-Caveat Lector-
SkeptiNews 990604b - - - - - - - - - - - All The News That's Fit To Question
: Passages starting with ':' are editorial comments to provoke discussion.
: Nothing contained herein is ever endorsed for truth, accuracy or meaning.
: No corporate lackeys were harmed during the production of this bulletin.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
# Fancy Converting To Christianity Over A Beer? LONDON (Reuters) A group of
Christians bought an historic pub in the northern English city of Bradford
in an effort to win converts with good beer and talk about sport. The 170-
year-old Cock and Bottle pub will be staffed by unpaid volunteers and will
stay open Sundays. http://news.excite.com/news/r/990603/17/odd-britain-pub
: How much alcohol would you need to imbibe to abandon your belief system?
Do you have greater faith in religion, beer, sport, volunteerism, aliens?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
# Prospect of eye-scanner ATMs gets mixed reviews. GAINESVILLE, Fla. Throw
away the ATM cards and forget the personal ID numbers. A new cash machine
technology using body parts may change the way people bank, but bankers have
doubts about the technology known as "biometrics." The device from Diebold
Corp. photographs the iris, the colored part of the pupil, and converts the
iris' unique pattern into an ID system for the customer. It is similar to a
bar code, and because the iris is unique to each individual, the system is
practically foolproof. http://news.excite.com/news/uw/990603/odd-67
: To assume another identity, would you need to steal someone's eye? Can a
machine identify you from a distance? Would mirrored shades anonymize you?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
# Radar finds Moon's cold spots. (BBC) The first three-dimensional images of
the Moon's poles have revealed the places where the Sun never shines. Hold
noses: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_359000/359840.stm
# Moon's underground shadow. (BBC) A shadow cast by the Moon has been detec-
ted 700 meters (2300 feet) underground. And you thought the Sun never shone
there: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_360000/360693.stm
: Would you like to vacation on the Moon? Where? Do you support the Lunar
independence movement? Does Luna rule you astrologically? Are you a Lunatic?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
# Hen-Eating sheep creates dilemma for Moslem owner. DUBAI (Reuters) - When
Hussein al-Marzouqi's sheep went off its vegetarian diet it created a tricky
moral dilemma for its Moslem owner. Marzouqi, who had been raising the beast
for a special feast at his home in the Gulf Arab emirate of Sharjah, is now
seeking guidance from a Moslem scholar over whether it is permissible to eat
a sheep that has gobbled up nine chickens. "iT BEcAme LOneLY":
http://customnews.cnn.com/cnews/pna.show_story?p_art_id=3794157
: If you were a chicken, would you rather be devoured by a sheep, goat, dog,
octopus, Reptilioid, Republican, recidivist? Does your belief system have a
doctrinal position on chicken-eating sheep? Are carnivorous sheep cursed?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
*** British POW camp put up for sale. LONDON (AP) - Going for $160,000: one
prisoner of war camp. Single owner, original buildings (somewhat used). The
17-acre camp, which has 50 prison huts, a chapel and a theater, was built by
Italian POWs in the early 1940s, then used to hold captured Germans. "Buying
this could get someone a slice of history," said one land agent. One of the
huts still contains original paintings done by German prisoners. The spraw-
ling, riverside farm also has a large manor house and several cottages. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559800895-5da
: Would this camp be suitable as a religious retreat, vacation resort, alien
internment facility, refugee resettlement centre, mind-control laboratory?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
@ LISTEN TO THE NEWS. When the Internet became a household word, the death
knell was sounded for many older forms of media. But ironically, the Net is
actually helping radio not only survive but flourish. Streaming audio allows
radio stations to become international in reach, and this site is a hub for
hundreds of international and local news radio sites. Select your station by
region, or peruse through the half-dozen rotating headlines and choose which
news angle you want to tune into. See http://listentothenews.com
: How much news do you need? With a portable wireless PC, would you listen
to international news wherever you go? Would you prefer a brain implant to
link you directly to satellite news services? Have you such an implant now?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
# Iran spiritual leader slams reforms. DUBAI, UAE (AP) Attacking moderates
led by the Iranian president, Iran's spiritual leader criticized officials
who support relaxing Islamic social and political restrictions in Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's criticism came a day after the Iranian president
told an audience of hundreds of thousands that "salvation and freedoms go
together" and urged them to tolerate their differences.
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559802760-b70
: Is toleration of differences antithetical to your belief system? Do you
believe that extremism is no vice, that moderation is no virtue? D'ya care?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
# Order reigns in Pollock's 'random' paintings. (BBC) Mathematics has shown
that the paintings of rabid US artist Jackson Pollock, currently on show at
London's Tate Gallery, "reflect the fingerprint of nature". But are they
art? http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_359000/359739.stm
# Genuine cheesy decor. NEW YORK (CNN) A NYC hotel has given a room to an
artist who works in cheese. The result is an exhibit that is both visually
and aromatically strong. Is it art? http://cnn.com/US/9905/27/cheese.room/
# Strip club does 'Macbeth' to fight law. CASSELBERRY, Fla.(AP) Skipping the
usual oil wrestling match, an adult nightclub challenged an anti-nudity law
by performing part of "Macbeth" in the nude. 3 dancers at Club Juana perfor-
med the opening witches scene from Shakespeare's play, as well as a play by
the Marquis de Sade. Artistic? http://cnn.com/US/9905/29/AM-NudeMacbeth.ap/
: Do you have aesthetic standards? Are they influenced by ideology, taste,
emotion, education, alien implants, demonic voices, disease, random factors?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SkeptiBriefs:
# Hubble snaps a stunning spiral. (BBC) The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has
photographed one of the most magnificent galaxies in the sky. We're stunned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_360000/360667.stm
# Animal altruism myth exposed. (BBC) South Africa's co-operative mongoose,
long held as a prime example of heroic altruism in the animal kingdom, is a
selfish as the next beast. And you thought it was just his natural genero-
sity: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_360000/360255.stm
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Fido can't come to the phone just now, he's busy licking his balls." --anon
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.sonic.net/~ric * ICQ# 19633976 *
email INFO or SUBSCRIBE SKEPTICHAT to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
SkeptiChat archives: http://www.sonic.net/~ric/sc/files.htm
* UFO * ET * Conspiracy * Fringe * Science * PSI * Faith *
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
