html
"The rickety old chapel, vacant for nearly 20 years, has withstood more than a century of rain, wind and snow in the rugged foothills of South Mountain, just outside the tiny Frederick County town of Burkittsville."
Family promises armed standoff
By KEITH MATHENY
Traverse City Record-Eagle
http://record-eagle.com/2003/sep/12dig.htm
"The peaceful, rolling farmland of Charlevoix County's Bay Township belies the potential armed confrontation that may develop there in a matter of days."
Chopstick wrappers not redeemable
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
http://starbulletin.com/2003/09/10/news/kokualine.html
"Question: Lately, I have been hearing that a lot of people within the state of Hawaii are saving chopstick wrappers in hopes of getting a free wheelchair. However, no one seems to know what company or organization is offering this promotion or how to redeem the wrappers for the "free" wheelchair."
Fans await murdered rapper's return
by NECO COCKBURN
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...757&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630>
"The mirror smashed by rapper and actor Tupac Shakur in a music video released after his death should have indicated seven years of bad luck."
Probe: No Proof Fla. Hanging Was Murder
ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Hanging-Investigation.html
"The hanging of a black man that raised fears of a lynching in a small, rural town was a suicide, state investigators concluded Wednesday."
Heel Pain? Get Better Shoes, Not Magnets -Study
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...51&e=5&u=/nm/20030916/hl_nm/health_magnets_dc
"Magnets do not relieve pain, and the money spent on magnetic shoe inserts to battle aching feet would be better spent on more comfortable shoes, a scientist said on Tuesday."
Herbal Cures May Have Misleading Claims
by LINDSEY TANNER
Associated Press
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/6786384.htm
"Herbal remedies are often marketed on the Internet with misleading or unproven health claims that violate federal law, according to a study of 443 Web sites."
Online Herbal Remedy Claims Not Authorized By FDA
WCVB
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/2488252/detail.html
"If they were addictive, Americans would be hooked. In the '90s, the use of herbal supplements increased 380 percent, but according to a new study, you can't always believe what you read about herbal products -- especially when surfing the Net."
Mayo Clinic study: magnetic insoles no better than regular insoles
WIS-TV
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1447789
"Walking used to be painful for Sharon Ryg. She suffered from Plantar Fasciitis, a common condition causing pain in the arch and heel of the foot. She bought insoles at the drug store, but they didn't help, "If I would sit for very long, it was like they were cramped up, and it hurt for probably five or ten minutes before I could really walk.""
Suit charges Hispanic churches are 'false Catholics'
By BILL MONTGOMERY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...l?urac=n&urvf=10642592216110.9966797091764538
"The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta is suing a network of Hispanic churches across North Georgia, alleging the group falsely claims to be Roman Catholic."
Archdiocese says Capilla de la Fe churches deceive
By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6819099.htm
"The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta has filed a lawsuit accusing a network of Spanish-speaking churches of falsely claiming to be Catholic -- with priests who conduct Mass, hear confessions and offer Communion to immigrants who mistakenly think that the churches are tied to the Vatican."
Mess of red ink, not blood, closed McDonald's on South Waverly
by John Schneider
Lansing State Journal
http://www.lsj.com/columnists/schneider/030919_john_1b.html
"We can no longer just sit here and allow the McBody rumors to keep cooking in their vat of boiling grease."
2 fans cited in Kokomo hum
Associated Press
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/3/076174-1153-009.html
"An acoustics consulting firm concluded two industrial fans appear to be among the sources of a mysterious hum that some Kokomo residents believe is to blame for their health and sleeping problems."
Explaining unexplained phenomena just isn't sexy
by Lou Hudson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/6825894.htm
"One of the things we homosaps are fond of doing is finding pattern and order where none exists. It's the way we're wired, apparently -- the brain doesn't like not having an explanation for things."
Scientists disagree on parapsychology
by Jessica Horn
Badger Herald
http://www.badgerherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/09/22/3f6e4fd331d82
"Lund University in Sweden will soon appoint northern Europe's first professor of parapsychology, hypnology and clairvoyance to teach the study of the paranormal."
Grandmother's trial scheduled today in cancer hoax
Springfield News-Sun
http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n...ws/2003/09/21/1064200751.19830.8894.1213.html
"The grandmother accused of helping in the faked illness of a 7-year-old girl is to go on trial today in Champaign County Common Pleas court."
Court weighs fluoridation suit
by EIJIRO KAWADA
Tacoma News Tribune
http://www.tribnet.com/news/local/story/3956534p-3978367c.html
"From police power to tooth decay, Washington State Supreme Court justices pressed lawyers with questions Thursday as they waded into a debate over fluoridated water in Pierce County."
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