[scifinoir2] Fw: Scientists Warn Against Weaponizing Space

[Amy Harlib]

 
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Weaponizing space is as insane as nuclear 
arms!
http://www.space.com/news/ap_050520_space_weapons.htmlScientists 
Warn Against Weaponizing SpaceBy Nick WadhamsAssociated 
Pressposted: 20 May 2005UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A scientists' 
group on Thursday warned the UnitedStates against weaponizing space, saying 
the move would be prohibitivelyexpensive and could set off a new arms 
race.The Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog group that opposes 
weaponsin space, said the United Nations should consider drafting a treaty 
thatwould prohibit interfering with unarmed satellites, taking away 
anyjustification for putting weapons in space to protect them."The 
United States has a huge lead in the space field - it can afford totry out 
the multilateral approach,'' said Jonathan Dean, a former U.S.ambassador and 
an adviser on global security issues.The Union's demand comes as the 
administration of President Bush isreviewing the U.S. space policy doctrine. 
Some scientists worry that thereview will set out a more aggressive policy 
that could lead to thegreater militarization of space.On Wednesday, 
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters thatthe policy review 
was not considering the weaponization of space. But hesaid new threats to 
U.S. satellites have emerged in the years since theU.S. space doctrine was 
last reviewed in 1996, and those satellites mustbe protected."There 
are changes that have occurred over the last eight or nine years,and there 
are countries that have taken an interest in space, McClellansaid. "And they 
have looked at things that could - or technologies thatcould - threaten our 
space systems. And so you obviously need to take thatinto account when 
you're updating the policy.''The Bush administration has also included 
some money in the budget forspace-based weapons programs to defend 
satellites, strike ground targetsand defend against missile attacks, said 
Laura Grego, a scientist with theunion.Any complete weapons system 
in space would be very expensive, running intothe many billions of dollars. 
Developing a shield to defend against asingle missile attack would require 
deploying 1,000 space-basedinterceptors and cost anywhere between $20 
billion and $100 billion, saidDavid Wright, a union scientists and co-author 
of a recent report on thefeasibility of space weapons.And such a 
system would require a huge expansion of U.S. launchingcapability. The 
United States currently launches between 10-12 largerockets a year, while 
with space interceptors, it would need to launchmany times more that each 
year.Wright argued that space-based ground attack systems were not 
yetpractical either. One, dubbed "Rods from God'' - which would fire rods 
oftungsten from space - would cost 50-100 times as much as a similar 
attackfrom the ground."The fact that it's still being considered I 
think suggests that there'ssome sort of emotional attachment to it for 
putting weapons in spacerather than a hard-nosed analysis,'' Wright 
said.Any such move would also likely draw swift international 
condemnation. In2002, after the United States withdrew from the 1972 
Anti-BallisticMissile Treaty, China and Russia submitted a proposal for a 
newinternational treaty to ban weapons in outer space.But the United 
States has said it sees no need for any new space armscontrol agreements. It 
is party to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, whichprohibits stationing weapons 
of mass destruction in 
space.







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[scifinoir2] Fw: Scientists propose new way to probe dark energy

[Amy Harlib]

 
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Wow stuff!
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0505/17darkenergy/Scientists 
propose new way to probe dark energyPRINCETON UNIVERSITY NEWS 
RELEASEPosted: May 17, 2005Cosmologists from Princeton 
University announced a new method tounderstand why the expansion of the 
universe is speeding up. The proposedtechnique will be able to determine if 
the cosmic acceleration is due to ayet unknown form of Dark Energy in the 
universe or if it is a signature ofa breakdown of Einstein's theory of 
General Relativity at very largescales of the universe.The result 
was presented by the principal investigator, Dr. MustaphaIshak-Boushaki, a 
research associate at Princeton University in NewJersey, to the Canadian 
Astronomical Society meeting in Montreal, QC."The accelerating expansion 
of the universe constitutes one of the mostintriguing and challenging 
problems in astrophysics. Moreover, it isrelated to problems in many other 
fields of physics. Our research work isfocused on constraining different 
possible causes of this acceleration."says Dr. Ishak-Boushaki.During 
the last 8 years, several independent astronomical observationshave 
demonstrated that the expansion of the universe has entered a phaseof 
acceleration. The discovery of this acceleration came as a surprise 
toastrophysicists who were expecting to measure a slowing down of 
theexpansion caused by the gravitational attraction of ordinary matter in 
theuniverse.In order to explain the cosmic acceleration, theoretical 
cosmologistsintroduced the notion of a new energy component that would 
constitute twothirds of the entire energy density of the universe and that 
isgravitationally repulsive rather than attractive. This component has 
beentermed Dark Energy.Is Dark Energy real? "We don't know," 
comments Professor David Spergelfrom Princeton. "It could be a whole new 
form of energy or theobservational signature of the failure of Einstein's 
theory of GeneralRelativity. Either way, its existence will have profound 
impact on ourunderstanding of space and time. Our goal is to be able to 
distinguish thetwo cases."The simplest case of Dark Energy is the 
cosmological constant thatEinstein introduced 80 years ago in order to 
reconcile his theory ofGeneral Relativity with his prejudice that the 
universe is static. He hadto withdraw the cosmological constant a few years 
later when the expansionof the universe was discovered. The discovery of the 
cosmic accelerationhas revived the debate about the cosmological constant in 
a new context.Another fundamentally different possibility is that the 
cosmicacceleration is a signature of a new theory of gravity that enters at 
verylarge scales of the universe rather than the product of Dark Energy. 
Someof the recently proposed modified gravity models are inspired 
bySuperstring theory and extra dimensional physics.Could we 
distinguish between these two possibilities? The proposedprocedure shows 
that the answer is yes. The general idea is as follows. Ifthe acceleration 
is due to Dark Energy then the expansion history of theuniverse should be 
consistent with the rate at which clusters of galaxiesgrow. Deviations from 
this consistency would be a signature of thebreakdown of General Relativity 
at very large scales of the universe. Theprocedure proposed implements this 
idea by comparing the constraintsobtained on Dark Energy from different 
cosmological probes and allows oneto clearly identify any 
inconsistencies.As an example, a universe described by a 5-dimensional 
modified gravitytheory was considered in this study and it was shown that 
the procedurecan identify the signature of this theory. Importantly, it was 
shown thatfuture astronomical experiments can distinguish between modified 
gravitytheories and Dark Energy models.The research work on the 
results presented was led by Dr. MustaphaIshak-Boushaki in collaboration 
with Professor David Spergel, both fromthe Department of Astrophysical 
Sciences at Princeton University, and AmolUpadhye, a graduate student at the 
Physics Department at PrincetonUniversity.







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RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel

[Keith Johnson]

Title: Message





Don't 
despair. If God had consulted "experts", the universe would never have been 
created. I can see the reports now: "Can't be done, Oh Most High!"..."How you 
gonna make something out of nothing, Supreme One?""Our research shows a 78 
percent probability that any attempt to create a self-sustaining cosmos would 
result in disaster". 
 
You go 
right on what whatever your mind can create. In a few millennia it just may come 
true...

  
  -Original Message-From: 
  scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of 
  Kelly WrightSent: Monday, May 23, 2005 21:43To: 
  scifinoir2@yahoogroups.comSubject: [scifinoir2] Re: Wormholes 
  unlikely to allow time travelI am somewhat 
  disappointed to read this as I love the notion of wormholes. While I have 
  never used the premise of time travel through wormholes, I have woven a 
  system of natural wormholes into the mythology of my World Ebon.  
  These invisible wormholes, which I call pulse points, are used by adepts 
  as a means of teleportation.~rave!--- In 
  scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Wodehouse" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
  wrote:> http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20050523-18392800-bc-wormholes.xml> 
  > Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel> > > 
  LONDON, May 23 (UPI) - Researchers say the idea of using "wormholes" 
  to> travel from one place in the galaxy to another is a "Star Trek" 
  idea whose> time may never come.> > A study by 
  University of Oregon researchers shows a wormhole that would be> 
  capable of transporting someone would be fundamentally unstable, the 
  BBC> reported Monday.> > "We aren't saying you can't 
  build a wormhole," said researcher Stephen> Hsu. "But the ones you 
  would like to build - the predictable ones where> you can say, 'Mr. 
  Spock will land in New York at 2 p.m. on this day' -> those look 
  like they will fall apart."> > A study by the University of York 
  and Central Connecticut State University> says even if it were 
  possible to keep a wormhole's throat open with> so-called exotic 
  matter, the throat still would be too small for time> 
  travel.> > Cambridge astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has argued 
  since the 1980s that> fundamental laws of physics would prevent 
  wormholes from being used for> time travel.> > 
  > Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All Rights 
  Reserved.







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[scifinoir2] FW: Star wars & sex

[Keith Johnson]

Title: Message





Study: Some Star Wars Fans Have Sex 
New Data Confounds Conventional 
Wisdom As the countdown continues to the release 
of "Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith," a new study indicates that 
contrary to the conventional wisdom, a small but significant number of "Star 
Wars" fans may actually have sex. Dr. Davis 
Preedon, who supervised the study for the University of Minnesota, said that 
while sexually active "Star Wars" fans still represent a tiny minority of the 
fan base, the fact that any "Star Wars" fans at all have sex may force 
scientists to reevaluate their theories about this little-understood population. 
"The prevailing profile of the 'Star Wars' 
fan as a geek who spends ten hours a day on the Internet trying to dig up 
details of the new film's plotline is only one piece of the puzzle," he said. 
"For every one thousand 'Star Wars' fans who meet that description, there is 
another one who has a girlfriend." Shane 
Losby, 27, a sexually active "Star Wars" fan from Gary, Indiana, says he has 
tried for years to convince people that he has sex but "it's really tough to get 
them to look past the whole 'Star Wars' thing." Dr. Preedon said his next research project is to test the 
conventional wisdom that "Star Trek" fans do not have sex: "We've just started 
the preliminary research, but so far that theory seems to be holding up." 
Elsewhere, Secretary of Defense Donald 
Rumsfeld said that with the U.S. bogged down in Iraq, the only way to contend 
with the Axis of Evil will be by somehow convincing North Korea to attack Iran. 
http://www.borowitzreport.com/archive_rpt.asp?rec=1124&srch= 

 




This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the 
addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If 
the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized 
representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any 
dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received 
this communication in error, notify the sender immediately by return email and 
delete the message and any attachments from your system. 








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[scifinoir2] Fw: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith mirrors reality

[Amy Harlib]

 
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Long - but a MUST READ!
"Most contemporary American 
policitians and journalists have grownup in a sanitised 'PC era' where such 
forcefulness is usuallymistakenly interpreted as a personal attack. Yet in 
my viewGalloway's testimony contains not a single truly aggressive 
phraseor ugly clause."http://webdiary.smh.com.au/archives/jack_robertson/001038.htmlIndeed, 
we've reached a point where most find the truth aninsult. They can't 
distinguish the two. Such an atmospherefosters lies, and weak character. 
Galloway's proper scolding of Coleman, Hitchens, et al had nothing to do 
with PC. It had everything to do with testicular fortitude and speaking 
truth to power and not giving a phuque about the consequences. (cause there 
won't be any)The quoted interpretation of PC is kind of sloppy, 
actually as labelshorthand, profoundly sloppy, because the language of 
"politicalcorrectness" has not been an impediment to speaking truth to 
power,merely an impediment used by those minorities seeking social 
justiceand civil rights to keep from having their interests and points 
ofview from being unconsciously trampled at every occasion.None of 
the folks who have asserted their existence in this regardhave any real 
power that is an impediment to freedoms. Theassociation of lesbigay chicanas 
at Berkley has never been, nor willit ever be a threat to civil liberties, 
unless you have anoverpowering urge to run around barking about wetback 
dykes andotherwise imposing yourself on their sensibilities.OTOH, 
true civil libertarians who don't get their principlesinadvertently bunged 
up with southern strategy bigotry, are alsobeginning to see the nature of 
the predicament. In fact, on a wellrun private libertarian list I frequent 
with edumicated folks, the surprise du jour from yonder where PC is 
understood as distinctfrom speaking truth to power was the alex jones 
article that justcame up about Revenge of the Sith. Having seen the 
movie y'day morning in a megaauditorium packed to the rafters with 
multigenerational nerdage, I'd say that Lucas has pulled his own image based 
and liminal version of a Galloway and has the power and the wealth to not 
have to give phuque and be certain that there will be no personal 
consequences for having done so. XMStar Wars Episode III: Revenge of the 
Sith mirrors realityI wanted to forward this fresh post taken from a 
private libertarianlist, but I also wanted to copy it to an existing AF 
thread..., socopied in whole - replete with characteristic gun zealotry at 
theend by its author N. Liebold. XMwww.Infowars.com | May 18, 
2005Alex JonesThe Star Wars story has had, without a question, the 
greatest impacton popular culture of any movie in world history. We will now 
explorewhy it has resonated so strongly with so many people 
acrossgenerations.At last, the mainstream media is picking up on 
something we've beentalking about for years. The plot lines of George Lucas' 
six StarWarsfilms mirror, in many respects, the activities of 
westerngovernments.George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars saga, 
has said over andover again that he simply plays on subconscious archetypal 
symbolsthat evoke primeval fears and passions. Lucas has also stated on 
manyoccasions that he draws from historical examples of imperial 
leaders'lust for war and total power.Lucas has said that that is why 
his films have such a powerful effectof people. Deep down, everyone knows 
that the greatest threat to lifeand liberty isn't the average criminal on 
the street, but themonolithic, all-powerful state.The human desire 
to resist tyranny is one of the strongest drives wehave and Lucas plays upon 
that instinct masterfully.While premiering his film, Star Wars: Revenge 
of the Sith, at theCannes Film Festival George Lucas was asked if his new 
film was asocial commentary on George Bush and the Iraq invasion (which 
evenour own government admits is part of America's new "kindly, 
helpfuland loving" imperialism).How can they not ask this when Darth 
Vader says to his former teacherObi-Wan Kenobi, "if you're not with me, then 
you're my enemy."Remember that Lord Bush, after the 9/11 attacks said, 
"either you arewith us, or you are with the terrorists."He continued 
by saying, "The issue was, how does a democracy turnitself into a 
dictatorship...When I wrote it, Iraq (the U.S.-led war)didn't exist.. but 
the parallels of what we did in Vietnam and Iraqare un believable ...I 
didn't think it was going to get this close."Speaking about present day 
America he said, "I hope this doesn't cometrue in our country."There 
are thousands of examples of classical despotism beingpracticed in the US 
and worldwide today. Here are just a couple:- Our new Attorney General, 
Alberto Gonzales, in published memos toldthe President and military leaders 
that US forces could interrogatedetainees to death. If the detainees died 
while being tortured, themilitary's actions would b

[scifinoir2] Re: Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel

[Kelly Wright]

I am somewhat disappointed to read this as I love the notion of 
wormholes. While I have never used the premise of time travel through 
wormholes, I have woven a system of natural wormholes into the 
mythology of my World Ebon.  These invisible wormholes, which I call 
pulse points, are used by adepts as a means of teleportation.

~rave!

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Brent Wodehouse" 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-
1-20050523-18392800-bc-wormholes.xml
> 
> Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel
> 
> 
> LONDON, May 23 (UPI) - Researchers say the idea of 
using "wormholes" to
> travel from one place in the galaxy to another is a "Star Trek" 
idea whose
> time may never come.
> 
> A study by University of Oregon researchers shows a wormhole that 
would be
> capable of transporting someone would be fundamentally unstable, 
the BBC
> reported Monday.
> 
> "We aren't saying you can't build a wormhole," said researcher 
Stephen
> Hsu. "But the ones you would like to build - the predictable ones 
where
> you can say, 'Mr. Spock will land in New York at 2 p.m. on this 
day' -
> those look like they will fall apart."
> 
> A study by the University of York and Central Connecticut State 
University
> says even if it were possible to keep a wormhole's throat open with
> so-called exotic matter, the throat still would be too small for 
time
> travel.
> 
> Cambridge astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has argued since the 1980s 
that
> fundamental laws of physics would prevent wormholes from being used 
for
> time travel.
> 
> 
> Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.




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[scifinoir2] Re: Bollywood 'Oscars' Honour Hasselhoff

[Kelly Wright]

And, of course, everyone knows Hasselhoff should have been oscar 
nominated for his transcendant performance in the "Sponge Bob Square 
Pants" movie.

~rave!

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Carole McDonnell" 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Smiled when I saw this. Am not a great Hasselhoff fan myself but he 
> has an interesting kind of fame. And really, who knows what kind of 
> fame we all might have? Hasselholff is arguably one of the biggest 
> most famous international American stars. And musician. He's always 
> having some big hit in Germany or wherever. Am not sure what kinda 
> fame I'll have. Small little group of high-brow devotees -- akin to 
> those who watch only art films. A creative or spiritual ghetto 
where 
> only people of a certain race or spirituality read me?
> 
> Heck I've heard people pick on this guy but it seems Hasselholf 
> transcends. And what is that saying about a prophet not being 
> accepted in his own country? (not that he's a prophet, mind 
you...but 
> why should we judge fame and art by American standards? If the 
> French, or the East Indians or the Germans or the Japanese see 
> something in someone we don't much acknowledge, should we think 
> they're wrong? After all, the US isn't the last word on creative 
> approval.
> 
> -C
> 
> --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "keop6" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,12078-4338531-52_12252_true,00.html
> > 
> > 02/05/2005 07:41 AM
> > Claudia Parsons
> > India's movie industry has handed out its version of the Oscars 
at 
> > the Bollywood Movie Awards, which saw a veteran director take top 
> > honours and a US actor best known for Baywatch named 
international 
> > star of the year. 
> > 
> > Dancers in shimmering costumes, Indian beauties in saris and 
sultry 
> > heartthrobs sporting long black coats crowded the Taj Mahal for 
the 
> > occasion. 
> > 
> > The Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that is. The 
> event 
> > was held in the US East Coast gambling resort as part of 
> Bollywood's 
> > bid to be a global force in cinema. 
> > 
> > It was a fitting backdrop for a show that mixed the glitz of a 
> major 
> > movie industry with the retro feel of variety-show dance numbers, 
> the 
> > likes of which were long ago excised from the Oscars. 
> > 
> > An audience composed largely of Americans of Indian origin 
cheered 
> as 
> > veteran Yash Chopra was named best director for his film Veer-
> Zaara, 
> > which also picked up the award for best film and best actor for 
its 
> > star Shahrukh Khan. 
> > 
> > Rani Mukherjee, one of the few major divas to take the stage, won 
> the 
> > best actress award for her role in Hum Tum. 
> > 
> > "The winner is the "Spielberg" of India ... Yash Chopra," said 
> former 
> > Baywatch star David Hasselhoff as he presented the award for best 
> > film, referring to star US director Steven Spielberg. 
> > 
> > Bollywood has a reputation for colorful kitsch - melodramatic 
> plots, 
> > young lovers battling cruel fate, wicked villains and 
sentimental, 
> > but chaste, song-and-dance routines. 
> > 
> > "Whether it's comedy or romance or action, films should touch 
your 
> > heart," Chopra said, explaining the appeal of his films and the 
> > genre, which despite efforts to expand its audience has so far 
made 
> > few inroads into the US market. 
> > 
> > Big Cheers For Baywatch Star 
> > 
> > Though an array of stars including former Miss India Lara Dutta 
> > entertained the crowd, Hasselhoff provoked some of the night's 
> > biggest cheers when he picked up his statuette. 
> > 
> > The Bollywood awards - which resemble a slim-line Oscar holding 
> what 
> > could be a torch or a bunch of flowers - are chosen according to 
a 
> > popular vote by fans. 
> > 
> > Baywatch and Knight Rider, in which Hasselhoff co-starred with a 
> car 
> > named Kit, may raise sniggers from highbrow critics at home but 
> they 
> > are still going strong in India, and the actor said he had much 
in 
> > common with the escapism of Bollywood. 
> > 
> > "I'm proud of shows like Baywatch and Knight Rider because it's 
> about 
> > saving lives, not taking lives," he told Reuters. 
> > 
> > "It's entertainment, it's tongue in cheek, it brings the world 
> > together," he said, adding that the entertainment industry was a 
> > powerful force for good in the world. 
> > 
> > "I think it's responsible for a lot of world peace," Hasselhoff 
> said, 
> > adding that he was hoping to work in India soon on a project 
based 
> on 
> > a series of romantic novels. 
> > 
> > "I never knew exactly how to get there. Now I've got this (award) 
> > it's like my key to India," he said. 
> > 
> > Bollywood churns out around 1,000 movies a year. But despite a 
fan 
> > base that extends to the Middle East and Europe, few films make 
> > money. 
> > 
> > But Shammi Kapoor, who was given a lifetime achievement award, 
said 
> > better technology and funding were leading to more and 

[scifinoir2] Re: Bollywood 'Oscars' Honour Hasselhoff

[Carole McDonnell]

Smiled when I saw this. Am not a great Hasselhoff fan myself but he 
has an interesting kind of fame. And really, who knows what kind of 
fame we all might have? Hasselholff is arguably one of the biggest 
most famous international American stars. And musician. He's always 
having some big hit in Germany or wherever. Am not sure what kinda 
fame I'll have. Small little group of high-brow devotees -- akin to 
those who watch only art films. A creative or spiritual ghetto where 
only people of a certain race or spirituality read me?

Heck I've heard people pick on this guy but it seems Hasselholf 
transcends. And what is that saying about a prophet not being 
accepted in his own country? (not that he's a prophet, mind you...but 
why should we judge fame and art by American standards? If the 
French, or the East Indians or the Germans or the Japanese see 
something in someone we don't much acknowledge, should we think 
they're wrong? After all, the US isn't the last word on creative 
approval.

-C

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "keop6" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,12078-4338531-52_12252_true,00.html
> 
> 02/05/2005 07:41 AM
> Claudia Parsons
> India's movie industry has handed out its version of the Oscars at 
> the Bollywood Movie Awards, which saw a veteran director take top 
> honours and a US actor best known for Baywatch named international 
> star of the year. 
> 
> Dancers in shimmering costumes, Indian beauties in saris and sultry 
> heartthrobs sporting long black coats crowded the Taj Mahal for the 
> occasion. 
> 
> The Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that is. The 
event 
> was held in the US East Coast gambling resort as part of 
Bollywood's 
> bid to be a global force in cinema. 
> 
> It was a fitting backdrop for a show that mixed the glitz of a 
major 
> movie industry with the retro feel of variety-show dance numbers, 
the 
> likes of which were long ago excised from the Oscars. 
> 
> An audience composed largely of Americans of Indian origin cheered 
as 
> veteran Yash Chopra was named best director for his film Veer-
Zaara, 
> which also picked up the award for best film and best actor for its 
> star Shahrukh Khan. 
> 
> Rani Mukherjee, one of the few major divas to take the stage, won 
the 
> best actress award for her role in Hum Tum. 
> 
> "The winner is the "Spielberg" of India ... Yash Chopra," said 
former 
> Baywatch star David Hasselhoff as he presented the award for best 
> film, referring to star US director Steven Spielberg. 
> 
> Bollywood has a reputation for colorful kitsch - melodramatic 
plots, 
> young lovers battling cruel fate, wicked villains and sentimental, 
> but chaste, song-and-dance routines. 
> 
> "Whether it's comedy or romance or action, films should touch your 
> heart," Chopra said, explaining the appeal of his films and the 
> genre, which despite efforts to expand its audience has so far made 
> few inroads into the US market. 
> 
> Big Cheers For Baywatch Star 
> 
> Though an array of stars including former Miss India Lara Dutta 
> entertained the crowd, Hasselhoff provoked some of the night's 
> biggest cheers when he picked up his statuette. 
> 
> The Bollywood awards - which resemble a slim-line Oscar holding 
what 
> could be a torch or a bunch of flowers - are chosen according to a 
> popular vote by fans. 
> 
> Baywatch and Knight Rider, in which Hasselhoff co-starred with a 
car 
> named Kit, may raise sniggers from highbrow critics at home but 
they 
> are still going strong in India, and the actor said he had much in 
> common with the escapism of Bollywood. 
> 
> "I'm proud of shows like Baywatch and Knight Rider because it's 
about 
> saving lives, not taking lives," he told Reuters. 
> 
> "It's entertainment, it's tongue in cheek, it brings the world 
> together," he said, adding that the entertainment industry was a 
> powerful force for good in the world. 
> 
> "I think it's responsible for a lot of world peace," Hasselhoff 
said, 
> adding that he was hoping to work in India soon on a project based 
on 
> a series of romantic novels. 
> 
> "I never knew exactly how to get there. Now I've got this (award) 
> it's like my key to India," he said. 
> 
> Bollywood churns out around 1,000 movies a year. But despite a fan 
> base that extends to the Middle East and Europe, few films make 
> money. 
> 
> But Shammi Kapoor, who was given a lifetime achievement award, said 
> better technology and funding were leading to more and more better 
> films. "They're getting to be more topical," he added. "They aren't 
> the happy happy movies of yesteryear. 
> 
> Bollywood still has comic heroes and dastardly villains, however, 
and 
> the awards paid tribute to both. Aftab Shivdasani turned up to 
claim 
> his prize for best comedian, but the villain of the year, Abhishek 
> Bachchan, was nowhere to be seen.




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[scifinoir2] Private Moon Trips Forecast

[Brent Wodehouse]

http://www.space.com/adastra/050523_diamandis_nss.html

Private Moon Trips Forecast

By Leonard David

posted: 23 May 2005


ARLINGTON, Virginia - The day of private-sector spaceships leaping from
low Earth orbit to the Moon is not too far off.

That’s the vision of Peter Diamandis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of the X Prize Foundation. He was the sparkplug behind the $10 million
Ansari X Prize claimed last year by the back-to-back flights to the edge
of space by the piloted SpaceShipOne - built and backed by private funds.

In early October, Diamandis is leading the “Countdown to the X Prize Cup”
- a showcasing of the emerging personal spaceflight era, to be held in
southern New Mexico.

“For the first time ever…the power to go to space is now resident within
the hands of individuals, not in the hands of governments,” Diamandis
explained before an audience attending the closing ceremonies of the 24th
International Space Development Conference (ISDC), held here May 19-22,
and sponsored by the National Space Society.


Bee-line for the Moon

The personal spaceflight revolution now underway is spawning a suborbital
travel market that will lead to passenger traffic headed into Earth orbit,
Diamandis said. “In the next five to eight years we will have the first
private orbital flights occurring,” he predicted.

Diamandis added that something very natural will happen when private
orbital flights arise. “When you’re in orbit you are two-thirds of the way
to anywhere,” he said.

“I predict that within about three years of private human orbital
flights…you’ll have the first private teams of people stockpiling fuel on
orbit and making a bee-line for the Moon,” Diamandis said.

“They’ll not ask for permission…maybe cryptically hiding what they are
doing…but there will be somebody making a bee-line to the Moon,” Diamandis
said. The first private team to reach the lunar landscape will stake out
the ground. “They’ll say this is ours. Stay away. I claim this for my
company…my new nation,” he said.


Millionaires and billionaires

Diamandis said that the wealth of individuals is rapidly increasing thanks
to the evolving power of the Internet, and very shortly through
breakthroughs in nanotechnology. Billionaires and multi-billionaires are
making their own future happen, he said.

“At the same time the number of millionaires and billionaires are very
rapidly increasingly…the price for getting into space is coming down.
We’re at that crossing point right now,” Diamandis said.

Once private operators routinely gain access to orbit, the momentum
forward is unstoppable, Diamandis said. “We cannot depend upon on the
government to do this.”

While wishing NASA and its new leader, Mike Griffin, good luck, Diamandis
said, the space agency is subject to Congressional start-stop, start-stop
funding. The fact that there are four to six human flights to orbit a year
“is pathetic…and pathetically small.”

That many flights departing Earth per day will signal robust and
economically viable public space transportation, Diamandis argued. “It is
the time. It is the moment of our calling. We’re at the point in history
where the human race is coming off the planet once and forever.”

“We are the payloads of the future,” Diamandis concluded.

 
Critical strategy

At a May 21 gala of the ISDC, held at the Smithsonian Institution’s
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Department of
Transportation (DOT) Secretary Norman Mineta also highlighted the emerging
public space travel sector.

Utilizing the commercial sector is “a critical strategy” for the future of
the space in the United States, Mineta said, with commercial enterprises
providing goods and services.

NASA needs low-cost, reliable space transportation to transfer both
hardware and crew to the International Space Station, Mineta pointed out.
Similarly, as the United States looks to resume the exploration of the
Moon and eventually sending crews to Mars, there is also the need for
private sector launch capability, he said.

Groups such as Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures, Mineta said, “are
champing at the bit” to get the first tourists into space. “Suborbital
space will be the first step for some of these companies…but orbital
tourism is the ultimate goal,” he added.

“We have entered a new era where entrepreneurial space businesses are
being unleashed to do what American businesses do best: to innovate, to
create and to drive quality up and cost down to the efficiencies of the
marketplace,” Mineta said.

 
New guidelines

Mineta said that he was enthusiastic about the Department of
Transportation’s growing involvement in space, pointing to last year’s
licensing of SpaceShipOne, the reusable launch vehicle. He also
spotlighted the first inland spaceport license ever granted to a launch
and reentry site operator in the United States - the Mojave, California
spaceport.

“More and more states are seeing the potential and working to attract and
develop new 

[scifinoir2] Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel

[Brent Wodehouse]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20050523-18392800-bc-wormholes.xml

Wormholes unlikely to allow time travel


LONDON, May 23 (UPI) - Researchers say the idea of using "wormholes" to
travel from one place in the galaxy to another is a "Star Trek" idea whose
time may never come.

A study by University of Oregon researchers shows a wormhole that would be
capable of transporting someone would be fundamentally unstable, the BBC
reported Monday.

"We aren't saying you can't build a wormhole," said researcher Stephen
Hsu. "But the ones you would like to build - the predictable ones where
you can say, 'Mr. Spock will land in New York at 2 p.m. on this day' -
those look like they will fall apart."

A study by the University of York and Central Connecticut State University
says even if it were possible to keep a wormhole's throat open with
so-called exotic matter, the throat still would be too small for time
travel.

Cambridge astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has argued since the 1980s that
fundamental laws of physics would prevent wormholes from being used for
time travel.


Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.



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[scifinoir2] Friday the 13th, 2029

[Kelly Wright]

http://www.physorg.com/news4146.html

Friday the 13th, 2029

May 18, 2005 

by Dr. Tony Phillips
 
Asteroid 2004 MN4 will come scarily close to Earth on April 13, 2029, 
but it will not hit. 

Friday the 13th is supposed to be an unlucky day, the sort of day you 
trip on your shoe laces or lose your wallet or get bad news. 
But maybe it's not so bad. Consider this: On April 13th--Friday the 
13th--2029, millions of people are going to go outside, look up and 
marvel at their good luck. A point of light will be gliding across 
the sky, faster than many satellites, brighter than most stars. 
What's so lucky about that? It's asteroid 2004 MN4 ... not hitting 
Earth.   
 
(Image: The trajectory (blue) of asteroid 2004 MN4 past Earth on 
April 13, 2029. Uncertainty in the asteroid's close-approach distance 
is represented by the short white bar.) 

For a while astronomers thought it might. On Christmas Eve 2004, Paul 
Chodas, Steve Chesley and Don Yeomans at NASA's Near Earth Object 
Program office calculated a 1-in-60 chance that 2004 MN4 would 
collide with Earth. Impact date: April 13, 2029. 

The asteroid is about 320 meters wide. "That's big enough to punch 
through Earth's atmosphere," devastating a region the size of, say, 
Texas, if it hit land, or causing widespread tsunamis if it hit 
ocean, says Chodas. So much for holiday cheer. 

Asteroid 2004 MN4 had been discovered in June 2004, lost, then 
discovered again six months later. With such sparse tracking data it 
was difficult to say, precisely, where the asteroid would go. A 
collision with Earth was theoretically possible. "We weren't too 
worried," Chodas says, "but the odds were disturbing." 

This is typical, by the way, of newly-discovered asteroids. Step 1: 
An asteroid is discovered. Step 2: Uncertain orbits are calculated 
from spotty tracking data. Step 3: Possible Earth impacts are noted. 
Step 4: Astronomers watch the asteroid for a while, then realize that 
it's going to miss our planet. 

Killer Asteroid! headlines generally appear between steps 3 and 4. 

Astronomers knew 2004 MN4 would miss Earth when they found pictures 
of the asteroid taken, unwittingly, in March 2004, three months 
before its official discovery. The extra data ruled out a collision 
in 2029. 

Instead, what we're going to have is an eye-popping close encounter: 

On April 13, 2029, asteroid 2004 MN4 will fly past Earth only 18,600 
miles (30,000 km) above the ground. For comparison, geosynchronous 
satellites orbit at 22,300 miles (36,000 km). "At closest approach, 
the asteroid will shine like a 3rd magnitude star, visible to the 
unaided eye from Africa, Europe and Asia--even through city lights," 
says Jon Giorgini of JPL. This is rare. "Close approaches by objects 
as large as 2004 MN4 are currently thought to occur at 1000-year 
intervals, on average." 

The asteroid's trajectory will bend approximately 28 degrees during 
the encounter, "a result of Earth's gravitational pull," explains 
Giorgini. What happens next is uncertain. Some newspapers have stated 
that the asteroid might swing around and hit Earth after all in 2035 
or so, but Giorgini discounts that: "Our ability to 'see' where 2004 
MN4 will go (by extrapolating its orbit) is so blurred out by the 
2029 Earth encounter, it can't even be said for certain what side of 
the sun 2004 MN4 will be on in 2035. Talk of Earth encounters in 2035 
is premature." 

In January 2004, a team of astronomers led by Lance Benner of JPL 
pinged 2004 MN4 using the giant Arecibo radar in Puerto Rico. 
(Coincidentally, the Arecibo dish is about the same size as the 
asteroid.) Echoes revealed the asteroid's precise distance and 
velocity, "allowing us to calculate the details of the 2029 flyby," 
says Giorgini, who was a member of the team along with Benner, Mike 
Nolan (NAIC) and Steve Ostro (JPL). 

More data are needed to forecast 2004 MN4's motion beyond 2029. "The 
next good opportunities are in 2013 and 2021," Giorgini says. The 
asteroid will be about 9 million miles (14 million km) from Earth, 
invisible to the naked eye, but close enough for radar studies. "If 
we get radar ranging in 2013, we should be able to predict the 
location of 2004 MN4 out to at least 2070." 

The closest encounter of all, Friday the 13th, 2029, will be a 
spectacular opportunity to explore this asteroid via radar. During 
this encounter, says Giorgini, "radar could detect the distortion of 
2004 MN4's shape and spin as it passes through Earth's gravity field. 
How the asteroid changes (or not) would provide information about its 
internal structure and material composition." Beautifully-detailed 
surface maps are possible, too. 

The view through an optical telescope won't be so impressive. The 
asteroid's maximum angular diameter is only 2 to 4 arcseconds, which 
means it will be a starlike point of light in all but the very 
largest telescopes. 

But to the naked eye--wow! No one in recorded history has ever seen 
an astero

[scifinoir2] Astronaut Asks Congress to Investigate Threatening Asteroid

[Kelly Wright]

Check out the "odds of dying" link at the bottom of page.

http://www.space.com/news/050519_asteroid_mission.html

Astronaut Asks Congress to Investigate Threatening Asteroid 
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 19 May 2005
09:59 am ET
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A former NASA astronaut will call on the U.S. 
Congress to evaluate an asteroid with a small chance of hitting Earth 
in 2036 and suggest lawmakers consider a space mission to monitor the 
object, SPACE.com has learned.

Russell Schweickart arrives here today to make his case. He'll also 
ask Congress to assign to a government agency the responsibility of 
protecting the public from space rocks.

The call to action stems from an orbiting hunk of stone that for a 
few days around Christmas had scientists on the edges of their seats.

The asteroid, named 2004 MN4, was found last year. It orbits the Sun 
but crosses the path of Earth. In December, preliminary observations 
showed it might strike in 2029, according to NASA scientists. It 
briefly had the highest odds ever assigned to a possible collision. 
Further investigation ruled out the 2029 impact scenario, but 
scientists cannot yet rule out an impact in 2036.

The odds of a collision in 2036 are about 1-in-10,000, Schweickart 
says.

In fact, there are several scenarios between 2034 and 2065 in which 
2004 MN4 has even smaller odds of striking. Schweickart and other 
scientists stress, however, that future observations are likely to 
reduce all these odds to zero.

Time to act

Meanwhile, Schweickart thinks the time to act is now.

SPACE.com was provided a copy of the paper Schweickart will present. 
In it, he carries out an informal analysis of the situation. He notes 
that the asteroid will be mostly out of view from 2006 to 2012. When 
it re-emerges, fresh observation will likely reduce the 2036 impact 
chance to zero, he said.

"However, there is a slim chance that we will not be able to draw 
this conclusion and that an impact will still be possible," he writes.

"One of the first things I'm calling for is validation and checking 
of the analysis I've gone through and the conclusions that fall out 
of my work," Schweickart told SPACE.com.

Schweickart heads up the B612 Foundation, which since 2003 has 
advocated for more research and action to protect Earth from stray 
asteroids.

Call to action 

Should his analysis prove correct after formal study, Schweickart 
says serious consideration should be given to first placing a radio 
transponder on the asteroid in order to better track its whereabouts. 

The former Apollo astronaut will take his message to Congressional 
lawmakers and detail his concerns at the International Space 
Development Conference being held here this week by the National 
Space Society, a space advocacy organization.

Astronomers agree that sooner or later Earth will be struck by a 
damaging asteroid. While one could sneak up on us any day, the 
overwhelming odds are that any potential significant impact will be 
known years in advance.

NASA has been charged by Congress with finding potentially hazardous 
space rocks. Yet only last year, after a separate brief scare, did 
officials formalize lines of communication between NASA's top brass 
and the astronomers who find and monitor space rocks. 

Still, there are no formal lines of communication between NASA and 
the White House to handle an imminent threat. And there is no U.S. 
agency to which the issue of protection of the public and property 
from the impact of near-Earth asteroids is assigned, Schweickart 
points out. Who would decide on whether and how to deflect an 
incoming threat? What agencies would be mobilized to deal with an 
impact?

The U.S. Congress should take action and assign that responsibility, 
he said. 

"In general, I am calling upon them is to address the overall issue 
of responsibility for near-Earth object activity in the U.S. 
government, which does not exist right now," Schweickart said.

Close brush

Asteroid 2004 MN4 was discovered through the efforts of NASA's 
Spaceguard Survey.

The object is estimated to be roughly 1,000 feet (320 meters) in 
diameter. Were it to hit the planet, it would not cause global 
devastation but would generate considerable local or regional damage, 
experts say. 

"This is not a marginal asteroid," Schweickart said. 

On April 13, 2029, 2004 MN4 will be about 22,600 miles (36,350 
kilometers) from Earth's center. That is just below the altitude of 
geosynchronous satellites. 

The extremely rare event will be visible from certain parts of Earth.

The flyby will change the orbit of the asteroid and create "a low, 
but real possibility" that it will return to hit Earth seven years 
later on April 13, 2036, Schweickart advised. 

There are no formal plans in place, at NASA or elsewhere, for 
destroying or deflecting an incoming asteroid. But if it needs to be 
nudged off course, you don't wait until after 2029, Schweickart 
explained. By then it will take fa

[scifinoir2] Diggs can't get over the "Hill"

[Kelly Wright]

A mid-season, "Kevin Hill" was a bonafide hit scoring an 89% higher 
rating than what UPN had achieved in the same time slot in the 
previous year.  It was among the first of UPN's shows to receive an 
order for a full 22 episodes.  By season's end it was cancelled.  

Although I was fond of the program (and I adored the "hero" 
baby), "Hill" had a lot of "issues."  For one thing, it couldn't 
decide what it wanted to be.  The raucous sexual antics of its 
beautiful cast was discordant with the sweetness of the show's single 
baby daddy core.  In other words, if you liked the single swanging 
stuff, you were bored to tears by the baby daddy drama and if you 
liked the baby daddy drama you were put off by the sexual stuff.  I 
liked the show but I felt uncomfortable watching it with my 
children.  

The article below touches on another problem with the show: Taye 
Diggs.  The show almost willfully refused to acknowledge his 
blackness choosing to protray him as a "straight-guy-with-a-queer-
eye" everyman.  This lead to him dating a seemingly endless stable of 
white women and left viewers like me wondering "where the sisters 
at?"  

Finally, the show was awfully slow is using one of its biggest 
assets: actress Michael Michelle.  Diggs and Michelle have a 
tremendous chemistry but the show never saw fit to use it.  Michelle 
had painfully little to do during the series' run.  

~(no) rave!

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/04/28/tough_clim
b_for_hill/

Tough climb for 'Hill'

Acclaimed African-American dramatries to reverse ratings for its 
survival

By Suzanne C. Ryan, Globe Staff  |  April 28, 2005

When UPN unveiled the Taye Diggs drama ''Kevin Hill" last September, 
television critics fell in love.

Diggs is ''perfect," purred USA Today.

The program is a ''profoundly pleasing hour," The New York Times 
chimed in.

As the only drama on broadcast television with an African-American 
lead actor, ''Kevin Hill" was supposed to have brought in new viewers 
to the network, known for the reality show ''America's Next Top 
Model," and for the fading ''Star Trek" spinoff ''Enterprise."

But now, after 19 episodes,''Kevin Hill" -- which chronicles the 
story of a successful lawyer who gives up a fabulous bachelor 
lifestyle to adopt his orphaned cousin, an infant girl -- seems to be 
falling flat.

Now, as ratings slide while it approaches a May 18 finale, ''Kevin 
Hill" stands a chance of being canceled next season. Fighting to 
avoid a bitter end, producers are bringing in a host of guest stars 
to boost ratings for the May sweeps. They include singer Toni 
Braxton; last season's ''America's Next Top Model" winner, Eva 
Pigford; and Diggs's wife, Idina Menzel.

If the show doesn't survive, it will join the ranks of short-lived 
programs like ''City of Angels" and ''Platinum," dramas featuring the 
lives of people of color that didn't resonate with enough viewers.

''It's so frustrating," says Dennis Leoni, creator and producer of 
Showtime's Latino drama ''Resurrection Blvd.," which was canceled in 
2002 after a three-year run. ''You'd think out of 110 million US 
households with televisions, you'd be able to scare up more than 2 
million viewers."

''Kevin Hill" averages 2.8 million viewers a week. By 
contrast, ''America's Next Top Model" averages 5.1 million. Even 
among women 18 to 34 years old, UPN's target demographic, ''Kevin 
Hill" is averaging 1.9 million viewers.

With all of the show's hype and Diggs's popularity (he became a sex 
symbol for his role in ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back"), what went 
wrong?

UPN and the show's executive producers aren't talking because the 
network is in the midst of deciding its fall lineup.

But theories about the show's possible mistakes abound.

Some critics look to the executive producer, Alex Taub, who oversaw 
the first 18 episodes of the season before UPN -- in a highly unusual 
late-season move -- replaced him with ''ER" veteran Samantha Corbin-
Miller Her first episode aired last night.

Felicia D. Henderson, the creator of Showtime's ''Soul Food," a drama 
featuring an all-black cast that aired from 2000 to 2004, says Taub 
and his team made the Kevin Hill character too perfect.

''He was supposed to be the biggest playboy ever but they made it so 
easy for him to say 'Now I'm a father,' " Henderson says. ''He should 
have made a lot more mistakes. Men would have responded to that and 
women would have said 'No he didn't! Men are such dogs.' "


A UPN official declined to comment on Taub, other than to say that he 
had been replaced because of ''creative differences."

Some observers question why the program, with its multiethnic cast, 
seems to avoid race as a topic.

While no one is suggesting that the show be spun around ethnicity, 
tip-toeing around the issue doesn't seem authentic either, they say.

''Without alienating your nonblack audience, you do want to see signs 
that this man comes from a certain kind of culture, whether it

[scifinoir2] Museum Claims Earth is 6,000 Years Old

[Brent Wodehouse]

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/ap_050523_creation_museum.html

Museum Claims Earth is 6,000 Years Old

By The Associated Press

posted: 23 May 2005


PETERSBURG, Ky. (AP) - Ken Ham has spent 11 years working on a museum that
poses the big question - when and how did life begin? Ham hopes to soon
offer an answer to that question in his still-unfinished Creation Museum
in northern Kentucky.

The $25 million monument to creationism offers Ham's view that God created
the world in six, 24-hour days on a planet just 6,000 years old. The
largest museum of its kind in the world, it hopes to draw 600,000 people
from the Midwest and beyond in its first year.

Ham, 53, isn't bothered that his literal interpretation of the Bible runs
counter to accepted scientific theory, which says Earth and its life forms
evolved over billions of years.

Ham said the museum is a way of reaching more people along with the
Answers in Genesis Web site, which claims to get 10 million page views per
month and his "Answers ... with Ken Ham'' radio show, carried by more than
725 stations worldwide.

"People will get saved here,'' Ham said of the museum. "It's going to fire
people up. If nothing else, it's going to get them to question their own
position of what they believe.''

Ham is ready for a fight over his beliefs - based on a literal
interpretation of the book of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament.

"It's a foundational battle,'' said Ham, a native of Australia who still
speaks with an accent. "You've got to get people believing the right
history - and believing that you can trust the Bible.''

Among Ham's beliefs are that the Earth is about 6,000 years old, a figure
arrived at by tracing the biblical genealogies, and not 4.5 billion years,
as mainstream scientists say; the Grand Canyon was formed not by erosion
over millions of years, but by floodwaters in a matter of days or weeks
and that dinosaurs and man once coexisted, and dozens of the creatures -
including Tyrannosaurus Rex - were passengers on the ark built by Noah,
who was a real man, not a myth.

Although the Creation Museum's full opening is still two years away,
already a buzz is building.

"When that museum is finished, it's going to be Cincinnati's No. 1 tourist
attraction,'' says the Rev. Jerry Falwell, nationally known Baptist
evangelist and chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. "It's
going to be a mini-Disney World.''

Respected groups such as the National Science Board, the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science
Teachers Association strongly support the theory of evolution. John
Marburger, the Bush administration's science adviser, has said, "Evolution
is a cornerstone of modern biology.''

Many mainstream scientists worry that creationist theology masquerading as
science will have an adverse effect on the public's science literacy.

"It's a giant step backward in science education,'' says Carolyn Chambers,
chair of the biology department at Xavier University, which is operated by
the Jesuit order of the Catholic church.

Glenn Storrs, curator of vertebrate paleontology for the Cincinnati Museum
Center, leads dinosaur excavations in Montana each summer. He said the
theory of dinosaurs and man coexisting is a "non-issue.''

"And so, I believe, is the age of the Earth,'' Storrs said. "It's very
clear the Earth is much older than 6,000 years.''

The Rev. Mendle Adams, pastor of St. Peter's United Church of Christ in
Pleasant Ridge, takes issue with Ham's views - and the man himself.

"He takes extraordinary liberties with Scripture and theology to prove his
point,'' Adams said. "The bottom line is, he is anti-gay, and he uses that
card all the time.''

Ham says homosexual behavior is a sin. But he adds that he's careful to
condemn the behavior, not the person.

Even detractors concede that Ham has appeal.

Ian Plimer, chair of geology at the University of Melbourne, became aware
of Ham in the late 1980s, when Ham's creationist ministry in Australia was
just a few years old.

"He is promoting the religion and science of 350 years ago,'' says Plimer.
"He's a far better communicator than most mainstream scientists.''

Despite his communication skills, Ham admits he doesn't always make a good
first impression. But, that doesn't stop him from trying to spread his
beliefs.

"He'd be speaking 20 hours a day if his body would let him,'' said Mike
Zovath, vice president of museum operations.

Ham's wife of 32 years agrees. "He finds it difficult talking about things
apart from the ministry,'' Mally Ham says. "He doesn't shut off.''

Ham said he has no choice but to speak out about what he believes.

"The Lord gave me a fire in my bones,'' Ham says. "The Lord has put this
burden in my heart: 'You've got to get this information out.'''



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[scifinoir2] NYTimes.com: America Wants Security

[aharlib]

Title: E-Mail This










































	



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Great comments by Krugman!




OPINION |
 
May 23, 2005





Op-Ed Columnist: 
America Wants Security






By PAUL KRUGMAN



Since the election, high-profile right-wing initiatives, at both the federal and state level, have run into a stone wall of public disapproval.


 

		













		










1. Is Le Marche the Next Tuscany? 
2. Op-Ed Columnist: It's All Newsweek's Fault 
3. Can You Catch Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? 
4. Op-Ed Columnist: The Rumsfeld Stain 
5. Op-Ed Columnist: America Wants Security 



»  Go to Complete List






		



















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[scifinoir2] Re: Netflix/Walmart Marriage - What do you think?

[md_moore42]

I'm a subscriber to NetFlix.  I am only too glad to see that they 
kicked Walmart's butt!  


--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella \(formerly 
Tracey L. Minor\)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hey guys.  What do you think about all this?
> Tracey
> 
> Netflix, Wal-Mart Unite; Blockbuster Attacks
> 
> The brutal war over online DVD rentals accelerated Thursday as 
Netflix and
> Wal-Mart announced an agreement, which was followed by an 
announcement by
> Blockbuster offering incentives to anyone switching from Netflix and
> Wal-Mart. Under the Netflix-Wal-Mart deal, Netflix will take over Wal-
Mart's
> online DVD rental business beginning June 16 while at the same time
> promoting Wal-Mart's sell-through business. 




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RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Netflix/Walmart Marriage - What do you think?

[Tracey de Morsella \(formerly Tracey L. Minor\)]

I hate to do it, but I too have made an effort to avoid all things Walmart.
I really like netflix and enjoyed watching the process of them taking down
Walmart in this arena.  It never dawned on me the result would be Wal-Mart
partnering with them.  If it can happen to Microsoft and Apple, I should not
be surprised.

Tracey

-Original Message-
From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Behalf Of g123curious
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 1:14 PM
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Netflix/Walmart Marriage - What do you think?


Since I am boycotting Wal-Mart due to their questionable business
practices, this just insures that I won't do business with Netflix
either.

George
Captain
The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston)

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella \(formerly
Tracey L. Minor\)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hey guys.  What do you think about all this?
> Tracey
>
> Netflix, Wal-Mart Unite; Blockbuster Attacks
>
> The brutal war over online DVD rentals
> accelerated Thursday as Netflix and
> Wal-Mart announced an agreement, which
> was followed by an announcement by
> Blockbuster offering incentives to anyone
> switching from Netflix and Wal-Mart. Under
> the Netflix-Wal-Mart deal, Netflix will
> take over Wal-Mart's online DVD rental
> business beginning June 16 while at the
> same time promoting Wal-Mart's sell-through
> business. Wal-Mart is believed to have about
> 300,000 subscribers. Shares in Netflix
> rocketed up 24 percent following the
> announcement. Later in the day, Blockbuster
> offered to give Netflix and Wal-Mart online
> rental subscribers two months of online
> rentals free, a free DVD of their choice to
> keep, and two coupons for free in-store
> rentals. In a statement, Blockbuster chairman
> and CEO John Antioco said, "We remain
> committed to growing our online rental
> business and plan to continue to compete
> very aggressively in" online DVD rentals.








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[scifinoir2] [Media Alert] Spaceships Will Appear Over Las Vegas On Prophet Yahweh's Signal

[Brent Wodehouse]

:-)
---
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb243327.htm

MEDIA ALERT: Spaceships Will Appear Over Las Vegas On My Signal

For only 45 days, starting June 1st until July 15, 2005, Prophet Yahweh,
Seer of Yahweh, will be calling down UFOs and spaceships for the news
media to film and photograph. During this time, a spaceship will descend,
on Prophet's signal, and sit in the skies over Las Vegas, Nevada for
almost two days.


Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) May 25, 2005 - Prophet Yahweh was blessed to
discover the lost, ancient art of summoning UFOs and spaceships on-demand.

There is a difference between UFOs and spaceships. UFOs are usually small
flying objects: glowing orbs, metallic spheres, satellite-type flying
machines, etc. And, their flight patterns suggest that they are not of
this world.

But, spaceships are large futuristic vehicles that are clearly designed to
carry passengers in like you see in the movies.

Since 1979, more than 1,500 UFOs and/or spaceships have appeared on
Prophet Yahweh's signal before witnesses or at unawares.

During this time, he was performing his summons privately with only those
close to him as witnesses.

But, starting June 1st until July 15th (45 days) Prophet is going public
by opening up to the news media.

He will demonstrate his ability to call down UFOs and spaceships,
on-demand, for them to film and photograph.

Prophet is in direct telephatic contact with his space being friends. They
have revealed that they will send UFOs as soon as Prophet starts asking
for them to appear.

Also, before the 45 day summoning period has ended, a spaceship will
descend and sit in the skies over Las Vegas on Prophet's signal.

The spaceship will hover in the sky, not far from Nellis Air Force base,
for almost two days. All Las Vegans will be able to see it, day and night,
before it goes back up into space.

Some news media representatives won’t be able to come to Las Vegas to film
the sightings. But, they would be interested in doing a story on Prophet’s
ability to summon them.

Others would like to see videos of the UFOs, first, to determine if they
are real, before coming.

Because of this, Prophet is giving the news media free access to the
broadcasts area of his website where they can view his UFO videos.

Also, since some news media will not be able to come to Las Vegas, Prophet
is willing to travel to any city to call down UFOs for them to document.

If your company would like to film or photograph UFOs and/or spaceships
that appear on Prophet’s cue, email your request to him.

Afterwards, he will communicate with you concerning it and email you the
login information you need to access the UFO videos in the Broadcast Area
of his website.

For information: http://www.prophetyahweh.com or

Contact: e-mail protected from spam bots

Phone: 1-800-314-4847, 702-966-0303

Contact:
Prophet Yahweh
Seer of Yahweh/Ufologist
POB 271551
Las Vegas, Nevada 89127
Phone: 1-800-314-4847, 702-966-0303
http://www.prophetyahweh.com
e-mail protected from spam bots

# # #



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[scifinoir2] Re: Netflix/Walmart Marriage - What do you think?

[g123curious]

Since I am boycotting Wal-Mart due to their questionable business 
practices, this just insures that I won't do business with Netflix 
either.

George
Captain
The USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston)

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de Morsella \(formerly 
Tracey L. Minor\)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hey guys.  What do you think about all this?
> Tracey
> 
> Netflix, Wal-Mart Unite; Blockbuster Attacks
> 
> The brutal war over online DVD rentals
> accelerated Thursday as Netflix and
> Wal-Mart announced an agreement, which
> was followed by an announcement by
> Blockbuster offering incentives to anyone
> switching from Netflix and Wal-Mart. Under
> the Netflix-Wal-Mart deal, Netflix will
> take over Wal-Mart's online DVD rental
> business beginning June 16 while at the
> same time promoting Wal-Mart's sell-through
> business. Wal-Mart is believed to have about
> 300,000 subscribers. Shares in Netflix
> rocketed up 24 percent following the
> announcement. Later in the day, Blockbuster
> offered to give Netflix and Wal-Mart online
> rental subscribers two months of online
> rentals free, a free DVD of their choice to
> keep, and two coupons for free in-store
> rentals. In a statement, Blockbuster chairman
> and CEO John Antioco said, "We remain
> committed to growing our online rental
> business and plan to continue to compete
> very aggressively in" online DVD rentals.






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[scifinoir2] NYTimes.com: The Rumsfeld Stain

[aharlib]

Title: E-Mail This










































	



This page was sent to you by: 
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The kind of up-front honesty we desperately need.




OPINION |
 
May 23, 2005





Op-Ed Columnist: 
The Rumsfeld Stain






By BOB HERBERT



Much of what has happened to the military on Donald Rumsfeld's watch has been catastrophic.


 

		













		










1. Op-Ed Columnist: It's All Newsweek's Fault 
2. Is Le Marche the Next Tuscany? 
3. Can You Catch Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? 
4. Class Matters: On a Christian Mission to the Top 
5. Op-Ed Columnist: The Rumsfeld Stain 



»  Go to Complete List






		



















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[scifinoir2] Grocery Store Wars

[g123curious]

This is a very cute parody of Star Wars using produce:

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

Very amusing, in my opinion. Feel free to pass it on if you like it.

George
Captain
THe USS Ronald E. McNair (Boston)







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[scifinoir2] Re: September 11th "National Firefighters Day"?

[Meta]

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Amy Harlib" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> After you read below and you wish to add your name, please click
forward, add your name to the bottom of the list and send it on to others.
>  
> 
 
This is a nice idea but here is a better one, according to "snopes.com'

For those still interested in establishing a National Firefighters
Day, sponsoring a petition on the web rather than via e-mail is much
more practical. Also, taking a few extra minutes to send letters to
Congressional representatives rather than simply adding names to an
e-petition would be a worthwhile effort. 
 

http://www.petitiononline.com/91101/petition.html

Meta




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