Face the Facts About Mars
By Jay Ingram and David Newland
Jay's Journal
http://www.exn.ca/Stories/2004/02/03/56.asp
"As Opportunity and Spirit conduct their robotic explorations of the Martian surface, some people just won't be content with the drab photos they're sending back. Conspiracy theorists insist that NASA is hiding the signs of life on Mars."
Space Ghost
by TONY ORTEGA
Kansas City Pitch
http://www.pitch.com/issues/2004-02-05/strip.html/1/index.html
"Talk about flyover country. Now even Kansas City's UFOs are getting no respect."
Man Says Wife Died In 9/11 Tragedy, But She Didn't
WFTV
http://www.wftv.com/news/2824937/detail.html
"The September 11th terrorist attacks killed many, many people. And, in a way, they took the life of a Brevard County woman who wasn't even there. This is a story of 9-11 fraud and deceit and someone trying to cheat the system."
Wife reported dead in 9/11 living, husband wants proof
By DENNIS B. RODDY
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_2635146,00.html
"A woman has accused her estranged husband of reporting her dead in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center two years ago in an effort to collect compensation from a victims fund."
Man Exposed For 9/11 Fraud Is Changing His Story
WFTV
http://www.wftv.com/news/2828427/detail.html
"The man Channel Nine exposed for trying to defraud the 9/11 Victim's Fund is changing his story. Stephen Laskowski claims his ex-wife, Donna, who lives in Central Florida, died in the World Trade Centers."
Wife of man who made Sept. 11 claim alive in Florida
by MIKE CRISSEY
Associated Press
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/7924548.htm
"Donna Laskowski's name appears on the most recent list of victims' relatives who are seeking money from the federal Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. The problem is that Laskowski, 57, is alive in central Florida."
Regulation Rag
By Steve Mirsky
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?colID=15&articleID=0007FD7D-BBA0-101E-B40D83414B7F0000
"When I was a small boy, I was strongly in favor of reduced regulatory intrusion into private activity. I remember riding in the 1953 Dodge with my mother and asking her, "Wouldn't it be great if there were no stop signs?" She patiently explained to me that, no, it would be very bad because of all the carnage and chaos."
None So Blind
By Michael Shermer
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=000A011D-C17F-101E-B40D83414B7F0000
"Picture yourself watching a one-minute video of two teams of three players each. One team wears white shirts and the other black shirts, and the members move around one another in a small room tossing two basketballs. Your task is to count the number of passes made by the white team--not easy given the weaving movement of the players. Unexpectedly, after 35 seconds a gorilla enters the room, walks directly through the farrago of bodies, thumps his chest and, nine seconds later, exits. Would you see the gorilla?"
Permissive African Sexual Traditions Spread AIDS
By Helen Nyambura
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040208/hl_nm/aids_kenya_dc_1
"Men in the arid, remote Kenyan town of Isiolo have long had sex with young virgins to purge themselves of afflictions or curses."
Conspiracy theorists stake out Red Planet
by JAY INGRAM
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...pageid=968332188774&col=Columnist977459474799>
"Some crazy ideas are better than others. For instance, I've been getting e-mails from crazed individuals who believe NASA is showing us images of rocks on Mars instead of revealing the truth: that there are the ruins of ancient civilizations on that planet."
Fears over 'green underwear' beast
By Rob Taylor
Australian Associated Press
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8630049^1702,00.html
"AS the rest of Indonesia battles bird flu and earthquakes, a new type of supernatural force dressed only in green underwear has been terrifying superstitious Jakarta residents."
Despite arrest, 'kolor hijau' all in the mind
by Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Bruce Emond
Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20040208.@03
"While most capitals in the region are battening down the hatches against bird flu, a creature of another kind has sent Jakarta residents into a tizzy."
Farmers erect 'flu scarecrows'
Agence France-Presse
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8569884%5E29677,00.html
""ANTI-bird-flu' scarecrows have been erected in Cambodian fields by farmers anxious to ward off the disease which has claimed at least 11 lives in neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand."
Brazos Valley museum features Bigfoot exhibit
By Elizabeth Knapp
THE BATTALION [Texas A&M]
http://www.thebatt.com/news/2004/02....Museum.Features.Bigfoot.Exhibit-594264.shtml
"The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History will feature a Bigfoot exhibit until August."
Human cloning attempt has failed
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3459009.stm
"The attempt by US fertility expert Panos Zavos to clone a human has failed."
Police: Man Killed Kin Because of 'Demon'
Associated Press
http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=7277
"A man who allegedly told police he strangled his 8-year-old daughter because she "had a demon in her" was ordered held without bail Tuesday pending a grand jury hearing."
Blockbuster Science
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/disclosure/archives/040113_nef/main.html
"Nefertiti Resurrected, brought to you by the Discovery Channel, was seen by millions around the world. But how much of it was documentary - and how much was drama?"
Ghosthunters Hope to Prove Annapolis Tavern Has a Ghost
By DIONNE WALKER
Annapolis Capital
http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=167744
"For nearly two years, the employees at Reynolds Tavern have endured exploding glasses, mysterious footsteps and eerie singing. Come Feb. 19, they hope to prove once and for all where it's coming from: the ghost of Mary Reynolds."
Supernatural schooling
DPA
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/08/1076175030106.html
"Schools in northern Thailand are promoting belief in "ancestor ghosts" in order to discourage children from taking drugs and engaging in premarital sex."
Indian police call in sorcerer
Agence France-Presse
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8627060%5E29677,00.html
"THE police chief of a northeastern Indian state criticised his force Saturday after officers employed a sorcerer in an unsuccessful bid to locate embezzled funds."
Court hearing turns strange
By Mike Miller
Capital Times [Madison, WI]
http://www.madison.com/captimes/news/stories/66472.php
"An expected preliminary hearing for the latest member of "The Truth" to hit the local court system lasted only moments Friday, and Russell Gould is now at the Mendota Mental Health Institute."
Rise Of The Righteous Army
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/05/60minutes/main598218.shtml
"Evangelical Christians form one of the most potent forces in American politics and society. They are people who place their faith, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, above everything else in their lives and hope to spread that Gospel to the world."
They already know who's going to come
by Caitlin Fullerton
National Post
http://www.canada.com/entertainment/story.asp?id=E1C1BBED-9ABB-4D07-874A-E96845B2BDA4
"Timothy Campbell, an executive member of the Ontario Skeptics Society, says he won't be attending the Psychic Expo at the Toronto Exhibition Place this weekend."
Full Moon Effect On Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
by John Roach
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1218_021218_moon.html
"Beware: The moon is full tonight. People will party. Dogs will bite. Robbers will steal. Murderers will kill."
We always know when a full moon shines
By CHRISTY BUSBY
Texarkana Gazette
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/articles/2004/02/09/local_news/opinion/opinions02.txt
"The lore and lure of a full moon have been lauded in books, movies and documentaries."
Twaddle unswaddled
by David McKie
The Guardian
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,1141920,00.html
"Sometimes you think he must be making it up; but he's not. In the autumn of 1998, officials of the Department of Education were treated by their new Labour masters to a lecture by Dr Edward de Bono on his "six hats thinking system", which the doctor described as "the first new way of thinking to be developed for 2,400 years since the days of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle". Civil servants, he said, should put on a red hat while talking about hunches or instincts, a yellow one while listing advantages of a project, and a black one while adopting the role of devil's advocate."
UFOs call town home
By IAN HABERFIELD
Victoria Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8612037%5E2862,00.html
"THE tiny town of Beveridge, north of Melbourne, is fast earning a reputation as Australia's UFO hot spot."
Mine Hill haunt gets ghost check
By Abbott Koloff
Morris County Daily Record
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news8-ghostinspectorsminehill.htm
"There have been stories of ghosts in the neighborhood, according to an author who has done some research on the subject, not to mention 19th century murders and strange accidents."
Ex-astronaut's curiosity continues
By Eliot Kleinberg
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localn...s/sunday/local_news_04525c18064c018f10a0.html
"Somewhere in deep space, Ed Mitchell experienced a cosmic awakening that changed his life."
When UFOs Arrive
BY JIM WILSON
Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/2004/2/when_ufos_arrive/
"Within the scientific community, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but if ET is smart enough to do long division. Scientists are of two minds regarding the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence."
Supplement changes
By Lisa Marshall
Boulder Daily Camera
http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc/health_and_fitness/article/0,1713,BDC_2431_2618198,00.html
"Dehydrated cow pituitary. Raw adrenal glands. Bits of bovine thyroid, thymus and trachea."
Mango anti-cancer claim 'false'
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1145401,00.html
"The supermarket giant Asda is to be prosecuted by Swindon borough council for allegedly misleading customers over the anti-cancer properties of its mangoes."
Natural healers jockey for licensing
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/7854159.htm
"Healers who believe in using the body's intrinsic ability to fend off and even cure many diseases without medicine want the state to legalize their now unregulated practice, known as naturopathy."
Reiki: A new way of healing
By Barb Geert
Eldridge North Scott Press
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1839&dept_id=110408&newsid=10908945&PAG=461&rfi=9
"It's all around us."
St. John's Wort Labels Can Be Inaccurate
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDayNews
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=1636781
"Some makers of the popular herbal supplement St. John's wort greatly exaggerate the levels of a major ingredient, a new Taiwanese study suggests."
FDA Approves Sea-Band Acupressure Wristband
Press Release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040210/netu005_1.html
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Sea-Band International clearance to market the "Sea-Band" acupressure wristband for the relief of nausea caused by motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy and post-operative nausea, the bands are available over-the-counter at most pharmacies and supermarkets."
WHO issues guidelines for herbal medicines
Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L10399645.htm
"The World Health Organisation on Tuesday issued guidelines for ensuring the safety and efficacy of the multi-billion dollar herbal medicines market amid reports that some products are tainted with toxic substances."
More moms take an organic approach
by Abigail Leichman
The Record
http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/0210fam_holistic.html
"These mommies serve organic apple slices instead of Oreos."
Scientists decry 'evolution' deletion
By MARCIA LANGHENRY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204a/01evolside.html
"Calling the state school superintendent's proposal to remove the word "evolution" from state teaching standards "cataclysmic," scientists who spent a year crafting a statement on the importance of teaching evolution scrambled this weekend to add weight to their position."
Evolution comments irk scientists
By MARY MacDONALD
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204a/02evolution.html
"Gov. Sonny Perdue says he wants a "balanced" classroom approach to teaching evolution with an emphasis on its standing as "academic theory.""
Evolution proposal endangers AP credits
by Valerie Lake
The Red & Black
http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/02/02/401d8e8909cda
"A proposal to remove the term "evolution" from the state's high school biology curriculum has some University professors concerned that high school graduates will be unprepared for college-level courses."
Darby adopts origins policy
By JENNY JOHNSON
Ravalli Republic
http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/02/03/news/news01.txt
"Despite legal recommendations advising against the action, Darby School Board trustees Monday adopted an objective origins policy that will allow the school's science curriculum to teach theories other than evolution."
State education chief: Darby school policy not science
Associated Press
http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...2004/02/03/build/state/50-darby-evolution.inc
"The man behind a new school policy in Darby that encourages teaching criticism of the theory of evolution insists the policy arises from science, and is not a push to teach creationism in public classrooms."
Darby schools OK 'objective origins'
By MICHAEL MOORE
The Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/02/04/news/local/znews01.txt
"Against the advice of the principals and teachers it employs and the attorney who represents it, the school board here voted 3-2 Monday night to approve an "objective origins" policy that will change the way science is taught."
THE WEEKLY SCALAWAG
BY SCOTT HENRY
Creative Loafing Atlanta
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2004-02-05/news_scalawag.html
"When you've been both dissed by a Nobel Peace Prize-winner (Jimmy Carter) and called an idiot by the looniest flat-Earther in the General Assembly (Rep. Bobby Franklin), you know you've ◊◊◊◊◊◊ up."
Intelligent design bill in House
By Jack "Miles" Ventimiglia
Liberty Sun-News
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1452&dept_id=155076&newsid=10909451&PAG=461&rfi=9
"Two Northlanders co-sponsor legislation reminiscent of the Kansas creation science debate."
Darby school policy triggers candidate debate
Associated Press
http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2004/02/06/build/education/id-debate.php?nnn=1
"A dispute over whether a new school policy in Darby promotes the teaching of creationism in the classroom spilled over into the political arena Thursday."
School chief comes to her senses over evolution proposal
Gainesville Times
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20040206/opinion/364911.html
"Some good sense broke out Thursday in Atlanta when Kathy Cox backed away from her ill-advised recommendation to eliminate the word "evolution" from public schools curriculum."
Head of schools changes opinion
Gainesville Times
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20040206/localnews/364696.html
"The thinking of Georgia's top school official has apparently evolved."
'Evolution' back in teaching plan
By MARY MacDONALD
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204/06evolution.html
"State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said Thursday she will recommend restoring the word "evolution" to Georgia's science teaching standards and apologized for taking it out."
Schools Chief's Viewpoint Evolves
By Ellen Barry
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-evolution6feb06,1,2161932.story
"Georgia's superintendent of schools said Thursday that she would restore the word "evolution" to the public schools' proposed science curriculum."
Many Christian schools teach Darwin's theory
By BILL TORPY, PATTI GHEZZI
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204/06privateskul.html
"Landmark Christian School's mission statement is clear: to teach students that "God is the creator and sustainer of the universe and of man.""
Creation focus of seminars at school
By Jessi De La Cruz
Jackson Citizen Patriot
http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1076151976311800.xml
"For Denny Locke, it's not much of a debate."
Compatability test
By JOHN BLAKE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/faithandvalues/0204/07darwin.html
"In a 1996 speech, a Christian leader offered an endorsement of Darwin's theory of evolution."
It Just Takes One
by Chris Mooney
CSICOP
http://www.csicop.org/doubtandabout/harvard-design/
"Run and edited entirely by students, the Harvard Law Review may be the most prestigious legal journal in the country. According to the Harvard Gazette, its circulation--roughly 8,000--is the largest of "any law journal in the world." And the Review's influence extends far beyond the number of copies lying around. Partly thanks to the Harvard name, publication in this journal automatically elevates an academic's legal scholarship above the rest of the pack."
Ohio wading into debate on biology
by Peter Bronson
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/02/08/loc_bronson08.html
"Most of what I learned in high school biology is buried in the bottom of my mental locker. But for some reason, I clearly remember those semi-creepy pictures in the chapters on evolution."
Lesson plans go to board
By Laura A. Bischoff
Dayton Daily News
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0210science.html
"The state Board of Education is expected to approve science lesson plans today after a committee made some changes in a controversial 10th-grade biology lesson that critics say will put "intelligent design" in Ohio's science classes."
Sciences group joins fray over lesson plans
by Kaye Spector and Scott Stephens
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1076419820131720.xml
"The nation's most prestigious science organization added its voice Monday to criticism of model science lesson plans that the state school board is expected to vote on today."
State Board Approves Evolution Lesson Plans
Associated Press
http://www.nbc4columbus.com/education/2837429/detail.html
"Ohio 10th graders could be tested on new state-approved concepts of evolution in just over a year under a series of science lesson plans given preliminary approval Tuesday."
Grand Blanc considers adding Bible, creationism to curriculum
By Bob Wheaton
FLINT JOURNAL
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1076344081308880.xml
"Creationism and the Bible would be taught in Grand Blanc public schools under separate proposals that school officials said they will consider."
Duquesne's Darwin Day speaker makes case for teaching evolution
BY HEIDI PRICE
Washington Observer-Reporter
http://www.observer-reporter.com/283395179276726.bsp
"The state of Georgia made headlines recently when Kathy Cox, the state's school superintendent, announced plans to remove the word "evolution" from the middle school and high school science curriculums."
Lobbyist Questions Need For State Regulation Of Cryonics
By Phil Riske
Arizona Capitol Times
http://www.azcapitoltimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=548
"Negotiations are continuing over draft legislation to regulate companies that preserve bodies in hope they someday can be revived, state officials say."
Lawmakers seek state oversight of cryonics facilities
by Peter Corbett
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0206alcor06-ON.html
"A bill launched Friday calls for Arizona to oversee cryonics facilities such as Alcor, the Scottsdale firm that drew national attention last year over its handling of baseball legend Ted Williams's frozen remains."
Science and tribal religion clash in 'No Bone Unturned'
By Doug Esser
Associated Press
http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/116706-7091-021.html
"Kennewick Man, the ancient skeleton found in the Columbia River with a spear point in his hip, had an adventuresome life more than 9,000 years ago."
Science Trumps Ritual in Mystery Skeleton Row
By Adam Tanner
Reuters
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=4286705§ion=news
"Denying a request by American Indian tribes who sought an immediate burial, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday that scientists should be allowed to continue testing on a 9,000-year-old skeleton."
Scientists win Kennewick Man ruling
By TOM PAULSON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/159408_kennewickman05.html
"The scientific community should be allowed to study the 9,000-year- old human bones known as Kennewick Man, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled yesterday, rejecting an appeal by several tribes claiming kinship and seeking to rebury the remains."
Science wins ancient bones battle
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3460773.stm
"A US appeals court has given permission to scientists to study a 9,000-year-old skeleton - despite the objections of some Native American tribes."
Judges Back Study of Ancient Human Remains
By MATTHEW PREUSCH
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/05/national/05KENN.html
"A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that ancient human remains at the center of a long-running dispute involving American Indian tribes, scientists and the federal government should be released for study by archaeologists."
Scientists can study Kennewick remains, U.S. appeals court rules
By Joseph B. Frazier
Associated Press
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001851129_kennewick05m.html
"Scientists can study the 9,300-year-old remains of the Kennewick Man, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday."
Kennewick Man lives
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/107598586353211.xml
"Ever since two college students found his skull in the shallows of the Columbia River nearly eight years ago, Kennewick Man has been a skeleton in the closet, the secrets of his life and origin locked away from scientists and the public."
Kennewick Man will go to scientists
by RICHARD L. HILL
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/107598578653210.xml
"After seven years of uncertainty about the fate of Kennewick Man, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday decided that four Northwest tribes and the U.S. government had failed to show a tribal link to the 9,300-year-old skeleton and that eight prominent anthropologists could proceed with a study of the bones."
Bones decision favors science
Albany Democrat-Herald
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2004/02/07/news/opinion/edit01.txt
"If you are interested in prehistory, as I am, you will hope that the appeals court opinion on Kennewick Man will stand. It protects the right of scientists to probe the mystery of how people came to live on this continent, even if their studies involve very old bones."
Kennewick Man speaks
SEATTLE TIMES
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2001852530_maned07.html
"Kennewick Man has held onto his secrets for more than 9,000 years and now, finally, scientists will get a chance to be his voice."
What is 'native American'?
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0211/p08s03-comv.html
"When two teenage hikers came upon the remains of a man's skeleton on the banks of the Columbia River in 1996, little did they know they'd set off a controversy over the meaning of "native American.""
Could Lake Tahoe be home to its own monster?
Associated Press
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/articles/2004/02/01/news/news95_.txt
"Since sailors first started navigating earth's waters, tales of sea monster sightings put fear in their hearts. But reports of these creatures have not been limited to the world's vast oceans - they've also been seen in lakes."
Loch Ness Marketing Drive Launched
By Rod Minchin
Scottish Press Association
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2490954
"A marketing organisation today launched an initiative to put the famous Loch Ness and the rarely seen Nessy firmly on the global tourism stage."
Soul-searching question
By Erika Niedowski
Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.gram02feb02,0,7721707.story
"21 grams."
Happy ending didn't need added drama
By INA HUGHS
Knox News
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/lifestyles_columnists/article/0,1406,KNS_337_2623841,00.html
"Never give up on people you love. Send this to four people and see what miracle comes into your life on the fourth day."
No, your ballot privileges don't disappear in 2007 — so go vote
by Cary Clack
San Antonio Express-News
http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=1125945
"If you're black, you won't be losing your right to vote in 2007."
Metro schools assures nation: 'We like honor rolls'
By DIANE LONG
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/education/archives/04/02/46687603.shtml?Element_ID=46687603
"Contrary to a hot urban legend, honor rolls are alive and well in Metro schools."
Hey baby, what's your sign?
by Arielle Chavkin
Tufts Daily
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/articleDisplay.jsp?a_id=3069
"At one time or another, pretty much everybody has been asked about their zodiac sign. This question may seem somewhat dated -- "I don't even think 'What's your sign?' is a good line anymore," University Chaplain David O'Leary said - but the popularity of horoscopes among college students attests to its relevance."
Spirit of Sedona
by Marlene Goldman
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/08/TRGII4NDOD1.DTL
""We're the only two people in Sedona who haven't changed our names," my guide quips, regarding this desert town's myriad psychic healers and energy workers. "The planet names are all taken, and the galaxies too.""
On the Job: Astrologer finds it's all about timing
by Sandi Wright
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/02/08/63528.php
"Is Mercury retrograde in your seventh house? Is your natal chart full of squares and oppositions? Do you feel like your rising sign is about fall?"
Memphis medical examiner accused of faking attack
By WOODY BAIRD
Associated Press
http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_story.mv+link=200402115843533
"A medical examiner who was found tied up with a bomb around his neck was charged Tuesday with lying about the incident and possessing an illegal explosive."
Shelby County M.E. indicted; effect on Workman unclear
By ROB JOHNSON
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/02/46790050.shtml?Element_ID=46790050
"A federal grand jury indicted the Shelby County medical examiner yesterday after concluding what has long been rumored — that O.C. Smith faked his own abduction."
Memphis medical examiner accused of faking attack
By WOODY BAIRD
Associated Press
http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_story.mv+link=200402115843533
"A medical examiner who was found tied up with a bomb around his neck was charged Tuesday with lying about the incident and possessing an illegal explosive."
Hot coals, "happy feet"
By Cory Golden
Davis Enterprise
http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2004/02/09/news/326new1.txt
""Who here has walked on fire before?" Heather Ash asks."
Mother pleads guilty in fund-raising hoax
by HOLLY DANKS
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/10758137888681.xml
"A former Hillsboro woman pleaded guilty Monday to charges stemming from a scheme to raise money by claiming that her 9-year-old son was dying of cancer."
Legend or fact?
By Chris Freiberg
Indiana Daily Student
http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=21002
"Have you heard the IU urban myth about the fish and the virgin?"
Work as sergeant key to Captain's character
Lebanon Daily News
http://www.ldnews.com/Stories/0,1413,139%7E25398%7E1928798,00.html?search=filter
"The article you published Jan. 24 relating to the passing of Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) was well done, and he certainly deserved all the recognition for what he had accomplished through his efforts on television."
Legend has it
Lebanon Daily News
http://www.ldnews.com/Stories/0,1413,139~10141~1935042,00.html
"We fell victim to an Internet legend on Sunday's editorial page. It happens to a lot of us, editors and letter writers included, here and across the country."
Officials disclaim myth of Capt. Kangaroo as war hero
By Diane C. Lade
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cpkangaroo05feb05,0,6158467.story
"Jim Gregory was outraged when he read the obituary for Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo."
Black magic ritual to create vengeful ghosts
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1076472365197B252&set_id=1
"Two Hong Kong girls were allegedly killed and then raped as part of a black magic ritual to create ghosts to torment their killer's wife, a news report said on Wednesday."
Devil in the detail of Sicily's mysterious village fires
by John Hooper
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1145394,00.html
"Is Lucifer loose on Sicily? No lesser figure than the honorary president of the International Association of Exorcists believes he may be."
Books on occult subject of vigil in Wash. Twp.
By TIM ZATZARINY JR.
Camden Courier-Post
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m020504j.htm
"A local businessman is organizing a candlelight prayer vigil to rally support for a group that wants restrictions placed on occult-related books in township school libraries."
Washington Twp. residents fight occult books with vigil
By Theresa Katalinas
Gloucester County Times
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1076310900245280.xml
"Malori Mella had no idea concern over her big brother's reading material would spawn a candlelight vigil Sunday attended by nearly 100 community and church members."
Vigil held to restrict books
By TIM ZATZARINY JR.
Camden Courier-Post
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m020904h.htm
"About 100 people gathered at a candlelight prayer vigil here Sunday evening to support a group that wants restrictions placed on occult-related books in township school libraries."
Seeing through the psychics
by Jim Gilchrist
The Scotsman
http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=126952004
"There were some things in BBC1’s new drama series, Sea of Souls, which made Caroline Watt’s hair stand on end, and not because they were registering high on the Richter scale of scariness. Sea of Souls stars Bill Paterson, Archie Panjabi and Peter McDonald as members of a paranormal research team at a fictitious Glasgow university; Dr Watt is a parapsychologist, a real one, at Edinburgh University’s Koestler Parapsychology Unit."
Sect member to plead guilty as accessory in baby's starving death
By Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/040/region/Sect_member_to_plead_guilty_as:.shtml
"A member of a religious sect whose self-described vision from God led to the starvation death of an infant is expected to plead guilty to an accessory charge, the prosecutor in the case confirmed Monday."
Sect member goes free after pleading guilty in infant death case
By Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
http://www3.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=60081
"A member of a religious sect whose self-described vision from God led to the starvation death of an infant pleaded guilty yesterday to an accessory charge and was allowed to go free based on the nearly four years she has already served in prison."
Woman admits role in child's death
By John Ellement
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...2004/02/11/woman_admits_role_in_childs_death/
"Michelle Mingo, the woman whose prophecy led to the starvation murder of her baby nephew, yesterday acknowledged her role in his death before walking out of court with her "spiritual husband," apparently headed back to the Attleboro religious sect whose teachings cost Samuel Robidoux his life and Mingo custody of her five children."
Police Turn To Psychic For Answers In Murder Case
KATV
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0204/123867.html
"Desperate for clues in an unsolved murder case, police are turning to a psychic for answers. Craighead County Sheriff Jack McCann is working with a Hollywood psychic hoping to find out who killed 20 year-old Amanda Tusing."
District attorney drops criminal case against psychic
By Con Garretson
Marin Independent Journal
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~1947063,00.html
"Prosecutors have dropped criminal misdemeanor charges against a Sausalito psychic who failed to report a fake scenario of child and elder abuse told to her by an undercover state agent."
Marin County psychic won't face criminal charges
Associated Press
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/7921788.htm
"A Marin County psychic won't have to stand trial on criminal charges, but she could still face $25,000 in fines."
No trial for Marin psychic
by Harriet Chiang
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/10/BAGJT4SKT91.DTL
"Georgina Ritchie didn't have to invoke her psychic powers Monday to know that the Marin County district attorney's office was dropping criminal charges against her."
Michael Jackson's mate gets into the folding bike market
BikeBiz.com
http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=3666
"Israeli spoon-bender Uri Geller has launched the Uribike, a "bend it, bag it" folding bike. One of last year's 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" celebs, Geller is also one of Michael Jackson's friends but he's yet to put the troubled singer on the Uribike."
Ancient practice of dowsing still attracts true believers
By Rebekah Scott
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04035/268944.stm
"Bill Martin doesn't look like your typical witch."
Pana Wave probed over car checkups
Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040210wo32.htm
"Police on Monday arrested an employee of a car maintenance firm in Fukui and questioned its president on suspicion it falsified safety inspections of vehicles belonging to the Pana Wave Laboratory. The police also searched the headquarters of the group in the city."
Close encounter on Highway 7
By KEVIN ENGSTROM
Winnipeg Sun
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/02/11/343270.html
"John Stewart doesn't believe in aliens but he would like an explanation for the saucer-like object he saw in the sky last summer. The Stony Mountain resident, along with his wife and 11-year-old son, reported seeing the unidentified flying object on Aug. 23 while driving into Winnipeg."
Clone baby 'born in Australia'
By Nikki Todd
Australia Associated Press
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,8654756%5E421,00.html
"THE controversial international cloning group Clonaid today claimed it had successfully created its sixth child, following the birth of a baby boy in Sydney last week."
Nigerian in Houston convicted of e-mail scam
KHOU
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou040210_jw_nigerianschemeverdict.828eb27.html
"A federal jury has convicted a Nigerian national living in Houston of conspiracy and 13 counts of wire fraud."
Cult aims at kids' shows
By Liam Houlihan
Victoria Herald Sun
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8538849^2862,00.html
"SCIENTOLOGISTS are using fronts called "Drug Free Ambassadors" and "Kids For A Drug Free Future" to dupe councils into giving them information stalls and stage time at family events."
Penis-enlargement firms sued
By Kris Hudson
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~1938412,00.html
"A California man on Thursday sued a slew of international companies, including a Greeley distributor, alleging the penis-enlargement products they market and distribute do not work."
Lawsuit off the mark, company says
BY TOM HACKER
Greely Tribune
http://www.greeleytrib.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040207/NEWS/102070024&rs=1
"A dissatisfied California man's lawsuit against makers and distributors of a penis-enlargement product lists a Greeley company as "the operational hub" of the international enterprise."
HUNTING HAUNTINGS
by Ryan Heath
Indiana Digital Student
http://www.idsnews.com/story1_modify.php?id=21074
"Out the car window, I can't see much more than moonlight as it flashes between the treetops. The crescent moon is veiled in clouds, creating an eerie, silver glow around it that does little to illuminate the pitch-dark night. We have been driving through the woods for the past 15 minutes, and the road in front of us seems to snake endlessly onward into the dark. It is a storybook night for a ghost hunt."
Reporter takes aim at alleged media bias
By DON O'BRIANT
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/0204/02stossel.html
"John Stossel remembers when he used to be a media darling. That was a couple of decades ago, when the ABC-TV reporter was busy racking up 19 Emmy Awards for his exposés of corporate thieves, snake-oil salesmen and various consumer scams."
Watching a bit of muckraking
by TONY DODERO
Costa Mesa Daily Pilot
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/columnists/la-dpt-newsroom01feb01,1,1019069.story
"Most print journalists I know don't have much regard for television reporters or television news in general. And I have to say, I'm in their camp for the most part."
Can Water Really Remember?
By John Stossel
ABC News
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/GiveMeABreak/GMAB_homeopathy_040130-1.html
"Americans are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on homeopathic remedies believed to relieve the flu, colds, allergies and more, but the effectiveness of many remains debatable."
Parents upset by school's notification of sexual game
BY LINDSAY KASTNER
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
<http://www.timesdispatch.com/servle...&cid=1031773408569&path=!news&s=1045855934842>
(See also <http://www.snopes.com/risque/school/bracelet.asp>)
"Administrators at Petersburg's Walnut Hill Elementary School took action last month to prohibit students from wearing accessories linked to a sexual game."
Campus fearful after mass e-mail
By Ryan Floersheim
Daily Lobo
http://www.dailylobo.com/news/2004/02/02/News/Campus.Fearful.After.Mass.EMail-594493.shtml
"A wave of panic swept across the UNM campus late last week as rumors circulated that a serial rapist was loose in the area."
THE 10 BEST URBAN LEGENDS IN FILM HISTORY
by Phil Hall
Film Threat
http://www.filmthreat.com/Features.asp?Id=931
"Over the course of the years, many odd and intriguing stories regarding famous films have popped up. Some are laughable, some are tragic, all have been accepted by many people as being correct, and none of them have a shred of truth in them. From D.W. Griffith's heroic Klansmen to Jerry Lewis' concentration camp clown, there have been too many urban legends roaming the cinema world. Let's turn on the lights, open the windows, and see these legends for what they really are."
SCHOOLS TOLD TO IGNORE CHAIN LETTER
Leamington Spa Courier
http://www.leamingtononline.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=691&ArticleID=733758
"Schools are being warned not to fall prey to a chain letter claiming to be from a child dying of cancer."
Create a Hoax, Earn Damnation
By Leander Kahney
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,62157,00.html?tw=rss.TOP
"The Overclockers.com website published a barely believable hoax last week detailing the gutting of a brand new and very expensive Power Mac G5. This brought on an unbelievable reaction from the Mac community."
Enslaved by His Sources
By Jack Shafer
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2094896/
"Although I've already spilled 5,600 words on the subject in four pieces, I'm not quite finished cataloging the journalistic shortcomings of Peter Landesman's Jan. 25 New York Times Magazine cover story about the sex-slave industry, "The Girls Next Door.""
Was story about sexual trafficking exaggerated?
By Cathy Young
Boston Globe
<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ed...s_story_about_sexual_trafficking_exaggerated/>
"THE LATEST CONTROVERSY to erupt in journalism centers on a story about what everyone agrees is a real and serious problem: sexual slavery in which women and sometimes children are forced into prostitution. The question is whether a recent New York Times Magazine cover story exaggerated the scope of this ugly phenomenon, and whether author Peter Landesman was too uncritical in reporting the claims of agenda-driven activists. Landesman's lengthy article, "The Girls Next Door," has been extensively analyzed by Jack Schaffer in the online magazine Slate.com. Schaffer notes that while Landesman refers to only two criminal cases involving forced prostitution, he depicts sexual slavery as an epidemic raging unseen in seemingly respectable neighborhoods."
Woman Poses as Boy, Enrolls in School
Associated Press
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1628773
"Authorities were investigating a 33-year-old woman who allegedly posed as an abused 13-year-old boy, seeking help from a church and trying to enroll in a middle school. A woman with the same name pulled off a similar stunt in 1995."
THE HOAKS HOAX: The history of Birdie Jo Hoaks
By Mark Kinsley
KODE
http://www.kode-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1633811
"The arrest of Birdie Jo Hoaks has people asking, who is she, and where did she come from?"
The Stars Have Voted
By ERIN SULLIVAN
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/03/opinion/03SULL.html?ex=1076822338&ei=1&en=959810997674a506
"If seeking the presidency is like reaching for the stars, then why not look to the stars — and the other heavenly bodies — for insights on the candidates. The Democratic hopefuls face seven primaries today. Here's what their astrological charts can tell voters about their character — and who may have a celestial advantage:"
Did Quilts Hold Codes to the Underground Railroad?
by Sarah Ives
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0205_040205_slavequilts.html
"Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. Quilts with patterns named "wagon wheel," "tumbling blocks," and "bear's paw" appear to have contained secret messages that helped direct slaves to freedom, the pair claim."
Paradise Lite
By Adam Kirsch
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2095002/
"Heaven has always been a touchy subject for religion. In fact, as Peter Stanford shows in his new study Heaven: A Guide to the Undiscovered Country, the greatest prophets have had little to say about it."
Rumor Not True! Postal Service Will Continue Black Heritage Stamp Series
Press release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040206/dcf044_1.html
"The Postal Service is committed to honoring African Americans on stamps and will continue to do so."
Captain's kin: 'Perfect Storm' hyped as true, but wasn't quite
By David Royse
Associated Press
<http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma..._perfect_storm_hyped_as_true_but_wasnt_quite/>
"It may have been "The Perfect Storm." But it wasn't perfectly true."
The Bible tells me so
By Jeffrey Weiss
Dallas Morning News
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/7897078.htm
"What's the difference between homosexuality and a ham sandwich?"
419ers get a taste of Texas Justice
By Ashlee Vance
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/35408.html
"May we humbly request your immediate and urgent attention to tell you the story of a Nigerian e-mail scammer convicted of wire fraud in Houston, Texas?"
Total Carbs
KCBS
http://cbs2.com/specialassign/local_story_036200059.html
"Low carbs -- it's the rage in Hollywood and all over the country. And the food industry hasn't missed a beat, making a big business out of low-carb diets. But are all of those low-carb products and menu items as healthy as they claim?"
Novelist, 77, enjoys notoriety of being the Gerber Baby
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040208/APF/402080629
"The most enduring urban legend about the famous Gerber Baby has to be the one about Humphrey Bogart."
'The Da Vinci Code' unscrambled
By Patrick T. Reardon
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-040204davinci-story,1,3321932.story
"Sister -- dressed in her black habit with white wimple and armed with the muscular assurance of pre-Vatican II Catholicism as well as a long, mean ruler -- was not amused."
Study Separates Fact from Fiction in Cases of Delayed Bleeding After Tonsillectomy
Press Release
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/502905/
"Despite years of scientific training, surgeons are not immune to the power of superstition when it comes to explaining the inexplicable. Such is the case with delayed bleeding after tonsillectomy, a complication that still occurs despite all efforts to the contrary. A popular belief is that this complication occurs more frequently on Friday the 13th."
FTC Sues Ponte Vedra Woman For Sale Of Kids' 'Skinny Pill'
WJXT
http://www.news4jax.com/news/2815716/detail.html
"Federal investigators are weighing in on a Ponte Vedra Beach woman's sale of weight-loss drugs."
Ponte Vedra Woman Agrees To Stop Selling 'Skinny Pill'
WJXT
http://www.news4jax.com/news/2828457/detail.html
"Facing a suit from the federal government, a Ponte Vedra woman has agreed to stop marketing her so-called Skinny Pill."
FTC: 'Skinny Pills' Claims Untrue
United Press International
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=106&sid=167380
"The marketers of "Skinny Pills" have settled with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on charges that they made false and unsubstantiated claims."
Big Trouble in Polygamy Town
By Richard Abowitz
Las Vegas Weekly
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2004/02/05/cover.html
"I was asleep when the call came. But there was a message:"
Not From Around Here
By Kate Silver
Las Vegas Weekly
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2004/02/05/katefeature.html
"A harlot and a Jew ride into a religious, polygamous town in a hot red convertible, and the Jew notices that the town—Colorado City, Arizona—smells like ◊◊◊◊. The harlot, who's wearing pants—pants!—knows that it's cows and that this is a pastoral community, but she keeps her mouth shut."
Utah Attorney General's office says charges against Warren Jeffs not imminent
by ALEXANDRIA SAGE
Associated Press
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10887164&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222077&rfi=6
"The state attorney general minced no words when he told various media outlets last weekend that criminal charges were imminent against Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."
In Arizona town, polygamous Mormon sect tightens its borders
By David Kelly
Los Angeles Times
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/a..._polygamous_mormon_sect_tightens_its_borders/
"Beneath red rock cliffs and soaring mountains, this remote desert community is a land of secrets, a closed society where outsiders are shunned and where the faith calls for multiple wives and total obedience to the will of the "prophet.""
Polygamist Sect Probed in Utah, Arizona
FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110357,00.html
"In a remote enclave on the Utah-Arizona border, a Mormon sect has openly practiced polygamy for years, but now upheaval from within has authorities stepping up an investigation they've been conducting for some time."
Self-Styled Prophet Investigated
FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110475,00.html
"A man excommunicated by the "prophet" of a fundamentalist Mormon (search) sect in the Arizona desert was ordered to surrender his home, his wives, and his children. He refused and, for the first time, a member of the community is speaking out about his life and their practices."
Letter Threatens Critics of FLDS Leader Warren Jeffs
KSL
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=39&sid=73431
"Is this letter authentic... or a hoax?"
New letter fans FLDS dispute
By Hilary Groutage Smith
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Feb/02042004/utah/135538.asp
"Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheehan is investigating an unsigned letter that rails against the interference of "gentiles and apostates" in the workings of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and claims "blood atonement" is the only salvation for people who leave the sect."
Hearings set in Chatwin eviction case
By JANE ZHANG
St. George Spectrum
http://www.thespectrum.com/news/stories/20040204/localnews/348323.html
"Born and raised in Colorado City as a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Ross Chatwin had always believed he belonged to "a superior people" who would eventually take over the world with the prophet at the helm."
Authorities Probe Arizona Polygamist Town
By MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=14382
"A power struggle has emerged in a small, tightlipped community known for polygamy, with a number of men getting kicked out of the church-owned town and their wives and children being "reassigned" against their will to other men."
Goddard calls for patience in polygamy case
by Robbie Sherwood
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0205polygamy05.html
"Authorities are making progress in "unprecedented" efforts to crack down on child abuse and other crimes in the reclusive polygamist enclave of Colorado City, Attorney General Terry Goddard said Wednesday."
Excommunicated polygamist faces eviction
Associated Press
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0205polygamy-letter-ON.html
"The church trust that owns most of the land in Colorado City is trying to evict the man who recently held a news conference to denounce the polygamous church and its leader, Warren Jeffs."
Yes, Polygamy Is Everybody's Business
By Naomi Schaefer
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-schaefer9feb09,1,7643912.story
"In January, a lawsuit was filed in federal court to overturn Utah's 113-year-old ban on polygamy. The action, which was prompted by the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Texas' anti-sodomy law last year, comes as no surprise. Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia warned in his dissenting opinion in Lawrence vs. Texas that "if, as the court asserts, the promotion of majoritarian sexual morality is not even a legitimate state interest, none of the above-mentioned laws [against fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality and obscenity] can survive rational-basis review." Utah polygamist Tom Green — who is appealing his convictions on bigamy on the ground that, like the men in Texas, what he does in his own home is no one else's business — could not have agreed more."
Teen who ran away returned to polygamist community
Associated Press
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0209RunawayReturned09-ON.html
"A 17-year-old girl who ran away to St. George from the polygamist enclave of Colorado City, Ariz. after an alleged altercation with her father has been returned to her home, a newspaper has reported."
More FLDS members ousted by Warren Jeffs
By JANE ZHANG
St. George Spectrum
http://www.thespectrum.com/news/stories/20040210/localnews/387926.html
"In a fashion that surprised his critics and followers alike, Warren Jeffs, self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, continued to expel members from the polygamist enclave on the Utah-Arizona border."
Utah seeks grant to aid rural domestic-violence victims
By Pamela Manson
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Feb/02112004/utah/137839.asp
"Utah officials are hoping to snag a federal grant that would serve victims of domestic violence in rural areas, especially women and children who live in polygamous communities in the southwestern part of the state."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/
-------
If you'd like to support the Skeptic NewsSearch, please consider making a donation via PayPal - <http://tinyurl.com/x81m>
By Jay Ingram and David Newland
Jay's Journal
http://www.exn.ca/Stories/2004/02/03/56.asp
"As Opportunity and Spirit conduct their robotic explorations of the Martian surface, some people just won't be content with the drab photos they're sending back. Conspiracy theorists insist that NASA is hiding the signs of life on Mars."
Space Ghost
by TONY ORTEGA
Kansas City Pitch
http://www.pitch.com/issues/2004-02-05/strip.html/1/index.html
"Talk about flyover country. Now even Kansas City's UFOs are getting no respect."
Man Says Wife Died In 9/11 Tragedy, But She Didn't
WFTV
http://www.wftv.com/news/2824937/detail.html
"The September 11th terrorist attacks killed many, many people. And, in a way, they took the life of a Brevard County woman who wasn't even there. This is a story of 9-11 fraud and deceit and someone trying to cheat the system."
Wife reported dead in 9/11 living, husband wants proof
By DENNIS B. RODDY
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/national/article/0,1406,KNS_350_2635146,00.html
"A woman has accused her estranged husband of reporting her dead in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center two years ago in an effort to collect compensation from a victims fund."
Man Exposed For 9/11 Fraud Is Changing His Story
WFTV
http://www.wftv.com/news/2828427/detail.html
"The man Channel Nine exposed for trying to defraud the 9/11 Victim's Fund is changing his story. Stephen Laskowski claims his ex-wife, Donna, who lives in Central Florida, died in the World Trade Centers."
Wife of man who made Sept. 11 claim alive in Florida
by MIKE CRISSEY
Associated Press
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/7924548.htm
"Donna Laskowski's name appears on the most recent list of victims' relatives who are seeking money from the federal Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. The problem is that Laskowski, 57, is alive in central Florida."
Regulation Rag
By Steve Mirsky
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?colID=15&articleID=0007FD7D-BBA0-101E-B40D83414B7F0000
"When I was a small boy, I was strongly in favor of reduced regulatory intrusion into private activity. I remember riding in the 1953 Dodge with my mother and asking her, "Wouldn't it be great if there were no stop signs?" She patiently explained to me that, no, it would be very bad because of all the carnage and chaos."
None So Blind
By Michael Shermer
Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&colID=13&articleID=000A011D-C17F-101E-B40D83414B7F0000
"Picture yourself watching a one-minute video of two teams of three players each. One team wears white shirts and the other black shirts, and the members move around one another in a small room tossing two basketballs. Your task is to count the number of passes made by the white team--not easy given the weaving movement of the players. Unexpectedly, after 35 seconds a gorilla enters the room, walks directly through the farrago of bodies, thumps his chest and, nine seconds later, exits. Would you see the gorilla?"
Permissive African Sexual Traditions Spread AIDS
By Helen Nyambura
Reuters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040208/hl_nm/aids_kenya_dc_1
"Men in the arid, remote Kenyan town of Isiolo have long had sex with young virgins to purge themselves of afflictions or curses."
Conspiracy theorists stake out Red Planet
by JAY INGRAM
Toronto Star
<http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...pageid=968332188774&col=Columnist977459474799>
"Some crazy ideas are better than others. For instance, I've been getting e-mails from crazed individuals who believe NASA is showing us images of rocks on Mars instead of revealing the truth: that there are the ruins of ancient civilizations on that planet."
Fears over 'green underwear' beast
By Rob Taylor
Australian Associated Press
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8630049^1702,00.html
"AS the rest of Indonesia battles bird flu and earthquakes, a new type of supernatural force dressed only in green underwear has been terrifying superstitious Jakarta residents."
Despite arrest, 'kolor hijau' all in the mind
by Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Bruce Emond
Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20040208.@03
"While most capitals in the region are battening down the hatches against bird flu, a creature of another kind has sent Jakarta residents into a tizzy."
Farmers erect 'flu scarecrows'
Agence France-Presse
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8569884%5E29677,00.html
""ANTI-bird-flu' scarecrows have been erected in Cambodian fields by farmers anxious to ward off the disease which has claimed at least 11 lives in neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand."
Brazos Valley museum features Bigfoot exhibit
By Elizabeth Knapp
THE BATTALION [Texas A&M]
http://www.thebatt.com/news/2004/02....Museum.Features.Bigfoot.Exhibit-594264.shtml
"The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History will feature a Bigfoot exhibit until August."
Human cloning attempt has failed
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3459009.stm
"The attempt by US fertility expert Panos Zavos to clone a human has failed."
Police: Man Killed Kin Because of 'Demon'
Associated Press
http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=7277
"A man who allegedly told police he strangled his 8-year-old daughter because she "had a demon in her" was ordered held without bail Tuesday pending a grand jury hearing."
Blockbuster Science
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/disclosure/archives/040113_nef/main.html
"Nefertiti Resurrected, brought to you by the Discovery Channel, was seen by millions around the world. But how much of it was documentary - and how much was drama?"
Ghosthunters Hope to Prove Annapolis Tavern Has a Ghost
By DIONNE WALKER
Annapolis Capital
http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=167744
"For nearly two years, the employees at Reynolds Tavern have endured exploding glasses, mysterious footsteps and eerie singing. Come Feb. 19, they hope to prove once and for all where it's coming from: the ghost of Mary Reynolds."
Supernatural schooling
DPA
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/08/1076175030106.html
"Schools in northern Thailand are promoting belief in "ancestor ghosts" in order to discourage children from taking drugs and engaging in premarital sex."
Indian police call in sorcerer
Agence France-Presse
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,8627060%5E29677,00.html
"THE police chief of a northeastern Indian state criticised his force Saturday after officers employed a sorcerer in an unsuccessful bid to locate embezzled funds."
Court hearing turns strange
By Mike Miller
Capital Times [Madison, WI]
http://www.madison.com/captimes/news/stories/66472.php
"An expected preliminary hearing for the latest member of "The Truth" to hit the local court system lasted only moments Friday, and Russell Gould is now at the Mendota Mental Health Institute."
Rise Of The Righteous Army
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/05/60minutes/main598218.shtml
"Evangelical Christians form one of the most potent forces in American politics and society. They are people who place their faith, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, above everything else in their lives and hope to spread that Gospel to the world."
They already know who's going to come
by Caitlin Fullerton
National Post
http://www.canada.com/entertainment/story.asp?id=E1C1BBED-9ABB-4D07-874A-E96845B2BDA4
"Timothy Campbell, an executive member of the Ontario Skeptics Society, says he won't be attending the Psychic Expo at the Toronto Exhibition Place this weekend."
Full Moon Effect On Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
by John Roach
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1218_021218_moon.html
"Beware: The moon is full tonight. People will party. Dogs will bite. Robbers will steal. Murderers will kill."
We always know when a full moon shines
By CHRISTY BUSBY
Texarkana Gazette
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/articles/2004/02/09/local_news/opinion/opinions02.txt
"The lore and lure of a full moon have been lauded in books, movies and documentaries."
Twaddle unswaddled
by David McKie
The Guardian
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,1141920,00.html
"Sometimes you think he must be making it up; but he's not. In the autumn of 1998, officials of the Department of Education were treated by their new Labour masters to a lecture by Dr Edward de Bono on his "six hats thinking system", which the doctor described as "the first new way of thinking to be developed for 2,400 years since the days of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle". Civil servants, he said, should put on a red hat while talking about hunches or instincts, a yellow one while listing advantages of a project, and a black one while adopting the role of devil's advocate."
UFOs call town home
By IAN HABERFIELD
Victoria Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8612037%5E2862,00.html
"THE tiny town of Beveridge, north of Melbourne, is fast earning a reputation as Australia's UFO hot spot."
Mine Hill haunt gets ghost check
By Abbott Koloff
Morris County Daily Record
http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news8-ghostinspectorsminehill.htm
"There have been stories of ghosts in the neighborhood, according to an author who has done some research on the subject, not to mention 19th century murders and strange accidents."
Ex-astronaut's curiosity continues
By Eliot Kleinberg
Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localn...s/sunday/local_news_04525c18064c018f10a0.html
"Somewhere in deep space, Ed Mitchell experienced a cosmic awakening that changed his life."
When UFOs Arrive
BY JIM WILSON
Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/2004/2/when_ufos_arrive/
"Within the scientific community, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but if ET is smart enough to do long division. Scientists are of two minds regarding the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence."
Supplement changes
By Lisa Marshall
Boulder Daily Camera
http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc/health_and_fitness/article/0,1713,BDC_2431_2618198,00.html
"Dehydrated cow pituitary. Raw adrenal glands. Bits of bovine thyroid, thymus and trachea."
Mango anti-cancer claim 'false'
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1145401,00.html
"The supermarket giant Asda is to be prosecuted by Swindon borough council for allegedly misleading customers over the anti-cancer properties of its mangoes."
Natural healers jockey for licensing
Associated Press
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/7854159.htm
"Healers who believe in using the body's intrinsic ability to fend off and even cure many diseases without medicine want the state to legalize their now unregulated practice, known as naturopathy."
Reiki: A new way of healing
By Barb Geert
Eldridge North Scott Press
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1839&dept_id=110408&newsid=10908945&PAG=461&rfi=9
"It's all around us."
St. John's Wort Labels Can Be Inaccurate
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDayNews
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=1636781
"Some makers of the popular herbal supplement St. John's wort greatly exaggerate the levels of a major ingredient, a new Taiwanese study suggests."
FDA Approves Sea-Band Acupressure Wristband
Press Release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040210/netu005_1.html
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Sea-Band International clearance to market the "Sea-Band" acupressure wristband for the relief of nausea caused by motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy and post-operative nausea, the bands are available over-the-counter at most pharmacies and supermarkets."
WHO issues guidelines for herbal medicines
Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L10399645.htm
"The World Health Organisation on Tuesday issued guidelines for ensuring the safety and efficacy of the multi-billion dollar herbal medicines market amid reports that some products are tainted with toxic substances."
More moms take an organic approach
by Abigail Leichman
The Record
http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/0210fam_holistic.html
"These mommies serve organic apple slices instead of Oreos."
Scientists decry 'evolution' deletion
By MARCIA LANGHENRY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204a/01evolside.html
"Calling the state school superintendent's proposal to remove the word "evolution" from state teaching standards "cataclysmic," scientists who spent a year crafting a statement on the importance of teaching evolution scrambled this weekend to add weight to their position."
Evolution comments irk scientists
By MARY MacDONALD
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204a/02evolution.html
"Gov. Sonny Perdue says he wants a "balanced" classroom approach to teaching evolution with an emphasis on its standing as "academic theory.""
Evolution proposal endangers AP credits
by Valerie Lake
The Red & Black
http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/02/02/401d8e8909cda
"A proposal to remove the term "evolution" from the state's high school biology curriculum has some University professors concerned that high school graduates will be unprepared for college-level courses."
Darby adopts origins policy
By JENNY JOHNSON
Ravalli Republic
http://www.ravallinews.com/articles/2004/02/03/news/news01.txt
"Despite legal recommendations advising against the action, Darby School Board trustees Monday adopted an objective origins policy that will allow the school's science curriculum to teach theories other than evolution."
State education chief: Darby school policy not science
Associated Press
http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...2004/02/03/build/state/50-darby-evolution.inc
"The man behind a new school policy in Darby that encourages teaching criticism of the theory of evolution insists the policy arises from science, and is not a push to teach creationism in public classrooms."
Darby schools OK 'objective origins'
By MICHAEL MOORE
The Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/02/04/news/local/znews01.txt
"Against the advice of the principals and teachers it employs and the attorney who represents it, the school board here voted 3-2 Monday night to approve an "objective origins" policy that will change the way science is taught."
THE WEEKLY SCALAWAG
BY SCOTT HENRY
Creative Loafing Atlanta
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2004-02-05/news_scalawag.html
"When you've been both dissed by a Nobel Peace Prize-winner (Jimmy Carter) and called an idiot by the looniest flat-Earther in the General Assembly (Rep. Bobby Franklin), you know you've ◊◊◊◊◊◊ up."
Intelligent design bill in House
By Jack "Miles" Ventimiglia
Liberty Sun-News
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1452&dept_id=155076&newsid=10909451&PAG=461&rfi=9
"Two Northlanders co-sponsor legislation reminiscent of the Kansas creation science debate."
Darby school policy triggers candidate debate
Associated Press
http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2004/02/06/build/education/id-debate.php?nnn=1
"A dispute over whether a new school policy in Darby promotes the teaching of creationism in the classroom spilled over into the political arena Thursday."
School chief comes to her senses over evolution proposal
Gainesville Times
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20040206/opinion/364911.html
"Some good sense broke out Thursday in Atlanta when Kathy Cox backed away from her ill-advised recommendation to eliminate the word "evolution" from public schools curriculum."
Head of schools changes opinion
Gainesville Times
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20040206/localnews/364696.html
"The thinking of Georgia's top school official has apparently evolved."
'Evolution' back in teaching plan
By MARY MacDONALD
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204/06evolution.html
"State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox said Thursday she will recommend restoring the word "evolution" to Georgia's science teaching standards and apologized for taking it out."
Schools Chief's Viewpoint Evolves
By Ellen Barry
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-evolution6feb06,1,2161932.story
"Georgia's superintendent of schools said Thursday that she would restore the word "evolution" to the public schools' proposed science curriculum."
Many Christian schools teach Darwin's theory
By BILL TORPY, PATTI GHEZZI
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0204/06privateskul.html
"Landmark Christian School's mission statement is clear: to teach students that "God is the creator and sustainer of the universe and of man.""
Creation focus of seminars at school
By Jessi De La Cruz
Jackson Citizen Patriot
http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1076151976311800.xml
"For Denny Locke, it's not much of a debate."
Compatability test
By JOHN BLAKE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/faithandvalues/0204/07darwin.html
"In a 1996 speech, a Christian leader offered an endorsement of Darwin's theory of evolution."
It Just Takes One
by Chris Mooney
CSICOP
http://www.csicop.org/doubtandabout/harvard-design/
"Run and edited entirely by students, the Harvard Law Review may be the most prestigious legal journal in the country. According to the Harvard Gazette, its circulation--roughly 8,000--is the largest of "any law journal in the world." And the Review's influence extends far beyond the number of copies lying around. Partly thanks to the Harvard name, publication in this journal automatically elevates an academic's legal scholarship above the rest of the pack."
Ohio wading into debate on biology
by Peter Bronson
Cincinnati Enquirer
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/02/08/loc_bronson08.html
"Most of what I learned in high school biology is buried in the bottom of my mental locker. But for some reason, I clearly remember those semi-creepy pictures in the chapters on evolution."
Lesson plans go to board
By Laura A. Bischoff
Dayton Daily News
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0210science.html
"The state Board of Education is expected to approve science lesson plans today after a committee made some changes in a controversial 10th-grade biology lesson that critics say will put "intelligent design" in Ohio's science classes."
Sciences group joins fray over lesson plans
by Kaye Spector and Scott Stephens
Cleveland Plain Dealer
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1076419820131720.xml
"The nation's most prestigious science organization added its voice Monday to criticism of model science lesson plans that the state school board is expected to vote on today."
State Board Approves Evolution Lesson Plans
Associated Press
http://www.nbc4columbus.com/education/2837429/detail.html
"Ohio 10th graders could be tested on new state-approved concepts of evolution in just over a year under a series of science lesson plans given preliminary approval Tuesday."
Grand Blanc considers adding Bible, creationism to curriculum
By Bob Wheaton
FLINT JOURNAL
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1076344081308880.xml
"Creationism and the Bible would be taught in Grand Blanc public schools under separate proposals that school officials said they will consider."
Duquesne's Darwin Day speaker makes case for teaching evolution
BY HEIDI PRICE
Washington Observer-Reporter
http://www.observer-reporter.com/283395179276726.bsp
"The state of Georgia made headlines recently when Kathy Cox, the state's school superintendent, announced plans to remove the word "evolution" from the middle school and high school science curriculums."
Lobbyist Questions Need For State Regulation Of Cryonics
By Phil Riske
Arizona Capitol Times
http://www.azcapitoltimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=548
"Negotiations are continuing over draft legislation to regulate companies that preserve bodies in hope they someday can be revived, state officials say."
Lawmakers seek state oversight of cryonics facilities
by Peter Corbett
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0206alcor06-ON.html
"A bill launched Friday calls for Arizona to oversee cryonics facilities such as Alcor, the Scottsdale firm that drew national attention last year over its handling of baseball legend Ted Williams's frozen remains."
Science and tribal religion clash in 'No Bone Unturned'
By Doug Esser
Associated Press
http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/116706-7091-021.html
"Kennewick Man, the ancient skeleton found in the Columbia River with a spear point in his hip, had an adventuresome life more than 9,000 years ago."
Science Trumps Ritual in Mystery Skeleton Row
By Adam Tanner
Reuters
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=4286705§ion=news
"Denying a request by American Indian tribes who sought an immediate burial, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday that scientists should be allowed to continue testing on a 9,000-year-old skeleton."
Scientists win Kennewick Man ruling
By TOM PAULSON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/159408_kennewickman05.html
"The scientific community should be allowed to study the 9,000-year- old human bones known as Kennewick Man, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled yesterday, rejecting an appeal by several tribes claiming kinship and seeking to rebury the remains."
Science wins ancient bones battle
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3460773.stm
"A US appeals court has given permission to scientists to study a 9,000-year-old skeleton - despite the objections of some Native American tribes."
Judges Back Study of Ancient Human Remains
By MATTHEW PREUSCH
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/05/national/05KENN.html
"A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that ancient human remains at the center of a long-running dispute involving American Indian tribes, scientists and the federal government should be released for study by archaeologists."
Scientists can study Kennewick remains, U.S. appeals court rules
By Joseph B. Frazier
Associated Press
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001851129_kennewick05m.html
"Scientists can study the 9,300-year-old remains of the Kennewick Man, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday."
Kennewick Man lives
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/107598586353211.xml
"Ever since two college students found his skull in the shallows of the Columbia River nearly eight years ago, Kennewick Man has been a skeleton in the closet, the secrets of his life and origin locked away from scientists and the public."
Kennewick Man will go to scientists
by RICHARD L. HILL
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/107598578653210.xml
"After seven years of uncertainty about the fate of Kennewick Man, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday decided that four Northwest tribes and the U.S. government had failed to show a tribal link to the 9,300-year-old skeleton and that eight prominent anthropologists could proceed with a study of the bones."
Bones decision favors science
Albany Democrat-Herald
http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2004/02/07/news/opinion/edit01.txt
"If you are interested in prehistory, as I am, you will hope that the appeals court opinion on Kennewick Man will stand. It protects the right of scientists to probe the mystery of how people came to live on this continent, even if their studies involve very old bones."
Kennewick Man speaks
SEATTLE TIMES
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2001852530_maned07.html
"Kennewick Man has held onto his secrets for more than 9,000 years and now, finally, scientists will get a chance to be his voice."
What is 'native American'?
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0211/p08s03-comv.html
"When two teenage hikers came upon the remains of a man's skeleton on the banks of the Columbia River in 1996, little did they know they'd set off a controversy over the meaning of "native American.""
Could Lake Tahoe be home to its own monster?
Associated Press
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/articles/2004/02/01/news/news95_.txt
"Since sailors first started navigating earth's waters, tales of sea monster sightings put fear in their hearts. But reports of these creatures have not been limited to the world's vast oceans - they've also been seen in lakes."
Loch Ness Marketing Drive Launched
By Rod Minchin
Scottish Press Association
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2490954
"A marketing organisation today launched an initiative to put the famous Loch Ness and the rarely seen Nessy firmly on the global tourism stage."
Soul-searching question
By Erika Niedowski
Baltimore Sun
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.gram02feb02,0,7721707.story
"21 grams."
Happy ending didn't need added drama
By INA HUGHS
Knox News
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/lifestyles_columnists/article/0,1406,KNS_337_2623841,00.html
"Never give up on people you love. Send this to four people and see what miracle comes into your life on the fourth day."
No, your ballot privileges don't disappear in 2007 — so go vote
by Cary Clack
San Antonio Express-News
http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=1125945
"If you're black, you won't be losing your right to vote in 2007."
Metro schools assures nation: 'We like honor rolls'
By DIANE LONG
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/education/archives/04/02/46687603.shtml?Element_ID=46687603
"Contrary to a hot urban legend, honor rolls are alive and well in Metro schools."
Hey baby, what's your sign?
by Arielle Chavkin
Tufts Daily
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/articleDisplay.jsp?a_id=3069
"At one time or another, pretty much everybody has been asked about their zodiac sign. This question may seem somewhat dated -- "I don't even think 'What's your sign?' is a good line anymore," University Chaplain David O'Leary said - but the popularity of horoscopes among college students attests to its relevance."
Spirit of Sedona
by Marlene Goldman
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/08/TRGII4NDOD1.DTL
""We're the only two people in Sedona who haven't changed our names," my guide quips, regarding this desert town's myriad psychic healers and energy workers. "The planet names are all taken, and the galaxies too.""
On the Job: Astrologer finds it's all about timing
by Sandi Wright
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/02/08/63528.php
"Is Mercury retrograde in your seventh house? Is your natal chart full of squares and oppositions? Do you feel like your rising sign is about fall?"
Memphis medical examiner accused of faking attack
By WOODY BAIRD
Associated Press
http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_story.mv+link=200402115843533
"A medical examiner who was found tied up with a bomb around his neck was charged Tuesday with lying about the incident and possessing an illegal explosive."
Shelby County M.E. indicted; effect on Workman unclear
By ROB JOHNSON
The Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/02/46790050.shtml?Element_ID=46790050
"A federal grand jury indicted the Shelby County medical examiner yesterday after concluding what has long been rumored — that O.C. Smith faked his own abduction."
Memphis medical examiner accused of faking attack
By WOODY BAIRD
Associated Press
http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_story.mv+link=200402115843533
"A medical examiner who was found tied up with a bomb around his neck was charged Tuesday with lying about the incident and possessing an illegal explosive."
Hot coals, "happy feet"
By Cory Golden
Davis Enterprise
http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2004/02/09/news/326new1.txt
""Who here has walked on fire before?" Heather Ash asks."
Mother pleads guilty in fund-raising hoax
by HOLLY DANKS
The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/10758137888681.xml
"A former Hillsboro woman pleaded guilty Monday to charges stemming from a scheme to raise money by claiming that her 9-year-old son was dying of cancer."
Legend or fact?
By Chris Freiberg
Indiana Daily Student
http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=21002
"Have you heard the IU urban myth about the fish and the virgin?"
Work as sergeant key to Captain's character
Lebanon Daily News
http://www.ldnews.com/Stories/0,1413,139%7E25398%7E1928798,00.html?search=filter
"The article you published Jan. 24 relating to the passing of Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) was well done, and he certainly deserved all the recognition for what he had accomplished through his efforts on television."
Legend has it
Lebanon Daily News
http://www.ldnews.com/Stories/0,1413,139~10141~1935042,00.html
"We fell victim to an Internet legend on Sunday's editorial page. It happens to a lot of us, editors and letter writers included, here and across the country."
Officials disclaim myth of Capt. Kangaroo as war hero
By Diane C. Lade
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cpkangaroo05feb05,0,6158467.story
"Jim Gregory was outraged when he read the obituary for Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo."
Black magic ritual to create vengeful ghosts
South African Press Association
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1076472365197B252&set_id=1
"Two Hong Kong girls were allegedly killed and then raped as part of a black magic ritual to create ghosts to torment their killer's wife, a news report said on Wednesday."
Devil in the detail of Sicily's mysterious village fires
by John Hooper
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1145394,00.html
"Is Lucifer loose on Sicily? No lesser figure than the honorary president of the International Association of Exorcists believes he may be."
Books on occult subject of vigil in Wash. Twp.
By TIM ZATZARINY JR.
Camden Courier-Post
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m020504j.htm
"A local businessman is organizing a candlelight prayer vigil to rally support for a group that wants restrictions placed on occult-related books in township school libraries."
Washington Twp. residents fight occult books with vigil
By Theresa Katalinas
Gloucester County Times
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1076310900245280.xml
"Malori Mella had no idea concern over her big brother's reading material would spawn a candlelight vigil Sunday attended by nearly 100 community and church members."
Vigil held to restrict books
By TIM ZATZARINY JR.
Camden Courier-Post
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m020904h.htm
"About 100 people gathered at a candlelight prayer vigil here Sunday evening to support a group that wants restrictions placed on occult-related books in township school libraries."
Seeing through the psychics
by Jim Gilchrist
The Scotsman
http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=126952004
"There were some things in BBC1’s new drama series, Sea of Souls, which made Caroline Watt’s hair stand on end, and not because they were registering high on the Richter scale of scariness. Sea of Souls stars Bill Paterson, Archie Panjabi and Peter McDonald as members of a paranormal research team at a fictitious Glasgow university; Dr Watt is a parapsychologist, a real one, at Edinburgh University’s Koestler Parapsychology Unit."
Sect member to plead guilty as accessory in baby's starving death
By Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/040/region/Sect_member_to_plead_guilty_as:.shtml
"A member of a religious sect whose self-described vision from God led to the starvation death of an infant is expected to plead guilty to an accessory charge, the prosecutor in the case confirmed Monday."
Sect member goes free after pleading guilty in infant death case
By Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
http://www3.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=60081
"A member of a religious sect whose self-described vision from God led to the starvation death of an infant pleaded guilty yesterday to an accessory charge and was allowed to go free based on the nearly four years she has already served in prison."
Woman admits role in child's death
By John Ellement
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...2004/02/11/woman_admits_role_in_childs_death/
"Michelle Mingo, the woman whose prophecy led to the starvation murder of her baby nephew, yesterday acknowledged her role in his death before walking out of court with her "spiritual husband," apparently headed back to the Attleboro religious sect whose teachings cost Samuel Robidoux his life and Mingo custody of her five children."
Police Turn To Psychic For Answers In Murder Case
KATV
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0204/123867.html
"Desperate for clues in an unsolved murder case, police are turning to a psychic for answers. Craighead County Sheriff Jack McCann is working with a Hollywood psychic hoping to find out who killed 20 year-old Amanda Tusing."
District attorney drops criminal case against psychic
By Con Garretson
Marin Independent Journal
http://www.marinij.com/Stories/0,1413,234~24407~1947063,00.html
"Prosecutors have dropped criminal misdemeanor charges against a Sausalito psychic who failed to report a fake scenario of child and elder abuse told to her by an undercover state agent."
Marin County psychic won't face criminal charges
Associated Press
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/7921788.htm
"A Marin County psychic won't have to stand trial on criminal charges, but she could still face $25,000 in fines."
No trial for Marin psychic
by Harriet Chiang
San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/10/BAGJT4SKT91.DTL
"Georgina Ritchie didn't have to invoke her psychic powers Monday to know that the Marin County district attorney's office was dropping criminal charges against her."
Michael Jackson's mate gets into the folding bike market
BikeBiz.com
http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/daily-news/article.php?id=3666
"Israeli spoon-bender Uri Geller has launched the Uribike, a "bend it, bag it" folding bike. One of last year's 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" celebs, Geller is also one of Michael Jackson's friends but he's yet to put the troubled singer on the Uribike."
Ancient practice of dowsing still attracts true believers
By Rebekah Scott
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04035/268944.stm
"Bill Martin doesn't look like your typical witch."
Pana Wave probed over car checkups
Yomiuri Shimbun
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040210wo32.htm
"Police on Monday arrested an employee of a car maintenance firm in Fukui and questioned its president on suspicion it falsified safety inspections of vehicles belonging to the Pana Wave Laboratory. The police also searched the headquarters of the group in the city."
Close encounter on Highway 7
By KEVIN ENGSTROM
Winnipeg Sun
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/02/11/343270.html
"John Stewart doesn't believe in aliens but he would like an explanation for the saucer-like object he saw in the sky last summer. The Stony Mountain resident, along with his wife and 11-year-old son, reported seeing the unidentified flying object on Aug. 23 while driving into Winnipeg."
Clone baby 'born in Australia'
By Nikki Todd
Australia Associated Press
http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,8654756%5E421,00.html
"THE controversial international cloning group Clonaid today claimed it had successfully created its sixth child, following the birth of a baby boy in Sydney last week."
Nigerian in Houston convicted of e-mail scam
KHOU
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou040210_jw_nigerianschemeverdict.828eb27.html
"A federal jury has convicted a Nigerian national living in Houston of conspiracy and 13 counts of wire fraud."
Cult aims at kids' shows
By Liam Houlihan
Victoria Herald Sun
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8538849^2862,00.html
"SCIENTOLOGISTS are using fronts called "Drug Free Ambassadors" and "Kids For A Drug Free Future" to dupe councils into giving them information stalls and stage time at family events."
Penis-enlargement firms sued
By Kris Hudson
Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~1938412,00.html
"A California man on Thursday sued a slew of international companies, including a Greeley distributor, alleging the penis-enlargement products they market and distribute do not work."
Lawsuit off the mark, company says
BY TOM HACKER
Greely Tribune
http://www.greeleytrib.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040207/NEWS/102070024&rs=1
"A dissatisfied California man's lawsuit against makers and distributors of a penis-enlargement product lists a Greeley company as "the operational hub" of the international enterprise."
HUNTING HAUNTINGS
by Ryan Heath
Indiana Digital Student
http://www.idsnews.com/story1_modify.php?id=21074
"Out the car window, I can't see much more than moonlight as it flashes between the treetops. The crescent moon is veiled in clouds, creating an eerie, silver glow around it that does little to illuminate the pitch-dark night. We have been driving through the woods for the past 15 minutes, and the road in front of us seems to snake endlessly onward into the dark. It is a storybook night for a ghost hunt."
Reporter takes aim at alleged media bias
By DON O'BRIANT
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/0204/02stossel.html
"John Stossel remembers when he used to be a media darling. That was a couple of decades ago, when the ABC-TV reporter was busy racking up 19 Emmy Awards for his exposés of corporate thieves, snake-oil salesmen and various consumer scams."
Watching a bit of muckraking
by TONY DODERO
Costa Mesa Daily Pilot
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/columnists/la-dpt-newsroom01feb01,1,1019069.story
"Most print journalists I know don't have much regard for television reporters or television news in general. And I have to say, I'm in their camp for the most part."
Can Water Really Remember?
By John Stossel
ABC News
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/GiveMeABreak/GMAB_homeopathy_040130-1.html
"Americans are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on homeopathic remedies believed to relieve the flu, colds, allergies and more, but the effectiveness of many remains debatable."
Parents upset by school's notification of sexual game
BY LINDSAY KASTNER
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
<http://www.timesdispatch.com/servle...&cid=1031773408569&path=!news&s=1045855934842>
(See also <http://www.snopes.com/risque/school/bracelet.asp>)
"Administrators at Petersburg's Walnut Hill Elementary School took action last month to prohibit students from wearing accessories linked to a sexual game."
Campus fearful after mass e-mail
By Ryan Floersheim
Daily Lobo
http://www.dailylobo.com/news/2004/02/02/News/Campus.Fearful.After.Mass.EMail-594493.shtml
"A wave of panic swept across the UNM campus late last week as rumors circulated that a serial rapist was loose in the area."
THE 10 BEST URBAN LEGENDS IN FILM HISTORY
by Phil Hall
Film Threat
http://www.filmthreat.com/Features.asp?Id=931
"Over the course of the years, many odd and intriguing stories regarding famous films have popped up. Some are laughable, some are tragic, all have been accepted by many people as being correct, and none of them have a shred of truth in them. From D.W. Griffith's heroic Klansmen to Jerry Lewis' concentration camp clown, there have been too many urban legends roaming the cinema world. Let's turn on the lights, open the windows, and see these legends for what they really are."
SCHOOLS TOLD TO IGNORE CHAIN LETTER
Leamington Spa Courier
http://www.leamingtononline.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=691&ArticleID=733758
"Schools are being warned not to fall prey to a chain letter claiming to be from a child dying of cancer."
Create a Hoax, Earn Damnation
By Leander Kahney
Wired
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,62157,00.html?tw=rss.TOP
"The Overclockers.com website published a barely believable hoax last week detailing the gutting of a brand new and very expensive Power Mac G5. This brought on an unbelievable reaction from the Mac community."
Enslaved by His Sources
By Jack Shafer
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2094896/
"Although I've already spilled 5,600 words on the subject in four pieces, I'm not quite finished cataloging the journalistic shortcomings of Peter Landesman's Jan. 25 New York Times Magazine cover story about the sex-slave industry, "The Girls Next Door.""
Was story about sexual trafficking exaggerated?
By Cathy Young
Boston Globe
<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ed...s_story_about_sexual_trafficking_exaggerated/>
"THE LATEST CONTROVERSY to erupt in journalism centers on a story about what everyone agrees is a real and serious problem: sexual slavery in which women and sometimes children are forced into prostitution. The question is whether a recent New York Times Magazine cover story exaggerated the scope of this ugly phenomenon, and whether author Peter Landesman was too uncritical in reporting the claims of agenda-driven activists. Landesman's lengthy article, "The Girls Next Door," has been extensively analyzed by Jack Schaffer in the online magazine Slate.com. Schaffer notes that while Landesman refers to only two criminal cases involving forced prostitution, he depicts sexual slavery as an epidemic raging unseen in seemingly respectable neighborhoods."
Woman Poses as Boy, Enrolls in School
Associated Press
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1628773
"Authorities were investigating a 33-year-old woman who allegedly posed as an abused 13-year-old boy, seeking help from a church and trying to enroll in a middle school. A woman with the same name pulled off a similar stunt in 1995."
THE HOAKS HOAX: The history of Birdie Jo Hoaks
By Mark Kinsley
KODE
http://www.kode-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1633811
"The arrest of Birdie Jo Hoaks has people asking, who is she, and where did she come from?"
The Stars Have Voted
By ERIN SULLIVAN
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/03/opinion/03SULL.html?ex=1076822338&ei=1&en=959810997674a506
"If seeking the presidency is like reaching for the stars, then why not look to the stars — and the other heavenly bodies — for insights on the candidates. The Democratic hopefuls face seven primaries today. Here's what their astrological charts can tell voters about their character — and who may have a celestial advantage:"
Did Quilts Hold Codes to the Underground Railroad?
by Sarah Ives
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/02/0205_040205_slavequilts.html
"Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. Quilts with patterns named "wagon wheel," "tumbling blocks," and "bear's paw" appear to have contained secret messages that helped direct slaves to freedom, the pair claim."
Paradise Lite
By Adam Kirsch
Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2095002/
"Heaven has always been a touchy subject for religion. In fact, as Peter Stanford shows in his new study Heaven: A Guide to the Undiscovered Country, the greatest prophets have had little to say about it."
Rumor Not True! Postal Service Will Continue Black Heritage Stamp Series
Press release
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040206/dcf044_1.html
"The Postal Service is committed to honoring African Americans on stamps and will continue to do so."
Captain's kin: 'Perfect Storm' hyped as true, but wasn't quite
By David Royse
Associated Press
<http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma..._perfect_storm_hyped_as_true_but_wasnt_quite/>
"It may have been "The Perfect Storm." But it wasn't perfectly true."
The Bible tells me so
By Jeffrey Weiss
Dallas Morning News
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/7897078.htm
"What's the difference between homosexuality and a ham sandwich?"
419ers get a taste of Texas Justice
By Ashlee Vance
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/28/35408.html
"May we humbly request your immediate and urgent attention to tell you the story of a Nigerian e-mail scammer convicted of wire fraud in Houston, Texas?"
Total Carbs
KCBS
http://cbs2.com/specialassign/local_story_036200059.html
"Low carbs -- it's the rage in Hollywood and all over the country. And the food industry hasn't missed a beat, making a big business out of low-carb diets. But are all of those low-carb products and menu items as healthy as they claim?"
Novelist, 77, enjoys notoriety of being the Gerber Baby
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040208/APF/402080629
"The most enduring urban legend about the famous Gerber Baby has to be the one about Humphrey Bogart."
'The Da Vinci Code' unscrambled
By Patrick T. Reardon
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-040204davinci-story,1,3321932.story
"Sister -- dressed in her black habit with white wimple and armed with the muscular assurance of pre-Vatican II Catholicism as well as a long, mean ruler -- was not amused."
Study Separates Fact from Fiction in Cases of Delayed Bleeding After Tonsillectomy
Press Release
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/502905/
"Despite years of scientific training, surgeons are not immune to the power of superstition when it comes to explaining the inexplicable. Such is the case with delayed bleeding after tonsillectomy, a complication that still occurs despite all efforts to the contrary. A popular belief is that this complication occurs more frequently on Friday the 13th."
FTC Sues Ponte Vedra Woman For Sale Of Kids' 'Skinny Pill'
WJXT
http://www.news4jax.com/news/2815716/detail.html
"Federal investigators are weighing in on a Ponte Vedra Beach woman's sale of weight-loss drugs."
Ponte Vedra Woman Agrees To Stop Selling 'Skinny Pill'
WJXT
http://www.news4jax.com/news/2828457/detail.html
"Facing a suit from the federal government, a Ponte Vedra woman has agreed to stop marketing her so-called Skinny Pill."
FTC: 'Skinny Pills' Claims Untrue
United Press International
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=106&sid=167380
"The marketers of "Skinny Pills" have settled with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on charges that they made false and unsubstantiated claims."
Big Trouble in Polygamy Town
By Richard Abowitz
Las Vegas Weekly
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2004/02/05/cover.html
"I was asleep when the call came. But there was a message:"
Not From Around Here
By Kate Silver
Las Vegas Weekly
http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/2004/02/05/katefeature.html
"A harlot and a Jew ride into a religious, polygamous town in a hot red convertible, and the Jew notices that the town—Colorado City, Arizona—smells like ◊◊◊◊. The harlot, who's wearing pants—pants!—knows that it's cows and that this is a pastoral community, but she keeps her mouth shut."
Utah Attorney General's office says charges against Warren Jeffs not imminent
by ALEXANDRIA SAGE
Associated Press
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10887164&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222077&rfi=6
"The state attorney general minced no words when he told various media outlets last weekend that criminal charges were imminent against Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."
In Arizona town, polygamous Mormon sect tightens its borders
By David Kelly
Los Angeles Times
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/a..._polygamous_mormon_sect_tightens_its_borders/
"Beneath red rock cliffs and soaring mountains, this remote desert community is a land of secrets, a closed society where outsiders are shunned and where the faith calls for multiple wives and total obedience to the will of the "prophet.""
Polygamist Sect Probed in Utah, Arizona
FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110357,00.html
"In a remote enclave on the Utah-Arizona border, a Mormon sect has openly practiced polygamy for years, but now upheaval from within has authorities stepping up an investigation they've been conducting for some time."
Self-Styled Prophet Investigated
FOX News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110475,00.html
"A man excommunicated by the "prophet" of a fundamentalist Mormon (search) sect in the Arizona desert was ordered to surrender his home, his wives, and his children. He refused and, for the first time, a member of the community is speaking out about his life and their practices."
Letter Threatens Critics of FLDS Leader Warren Jeffs
KSL
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=39&sid=73431
"Is this letter authentic... or a hoax?"
New letter fans FLDS dispute
By Hilary Groutage Smith
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Feb/02042004/utah/135538.asp
"Mohave County Sheriff Tom Sheehan is investigating an unsigned letter that rails against the interference of "gentiles and apostates" in the workings of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and claims "blood atonement" is the only salvation for people who leave the sect."
Hearings set in Chatwin eviction case
By JANE ZHANG
St. George Spectrum
http://www.thespectrum.com/news/stories/20040204/localnews/348323.html
"Born and raised in Colorado City as a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Ross Chatwin had always believed he belonged to "a superior people" who would eventually take over the world with the prophet at the helm."
Authorities Probe Arizona Polygamist Town
By MARK THIESSEN
Associated Press
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=14382
"A power struggle has emerged in a small, tightlipped community known for polygamy, with a number of men getting kicked out of the church-owned town and their wives and children being "reassigned" against their will to other men."
Goddard calls for patience in polygamy case
by Robbie Sherwood
Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0205polygamy05.html
"Authorities are making progress in "unprecedented" efforts to crack down on child abuse and other crimes in the reclusive polygamist enclave of Colorado City, Attorney General Terry Goddard said Wednesday."
Excommunicated polygamist faces eviction
Associated Press
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0205polygamy-letter-ON.html
"The church trust that owns most of the land in Colorado City is trying to evict the man who recently held a news conference to denounce the polygamous church and its leader, Warren Jeffs."
Yes, Polygamy Is Everybody's Business
By Naomi Schaefer
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-schaefer9feb09,1,7643912.story
"In January, a lawsuit was filed in federal court to overturn Utah's 113-year-old ban on polygamy. The action, which was prompted by the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Texas' anti-sodomy law last year, comes as no surprise. Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia warned in his dissenting opinion in Lawrence vs. Texas that "if, as the court asserts, the promotion of majoritarian sexual morality is not even a legitimate state interest, none of the above-mentioned laws [against fornication, bigamy, adultery, adult incest, bestiality and obscenity] can survive rational-basis review." Utah polygamist Tom Green — who is appealing his convictions on bigamy on the ground that, like the men in Texas, what he does in his own home is no one else's business — could not have agreed more."
Teen who ran away returned to polygamist community
Associated Press
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0209RunawayReturned09-ON.html
"A 17-year-old girl who ran away to St. George from the polygamist enclave of Colorado City, Ariz. after an alleged altercation with her father has been returned to her home, a newspaper has reported."
More FLDS members ousted by Warren Jeffs
By JANE ZHANG
St. George Spectrum
http://www.thespectrum.com/news/stories/20040210/localnews/387926.html
"In a fashion that surprised his critics and followers alike, Warren Jeffs, self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, continued to expel members from the polygamist enclave on the Utah-Arizona border."
Utah seeks grant to aid rural domestic-violence victims
By Pamela Manson
Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Feb/02112004/utah/137839.asp
"Utah officials are hoping to snag a federal grant that would serve victims of domestic violence in rural areas, especially women and children who live in polygamous communities in the southwestern part of the state."
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